Holy Water

In Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglo-Catholic, and some other Churches, holy water is water which has been passed by a priest, bishop, or deacon for the purpose of baptism or for the blessing of persons, places or things.

Roman Catholic holy water
Holy Water is water that has been blessed and set apart for baptism. It is also used as a sacramental. Holy water is kept in the font, the church furnishing used for baptisms, which is typically located at either the entrance to the church (or sometimes in a separate room or building called a baptistery); its location at the entrance serves as a reminder of the centrality of baptism as the primary rite of initiation into the Christian faith. Smaller vessels, called stoups, are usually placed at the entrances of the church. As a reminder of baptism, Roman Catholics dip their fingers in the holy water and make the sign of the cross when entering the church. The liturgy may begin on Sundays with the Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling Holy Water, in which holy water is sprinkled upon the congregation; this is called aspersion, from the Latin, to sprinkle. This ceremony dates back to the ninth century. An aspergill or aspergillum is a brush or branch used to sprinkle the water. An aspersorium is the vessel which holds the holy water and into which the aspergillum is dipped. Salt may be added to the water "where it is customary."

Rituals and uses of holy water
The rite of blessing takes place during the Easter Vigil in preparation for baptism. Holy water can also be blessed on any day as part of the baptismal rite; the same prayer of blessing is used. Once blessed, more ordinary water can be added to the supply of holy water, and the entire quantity of water remains blessed provided that the amount added is less than the amount of water that was there.

The ritual of preparing holy water is itself in form an exorcism; the priest first exorcises the salt, and then the water itself; the traditional Latin formula for exorcising and blessing the water is:

"Exorcizo te, creatura aquæ, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis, et in nomine Jesu Christi, Filii ejus Domini nostri, et in virtute Spiritus Sancti: ut fias aqua exorcizata ad effugandam omnem potestatem inimici, et ipsum inimicum eradicare et explantare valeas cum angelis suis apostaticis, per virtutem ejusdem Domini nostri Jesu Christ: qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos et sæculum per ignem."

(I exorcise thee in the name of God the Father almighty, and in the name of Jesus Christ His Son, our Lord, and in the power of the Holy Ghost, that you may be able to put to flight all the power of the enemy, and be able to root out and supplant that enemy and his apostate angels; through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire.)

"Deus, qui ad salutem humani generis maxima quæque sacramenta in aquarum substantia condidisti: adesto propitius invocationibus nostris, et elemento huic, multimodis purificationibus præparato, virtutem tuæ benedictionis infunde; ut creatura tua, mysteriis tuis serviens, ad abigendos dæmones morbosque pellendos divinæ gratiæ sumat effectum; ut quidquid in domibus vel in locis fidelium hæc unda resperserit careat omni immunditia, liberetur a noxa. Non illic resideat spiritus pestilens, non aura corrumpens: discedant omnes insidiæ latentis inimici; et si quid est quod aut incolumitati habitantium invidet aut quieti, aspersione hujus aquæ effugiat: ut salubritas, per invocationem sancti tui nominis expetita, ab omnibus sit impugnationibus defensa. Per Dominum, amen."

(God, Who for the salvation of the human race has built your greatest mysteries upon this substance, in your kindness hear our prayers and pour down the power of your blessing into this element, prepared by many purifications. May this your creation be a vessel of divine grace to dispel demons and sicknesses, so that everything that it is sprinkled on in the homes and buildings of the faithful will be rid of all unclean and harmful things. Let no pestilent spirit, no corrupting atmosphere, remain in those places: may all the schemes of the hidden enemy be dispelled. Let whatever might trouble the safety and peace of those who live here be put to flight by this water, so that health, gotten by calling Your holy name, may be made secure against all attacks. Through the Lord, amen.)

