History Main / HolyWater

* In ''VideoGame/NetHack'', holy water is one of the most crucial items for its function in blessing and uncursing objects and equipment -- something nearly every successful character will need to use extensively during the game. [[SubvertedTrope Unholy water]] sees some applications as well: sometimes you need to ''un-bless'' things. Priests start the game with four vials of it, and other classes may create it by [[spoiler:among other ways, diluting other potions into water, then dropping them on a co-aligned altar and praying]].

* In ''VideoGame/VampireSurvivors'', "Santa Water" (an intentional mangling of the Italian ''acqua santa'') is a weapon that causes an increasing number of jars to rain down from on high, leaving behind temporary puddles that damage any enemy that enters them, from ghosts and demons to [[ElementalEmbodiment milk elementals]] and perfectly ordinary bats. [[EquipmentUpgrade Evolving]] the Santa Water turns it into La Borra, with bigger puddles that move on the ground towards the player character, and with enough cooldown and duration upgrades, it can generate a near-permanent damaging aura around the player.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', you can find holy water in crates inside Startholme instance. It hurts the undead.

** Holy water is created when a follower of a benevolent deity infuses regular water with positive energy, and harms evil planar creatures and undead (including non-evil ones, though those are rare to begin with, because all undead are animated by negative energy). It's also used as part of the ''resurrection'' spell, and some people make use of club-like devices known as aspergilliums crafted to hold small quantities of holy water and release it at the press of a button. It varies with the edition, but the damage inflicted isn't very high unless large quantities are used, and holy water is expensive. Thus it is less useful as a weapon than as a quick mean of identifying undead or fiends that could be masquerading as ordinary, living people. Sprinkling holy water on a lemure's remains is also one of the few ways of guaranteeing that it will stay dead instead of being resurrected in a few days.
** It also has an opposite in the form of unholy water, created when followers of evil gods infuse water with negative energy.

* ''Literature/CiaphasCain'': A priest helps to repel a demon by blessing some water and throwing it at it. It causes the demon's flesh to melt as if it had been covered in acid.

* ''Fanfic/AvengersOfTheRing'': In Methteilien, when [[spoiler:Gandalf and Danvers confront Morgoth in his armoury, Gandalf is able to temporarily bless the ''lava'' in the room to use as a weapon against Morgoth]].

* In ''Film/{{Dogma}}'', Bethany has the power to consecrate things. She uses this during the fight with Azrael and his minions by blessing some nearby sinks, causing them to give out holy water, which burns Azrael's demonic minions.
* In ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'' the preacher has lost faith in God and has to get it back so he can transform ordinary water into holy water so it can be used to fight off vampires.

* In ''Film/Hellboy2004'', Holy Water is one of the ingredients in the [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells custom revolver rounds]] Hellboy creates for hunting demons, alongside white oak, [[SilverHasMysticPowers silver shavings]], and clover.

* In ''Literature/DeadBeat'', Harry uses holy water balloons against several [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Black Court vampires]] when he and Butters are ambushed. Evidently, he keeps a box of them in his car for just such an occasion.

* ''WebOriginal/{{Mortasheen}}'': Stingg, an entity whose powers revolve around the production and delivery of a seemingly endless variety of poisons, includes in her repertoire a number of toxins specialized for taking down or incapacitating the setting's various monster classes. The venom intended for shutting down the telepathy of devilbirds, pseudo-avian creatures that serve as the local demon equivalents, is named "holy water".

* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'': During Issei's EngagementChallenge against Riser Phenex, he starts gaining the upper hand by using religious items against Riser, including a Holy Cross and a vial of Holy Water, which are harmful to Devils. Notably, while after being reborn as a Devil he shouldn't be able to touch these objects, [[LoopholeAbuse he gets this around by sacrificing his left arm to turn it into a dragon's, since while Devils are harmed by holy items, Dragons are not]].

* ''Series/GoodOmens'': Holy water is presented as the opposite substance to {{Hellfire}}; whereas Hellfire is associated with Hell and will destroy angels, holy water is aligned with Heaven and will dissolve any demon that comes in contact with it. In both cases, it [[KilledOffForReal kills outright]] rather than cause "mere" [[FightingAShadow discorporation]].

--->'''Scientist:''' Holy water? Where's that acid I ordered?

* ''Film/{{Constantine}}'': Holy water burns the skin of half-demons and makes them much more vulnerable to attack. John makes use of this by keeping small glass ampules of it on his person, and later has his sidekick, Chaz, consecrate the reservoir that feeds the sprinkler system of the office building currently filled with half-breeds. They he just strolls in, threatens all half-demons with deportation, and dramatically sets off the sprinklers with a lighter.

* ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate'': At one point, [[LouisCyper John Milton]] hangs out in the entrance hall to a cathedral, and dips a finger in the baptismal font, causing the entire fountain to boil, but seemingly causing him no pain.

* ''LightNovelHighSchoolDXD'': During Issei's EngagementChallenge against Riser Phenex, he starts gaining the upper hand by using religious items against Riser, including a Holy Cross and a vial of Holy Water, which are harmful to Devils. Notably, while after being reborn as a Devil he shouldn't be able to touch these objects, [[LoopholeAbuse he gets this around by sacrificing his left arm to turn it into a dragon's, since while Devils are harmed by holy items, Dragons are not]].

* At one point in ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate'', [[LouisCyper John Milton]] hangs out in the entrance hall to a cathedral, and dips a finger in the baptismal font, causing the entire fountain to boil, but seemingly causing him no pain.