Angel 20the 20Death

							                               The angel of Death
This book is about Gabriel, Azrael, and limbo. Remember that this book is based on facts
and false truths so don’t get pissed off when you find this info from other people, their
       also doing the same thing as me. Also there will be info about demons too.
 I’d also like to mention that there are two sections in this book that you can read if
     you want to but its totally up to you.Since you’re the one who got this book.


Death has been personified as a figure or fictional character in mythology and popular
culture since the earliest days of storytelling. Because the reality of death has had a
substantial influence on the human psyche and the development of civilization as a
whole, the personification of Death as a living, sentient entity is a concept that has
existed in many societies since the beginning of recorded history. In the United States
death is usually shown as a skeletal figure wearing a midnight black gown with a hood,
while in Europe he is often depicted similarly, but dressed in white, which is the
traditional color worn at funerals in many places.

Examples of death personified are:

      In modern-day European-based folklore, Death is known as the "Grim Reaper" or
       "The grim spectre of death".
      In the Middle Ages, Death was imagined as decaying or mummified human
       corpse, later becoming the familiar skeleton in a robe.
      Conversely, Death is sometimes portrayed as a beautiful woman.
      Death is sometimes portrayed in fiction and occultism as Azrael, the angel of
       death (note that the name "Azrael" does not appear in any versions of either the
       Bible or the Qur'an).
      Father Time is sometimes said to be Death.
      A psychopomp is a spirit, deity, or other being whose task is to conduct the souls
       of the recently dead into the afterlife.

Contents
      1 Death in mythological portrayals
          o 1.1 Hindu mythology
          o 1.2 In Japan
          o 1.3 In Slavic paganism
      2 Death (angels) in religion
          o 2.1 In Judaism
                   2.1.1 Form and functions
                   2.1.2 Death and Satan
                   2.1.3 Scholars and the Angel of Death
                   2.1.4 Rabbinic Views
          o    2.2 In Christianity
          o    2.3 In Islam
      3 Death as a fictional character
          o 3.1 List of works using Death as a fictional character
      4 Death in popular fiction
          o 4.1 Movies
          o 4.2 Television
          o 4.3 Literature
          o 4.4 Comics
          o 4.5 Computer and video games
          o 4.6 Music
          o 4.7 Other
      5 Bibliography
      6 See also
      7 External links




Death in mythological portrayals
       Main article: death deity

Several mythologies had gods who embodied Death or aspects of Death:

      Ankou (Breton)
      Izanami (Shinto)
      Mictlantecuhtli (Aztec)
      The Morrigan (Irish)
      Mors (Roman)
      Mot (Canaanite)
      Hades (Greek)
      Hel (Norse)
      Odin (Norse)
      Loki (Norse)
      Osiris (Egyptian)
      Anpu (Egyptian)
      Shemal (Semitic)
      Shinigami (Japanese)
      Sielulintu, Kalma, Surma (Finnish)
      Thanatos (Greek)
      Hun-Came (Mayan)
      Yama (Hindu)
      Yanluo (Chinese)
Hindu mythology

In the Hindu scriptures known collectively as 'Vedas', the lord of death is called Yama, or
Yamaraj (literally "the lord of death").




A modern depiction of Yamaraja's Court, by Dominique Amendola

Yamaraja rides a black buffalo and carries a rope lasso to carry the soul back to his abode
called "Yamaloka". It is his agents, the Yamaduts, who carry the souls back to Yamalok.
Here, all the accounts of the person's good and bad deeds are stored and maintained by
Chitragupta, which allow Yamaraj to decide where the soul has to reside in his next life,
following the theory of reincarnation.

It is believed that souls may experience re-birth in hellish, or heavenly worlds on
returning to the Earth again, depending upon their actions having been of a good or bad
nature in this lifetime. The ones who practice good karma and bhakti throughout their
lives are granted Moksha, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and all the
suffering and limitation entailed in embodied worldly existence. Yama is also mentioned
in the Mahabharata as a great philosopher and devotee of Sri Krishna.
In Japan

In Kojiki, after giving birth to the fire-god Hinokagutsuchi, the goddess Izanami dies
from wounds of its fire and enters the perpetual night realm called Yominokuni that the
gods thereto retire. After Izanagi, her husband, failed in the attempt to reclaim her from
the land of Yomi, in a brief argument with Izanagi, she claimed to take 1000 lives every
day signifying her position as the goddess of death.

Another popular death personification is Enma (Yama), also known as Enma Ou and
Enma Daiou (Enma King, Enma Great King — translations of Yama Rājā). He
originated as Yama in Hinduism, later became Yanluo in China, and Enma in Japan. He
is from Chinese Buddhism, and before that, from India. Enma rules the underworld,
which makes him similar to Hades, and he decides whether someone dead goes to heaven
or to hell. A common saying parents use in Japan to scold children is that Enma will cut
off their tongue in the afterlife if they lie.

There are also death gods called shinigami, which are closer to the Western tradition of
the Grim Reaper. Shinigami (often plural) are common in modern Japanese arts and
fiction, and essentially absent from traditional mythology.

In Slavic paganism

Old Slavic tribes viewed Death as a woman in white clothes, with a never-fading green
sprout in her hand. The touch of the sprout would put a human to an everlasting sleep.
This image survived Christianization well into the Middle Ages, only being replaced by
the more traditional European image of a walking skeleton as late as in the 15th century.




Death (angels) in religion
Death, a tarot card from the Tarot of Marseilles.

In the Bible, death is viewed as an under form of an angel sent from God, a being
deprived of all voluntary power. On some occasions this described in terms fitting
Azrael, and on others as fitting Samael. The "angel of the Lord" smites 185,000 men in
the Assyrian camp (II Kings xix. 35). "The destroyer" kills the first-born of the Egyptians
(Ex. xii. 23), and the "destroying angel" ("mal'ak ha-mashḥit") rages among the people in
Jerusalem (II Sam. xxiv. 15). In I Chronicle xxi. 15 the "angel of the Lord" is seen by
King David standing "between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his
hand stretched out over Jerusalem." The biblical Book of Job (xxxiii. 22) uses the general
term "destroyer" ("memitim"), which tradition has identified with "destroying angels"
("mal'ake Khabbalah") and Prov. xvi. 14 uses the term the "angels of death" ("mal'ake ha-
mavet"). Uriel is sometimes referred as the angel of death, too.
La mort du fossoyeur (Death of the grave-digger) by Carlos Schwabe is a visual
compendium of Symbolist motifs.




In Judaism



Form and functions

The angel of death was created by God on the first day (Tan. on Gen. xxxix. 1). His
dwelling is in heaven, whence he reaches earth in eight flights, whereas pestilence
reaches it in one (Ber. 4b). He has twelve wings (Pirḳe R. El. xiii). "Over all people have
I surrendered thee the power," said God to the angel of death, "only not over this one
which has received freedom from death through the Law" (Tan. to Ex. xxxi. 18; ed.
Stettin, p. 315). It is said of the angel of death that he is full of eyes. In the hour of death
he stands at the head of the departing one with a drawn sword, to which clings a drop of
gall. As soon as the dying man sees the angel, he is seized with a convulsion and opens
his mouth, whereupon the angel throws the drop into it. This drop causes his death; he
turns putrid, and his face becomes yellow ('Ab. Zarah 20b; in detail, Jellinck, "B. H." i.
150; on putrefaction see also Pesiḳ. 54b; for the eyes compare Ezek. i. 18 and Rev. iv. 6).
The expression "to taste of death" originated in the idea that death was caused by a drop
of gall ("Jew. Quart. Rev." vi. 327).
The soul escapes through the mouth, or, as is stated in another place, through the throat;
therefore the angel of death stands at the head of the patient (Jellinek, l.c. ii. 94, Midr.
Teh. to Ps. xi.). When the soul forsakes the body its voice goes from one end of the world
to the other, but is not heard (Gen. R. vi. 7; Ex. R. v. 9; Pirḳe R. El. xxxiv.). The drawn
sword of the angel of death, mentioned by the Chronicler (I. Chron. xxi. 15; comp. Job
xv. 22; Enoch lxii. 11), indicates that the angel of death was figured as a warrior who
kills off the children of men. "Man, on the day of his death, falls down before the angel of
death like a beast before the slaughterer" (Grünhut, "Liḳḳuṭim", v. 102a). R. Samuel's
father (c. 200) said: "The angel of death said to me, 'Only for the sake of the honor of
mankind do I not tear off their necks as is done to slaughtered beasts'" ('Ab. Zarah 20b).
In later representations the knife sometimes replaces the sword, and reference is also
made to the cord of the angel of death, which indicates death by throttling. Moses says to
God: "I fear the cord of the angel of death" (Grünhut, l.c. v. 103a et seq.). Of the four
Jewish methods of execution three are named in connection with the angel of death:
burning (by pouring hot lead down the victim's throat-- similar to the drop of gall),
slaughtering (by beheading), and throttling. The angel of death administers the particular
punishment which God has ordained for the commission of sin.

A peculiar mantle ("idra"-according to Levy, "Neuhebr. Wörterb." i. 32, a sword) belongs
to the equipment of the angel of death (Eccl. R. iv. 7). The angel of death takes on the
particular form which will best serve his purpose; e.g., he appears to a scholar in the form
of a beggar imploring pity (M. Ḳ. 28a). "When pestilence rages in the town, walk not in
the middle of the street, because the angel of death [i.e., pestilence] strides there; if peace
reigns in the town, walk not on the edges of the road. When pestilence rages in the town,
go not alone to the synagogue, because there the angel of death stores his tools. If the
dogs howl, the angel of death has entered the city; if they make sport, the prophet Elijah
has come" (B. Ḳ. 60b). The "destroyer" ("saṭan ha-mashḥit") in the daily prayer is the
angel of death (Ber. 16b). Midr. Ma'ase Torah (compare Jellinek, "B. H." ii. 98) says:
"There are six angels of death: Gabriel over kings; Ḳapẓiel over youths; Mashbir over
animals; Mashḥit over children; Af and Ḥemah over man and beast."



Death and Satan

The angel of death, who is identified by some with Satan, immediately after his creation
had a dispute with God as to the light of the Messiah (Pesiḳ. R. 161b). When Eve touched
the tree of knowledge, she perceived the angel of death, and thought: "Now I shall die,
and God will create another wife for Adam" (Pirḳe R. El. xiii., end; compare Targum
Yer. to Gen. iii. 6, and Yalḳ. i. § 25). Adam also had a conversation with the angel of
death (Böklen, "Die Verwandtschaft der Jüdisch-Christlichen mit der Parsischen
Eschatologie," p. 12). The angel of death sits before the face of the dead (Jellinek, l.c. ii.
94). While Abraham was mourning for Sarah the angel appeared to him, which explains
why "Abraham stood up from before his dead" (Gen. xxiii. 3; Gen. R. lviii. 5,
misunderstood by the commentators). Samuel told Sarah that Abraham had sacrificed
Isaac in spite of his wailing, and Sarah died of horror and grief (Pirḳe R. El. xxxii.). It
was Moses who most often had dealings with the angel. At the rebellion of Korah, Moses
saw him (Num. R. v. 7; Bacher, l.c. iii. 333; compare Sanh. 82a). It was the angel of
death in the form of pestilence which snatched away 15,000 every year during the
wandering in the wilderness (ib. 70). When Moses reached heaven, the angel told him
something (Jellinek, l.c. i. 61).

When the angel of death came to Moses and said, "Give me thy soul," Moses called to
him: "Where I sit thou hast no right to stand." And the angel retired ashamed, and
reported the occurrence to God. Again, God commanded him to bring the soul of Moses.
The angel went, and, not finding him, inquired of the sea, of the mountains, and of the
valleys; but they knew nothing of him (Sifre, Deut. 305). Really, Moses did not die
through the angel of death, but through God's kiss ("bi-neshiḳah"); i.e., God drew his soul
out of his body (B. B. 17a; compare Abraham in Apocryphal and Rabbinical Literature,
and parallel references in Böklen, l.c. p. 11). Legend seizes upon the story of Moses'
struggle with the angel of death, and expands it at length (Tan., ed. Stettin, pp. 624 et
seq.; Deut. R. ix., xi.; Grünhut, l.c. v. 102b, 169a). As Benaiah bound Ashmedai (Jew.
Encyc. ii. 218a), so Moses binds the angel of death that he may bless Israel (Pesiḳ. 199,
where "lifne moto" [Deut. xxxiii. 1] is explained as meaning "before the angel of death").

Solomon once noticed that the angel of death was grieved. When questioned as to the
cause of his sorrow he answered: "I am requested to take your two beautiful scribes."
Solomon at once charged the demons to convey his scribes to Luz, where the angel of
death could not enter. When they were near the city, however, they both died. The angel
laughed on the next day, whereupon Solomon asked the cause of his mirth. "Because,"
answered the angel, "thou didst send the youths thither, whence I was ordered to fetch
them" (Suk. 53a). In the next world God will let the angel of death fight against Pharaoh,
Sisera, and Sennacherib (Yalḳ., Isa. 428).

The teaching of God shields one from the power of the angel of death. The children of
Israel have accepted the Torah only in order that the angel may have no power over them
('Ab. Zarah 5a). Since death results only from sin, it can not, of course, come to those
who live in accordance with the Torah. Although the sentence of mortality once
pronounced could never be recalled ('Ab. Zarah 5a), yet the angel of death may not visit
teachers of the Law; he is rather their friend (ib. 35b), and even imparts learning to them
(Ber. 51a).



Scholars and the Angel of Death

Talmud teachers of the fourth century associate quite familiarly with him. When he
appeared to one on the street, the teacher reproached him with rushing upon him as upon
a beast; whereupon the angel called upon him at his house. To another he granted a
respite of thirty days, that he might put his knowledge in order before entering the next
world. To a third he had no access, because he could not interrupt the study of the
Talmud. To a fourth he showed a rod of fire, whereby he is recognized as the angel of
death (M. K. 28a). He often entered the house of Bibi and conversed with him (Ḥag. 4b).
Often he resorts to strategy in order to interrupt and seize his victim (B. M. 86a; Mak.
10a).

The death of Joshua ben Levi in particular is surrounded with a web of fable. When the
time came for him to die and the angel of death appeared to him, he demanded to be
shown his place in paradise. When the angel had consented to this, he demanded the
angel's knife, that the angel might not frighten him by the way. This request also was
granted him, and Joshua sprang with the knife over the wall of paradise; the angel, who is
not allowed to enter paradise, caught hold of the end of his garment. Joshua swore that he
would not come out, and God declared that he should not leave paradise unless he was
absolved from his oath; if not absolved, he was to remain. The angel of death then
demanded back his knife, but Joshua refused. At this point a heavenly voice ("bat ḳol")
rang out: "Give him back the knife, because the children of men have need of it" (Ket.
77b; Jellinek, l.c. ii. 48-51; Bacher, l.c. i. 192 et seq.).



Rabbinic Views

The Rabbis found the angel of death mentioned in Psalms lxxxix. 45 (A. V. 48), where
the Targum translates: "There is no man who lives and, seeing the angel of death, can
deliver his soul from his hand". Eccl. viii. 4 is thus explained in Midrash Rabbah to the
passage: "One may not escape the angel of death, nor say to him, 'Wait until I put my
affairs in order,' or 'There is my son, my slave: take him in my stead.'" Where the angel of
death appears there is no remedy (Talmud, Ned. 49a; Hul. 7b). If one who has sinned has
confessed his fault, the angel of death may not touch him (Midrash Tanhuma, ed. Buber,
139). God protects from the angel of death (Midrash Genesis Rabbah lxviii.).

By acts of benevolence the anger of the angel of death is overcome; when one fails to
perform such acts the angel of death will make his appearance (Derek Ereẓ Zuṭa, viii.).
The angel of death receives his order from God (Ber. 62b). As soon as he has received
permission to destroy, however, he makes no distinction between good and bad (B. Ḳ.
60a). In the city of Luz the angel of death has no power, and when the aged inhabitants
are ready to die they go outside the city (Soṭah 46b; compare Sanh. 97a). A legend to the
same effect existed in Ireland in the Middle Ages ("Jew. Quart. Rev." vi. 336).
In Christianity

Death is personified occasionally in the New Testament. The first such reference is
perhaps Acts 2:24 - "But God raised Him [Jesus] from the dead, freeing him from the
agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Later
passages, however, are much more explicit. Romans 5 speaks of Death as having
"reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses," and various passages in the
Epistles speak of Christ's work on the Cross and His Resurrection as a confrontation with
Death. Such verses include Rom. 6:9 and 2 Tim. 1:10.

Despite Jesus' victory over it, Death is still viewed as enduring in Scripture. 1 Cor. 15:26
asserts, "The last enemy to be destroyed is death," which implies that Death has not been
destroyed once and for all. This assertion later proves true in the Book of Revelation.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews declares that Satan "holds the power of death"
(Heb. 2:14), perhaps equating the two. It is written that the Son became human that by his
death he might destroy the devil; this is the head of the Beast referred to as, "One of the
heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been
healed." (Rev. 13:3) If the head that was fatally wounded but healed refers to Death, this
accords with 2 Tim. 1:10, which states that Jesus "has destroyed death," and the
implication that death was yet to be destroyed in 1 Cor. 15:26. But it could alternately
refer to the Devil separately, who was also said to have been destroyed, and yet has
revived. That is, whether Death is the Devil or an agent of Satan is unclear.

The final destruction of Death is referenced by Paul in the fifteenth chapter of 1
Corinthians; he says that after the general resurrection, the prophecies of Isaiah 25:8 and
Hosea 13:14 - "He will swallow up death forever," and "Where, O death, is your sting?"
(Septuagint), will be fulfilled. According to Paul, the power of Death lies in sin, which is
made possible by the Law, but God "gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
That victory over Death is prophetically revealed in the Revelation of John, discussed
below.

In the visions of John, Death is personified as one of the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse. Rev. 6:8 reads, "I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider
was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power
over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of
the earth." In Rev. 20:13-14, in the vision of Judgment of the dead, it is written, "The sea
gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them,
and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were
thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death." This describes the
destruction of the last enemy. After this, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away." (Rev. 21:4)
In Roman Catholicism, the archangel Michael is viewed as the angel of death, carrying
the souls of the deceased to Heaven. There, he balances them in his scales (one of his
symbols). He is said to give the dying souls the chance to redeem themselves before
passing as well. In Mexico, a popular Catholic "cult" regards the personification of death
as a saint, known as Santa Muerte. The figure is uncanonized and the Church refuses to
acknowledge its existence.



In Islam

Death, as of one of Allah's angels, is spoken of in the Qur'an:

        The angel of death, who has been charged with you, will gather you; then to your
        Lord you will be returned. (32:11).

He is traditionally known by the name of "Izrail" (not to be confused with Israel, which
is a name in Islam solely for Prophet Ya'qoob/Jacob), the English form of which is
Azrael. He is charged with the task of separating and returning from the bodies the souls
of people who are to be recalled permanently from the physical world back to the
primordial spiritual world. This is a process whose aspect varies depending on the nature
and past deeds of the individual in question, and some suggest that Azrael is also
accompanied by helpers or associates.

Apart from the characteristics and responsibilities he has in common with other angels in
Islam, little else concerning Azrael can be derived from fundamental Muslim texts. Many
references are made in various Muslim legends, however, some of which are included in
books authored by Muslim poets and mystics. For instance, the following tale is in the
Masnavi, written by the well-known Maulana Rumi:

When the Almighty determined to create mankind... He deputed the angel Gabriel to bring a
handful of earth for the purpose of forming Adam's body. But the Earth, being apprehensive that
the man so created would rebel against God and draw down God's curse upon her, remonstrated
with Gabriel, and besought him to forbear... Then God deputed [the angel] Michael on the same
errand, and the Earth made similar excuses to him, and he also... returned to heaven without
taking a handful... Then God sent the angel Israfil on the same errand, and he also was diverted
from the execution of it by a divine intimation... At last God sent 'Izrail, the angel of death, who,
being of sterner disposition than the others, resolutely shut his ears to the Earth's entreaties, and
brought back the required handful of earth. The Earth pressed him with the argument that God's
command to bear away a handful of her substance against her will did not override the other
divine command to take pity on suppliants; but 'Izrail would not listen to her, remarking that,
according to the canons of theological interpretation, it was not allowable to have recourse to
analogical reasoning to evade a plain and categorical injunction. He added, that in executing this
injunction, painful though it might be, he was to be regarded only as a spear in the hand of the
Almighty.

                      —Rumi , Masnavi, Book V (abridged and translated by EH Whinfield, 1898)
Death as a fictional character
The character of Death is typically depicted in the West as wearing a dark hooded cloak
and wielding a scythe. In many icons of the resurrection of Jesus, Death is portrayed as a
skeleton who is bound hand and foot lying amid other bones under the earth. In Eastern
Orthodox theology, Death is one of humanity's three enemies; the other two are sin and
the Devil. This figure of Death is also known as the Grim Reaper. Death, in this guise,
appears also on one of the Tarot arcana. While in Germanic folklore, including English,
Death is male (der Tod), in Latin folklore it is female (la muerte, la mort). In Mexico,
death is sometimes referred upon as La Calaca, a skull-like character that comes and
takes people away when they die.

The allegorical figure of Death appears many times in the works of Albrecht Dürer and
Terry Pratchett. Pratchett's Death is substantially different in that he is, as mentioned in
the Discworld Compendium, "on our side" against the ruthless Auditors, personifications
of cosmic Law, and he has an unexplained affection for kittens.

To contrast with the normally dark and antagonistic classical depictions of Death, many
comedies portray him as a somewhat sympathetic character, an average Joe who's simply
doing a necessary and unpleasant job, such as the film Death Takes A Holiday and the
cartoon The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. A skateboarding company named
Blind has a logo that is supposed to resemble the Grim Reaper.