For more on Holy Water, see Wikipedia

Holy Water in Castlevania
The Holy water subweapon found in almost every Castlevania game and is thrown at the floor. Early American versions of Castlevania were often censored to remove references to religious materials and the holy water weapon was referred to as a "Fire Bomb". The bottle breaks on impact and holy flames are released upwards. There are two general forms of holy water that behave differently depending on the game. The first classic form has the holy water release blue or green flames directly upwards and remains on the same for for several moments. This will wear out a ground based hearty creature that doesn't move around much very quickly, but requires good aim. This form can usually be upgraded with Double and Triple Shots that allows the user to have two or more holy waters attacks on the screen at once, wearing down creatures even faster or covering more ground. The holy water is usually tossed in a small upwards arc and usually can cause slight damage to creatures above and in front of the player before it hits the ground. Used in this fashion, it can mimic an Axe. The second modern form unleashes a wave of holy water that travels across the floor that can potentially damage many enemies and requires less precision, but usually only damages them a little bit. This type of holy water is thrown with high speed directly to a point in front of the hero and is not useful against creatures above the hero, but creatures will still take damage if they are in its path before it strikes the ground. Sometimes the holy water will burst open before hitting the ground if it strikes an enemy and will not travel in a wave. Holy Water has appeared in every Castlevania in some form except for Castlevania Adventure (which had no sub-weapons), Haunted Castle and Order of Shadows (which had unusual sub-weapons). Many slight variations of Holy Water exist between games. It can sometimes be combined with other items to produce more fantastic attacks. The Holy Water's basic Item Crash is the Hydro Storm. The character has Holy Water rain from the heavens unto enemies, dealing massive damage, usually the most useful and powerful Item Crash in the games.

Appearance in Castlevania I
The original Castlevania featured Holy Water (called Fire Bomb due to religious censorship) as one of the 5 original sub-weapons that could be used in the game. The player could only equip a single sub-weapon at a time, each which could be obtained from hitting a particular candle or as a drop item from an enemy. Holy water was first tossed in the air in a short arc, causing weak damage against any creature in its path. Once it hit the ground, the glass bottle was shattered and flames appear upward, damaging any creature it in its flames repeatedly for a few seconds. The weapon could be thrown two or three times in a row upon encountering a Double or Triple Shot.

Appearance in Vampire Killer
The Holy Water in Vampire Killer is one of the only sub-weapons that consumes Hearts (the other is the Stopwatch). The weapon is similar to its Castlevania I counterpart, except that the way it can be used is different. You can have Holy Water equipped at the same time as you have other sub-weapons equipped and you do not need to select it from a menu. In order to attack with it, you need to jump and then press right or left.

Appearance in Simon's Quest
The Holy Water found in Simon's Quest is similar to that found in the original Castlevania, except that it does not burn the floor or cause damage to enemies standing above where it landed. It only damages enemies it hits on its way to the floor. It can be purchased for 50 hearts in the town of Jova and can be used as many times as you wish. It has about the same strength as the Leather Whip. It is good against nearby enemies slightly below you or weak enemies slightly above you in front of you. The weapon can also be used to break bricks that cannot be broken with a whip attack, revealing hidden areas. The only other original sub-weapon that appears in Simon's Quest is the Dagger.

Appearance in Dracula's Curse
The Sacred Water found in Dracula's Curse is identical to the Fire Bomb found in the original Castlevania game. It can also be powered up with double and triple shots. Only Trevor Belmont is able to use this weapon.

Appearance in Super Castlevania IV
The Fire Bomb in Super Castlevania IV is similar to that found in the original Castlevania. Its smaller size relative to Simon makes it a less effective as a projectile. It is still tossed in an upwards arc, although it does not go above Simon's head. It can also be powered up with a double or triple shot. Holy Water is one of the selectable items used to form a password at the beginning and ending of the game.

Appearance in Belmont's Revenge
After being unable to use any sub-weapons in Castlevania Adventure, Christopher Belmont was now given the option of using either the Holy Water or Axe sub-weapons. It plays pretty much the same as in Castlevania I, although there are no double or triple shots in this game.

Appearance in Chronicles
The Holy Water that appears in Castlevania Chronicles is similar to the one that appeared in Super Castlevania IV. It can also be powered up with double or triple shot.

