Necromancy 1

Necromancy

Illustration portraying a scene from the Biblewherein the Witch of Endor uses a necromantic

ritual to conjure the spirit of Samuel at the behestof Saul; from the frontispiece of Sadducismus

Triumphatus (1681) by Joseph Glanvill.

Necromancy /ˈnɛkrɵˌmænsi/ is a claimed form of magic involvingcommunication with the deceased – either by summoning their spirit asan apparition or raising them bodily – for the purpose of divination,imparting the means to foretell future events or discover hiddenknowledge. The term may sometimes be used in a more general senseto refer to black magic or witchcraft.

The word "necromancy" is adapted from Late Latin necromantia, itselfborrowed from post-Classical Greek νεκρομαντεία (nekromanteía), acompound of Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós), "dead body", andμαντεία (manteía), "prophecy or divination"; this compound form wasfirst used by Origen of Alexandria in the 3rd century CE. The ClassicalGreek term was ἡ νέκυια (nekyia), from the episode of the Odyssey inwhich Odysseus visits the realm of the dead, νεκυομαντεία inHellenistic Greek, rendered as necyomantīa in Latin, and asnecyomancy in 17th-century English.[1]

In medieval Latin and English texts the variant nigromantia,"nigromancy", is found. This form arose when writers of that erareplaced the Greek word element necro- with the better-known Latinnigro-, "black".[2] In Renaissance magic, nigromancy (as necromancywas often called during that period due to its presumed associationwith black magic) was classified foremost among seven "forbiddenarts", all of them methods of divination.[3]

Antiquity

Early necromancy was related to – and most likely evolved from – shamanism, which calls upon spirits such as theghosts of ancestors. Classical necromancers addressed the dead in "a mixture of high-pitch squeaking and lowdroning", comparable to the trance-state mutterings of shamans.[4]

Necromancy was prevalent throughout Western antiquty with records of its practice in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, andRome. In his Geographica, Strabo refers to νεκρομαντία (necyomanteis), or "diviners by the dead", as the foremostpractitioners of divination amongst the people of Persia,[5] and it is believed to have also been widespread amongstthe peoples of Chaldea (particularly the Sabians, or "star-worshipers"), Etruria, and Babylonia. The Babyloniannecromancers were called manzazuu or sha'etemmu, and the spirits they raised were called etemmu.

The oldest literary account of necromancy is found in Homer’s Odyssey.[6][7] Under the direction of Circe, apowerful sorceress, Odysseus travels to the underworld (katabasis) in order to gain insight about his impendingvoyage home by raising the spirits of the dead through the use of spells which Circe has taught him. He wishes toinvoke and question the shade of Tiresias in particular; however, he is unable to summon the seer's spirit without theassistance of others. The Odyssey's passages contain many descriptive references to necromantic rituals: rites mustbe performed around a pit with fire during nocturnal hours, and Odysseus has to follow a specific recipe, whichincludes the blood of sacrificial animals, to concoct a libation for the ghosts to drink while he recites prayers to boththe ghosts and gods of the underworld.[8]

Practices such as these, varying from the mundane to the grotesque, were commonly associated with necromancy. Rituals could be quite elaborate, involving magic circles, wands, talismans, and incantations. The necromancer might

Necromancy 2

also surround himself with morbid aspects of death, which often included wearing the deceased's clothing andconsuming foods that symbolized lifelessness and decay such as unleavened black bread and unfermented grapejuice. Some necromancers even went so far as to take part in the mutilation and consumption of corpses.[9] Theseceremonies could carry on for hours, days, or even weeks, leading up the eventual summoning of spirits. Frequentlythey were performed in places of interment or other melancholy venues that suited specific guidelines of thenecromancer. Additionally, necromancers preferred to summon the recently departed based on the premise that theirrevelations were spoken more clearly. This timeframe was usually limited to the twelve months following the deathof the physical body; once this period elapsed, necromancers would evoke the deceased’s ghostly spirit instead.[10]

While some cultures considered the knowledge of the dead to be unlimited, ancient Greeks and Romans believedthat individual shades knew only certain things. The apparent value of their counsel may have been based on thingsthey knew in life or knowledge they acquired after death. Ovid writes in his Metamorphoses of a marketplace in theunderworld where the dead convene to exchange news and gossip.[11][12]

There are also several references to necromancers – called "bone-conjurers" amongst Jews of the later Hellenisticperiod[13] – in the Bible. The Book of Deuteronomy (18:9–12[14]) explicitly warns the Israelites against engaging inthe Canaanite practice of divination from the dead:

9When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to doaccording to the abominations of those nations. 10There shall not be found among you any one whomaketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or who useth divination, or an observer of times,or an enchanter, or a witch, 11or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or anecromancer. 12For all who do these things are an abomination unto the LORD, and because of theseabominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee (KJV).