List of works using Death as a fictional character

      Animaniacs
      Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey movie
      Buttercup Festival (not Death, but a character with a cloak and scythe)
      The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale part of the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey
       Chaucer.
      Castlevania video game series (where Death is a recurring boss).
      Cat and Girl
      Charmed which has used the names of several incarnations of Death, from Azrael
       to Yama, for enemies; Death himself is also a recurring character.
      Click (film)
      Conker's Bad Fur Day video game (as Gregg, he hates cats, a clear parody of
       Pratchett‘s cat-loving death of the Discworld); also seen in the remake, Conker:
       Live and Reloaded
      Daria
      Darkwing Duck cartoon (episode 147 - Dead Duck)
      Death and Doctor hornbook, poem by Robert Burns
      Dead Like Me television show
   Death, Jr. video game/comic book
   Death comic book, a spinoff from The Sandman
   Death Knocks, a one-act play by Woody Allen
   Death Note manga/movies
   Death Takes a Holiday movie (1934)
   Der müde Tod silent movie (1921)
   Discworld novels - Death is a darksome meddler in the affairs of humans,
    generally aiding the tragedies that claim so many lives. He can always be
    identified in the novels if not mentioned by name, since he only speaks outside of
    quotation marks and in all CAPITAL LETTERS.
   The Doors
   Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser
   Family Guy - A hapless, morose Death is a recurring character in the series, first
    voiced by Norm MacDonald and later by Adam Corolla. In a nod to Adam
    Corolla's stint as host of "The Man Show", his co-host, Jimmy Kimmel, voiced a
    one-line cameo of a canine version of Death come to the Griffin house since he
    thought their dog, Brian, was about to die. One of the common jokes in episodes
    featuring the character is the act of "laughing at Death."
   Feel the Magic: XY/XX
   Final Fantasy 10 - Certain attacks in the game, like KO,(death) are depicted by a
    cloaked figure hitting the victim with his schythe.
   The Frighteners
   The Gauntlet series
   Good Omens a novel by Neil Gaiman And Terry Pratchett, in which his character
    is quite similar to that of the Discworld novels.
   Grave Digger Another band which has the Grim Reaper as its mascot
   The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy an original Cartoon Network cartoon in
    which death (who speaks with an apparently-Jamaican accent and referred to by
    the other characters as "Grim") is one of the main characters.
   Grim Fandango video game.
   Grim Tales From Down Below This is a "what if" comic online about if Grim and
    Mandy had kids. It is by an artist known as Bleedman
   A Grolsch commercial from circa 2004 [1]
   Incarnations of Immortality novels
   Irregular Webcomic! features a death for each method of dying, including Death
    of Insanely Overpowered fireballs, Death of Chocking on a Giant Frog (formally
    Death of Being Covered in Custard and Smothered by Licking Kittens) and Death
    of being Wrestled to Death by Steve (Deceased; Wrestled to death by Steve) and
    Death of Being Ground to Death by a Mars Rover Rock Abrasion Tool (who is
    more annoyed than most each time a NASA Mission fails) under the control of a
    Head Death.
   JACK webcomic with the Grim Reaper as the main character)
   La Dama del Alba (Lady of the Dawn) play
   "Last Action Hero" a movie
   Liberty Meadows comic strip
   Marvel Comics
     Grim in the Maximo video game series
     The Meaning of Life movie (1983)
     Meet Joe Black movie (1998 remake of Death Takes a Holiday)
     Monster in My Pocket comic book (1991)
     "Murder Most Horrid" (Episode Dead On Time)
     On a Pale Horse: see Incarnations of Immortality, a series of books by Piers
      Anthony
     "Paradise Lost" by John Milton
     Dona Morte (Lady Death) of Monica's Gang
     Preacher comic book in which Death appears as a "Wild West" gunslinger known
      as the Saint of Killers
     Red Dwarf (episode Only the Good...)
     Riding the Bullet (Stephen King short story and 2004 movie)
     RuneScape game. As part of the Halloween event in 2005, the Grim Reaper
      would appear and reap the player with his scythe whenever they died.
     The Sandman comic book
     Secret of Mana video game
     The Seventh Seal (1957 movie)
     Shadowgate video game
     The Simpsons
     The Sims games
     South Park cartoon (episode 106 - "Death")
     Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where Death is a bad guy in the Teenage Mutant
      Ninja Turtles Adventures comics and one of the Four Horsemen of the
      Apocalypse.
     The Twilight Zone
     Warhammer 40,000 tabletop wargame features the C'tan Stargod "Nightbringer",
      depicted as an immense cloak-wearing entity wielding a scythe, said to be the one
      who instilled the fear of death in the races of our galaxy
     Watership Down features a psychopomp known as the Black rabbit of Inlé (Inlé
      being the moon, which has fearful connotations compared to Frith, the sun God)
      which acts like an angel of death who "Serves lord Frith, but he does no more
      than his appointed task."
     EverQuest players could summon a pet resembling death. An NPC that conjures
      up player bodies closely resembles Death.
     Yu-Gi-Oh! a powerful monster in the trading card game and anime is called "spirit
      reaper". It resembles the grim reaper.
     Mighty Boosh In episode 3 series 1 (Bollo). Howard Moon is mistaken for a dying
      ape and is taken by Death to a taxi firm full of grim reapers.




Death in popular fiction
The character of Death has recurred many times in popular fiction. He has made
appearances in many stories, from serious dramatic fiction to comedy, including playing
roles in science fiction and fantasy stories.



Movies




Death as portrayed in Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal

Death appears in Woody Allen's Love and Death and Deconstructing Harry as well as his
play Death Knocks. Death Takes a Holiday was a 1934 film directed by Mitchell Leisen,
and written by Maxwell Anderson. Death (Fredric March as Prince Sirki) decides to take
a holiday from his usual business to see how the mortals live. Complications ensue as
those who should have died do not. Death Takes a Holiday was remade in the 1998 film
Meet Joe Black, directed by Martin Brest and starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.
While Meet Joe Black touches briefly on the consequences of a world where Death is not
doing his job, its focus is on Death's experience as a human, and on the personal
relationships within the family he chooses to stay with.

In 1957, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman made The Seventh Seal, an influential (and
heavily symbolic) movie depicting one of the most famous moments in the fictional
portrayal of Death. In the movie, a medieval knight plays a game of chess with Death,
with the knight's life depending upon the outcome of the game. The concept of playing
games with Death has been used (and spoofed) many times since Bergman's movie. A
1968 short film called The Dove deliberately spoofed this famous movie scene, a young
couple challenge Death to a game of badminton. Woody Allen has written a short story in
which Death loses a game of gin rummy after clumsily entering a man's apartment and
trying to cow him into going quietly. Bob Burden's surrealist comic book, "The Flaming
Carrot", features a cover in which the title character rejects Death's offer of playing chess
and suggests instead lawn darts. In The Sims, a player can sometimes win back a
recently-deceased Sim by challenging Death to rock-paper-scissors.

In the 1991 comedy Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Death is played by William Sadler After
the witless protagonists are killed by their evil robot counterparts, Death comes to collect
them. Bill and Ted give Death a wedgie and run away. Later, after they accidentally get
sent to Hell, the duo find Death again. Death tells them that they can challenge him to a
contest, and if they win, they will be brought back to life. Bill and Ted beat Death at
Battleship, Clue, and Twister. Death stubbornly demands a rematch after each loss. After
he accepts his defeat Death takes Bill and Ted to Heaven to find the greatest scientist in
the Universe: a pair of Martians known as "Station." By the end of the movie, Bill and
Ted find that Death isn't evil; he's just an okay guy doing his job, and Death becomes the
bass player for their rock band, Wyld Stallyns.

In the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero, the character of Death from
Bergman's Seventh Seal is brought into the real world temporarily, played by Ian
McKellen. In the short-lived TV series Big Wolf on Campus the main character goes on a
frantic gaming spree in which he loses several games to Death, a reverse-spoof of Bill
and Ted, as well as Ingmar Bergman. In Dogma, The Angel of Death, named Loki
(played by Matt Damon) is portrayed as an angel, banished forever in Wisconsin with
fellow angel Bartleby (Ben Affleck) by God for refusing to kill anymore. The two angels
try to take advantage of the plenary indulgence loop-hole in order to get back into
Heaven, unaware that doing so would bring about the end of creation. Along the way,
Loki kills an entire boardroom of sinning corporate execs. Flash cartoon Weebl & Bob
parodied this concept in their episode "Art". Death is portrayed by Monkey, and the
characters are sitting on a chessboard, while Weebl & Bob bemoan (naturally) their lack
of pie.

In Oliver Stone's 1991 film The Doors, Jim Morrison is haunted by Death, appearing in
several scenes portrayed by Richard Rutowski. Death can be seen dancing behind him in
orgiastic concert scenes or appearing in the background watching Morrison at bars,
parties or on the street. In a scene deleted from the theatrical release, Death bumps into
Morrison at an airport bar, heavily intoxicated and on his way to the ill-fated Miami show
in 1969, inquiring, "how's it going?" and closing with a cryptic, "See you around, Jim."

In a number of comedy roles, the character of Death has had a Swedish foreign accent,
paying homage (sometimes unintentionally) to his role in The Seventh Seal. In Monty
Python's The Meaning of Life, in which he is designed by Terry Gilliam and voiced by
John Cleese, he breaks up a dinner party - along with its annoying hosts and guests -
prematurely.

Death makes a few cameos in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, most
notably, sitting right behind the Behemoth in the town meeting.

In the 2006 film A Prairie Home Companion, Virginia Madsen plays "Dangerous
Woman", also named "Asphodel" (a flower sacred to Persephone that, and as the
character's name, sounds suspiciously like Azrael), who may very well be the Angel of
Death.

In the 2006 film Click, the Angel of Death is portrayed as an eccentric technology
enthusiast who goes by the name of Morty (played by Christopher Walken), a pun on the
Latin word mortis, death. It is from him, in a Bed, Bath and Beyond store, that
protagonist Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) receives a universal remote control, which
has adverse effects on Michael's life. Ultimately, Morty teaches Michael lessons
concerning family and work, as well as facing the consequences of his actions.

In the 2006 film Scoop, directed by Woody Allen, the Grim Reaper is seen as the captain
of a ship which sails the recently deceased across the River Styx. Despite the foreboding
atmosphere, the mood on the ship is quite jovial and one character is seen performing a
magic act for the others' enjoyment. The Reaper says no words and ignores the
passengers. He is also seen coming into the world of humans briefly to collect a spirit
who dove off the ship.



Television




Death in Family Guy

The UK Public Information Film The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water features a Grim
Reaper-like character.

In the comedy Red Dwarf, Rimmer knees Death in the groin, telling him that "only the
good die young". Death, naturally surprised, notes that "that's never happened before." in
a pained tone of voice.

As the Grim Reaper, Death stars in an animated series on the Cartoon Network cable
channel called The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (formerly Grim and Evil). In this
cartoon, the grim reaper has a Jamaican accent and is a comedic character. The Grim
Reaper has also made several appearances on The Simpsons, Animaniacs, South Park,
Family Guy, and even an early Mickey Mouse cartoon.

In the CBS television show Touched by an Angel, Death was sympathetically portrayed
as a recurring character, played by John Dye. Andrew, one of many Angels of Death in
the series, detests the notion of being looked upon as the Grim Reaper rather than an
angel just sent from Heaven to do his duty.

Sci-Fi's Dead Like Me portrays soul collection as a widespread organization with many
different divisions and, most likely, thousands of "employees", each of whom take souls
from the living upon death.

The 1959 Twilight Zone episode "One for the Angels" (the second episode in the series),
Death visits a storefront salesman to take his life. They agree that the salesman should die
only when he has pulled off a "pitch for the angels," and only then will he go. When
Death finds out this is a trick, he decides to take the little girl next door instead (who's
just been hit by a truck), saying he's been "forced to choose an alternative." The salesman
manages to save the girl's life by distracting Death with an irresisitable sales pitch (the
"pitch for the angels") and as per their agreement, Death leads the salesman to Heaven.

The personification of Death made another appearance on The Twilight Zone, in the 1962
episode "Nothing in the Dark." The episode focuses on an elderly woman who is
convinced that Death is stalking her. She believes if she locks herself indoors and never
has any contact with others (thus avoiding the touch of Death), she will stay alive
indefinitely. When a police officer, played by Robert Redford, is shot right outside her
front door, she feels she has no choice but to take him in and tend to his wounds, despite
her fears. While he heals, the woman comes to trust the young man and explains why she
is barracaded in her home. As it turns out, Redford is indeed the personification of Death.
However, he is not an evil, villainous monster, but merely somebody who guides people
into the next world when it is their time. As the woman comes to understand Death's role,
she willingly takes his hand so that he may escort her into the afterlife.

The 2002 Twilight Zone episode "One Night at Mercy" stars Jason Alexander as a
suicidal Death.

In Charmed, The Angel of Death is considered a neutral being and was featured many
times, as in Seasons 3, 4 (mentioned), 6, 7 (where Piper, a main character, temporarily
became one of the many angels of death), and 8.

In a 2006 episode of Supernatural they battle a grim reaper brought on from a bonding
spell.

On Medium, The Angel of Death is portrayed as regular man, he is played by Kelsey
Grammer

On Nip/Tuck, Julia McNamara sees Ava Moore as the Angel of Death in an unconscious
dream sequence.

On The Sopranos, Tony Soprano sees Tony Blundetto as the Angel of Death in an
unconscious dream sequence.

On Six Feet Under, Nathaniel Fisher Sr. portrays Death in episode 48, and he says that he
would rather "be the Grim Reaper, but the folks at Marvel had a copyright on it".

On the NBC series Scrubs, J.D. mentions and sees Death as a co-worker at Sacred Heart
Hospital, during a few of his many fantasies.

On the CBS series Ghost Whisperer, Death is personified as a sinister-looking man
wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dressed entirely in black (nicknamed by some fans as
"The Hat Man"), setting out to intercept the ghosts of the recently deceased and lure them
into Hell before the clairvoyant Melinda Gordon can help them cross over into the
afterlife.




From The Dance of Death (Totentanz) by Hans Holbein the Younger
[edit]

Literature

In Book II of Paradise Lost by John Milton, Death, along with Sin, holds the keys to the
locked Gates of Hell. After God and his angels defeat Lucifer (now Satan) and banish
him and his followers to Hell, God commands Sin and Death to never unlock the gates.
Satan, upon hearing that God has created a new world and new beings, Adam and Eve,
sets out to cause their downfall. Arriving at the Gates of Hell, Satan converses with Sin
and Death and learns of Death's creation. Sin is the daughter of Satan and became
pregnant with Satan's child. The birth was extremely painful for Sin; so painful that she
cried out "Death!" as the unnamed entity was born. The caves of Hell echoed back
"Death" and her son became known as Death. Death then raped his mother who
subequently gave birth to monstrous dogs who bite and gnaw at her and travel to and fro
her womb at will causing her immense pain. According to Sin, Death despises everything
living and has the power to destroy anything except God. Sin warns that Death can
destroy Satan and that the only reason she is spared (yet tortured) is that Death cannot
exist without Sin. Satan nevertheless demands that the gates be opened. Death, unafraid
of Satan, calls him a "false fugitive," (Book II, 700) commands him to retreat, and warns,
"with one stroke of this Dart, strange horrors seize thee and pangs unfelt before." (Book
II, 703-704) By promising Sin and Death a world where they, "shall dwell at ease,"
(Book II, 840-841) Satan persuades Sin and Death to open the gates to allow him passage
through Chaos to Earth. When word reaches Sin and Death that Satan succeeds, they
begin to construct a road connecting Hell to Earth. Satan, on his return from Earth, notes
of the road being built and instructs Sin and Death to be his ambassadors on Earth.
Death is described as a, "shape had none distinguishable in member, joint, or limb, or
substance...Black it stood as Night..and shook a dreadful Dart; what seemed his head the
likeness of a Kingly Crown had on." (Book II, 667-673)

A female characterization of Death appears briefly in Samuel Coleridge's Rime of the
Ancient Mariner.

Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series of fantasy novels features a
modernised Grim Reaper, who is the central character of On a Pale Horse, the first book
in the series. In this personification, Death is an office held by a mortal. The mortal
holding the office of Death is protected from aging, fire, disease and other dangers by the
cloak he wears. When not wearing the cloak, the office holder is subject to any and all
dangers and consequences just as any other mortal. The person holds the office of Death
until they themselves die, usually because they become careless over time, and are
themselves killed by someone they have come to collect. This person then takes over the
office, and the cycle begins anew.

The character of Death is also a major player in the humorous Discworld novels of Terry
Pratchett, where he is perhaps paradoxically seen as an ally of humanity, since he is a part
of the natural order of things and often finds himself defending humanity against threats
to that order. As a tongue-in-cheek allusion to The Seventh Seal, he doesn't like chess,
because he cannot remember HOW THE LITTLE HORSE-SHAPED ONES MOVE. He
speaks in a hollow yet heavy voice, often expressed in SMALL CAPS, and eschewing the
use of quotation marks. Due to a rule of Death having to appear personally to wizards
who are going to die, particularly the failed wizard Rincewind, Death sometimes appears,
having been snatched from some important business arrangement, most notable being
appearing with a drink and hors'douevres claiming I WAS AT A PARTY. He can also be
summoned directly via the Rite of Ashk'Ente. Death's realm of influence is limited to the
Discworld-in one book, a reference is made to Death's professional pride in his devotion
to traditionalism in the use of a scythe, when the Deaths of other worlds have invested in
combine harvesters. In the book Reaper Man, Death was temporarily deposed by the
Auditors of Reality, who claim to Azrael, Death of Universes, that by gaining a
personality he has become inefficient. During the time he spent as "Bill Door," a
farmhand, numerous other Deaths emerged-one for trees, tortoises, etc. The Death of
Humans, when he finally emerged, was a cloaked figure on a skeletal horse, with curling
wisps of smoke instead of a face, wearing a crown. At the end of the book, Death takes
up his old position and draws all the superfluous Deaths into him, save for the Death of
Rats, who becomes a recurring character, and the Death of Fleas, who does not. In the
book Mort, he finds his work boring and takes on an apprentice (the titular) Mort, who
promptly annoys his new master by failing to kill a princess and creates a paradox, since
reality insists that she is dead in spite of her being alive. In Johnny and the Dead, a
character that can be assumed to be Death (as it speaks in small caps) carries William
Stickers away on a boat, Charon-style.

Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories' Death is seen as the ruler of a gloomy
realm, who is, himself, always sad. In one story, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser have to
steal Death's mask, and in others, Death tries to take the famous pair, only to be thwarted
by their sorcerous mentors and their own uncanny good luck. He has quotas to meet,
designated by their roles in life, and when the quota includes "two heroes," Fafhrd and
the Mouser are first on his list. Interestingly, Leiber's version of Death is aware that at
some point in the future, he himself is fated to die.

In Death and Dr Hornbook by Robert Burns, death is portrayed as an emaciated, elderly,
gruff, somewhat blue-collar man exactly 6'2" in height.



Comics




Death as a female teenage goth in The Sandman comics

A different personification of Death appears in The Sandman, a series of comic books
written by Neil Gaiman, in which Death, one of the Endless, appears in the guise of a
Goth girl wearing an Ankh around her neck, to symbolize the idea that life and death are
two sides of the same reality. Gaiman's Death is cheerful and supportive, perhaps not
only as a way of playing with audience expectations, but also to demystify death itself,
which is seen as a moment of passage rather than a real ending. This Death takes a 24
hour day each century to walk amongst the living and likewise die just like the living.

Irregular Webcomic! has Death as a unifying "theme", or set of characters. Each very
specific manner of death has an assigned Death, some of whom are not very busy. Death
of Insanely Overpowered Fireballs, Death of Choking On A Giant Frog, Head Death, and
Death of Being Ground By A Mars Rover Rock Abrasion Tool are some mentioned.

Jack has the main character, Jack, become a Grim Reaper in the form of the sin Wrath as
punishment for his own sin.
Smax also features multiple Deaths handling different circumstances. "Lionel" handles
chess games with peasants (and looks like the death in The Seventh Seal) and "Dennis", a
large imposing character, handles "awesome, terrible death".

Liberty Meadows includes a Death that looks like the one from Seventh Seal. Frank (the
main character) has drowned but is resuscitated by a frog. While in the underworld, Frank
escapes by making Death "look". Death hounds him later, expecting a razor cut to kill
him.

Marvel Universe In the Marvel Universe, Death is a robed skeleton, and usually referred
to as female, though she can take either form. She is often courted by Thanos of Titan
who hopes to win her love by destroying the universe. She is sister to Eternity, Oblivion
and Infinity and was formed with him at the start of this Universe when Galactus, sole
survivor of an older previous Universe, survived.

There is also a human supervillain, the Grim Reaper, that has fought Vision and Scarlet
Witch on different occasions. He is the brother of Wonder Man.

Death Jr. In this comic based on the Sony PSP game Death Jr., you get to see many
images of Death as well as his son, Death Jr., who the comic is centered around.

Dragon Ball This series of manga and anime features Death in the form of Enma Daiou.
As the human race is nearly exterminated on at least three occasions and humans
subsequently regain their lives, Enma Daiou is swamped with billions of restless souls
whose (temporary) fate he must decide. Enma is also mentioned in the manga/anime
YuYu Hakusho, usually by his son, Koenma. One of Koenma's agents, Botan, claims the
title of the Grim Reaper for herself quite whimsically.

Saint Seiya This series includes Thanathos as one of the twin guardians of the body of
Hades.

Deathnote This series is about Light Yagami, who finds a death note which fell from the
Shinigami (God of Death) world. This Deathnote allows him to control who dies, how,
and when. When the note is bound to him, the note's original Shinigami owner appears to
him.

Bleach This series follows Shinigami, who are samurai-like grim reapers. Their function
is to guide the souls trapped in the human world to the Soul Society, or in some cases,
hell.

Spectre in Monster in My Pocket #4, is a red-cloaked Grim Reaper.

Chakan the Forever Man In the brief comic series by Robert A. Kraus, a warrior-priest
named Chakan challenges a muscular Grim Reaper for eternal life. It was later made into
a videogame for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear. A game for the Dreamcast was
planned, but it was never executed.
Computer and video games

In the PC game The Sims, Death will come to collect the souls of dead Sims; the player
may have the option of challenging Death to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in exchange
for the life of the dead. In The Sims 2: University expansion pack the player can bring the
dead back to life with a special phone; however, they will need to pay a certain price or
the chosen sim will come back as a zombie.

In the English release of Fire Emblem, one of the characters,an assassin called Jaffar, is
known by his colleagues as the Angel of Death for his ability to kill in a single blow.

In Grabbed By The Ghoulies for the Xbox, if certain conditions for leaving a room are
not met, the Grim Reaper appears-Occasionally, the condition itself is that you evade the
Reaper for a certain time. Whatever background music was playing is replaced by deadly
silence, broken only by the occasional toll of a bell, and the sounds of the Reaper himself.
He extends one hand as he chases you, and will kill you if he touches you with it, but is
indifferent as to the souls he takes-he will happily destroy any Ghoulies in the room who
would love nothing more than to speed you on your way to joining him. Whenever he
takes a soul, be it yours or that of a Ghoulie, he flips his scythe around and plays a guitar
riff on the blade.

In Theme Hospital, when a 'bad' patient dies, the Grim Reaper appears from a hole in the
ground, takes the person to Hell, then closes up again.

The Castlevania series of video games portrays Death as the right hand man of Dracula,
and must be defeated in most incarnations of the series. He is said to be best friends with
Dracula, and is usually the boss right before the dark lord. He is the last line of defense.
Death appears in all but two of the Castlevania games.

In Guilty Gear one Testament a gear, seems to be the portrayal of a Gothic modern day
Death, complete with Bishounen looks, demonic assistant and Blood Scythe.

In Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, the level 2 boss Hell Vanguard (who also
appears regularly as a mid-level boss) resembles the Grim Reaper, in that he wields a
scythe and wears a black cloak over his skeletal body. Many of his attacks are heralded
by a bell toll.

In Final Fantasy VI, the final boss Kefka appears as a destructive angel.

In Final Fantasy VII, the summon Hades greatly resembles the Grim Reaper minus the
trademark scythe, waving his bony hands over a cauldron. Also in the Final Fantasy
series, the recurring Death spell manifests a reaper-like being.