Appearance in Rondo of Blood
Rondo of Blood was the first Castlevania game to use the wave-style Holy Water. Instead of tossing the holy water up and forwards and then letting gravity take it straight down and spew forth holy flames on the area it was hit, Richter smashes the vial straight into the ground at a point some ways in front of him. When the vial bursts, it erupts in green flames, but then additional flame pillars erupt in front of ground zero, forming a wave of flame. Richter also does is not able to have more than one holy water on the screen at the same time as he does not have the ability to upgrade it with double or triple shots. Instead, he is able to use a 20 heart consuming item crash at any time he wants. This is the famous Hydra Storm, which features holy water raining from the sky and striking everything on the screen several times for several seconds.

Appearance in Bloodlines
Sacred Water is one of the three sub-weapons that Jonathan Morris or Eric Lecarde are able to use in Bloodlines (the other two are the Crystal Blade Boomerang and Battle Axe). The vial of holy water is tossed in a relatively high-reaching upward arc and after the vial smashes against the ground, a wave of fire is generated in the direction in which is was thrown. Like in Castlevania IV, the subweapon is activated by pressing a specific button instead of pressing up and attack at the same time (this allows for upwards primary weapon attacks). By pressing up and the sub-weapon button at the same time, a special attack is unleashed which consumes more jewels. When the holy water shatters on the ground during a special attack, the path of the flames "bounces" in an arc in one or the other direction. When it hits the ground again, it bounces again and this repeats a few times. Sometimes the flames will split and bounce in both directions at the same time, causing a wide area to be affected. This attack will cost 4 Jewels. An even more powerful attack with Holy Water is available when the primary weapon has been imbued with fire after collecting a Spellbook (primary weapon is now at "level 4"). This attack is wider-spread and consumes more crystals and will occur every time Holy Water is used. Because of the high amount of crystals the super attack uses, the description of the Spellbook states "Either a help or a hindrance, only the Spirits know for sure." Collecting a different subweapon with a level 4 primary weapon will eliminate this crystal-consuming sub-weapon mode. Collecting the same subweapon again while at level 4 will regain it. As soon as you take damage, the fire in the weapon burns out and Holy Water reverts to its original form.

Appearance in Dracula X
Holy water behaves in this game pretty much the same way it does in Rondo of Blood. It uses a ground wave attack style and can item crash into a Hydro Storm. It uses an unusually large amount of hearts in this game (3), while the heart consumption of all the other sub-weapons is at their traditional values. The Hydro Storm still consumes 20 Hearts, about a fifth of your maximum allowed hearts. Holy Water is once again one of the items used to form passwords.

Appearance in Symphony of the Night
The Holy Water is available in both of its basic forms in this game. For Alucard, it is played in its more traditional style, being thrown out and erupting in a vertical pillar of flame. It is already at its traditional fully powered version in this game, as Alucard can have several holy waters on the screen at the same time without the need to obtain double or triple shots. He doesn't throw it very far, so you have to be near enemies to hit them. Alucard can alter the strength, consumption, and supply of Holy Water with a few items. He can only find the hearts that fuel it once he has found the Cube of Zoe, which can be found very early in the game. Later on, the player can handicap themselves by deactivating the Cube of Zoe, in which case hearts and Holy Water can only be obtained as drop items. The maximum amount of hearts that he can carry increases as he Levels Up and finds Heart Containers. He can also restore up to 500 Hearts by using a rare Heart Refresh item from his inventory. He can increase the strength of Holy Water (or any sub-weapon) by wearing the Brilliant Mail, which can only be found as a drop item from the Sniper of Goth. Equipping a Heart Brooch, only available as a drop item from the rare Dodo Bird, reduces the heart consumption of Holy Water (or any sub-weapon). Wearing a Blood Cloak (found in the Collosseum) converts damage to hearts (I'm not sure if this adds to your heart total when you take damage, or if it subtracts from your heart total in place of taking damage). Holy Water for Richter works in the same way that it did for him in Rondo of Blood. A wave of flames is released when it hits the ground. Richter is also able to use the Hydro Storm item crash, featuring a rain of holy water that damages everything on the screen over several seconds. The heart consumption for the item crash was reduced from 20 in Rondo of Blood to 15 in this game. For both players as in Rondo of Blood, picking up one sub-weapon causes the equipped weapon to appear nearby and thus be obtained again.

