Ritual of Restoration

The Ritual of Restoration is a fictional curse from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. It has been performed three times on screen.

Purpose

The ritual curses a vampire with the restoration of his or her human soul (conscience), causing the torment of remorse for any past acts of predation or cruelty. Angel is the only demon shown to have been re-ensouled in this way.

Restoring a vampire's soul in this way is not intended as a gift. It is very much a form of revenge, or a curse since if ever there comes a time when the restored soul no longer torments the vampire, the moment the vampire is not plagued by the guilt of what they had done for the sake of evil in the past, then in that instant the soul is taken from them. Angel's soul has been lost this way twice.

Performance

The Ritual of Restoration has been seen performed on three separate occasions; once by a Kalderash Gypsy elder, and twice by the Witch Willow Rosenberg. The ritual is spoken slightly differently each time, presumably because the translation made by Jenny Calendar is not an exact replica of the original text, though it seems to have the same effect, and also due to the time difference between the first and second instances where Willow performed the ritual, her powers as a witch have increased greatly, so logic dictates that she has adapted the curse according to her own research and experience.

Requirements

To perform the ritual, one needs four candles, some animal bones, runic stones, burning incense and an Orb of Thesulah. With these items, one creates a sacred circle, kneel, stand or sit in front of it and begin the incantation. Usually the first line of the incantation is spoken by a secondary person, but it is unclear whether this is always the case. The ritual is spoken in a combination of Gypsy-Romani Romanian, and another language which appears to be of the casters choice (the languages seen to have been used so far are Latin and English). The Ritual of Restoration is an extremely powerful spell, and has been seen to literally take over a less-experienced or weakened caster.

Versions

Kalderash gypsy version

The following is what is heard spoken on screen by the Kalderash gypsy elder. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "Becoming Part 1"

Este scris, această putere este dreptul poporul meu de a conduce,
Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
te invoc, spirit al trecerii,
Redă trupului ce separe omul de animal,
Aşa să fie, cu ajutorul acestui!

Willow's first version

The following is what is heard spoken on screen by Willow the first successful time she attempts the ritual. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "Becoming Part 2"

Quod perditum est, invenietur,
Not dead, nor not of the living,
Spirits of the interregnum, I call
Gods, bind him, cast his heart from the evil realm
Te implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte!
Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
Lăsa orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul la el.
...(break in scene)... Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie!
Acum! Acum!

Willow's second version

The following is what is heard on screen the second time Willow performs the ritual, to restore Angel's soul. Angel - "Orpheus"

Quod perditum est, invenietur.
Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
Te invoc spirit al trecerii.
Te implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte!
Lăsa orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul la el.
Este scris, aceasta putere este dreptul poporul meu de a conduce,
Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie!
Acum!

Scripted version

The following was written in Joss Whedon's script for the Kalderash gypsy elder.

Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
Te invoc spirit al trecerii.
Redă trupului ce separe omul de animal,
Cu ajutorul acestui magic glob de cristal.

Full incantation

Combining what is said by the two casters on four separate occasions (including the interrupted one), and taking into account the on-screen cuts when the ritual is being performed, below is as close as possible to the full incantation for the Ritual of Restoration.

Quod perditum est, invenietur,
Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
Te invoc spirit al trecerii,
Gods, bind him, cast his heart from the evil realm,
Let him know the pain of humanity, gods.
Reach your wizened hands to me. Give me the sword...
Te implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte,
Lăsa orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul la el,
Este scris, aceasta putere este dreptul poporul meu de a conduce,
Redă trupului ce separe omul de animal.
Aşa să fie, cu ajutorul acestui magic glob de cristal.
Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie!
Acum! Acum!

Translation:

What is lost, return,
Not dead, nor not of the living,
Spirits of the interregnum, I call,
Gods, bind him, cast his heart from the evil realm,
Let him know the pain of humanity, gods.
Reach your wizened hands to me. Give me the sword...
I call on you, Lord; do not ignore this request,
Let this orb be the vessel that will carry his soul to him,
It is written, this power is my people's right to wield,
Return to the body what separates man from animal.
So shall it be, with the help of this magic crystal globe.
So it shall be! So it shall be!
Now! Now!

Other methods of restoration

It is evident that the Ritual of Restoration is not the only way to restore a vampire's soul. Spike goes through various painful phases of the Demon Trials in order to have his soul restored by a cave-dwelling demon. It is unclear whether this demon uses a ritual similar to the Ritual of Restoration, using an Orb of Thesulah to restore Spike's soul; and there is no indication that Spike's soul can be lost in the same way as Angel's: the restoring of Spike's soul is not intended as a curse, but as a reward.