| “ | I bring not peace. I bring a sword. | „ |
| ~ Henry Parish |
Henry Parish (born Jeremy Crane) is a major antagonist on the FOX television series Sleepy Hollow. He is the main antagonist of the second half of Season 2.
The son of Ichabod and Katrina Crane, he made a deal with Moloch, who freed him from an imprisonment in exchange for his assuming the mantle of War, the Second Horseman of the Apocalypse, as part of Moloch's plan to bring forth the Apocalypse.
He is portrayed by John Noble, who also played Denethor in Lord of the Rings, Unicron in Transformers: Prime, Walternate in Fringe, Brainiac in Superman: Unbound, Scarecrow in Batman: Arkham Knight, Mallus in DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Sam Butcher in The Boys, Leland Monroe in L.A. Noire, the Diviner in Star Trek: Prodigy and Ivan Yugorsky in Running Scared.
History[]
Early life[]
Jeremy was born to Katrina Crane, after his father had fallen on the battlefield, ignorant that he ever had a son. Ichabod Crane fell defeating Death on the battlefield in 1781, and was then put into suspended animation by his witch wife who knew he would have to rise again to face the Horseman eventaully. Katrina did not learn she was pregnant until after her husband's entombment, she was then pursued by Moloch's servants and her own coven, the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart. Katrina sought sanctuary at Fredericks Manor, which was guarded by powerful hexes; there, she gave birth to her child. Moloch, however, sent a Tree Monster to breech the wards and the protections failed, faced with no alternative, Katrina gave her newborn son to George and Grace Dixon, to raise in hopes of protecting him from the powers pursuing her.
A 12-year-old Jeremy created a Golem
Unfortunately, Jeremy inherited his mother's powers, but was never trained in their use. While still an infant, his cries set the building afire and killed the Dixons. He was then sent to an orphanage for war orphans, run by a cruel priest who abused Jeremy, hoping to beat the evil out of the boy. One day, while being beaten, Jeremy accidentally turned a doll his mother had left for him into a monstrous Golem that then killed the priest. Afterwards, the two traveled together, the Golem serving as Jeremy's protector.
Sensing Jeremy's immense power, the Sisterhood asked him to join them, but since it was they who had banished his mother to Purgatory, Jeremy refused. Fearing his power, they then banished the Golem to Purgatory and then, using a hex to stop his heart, buried Jeremy. Jeremy, however, proved too powerful to fall to their curse, and survived the spell, his powers keeping him alive. For two centuries, he was trapped under the ground, eating the roots that grew in to his coffin, praying and pleading for God, for his parents, for anyone, to help him.
Jeremy buried alive by Katrina's ex-coven.
Finally, Jeremy was released by Moloch and agreed to become the demon's second Horseman, War, in hopes of avenging himself on those he felt responsible for everything that had happened to him. His rising was witnessed by Abbie and Jenny Mills, descendants of George and Grace Dixon, but Moloch erased both girls' memories.
After emerging from his grave, Jeremy found the re-built church he had accidentally burned down as a child. Seeing the church's name was "St. Henry's Parish," he took the name as his own to spite God, and prepared for the awakening of his father, Ichabod Crane, which wouldn't occur for almost two decades. In the meantime, he survived by being a Sin Eater.
Season 1[]
In Season One, Henry appears as a supporting antagonist, appearing to be an ally and a "supporter" of the two Witnesses until the season finale.
After Ichabod Crane rose from his entombment, Henry contacted Katrina in Purgatory, making her believe, correctly, that a Sin Eater could break the connection between Crane and Death. Katrina, in turn, contacted Abbie who, with Jenny's help, managed to track down Henry. When the Mills sisters visited him, he pretended to be unwilling to help before arriving at the Freemasons' safe house and freeing Crane from his link with Death.
