Artistic depiction of the angel of death

Azrael (angel of death) is the archangel of death. It is an English form of the Arabic name Azra'il or Azra'eil (عزرایل), the name traditionally attributed to the angel of death in Islam and some Hebrew lore.^[1] The Qur'an never uses this name, refering instead to Malaikat al-Maut (which translates directly as angel of death). It is also spelled Izrail, Izrael, Azrail, Azraille, or Ozryel. Chambers English dictionary uses the spelling Azrael. The name literally means Whom God Helps.^[1] Articles about Azriel: Azriel was a medieval author on Jewish mysticism Azrael is the angel of death spoken of in the Quran Azriel is also a boys name Azriel is also a hardcore band from Glasgow, Scotland Category: ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (541x700, 80 KB)An artistic depiction of the angel of death. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (541x700, 80 KB)An artistic depiction of the angel of death. ... Angel of Death can refer to: In religion: Angel of Death (religion), angels and demons of Death in Abrahamic religion. ... Archangels are superior or higher-ranking angels. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... The word Hebrew most likely means to cross over, referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ...

Background

Although some sources have speculated about a connection between Azrael and the human priest Ezra,^[2] he is generally depicted as an archangel whose history long predates this figure.^[3] Rather than merely representing death personified, Azrael is usually described in Islamic sources as subordinate to the will of God "with the most profound reverence."^[4] In Jewish mysticism he is identified as the embodiment of evil, not necessarily or specifically death itself.^[1] Depending on the outlook and precepts of various religions in which he is a figure, Azrael may be portrayed as residing in the Third Heaven.^[5] He has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, the number of which corresponds to the number of people inhabiting 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.^[6] For other uses, see Ezra (disambiguation). ... Archangels are superior or higher-ranking angels. ... Grim Reaper redirects here. ... The Third Heaven, also known as Sagun or Shehaqim,[1] is a spiritual division of the universe within Judeo-Christian cosmology. ...

Azrael in art and literature

Azrael, as both a character or a more abstract concept has been adopted by many different artists, musicians, poets, and authors over the centuries to express or evoke a variety of different meanings or emotions in the reader – often drawing on the cultural resonance of the name for effect. For other uses, see Stereotype (disambiguation). ...

Depiction of Azrael by Mikhail Vrubel

In literature, Azrael has been featured by a variety of authors, across a broad range of styles and countries. Recently in the West, he has been written about by Terry Pratchett in both Reaper Man and Good Omens, the latter coauthored by Neil Gaiman. He also forms part of the underworld pantheon in the Dragon King series by Stephen Lawhead. Philip Pullman's Lord Asriel from The Golden Compass might also be an allegory for Azrael. The playwright Arthur Miller wrote in Azrael as a character in "The Creation of Life and Other Business", while the Mexican poet Amado Nervo wrote a poem entitled Azrael. The character has even found a place in popular culture – emerging as a costumed superhero named Azrael in the fictional Batman universe, and in the French graphic novel "Poulet aux prunes". He even formed the title of the CSI: NY episode "Here's To You, Mrs. Azrael", featuring a homicidal mother. Also, he appeared as a character played by Jason Lee in the Kevin Smith movie Dogma. In music, Azrael has been written about in both songs and albums by such varied acts as Demons & Wizards, Coil, The Nice, Crimson Glory and VNV Nation – classically, Asrael is a symphony by Czech composer Josef Suk, dating from 1906. In the comic book genre, writer Marc Guggenheim wrote Azrael as the warrior/angel of death whom Wolverine has to fight every time he suffers a lethal wound in order to save his soul, which is returned to his physical body if he is victorious.^[7]. It is also the name of the Wizard Gargamel's cat in the cartoon The Smurfs. Azrael is also the name of the leader of the fictional group from Games Workshop known as the Dark Angels. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2115x1911, 1491 KB) Mikhail Vrubel. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2115x1911, 1491 KB) Mikhail Vrubel. ... Self-portrait, 1885 Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (Russian: Михаил Александрович Врубель;March 17, 1856 - April 14, 1910, all n. ... Occident redirects here. ... Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948) is a British fantasy and science fiction author, best known for his Discworld series. ... Reaper Man is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. ... Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) is a fantasy novel written in collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. ... Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... Stephen R. Lawhead (born July 2, 1950) is an American writer known for novels, both fantasy and science fiction and more recently his works of historical fiction. ... Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is a British writer. ... Northern Lights (published in the US as The Golden Compass) is the first novel in the His Dark Materials series, written by British novelist Philip Pullman, and published in 1995. ... Arthur Bob Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright and essayist. ... Amado Nervo (real name: Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo) (August 27, 1870 – May 24, 1919) was an Mexican poet. ... For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation). ... Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) is a fictional character from DC Comics. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ... CSI: NY (working title CSI: New York) is an American police procedural television series which premiered on September 22, 2004. ... Homicide (Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut, kill) refers to the act of killing another human being. ... Jason Lee may refer to: Jason Lee (missionary) (1803–1845), American missionary and pioneer in the Oregon Territory Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian-American film actor Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American actor in TV series My Name is Earl, Church of Scientology member, and former professional skateboarder Jason... This article is about the American screenwriter, film director, actor and comic book writer. ... Dogma is a 1999 comedy film, written and directed by Kevin Smith, who stars in the film along with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo, and Alanis Morissette. ... Demons & Wizards is a power metal recording project conceived as a side-project of the metal bands Blind Guardian and Iced Earth. ... Coil was an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as Jhonn Balance—and his lover Peter Christopherson, aka Sleazy.[1] The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be inspired by... Keith Emerson, Lee Jackson, Brian Davison, Davy OList, circa 1967-68. ... Crimson Glory is a progressive metal band from the USA which formed in the mid 80s. ... VNV Nation is an electronic music group originally from Dublin and London, now based in Hamburg, that combines elements of trance, synthpop and electronic body music (EBM), into what they call futurepop. ... Josef Suk (January 4, 1874 - May 29, 1935) was a Czech composer and violinist. ... For other uses, see Wolverine (disambiguation). ... Smurf redirects here. ... The Dark Angels are a fictional military unit in the Science Fantasy game Warhammer 40,000. ...

See also

• Death (personification)
• Angels in Islam
• Thanatos - the Messenger of Death in Greek Mythology

Grim Reaper redirects here. ... Angels in Islam are light-based creatures, created by Allah to serve and worship him. ... In Greek mythology, Thanatos (in Ancient Greek, θάνατος – Death) was the Daimon personification of Death and Mortality. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels, Entry: Azrael, pp. 64, 65, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757
2. ^ Who is Azrael? The Man to the Myth, The Azrael Chronicles: A Compendium of the Books of Azrael ha'Malak, www.songofazrael.org
3. ^ Lindemans, Mica F., Azrael at the Encyclopedia Mythica
4. ^ Hanauer, J.E. (1907), Folk-lore of the Holy Land: Moslem, Christian and Jewish, Chapter V: The Angel of Death, at sacred-texts.com
5. ^ Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels, Entry: Third Heaven, p. 288, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757
6. ^ Hastings, James, Selbie, John A. (Editors) (2003), Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 3, Kessinger Publishing, 2003, ISBN: 076613671X
7. ^ Wolverine, vol.3, #58, writer Marc Guggenheim, artist Howard Chaykin, color artist, Edgar Delgado (Oct. 2007)

External links

• Song of Azrael - An online study of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim records of Azrael.
• The Teaching. Teaching about the purpose of human life, written by Kathleen Long, who claims that she had a personal contact to Azrael.