Appearance in Legends
One of the goals of Legends is for Sonia to collect the weapons that would one day be used by her ancestors in their struggle against Dracula. She has not been trained in these weapons however, and is unable to use them. Sonia can collect the Holy Water weapon in Stage 4, the The Top Floor of the Castle. It is located in a white candle at the very top of a tall tower near the end of the level. Once it is obtained, it can be viewed by pressing the Select button, but cannot used. At the end of the game, the number of scenes in the ending sequence increases by each collected item found (Dagger, Cross, Holy Water, Axe, and Pocket Watch). Holy Water also is one of the symbols used to form passwords.

Appearance in Castlevania 64
The Holy Water attack item can be used by either player in the game. It can be found in Pillars or as a drop item and can be obtained by picking it up with a special button. Throwing it to the ground causes a large puddle of holy water to be released with flames upwards. Holy Water is also one of the main weapons of a non-playable character, the vampire hunter Charlie Vincent. You do not get to witness him using it on any creatures though and if you use a too many Sun Cards or Moon Cards, he reaches the Castle Keep before you do. Unfortunately, he doesn't fare too well and ends up getting turned into a vampire. He's not a very smart vampire though and still uses his holy water against you without reservation when you fight him, apparently not realizing that he is damaging himself in the process.

Appearance in Legacy of Darkness
Holy Water is pretty much the same as it was in Castlevania 64, except for a few things. It can be powered up up to two times when you obtain an additional holy water item. Each level has a different color flame. The amounts of hearts consumes increases with the level of the difficulty setting chosen for the game. All playable characters are able to use Holy Water in the same manner.

Appearance in Circle of the Moon
The Holy Water in Circle of the Moon is thrown like the Holy Water in Rondo of Blood, that is, it is hurled at high velocity diagonally downwards and forwards. However, its flame affect is like the Castlevania I, that is, it erupts into a pillar of flames around the area where it hit the ground, but does not cause a wave to form. If an enemy is struck while it is on its way down, it will explode on that enemy and drop to the floor where that enemy was. The Pluto Card has can be used with three different Attribute Cards that affect the way Holy Water and other sub-weapons are played. Using it with a Salamander Card allows him to perform the item crash Hydro Storm for 20 hearts. Using it with a Serpent causes him to throw two Holy Water vials simultaneously at different distances from himself (I'm not sure if he uses the same amount of hearts as he normally would for throwing two separate Holy Water vials>). Using the Pluto Card with a Manticore Care causes him to use 8 Mind Points to throw a single vial of Holy Water instead of 3 Hearts. The game features a few ways to modify the amount of hearts (the fuel for Holy Water) you have. A normal heart gives you one heart and a big heart gives you five. If you use a Venus Card with a Manticore Card, the amount of hearts you gain by collecting one of these hearts doubles. The maximum amount of Hearts you can have increases by 2 when you Level Up and by 10 upon the encountering a Heart Container (often used as rewards or hidden items and also completely refills your heart meter). Heart refresh items found in your inventory is much more common in this game than it was in Symphony of the Night. A "Heart" item gives you 10 Hearts when you use it from your inventory, a Heart High recovers 25 hearts, a Heart EX gives you 50, and a Heart Mega gives you 100 hearts. The effectiveness and consumption of Holy Water and other sub-weapons varies depending on what mode of game you are playing. The mode most favorable to using sub-weapons is Shooter Mode, which features stronger sub-weapons (compared to other attack types), starts you out with a full 250 Hearts, and increases your Max Heart by 10 whenever you level up.

Appearance in Resurrection (Cancelled)
The canceled game Resurrection was to feature a Holy Water sub-weapon that had a normal and strong attack, as well as a Boomerang, Axe, and Dagger sub-weapon. Nothing more is known about this weapon.