Though Mosaic Law prescribed the death penalty to practitioners of necromancy (Leviticus 20:27[15]), this warningwas not always heeded. One of the foremost examples is when King Saul had the Witch of Endor invoke the shadeof Samuel, a judge and prophet, from Sheol using a ritual conjuring pit (1 Samuel 28:3–25[16]).Some Christian writers later rejected the idea that humans could bring back the spirits of the dead and interpretedsuch shades as disguised demons instead, thus conflating necromancy with demon summoning. Caesarius of Arlesentreats his audience to put no stock in any demons or gods other than the Christian God, even if the working ofspells appears to provide benefit. He states that demons only act with divine permission and are permitted by God totest Christian people. Caesarius does not condemn man here; he only states that the art of necromancy exists,although it is prohibited by the Bible.[17]

Early and High Middle AgesNorse mythology also contains examples of necromancy, such as the scene in the Prophecy of the Völva (Völuspá) inwhich Odin summons a völva, or shamanic seeress, from the dead to tell him of the future.[18] In The Spell of Gróa(Grógaldr), the first part of The Lay of Svipdagr (Svipdagsmál), the hero Svipdag summons his dead mother, Gróa,to cast spells for him. In the Saga of King Hrolf kraki (Hrólfs saga kraka), the half-elven princess Skuld was veryskilled in witchcraft (seiðr) to the point that she was almost invincible in battle: when her warriors fell, she madethem rise again to continue fighting.Many medieval writers believed resurrection was impossible without the assistance of the Christian God. Theytranslated the practice of divination as conjuring demons who took the appearance of spirits. The practice becameknown explicitly as demonic magic and was condemned by the Catholic Church.[19] Though the practitioners ofnecromancy were linked by many common threads, there is no evidence that these necromancers were everorganized as a group.Medieval necromancy is believed to be a synthesis of astral magic derived from Arabic influences and exorcism derived from Christian and Jewish teachings. Arabic influences are evident in rituals that involve moon phases, sun

Necromancy 3

placement, day and time. Fumigation and the act of burying images are also found in both astral magic andnecromancy. Christian and Jewish influences are found in the symbols and conjuration formulas used in summoningrituals.[20]

Practitioners were often members of the Christian clergy, though some nonclerical practitioners are recorded. Insome instances, mere apprentices or those ordained to lower orders dabbled in the practice. They were connected bya belief in the manipulation of spiritual beings – especially demons – and magical practices. These practitionerswere almost always literate and well educated. Most possessed basic knowledge of exorcism and had access to textsof astrology and demonology. Clerical training was informal and admission to universities was rare. Most weretrained under apprenticeships and were expected to have a basic knowledge of Latin, ritual and doctrine. Thiseducation was not always linked to spiritual guidance and seminaries were almost nonexistent. This absence allowedsome aspiring clerics to combine Christian rites with occult practices despite its condemnation in Christiandoctrine.[21]

Medieval practitioners believed they could accomplish three things with necromancy: will manipulation, illusions,and knowledge. Will manipulation affects the mind and will of another person, animal, or spirit. Demons aresummoned to cause various afflictions on others, "to drive them mad, to inflame them to love or hatred, to gain theirfavor, or to constrain them to do or not do some deed."[22] Illusions involve reanimation of the dead or conjuringfood, entertainment, or a mode of transportation. Knowledge is discovered through demons, who provideinformation about various things which include identifying criminals, finding items, or revealing future events.The act of performing medieval necromancy usually involved magic circles, conjurations, and sacrifices such asthose shown in the Munich Manual of Demonic Magic. Circles were usually traced on the ground, though cloth andparchment were sometimes implemented. Various objects, shapes, symbols, and letters may be drawn or placedwithin that represent a mixture of Christian and occult ideas. Circles were believed to empower and protect what wascontained within, including protecting the necromancer from the conjured demons. Conjuration is the method ofcommunicating with the demons to enter the physical world. It usually employs the power of special words andstances to call out the demons and often incorporated the use of Christian prayers or biblical verses. Theseconjurations may be repeated in succession or repeated to different directions until the summoning is complete.Sacrifice was the payment for summoning; though it may involve the flesh of a human being or animal, it couldsometimes be as simple as offering a certain object. Instructions for obtaining these items were usually specific. Thetime, location, and method of gathering items for sacrifice could also play an important role in the ritual.[23]