Manny Calavera, from Grim Fandango, is a travel agent to the afterlife.
Death also makes an appearance in the games based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld. The
second Discworld adventure game directly centers around Death's dissatisfaction with the
manner in which he is usually received compared to the service he renders-no longer
satisfied to be seen as an evil being bent upon stealing every living soul, he refuses to
return to his duties until Rincewind can find a way to give him a more positive image.

In HeXen II, Death appears as the 'end boss' for Mazaera, the game's second continent (or
segment). The other three horseman of the Apocalypse, appear as 'end bosses' for the
game's other continents.

In the NetHack computer game, Death is one of the Four horsemen of the Apocalypse,
which the player meets at the very end of the game.

The Grim Reaper appeared in the Nintendo 64 game Conker's Bad Fur Day (Gregg the
Grim Reaper) who is very short and comical and hates cats (because it's rumored that
they have 9 lives).

Death has appeared in the MediEvil series of video games. In the very first game of the
series, you must collect lost souls for him, and he will get your character, Sir Daniel
Fortesque, across the water in the Pools of the Ancient Dead. In the remake, MediEvil
Resurrection, Dan visits him in the level "Return to the Graveyard" and implores his help
against the evil wizard, Zarok.

In the PlayStation Portable game Death, Jr. you play as the son of Death. While you don't
get to see Death himself, his son is essentially him only shorter.

In the Super Famicon/PlayStation 2 game Romancing SaGa, Death appears as one of the
three gods of evil. He lives in the netherworld and acts as the guardian of souls. He also
makes deals with anyone that reaches him.

In Mega Man X4, when going through the third stage ("special weapon") after defeating
all the 8 Mavericks/Irregulars once again, either X or Zero (depending on which character
the player chose at the start) will face off against their nemesis Sigma. Sigma will take on
3 forms, the first picturing him hovering cloaked in a black cape and wielding a beam
scythe.

In "Yakusoku no Chi: Riviera" ("Riviera the Promised Land") for the Wonderswan Color
and Gameboy Advance, Death is the final Accursed. He resides within Mireno Cemetery
which is tied close to his character.

In Gauntlet Legends and its sequel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, Death appears as an enemy
that drains your character's health or experience accompanied by the narrarator's
memorable saying "Use magic to kill Death!". He can only be destroyed with magic and
appears various times in the game.
In the game Feel the Magic: XY/XX, Death appears as an obstacle in the "Magic touch"
level. When he appears, the CPR you are performing is halted, and the girl's health
lowers slowly. Death must be poked several times with the stylus to be scared off.

At Halloweentime 2005, RuneScape featured The Grim Spectre of Death, who would rise
from the earth when a player died, casted a mysterious spell and them and proclaimed,
"(Player's name)'s soul is now claimed as my own!" This addition was removed by the
early days of November.

In the online Browser RPG Adventure Quest, whenever you die, The Grim Reaper
appears and resurrects you, saying that his "Quota of souls has been filled". He also
appears when you actvate the Blade Of Awe's PowerWord Die. He is also in the Void,
and seen in some quests.

In Kingdom Hearts II, a Heartless named Grim Reaper is fought in Port Royal (Although
he can only take damage when all of the cursed medallions are in the stone chest).

In EverQuest, players that lose their corpse will find it in a zone called ShadowRest. The
Keeper of Lost Things, the NPC that conjured up players bodies, is depicted as a hooded
figure that resembles Death. Also, higher level Necromancers and Shadow Knights can
summon a spectre that is a legless figure with a skull and skeletal hands along with a
scythe.

In Shadowgate On the NES when a player dies, death comes and tells them that their
adventure has ended, whenever they fall down a pit, the game saids that death is waiting
to catch them at the bottom. Also, if the player smashes the wrong mirror in the mirror
room, he/she is sucked into space where the Grim Reaper quickly embraces them.

In Secret of Mana, whenever one of the three playable characters dies, they turn into a
ghost and the Grim Reaper appears over their head.

In the video game "Guitar Hero", the ultimate unlockable rocker is a character by the
name of "Grim Ripper", a play on the word "Reaper. He is dressed in the hooded black
cloak customary to the Grim Reaper. He has two large skeletal arm like appendages
coming out of his back, and instead of a guitar he plays his scythe, which has been
stringed up as a guitar.

In Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call, there are four fiends in the form of a hooded
skeleton riding a horse. These are loose adaptations of the four riders of the apocalypse in
the Christian Bible. They get their names from the colour of the horse they ride, and they
each have unique weapons: The White Rider uses bow and arrows. The Red Rider uses a
sword. The Black Rider uses scales. The Pale Rider uses a scythe.

In the german RPG Maker game "Alex der Weltenretter" ("Alex the savior of the world")
by Kelven, Death is a playable charakter. He also makes a cameo appearance in Alex 2.
He is portrayed with a very classic look and zynical personality.
Music

       "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a popular Blue Öyster Cult song.
       "Grim Reaper of Love" is a song by The Turtles.
       Grim Reaper: a Heavy Metal band from United Kingdom. They have disbanded,
        but were popular in the 1980s.
       Follow the Reaper is an album and song by the Finnish band Children of Bodom;
        in addition, a rendition of the Grim Reaper, jokingly nicknamed Roy by members
        of the band, is featured on the cover of every Children of Bodom album.
       The Grim Reaper is featured on two of English rapper Nik Ferreal's albums
        "Existence Pimp" and "Life is..A game"
       In Keane's music video for the song "Atlantic", a man who wanders out of the
        ocean meets death.
       In his song "Oncle Archibald" (Uncle Archibald), French singer Georges
        Brassens relates the title chararcter's encounter with a female version of the Grim
        Reaper. The song contains many references to this classic portayal of Death (the
        scythe, the hood, etc.).
       "I Know The Reaper" is a song by Machinae Supremacy.



Other

       A stylized version of the Grim Reaper has long been an unofficial mascot for the
        monster truck Grave Digger. A Grim Reaper-like character was it's respective
        superhero for the television show Monster Wars, and since 2002 a character
        named "Grim", depicted as a muscular Grim Reaper with a combination shovel-
        scythe, has been the official mascot for the truck.

       A figure resembling the Grim Reaper is sometimes used in various WWE
        merchandise related to the Undertaker character

       Death is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the role playing game
        Rifts, published by Palladium Books. Within the setting of Rifts he is worshipped
        by two separate cults: the Death Cult in Africa and the Grim Reapers Cult of
        North America, both of which have a considerable number of necromancers
        within their respective congregations.

Bibliography
This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication
now in the public domain.

       Winer, B. R. ii. 383-386;
      Hamburger, R. B. T. i. 990-992:
      A. Kohut, Ueber die Jüdische Angelologie und Dämonologie in Ihrer
       Abhängigkeit vom Parsismus, Leipzig, 1866;
      E. Stave, Ueber den Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum, Haarlem. 1898;
      E. Böklen, Die Verwandtschaft der Jüdisch-Christlichen mit der Parsischen
       Eschatologie, Göttingen, 1902;
      F. Weber, Jüdische Theologie, Leipsic, 1897;
      A. Dillmann, Alttestamentliche Theologie, § 37, ib. 1895;
      Moïse Schwab, Vocabulaire de l'Angélologie d'Après les Manuscrits Hebreux de
       la Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 1897;
      D. Joël, Der Aberglaube und die Stellung des Judenthums zu Demselben,
       especially pp. 67-74, Breslau, 1881;
      A. P. Bender, Beliefs, Rites, and Customs of the Jews Connected with Death,
       Burial, and Mourning, in Jew. Quart. Rev. vi. 317, 664 et seq. K. L. B.



In the days of King Herod there lived a couple named Zacharias and Elizabeth.
This couple were quite old and had never been able to have children. Zacharias
was a priest and one day he was praying before the altar of incense. While
praying an angel appeared to him and told him that he and Elizabeth were
going to have a son. They were to call his name John.

Zacharias asked how such a thing could be because he was old, and so was his
wife. The angel told him that his name was Gabriel and that he stood in the
presence of God, and because he did not believe he would not be able to speak
until all of this had happened.

Poor Zacharias. He was sorry he had not believed but now all he could do was
wait till the baby was born. He finished his prayer, then went out to the people.
They all wondered why it had taken him so long, but he could not tell them
bacause he could not talk. When he had finished his time of duty at the temple
he went back to his home.

Six months passed and again this same angel appeared to someone else. This
time a young lady whose name was Mary. Gabriel told Mary that she also was
going to have a son and she was to call his name Jesus. Mary did not
understand how this could happen because she was not yet married. The angel
told her that with God all things are possible, and her son would be the Son of
God and would be the Messiah. Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin
Elizabeth was with child.
Although Mary was not yet married she was engaged to a man named Joseph.
They were going to get married shortly, but then Mary found out she was going
to have a baby. Joseph thought it would be wrong for them to marry and he was
going to break-off their engagement. While he was still thinking about this an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel told Joseph that he
was to marry Mary for the child that she was carrying was the Son of God.
Jesus was the name that the angel told Joseph to call the child.

All of this happened so that prophecy would be fulfilled. When mankind first
sinned God promised that a Messiah would come. Messiah means deliver. By
accepting this deliverer mankind would be freed from their sins. All through
the Old Testament there are prophecies about how the Messiah would come
and what He would do. There is even a prophecy as to when He would come.

The priests and rabbis thought that they knew and understood these prophecies,
but because of corruption they had misapplied them. They taught the people
that when the Messiah came He would free the people from their Roman
oppressors and set up an earthly kingdom that would last forever.

Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephratah -
Micah 5:2. Isaiah tells us, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14. Matthew tells us that His name would be called
Emmanuel, which means God with us. What a wonderful prophecy! Fancy God
coming in human form to save sinful human beings. But this is exactly what
happened.

After the visits from the angel Mary decided to go and visit her cousin
Elizabeth. When Elizabeth and Mary met, the child that Elizabeth was carrying
leapt for joy within her. Mary stayed with Elizabeth and Zacharias for about 3
months then went home again.

It was about this time that Elizabeth gave birth to a baby boy. All the friends
and neighbours came to celebrate with them. Everyone wanted to know what
they would call their son. Elizabeth told them his name would be John. Nobody
could believe it. There was not anyone in their family by that name. They
thought the boy should be named after his father, or at least an uncle. Zacharias
who was still unable to speak signaled for a writing tablet. He wrote, his name
shall be John. Instantly he was able to speak again. What joy and rejoicing
there was in this household.
Nearly 6 months after this Caesar Augustus made a decree that all the people of
his kingdom should be taxed. But first they had to be registered in the city of
their ancestors. For Joseph this was Bethlehem, because he was a descendant of
David. Joseph really did not want to take a trip like this just now, not with his
wife due to have a baby any day. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was
quite a distance, especially as Joseph had to walk it while Mary rode on a
donkey. But they had no choice, they had to go. As they journeyed they prayed
that they would make it to Bethlehem for the baby to be born.

We can see from this story that one of the prophecies has been fulfilled. By
reading more of the Bible Stories we can find out how all the Bible prophecies
have been fulfilled. By seeing how God's Word was fulfilled in the past can
give us confidence to believe and trust His word in the future.

This story is based on Matthew 1; and Luke 1 & 2.

              In Muslim and Islam theology, Azrael is the Angel of Death who is
              "forever writing in a large book and forever erasing what he writes:
              what he writes is the birth of man, what he erases is the name of
              the man at death."

              Other faiths name the Angel of Death as a different angel:

              In Judeo-Christian lore, Michael, Gabriel, Sammael, and Sariel all
              all named as the angel of death.

              In Zoroastrianism the angel of death is Mairya.

              In Babylon it is Mot.

              In Rabbinical lore there are 14 angels of death: Yetzerhara, Adriel,
              Yehudiam, Abaddon, Sammael, Azrael, Metatron, Gabriel, Mashhit,
              Hemah, Malach ha-Mavet, Kafziel, Kesef, and Leviathan.

              In Falasha lore it is Suriel.

              The Arabic angel is Azrael.

              Jewish lore says this angel is Rahab, who, lore goes on to say, was
              destroyed by God for refusing to part the waters of the red sea. The
              new angel of death then became Yama (Malach ha-Mavet).

              The Talmud says the angel of death was equated with Satan, and
              thus became the legend that the angel of death was evil, rather
              than the good angel he is.
               Azrael, also known as Izra'il, one of the four Archangels of Islam
               (Mikhail, Djibril, and Israfil), is pictured as having gigantic
               proportions: one foot rests in either the forth or the seventh heaven,
               while the other is on the bridge between hell and paradise.
               Supposedly Azrael brought God a handful of earth from which to
               create Adam and therefore earned his title as the Angel of Death.
               Izra'il keeps a roll of humanity, on which the names of the damned
               are circle in black and the names of the blessed, in light. When a
               person's day of death approaches, a leaf with the person's name on
               it falls from the tree beneath God's throne. After forty days have
               passed, Izra'il must sever the individual's soul from his or her body.

               Azrael will be the last to die, but will do so at the second trump of
               the Archangel. He is the angel who accompanies your soul to
               Heaven.

               The phrase 'the Wings of Azrael' refers to the approach of death;
               the signs of death coming on the dying.

                Call on this angel at those times of grief to comfort those loved ones left
                                                  behind.


Azrael was one of the first Grigori created, and he was the first to be made an Archangel.
Patient, meticulous, soft-spoken, he was so inobtrusive about his work that few of his
fellow Archangels could be said to have known him, even before the outcasting of his
Choir. The few who did know him knew that in addition to his other qualities, Azrael was
above all kind -- one of the gentlest souls in the Seraphim Council.

Shortly after his creation, Azrael was assigned to study a phenomenon not well-
understood by Heaven at that time: the disposition of human souls. The angels had long
known that some human souls arrived in Heaven, and others did not. Reincarnation and
oblivion had been offered as theories, but no one really knew where the "missing" souls
were going . . . and the Seraphim Council intuited that following the Fall, this question
might be very important. Azrael was given the Word of Death to carry out his duties
(angelic Words were much less competitive and assigned with less deliberation in those
days).

In his research, Azrael learned how to track human souls after death -- an
accomplishment other angels have been unable to duplicate. He confirmed that
reincarnation and disbandment both occurred, in some cases. He also discovered that
many souls were anchoring themselves to the corporeal plane as ghosts, or to the ethereal
plane as dream-shades. Some were drawn into the domains of ethereal spirits -- mostly
pagan worshippers.
The greatest revelation was the fate of those humans who were weighed down by their
selfishness. They were banished to a nether-realm on the celestial plane. At one time, this
had been a bleak and empty place where the dead shuffled forever in miserable isolation.
But then the Fallen arrived, and the place became known as Hell. The demons were
torturing and sometimes destroying the damned souls confined there, and using them to
supply Essence.

This revelation appalled Heaven. Azrael was elevated to the status of Archangel, and
given the duty of making sure no souls were misdirected away from Heaven. He and his
Servitors would gently separate ghosts and dream-shades from their anchors, retrieve
pagan souls from ethereal domains, and prevent the demons from claiming any souls that
didn't belong to them.

Azrael was extremely effective at his job. Angels of Death became the bane of pagan
gods, and exorcised hundreds of ghosts that had been clinging to the corporeal plane.
Azrael instructed his Servitors to also teach humans to accept Death; that it was merely a
transition to their next state, and that if they lived their lives well, they had no need to
fear it.

But Azrael also began a secret project. He could not accept that those souls damned to
Hell must suffer for all eternity for mistakes they'd made in their too-short mortal
existences. So the Archangel of Death began ministering to the damned, sneaking into
Hell to locate human souls who might be converted to selflessness, and made worthy of
Heaven.

Angels of Death were among the least involved with day-to-day mortal existence . . . they
visited humans only at the end of their lives. So neither Azrael nor any of his Grigori
Servitors were guilty of the crimes that got the rest of his Choir cast out of Heaven.
Azrael had allies on the Seraphim Council, and might have been able to exempt himself
had he fought the sentence. But Dominic had already begun sniffing around his visits to
the infernal realm, just as the Archangel of Death was achieving some success at
liberating damned souls from Hell.

Most of the Host believed Azrael declined to appeal for special dispensation out of
solidarity with his Choir, and because he was indignant at David's brutal treatment of the
Grigori and the humans who'd been fraternizing with them. This was true -- but a more
important reason was that Azrael wanted to continue his most important project, and
deduced that he would have more freedom to do so as an Outcast. So he left Heaven . . .
but never stopped serving God.

The majority of Azrael's Servitors, except his Grigori, transferred to the service of
another Archangel. Only a few of his most ardently loyal Servitors refused to leave him.
To this day, Azrael is carrying on his work, with the help of a small number of angels
who followed him into exile.
The other Archangels know Azrael is still alive, but he is not spoken of in Heaven. It has
happened -- a few times in the millenia since the Grigori were cast out -- that an angel has
researched Azrael's work, identified strongly with his mission, and sought out the Outcast
Archangel of Death. Azrael automatically turns away members of the Host who manage
to find him . . . but a very rare few have been persistent and sincere enough to persuade
the Archangel of Death to take them into his service. (Azrael only takes in angels who
remain dedicated to Heaven, but who also feel a genuine calling to Azrael's mission -- he
is not a refuge for dissatisfied Servitors or Outcasts seeking patronage.)

No one knows how many Servitors Azrael still has, but the number is almost certainly
below a hundred, and some say he has no more than a dozen followers left. If any of them
are Grigori, they stay very well-hidden.

Azrael's Servitors are not true Outcasts, in that they do have Hearts. No one knows where
Azrael keeps them -- not even his Servitors. If put into Trauma (or when they ascend to
the celestial plane using their Hearts as beacons), they awaken in a dark and silent place,
alone with their Heart in what seems to be an endless void. Azrael has no known Tethers.

Azrael and his Servitors do four things now. First, they seek to separate ghosts and
dream-shades from their ties to the corporeal or ethereal plane, so these souls will move
on to their final destinations. In this capacity, angels of Death search for haunted places
on Earth, and often venture into the Far Marches, and the domains of ethereal gods (who
regard them as "thieves").

Secondly, they hunt undead and destroy them wherever they are found. When Saminga
became the Demon Prince of Death, Azrael was disgusted and appalled. Saminga would
love to destroy Azrael, but finds his reclusive and subtle adversary impossible to confront
directly.

Third, angels of Death try to reduce humanity's fear of death, reflecting Azrael's Grigori
nature. When possible, they try to steer humans near death toward their destiny, and away
from their fate, or at least give them a second chance on the wheel of life. In this capacity
also, they are implacable enemies of Saminga's Servitors, who promote death as a
gruesome, frightening, and evil thing.

Lastly, Azrael continues his mission of ministering to the damned. It's much more
dangerous now, and he can only slip into Hell occasionally, meeting those souls that
might be found far out on the frontiers of some of the more remote Principalities, like
Abaddon and Gehanna. He does not discuss this aspect of his work, and does not
generally permit any of his Servitors to join him (though it's rumored that one or two
have shared in his salvation efforts). No one knows how many souls he might have saved,
or how he removes them from Hell, or where they go after that -- to the Higher Heavens,
to another reincarnation, or simply to oblivion -- but he must succeed often enough to
keep him going back for more.

Dissonance
Azrael's Servitors may not interfere in the natural course of a mortal's life, except to
counterract intervention by other celestials.

It is dissonant for angels of Death to cause or prevent a mortal human's death. (Healing
someone who is injured is not dissonant, but healing someone who would otherwise die
is.) The exception is when a mortal is threatened by celestial intervention, in which case
the angel may intervene to save him.

Choir Attunements

Seraphim

Azrael's Seraphim are mediums who can communicate with the dead. With the mortal
remains of a deceased human, they may make a Perception roll; if that human's soul is
now in Heaven or Hell, or tied to the corporeal or ethereal plane as a ghost or dream-
shade, he will be "summoned" to the Seraph's location (as if through the Song of
Projection, and making a disturbance equal to twice his Celestial Forces), for a number of
minutes equal to the check digit. Unwilling souls may resist with a Will roll. The Seraph
(and anyone else present) may talk to the soul (who is not obligated to talk back).

If the soul has ascended to the Higher Heavens, reincarnated, or disbanded, he is beyond
the Seraph's reach. Blessed souls who have been reborn as Saints also cannot be
summoned. If the Seraph's summoning roll fails, he may not attempt to summon that
individual again for a number of days equal to the check digit.

Cherubim (Restricted)

When Azrael became Outcast, most of his Cherubim transferred to Michael's service, and
it is rumored that it was Azrael himself who taught Michael this attunement.

Azrael's Cherubim have the same ability as Cherubim of War: they know if anyone to
whom they are attuned will die (without celestial intervention) within the next 24 hours.
Unlike Azrael's other Servitors, they are also permitted to save the lives of their attuned
without dissonance.

Ofanim

Ofanim of Death can follow a mortal soul to its final destination. They must assume
celestial form next to the body of a mortal who has passed on within the last few minutes
(no more than the angel's Celestial Forces). With a successful resonance roll, the Ofanite
may then ascend to wherever the mortal's soul went -- Heaven, Hell, or an ethereal
domain. If the soul became a ghost, the Ofanite will arrive at the soul's corporeal anchor
(Corporeal Player's Guide, pp. 80-81). If the soul has disbanded, or gone on to
reincarnate, the Ofanite will know this, though he will simply rematerialize next to the
body -- unless the soul reincarnated and the Ofanite rolled a check digit of 6. In the latter
case, the Ofanite will arrive next to the woman who bears the reincarnated soul in her
womb!

Elohim (Restricted)

Azrael's Powers once worked closely with Servitors of Destiny, trying to steer those near
death away from Hell. Now they must work alone. An Elohite of Death can "persuade" a
mortal to go to Heaven . . . or at least, to stay away from Hell and try again on Earth. The
Elohite must engage a mortal in conversation about his fate, and make a resonance roll. If
successful, then if the mortal dies within a number of days equal to the angel's Celestial
Forces, if he was Hell-bound (having achieved his fate, but not his destiny), he will
reincarnate instead. If he was balanced between Heaven and Hell (having achieved his
fate and his destiny, or having achieved neither), he will go to Heaven. This doesn't apply
if (in the GM's opinion) the Elohite was unsuccessful in eliciting repentance from the
mortal. Being able to divert mortal souls is a powerful ability, one that even Archangels
do not have; Elohim of Death don't send their subjects to a better place, they induce the
mortal to exercise his free will and go there. This must be roleplayed!

Malakim (Restricted)

With a successful resonance roll, a Malakite of Death will know, in addition to the usual
information, where someone's soul would go if he died right now. They can detect
undead with any successful resonance roll. (Celestials, of course, will register their native
plane, but this doesn't automatically tell the Malakite that someone is an angel or a
demon.)

Kyriotates (Restricted)

Kyriotates of Death can possess a corpse, if it died within a number of minutes equal to
the Kyriotate's Celestial Forces. The host body will appear to revive, but it will die again
after the Kyriotate leaves it (even if the angel healed any damage to the body). The
Kyriotate will not suffer dissonance for this. (Azrael will disapprove of inflicting trauma
on the living, of course.)