Jeremy as Henry Parish
In "The Golem," Crane contacted Henry again, asking him to use his powers to let Crane visit Purgatory to speak to Katrina, still unaware of Henry's true identity. Henry complied and sent his father to Purgatory, but he accidentally brought back the Golem, who continued its duty to Jeremy, hunting down the remainder of the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart. Crane managed to track down the four surviving members of the Sisterhood, The Four Who Speak As One, who informed him of what they had done, just before the Golem killed them. The Four Who Speak As One also told him the Golem could only be killed by Jeremy's blood. Henry then revealed to Crane that, as Jeremy's father, they shared blood, and thus he could stop the Golem.
In "The Indispensable Man," Crane once again asked for Henry's aid to help them discover George Washington's secrets. Taking a dead priest's prayer beads, Henry read the priest's sins, although it caused him great pain, as they had been protected to stop Moloch, and with them, helped Crane and Abbie find Washington's grave, where Washington hid a map to gain access to Purgatory.
In "Bad Blood," Henry helped Crane and Abbie gain access to Purgatory to save Katrina, as she was necessary to cast the spell to stop War from rising. He warned them of Purgatory's tricks, and encouraged them to remember the bond they had with each other. After Crane and Katrina escaped, Abbie had to stay behind so Katrina could leave. Henry then went with them to where War was supposed to rise. Katrina tried to cast the spell, but it didn't work as there was nothing under the earth. Revealing his true colors, Henry magically overpowered both his parents, and caused the trees to ensnare them, revealing that his powers greatly surpassed Katrina's. He then informed them who he really was: Jeremy Crane, their son. He recounted the torment he had endured over the years, how he had prayed and begged for help before his faith ran out and his anger turned towards them, as their choices were responsible for what had occurred to him. He also revealed he was War, the second Horseman of the Apocalypse. Using his blood, he re-opened the ground to reveal his coffin.
Jeremy was then met by Death, who handed him the second seal of the Apocalypse. He then magically rendered Katrina unconscious and gave her to Death, she was what Death wanted. He then imprisoned Crane in the same coffin he had lingered in for two centuries, revealing the plan was always to separate the two Witnesses, making it impossible for them to stop the Apocalypse. Henry then causally broke the second seal, stating that War had always been in Sleepy Hollow and now it could take physical form, before slamming the lid, imprisoning his father in the earth.
Season 2[]
| “ | Now you'll know what it's like to lose faith. When it's gone, you have nothing. And when you have nothing, there's nothing holding you back to what you're capable of. | „ |
| ~ Henry to Ichabod |
In order to discover the whereabouts of the Gehenna key which can unlock Purgatory and allow Moloch to come to Earth, Henry creates an illusion of a time, making the Witnesses believe it was one year later, with himself "in custody," confusing Crane and Abbie. Henry scans the files with his sin-eating powers, but announces there is nothing on the key in them. He then asks if Sheriff Corbin's files might have anything on the key. The Witnesses confer in the observation room next door, and Abbie says she remembers that Corbin had Jenny go to Philadelphia to get one of Benjamin Franklin's sketchbooks, but she doesn't know where it is.
An eerie feeling washes over Crane, and he says can't remember any details of the past year; neither can Abbie. They don't remember how they captured Henry. Meanwhile, Henry rises from his chair and breaks free of his chains, announcing that Moloch brought them to him for one final mission: to locate the key. Now he knows where it is: with Jenny. As the room falls apart around them, Henry announces that Abbie will remain in Purgatory while his father will stay buried in the coffin where Henry left him.
Back in the real world, while Crane finds his way out of the coffin, Henry has Jenny brought to an empty warehouse by Hessians, and revives her with epinephrine. He brings up the sketchbook and tells her her lies are pointless since he can see through them with his sin-eating. He grabs her head, and sees flashes of her and the sketchbook, then tells his lackey that Jenny's memory was of a code and to keep her alive until he deciphers it. His plan fails, however, when Crane frees himself and later frees Jenny and Abbie. After Crane and Abbie escape from Purgatory, the doorway closes and Moloch remains trapped inside. The key crumbles after use, lost forever.