The rare confessions of those accused of necromancy suggest that there was a range of spell casting and the relatedmagical experimentation. It is difficult to determine if these details were due to their practices, as opposed to thewhims of their interrogators. John of Salisbury is one of the first examples related by Richard Kieckhefer, but as aParisian ecclesiastical court record of 1323 shows, a "group who were plotting to invoke the demon Berich frominside a circle made from strips of cat skin," were obviously participating in the church’s definition of"necromancy".[24]

Herbert Stanley Redgrove claims that necromancy was one of three chief branches of medieval ceremonial magic,the others being black magic and white magic.[25] This does not correspond to contemporary classifications, whichuse nigromancy and black arts synonymously.

Necromancy 4

Late Middle Ages to Renaissance

Engraving of occultists John Dee and EdwardKelley "in the act of invoking the spirit of adeceased person"; from Astrology (1806) by

Ebenezer Sibly.

In the wake of inconsistencies of judgment, necromancers and otherpractitioners of the magic arts were able to utilize spells featuring holynames with impunity, as any biblical references in such rituals could beconstrued as prayers rather than spells. As a consequence, thenecromancy that appears in the Munich Manual is an evolution of theseunderstandings. It has been suggested that the authors of the Manualknowingly designed the book to be in discord with ecclesiastical law.The main recipe employed throughout the Manual used the samereligious language and names of power alongside demonic names. Anunderstanding of the names of God derived from apocryphal texts andthe Hebrew Torah required that the author of such rites have at least acasual familiarity with these sources.

Within the tales related in occult manuals are found connections withstories from other cultures' literary traditions. For instance, theceremony for conjuring a horse closely relates to the Arabic OneThousand and One Nights and French romances; Chaucer’s TheSquire's Tale also bears marked similarities.[26] This becomes aparallel evolution of spells to foreign gods or demons that were onceacceptable, and frames them into a new Christian context, albeitdemonic and forbidden. As the material for these manuals was apparently derived from scholarly magical andreligious texts from a variety of sources in many languages, the scholars who studied these texts likely manufacturedtheir own aggregate sourcebook and manual with which to work spells or magic.

In the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, it is stated that "Of all human opinions that is to be reputed the most foolishwhich deals with the belief in Necromancy, the sister of Alchemy, which gives birth to simple and naturalthings."[27]

Modern necromancyIn the present day, necromancy is more generally used as a term to describe the pretense of manipulation of deathand the dead, often facilitated through the use of ritual magic or some other kind of occult ceremony. Contemporaryséances, channeling and Spiritualism verge on necromancy when supposedly invoked spirits are asked to revealfuture events or secret information. Necromancy may also be presented as sciomancy, a branch of theurgic magic.Because of their themes of spirit contact, the long-running show Supernatural Chicago and the annual Harry Houdiniséance, both of which are held at the Excalibur nightclub in Chicago, Illinois, dub their lead performer "Neil Tobin,Necromancer".As to the practice of necromancy having endured in one form or another throughout the millennia, An Encyclopædiaof Occultism states:

The art is of almost universal usage. Considerable difference of opinion exists among modern adepts asto the exact methods to be properly pursued in the necromantic art, and it must be borne in mind thatnecromancy, which in the Middle Ages was called sorcery, shades into modern spiritualistic practice.There is no doubt, however, that necromancy is the touch-stone of occultism, for if, after carefulpreparation the adept can carry through to a successful issue, the raising of the soul from the otherworld, he has proved the value of his art.[28]

Necromancy 5

Necromancy in popular media

Fiction• The final chapter of The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien mentions the White Council driving the Necromancer, a guise

of Sauron, from Dol Guldur, his stronghold in Mirkwood.• Anita Blake, main character of the Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, is a necromancer, and there are

numerous other mentions of necromancy.• The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix is a cycle of novels centered around the practice of necromancy and its

influence on the world of the living.• Being ineffective as a means of "reuniting body and soul once death has occurred", necromancy in the Harry

Potter series by J. K. Rowling is generally disparaged as "a branch of magic that has never worked." However,practitioners of the Dark Arts contrive to produce "vile substitutions" such as the reanimated corpses known asInferi.[29]

• In the Japanese manga series Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takei, the character Johann Faust VIII is a self-taughtnecromancer who takes part in the Shaman Fight in order to gain the ability to bring his wife back from the dead.