Mercurians (Restricted)

Azrael's Mercurians can perceive connections between the living and the dead. With a
successful use of his resonance on a living person, the angel will learn the name of one
family member or other loved one currently in Heaven, Hell, or anchored to the corporeal
or ethereal planes (and which plane he is on). A check digit of 6 may -- at the GM's
option -- reveal the name of a reincarnated love one, and the name of his new
incarnation! Resonating on celestials will provide the name of a human soul beloved by
that celestial. Individuals (mortal and celestial) who have no loved ones on any of the
three planes will register a blank.
The Mercurian may also use this resonance in reverse on a ghost or dream-shade (but not
undead). He will learn the name of a living person related to or beloved by the dead soul
on whom he resonates.

Grigori

Azrael's Grigori can examine a corpse within a number of hours equal to the angel's
Celestial Forces, and make a Perception roll as if detecting for disturbances (In Nomine,
p. 55). On a successful roll, if the mortal was killed by celestial intervention, the Grigori
will hear the echoes and receive information as if he'd been standing there at the time.

Servitor Attunements

Final Rest

For a cost of 2 Essence, the angel can send a ghost or dream-shade on to its final reward,
or destroy an undead. The subject may resist with a Will roll; if successful, the angel may
not try to lay that spirit or undead to rest again for a number of days equal to the check
digit of the subject's Will roll.

Silence of the Grave

Quiet as the dead, the angel may absorb any disturbance he generates -- at a cost. Each
point of disturbance inflicts 1 Soul hit on the Servitor. The angel may choose to absorb
only part of a disturbance (or none of it).

Distinctions

Vassal of Death

Unless the angel wishes to be seen, no mortal may perceive the Vassal's celestial form,
regardless of Perception. The exception is mortals who are dying, who have a normal
chance to see the angel. Even other celestials (and Saints and undead) have more
difficulty spotting him; do not add the Vassal's Celestial Forces to any Perception rolls.

Friend of the Dead

If a mortal dies in the angel's presence, he may temporarily delay the soul from passing
onward; this allows the angel to talk to the soul, and use resonances upon him (including
the Elohite of Death resonance, above). As long as the soul is willing to stay, the angel
may continue talking to him indefinitely (but the soul's hold on the corporeal plane will
end as soon as the angel leaves, and the angel cannot carry the soul with him). If the soul
is unwilling, he may make a Will roll; on a success, the angel may only hold him for 6
more minutes minus the check digit of the roll. If the mortal's Will roll is unsuccessful, he
may try again in a number of minutes equal to the check digit.
Master of Eternal Rest

The angel may escort a human soul in celestial form. The soul must be willing, but if he
is, the angel can "carry" him anywhere the angel can go celestially. This power is usually
used to carry ghosts or dream-shades to Heaven. No one knows if a Master of Eternal
Rest can carry a damned soul to Heaven; it's rumored that those who haven't become
sufficiently selfless will not survive the journey.

Relations

Azrael is technically an Outcast. The Inquisition does not hunt him, or his Servitors,
though they will act to prevent angels of Death from interfering in the War, and they will
monitor any activities they discover by the Grigori Archangel. Azrael despises Dominic
for passing judgment on his entire Choir, and for being so uncaring of humanity, and for
continuing to hunt the Children of the Grigori. He also resents Dominic's stationing the
Angels of Final Judgment outside the gates of Hades -- they do some of what Azrael once
did, screening out souls who don't belong in Hell, but they also make it impossible for
angels of Death to minister to the damned before they are herded inside.

Azrael also bears a grudge against David, whose angels ruthlessly hunted down the
Grigori, and killed many of them and their children.

Michael took over some of Azrael's duties after the latter left Heaven, and it's rumored
that they still talk, from time to time. Azrael will also help angels of Destiny when he
can, as they both work toward the same ultimate goal, though he hasn't spoken to Yves
personally in over a thousand years.

Allied: No one
Associated: Michael, Yves
Hostile: David, Dominic

Basic Rites

      Comfort a dying human
      Teach a human not to fear death
      Free/Banish (but not destroy!) a ghost or dream-shade
      Destroy an undead

Chance of Invocation: 1

+1 A tombstone or other grave marker
+2 A coffin or shroud
+3 A well-tended cemetery or crypt
+4 A corpse, prepared for burial
+5 A joyous wake
+6 The body of a human who died peacefully within the last hour and whose soul was
bound for Heaven


Archangel Azrael, also spelled Azrail, Ashriel, Azaril, and Azriel, is the Angel of Death
is either the cessation of life in a living organism or the state of the organism after
that event.

His name literally means whom God helps. He is depicted as an angel, is believed to
be an ethereal creature whose duties are to assist and serve the God or gods of
many religious traditions. The word originated from the Latin angelus, itself derived
from the Greek αγγελος, ángelos, meaning “messenger” (double gamma "γγ" is
pronounced "ng" in Greek).

Archangel Azreal is said to reside in the 3rd Heaven and possesses 70,000 feet and
4,000 wings, while his body is provided with as many eyes and tongues as there are
men in the world.

In Muslim tradition, Archangel Azrael is forever writing in a large book and forever
erasing what he writes; what he writes is the name of a man at birth, and what he
erases is that said name at death.

Also, in Islamic legend, Allah is said to have sent out four angels, Michael, Gabriel,
Israfel, and Archangel Azrael, on a mission to retrieve seven handfuls of earth for the
creation of Adam. Michael, Gabriel, and Israfel returned to Allah empty-handed, but
the persistent Archangel Azrael had succeeded in wrestling soil away from the earth.
For accomplishing this feat, he was appointed as the Angel of Death with the task of
separating human souls from their bodies.

Archangel Azrael will assist you if you are experiencing blocks with your spiritual
growth. Archangel Azrael is often associated with water, and the flow of life.
Although associated as the angel of death, Archangel Azrael is not a frightening
archangel, he helps the soul depart the physical and enter the spiritual. He helps also
those who are left to grieve. Archangel Azrael is a comforting archangel and can be
called on to assist you during these trying times.

Archangel Azrael will assist you with:-

      Crossing over to the spirit world.
      Clearing blocks in your spiritual pathway.
      Grief Counsellors
      Bereavement
      Writing

Archangel Azrael is associated with:-

      Water
      Planet Venus
      Astrological sign of Libra

Crystals you can use to work with Archangel Azrael:-
      Amethyst

You can carry Amethyst with you to ensure your energies are aligned with Archangel
Azrael, this can be just a single stone, worn in a ring or pendant. Alternatively try
meditating with a piece of Amethyst in your left hand (if you're right handed) and
your right hand (if you're left handed).

Candles to be used in rituals or meditation with Archangel Azreal are:-

      White - to cleanse blocks and protect
      Pink - to open the heart and allow the grieving process to begin.
      Blue - to symbolise water and bring forth tranquility and transcendence.



                             The Jewish History of Azrael

His true and inspiring legacy begins in ancient Babylon. Azra (     ), whose name
means help in biblical Hebrew, was one of the descendants of the powerful priests of
 Aaron. He was born into a time of great upheaval but also one of great promise.

         In the year 597 BC, the holy city of Jerusalem was destroyed by King
Nebuchadnezzar of Chaldea who captured an estimated 10,000 Judean leaders and
priests, and held them hostage in Babylon. They became known as the "Golah" (the
exiled) and those who were allowed to remain were the "am ha'aretz" (the people of
    the land). This event is known in history as the Babylonian Exile or the Great
                                       Captivity.




               The Babylonian Exile of the Judeans - The Tree of Lamentation

As fate would have it, the Chaldeans were defeated by the Persians in 538 BC, and it
was this event that gave Judeans a second chance. By special decree of King Cyrus,
        they were freed from exile and could return to their ancestral home.

             Would you like to learn more about the Babylonian Exile?
Azra, one of the "bene Golah" (sons of the exiled), had been raised in the captivity.
  He had never seen the land of his fathers, but by virtue of his bloodline, he was
 educated in Jewish law and custom. He was taught, and he believed that the exile
was a consequence of God's punishment for the sin of Avodah Zarah (idolatry and
idol worship). Azra vowed to restore God's faith in his people by teaching them the
                                   Laws of God.

 He was well favored in the royal court of the Persian monarch, King Artaxerxes II,
and not only had been given permission to return to Jerusalem, he was also granted
 funds from the king's treasury, a royal decree giving him the power of Judgement
  over all his people, and the return of artifacts that were stolen from the Temple.

           First Book of Azrael (aka: 1 Ezra 7:25, 26) - King Artaxerxes:

 And you Azra, appoint magistrate and judges that may judge all who are beyond the
      river, who know the laws of God, and teach ye those who know them not.

And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be
              executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death...

                      Would you like to read this document?

Having been granted the power of Judgement by both his God and the King, Azra
  gathered his people together by the riverside of Ahava, carefully recording the
names of those who came and the names of those from which they descended from.
 It was the custom of his people to keep such records for the Book of Generations.
 When this task was finished, they left the riverside and set off for their return to
                                     Jerusalem.

  However, when Azra arrived in Jerusalem, he learned that the very crimes that
were said to be responsible for the destruction of the first Temple, were still being
  practiced - the most powerful being, inter-marriage between Azra's people, the
 "Zerah Kodesh" (the Holy Seed), and the "Am Ha'Aretz (the people of the land).
Inter-marriage was not lawful. Not because the other people were evil, but it was a
 known cause of war, especially when children were born into these mixed unions.

Parental conflicts surrounding how the children would be raised, what language the
   children would speak and which God the children would serve, go far back in
 history to the book of Genesis. These domestic arguments travelled quickly from
parents, to families and often spread over entire neighborhoods, creating dissension
among the peoples. Jerusalem had just been reclaimed but she was still vulnerable.
 If Azra had any hope of restoring order, he had to address every known threat to
         her. He detailed these issues in his book. These are his own words:

                     First Book of Azrael (aka: 1 Ezra 9: 1, 2):
  Now, after these things were done, the princes came to me saying: The people of
Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the people of
                                       the lands...

 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons, so their
holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of the lands: yea, the hand of the
                princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

 It may interest you to know that this story had been re-told several hundred years
 later, but it somehow became twisted and speaks of angels who mated with human
women, again, naming all those angels who were judged guilty. This was caused by a
  misinterpretation of the Hebrew words: Zerah Kodesh [Holy Seed], Bene Elohim
 [Sons of God], the Malakhim [Messengers] and Am ha'Aretz [People of the Land].
    We will be addressing many of these issues here, but getting back to the story,
    following a series of long hearings involving the accused men and their family
 elders, Azra recorded the names of those who were found guilty of inter-marriage
 and they are ordered to divorce or forfeit their claim to Jerusalem forever. By this
ruling, the names of the men who refused to atone for this sin were erased from the
                  records and they lost their rights to their properties.

                    First Book of Azrael (aka: 1 Ezra 10; 7, 8):

And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children
   of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

and that whosoever did not come within three days, according to the counsel of the
princes and elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from
                           the congregation of the captivity.

 Contrary to popular belief, Azra was NOT the master-mind behind this decree. He
 recognized the potential danger this could bring to the newly reformed community
but he was not the one to suggest that divorce was a solution. That came from one of
                     the men who had married a foreign wife.

                    First Book of Azrael (aka: 1 Ezra 10: 2, 3):

 And Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto
  Azra; We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the
     people of the land. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and
                           such as are born of them..."

    This highly controversial decree had allowed Judaism to thrive and grow in
 number, but this also produced enemies from within their own people. Those who
kept their wives had left harboring bitter resentments against Azra and the Temple.
 But for his efforts to reclaim and restore the holy city of Jerusalem, his name was
held in the highest honor. His legacy became a legend, and he was soon looked upon
  as the second Moses, because Azra had led his people out of the Babylonian exile
just as Moses had done in Egypt before him. Judaism not only survived but it exists
                              to this day because of him.

                                   Sanhedrin 21b:

The Torah could have been given to Israel through Ezra, if Moses had not preceded
                                      him."

There have even been several debates as to whether or not Azra may have been the
   author of the Torah. However, we have not been able to find any evidence to
 support such an impressive claim. None the less, the statement appears here and
                                     there:

                         Kolel: The Torah - Who Wrote It?

 Whether Ezra wrote the Torah or not, Ezra's followers called the Sofrim (scribes)
                       continued the chain of tradition."

                       Would you like to read this document?

 Madam Blavatsky claims that Azra not only wrote the Torah, but she accuses him
 of stealing the original story from the Babylonians. This has a grain of truth to it so
I would like to take a moment here to explain why people feel this way. The Judeans
  are fortunate because they were honest about their history. The reason the stories
  seem similar is because the Judeans were Babylonians! Abraham, their ancestor,
  left Babylon. If anyone wanted to review the records of the Jewish ancestors, that
 pre-date their Exodus from Egypt into the land we now know as Israel, they would
see that the records came from Babylon. Madam Blavatsky's accusation is based on
       a trivial misunderstanding since no Jewish record attempts to deny this:

                          Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 9;7:

Thou art the LORD the God, who did choose Abram, and brought him forth out of
             Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham;

Some scholars believe that Azra was the inventor of the Ashuri script, which is still
used today. This comes out of a dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans who
                             accuse Azra as follows:

                                     Epiphanius:

The Samaritans, however, retain the deesse non, which form, as we have said, was
engraved in older times in the stone tablets. But when Ezra came up from Babylon
     and desired to make Israel different from the other peoples in order that the
offspring of Abraham, should not appear to be defiled by the inhabitants of the land
  (who have indeed the Law but not the Prophets), he changed the previous form,
    abandoning the deesse non, because that form was already in the hands of the
                                     Samaritans.

    In Jewish history Azra is remembered as the Father of Judaism and his book
  appears in the Old Testament of the bible. His name is translated differently. The
 most notable are: Ezra (Hebrew to English), Esdras (Hebrew to Greek), and Uzayr
 (Hebrew to Arabic). The names Ezraeil & Azrael were not used until after 600 AD
and there are no Judean records that name Azrael (Azriel) as an Angel of Death and
                                    Judgement.




                           The Christian History of Azrael

During the early Christian period two more books were discovered purporting to be
  his and carried his name into the holy scripture of the time. The first book was
 known as 1 Esdras and was basically a Greek translation of the Jewish records of
    Ezra and Nehemiah, but the second book, 2 Esdras, was a haunting piece:

                                Charles L. Souvay:

  Widely known in the early Christian ages and frequently quoted by the Fathers
  (especially St. Ambrose), it may be said to have framed the popular belief of the
                      middle ages concerning the last things.

 This book has created so many problems, I honestly don't know where to begin! It
opens with the same introduction as the first Book of Azra in which he provides his
 entire geneology, all the way back to Aaron, so one would assume this was written
by Azra's own hand. However, let us take a closer look at some of the problems I've
                                been trying to resolve:

1) Not all versions are the same, but the differences are so subtle they are easy for
most people to miss. One difference reveals who the author of this book really was.
                        This can be found in Chapter 3; 1, 2:

                          In the KJV, this passage reads:

   In the thirtieth year after the destruction of our city, I was in Babylon and lay
  troubled on my bed, and my thoughts welled up in my heart, because I saw the
           desolation of Sion and the wealth of those who lived in Babylon.

                      Would you like to view this document?
                           In the NIV, this passage reads:

In the thirtieth year after the destruction of our city, I Salathiel, who am also Ezra,
was in Babylon. I was troubled as I lay on my bed, and my thoughts welled up in my
  heart, because I saw the desolation of Zion and the wealth of those who lived in
                                       Babylon.

                       Would you like to view this document?

2) The name "Salathiel" is the Greek (70) version of the Hebrew name, Sheiltiel, the
  father of Zarubabbel - a respected name that Azra knew, and as a scribe he even
 recorded the name, but he never took this name for himself. Also, as far as I know,
the Greek influence did not exist in Jerusalem during the time Azra lived, so I find it
             hard to believe this book was written by Azra's own hand.

 3) The NIV version admits that the author of this book believed he was both these
  people during the time the book was written. A condition that implies a spiritual
collaboration (necromancy: communication with the dead). This alone can explain a
 motive for why certain church publishers have elected to edit this line and remove
                                   both names.

 2 Esdras builds from Azra's original record by adding a divine dialogue in which,
  by the help of the angel Uriel, God reveals to Azra that he will disown the Jewish
   people because of their disobedience and send his son (Messiah) to bless a new
 nation. Instead of Babylon, they've named themselves and their intention becomes
                                     crystal clear.

   In this story, Azra was not just a scribe, but a prophet who bears witness to the
coming of Christ. In the end he is taken to heaven alive, without tasting death, in the
 same tradition told in the book of Enoch. I believe this book existed before the time
  of Jesus because it doesn't name the Messiah. But it does establish the foundation
    for the movement. While this book was cherished by the early Christians, it's
  authenticity is heavily questioned, and as such it was excluded from a place in the
                                      Jewish bible.

 However, it did associate the name of Azra with End Times, and the book is more
  commonly known as the Apocalypse of Azra. It was from this book, ascribed to
 Azra, the Requiem Aeternam became part of Christian burial rites, furthering an
                   association of his name with death and burial.

                      Azrael's Requiem ~ The Office of the Dead

   Candles are lit all round the coffin and they should be allowed to burn, at least
during the continuance of the Office, Mass, and Absolutions. Throughout the Office
of the Dead each psalm is ended with the Requiem aeternam (Eternal rest give unto
             them Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them).
                The words are borrowed from a passage in 2 Esdras
                              (Apocrypha), ii, 34-35.

                      Azrael Learns how to Separate the Souls

There is one more verse in this book that is worthy of mention since it's connected to
the Islamic Angel of Death literature that followed this record. In some Islamic folk
 traditions, Azrael is the Angel of Death that separates the souls from their bodies.
  We'll be studying the Islamic history later on, but this verse offers you a unique
           insight as to how Azrael may have first learned the technique.

                   Book of Azrael (aka: 2 Esdras Chapter 7:100):

Then I asked: When souls are separated from their bodies, will they be be given the
               opportunity to see what you have described to me?

 There are several reasons for why this book was not accepted by Jewish scholars.
                    Let's just go over some of the reasons why:

       The book is written in Greek and there are no Hebrew versions of it.

        The Greek influence did not exist during the time when Azra lived.

        The dates that are given for recorded events are about 100 years off.

             The author has identified himself by two different names.

           Angels were not given names during the time that Azra lived.

         The book contains Christian elements that date to 97 AD or later.

   I believe that this book was written by a man named Salathiel during the early
Christian period and that he wanted to be like Azra ~ a scribe. After comparing the
  book, 2 Esdras, with the Book of Tobit and the Book of Enoch, I have concluded
these were all written by the same person. For instance, the book, 2 Esdras, and the
 Book of Tobit each describe a groom who dies on his wedding night. The Book of
Enoch and the Book of 2 Esdras each include dialogues with an angel named, Uriel.
 The books are written in the same style, share the same unique personality, repeat
 scenes and are inspired by Christian philosophy, but draw your own conclusions.




                          Azrael Becomes the Angel of Law
Shortly after this time, the Christian heretic Marcion, in an attempt to convince the
   church to produce their own testament, apart from the Jewish bible, wrote an
 interesting tale that claimed the Angel of Law had gathered the dust and created
 Adam and because of this, mankind was not a divine creation of God and was in
                              need of redemption by him.

                                The Sources of Islam:

 According to the heretic Marcion, he whom they name "the God of the Law," who
got earth for the creation of man, was only an angel; for they say that the Law came
down from one of the angels hostile to the great God. And that Angel they call Lord
  of the universe, Creator of all things, and Prince of this world. This last is taken
from the Gospel of John, where the devil is so called. Marcion tells us that this angel
was an inhabitant of the Second heaven, and at first knew nothing of the great God;
 but when he came to know of his existence, he became an enemy of "the Unknown
    God," and sought that mankind should neither know nor worship him. This
   imaginative story of the creation is in entire accord with what the Muslims say
             regarding Azâzîl, who came to dwell in the Second heaven.

                       Would you like to view this document?

 Marcion's story challenged the Jewish view that creation was the perfect work of
 God, as told in the story of Genesis. I believe this tale was intended as a metaphor
designed to pit Azra (Jewish Law) against Jesus (Christian Salvation). This contest
 between the two had been acknowledged by Muhammed himself, who ultimately
               condemned them both (see Islamic History of Azrael).

 Marcion's record also became the foundation for two of Rumi's tales, The Creation
 of Adam (in which Azrael is named as the angel who fails to collect the handfuls of
  dust) and, The Obedience of the Angel of Death (in which Azrael is named as the
angel who succeeds in collecting the dust). Rumi's decision to use the name Azrael in
   his versions of Marcion's story, created confusion between the attributes of the
                              angels, Azrael and Azazel.




                            The Islamic History of Azrael

 The advent of Islam came in the 6th century AD and, by that time, Jerusalem had
fallen and the Temple was destoyed, this second time around by the Roman armies.
Though the Judeans were not taken captive, they were dispersed all throughout the
  surrounding lands. Without Jerusalem and their Temple, their sense of identity
  rested once again in the pages of their book, and so Islamic records refer to the
                        Judeans as "the people of the book."
Not surprizingly, it was during this period that the legends surrounding Azra took
  on gigantic proportions. The most powerful record was made by Muhammed
himself who accused the Judeans of declaring Azra to be... the son of God. In this
            section Azra is named under the Arabic rendering, Uzayr.

                   The Quran (Islamic bible). Surah 9, verse 30:

The Jews call Uzayr (aka: Ezra) the son of Allah and the Christians call Christ the
son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouths. In this they imitate what the non-
 believers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them. How they are deluded away
                                    from the truth.

                       Would you like to view this document?

 This hostile passage, by the way, is responsible for the current outbreak of radical
 behavior because it is written by Muhammed in the first-person and does indeed,
  both condemn and curse the Judean and Christian peoples. However, I will not
react to the hostility. Instead, I will focus on the meaning, and bear my light on that
                              portion I find most revealing:

            In this they imitate what the non-believers of old used to say.

 Just who are these non-believers of old that are mentioned in this accusation and
 why does Muhammed compare the Judeans and Christians to them? Allow me to
   answer this to the best of my knowledge. Someone that I have been unable to
identify, told Muhammed that the title bene elohim referred to an exclusive heir of
 God, when it didn't. The accusation will be laid to rest by the following passages I
                                 offer as evidence:

                      The Judean record, Deuteronomy 14:1 ~

  You are the sons of G-d. You shall not cut yourselves nor make any baldness on
                        your head on account of the dead.

                     The Christian record, John 1:11 and 12 ~

He came unto his own, but him own received him not. But for as many as received
          him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God.

Both of these passages address the bene elohim as men - note the plural form of the
 title in both passages. So how could Muhammed mistake this title? The answer is
revealed by his anger toward the Persians, who were the only people of that period
to claim a single heir of God. The Sun God, Mithras, who according to legend, was:

                              Born on December 25th.
                                    Of a virgin.

                       His birth was witnessed by the Magi.

                 He formed his influence around twelve disciples.

              Was called the Savior of the World, the Lord of Light.

                   He returned to heaven at the Spring Equinox.

         Before he returned he held a last supper with his 12 companions.

        This meal consisted of Midz (a special bread marked with a cross).