A horrified Henry talks to Moloch about his failure. Moloch opens up a doorway and a chain mail suit forged in fire walks through. Moloch reminds Henry that he's the Horseman of War and that he can use his soul to control the armor to secure Moloch's place on Earth. Henry manages to control the armored Horseman of War and presents it with a sword, which the warrior wields as it bursts into flames. He then swears to Moloch that he will find the way to bring the demon king back to Earth, and Moloch tells him not to fail him.
Henry talking with Abraham
The day after he was warned by Moloch, Henry goes to visit Abraham van Brunt, who is holding Katrina captive. They plan a binding ritual, which involves mixing Katrina with Abraham's blood during her beheading so that she can become Abraham's bride who is the Headless Horseman. Crane predicts this in his dream, so he and Abbie manage to locate Abraham's stronghold, confirming that Katrina is inside, they leave to search for the Kindred. Henry and Abraham, are aware that Crane and Abbie passed by, and set out a greater plan, but they are overheard by Katrina. Angry, Henry rushes back to Fredericks Manor, his birthplace. There, he summons his Horseman armor; in this form, Henry/War goes to Abraham's cabin where Death is confronting the Kindred and Abbie. Abbie shoots War, to no effect, and he rides towards Abbie. War is then confronted by the Kindred and Abbie escapes. Both Death and War pursue the Kindred, but it escapes. The Kindred vanishes into mist without any trace.
Henry visits Frank
Henry poses as an attorney and visits Cynthia Irving, telling her that he can solve her husband's legal troubles. While Frank is being held in Tarrytown Psych by Sleepy Hollow's new sheriff Leena Reyes, Henry visits Frank and has him sign a paper. When Frank takes Henry's pen, he is pricked by a sharp metal spur on the pen. Henry takes off the spur, and apologizes to Frank, falsely claiming that pen is old and damaged. Frank accepts his apology and signs the form, in blood, unsuspecting as his blood flows down to the nib.
Before leaving Tarrytown, Henry bans Crane and Abbie from visiting Frank. After that, he leaves for a bank, talking to bank clerk, exchanging his coins to cash. The teller picks up one of the coins, a Tyrian shekel which contains a curse that can make people betray their loyalties. The coin turns her from a loyal clerk to a selfish thief. The coins were part of the bounty paid Judas Iscariot and had also had effected Benedict Arnold, according to Crane's research.
After leaving the bank, and returning to Fredericks Manor, Henry finished a model replica of Sleepy Hollow. Meanwhile, a shop owner's son, who used to be kind and easy-going, turned twisted right after he picked up the Tyrian shekel. Police officers arrested him for killing his father in a bombing, yet he claims to be innocent and hires a lawyer. The lawyer is Henry Parish.
Henry manages to steal the shekel from evidence and replaces it with an ordinary quarter. In the hallways, Crane confronts him, saying they won't let him turn anyone else with the coin. Henry says it doesn't turn anyone, just brings out what's already there. He promises more demonstrations before he leaves. Soon after, Henry finds Jenny and picks up the accursed coin and turns paranoid. Jenny tries to find and kill Sheriff Reyes, in order to avenge her mother Lori, but is stopped and saved by Abbie. Crane and Hawley manage to neutralize the curse on the coin with stained church glass.
After his plan failed, a frustrated Henry looks at the bed where he was born. He refuses to recall the memories for it makes him painful, and then he uses his powers to incinerate it. He watches it burn, apparently not feeling much of a connection to anything.
Unbeknownst to Henry, Crane found a way to talk to Frank Irving and reveals Henry's true nature. He has a vision of himself as a damned soul as Sleepy Hollow burns and the Horseman of War rides. Fearing of becoming the puppet of evil, Frank tells Henry he will be fired. Henry says he could quit, but then the payments to Irving's wife would stop, as would the insurance for his daughter, and Irving's own case would be delayed indefinitely. Henry tells Irving he just wants to help him, claiming War is an instrument of justice. Irving asks Henry what he's done to him and Henry cites a Bible verse: Ezekiel 18:4, "Behold all souls are mine." He remembers pricking his finger on Henry's pen when he signed his legal documents, and he realized that Henry took his soul.