Appearance in Harmony of Dissonance
Harmony of Dissonance introduced a system where sub-weapons would be crossed with other objects to form special attacks. In this case, Juste Belmont, who had the blood of a Belmont in him, allowing him to use sub-weapons, was able to combine those weapon's powers with Magic gained from Spell Books, which he is also able to use because he is also a descendant of the Belnades Clan. On its own, the Holy Water consumes 3 Hearts and creates a wave attack pattern when hitting the ground, as in Rondo of Blood. Combining the Holy Water with a Fire Book, he will throw a spinning ball of flame across the floor that will bounces off of walls. Using an Ice Book causes nearby enemies to be enveloped in icy holy water, which then explodes, causing damage to the creatures enveloped and those hit by the icicles (ice will form around Juste if no enemy is nearby). Using a Bolt Book results in a large bolt of electricity to come down exactly on top of a nearby, and then oscillate back and forth a few times. A Wind Book causes a classic Hydro Storm, where it rains Holy Water for a few seconds, damaging everything on the screen. Using a Summoning Tome will call forth an angel which will fly back and forth at the top of the screen, pouring sparkling holy water down below, damaging any creature it touches. You can select the form of attack an equipped Holy Water will take without needing to go to the menu screen. Pressing "R" and "L" simultaneously while crouching will toggle on and off the spell fusion with the currently selected spell book. Pressing "R" or "L" while crouching will cycle through the spell books that you have collected. Other items can also affect the way Holy Water is used. Equipping the Chaos Ring will alter the way the Holy Water sub-weapon is used so that it skip bounces off the ground, increasing its range, but also causing some gaps in coverage. This increases the amount of hearts consumed. A Heart Choker increases the rate at which Big Hearts are found. Cipher's Charm speeds up the rate at which MP is restored. There are several items that increase the amount of Mind Points, including the Mana Prism and the Big Mana Prism. There are no items that can be stored in your inventory in this game that resupply your heart meter. The effectiveness of the spells used with Holy Water is determined by your Intelligence, which is determined by your level and what you have equipped. The Magic Necklace increases your intelligence by 5, the Mystic Brooch by 15. The Ring of Vlad Relic increases your intelligence by 10 and can be equipped at all times without the need to unequip anything. There are many other items in the game that raise intelligence but that also raise other attributes. The Special Good Night Goggles raise your intelligence and luck slightly. Many Body Armor items increase the amount of intelligence you have, although they always increase defense more, including the Ancient Robe, Blizzard Robe, Casual Wear, Fancy Clothes, Kaiser Mail, Lightning Robe, Loose Clothing, Mystical Robe, Noble Robe, Padded Armor, Ramail Coat, Summer Clothes, T-Shirt, Thin Robe, War Fatigues. Red Silk Hat is the only Headgear item that increases intelligence (along with Defense). Once you've beaten the game, you can enter the code "NO MAGIC" to play the game over again, but this time without collecting spellbooks and relying completely on your whip and sub-weapons. The original Simon Belmont is playable in Boss Rush mode and plays and looks exactly as he did in the original Castlevania I game. He is able to use Holy Water in the same manner as he did in that game (tosses it in an arc, pillar erupts exactly from where it lands).

Appearance in Aria of Sorrow
The unlockable playable Julius Belmont has Holy Water in his arsenol, along with a Boomerang, Axe, and Grand Cross. He possesses each of these weapons at the beginning of the game and can cycle through them whenever he wants by pressing the "R" button. His Holy Water is similar to its Rondo of Blood counterpart and a wave of flames is formed when it hits the ground. This game does not track hearts, but rather only has a single Mind Point meter. MP gradually increases with time and collecting hearts also increases this amount. It costs Julius 25 MP to throw a single vial of holy water. The only way Julius can increase his maximum amount of MP is to defeat bosses and collect their Crystals. There can be several holy water vials on the screen at the same time. The weapon has the Holy attribute, so some enemies are strong verses it, while others are weak. Julius is unable to use any item that might alter the amount of MP he has. While Soma Cruz is unable to use Holy Water, he does have Bullet Souls that somewhat mimic the function of holy water. The Curry weapon obtained from a Waiter Skeleton's soul is thrown in an arc much like holy water was thrown in the original castlevania. It then lands on the ground and any creature that happens to touch it will get repeatedly damaged while it is still there. The fire wave ability that he gains from using a Werewolf's soul is similar to the Dracula X style holy water. Fire springs up from the ground in front of Soma and travels in a small wave (considerably shorter than Julius's Holy Water). A similar fire wave ability gained with a Biphron's soul travels a much further distance. However, it cannot be used while Soma is in the air, as Julius's Holy Water can.