• A necromancer named Doll is featured amongst the core characters of ½ Prince, a series of Taiwanese novels byYu Wo, later adapted into manhua format by Choi Hong Chong.

• Nico di Angelo, a demigod character appearing in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes ofOlympus series by Rick Riordan, wields various necromantic powers owing to his paternity by Hades, Greek godof the underworld.

• Necromancy is prominent in the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.• Chloe Saunders, main character of the Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong, is a necromancer.• Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?, a series of Japanese light novels by Shinichi Kimura (which has also been adapted

into manga and anime formats), features as its protagonist a zombie who was raised from the dead and befriendedby a powerful necromancer.

• Appearing in a series of short stories and novels by Jonathan L. Howard, the character Johannes Cabal is "anecromancer of some little infamy" who sold his soul in order to gain the ability to commune with and raise thedead.

• The fourth installment of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott is entitled TheNecromancer. The series, however, employs this term in a broader sense as one of several that refer to characterswho are practitioners of magic, though with a darker connotation than the others.

Film and television• In the Cartoon Network animated series The Venture Bros., Dr. Byron Orpheus is referred to as a "necromancer

extraordinaire", although he has been shown to command a broad range of mystical powers. He belongs to theOrder of the Triad, a team of occult practitioners, and regularly collaborates with Team Venture.

• In the fifth season episode "Just Rewards" of the WB series Angel, vampires Angel and Spike try to put a roguenecromancer named Magnus Hainsley out of commission. Their task is made much harder by the fact that theyare both undead and therefore susceptible to Hainsley's power.

• In the second season episode "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things" of the CW series Supernatural, Samand Dean Winchester are forced to intervene when the teaching assistant to a professor of Ancient Greek uses anecromantic ritual to bring the professor's daughter back to life after she dies in a car accident.

• Necromantic rituals conducted by the former occupant of a house are largely to blame for the supernatural forcesthat plague its current owners in the 2009 horror film The Haunting in Connecticut.

• In the fourth season of the HBO series True Blood, antagonist Marnie Stonebrook employs necromancy to cause herself to become possessed by the spirit of Antonia Gavilán de Logroño, a witch who was burned at the stake during the Spanish Inquisition. As she was dying, Antonia used her power to gain control over all nearby

Necromancy 6

vampires and subsequently caused them to walk into the sunlight, killing themselves. Marnie desires the sameability to manipulate vampires like puppets.

• In the fourth season episode "Lancelot du Lac" of the BBC series Merlin, Morgana uses necromancy to bring theknight Lancelot back from the dead in order to interfere with the pending marriage of King Arthur and Guinevere,thereby preventing Guinevere from becoming queen. Morgana herself wants to be the sole ruler of Camelot.

• In the third season of the FX series American Horror Story: Coven, Misty Day "Lily Rabe" portrays anecromancer. Being persecuted after being discovered by bringing a bird back to life.

Games• In Dungeons & Dragons, wizards can specialize in the school of necromancy and clerics can select death as their

sphere or domain. Both accordingly gain access to spells that not only focus on death, decay, and the undead, butalso various forms of life force manipulation, enabling them to heal or cause injury, cure or inflict disease, andperform resurrection.[30][31][32]

• Necromancers are a specific type of magic user in the Palladium Fantasy and Rifts role-playing games fromPalladium Books. They wield a number of powers over death and the dead such as acquiring supernatural abilitiesby ingesting certain organs harvested from corpses and being able to merge severed limbs with their ownbodies.[33][34][35]

• The necromancer is a character class in the video game Diablo II, released by Blizzard Entertainment. They cananimate the dead, inflict curses, and use life-draining attacks. It is also an Undead unit in Warcraft III: Reign ofChaos, and there are named necromancers in World of Warcraft.

• In The Battle for Wesnoth, an open source turn-based strategy game, players may advance their units aspractitioners of the dark arts to the level of necromancer, thereby gaining "the terrible ability to awaken the deadwith false life", among other arcane powers.

• Necromancy can be learned by wizards of the School of Death in the massively multiplayer online role-playinggame Wizard101 from KingsIsle Entertainment.