Back at Fredericks Manor, Henry orders a Hessian trooper to buy the Pied Piper's flute, now broken, from Hawley, and he grinds it to dust. He used the dust to curse Joe Corbin, the son of August Corbin, making him into a cannibalistic Wendigo and forcing him to search for the poison known as Jincan for Henry.
When Abraham sent messages to him via a mirror, he told Henry that Katrina secretly used magic, even if they limited her power. Henry suggested that they should perform the Binding Ritual. Wanting to assure Katrina's safety, however, Abraham rejected that and disappeared. Henry then opened a book with Katrina's signature on it. Reading the signature, he saw a flashback with a woman from Crane's past named Mary Wells, and Mary's corpse on ground. Then, Henry summoned Mary's soul to try and break the trust between his parents. Moloch was furious about Henry working his own agenda, Moloch angrily dragged Henry to his lair and scornfully scolded him. Moloch wants Katrina alive as she is a "Hellfire Shard", a chosen vessel. Henry explained to Moloch that his plan is just to please the Demon King, but Moloch taunting Henry ever further, calling him a mere soldier. Finally, the cruel words made Henry break into tears. Moloch then pushes Henry back into Fredricks Manor and leaving him crying like a child.
Pushed by Moloch, Henry began to force the accursed Joe Corbin to dig out Jincan. As Henry was doing this, Frank Irving accused Henry of stealing his soul and demanded it be returned. Henry suggested Irving kill another patient, Gill Everest, the drunken driver who hit Macy and condemned her to a life without legs, so that he could get his soul back. Though hating the driver, Irving refused.
At the Masonic chamber, Henry and his Hessian troops attacked and lie to Joe, saying he will cure him as soon as Joe gave up the Jincan. Henry, however, then sliced Joe's arm and turned him back to his Wendigo form. After returning to Fredericks Manor, Henry poured the Jincan on a plate, forming a spider which contained Moloch's soul. He then allowed it to possess his mother so that Moloch could be born on Earth. As Katrina's situation worsened, Henry led several Hellfire doctors and Hessians to Abraham's in an attempt to take Katrina away, saying it was Moloch's order. Enraged, Abraham attacked the Hessians, killing one of them. Henry then opened the window and let in the sunlight, weakened Abraham. In the chaos, Katrina managed to escaped.
The Hellfire Club then went to search for Katrina, while Henry was called by Irving who demanded he solve their problems personally. Crane interrupted and demanded to speak to Henry alone. While talking, Henry showed no remorse in choosing Moloch as his own master despite his father's pledge, and he revealed to a shocked Crane that he had planted Moloch into Katrina himself so that Katrina will bring forth Moloch's return. As Henry was about to leave, Crane grabbed his hand and unwittingly saw his past - a child running and crying for help alone in a forest. When Crane realized that the child was Henry/Jeremy, Henry immediately pulled away without saying a word.
After Katrina was saved, Henry managed to transport Moloch's energy into a glass jar, then summoned the succubus, who attacked and killed a man before transported the soul she collected into the jar with Moloch's energy. Henry, however, demanded more fuel for his master, and the succubus wasted no time killing more people. Then, she attacked Hawley and later Ichabod, but they both survived. Eventually, Katrina and Abbie managed to locate the heart of succubus and destroy it, allowing Hawley to kill it. Meanwhile, Henry and Abraham had collected enough energy to make Moloch take form as a demonic infant. When Katrina went back into Frederick's Manor, Henry greeted his mother and showed her the infant Moloch. Due to her magical necklace, Katrina could only see a human baby instead of a monster.
When at last Moloch ordered Henry to kill his mother, Henry rebelled and destroyed Moloch instead. He then disappeared for several weeks, the Witness unsure if he was alive or dead.
Eventually, Katrina abandoned her husband and his cause in favor of her son and his. Their attempt to awaken all the witch bloods in Sleepy Hollow to form a new, immense coven, was foiled by the Witnesses culminating in Henry's death at the hands of Abbie Mills.