Appearance in Lament of Innocence
Holy Water in Lament of Innocence is used in a different manner than it was in the previous 3D game, Legacy of Darkness. Instead of being smashed to the ground like in most games, Leon normally takes the "cork" off of the Holy Water vial and pours it in a 180 degree arc in front of him. The holy water then erupts in a pillar of flames above where it was poured. Much like in Harmony of Dissonance, the Holy Water can be combined with 7 different colored Orbs that can be obtained by defeating bosses for more fantastic attacks. Unlike in HoD, these new attacks also consume Hearts (the Magic Meter is only used by Relics). Like in Harmony of Dissonance, Leon can switch between the different styles of attacks without the need to access a text-based menu screen. Pressing the L1 button opens a real time circle menu that contains icons for each orb forming a circle. Flicking the right analog stick in the directions of one of the icons selects that orb. Pressing "in" on the analog stick activates or deactivates the selected orb. They Holy Water orb attacks are as follows: In Lament of Innocence, the word Holy Water also represents the type of damage dealt by a Holy Water sub-weapon. Enemies that are weak to Holy Water based attacks include the various kinds of zombies (Zombie, Mad Diver, Poison Zombie, Frost Zombie, Hanged Zombie, Evil Stabber), skeletons(Skeleton, Skeleton Swordsman, Red Skeleton, Astral Fighter, Skeleton Archer, Astral Knight, Skeleton Knight, Skeleton Soldier, Wolf Skeleton, Astral Warrior, Skeleton Flower, Skeleton Warrior, Storm Skeleton, Skeleton Hunter, Spartacus, Mirage Skeleton), spirits (Vassgo, Spirit, Ghost Knight, Ghost Warrior, Rune Spirit, Mist, Ghost, Phantom), and demons (Flame Demons, Gargoyle, Frost Demon, Thunder Demon, Executioner, Lesser Demon, Gaap). The bosses Undead Parasite (along with its Soulless minions), the Forgotten One's Maggots (although not the forgotten one itself), and Walter himself are also weak vs. Holy Water. The Lizard Man and Frost Elemental are the only enemies that are strong vs. Holy Water. (I am not sure if the Roaring Flames and Energy Gazer also have the Fire attribute))
 * Red Orb (Roaring Flames): This attack is more like the Castlevania 64 version of the move, where he smashes the vial against the ground causing wide-spread flames to erupt.
 * Purple Orb (Cross Blazer): Flames will instantaneously erupt in a cross pattern in front of Leon, behind, to the left, and to the right.
 * Blue Orb (Energy Gazer): Leon throws a vial to the ground which erupts in fire flames and travels across the ground and homes in on an enemy.
 * Green Orb (Flame Sparks): Leon uses holy water vial as a projectile directly at an enemy. When it strikes and enemy, it breaks into four parts and the ground erupts in flames where they land.  The attack is like a 3D version of the original Simon Belmont's holy water, except it is imbued in a rocket of the flames while it is in the air and instead of traveling in an arc, it is launched directly at an enemy (more like as in Circle of the Moon, where it is thrown directly at the ground).
 * Yellow Orb (Holy Symbol): Leon places a circular Holy Symbol directly below the place where he is standing. This symbol remains on the ground for a while and erupts in a pillar of flames whenever an enemy moves on top of it.  This is like a 3D version of Alucard's Karma Coin.
 * White Orb (Aqua Disk): Leon forms an expanding aqua disk directly above him, wknocking back or continuously damaging any enemy it strikes.
 * Black Orb (Energy Wave): A blue energy wave of Holy Water travels from where he is standing and homes in on an enemy.  This is similar to an Energy Gazer and is like a 3D version of Richter Belmont's Rondo of Blood holy water attack.  The difference is that the wave eminates from where he is standing instead of where the vial crashes (more like Soma's Biphron soul attack).

Appearance in Dawn of Sorrow
Julius's Holy Water in Dawn of Sorrow is pretty much the same as it was in Aria of Sorrow. It consumes 4 MP, travels across the ground, and can be switched whenever desired with his other three sub-weapons.

Appearance in Portrait of Ruin
Holy Water is just one of the many items that once found, is selectable in Jonathan's Morris inventory.