• The necromancer is available as a profession in the Guild Wars competitive online role-playing game series fromNCsoft. Able to drain life energy from their enemies, they also specialize in raising undead minions and castingcurses.

• In the Dungeon Management game, War for the Overworld, Necromancers appear as a unit which can raiseGhouls and Revenants.

• The Character Lezard Valeth, from the video game series Valkyrie Profile, is a Necromancer.

Notes[1] necyomancy, n. (http:/ / oed. com/ view/ Entry/ 125745), OED.[2] nigromance, n. (http:/ / oed. com/ view/ Entry/ 125696), OED.[3] Johannes Hartlieb (Munich, 1456) The Book of All Forbidden Arts; quoted in Láng, p. 124.[4][4] Luck, p. 12.[5] Strabo. Geography, Book XVI, Chapter 2, Section 39 (http:/ / www. perseus. tufts. edu/ hopper/ text?doc=Perseus:text:1999. 01.

0239:book=16:chapter=2:section=39).[6][6] Johnson, p. 808.[7][7] Ruickbie, p. 24.[8] Homer. Odyssey, Book X, Lines 10–11 (http:/ / www. perseus. tufts. edu/ hopper/ text?doc=Perseus:text:1999. 01. 0218:book=10:card=10),

and Book XI (http:/ / www. perseus. tufts. edu/ hopper/ text?doc=Perseus:text:1999. 01. 0218:book=11:card=1).[9][9] Guiley, p. 215.[10][10] Lewis, p. 201.[11][11] Luck, p. 13.[12] Ovid. Metamorphoses, Book IV, Fable VII, Lines 440–464.[13][13] Luck, p. 57.[14] cf. Tanakh, Torah, Devarim 18:9–12.[15] cf. Tanakh, Torah, Vayikra 20:27.

Necromancy 8

• Redgrove, H. S. (1920). "Chapter 7: Ceremonial Magic in Theory and Practice". Bygone Beliefs: Being a Series ofExcursions in the Byways of Thought. London, UK: W. Rider & Son. pp. 87–110. OCLC  2784604 (http:/ / www.worldcat. org/ oclc/ 2784604).

• Rowling, J. K. (2008). The Tales of Beedle the Bard. London, UK: Children's High Level Group.ISBN 978-0-545-12828-5.

• Ruickbie, L. (2004). Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History. London, UK: Robert Hale.ISBN 978-0-7090-7567-7.

• Siembieda, K.; Long, K. & Rosenstein, J. (1993). Rifts World Book Four: Africa. Taylor, MI: Palladium Books.ISBN 978-0-916211-58-5.

• Siembieda, K.; Sumimoto, M. & Cartier, R. (1998). Rifts World Book 18: Mystic Russia. Taylor, MI: PalladiumBooks. ISBN 978-1-57457-011-3.

• Siembieda, K.; Wujcik, E.; Cartier, R.; Marciniszyn, A.; Jacques, C. & McCall, R. (1996). Palladium FantasyRole-Playing Game Book III: Adventures on the High Seas (2nd ed.). Taylor, MI: Palladium Books.ISBN 978-0-916211-17-2.

• Spence, L. (1920). "Necromancy" (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=zqcXAAAAYAAJ& pg=PA286). AnEncyclopædia of Occultism. London, UK: Routledge. pp. 286–290. OCLC  264589119 (http:/ / www. worldcat.org/ oclc/ 264589119).

• Strabo (1889–1893) [20 BCE – 23 CE]. Hamilton, H. C.; Falconer, W, eds. Geography (http:/ / www. perseus.tufts. edu/ hopper/ text?doc=Perseus:text:1999. 01. 0239). London, UK: George Bell & Sons. OCLC  693763975(http:/ / www. worldcat. org/ oclc/ 693763975).

• Tweet, J.; Cook, M. & Williams, S. (2003). Martin, J. & Rateliff, J, eds. Player's Handbook: Core Rulebook I.Dungeons & Dragons v3.5. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-2886-6.

Further reading• Bacon, R. (1988) [c. 1260–1280]. MacDonald, M, ed. De Nigromancia (http:/ / www. scribd. com/ doc/

13020915/ Bacon-De-Nigromancia). Berkeley Heights, NJ: Heptangle Books. ISBN 978-0-935214-10-9.• Dubray, C. (1911). "Necromancy" (http:/ / www. newadvent. org/ cathen/ 10735a. htm). Catholic Encyclopedia.