Season 4[]
In season four, Crane sacrificed himself to prevent Diana from being forced to assume the mantle of War. A version of Henry, linked to a despair demon that had tormented Ichabod, however, reproduced the version of Henry that had been used in Ichabod's torment, and he was instrumental in breaking his father out of the armor of War, and re-assuming the mantle himself. Afterward, he said, "My sole purpose is destruction and conflict, I thrive on it, live for it.... I can never forgive you, Father, never let the coal that burns die down.But freedom, Freedom is a cause that I would sacrifice all for, so, for now, for today, even in war, there can be a truce."
Personality[]
| “ | I relish any opportunity to cause my parents pain. | „ |
| ~ Henry |
As he was always alone, Henry/Jeremy preferred solitude and despised others, those he loved had died and everyone else saw him as a monster, some punishing him for his powers. As a young child, when Jeremy created his Golem, he felt like he had a true friend and father to watch out for him and was satisfied to be alone with his Golem as it protected him. As the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart was responsible for trapping his mother in Purgatory, he grew to resent the Sisterhood and refused to join them at every opportunity. When they trapped the Golem in Purgatory and attempted to murder him, he seethed in anger and rage for two centuries.
As no one but his Golem was anything close to a friend or family, he felt alone. When Moloch offered him a place of power and released him from his tomb, Jeremy was more than willing to accept Moloch as his "true father," reasoning that Ichabod and Katrina's absences from his life were a betrayal that caused his suffering. Later episodes showed that he remembered events from his childhood when in places where they occurred, but these memories only served to make him more resentful of his parents.
After losing his armor in battle against Frank Irving and then being sent to his doom by Moloch, Henry saw the demon king as cruel and uncaring, another betrayer, feeling hurt when Moloch stated that there had been Horsemen before Henry and there would be Horsemen after him. This resulted in Henry finally turning against Moloch, especially after Ichabod pleaded with Jeremy to take his life instead of Katrina's.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Pyrokinesis: As a baby, his crying would cause fires to erupt.
- Golem Creation: Henry was capable of creating a Golem at a young age, requiring a doll, and a drop of his own blood.
- Sin Eating: As a Sin Eater, Henry is capable of sensing the pain and sins of objects or people, and of digesting their sins to sanctify them, with the power being more potent when in physical contact with the sinner. He claimed that he increasingly lost his identity the more often he used this ability, due to having to take on the identities of the sinned individuals for the sinners. One of the sins he can detect is as small as a simple lie to someone.
- Telekinesis: The ability to move or otherwise manipulate objects by will alone.
- Sleep Inducement: He was capable of putting Katrina to sleep by merely squinting his eyes.
- Astral Projection: Henry has the ability to reach across dimensions into Purgatory to allow the dead to speak to the living and to send the living's conscious into Purgatory. It can only work if the living person will is hard enough to have the person they wish to speak to appear before them and it is easier to enter Purgatory if the willing person is closer to death.
- Illusion: Henry was able to trap Ichabod and Abbie in a illusion that he twisted to his will.
- Armor Animation: He was granted a suit of armor by Moloch that he can animate at will for combat purposes. May only be an extension of his telekinesis. This ability seems to require absolute focus, as Jeremy is seen sitting perfectly still as he manipulated the armor against the Kindred. After losing the armor in battle against Frank wielding the Sword of Methuselah, he could no longer animate it with his soul; in addition, should the armor become damaged, he would suffer injury, such as feeling pain in his arm.
- Sword of Fire: The armor could ignite the blade of its sword at will to possibly cauterize as well as cut through enemies or obstacles.
- Durability: The armor was quite durable enough to withstand multiple gunshots from a shotgun. However, the armor proved vulnerable to the magical properties of the Sword of Methuselah, as the sword was able to slice off one of the arms and then reduce the rest of the armor to a puddle of molten metal.
- Immortality: According to Henry himself, he is immortal as the Horseman of War by the time of Moloch's rise, rendering him immune to both gunshots from Blackbeard's flintlocks, and to the soul-removing effects of the Sword of Methuselah.