 It was Constantine who merged the records of Jesus with Mithras in an effort to
celebrate the birth of Jesus in a fitting manner and could not have possibly known,
  during his time, the problems this would cause later. He can only be accused of
 ignoranance in Middle-Eastern affairs, but that's all, since embellishment is not
  considered a crime in his own land where such expressions are appreciated as a
                                       form of art.

While this would certainly justify Muhammed's reaction to the Christian records, it
 doesn't explain his accusations against the Judeans who, as far as I can tell, have
never given the title of ben elohim to Ezra. But Muhammed didn't have the Jewish
 history. He did however have the Christian book, 2 Esdras, which lends a small
portion of credibility to the complaint and another story that had been circulating
                    during that time; Ezra Sleeps for 100 Years.

  This story claims that Azra was on his way to his farm when he happened upon a
ruined village. He saw the skeletal remains of the people and asked: "How will Allah
 ever bring them back?" So, Allah killed him. After one hundred years had passed,
   Azra was brought back to life and he returned home, to the astonishment of his
 children, who by that time were very old men. He then healed a blind woman and
                                 re-wrote the Torah.

                      Would you like to view this document?

 The argument is based on the idea that only the Son of God would be resurrected
 from death to become a sign unto his people. This was the written account that so
named Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What most of you weren't told is that the story
of the Resurrection wasn't exclusive. Azra was resurrected from death also, to heal
the blind and write the Torah. But oddly enough, the story claiming that Azra was
 resurrected from death did not come from the Judeans or the Christians... it came
                               from Islamic sources.
I believe this story may have been written as an attempt to explain how Azra could
 have written two different books at two different times. 2 Esdras was not written
during Ezra's own time and offers dates for events that are off by 100 years, which
      just happens to be the period of time that Allah supposedly took his life.

  The story itself is just a cocktail of sorts, a blending of the Jewish version of Azra
 with the Christian version of Esdras, shadowed with a touch of Ezekiel and capped
off with a touch of Enoch. This story was presented on the authority of Abdullah ibn
Abbas, who was a Muslim scholar and a student of Ka'b al' Ahbar. It also happens
    to be the only other book I know of that records the story of the resurrection.

 Muhammed had one legitimate complaint that would justify his curse and seal the
   fate of the people, because they had written the Law: Thou shall not bear false
witness and this was done. I will now continue our study of the manner in which this
                                      was done.




                   Azrael becomes the Angel of Death & Judgement

 So far, we have shared the Jewish history of Azra, the Christian history of Esdras
  and the Islamic history of Uzayr and from this we can see how wild the tales had
grown, but so far, Azra had never been called an Angel. So, you might ask... how did
         Azra become the angel Azrael? Well, this one will blow your mind!

 Before we get into the details, you need to understand what was happening at the
  time. The Jews were living in territories controlled by the Muslims. Since it was
    Muhammed's desire to convert the Jews to Islam, and the Jews were not in a
position to refuse, I treat the information that was produced from this period with a
                                great deal of compassion.

  Ka'b al' Ahbar had named the Angel of Death & Judgement, Azrael. Ka'b was a
   Yemenite Judean who had converted to Islam, and was the oldest authority for
   Jewish traditions among the Muslims. Even if he was not considered a learned
  authority among the Jews themselves (who perhaps viewed him as a traitor), it's
   safe to assume he at least knew how to read and write in Hebrew. I had always
wondered how the Islamic Angel of Death was given a Hebrew name and while this
 certainly explains the point... it leads to an even greater mystery. Because it's not
  just a Hebrew name, but the name of the Father of Judaism himself! He simply
 added the "el" suffix to the name to fulfill the requirements - the names of angels
had to bear the suffix. It is written in both Jewish and Islamic lore. This, by the way,
   was a very defiant thing to do, in light of Muhammed's passage of Surah 9:30.

 So, my question is this. If Ka'b was sincere and wasn't forced to convert to Islam,
   why did he name the Angel of Death and Judgement after one of the two men
Muhammed hated the most? Ka'b knew who Azra was! And he obviously knew how
to spell the name correctly because he used the shvah with the letter zayin, so there
 was no mistaking the identity to which the name belonged... at least no Jew would
 mistake the name. But the Muslims didn't understand Hebrew, and only knew of
Azra by the Arabic rendering, Uzayr. Because of their ignorance, Ka'b was able to
    spell out this mysterious message and it survived undetected (and therefore
               uncensored), all this time! But what was his intention?

Ka'b al' Ahbar is a subject of fierce dispute between the Shiites and the Sunnis. The
Shiites have accused him of several acts of treachury, one claiming he was involved
 in the murder of the Caliph Umar, an event which Ka'b had predicted three days
prior to the assasination that took the Caliph's life. Song of Azrael inquired with the
office of Grand Ayatollah Sistani, and we thank them for their response concerning
                       charges that Ka'b Ahbar forged records:




    Based on an intensive examination of the arguments recorded, Song of Azrael
upholds the Shiite complaint. We do not believe the Sunni scholars are aware of the
 issue concerning Kab's choice of name for the Angel of Death (originally rendered
   as Ezra'eil). We find that Ka'b al'Ahbar had strong ties with the Persians of the
   period and had motive to sanctify the name of Ezra in retaliation to Surah 9:30.
 Until recently, we have not been able to provide documentation that links Ka'b al'
  Ahbar directly to naming Azrael the Angel of Death and Judgement, but we have
just received the record in question and ask consideration of the following passage:

  Kaab said: "As for the Angel of Death, his name is Azrael and his abode is in the
                              heaven of this Earth."
 responsibility of those who make accusations to present their evidence in a way the
 other party can understand. From what I have seen, the Shiites have not presented
  all of the facts needed to convince the Sunni scholars, so they are equally to blame
 for this misunderstanding. Also understand that Kaab's behavior was caused by a
    sense of oppression. Shiites, and now Sunnis, have each had an opportunity to
    experience the effects of such oppression. Learn from that, so you can each be
   certain the rash and resentful behaviors caused by oppression are not given any
      further breeding ground. The Judeans who are the subject of many of your
complaints had always entertained active debates and this guarantee of voice did not
       always lead to victories between them, but it certainly furthered their own
                                    understandings.




                          Azrael & The Jealousy of Scribes

 A new direction in literature followed the events I have presented here and we will
 continue to present these stories as they were written in the chronology as well as
 address some problems that confused Azrael with two other angels, Azael (Jewish
 Talmud) and Azazel. This next section will also reveal several issues of plagiarism
     and other forms of scribal manipulation that have continued to this day.




                                  Jelaluddin Rumi

In this 12th century book of verse, Tales From Masnavi, you will find a story called,
"The Obedience of the Angel of Death". This claims that the angel Azrael collected
 the dust from the Earth for the creation of Adam. As a reward for his obedience to
  God's command, he is made the executioner of all that would be created from it.

                       Would you like to view this document?

 This story is what you read on most websites that identify Azrael as the Angel of
Death. Incidentally, Azrael was titled the "Captain of the Divine Decree" and was in
         charge of the keeping of the "Laws of God" [Compare with Azra].

The problem is that some people have accepted this story as inspired literature. Few
knew the work was borrowed from Marcion (see Christian History) and even fewer
   still knew that Rumi wrote two different versions of this story. In the Book, The
 Illustrated Rumi: A Treasury of Wisdom from the Poet of the Soul, you will find a
story entitled "The Creation of Adam" which claims that Azrael fails in his mission
 to collect the dust from the Earth for the creation of Adam. God had to gather the
                               dust himself in the end.

                      Would you like to view this document?

Rumi wrote two different versions of his story to satisfy two separate audiences. The
  mystics would appreciate "The Obedience of the Angel of Death" but the early
   Christians had believed in Marcion's account which claims that the angel who
  gathered the dust to create Adam was evil and they equated him with Azazel or
 Satan, so they prefered the version "The Creation of Adam" which was in keeping
                 with their beliefs that God alone created mankind.




                               Tales, Legends & Lore

We are going to leave you for now to consider one of the most popular legends of all
                    concerning Azrael as an angel. It is written:

The angel Azrael is forever writing and erasing what he writes. What he writes are
the names of those who are born. What he erases are the names of those who have
                                       died.

      I will now compare this statement against what we know of Azra (Ezra):

                The Angel Azrael is forever writing in a large book.

                  Azra was a professional scribe (always writing).

               What he writes are the names of those who are born.

     Azra's first list contained the names of the men who were present and the
                  names of those they descended from (were born to).

               What he erases are the names of those who have died.

   Azra's last list contained the names of the men who broke the laws of God. He
  mourned their loss and "made an end" with them. (their names were erased from
                                    the city register).

      Other similarities between the Angel Azrael and the scribe Azra [Ezra]:

           The Angel Azrael is a Hebrew name that means: Help of God.
                  Azra [Ezra] is a Hebrew name that means: Help.

                 The Angel Azrael was in charge of the Laws of God.

          Azra was the keeper and reader of the divine law [Laws of God].

              The Angel Azrael's face gazes upon the Preserved Tablet.

           Azra's work was based on the Laws of Moses (Stone Tablets).




                                 ~ A Closing Message ~

 What happened to Azrael's name and reputation is sad, but I can learn to live with
that. The fact that these issues could not be resolved by the scholars who had charge
of the records, is sad, but I can live with that too. What I will not live with is the fact
    that people have died in wars that were caused by disputes surrounding these
 records! This is the "sorrow" so many feel when they call upon the Help of God. A
        sorrow so deep they can't even fathom the depth of the interpretation.

                              Update of April 22nd, 2006:




 Song of Azrael had suspended the publication of records concerning Ezra's burial
  shrine due to the current conflict in Iraq, where those records were located. We
   feared Abu Musab al Zarqawi, but have learned a bit more about him and are
willing to go on faith here. We have received a wealth of information concerning the
current dispute and will be posting more on this soon. I just need some time to find
       the best possible way to explain these issues, there are so many of them.
         An excerpt from a private Book of Records I call, Azrael's Dream.

We entered an ancient arena. Surrounding us were four gates. Something seemed so
      familiar to me as I walked along the outskirts and almost as if, by a flash of
lightening, my memory came pouring back. The fires became lit, one after the other
    in two separate directions. The fires to the right of the Eastern gate were lit in a
 semi-circle succession, downward toward the southern gate and back up to the left
of the Western gate. At the same time, the fires to the right of the Western gate were
 lit in a semi-circle succession upward to the Nothern gate and back down to the left
of the Eastern gate. Once all the fires were lit, the center piece, an altar stone, began
    to glow with light. I walked closer toward the center and from this light I saw a
 vessel take form. It was so beautiful, the way it began to sparkle as it was bathed in
                 this light. It was a gift I had treasured above all others.

  The peace that filled me was disrupted by the sound of the trumpets and Azrael
swept down and took me away to safety. We watched the armies enter through each
  of their gates on their horses. The battle seemed like it would never end. I felt so
 helpless. For some reason one of the warriors had caught my attention. He fought
 with bravery and fury, striking deeply into the center of the battle, through it, and
 out toward the other side. He turned his horse once more to plunge deeply into the
 center of the battle... and then something happened. I could still see, but I couldn't
hear. I saw the mighty warrior raise his sword as he rode into the battle once more,
not even noticing the vessel that stood in the center. I knew it would happen. I forgot
the danger and raced through the battle field, toward the light, but I wasn't in time.
 The sword swung down, knocking the vessel to the ground. I watched, as if it were
   played in slow motion, as the vessel fell and shattered into a thousand different
                                 pieces, on the ground.
                                          Limbo
Late Latin limbus) a word of Teutonic derivation, meaning literally "hem" or "border," as
of a garment, or anything joined on (cf. Italian lembo or English limb).

In theological usage the name is applied to (a) the temporary place or state of the souls of
the just who, although purified from sin, were excluded from the beatific vision until
Christ's triumphant ascension into Heaven (the "limbus patrum"); or (b) to the permanent
place or state of those unbaptized children and others who, dying without grievous
personal sin, are excluded from the beatific vision on account of original sin alone (the
"limbus infantium" or "puerorum").

In literary usage the name is sometimes applied in a wider and more general sense to any
place or state of restraint, confinement, or exclusion, and is practically equivalent to
"prison" (see, e.g., Milton, "Paradise Lost," III, 495; Butler, "Hudibras," part II, canto i,
and other English classics). The not unnatural transition from the theological to the
literary usage is exemplified in Shakespeare, "Henry VIII," act v, sc. 3. In this article we
shall deal only with the theological meaning and connotation of the word.

I. LIMBUS PATRUM
Though it can hardly be claimed, on the evidence of extant literature, that a definite and
consistent belief in the limbus patrum of Christian tradition was universal among the
Jews, it cannot on the other hand be denied that, more especially in the extra-canonical
writings of the second or first centuries B.C., some such belief finds repeated expression;
and New Testament references to the subject remove all doubt as to the current Jewish
belief in the time of Christ Whatever name may be used in apocryphal Jewish literature to
designate the abode of the departed just, the implication generally is

      that their condition is one of happiness,
      that it is temporary, and
      that it is to be replaced by a condition of final and permanent bliss when the
       Messianic Kingdom is established.

In the New Testament, Christ refers by various names and figures to the place or state
which Catholic tradition has agreed to call the limbus patrum. In Matthew 8:11, it is
spoken of under the figure of a banquet "with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom
of Heaven" (cf. Luke 8:29; 14:15), and in Matthew 25:10 under the figure of a marriage
feast to which the prudent virgins are admitted, while in the parable of Lazarus and Dives
it is called "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22) and in Christ's words to the penitent thief on
Calvary the name paradise is used (Luke 23:43). St. Paul teaches (Ephesians 4:9) that
before ascending into Heaven Christ "also descended first into the lower parts of the
earth," and St. Peter still more explicitly teaches that "being put to death indeed, in the
flesh, but enlivened in the spirit," Christ went and "preached to those souls that were in
prison, which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God
in the days of Noah" (1 Peter 3:18-20).

It is principally on the strength of these Scriptural texts, harmonized with the general
doctrine of the Fall and Redemption of mankind, that Catholic tradition has defended the
existence of the limbus patrum as a temporary state or place of happiness distinct from
Purgatory. As a result of the Fall, Heaven was closed against men. Actual possession of
the beatific vision was postponed, even for those already purified from sin, until the
Redemption should have been historically completed by Christ's visible ascendancy into
Heaven. Consequently, the just who had lived under the Old Dispensation, and who,
either at death or after a course of purgatorial discipline, had attained the perfect holiness
required for entrance into glory, were obliged to await the coming of the Incarnate Son of
God and the full accomplishment of His visible earthly mission. Meanwhile they were "in
prison," as St. Peter says; but, as Christ's own words to the penitent thief and in the
parable of Lazarus clearly imply, their condition was one of happiness, notwithstanding
the postponement of the higher bliss to which they looked forward. And this,
substantially, is all that Catholic tradition teaches regarding the limbus patrum.

II. LIMBUS INFANTIUM
The New Testament contains no definite statement of a positive kind regarding the lot of
those who die in original sin without being burdened with grievous personal guilt. But, by
insisting on the absolute necessity of being "born again of water and the Holy Ghost"
(John 3:5) for entry into the kingdom of Heaven (see BAPTISM, subtitle Necessity of
Baptism), Christ clearly enough implies that men are born into this world in a state of sin,
and St. Paul's teaching to the same effect is quite explicit (Romans 5:12 sqq.). On the
other hand, it is clear from Scripture and Catholic tradition that the means of regeneration
provided for this life do not remain available after death, so that those dying unregenerate
are eternally excluded from the supernatural happiness of the beatific vision (John 9:4,
Luke 12:40, 16:19 sqq., 2 Corinthians 5:10; see also APOCATASTASIS). The question
therefore arises as to what, in the absence of a clear positive revelation on the subject, we
ought in conformity with Catholic principles to believe regarding the eternal lot of such
persons. Now it may confidently be said that, as the result of centuries of speculation on
the subject, we ought to believe that these souls enjoy and will eternally enjoy a state of
perfect natural happiness; and this is what Catholics usually mean when they speak of the
limbus infantium, the "children's limbo."

The best way of justifying the above statement is to give a brief sketch of the history of
Catholic opinion on the subject. We shall try to do so by selecting the particular and
pertinent facts from the general history of Catholic speculation regarding the Fall and
original sin, but it is only right to observe that a fairly full knowledge of this general
history is required for a proper appreciation of these facts.

1. Pre-Augustinian Tradition
There is no evidence to prove that any Greek or Latin Father before St. Augustine ever
taught that original sin of itself involved any severer penalty after death than exclusion
from the beatific vision, and this, by the Greek Fathers at least, was always regarded as
being strictly supernatural. Explicit references to the subject are rare, but for the Greek
Fathers generally the statement of St. Gregory of Nazianzus may be taken as
representative:

It will happen, I believe . . . that those last mentioned [infants dying without baptism] will
neither be admitted by the just judge to the glory of Heaven nor condemned to suffer
punishment, since, though unsealed [by baptism], they are not wicked. . . . For from the
fact that one does not merit punishment it does not follow that one is worthy of being
honored, any more than it follows that one who is not worthy of a certain honor deserves
on that account to be punished. [Orat., xl, 23]
Thus, according to Gregory, for children dying without baptism, and excluded for want of
the "seal" from the "honor" or gratuitous favor of seeing God face to face, an
intermediate or neutral state is admissible, which, unlike that of the personally wicked, is
free from positive punishment. And, for the West, Tertullian opposes infant baptism on
the ground that infants are innocent, while St. Ambrose explains that original sin is rather
an inclination to evil than guilt in the strict sense, and that it need occasion no fear at the
day of judgement; and the Ambrosiaster teaches that the "second death," which means
condemnation to the hell of torment of the damned, is not incurred by Adam's sin, but by
our own. This was undoubtedly the general tradition before St. Augustine's time.

2. Teaching of St. Augustine

In his earlier writings St. Augustine himself agrees with the common tradition. Thus in
De libero arbitrio III, written several years before the Pelagian controversy, discussing
the fate of unbaptized infants after death, he writes: "It is superfluous to inquire about the
merits of one who has not any merits. For one need not hesitate to hold that life may be
neutral as between good conduct and sin, and that as between reward and punishment
there may be a neutral sentence of the judge." But even before the outbreak of the
Pelagian controversy St. Augustine had already abandoned the lenient traditional view,
and in the course of the controversy he himself condemned, and persuaded the Council of
Carthage (418) to condemn, the substantially identical Pelagian teaching affirming the
existence of "an intermediate place, or of any place anywhere at all (ullus alicubi locus),
in which children who pass out of this life unbaptized live in happiness" (Denzinger 102).
This means that St. Augustine and the African Fathers believed that unbaptized infants
share in the common positive misery of the damned, and the very most that St. Augustine
concedes is that their punishment is the mildest of all, so mild indeed that one may not
say that for them non-existence would be preferable to existence in such a state (De
peccat. meritis I, xxi; Contra Jul. V, 44; etc.). But this Augustinian teaching was an
innovation in its day, and the history of subsequent Catholic speculation on this subject is
taken up chiefly with the reaction which has ended in a return to the pre-Augustinian
tradition.

3. Post-Augustinian Teaching
After enjoying several centuries of undisputed supremacy, St. Augustine's teaching on
original sin was first successfully challenged by St. Anselm (d. 1109), who maintained
that it was not concupiscence, but the privation of original justice, that constituted the
essence of the inherited sin (De conceptu virginali). On the special question, however, of
the punishment of original sin after death, St. Anselm was at one with St. Augustine in
holding that unbaptized children share in the positive sufferings of the damned; and
Abelard was the first to rebel against the severity of the Augustinian tradition on this
point. According to him there was no guilt (culpa), but only punishment (poena), in the
proper notion of original sin; and although this doctrine was rightly condemned by the
Council of Soissons in 1140, his teaching, which rejected material torment (poena
sensus) and retained only the pain of loss (poena damni) as the eternal punishment of
original sin (Comm. in Rom.), was not only not condemned but was generally accepted
and improved upon by the Scholastics. Peter Lombard, the Master of the Sentences,
popularized it (Sent. II, xxxiii, 5), and it acquired a certain degree of official authority
from the letter of Innocent III to the Archbishop of Arles, which soon found its way into
the "Corpus Juris". Pope Innocent's teaching is to the effect that those dying with only
original sin on their souls will suffer "no other pain, whether from material fire or from
the worm of conscience, except the pain of being deprived forever of the vision of God"
(Corp. Juris, Decret. l. III, tit. xlii, c. iii -- Majores). It should be noted, however, that this
poena damni incurred for original sin implied, with Abelard and most of the early
Scholastics, a certain degree of spiritual torment, and that St. Thomas was the first great
teacher who broke away completely from the Augustinian tradition on this subject, and
relying on the principle, derived through the Pseudo-Dionysius from the Greek Fathers,
that human nature as such with all its powers and rights was unaffected by the Fall (quod
naturalia manent integra), maintained, at least virtually, what the great majority of later
Catholic theologians have expressly taught, that the limbus infantium is a place or state of
perfect natural happiness.

No reason can be given -- so argued the Angelic Doctor -- for exempting unbaptized
children from the material torments of Hell (poena sensus) that does not hold good, even
a fortiori, for exempting them also from internal spiritual suffering (poena damni in the
subjective sense), since the latter in reality is the more grievous penalty, and is more
opposed to the mitissima poena which St. Augustine was willing to admit (De Malo, V,
art. iii). Hence he expressly denies that they suffer from any "interior affliction", in other
words that they experience any pain of loss (nihil omnino dolebunt de carentia visionis
divinae -- "In Sent.", II, 33, q. ii, a.2). At first ("In Sent.", loc. cit.), St. Thomas held this
absence of subjective suffering to be compatible with a consciousness of objective loss or
privation, the resignation of such souls to the ways of God's providence being so perfect
that a knowledge of what they had lost through no fault of their own does not interfere
with the full enjoyment of the natural goods they possess. Afterwards, however, he
adopted the much simpler psychological explanation which denies that these souls have
any knowledge of the supernatural destiny they have missed, this knowledge being itself
supernatural, and as such not included in what is naturally due to the separated soul (De
Malo loc. cit.). It should be added that in St. Thomas' view the limbus infantium is not a
mere negative state of immunity from suffering and sorrow, but a state of positive
happiness in which the soul is united to God by a knowledge and love of him
proportionate to nature's capacity.

The teaching of St. Thomas was received in the schools, almost without opposition, down
to the Reformation period. The very few theologians who, with Gregory of Rimini, stood
out for the severe Augustinian view, were commonly designated by the opprobrious
name of tortores infantium. Some writers, like Savonarola (De triumbpho crucis, III, 9)
and Catharinus (De statu parvulorum sine bapt. decedentium), added certain details to the
current teaching -- for example that the souls of unbaptized children will be united to
glorious bodies at the Resurrection, and that the renovated earth of which St. Peter speaks
(2 Peter 3:13) will be their happy dwelling place for eternity. At the Reformation,
Protestants generally, but more especially the Calvinists, in reviving Augustinian
teaching, added to its original harshness, and the Jansenists followed on the same lines.
This reacted in two ways on Catholic opinion, first by compelling attention to the true
historical situation, which the Scholastics had understood very imperfectly, and second
by stimulating an all-round opposition to Augustinian severity regarding the effects of
original sin; and the immediate result was to set up two Catholic parties, one of whom
either rejected St. Thomas to follow the authority of St. Augustine or vainly try to
reconcile the two, while the other remained faithful to the Greek Fathers and St. Thomas.
The latter party, after a fairly prolonged struggle, has certainly the balance of success on
its side.