New York City, NY: Robert Appleton Company.• Godwin, W. (1834). Lives of the Necromancers (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?vid=OCLC02657815&

id=25lDvKU-vGwC& dq). London, UK: F. J. Mason. OCLC  2657815 (http:/ / www. worldcat. org/ oclc/2657815).

• Halliday, W. R. (1913). "Chapter XI: Necromancy" (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=xC91vC0DZj4C&pg=PA235). Greek Divination: A Study of Its Methods and Principles. London, UK: Macmillan. pp. 235–245.OCLC  25019974 (http:/ / www. worldcat. org/ oclc/ 25019974).

• Monroe, A.; Edwards, T., eds. (2010) [1907]. Full Guide to Becoming a Real Wizard, Witch or Necromancer;from "The Scripts of Osari the Wise". New York City, NY: Library Tales/CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1-4499-6763-5.

• Ogden, D. (2001). Greek and Roman Necromancy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.ISBN 978-0-691-00904-9.

• Vulliaud, P. (1923). La Kabbale Juive: Histoire et Doctrine—Essai Critique (in French). Paris, France: ÉmileNourry. OCLC  22318758 (http:/ / www. worldcat. org/ oclc/ 22318758).

• Wendell, L. (1991). The Necromantic Ritual Book. Opelousas, LA: Westgate Publications.ISBN 978-0-944087-03-9.

Azrael 1

Azrael

Artistic depiction of Azrael, the Angel of Death, by Evelyn DeMorgan.

Azrael is the Archangel of Death in some traditions.He is also the angel of retribution in Islamic theologyand Sikhism. The name Azrael is an English form ofthe Arabic name ʿIzrāʾīl (عزرائيل) or Azra'eil (عزرایل), thename traditionally attributed to the angel of death insome sects of Islam and Sikhism, as well as someHebrew lore.[1][2] The Qur'an never uses this name,rather referring to Malak al-Maut (which translatesdirectly as angel of death). Also spelt Izrail, Azrin,Izrael, Azriel, Azrail, Ezraeil, Azraille, Azryel, Ozryel,or Azraa-eel, the Chambers English dictionary uses thespelling Azrael. The name literally means Whom GodHelps, in an adapted form of Hebrew.

Background

Depending on the outlook and precepts of variousreligions in which he is a figure, Azrael may beportrayed as residing in the Third Heaven.[3] In one ofhis forms, he has four faces and four thousand wings,and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, thenumber of which corresponds to the number of peopleinhabiting the Earth. He will be the last to die,recording and erasing constantly in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively.[4] He will receivethe souls in the graves

In JudaismIn Jewish mysticism, he is commonly referred to as "Azriel," not "Azrael." The Zohar (a holy book of the Jewishmystical tradition of Kabbalah), presents a positive depiction of Azriel. The Zohar says that Azriel receives theprayers of faithful people when they reach heaven, and also commands legions of heavenly angels. Accordingly,Azriel is associated with the South and is considered to be a high-ranking commander of God's angels. (Zohar2:202b)

In ChristianityThere is no reference to Azrael in the Catholic Bible, and he is not considered a canonical character withinChristianity. There is, however, a story in 2 Esdras (disallowed by the Catholic and Protestant Churches, butconsidered canonical in Eastern Orthodox teachings) which is part of the Apocrypha. 2 Esdras has the story of ascribe and judge named Ezra, also sometimes written "Azra" in different languages. Azra was visited by theArchangel Uriel and given a list of laws and punishments he was to adhere to and enforce as judge over his people.Azra was later recorded in the Apocrypha as having entered Heaven "without tasting death's taint". Depending onvarious religious views, it could be taken as Ezra ascending to angelic status. This would add the suffix "el" to hisname, which denotes a heavenly being (i.e. Michael, Raphael, Uriel, etc). Hence, it would be Ezrael/Azrael. Thiswould put him more in accordance to an angel of punishment, akin to the views of the Jean Paul Valley character

Azrael 2

(which was also named Azrael). Later books also state a scribe named Salathiel, who was quoted as saying, "I,Salathiel, who is also Ezra". Again, depending on certain views of Christian spirituality, this could be seen as angelicinfluence from Ezrael/Azrael on Salathiel, though this view of spirituality is neither confirmed nor denied by theCatholich Chruch.While 2 Esdras is not considered canonical by most Christian views, several quotes from the book are used for theRequiem Anternam, showing that it still has some relevance to traditional Christian view points.A story from Folk-lore of the Holy Land: Moslem, Christian and Jewish by J. E. Hanauer tells of a soldier with agambling addiction avoiding Azrael. Because the soldier goes to Jesus and asks for help, then later must see Jesusand repent to be allowed back in Heaven, this story can be seen as a Christian account of Azrael. However, this storydoes not specify whether Azrael is an angel of death, or an angel of punishment.