Notable Quotes[]
| “ | I have been called many things--angel, demon. Until now, I wasn't sure what was true. For so long, I've hoped for this day. To find the reason for what I've been given. And now I know. The reason is you. | „ |
| “ | As God Himself declares, I bring no peace but a sword. | „ |
| “ | War isn't coming to Sleepy Hollow. It has been here, waiting, all along...and now, it begins. Goodbye, Father. | „ |
| ~ Henry, to Ichabod, as he traps him inside his old grave |
| “ | Don't say "no." Say "rise." Rise, my Horrid King. Rise, Moloch. | „ |
| “ | War is hell. | „ |
| “ | Hello, Sleepy Hollow. Time to wake up. | „ |
| “ | "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." King Lear. | „ |
| ~ Henry, quoting Shakespeare |
| “ | Perhaps I should thank you for the twinkle in my eye. | „ |
| ~ Henry to Ichabod |
| “ | Oh, my. Is this to be an attempt to start over? Are you going to take me down to the fishing hole? | „ |
| ~ Henry to Ichabod |
| “ | Magnificent... | „ |
| ~ After seeing his Horseman armor wield its sword |
| “ | It's perfect... | „ |
| ~ After grinding Pied Piper's flute and tasting its dust |
| “ | Tell me of the Abraham's sacrifice, the Akeda. The story of a cruel, merciless God who designed a cruel, merciless world. Who could worship a deity who commands a man to sacrifice his own son? Those days have come to an end. True lesson of the story comes not from Abraham but from Isaac. Chasm between father and son was never bridged; they never spoke again and justly so: For any man willing to sacrifice his child should die...and so should any God!'' | „ |
| ~ As he kills Moloch |
| “ | Good morning, gentlemen.... I know you're all very busy, destroying your lives, day after rich day.... I, too, have been destroying my life. For weeks now, I've hid from the world, unsure of who I am or what I am to do. You see, I killed my "father", and since that time, all I could feel was... crushing regret. But then I saw you threatening the woman and her son.... I admit that for a moment I was drawn to what Mary and Ronnie represented. A simple life, simple needs, humanity... but then you reminded me of something. There is a natural order of things in this world. There will always be sheep and wolves... and I... I am a wolf. | „ |
| ~ To three thugs before killing them |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- He is one of several Sleepy Hollow villains who was not revealed to be evil at first.
- He is similar character type to Darth Vader. Both of them are biologically related to hero, and were corrupted because of trauma, and they both ended up killing their masters when they were about to kill their family. In addition, both of them fits the trope Death Equals Redemption.
- He also shares similarities with Kylo Ren and his Legends (formerly Expanded Universe) counterpart - Darth Caedus. All three of them are son of hero who lost their way and manipulated by a powerful evil. In addition, all of them abandoned their birth name.
- His birth name, Jeremy, was after Ichabod's grandfather.
- Chronologically, he is the third character who John Noble portrayed in FOX series, after Walter Bishop and Walternate in Fringe.
- He is the second villain who John Noble portrayed in a FOX series, right after Walternate.
- He is very similar to Mr. Gold:
- Both of them have tragic backstory that are not merely Freudian excuses when they were young, and both of them were light-hearted before their corruption.
- Both of them killed their loveless and ruthless "fathers" (Moloch to Henry; and Peter Pan to Gold) as a noble choice, and their act disproved the theories that they are irredeemable Also, both of them was still yet to reform even at that time, for Gold was possessed by the Darkness and Henry again lost his way towards redemption.
- However, there are a vital difference between Gold and Henry: the time of their redemption. Gold redeemed right after he was freed from the Darkness' control and is an anti-hero now, no longer the Dark One; but Henry returned to villainy even if he is no longer the Horseman of War yet he finally redeemed right before his demise.
- Thanks to John Noble's critically acclaimed acting, Henry Parish had become one of the most popular villains of Sleepy Hollow.
- Ironically, Noble would later go on to voice Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow in Batman Arkham Knight, a character that is heavily influenced by Washington' Irving's Ichabod Crane, both in and out of universe.
- His assumed last name, Parish, though clearly shown on a business card in story, is frequently misspelled as "Parrish" .