Besides the professed advocates of Augustinianism, the principal theologians who
belonged to the first party were Bellarmine, Petavius, and Bossuet, and the chief ground
of their opposition to the previously prevalent Scholastic view was that its acceptance
seemed to compromise the very principle of the authority of tradition. As students of
history, they felt bound to admit that, in excluding unbaptized children from any place or
state even of natural happiness and condemning them to the fire of Hell, St. Augustine,
the Council of Carthage, and later African Fathers, like Fulgentius (De fide ad Petrum,
27), intended to teach no mere private opinion, but a doctrine of Catholic Faith; nor could
they be satisfied with what Scholastics, like St. Bonaventure and Duns Scotus, said in
reply to this difficulty, namely that St. Augustine had simply been guilty of exaggeration
("respondit Bonaventura dicens quod Augustinus excessive loquitur de illis poenis, sicut
frequenter faciunt sancti" -- Scots, In Sent., II, xxxiii, 2). Neither could they accept the
explanation which even some modern theologians continue to repeat: that the Pelagian
doctrine condemned by St. Augustine as a heresy (see e.g., De anima et ejus orig., II, 17)
consisted in claiming supernatural, as opposed to natural, happiness for those dying in
original sin (see Bellarmine, De amiss. gratiae, vi, 1; Petavius, De Deo, IX, xi; De
Rubeis, De Peccat. Orig., xxx, lxxii). Moreover, there was the teaching of the Council of
Florence, that "the souls of those dying in actual mortal sin or in original sin alone go
down at once (mox) into Hell, to be punished, however, with widely different penalties."

It is clear that Bellarmine found the situation embarrassing, being unwilling, as he was, to
admit that St. Thomas and the Schoolmen generally were in conflict with what St.
Augustine and other Fathers considered to be de fide, and what the Council of Florence
seemed to have taught definitively. Hence he names Catharinus and some others as
revivers of the Pelagian error, as though their teaching differed in substance from the
general teaching of the School, and tries in a milder way to refute what he concedes to be
the view of St. Thomas (op. cit., vi-vii). He himself adopts a view which is substantially
that of Abelard mentioned above; but he is obliged to do violence to the text of St.
Augustine and other Fathers in his attempt to explain them in conformity with this view,
and to contradict the principle he elsewhere insists upon that "original sin does not
destroy the natural but only the supernatural order." (op. cit., iv).

Petavius, on the other hand, did not try to explain away the obvious meaning of St.
Augustine and his followers, but, in conformity with that teaching, condemned
unbaptized children to the sensible pains of Hell, maintaining also that this was a doctrine
of the Council of Florence.

Neither of these theologians, however, succeeded in winning a large following or in
turning the current of Catholic opinion from the channel into which St. Thomas had
directed it. Besides Natalis Alexander (De peccat. et virtut, I, i, 12), and Estius (In Sent.,
II, xxxv, 7), Bellarmine's chief supporter was Bossuet, who vainly tried to induce
Innocent XII to condemn certain propositions which he extracted from a posthumous
work of Cardinal Sfrondati and in which the lenient scholastic view is affirmed. Only
professed Augustinians like Noris and Berti, or out-and-out Jansenists like the Bishop of
Pistoia, whose famous diocesan synod furnished eighty-five propositions for
condemnation by Pius VI (1794), supported the harsh teaching of Petavius. The twenty-
sixth of these propositions repudiated "as a Pelagian fable the existence of the place
(usually called the children's limbo) in which the souls of those dying in original sin are
punished by the pain of loss without any pain of fire"; and this, taken to mean that by
denying the pain of fire one thereby necessarily postulates a middle place or state,
involving neither guilt nor penalty, between the Kingdom of God and eternal damnation,
is condemned by the pope as being "false and rash and as slander of the Catholic schools"
(Denz. 526).

This condemnation was practically the death-knell of extreme Augustinianism, while the
mitigate Augustinianism of Bellarmine and Bossuet had already been rejected by the bulk
of Catholic theologians. Suarez, for example, ignoring Bellarmine's protest, continued to
teach what Catharinus had taught -- that unbaptized children will not only enjoy perfect
natural happiness, but that they will rise with immortal bodies at the last day and have the
renovated earth for their happy abode (De vit. et penat., ix, sect. vi, n. 4); and, without
insisting on such details, the great majority of Catholic theologians have continued to
maintain the general doctrine that the children's limbo is a state of perfect natural
happiness, just the same as it would have been if God had not established the present
supernatural order. It is true, on the other hand, that some Catholic theologians have
stood out for some kind of compromise with Augustinianism, on the ground that nature
itself was wounded and weakened, or, at least that certain natural rights (including the
right to perfect felicity) were lost in consequence of the Fall. But these have granted for
the most part that the children's limbo implies exemption, not only from the pain of sense,
but from any positive spiritual anguish for the loss of the beatific vision; and not a few
have been willing to admit a certain degree of natural happiness in limbo. What has been
chiefly in dispute is whether this happiness is as perfect and complete as it would have
been in the hypothetical state of pure nature, and this is what the majority of Catholic
theologians have affirmed.

As to the difficulties against this view which possessed such weight in the eyes of the
eminent theologians we have mentioned, it is to be observed:

      we must not confound St. Augustine's private authority with the infallible
       authority of the Catholic Church; and
      if allowance be made for the confusion introduced into the Pelagian controversy
       by the want of a clear and explicit conception of the distinction between the
       natural and the supernatural order one can easily understand why St. Augustine
       and the Council of Carthage were practically bound to condemn the locus medius
       of the Pelagians. St. Augustine himself was inclined to deny this distinction
       altogether, although the Greek Fathers had already developed it pretty fully, and
       although some of the Pelagians had a glimmering of it (see Coelestius in August.,
       De Peccat. Orig., v), they based their claim to natural happiness for unbaptized
       children on a denial of the Fall and original sin, and identified this state of
       happiness with the "life eternal" of the New Testament.
      Moreover, even if one were to admit for the sake of argument that this canon of
       the Council of Carthage (the authenticity of which cannot be reasonably doubted)
       acquired the force of an ecumenical definition, one ought to interpret it in the light
       of what was understood to be at issue by both sides in the controversy, and
       therefore add to the simple locus medius the qualification which is added by Pius
       VI when, in the Constitution "Auctoreum Fidei", he speaks of "locum illium et
       statum medium expertem culpae et poenae."
      Finally, in regard to the teaching of the Council of Florence, it is incredible that
       the Fathers there assembled had any intention of defining a question so remote
       from the issue on which reunion with the Greeks depended, and one which was
       recognized at the time as being open to free discussion and continued to be so
       regarded by theologians for several centuries afterwards. What the council
       evidently intended to deny in the passage alleged was the postponement of final
       awards until the day of judgement. Those dying in original sin are said to descend
       into Hell, but this does not necessarily mean anything more than that they are
       excluded eternally from the vision of God. In this sense they are damned; they
       have failed to reach their supernatural destiny, and this viewed objectively is a
       true penalty. Thus the Council of Florence, however literally interpreted, does not
       deny the possibility of perfect subjective happiness for those dying in original sin,
       and this is all that is needed from the dogmatic viewpoint to justify the prevailing
       Catholic notion of the children's limbo, while from the standpoint of reason, as St.
       Gregory of Nazianzus pointed out long ago, no harsher view can be reconciled
       with a worthy concept of God's justice and other attributes.
In religious terminology, limbo is the temporary status of the souls of good persons who
died but did not go to Heaven. In Roman Catholic theology, while awaiting the
Resurrection of Jesus they remain in the Limbo of the Fathers. The word limbo has also
been used to refer to the permanent status of the unbaptized who die in infancy, without
having committed any personal sins, but without having been freed from original sin (the
Limbo of Children), though the latter use has never received official approval.

Limbo comes from the latin limbus meaning a hem or an edge or a boundary. While
"limbo" is often popularly understood to be a "place where souls go", the term also
describes and reflects theological uncertainty. As such, the limbo of children is not part of
the Catholic religion's official doctrine (compared to purgatory, which is a part of Roman
Catholic doctrine). Official Church teaching remains that the status of these souls (who
do not seem to deserve hell, yet cannot follow the divinely-revealed path to heaven) is in
limbo — in other words, their fate cannot be determined by any but God.

Contents
[hide]

        1 The Limbo of the Fathers (limbus patrum) (also known as Abraham's Bosom)
        2 The Limbo of Children (limbus infantium)
             o 2.1 History
        3 Limbo in other denominations and religions
        4 Limbo in literature
        5 Limbo as a colloquialism
        6 References

[edit]

The Limbo of the Fathers (limbus patrum) (also known
as Abraham's Bosom)
The concept of the limbo of the fathers is that people who lived good lives but died
before the Resurrection did not go to heaven, but rather had to wait for Christ to open the
gates of heaven. This concept of limbo affirms that one can get into heaven only through
Jesus Christ but doesn't portray Moses, etc., as being in punished eternally in hell.

The term limbo does not appear in the Bible. In Holy Scripture, limbo is referred to as the
term bosom of Abraham, appearing twice in it. The bosom of Abraham represents the
blissful state where the righteous dead await their eternal reward. As such, this concept
corresponds to the concept of limbo of the fathers in that it is neither heaven nor hell and
the people there are waiting to enter paradise.

Jesus told the "good thief" that the two of them would be together "this day" in
"paradise," (Luke 23:43) but between the Resurrection and the Ascension, Jesus told his
followers that he has "not yet ascended to the Father" (John 20:17). A possible resolution
to this apparent contradiction lies in the fact that Jesus' statement to the thief can be
understood in two different ways, depending on where you place the comma (which was
not present in the original manuscripts): either "Truly I say to you, today you shall be
with Me in Paradise" or "Truly I say to you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise"
(Luke 23:43, NASB). The latter interpretation would be consistent with Jesus's
subsequent statement to his followers. By this reading, the good thief waited in limbo
until the Resurrection made it possible for him to enter heaven. The Greek Fathers
however, who did not accept the concept of limbo, did not see a contradiction in these
two statements, and read John 20:17 as a reference to the Asencion of Jesus.

Jesus is also described as preaching to "the spirits in prison" (1 Pet 3:19). Medieval
drama sometimes portrayed Christ leading a dramatic assault — The Harrowing of Hell
— during the three days between the Crucifixion and the resurrection. In this assault,
Jesus freed the souls of the just and escorted them triumphantly into heaven. This
imagery is still used in the Eastern Orthodox Church's Holy Saturday liturgy (between
Good Friday and Pascha).

[edit]

The Limbo of Children (limbus infantium)
The limbo of children is, while never a dogma or defined doctrine of the Catholic
Church, the place, according to many theologians, where unbaptized children, as well as
others lacking the use of reason, go after death.

If heaven is a state of supernatural happiness and a union with God, and hell is a state of
torture and a separation from God, then limbo is a sort of intermediate state, in which
souls are denied the beatific vision, but saved from the torment of hell, according to
speculations by many eminent Roman Catholic theologians. Saint Thomas Aquinas
described the limbo of children as an eternal state of natural joy, untempered by any
sense of loss at how much greater their joy might have been had they been baptized. Saint
Thomas argued that this was a reward of natural happiness for natural virtue; a reward of
supernatural happiness for merely natural virtue would be inappropriate since, due to
original sin, unbaptized children lack the necessary supernatural grace.

The foundational importance of the sacrament of baptism (using water) or the non-
sacramental baptism of desire or baptism of blood in Roman Catholic theology gives rise
to the argument that the unbaptized are not eligible for entry into heaven, because the
original sin of human nature precludes the unbaptized from the beatific vision enjoyed by
the souls in heaven.

Since infants are incapable of either professing their faith or performing acts of Christian
charity, the only known means through which they might receive the grace of
justification required for salvation is through water baptism (or baptism of blood, as in
the case of the martyred Holy Innocents). If, for whatever reason, an infant dies
unbaptized (see infant baptism), there is a question about whether such children can be
saved. Early Church writers, notably St. Augustine, considered that baptized infants were
excluded from heaven, and thus went to hell. As noted above, later theologians suggested
that such children, being innocent of any personal sins, might go to a state of limbo
outside heaven, but without the suffering of hell, enjoying a state of perfect natural
happiness.

[edit]

History

The necessity of baptism was defined by a general council of the church, the Council of
Florence, Session 11 (Bull Cantate Domino), Feb 4, 1442, and had earlier been affirmed
at the local Council of Carthage 417 AD. John Wyclif's attack on the necessity of infant
baptism had been condemned by another general council, the Council of Constance,
Session 15, July 6, 1415 AD. However, the Council of Trent, Session 6, 1547[1] taught
that either baptism or desire for baptism is necessary for salvation, so it is possible to be
saved without receiving the actual sacrament of baptism.

If adults could effectively be baptised through a desire for the sacrament (supposing they
died before it was actually administered), perhaps sacramentally unbaptised infants too
might be saved by some waterless equivalent of ordinary baptism. While infants would
not themselves be capable of a desire for the sacrament of baptism, perhaps the desire for
their baptism by the adults who were responsible for their religious upbringing (or by the
Church in general) would suffice to grant such children a baptism of desire. One major
sixteenth-century theologian, Cajetan, suggested that infants dying in the womb before
birth, and so before ordinary sacramental baptism could be administered, might be saved
through their mother's wish for their baptism. Thus, there was no consensus that the
Council of Florence had excluded salvation of infants by such an extra-sacramental
equivalents of baptism, and attempts to have Cajetan's theory, that infants dead in the
womb can be saved without baptism, condemned as heretical were rejected by the
Council of Trent (Dictionnaire de Theologie Catholique - Volume 2, 'Bapteme', columns
305-6).

Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries individual theologians (Bianchi in 1768,
Klee in 1835, Caron in 1855, Schell in 1893) continued to formulate theories of how
children who died unbaptised might still be saved. By 1952 a theologian such as Ludwig
Ott could, in a widely used and well-regarded manual (Fundamentals of Catholic
Dogma), openly teach the possibility that children who die unbaptised might be saved for
heaven - though he still represented their going to limbo as the commonly taught opinion.
Even before Vatican II, theologians were widely and freely investigating alternatives to
limbo - even if ordinary Catholics had not yet heard of such theories. When in 1984,
Joseph Ratzinger, then Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith,
announced in The Ratzinger Report that as a private theologian he rejected the claim that
children who die unbaptised cannot attain salvation, he was speaking for many academic
theologians of his background and pre-conciliar training. Thus by 1992 the Catechism of
the Catholic Church could express the hope that children who die unbaptised might still
be saved:

CCC #1261 states:

As regards children who have died without baptism, the Church can only entrust them to
the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of
God, who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children,
which caused him to say, 'Let the children come to me, do not hinder them' [Mark 10:14,
cf. 1 Tim. 2:4], allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have
died without baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little
children coming to Christ through the gift of holy baptism.

The International Theological Commission was asked by Pope John Paul II to consider
the question of the fate of unbaptized babies. Under Pope Benedict XVI, the Commission
is expected to recommend in their report that the doctrine that all children who die do so
―in the hope of eternal salvation‖ be formally adopted, thus rejecting the theological
hypothesis of Limbo.

It has been suggested that Pope Benedict XVI may announce the final abandonment of
the hypothesis of limbo in the near future[2], but there has been no official indication of
this.


Wikinews has news related to:
Vatican considering abolishing limbo
[edit]

Limbo in other denominations and religions
No Protestant denominations accept the concept of limbo. Protestant theologians regard it
as one of many Roman Catholic teachings or concepts (along with Purgatory, Papal
infallibility, most of the sacraments, etc.) that they do not consider to be explicitly taught
in the Bible.

Martin Luther, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others have taught that the dead are unconscious
(or even nonexistent), awaiting their destiny on Judgment Day. Since the dead, in this
view, are neither rewarded nor punished (yet), that state is similar to limbo.

The Zoroastrian concept of hamistagan is similar to limbo. Hamistagan is a neutral state
in which a soul that was neither good nor evil awaits Judgment Day.

In the Unification Church, an extensive vision of various "levels of spirit world" has been
developed and described. A book attributed to deceased philosopher Sang Hun Lee
describes the author's travels amongst the dead, describing the situation, apperance and
prospects of many famous people from history, from Adam and Eve to Karl Marx.
[edit]

Limbo in literature
In the Divine Comedy, Dante depicts Limbo as the first circle of Hell, located beyond the
river Acheron but before the judgment seat of Minos. The virtuous pagans of classical
history and mythology inhabit a brightly lit and beautiful — but somber — castle which
is seemingly a medievalized version of Elysium. In the same work, a semi-infernal
region, above Limbo on the other side of Acheron, but inside the Gate of Hell, also exists
— it is the "vestibule" of Hell and houses so-called "neutralists" or "opportunists," who
devoted their lives neither to good nor to evil; its residents include those angels who did
not fight at all in the war that resulted in the expulsion of Lucifer from Heaven, and also
Celestine V, one of the few Popes in Vatican history to have abdicated (interestingly,
however, Celestine was later canonized and is now known as St. Peter Celestine).

[edit]

Limbo as a colloquialism
Taken from the original meaning, in colloquial speech, "limbo" is any status where a
person or project is held up, and nothing can be done until another action happens. For
example, a construction project might be described as "in limbo" if political
considerations delay its permit.

A "legal limbo" may occur when varying laws or court rulings leave a person without
recourse. For example, a person may earn "too much" to receive public assistance from
the government, but not enough to actually pay for basic necessities. Likewise, various
parties in a dispute may be pointing blame at each other, rather than fixing the problem,
and leaving the person or group suffering from the problem to continue to suffer in limbo.

The Amstrad PCW's bundled word processing software, LocoScript, used the term "in
limbo" to refer to files which had been deleted but which could still be restored, a concept
similar to that later implemented by the Trash in the Apple Macintosh and, 11 years later,
the Recycle Bin in Microsoft Windows 95. On the PCW, the files "in limbo" were
marked as belonging to CP/M Plus users 8 to 15. These files were deleted automatically
when the space they occupied was needed. It could therefore be dangerous to access a
disk containing files created with CP/M Plus using LocoScript, since LocoScript could
decide to delete anything in users 8 to 15.



[edit]

References
      This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia.
       (Limbo)
      Clarke, Hilary. "Now it's the turn of limbo to be cast into oblivion", Electronic
       Telegraph, November 30th, 2005.
      Dyer, George J.. "The existence of Limbo: a common doctrine from which it
       would be rash to depart...", These Last Days Ministries, December 28, 2005.
      Fisher, Ian. "Limbo, an Afterlife Tradition, May Be Doomed by the Vatican", The
       New York Times, December 28th, 2005.
      Goodman, Donald. Thomistic Salvation: A Layman's Guide. Goretti Publications.
      Hooper, John. "Babies to be freed from limbo", The Guardian, November 30th,
       2005.
      McGinty, Stephen. "Pope to abandon idea unbaptised babies suspended forever in
       limbo", The Scotsman, November 30th, 2005.
      Owen, Richard. "Limbo consigned to history books", Times Online, November
       30th, 2005.
      Sparks, Thomas. "Unbaptized Infants Suffer Fire and Limbo is a Heretical
       Pelagian Fable". (from romancatholicism.org)
      Wooden, Cindy. "Closing the doors of limbo: Theologians say it was hypothesis",
       Catholic News Service, December 2, 2005.



Name: Gabriel
Born: In Eternity, perhaps on the 24th of March
Address: Heaven ?
Parents: God ?
Studies: Unknown

Professional References as a Messenger:

- 605 BC: Appeared to a man called Daniel to whom he showed some mysteries
and taught the art of dreams interpretation. This was long long time before
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. From that moment, dreams became as a "official"
communication gateway (X-400 ?) between men and divinities.

- 460 BC: In the Talmud, Gabriel prevented Queen Vashti from stripping nude
before King Ahasuerus of Persia and his court. Not because the Angel is a bigot
or prude, but to help Esther to be elected in her place. I think that it was also to
prevent the King from having a heart attack, as Vashti had a beautiful body...

- ?? BC: According to a jewish legend, Gabriel has been fired from his position as
God's messenger Who hired Dobiel to replace him. But after a couple of hunderd
years, God and Gabriel came together again and Dobiel was given a new
assignment.

- 1 BC: Announciation of pregnancy to a young virgin called Mary in a remote
village of Israel. The consequences of his apparition are still measurable today.
Gabriel didn't talk very much. He just said (according to the Scriptures) "Hail
Mary full of Grace, you are blessed among womens.." And vanished.

- 610-632 AD: Dictation of 114 sourates to Muhammad. A remake, in the same
neighborhood, but this time Gabriel is definitively more open to talk. His previous
words, as the record shows, were brief. But with Muhammad, he was more
eloquent, dictating to him during 22 years 114 sourates which, assembled in the
Koran, are still the most read book, after the Bible.. Muhammad described
Gabriel as having 140 wings.

- 1900 ? AD: Gabriel appeared to George Rapp, who decided, right after the
meeting, to create the Adventists of the Latter Days. However, the fifth of his
appearances on Earth didn't had the same consequences as the previous ones.
But, at least, before leaving, he left a trace of his footprint in the concrete.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:

The first traces of his name in a human calendar date back to the early Coptic,
which established his feast day on the 18th of december. But progressively, this
date moved to the 26th of march, according to the first christian bull signed by
Pope Benedict XV. Since then, it hasn't moved very much. Today, for instance,
it's the 25th of March, celebrating his visitation of Mary.

Since almost 2000 years, Gabriel was sketched by the best painters of all time, if
we may say that, as he's... eternal.

SIDE NOTE: In the past, this information was removed from this site. Someone had the
nerve to claim this information was *his* and that it was in his book. Fact is, this "author"
stole this information from this website. It is now back online. I have my website archived
from the time it was created and I have the proof needed to show this information was
here before it was ever published in a book. - Sarah




St. Gabriel, the Archangel
Feastday: September 29
The bearer of God's secret messages to His chosen ones.
Patron of communications & postal workers

One of the two highest ranking angels. He is the leading angel who stands in the
presence of the God/Goddess as a co-ordinator. He is the Archangel of
annunciation, humanity, resurrection, heavenly mercy, vengeance, death,
revelation, truth, and hope. Bringer of news and heralds the revealing of
answers. Maker of changes. He is the Patron Saint of Communications Workers.
The name Gabriel means "Man of God" or "God Has Shown Himself
Mightily." It appears first in the prophecies of Daniel in the Old Testament. This
Angel announced to Daniel the prophecy of the seventy weeks, (Daniel 9, 21-27).
His name also occurs in the apocryphal book of Henoch. He was the Angel who
appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptizer, (Luke 1,
11), the messenger Angel who announced to Mary that she would bear a Son
who would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, Son of the Most High, and the Saviour
of the world, (Luke 1, 26), and the angel who buried Moses.