In IslamIn some cultures and sects, Azrael (also pronounced as ʿIzrāʾīl /Azriel) is the name referring to the Angel of Death bysome Arabic speakers. The name is mentioned in a few Muslim books although some Muslims argue that it has nobasis of reference.[citation needed] Along with Jibrīl, Mīkhā'īl, Isrāfīl and other angels, the Angel of Death is believedby Muslims to be one of the archangels.[5] The Qur'an states that the angel of death takes the soul of every personand returns it to God.[6] However, the Qur'an makes it clear that only God knows when and where each person willbe taken by death,[7] thus making it clear that the Angel of Death has no power of his own. Several Muslim traditionsrecount meetings between the Angel of Death and the prophets, the most famous being a conversation between theAngel of Death and Moses. He watches over the dying, separates the soul from the body, and receives the spirits ofthe dead in Muslim belief. Rather than merely representing death personified, the Angel of Death is usuallydescribed in Islamic sources as subordinate to the will of God "with the most profound reverence."[8] However, thereis no reference within the Qur'an or any Islamic teachings giving the angel of death the name of Azrael.Some have also disputed the usage of the name Azrael as it is not used in the Qur'an itself.[citation needed] However,the same can be said about many Prophets and Angels who are also not mentioned by name in the Qur'an.Riffian (Berber) men of Morocco had the custom of shaving the head but leaving a single lock of hair on either thecrown, left, or right side of the head, so that the angel Azrael is able "to pull them up to heaven on the Last Day."[9]

In SikhismIn Sikh scriptures written by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, God (Waheguru) sends Azrael to people who are unfaithful andunrepentant for their sins. Azrael appears on Earth in human form and hits sinful people on the head with his scytheto kill them and extract their souls from their bodies. He then brings their souls to hell, and makes sure that they getthe punishment that Waheguru decrees once he judges them. This would portray him as more of an avenging angel,or angel of retribution, rather than a simple angel of death. It is unknown which story of Azrael this view is takenfrom.[10]

Azrael 3

Azrael in popular culture• The third season of CSI:New York had an episode in which two mothers were suspected in turn of killing a teen

girl. It was called "Here's To You, Mrs. Azrael" (reference also to the Simon and Garfunkel song, 'Mrs.Robinson', which contains the lyric 'Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson').

References[1] Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels (http:/ / books. google. com/ books/ about/

A_dictionary_of_angels. html?id=Ed7yHWuTEewC), Entry: Azrael, pp. 64, 65, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757, ISBN9780029070505

[2] Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 165, "Azraa-eel, the Angel of Death, shall crush them like sesame seeds in theoil-press." (http:/ / www. sacred-texts. com/ skh/ granth/ gr07. htm)

[3] Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels (http:/ / books. google. com/ books/ about/A_dictionary_of_angels. html?id=Ed7yHWuTEewC), Entry: Third Heaven, p. 288, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757,ISBN 9780029070505

[4] Hastings, James, Selbie, John A. (Editors) (2003), Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 3, Kessinger Publishing, 2003, ISBN0-7661-3671-X

[5] Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism (http:/ / books. google. com/ books/ about/ Historical_Dictionary_of_Prophets_in_Isl.html?id=6aTXAAAAMAAJ), Brannon M. Wheeler (2002), Azrael, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 9780810843059

[6][6] Qur'an 32:11[7][7] Qur'an 31:34[8] Hanauer, J.E. (1907), Folk-lore of the Holy Land: Muslim, Christian and Jewish, Chapter V: The Angel of Death (http:/ / www. sacred-texts.

com/ asia/ flhl/ flhl30. htm), at sacred-texts.com (http:/ / www. sacred-texts. com)[9][9] El Maghreg: 1200 Miles' Ride Through Morocco, Hugh Edward Millington Stutfield pppp[10] http:/ / angels. about. com/ od/ AngelsReligiousTexts/ p/ Meet-The-Archangel-Azrael. htm