Within all of the legends of birthing, Gabriel as been accredited as the angel who
selects souls from heaven to be birthed into the material world and spends the
nine months as the child is being developed informing the new person of what he
or she will need to know on Earth, only to silence the child before birth by
pressing his finger onto the child's lips, thus producing the cleft below a person's
nose.

Gabriel explained to Daniel his vision of a ram and a billy-goat foretelling
Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia and a prophecy foretelling the freeing
of the Israelites. In both these cases the Archangel is mentioned by name, but it
has also been suggested that Gabriel is the angel who wrestles with Jacob in the
form of a man and that he was involved in the destruction of Sodom and
Gommorah. Enoch says that Gabriel was sent to destroy the giant children of the
fallen 'watchers' and did so by turning them against each other In 'Paradise Lost'.

It was Gabriel who dictated the Koran to Muhammad, and according to
Babylonian legend, Gabriel fell from grace for not obeying a command exactly as
given and remained outside the heavenly curtain for a time.

Gabriel is the angel of the moon who brings man the gift of hope. He is the spirit
of truth and the prince of justice. He is the alchemy of psychism, intuition, and
receptivity.

According to legend, it is Gabriel who will blow the horn announcing the second
coming of Christ.

Gabriel is the Governor of the West and the element of Water. Ruler of Monday,
psychic gifts, intuition, visions, magick, clairvoyance, scrying, astral travel, herbal
medicine, the cycles of women, and female aspects of men. His symbols are the
lily and the trumpet, and his stone is the moonstone.

Gabriel's candle colors are silver, white and blue.

Gabriel's color energies are white, silver, rose, blue, crystal, and scarlet.

Invoke Gabriel in the west for stronger powers of intuition and psychic gifts.
                       ARCHANGEL GABRIEL
               PATRON SAINT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS,




Apocalypse (Greek: αποκαλσψις -translit. APOKALYPSIS, literally: the lifting of the
veil), is a term applied to the disclosure to certain privileged persons of something hidden
from the mass of humankind. The Greek root corresponds in the Septuagint to the
Hebrew galah (‫ ,)הלג‬to reveal. The last book of the New Testament bears in Greek the
title Αποκαλσψις Ιωαννοσ, and is frequently referred to as the Apocalypse of John, but in
the English Bible it appears as the Revelation of St John the Divine, or the Book of
Revelation. Earlier among the hellenistic Jews, the term was used of a number of writings
which depicted in a prophetic and parabolic way, the end or future state of the world (e.g.
Apocalypse of Baruch), the whole class is now commonly known as 'Apocalyptic
literature'. However, the Apocalypse technically refers to the unveiling of God, in his
guise as the Messiah, and not to all of the destruction of the world which will accompany
God's Revelation of Himself to Humankind.


Contents
[hide]

        1 Characteristic features
            o 1.1 Revelation of mysteries
            o 1.2 Disclosure through a dream or vision
            o 1.3 Angels bear revelation
            o   1.4 Deals with the future
            o 1.5 The mysterious or fantastic
            o 1.6 Mystical symbolism
        2 The end of the world
        3 The Apocalypse as the "end of the age"
        4 See also
        5 References
        6 External links




An Apocalypse in the terminology of early Jewish and Christian literature, is a revelation
of hidden things given by God to a chosen prophet; this term is more often used to
describe the written account of such a revelation. Apocalyptic literature is of considerable
importance in the history of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition, as beliefs such as the
resurrection of the dead, judgment day, heaven and hell are all made explicit in it.
Apocalyptic beliefs predate Christianity, appear in other religions, and have merged into
contemporary secular society, especially through popular culture (see Apocalypticism).
Apocalypse-like beliefs also occur in other religious systems; an example is the Hindu
concept of pralay.

From the second century, the term "Apocalypse" was applied to a number of books, both
Jewish and Christian, which show the same characteristic features. Besides the
Apocalypse of John (now generally called the Book of Revelation) included in the New
Testament, the Muratorian fragment, Clement of Alexandria, and others mention an
Apocalypse of Peter. Apocalypses of Adam and Abraham (Epiphanius) and of Elias
(Jerome) are also mentioned; see, for example, the six titles of this kind in the "List of the
60 Canonical Books".



The use of the Greek noun to designate writings belonging to a certain class of literary
products is thus of Christian origin, the original norm of the class being the New
Testament Book of Revelation. In 1832 Gottfried Christian Friedrich Lücke explored the
word "Apocalypse" as a description of the book of Revelation, a usage obtained from the
opening words of the book which refer to an apocalpyse (prophecy) of Jesus Christ given
to John, who wrote the text. In Greek the opening words are 'Aπōκάλσψις 'Iησōῦ
Χριστōῦ.

[edit]

Characteristic features
Apocalyptic religious literature is regarded as a distinct branch of forbidden literature.
This genre has several characteristic features.

[edit]

Revelation of mysteries

The Apocalypse entails a revelation of mysteries, things which lie beyond the ordinary
range of human knowledge. God gives to prophets or saints instruction in regard to
hidden matters, whether things altogether foreign to human experience, or events in
human history which have not yet come to pass, or both.
Some of the secrets of heaven are disclosed, in greater or less detail: the purposes of
God's plan for humanity; the deeds and characteristics of angels and evil spirits; the
explanation of natural phenomena; the story of Creation and the history of early mankind;
impending events, especially those connected with the future of Israel; the end of the
world; the final judgment, and the fate of mankind; the messianic age. In the Book of
Enoch, the most comprehensive Jewish apocalypse, the revelation includes all of these
various elements.

[edit]

Disclosure through a dream or vision

The disclosure of hidden wisdom is made through a vision or a dream. Because of the
peculiar nature of the subject-matter, this is evidently the most natural literary form.
Moreover, the manner of the revelation, and the experience of the one who receives it, are
generally made more or less prominent. Usually, though not always, the account is given
in the first person. There is something portentous in the circumstances, corresponding to
the importance of the secrets about to be disclosed. The element of the mysterious, often
so prominent in the vision itself, is foreshadowed in the preliminary events. Some of the
persistent features of the "apocalyptic tradition" are connected with the circumstances of
the vision and the personal experience of the seer.

The primary example of apocalyptic literature in the Hebrew Bible is the book of Daniel.
As Daniel after long fasting stands by the river, a heavenly being appears to him, and the
revelation follows (Daniel 10:2ff). John, in the New Testament Revelation (1:9ff), has a
like experience, told in very similar words. Compare also the first chapter of the Greek
Apocalypse of Baruch; and the Syriac Apocalypse, vi.1ff, xiii.1ff, lv.1-3. Or, as the
prophet lies upon his bed, distressed for the future of his people, he falls into a sort of
trance, and in "the visions of his head" is shown the future. This is the case in Dan. 7:1ff;
2 Esdras 3:1-3; and in the Book of Enoch, i.2 and following. As to the description of the
effect of the vision upon the seer, see Dan. 8:27; Enoch, lx.3; 2 Esd. 5:14.

[edit]

Angels bear revelation
The introduction of Angels as the bearers of the revelation is a standing feature. God does
not speak in person, but gives His instruction through the medium of heavenly
messengers, who act as the seer's guide.

There is hardly an example of a true Apocalypse in which the instrumentality of angels in
giving the message is not made prominent. In the Assumption of Moses, which consists
mainly of a detailed prediction of the course of Israelite and Jewish history, the
announcement is given to Joshua by Moses, just before the death of the latter. So, too, in
the Sibylline Oracles, which are for the most part a mere foretelling of future events, the
Sibyl is the only speaker. But neither of these books can be called truly representative of
apocalyptic literature in the narrower sense (see below). In another writing which has
sometimes been classed as apocalyptic, the book of Jubilees, an angel is indeed the
mediator of the revelation, but the vision or dream element is wanting. In this case,
however, the book is not at all apocalyptic in its nature.

[edit]

Deals with the future

In the typical compositions of this class the chief concern of the writer is with the future.
The Apocalypse is primarily a Prophecy usually with a distinctly religious aim, intended
to show God's way of dealing with men, and His ultimate purposes. The writer presents,
sometimes very vividly, a picture of coming events, especially those connected with the
end of the present age. Thus, in certain of these writings the subject-matter is vaguely
described as "that which shall come to pass in the latter days" (Dan. 2:28; compare verse
29); similarly Dan. 10:14, "to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the
latter days"; compare Enoch, i.1, 2; x.2ff. So, too, in Rev. 1:1 (compare the Septuagint
translation of Dan. 2:28ff), "Revelation . . . that which must shortly come to pass." Past
history is often included in the vision, but usually only in order to give force and the
proper historical setting to the prediction, as the panorama of successive events passes
over imperceptibly from the known to the unknown. Thus, in the eleventh chapter of
Daniel, the detailed history of the Greek empire in the East, from the conquest of
Alexander down to the latter part of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes (verses 3-39, all
presented in the form of a prediction), is continued, without any break, in a scarcely less
vivid description (verses 40-45) of events which had not yet taken place, but were only
expected by the writer: the wars which should result in the death of Antiochus and the fall
of his kingdom. All this, however, serves only as the introduction to the remarkable
eschatological predictions in the twelfth chapter, in which the main purpose of the book
is to be found. Similarly, in the dream recounted in 2 Esd. 11 and 12, the eagle,
representing the Roman Empire, is followed by the lion, which is the promised Messiah,
who is to deliver the chosen people and establish an everlasting kingdom. The transition
from history to prediction is seen in xii.28, where the expected end of Domitian's reign --
and with it the end of the world -- is foretold. Still another example of the same kind is
Sibyllines, iii.608-623. Compare perhaps also Assumptio Mosis, vii-ix. In nearly all the
writings which are properly classed as apocalyptic the eschatological element is
prominent. In fact, it was the growth of speculation regarding the age to come and the
hope for the chosen people which more than anything else occasioned the rise and
influenced the development of this sort of literature.

[edit]

The mysterious or fantastic




Albrecht Dürer's woodcut, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The element of the mysterious, apparent in both the matter and the manner of the writing,
is a marked feature in every typical Apocalypse. The literature of visions and dreams has
its own traditions, which are remarkably persistent; and this fact is unusually well
illustrated in the group of Jewish (or Jewish-Christian) writings under consideration.
This apocalyptic quality appears most plainly (a) in the use of fantastic imagery. The best
illustration is furnished by the strange living creatures which figure in so many of the
visions--"beasts" in which the properties of men, animals, birds, reptiles, or purely
imaginary beings are combined in a way that is startling and often grotesque. How
characteristic a feature this is may be seen from the following list of the most noteworthy
passages in which such creatures are introduced: Dan. 7:1-8, 8:3-12 (both passages of the
greatest importance for the history of apocalyptic literature); Enoch, lxxxv.-xc.; 2 Esd.
11:1-12:3, 11-32; Greek Apoc. of Bar. ii, iii; Hebrew Testament, Naphtali's, iii.; Rev.
6:6ff (compare Apoc. of Bar. [Syr.] li.11), ix.7-10, 17-19, xiii.1-18, xvii.3, 12; the
Shepherd of Hermas, "Vision," iv.1. Certain mythical or semimythical beings which
appear in the Old Testament are also made to play a part of increasing importance in
these books. Thus "Leviathan" and "Behemoth" (Enoch, lx.7, 8; 2 Esd. 6:49-52; Apoc. of
Bar. xxix.4); "Gog and Magog" (Sibyllines, iii.319ff, 512ff; compare Enoch, lvi.5ff; Rev.
20:8). As might be expected, foreign mythologies are also occasionally laid under
contribution (see below).

[edit]

Mystical symbolism

The apocalyptic quality is seen again (b) in the frequent use of a mystifying symbolism.
This is most strikingly illustrated in the well-known cases where gematria is employed
for the sake of obscuring the writer's meaning; thus, the mysterious name "Taxo,"
Assumptio Mosis, ix. 1; the "number of the beast," 666, of Rev. 13:18; the number 888
('Iησōῦς), Sibyllines, i.326-330. Very similar to this is the frequent enigmatic prophecy of
the length of time which must elapse before the events predicted come to pass; thus, the
"time, times, and a half," Dan. 12:7; the "fifty-eight times" of Enoch, xc.5, Assumptio
Mosis, x.11; the announcement of a certain number of "weeks" or days (without
specifying the starting-point), Dan. 9:24ff, 12:11, 12; Enoch xciii.3-10; 2 Esd. 14:11, 12;
Apoc. of Bar. xxvi-xxviii; Rev. 11:3, 12:6; compare Assumptio Mosis, vii.1. The same
tendency is seen also in the employment of symbolical language in speaking of certain
persons, things, or events; thus, the "horns" of Dan. 7 and 8; Rev. 17 and following; the
"heads" and "wings" of 2 Esd. xi and following; the seven seals of chapter 6 of
Revelation; trumpets, 8; bowls, 16; the dragon, Rev. 12:3-17, 20:1-3; the eagle,
Assumptio Mosis, x.8; and so on.
As typical examples of more elaborate allegories -- aside from those in Dan. 7, 8 and 2
Esd. 11, 12, already referred to-may be mentioned: the vision of the bulls and the sheep,
Enoch, lxxxv and following; the forest, the vine, the fountain, and the cedar, Apoc. of
Bar. xxxvi and following; the bright and the black waters, ibid. liii and following; the
willow and its branches, Hermas, "Similitudines," viii. To this description of the literary
peculiarities of the Jewish Apocalypse might be added that in its distinctly eschatological
portions it exhibits with considerable uniformity the diction and symbolism of the
classical Old Testament passages. As this is true, however, in like degree of the bulk of
late Jewish and early Christian eschatological literature, most of which is not apocalyptic
in the proper sense of the word, it can hardly be treated as a characteristic on a par with
those described above.

[edit]

The end of the world
In recent times the designation apocalyptic literature, or apocalyptic, has commonly been
used to include all the various portions of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, whether
canonical or apocryphal, in which eschatological predictions are given in the form of a
revelation. That the term is at present somewhat loosely used, and often made to include
what is not properly apocalyptic, is due in part to the fact that the study of this literature
as a distinct class is comparatively recent.

In English, the word apocalypse now commonly refers to the end of the world. The
current meaning may be an ellipsis of the phrase apokalupsis eschaton (apocalyptic
eschatology), meaning "revelation of knowledge of the end of time". This ellipsis in
common usage echoes the ellipsis in the title of the last book of the Bible, Book of
Revelation, which is commonly interpreted as prophesying the end of the world in
graphic detail. See also eschatology and millennialism.

The eschatological end of the world was often accompanied by images of resurrection,
judgment of the dead in apocalyptic literature, and ineffective people going to hell.
Interestingly, these ideas were not explicitly developed in the pre-apocalyptic books of
the Hebrew Bible. So the existence of such beliefs in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
may all be traced to apocalyptic writings.
The history of Christianity is peppered with Millennial sects almost from its very
beginning. The modern Christian movements are concentrated in the 18th and 19th
Centuries and include the rise of Apocalyptic sects such as the Christadelphians of note.

[edit]

The Apocalypse as the "end of the age"
The word apocalypse in Greek means "unveiling". And in John's apocalypse, the book of
Revelation, he refers to the "unveiling" or "revelation" of Jesus Christ as Messiah. This
term has been downgraded in common usage to refer to the end of the world. But it is
more accurate to interpret the term "end of the world" as we see in the King James
Version of the Bible as the "end of the age". The word "world" is actually the Greek word
"eon" or "age".

The eschatological pictures of the end of the age in the Old Testament were images of
judgment of the wicked, as well as the resurrection and glorification of those who were
righteous before God. The book of Job and in the Psalms the dead are seen as being in
Hades awaiting the final judgement from whence the wicked will be consigned to eternal
torment in the fires of Sheol or hell.

The New Testament letters written by the Apostle Paul expand on this theme of judgment
of the wicked and glorification of those who belong to Christ or Messiah. In his letters to
the Corinthians and the Thessalonians Paul expounds further on the destiny of the
righteous. He speaks of the simultaneous resurrection and rapture of those who are in
Christ, (or Messiah). This is a combined apocalyptic event that comes at the end of this
age and before the coming Millennium of Messiah.

Christianity had a Millennial expectation for glorification of the righteous from the time
it emerged from Judaism and spread out into the world in the first century. Old Testament
poetic and prophetic literature, particularly in Isaiah, were rich in Millennial imagery.
The New Testament Congregation after Pentecost simply carried on with this theme. The
Apostle John, whilst imprisoned by the Romans on the Island of Patmos, saw visions and
wrote the Book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 20 contains several reference to a
thousand year reign of Christ/Messiah upon this earth.
Throughout Church history the kings and princes of Europe had traditionally viewed with
extreme disfavor the idea of a judgement at the end of this age and a Millennium to
follow. King Henry VIII was very angry when he heard that his subjects were reading
smuggled copies of William Tyndale's New Testament. Upon hearing that they were
discussing the judgement at the end of the age he flew into a rage. Archibishop Wolsey
was summoned and questioned about this. A series of events then led to William Tyndale
being hunted down, captured, condemned, and burned at the stake. To this day there are
no liturgical readings of the Apocalyptic biblical scriptures in the Church of England or
in the Episcopal Church in America. Discussion of the Apocalypse or the Second Coming
of Messiah is similarly very rare in the Reformed Church tradition. Preaching or teaching
on end time apocalytic themes in the "Three Self" government church in China is strictly
forbidden.

Modern Christian movements in the 18th and 19th Centuries were characterized by a rise
of Millennialism. Christian Apocalyptic eschatology was a continuation of the same two
themes referred to throughout all of scripture as "this age" and "the age to come".
Evangelicals have led the way in rediscovering and popularizing the biblical prophecy of
a showdown between good and evil at the end of this age and a coming Millennium to
follow. Most evangelicals have been taught a form of Millennialism known as
Dispensationalism which arose in the 19th century. Dispensationalism sees separate
destinies for the Church and Israel. Its concept of a special Pre Tribulation Rapture of the
Church has become extremely popular. This is the central thesis of the Left Behind books
and films. Recently, however, Dispensationalism has been enduring some stiff opposition
from those who embrace what is termed Traditional Millennialism. Prominent among
them are those who hold to a Post Tribulation Rapture.

[edit]

See also
                                      Apocalypse of Abraham
                                      Apocalypse of Peter
                                      Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter
                                      Apocalyptic literature
                                      Apocalypticism
                                      English Apocalypse Manuscripts
                                     Eschatology
                                     Millennialism
                                     Millenarianism
                                     Kali Yug Hindu view
                                     Kalki Hindu prophetic figure
                                     Qiyamah Muslim view
                                     Dajjal Muslim Satanic figure
                                     Unfulfilled historical predictions by Christians
                                     Summary of Christian eschatological differences
                                     Doomsday
                                   Armageddon
                                   Apocalypse Now a film directed by Francis Ford
                                    Coppola
                                   Ragnarök




Jesus and John the Baptist I think can accurately be described as either as eschatological
or even apocalyptic prophets. Meaning that they were people who expected an abrupt and
decisive change, that you might describe as the manifestation of the kingdom of God.
Now you can quarrel as to whether apocalyptic is quite the right word for them, but they
at least had that much in common with most apocalyptic literature, that they expected
some big overturning. Now, one has to realize, though, that there were many kinds of
people in Palestine in the first century, or around the turn of the era, who expected some
big upheaval, who expected some massive change. And within that umbrella, they might
have disagreed most vehemently with each other. Many of the Pharisees might have had
apocalyptic beliefs. Might have expected the resurrection of the dead and a great
overturning of the status quo, but they and the Essenes hated each other, basically. What
makes the difference, for an apocalyptic group, is not whether you believe that there was
an end coming, but who you think will be vindicated at the end. You all believe that there
will be a judgment, but the question is, "What will be the criteria for the judgment.?
Whose interpretation will stand?"




Is it fair to describe John the Baptist as an apocalyptic
preacher?
                                                              Boyer is the Merle Curti
                                                              Professor of History at
                                                              the University of
I think the texts that have survived in Christian scripture         Wisconsin, Madison.
certainly present John as viewing Christ as the figure who
will bring on the kingdom, who will bring about this                (more about Boyer)
glorious moment of transformation. What John actually
said, who John actually was, what his message was, is
very difficult to recover at this point, but his role in the Christian scenario certainly has
been that of foretelling the coming of the Messiah, and that then is a step toward the
ultimate triumph of righteousness.

Did Jesus himself believe the ending was near?

There are certainly passages in the Gospels that make it clear that Jesus is anticipating an
imminent moment of apocalypse. That the end is very near. Certainly the earliest
Christians took away from his message the belief that his return would occur in their own
life time. And in his final sermon to his disciples before his arrest, when he's asked,
"What are the signs of the end times?" He tells them about wars and conflict and
wickedness and evil, that then ends with the promise, "All these things shall be fulfilled
in your own time. So yes." ...

It was a very serious issue for the early church because Christ
after all said to his disciples, "This generation shall not pass away
before all of these things have been fulfilled." That's a fairly
explicit promise. And there's considerable evidence that the early
Christian church was rooted in an intense apocalyptic anticipation.
That indeed the end could come, at any moment. And when the
decades past, and the first generation did pass away and the
Second Coming did not occur, Christianity went through a sort of
major period of re-assessment. And what emerged from that I
think was a reinterpretation of these apocalyptic texts, taking a
much longer view of things, and in fact the early church as it
becomes institutionalized in Rome discourages apocalyptic
speculation. They viewed it as dangerous, and basically take the view that Christ's
kingdom will gradually unfold over time. There will be a culmination of righteousness at
some point in the future. But we don't know the precise details. So you can see a quite
dramatic change in Christian theology from the very earliest Christians to the medieval
church.




                                                                  Tabor is a professor in
                                                                  the Department of
                                                                  Religious Studies at the
                                                                  University of North
                                                                  Carolina at Charlotte.
                             The best evidence we have as to
                             what the followers of Jesus            (more about Tabor)
                             thought about the imminence of
                             the end after his death is clearly
                             Paul. We have very early letters from Paul. They date from the
                             50s AD and they're first hand, they're autobiographical. They're
                             undisputed. And they say the most startling things. For example
                             in First Corinthians, which we date about 54 AD, Paul says that
                             it's better not to get married. The end of all things is at hand. In
                             view of the present distress that he thinks is coming on the
                             world, he's actually advising people, "Slaves, remain a slave.
   paul
                             Don't try to really change the social order, because everything,
                             very rapidly, is coming to an end." One of his phrases is that
"the appointed time has grown very short." It's a phrase right out of the Book of Daniel,
about the appointed time, the time of the end. He's our earliest and best evidence. So that
tells us that in the 50s, around the Mediterranean world, Christian communities are
sprouting up, believing that Jesus is the messiah. That he's going to come again, probably
in their lifetime and that they shouldn't really worry too much about their economic and
social order, and even their marital state, because the end is coming so soon. ...

What did Jesus warn about the end time?

When you read the gospels and try to discern what Jesus actually said about the end,
particularly what we call the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, he really says
two things. One's very specific and one's more general. The specific thing he predicts is
right out of the Book of Daniel and that is that a foreign power would invade Palestine,
presumably Roman, because that's his time, but would set up what he calls a desolating
sacrilegious statue of some type in the very temple, the Jerusalem Temple, the Jewish
Temple. That's the specific thing. And he says, "When you see this, leave Judah, people
should flee, they should go to the mountains. Don't even go back in your house, then
everything will come to an end." As far as when this is going to come, that's the more
general prophecy. He simply says, "This generation will not pass till all of these things
are fulfilled." Now that statement of his caused a great deal of problems for the early
Christians. If a generation is forty years and it's been fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, a
hundred years, how do we read that? It created a kind of a crisis, I think, for the
Christians. The end should have come and yet it didn't. ...

If you look at some of the later letters of some the New Testament, Second Peter for
example, he begins to say something rather amazing. "A day with God is a thousand
years, and a thousand years is a day," which is this typical kind of adjustment--it's only
been one day, but maybe a day is longer than we think, so how do we really know? Even
in the later letters of Paul, which we think were written by a Paulean school actually,
Timothy and Titus, you don't find any more waiting for the end, we find Paul talking
about his own death and then he says, "And in that day, whenever that might be, I will
come before Jesus to be judged." But he's not telling anybody any more "don't get
married." He's establishing a system of church government. It looks like the movement is
more in for the longer haul. We don't find those sorts of apocalyptic statements in some
of the later books. ...




Can you convey the atmosphere of the Book of
Revelation?
                                                                 Fredriksen is a William
I think that it's impossible to look at the New Testament
                                                                 Goodwin Aurelio
evidence and read it as a non-apocalyptic text. Most
                                                                 Professor of the
Christians, or most Christians I hang around with who are
                                                                 Appreciation of Scripture
academics, have no problem looking at the New
                                                                 at Boston University.
Testament and seeing it as the language of authenticity,
nice ethics, doing good and being good. But in fact if you
                                                                 (more about Fredriksen)
look at the idea of the Kingdom of God as it functions in
the first century, and the Kingdom of God as the phrase is
attributed to Jesus in the New Testament text, the way the Kingdom of God is used in the
letters of Paul who stands closer to Jesus than the authors of the gospels do, that idea is
an apocalyptic idea. ... I think that when Jesus says, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at
hand," he means something. For him to have been understood by his own Jewish
contemporaries he must have meant what they meant by that phrase. And when we look
at the broad range of evidence we have, the Kingdom of God means the end of normal
time, and the beginning of a reign of goodness and peace. Yes, I think Jesus was
apocalyptic. ...

There's a rebellion against Rome in the first century. It breaks out in 66. It finally
terminates in 74. And in the course of the revolt against Rome, in the year 70 Jerusalem
and the Temple are utterly destroyed. This is a tremendous watershed, not only in the
history of Judaism but also in what will become the history of Christianity. The Temple's
destruction is something that immediately resonates, if you have a bible. Because the
Roman destruction of Jerusalem immediately sets up a vibration with the Babylonian
destruction of Jerusalem half a millennium earlier. So once you have those two events,
you have the re-articulation of the apocalyptic idea. ... In the aftermath of the revolt, with
the destruction of the Temple, many Jews, including those Jews who were Christian,
interpreted the destruction of the second Temple as an apocalyptic signal that the end of
time is at hand. And that's what we get in the gospel of Mark. ...

The gospel of Mark is the shortest, sparest, most muscular, most tightly-written of the
four canonical gospels. ... What the gospel of Mark does, the evangelist lines up Jesus'
prophecy of the coming Kingdom of God with the apocalyptic event that Mark knows
happened: the Temple is destroyed. And what he does is put into the mouth of Jesus the
prophecy that the Temple will be destroyed. This is in Mark 13. ... What Mark's Jesus
talking about, is a reference to the Book of Daniel. That when the temple is destroyed, the
Kingdom of God will arrive. And that's what Mark has his Jesus announcing. But Mark is
a Christian Jew, not a non-Christian Jew. So what the Kingdom of God means for Mark
is not only the destruction of the Temple as the immediate foregoing event before the
kingdom comes; he weds the idea of the Kingdom of God with the Second Coming of
Jesus ... .

If we take Jesus of Nazareth as the starting point for Christianity, Christianity is
apocalyptic in its origin. If we take Paul's letters as the starting point of the New
Testament, then the earliest textual level, the kernel, if you will, of the New Testament
collection is apocalyptic. If we take the New Testament canon as beginning with
Matthew, but ending with Apocalypse, then the entire New Testament canon is
apocalyptic. In other words, apocalypticism is Christianity. That's what distinguishes it
from other forms of Judaism in the first and second centuries. Apocalypticism is
normative. ... It's a perpetual possibility within Christianity itself. If you think of the
shape of the Christian story, Jesus doesn't only come once. He was crucified the first time
he came. He has to come back a second time to finish what he started. This is the point
that Paul makes in First Corinthians 15. That the Kingdom hasn't been established until
Christ comes back. ... So if you will, in the Christian idea of history, as opposed to the
Jewish idea of history, which is its foundation, the church lives in this charged period
between two poles of the First and Second Coming, so this idea of the Second Coming is
intrinsic to the idea of Jesus Christ as a universal savior. And in that sense, it's available
constantly. In antiquity in particular, the vivid belief in a Second Coming was traditional
Christianity. It seems otherwise to us, because Christianity had another fifteen centuries
to develop. When I was being trained for my first communion, way back in the 1950s, I
certainly wasn't taught to stay up late at night waiting for Jesus to come back. ... And
certainly many of my friends who are professional theologians, they're not apocalyptic.
But once I was giving a lecture on precisely this topic, Christian apocalyptic, to a pastors
college. We were together for four days, and I was talking to these churchmen, these are
pastors. I was talking to these churchmen about apocalyptic and I did this liberal arts,
comparative, secular review of the Book of Daniel, the Book of the Apocalypse, and he
was wrong and these people and Montanus, they were wrong, on and on and on and on;
four days of listening to these wrong prophecies that described the history of Christian
apocalypticism. I should add that I was doing this during Operation Desert Storm. When I
took questions, the first one was from a pastor in the back of the room who said, "Yes,
Professor Fredriksen, but now that Saddam Hussein is raining nerve gas down on Israel,
now that he's the power from the north raining fire from the sky on God's elect, isn't it
clear that now is the time of the Second Coming?" Nothing I had said touched his belief.
The amazing thing about apocalyptic thought is that a specific prophecy can be
disconfirmed, but the idea can never be discredited. You just recalculate. ...

Apocalyptic thought is native to Christianity. ... Nothing will ever end Christian
apocalypticism, especially now, with literacy at the high level it is. Where people who
were even brought up on non-apocalyptic Christian traditions, like I was, all you have to
do now is pick up a bible and read it. And if you're not familiar with the elite
reinterpretation of those texts, the proclamation of Jesus' Second Coming is right there,
waiting for you. It's the last line in the New Testament. "Come Lord Jesus."
       The Satanic bible
 This section is to prove how idiotic Satanists are and how they
       think Lucifer is the all knowing God of this world.




One might expect The Satanic Bible at least to offer a few prancing demons or a virgin
sacrifice, but if you hopped this train expecting a tour of the house of horrors, you're on
the wrong ride. Far from a manual for conquering the realms of earth, air, fire, and
water, The Satanic Bible is Anton LaVey's manifesto of a new religion separate from the
"traditional" Judeo-Christian definitions of Satanism. While LaVey rails against the
deceit of the Christian church and white magicians, he busily weaves his own deceptions.


The Satanic Bible claims the heritage of a horde of evil deities--Bile', Dagon, Moloch,
and Yao Tzin to name a few--but these ancient gods have no coherent connection between
each other or to Satanism, except that all have been categorized by Christianity as "evil."
Calling on these ancient names like a magician shouting, "Abracadabra," LaVey
attempts to shatter the classical depiction of Satanism as a cult of black mass and child
sacrifice. As the smoke clears, he leads us through a surprisingly logical argument in
favor of a life focused on self-indulgence. The Satanic Bible is less bible and more
philosophy (with a few rituals thrown in to keep us entertained), but this philosophy is the
backbone of a religion that, until LaVey entered the scene, was merely a myth of the
Christian church. It took LaVey, and The Satanic Bible, to turn this myth into a legitimate
public religion. --Brian Patterson



I read the Satanic Bible in 1993 when I was working in a bookstore in
Arizona. That day I found a bond with the philosophy of Dr. LaVey. I
reread the book five years later and found I had significantly incorporated it
into my life without really trying. This started me on my Satanic path.

Since that time of enlightenment, I have pursued copies of this book. I
discovered there was a hardcover edition published by University Books
out of New York in 1975. I started a search both online and in used book
stores. Frequently many bookstore owners told me that the book was not
ever published in hardcover, however I knew the book did exist and they
were incorrect. Because the hardcover came out in 1975, six years after
the initial paperback release many do not know of its existance.

I turned to my magical abilities to find a way of obtaining a copy. Since the
hardcover edition was not available to me, I started to create my own copy
written in my own handwriting using the perfect book to start this task. I
used a black leather-bound magical journal with an inverted pentagram on
the cover. If you are seeking one of these grimoires, use the link on the left
(Grimoires) to find out more about them.

                                                      I began my magical
                                                      working to acquire
                                                      to an original
                                                      hardcover of the
                                                      Satanic Bible, on
                                                      July 25 XXXIV A.S.
                                                      (1999) As part of the
                                                      working I started to
                                                      create my own copy
                                                      of the Satanic Bible
                                                      written in my own
handwriting using dragons blood ink. Each time I worked on it, I thought
about owning the hardcover copy. My understanding of the Satanic Bible
improved with each page I wrote. By writing each of the words I was forced
to think of the meaning behind them.




Within a month the magic had started to work: I received notice that a
hardcover edition of Dr. LaVey's Satanic Rituals was available online. Soon
afterwards it was in my possesion. It was not the Satanic Bible but I knew I
was on the correct path. I continued to work on my bible; then on
December 16th an original hardcover of the Satanic Bible was offered for
sale on Ebay. Four weeks later it was mine. I discovered it had an
introduction by Michael Aquino; then a valued member of the Church of
Satan that only showed up in the hardcover edition. You will not find this
introduction in any paperback version of the Satanic Bible. It was later
removed when Dr. Aquino left the Church of Satan and started the rival,
Temple of Set.
This copy didn't have a dust jacket, so I had to use my desktop publishing
program and create my own based on what I felt it would look like. I took
the Satanic Rituals and scanned parts of it to be used in my Satanic Bible
dust jacket.
I completed the dust jacket by adding some text to the inside of the jacket
that would match that of the original and added the $7.95 price it sold for in
1975.




Here are my first copies of both of the hardcover editions Satanic Bible and
the Satanic Rituals together. I frequently purchase paperback copies in
used bookstores so I usually have an extra paperback or two laying
around. Most people are not aware they can find a paperback copy for
about $8 at any chain-type bookstore such as Barnes & Nobles, Borders,
Waldens or B-Dalton bookstores. You can even find it in some Virgin and
Tower record stores. But, if you are having difficulty in obtaining a copy for
yourself, I have made an agreement with Amazon.com to provide you with
a paperback copy. They will ship a paperback copy to you (just about
anywhere in the world). All you need is a credit card to purchase it. Click
here to order your copy now ( Satanic Bible ).

I finished completing my handwritten copy of the Satanic Bible on February
6th XXXVI A.S. (2001). 563 days of meditation and writing. I feel this has
been well worth my time to complete this task. This truly was a Satanic
magical working in it purest form.
Originally I was looking for a single hardcover copy of the Satanic Bible,
but the momentum of my magical working has brought me additional
translations of the Satanic Bible.



                                                 My continued Internet
                                                 searches brought me
                                                 paperback editions of the
                                                 Satanic Bible & the Satanic
                                                 Rituals in German. These
                                                 are very special books.
                                                 They have been printed on
                                                 black paper with white
                                                 lettering. These books
                                                 radiate darkness. The
                                                 layout is the same as the
                                                 American edition, except
                                                 they are trade size as
                                                 opposed to the mass
market size of the U.S. editions.



Since putting up this site, fellow Internet Satanists have offered to send me
unusual copies (such as Russian language versions you see below) of the
Satanic Bible & Satanic Rituals.




I have a copy from the
United Kingdom. Star
Books (a division of W. H.
Allen) put out this mass
market paperback Satanic
Bible in 1977. It is the
same as the US edition
except for a picture of Dr.
LaVey on the inside front cover. I found it in Canada when searching the
various used bookstores that advertises online. I love the inscription on the
back cover. It stands so true in the Satanic age.




                            A Satanic Brother in Spain was able to obtain a
                           Spanish copy of The Satanic Bible. This edition
                            is quite unique, It is trade paperback size with
                            no writing on the spine or its back. Inside, the
                           text is complete with an additional bonus. It has
                              an extensive appendix section of writings to
                             include the Eleven Satanic Sins and The Nine
                              Satanic Statements. It also contains several
                           essays, some written by Rev. Matt Paradise and
                            High Priest (then Magister) Peter Gilmore of the
                                            Church of Satan.
This edition in Polish comes from a Satanist in
Poland. I got this copy in exchange for the
American edition of The Satanic Rituals.
Besides the texts being in Polish, the chapter
heading are colored in Blood Red. The size is
the same as the Spanish edition above, trade
paperback.




There is a bookbinder that will take a paperback version of the Satanic
Bible and Satanic Rituals and professionally rebind them in various types
of leather. Here is a picture of the ones he made for me. If you are looking
to have this done to your copies, please chech out his website;
www.SatanicBibles.com.
I have since discovered there are a couple more translations available.
There is a Norwegian edition published by Wolf's Lair with a new
introduction by The Church of Satan's High Priest,Peter Gilmore. There is a
Czech edition straight from the Czech republic. If you are wishing to obtain
copies like these, may I suggest you try the Church of Satan's Shopping
Emporuim, www.cosemporium.com. The copies that I have photographed
above are VERY difficult to obtain as they are out of print. But there are
constantly more translations become available. One just needs to keep a
watchful eye out for them.



Hail Satan!

Seth,

The Cult of One




                         "Grim Death" by William Strand, 1800's


                   "Alone of gods Death has no love for gifts,
                     Libation helps you not, nor sacrifice.
                     He has no altar, and hears no hymns;
                        From him alone Persuasion stands apart."
                                  Aeschylus (525-465 B.C.) "Niobe"



       Select Cross-Cultural and Historical Personifications of Death

  This extensive introduction includes some of the more well known, along with some lesser
  known Death "incarnations", and I use that term loosely, as in many cultures, the Angel of
Death can be quite an adept shapeshifter. We have tried to cull together as much information
and as many examples of Death in personification as possible. I'm certain that there are many
  more. To include them all, we would have a page of encyclopedic proportions! Prior to The
Azrael Project, if one were seeking information on the Death entity, you would literally need to
 research thousands of books and pour through stacks of research papers. With this project,
                    you need look no further than here to begin your journey.

   One of the earliest known depictions of a personified Death was found at Catal Huyuk, a
 Neolithic settlement in Anatolia dating from the 7th Millennium B.C... Death takes the form
  represented by gigantic black birds of vulture-like appearance menacing headless human
 corpses. Many Stone Age cave paintings depict Death as a winged being, tall and extremely
thin and pale in complexion. In these earliest renditions, Death was not given a name, simply
   an image, that to the people of that day, was representative of a major force or "deity".
     Something much larger than life that could never be appeased, no matter how many
  "sacrifices" were given unto It. The assignation of names and titles, and even personality,
   came much later as the world grew "larger" and more diverse in the eyes of man. When
humankind literally separated himself from the animal kingdom and began to think about the
          meaning of life, while always having the recognize the inevitability of Death.

We begin with Azrael, a name of Hebrew derivation. While not the earliest known appellation,
   it is probably the most recognized name given the Angel of Death in the Judeo-Christian-
Islamic world. Literally meaning "whom God helps", Azrael remains at all times a legate of the
 supreme consciousness, which for the multi-cultural aim of this book, we shall refer to as the
                                         "Godsoul".

  From Islamic teachings, it is written that "when Michael, Gabriel and Israfel failed to provide
      seven handfuls of earth for the creation of Adam, the 4th angel on this mission, Azrael,
        succeeded, and because of this feat, he was appointed to separate body from soul".
   (Encyclopedia of Religion & Ethics- Hastings). It is said that Azrael keeps a scroll containing
the name of every person born in the world. The time of death...is not known to Azrael. When
  the day of death approaches, Allah lets a leaf inscribed with the person's name drop from his
throne. Azrael reads the name and within forty days must separate the soul from the body. He
is often described, in the Koran, as a "divine being endowed with immense power so awesome
   that he had to be restrained in 70,000 chains of a thousand years journey's length each. By
  the Godsoul's command; it is written, Azrael spread his wings and opened his eyes and upon
  seeing this spectacle, the angels fainted away." It is further stated that Azrael was given "all
    of the powers of the heavens to enable him to master death." The Koran also recorded the
 following statement of a man engaging in conversation with Death: "When people lament and
 weep too much over the death of a person, the Angel of Death will stand at the door and say,
   'what cause have you for such violent complaint? I am only the messenger of God and have
done His bidding, and if you rebel against Him, I shall return often to take one of your house."

Although this passage may seem overly ominous, it typifies man's personal interaction with a
  personified Death, particularly in the pantheon we are discussing, so heavily influenced by
religious fear and the dominance of their God. Nearly all historical literature treats Death as a
divine creation of the Godsoul for purposes of separating the soul from the body at the time of
passing. This is well exemplified in the following excerpt, also from Moslem teachings: "When
a righteous person dies, the Angel of Death comes with a host of divinity carrying sweet odors
   of paradise and makes the soul leave the body like a drop taken out of a bucket of water.
  Though, when a wicked person dies, Death comes in the company of demons, who pull the
                               soul out as with iron spits."

In Jewish literature, it is written that "Azrael appears to our spirit in a form determined by our
beliefs, actions and dispositions during life. He may even manifest invisibly so that a man may
  die of a rose in aromatic pain...or of a rotting stench." In Islamic lore, it is said that "Azrael,
 the Angel of Death, is veiled before the creatures of God with a million veils and that his true
immensity is vaster than the heavens, and the east and the west are between his hands like a
  dish on which all things have been set to balance." It is further written, "that when the soul
     sees Azrael, it 'falls in love', and thus is withdrawn from the body as if by a seduction."

In some Jewish folklore, the Angel of Death is called Sammael (Samael), meaning the "drug of
  God" since it was believed that his sword was tipped with gall. In the Talmud, 'Abodah Zarah
   20', Sammael is described as "altogether full of eyes. At the time of death, he (the Angel of
     Death) takes his stand above the place of ones head with his sword drawn and a drop of
    poison suspended on its tip." Often, Death is depicted as bearing some form of weapon or
    energy directing instrument; a knife, a sword, a scythe, a shaft of light, or a rod of fire, to
 name a few. Perhaps one of the more pronounced cases of Death's visitation in this example,
 is the tale of Joshua ben Levi, a Talmudian scholar. When time came for him to die, the Angel
of Death (Sammael, in this case) appeared to him whereby Joshua demanded to be shown his
  place in 'paradise'. When the angel consented to this, Joshua demanded the angel's knife so
      that Death would not use it to frighten him on the way. This request was also granted,
whereupon Joshua sprang with the weapon over the wall of paradise. Death, who by Talmudic
   law was not permitted to enter, caught hold of Joshua's garment; but Joshua swore that he
 would not come out. The Godsoul then declared that Joshua should not leave paradise unless
    he was absolved of his oath. The Angel of Death then demanded back his knife, and, upon
  Joshua's refusal, a heavenly voice rang out, "Give him back the knife because the children of
     men have need of it!" Mankind understands the symbolic power of weaponry. In Joshua's
    case, the image of the knife symbolizes power over life and death, as well as the means to
                                  inflict death at higher command.

 While Azrael was the most prominent name mentioned in this culture, in certain Arabic lore,
  Death is occasionally referred to by another name, Iblis, as in the Arabian Nights Tale, The
Angel of Death and the Proud King; And Iblis came (to the proud king)...so the king bowed his
head to him and he said, 'I am the Angel of Death and I purpose to take thy soul.' Replied the
 king, 'Have patience with me a little whilst I return to my house and take leave of my people
  and children...' 'By no means so,' answered the angel; 'thou shalt never return nor look on
them again, for the fated term of thy life is past.' So saying, he took the soul of the king...and
                                        departed thence."

 Longfellow makes mention of Azrael in a poem included in Tales of a Wayside Inn, wherein a
 Spanish Jew tells a tale of Azrael and King Solomon. The king is entertaining a "learned man"
   who is a rajah. As they walk, a figure in the twilight air is gazing intently at the man. The
  rajah asks Solomon: "What is yon shape, that, pallid as the dead, is watching me, as if he
sought to trace in the dim light the features of my face?" The king calmly tells his guest that it
is Azrael, the Angel of Death. The man then asks Solomon to get him as far away from Azrael
    as possible. With the aid of his magic ring, the king sends him off to India. Azrael asks
 Solomon who the man was who left so suddenly. The king gives Azrael the name, and Azrael
thanks the king for sending the man off to India, since he was on his way "to seek him there."

 Osiris is the Egyptian embodiment of the "Death Energy". Although not necessarily considered
    the "personification" of Death in particular, (as the Egyptian pantheon is divided into may
 higher and lower aspects) he is described in ancient texts as a "dark lord, having beautiful yet
 terrible dark eyes and an equally dark complexion: He is also said to have reached a height of
five and a half yards! Egyptian concept of a true, anthropomorphic personification of the Death
   entity was best exemplified as Anubis (who is actually an "aspect" of Osiris). While Osiris is
   considered "God of the Dead", Anubis is the "Guardian of the Dead" whose function was to
   weigh the heart of the deceased against a feather to determine the soul's place in eternity.
    Seker, is an even older version of Egyptian Death personified, particularly in the area of
ancient Memphis. He was said to be enthroned in a region of utter blackness and is depicted in
 the form of a mummy and called the "greatest god who was in the beginning and dwelleth in
 darkness." Originally, as "death gods" go, Seker and Osiris had many attributes in common,
    and the eventual fusion of the two was the result of the triumph of Osiris over the many
"lesser" and varied Egyptian death gods. While Seker represented death as absolute and final,
   Osiris represented the death which was merely a temporary point of transition. Egyptian
mythology is rife with Death allegory. This excerpt from the Coffin Text of the Middle Kingdom
 (circa 2160-1580 B.C..) vividly shows how the Egyptians personified Death very realistically:
 "Save me from the claws of him who takes for himself what he sees: May the glowing breath
                                of his mouth not take me away."

We could no doubt spend this page alone detailing the many, varied incarnations and aspects
 of Death in the Egyptian pantheon. However, there are far more specific books available on
              general Egyptian history and belief that would cover that in length.

    Thanatos, the Greek embodiment of Death is described as "the figure of a priest in sable
  garments and the twin brother of Morpheus (sleep)." The Greeks endeavored to exclude any
   thought of his gloomy nature by viewing him as a "gentle god, who came quietly upon the
 dying." Here, again, Death is personified with a secondary aspect, Charon, the ferryman who
carries the souls of the dead across the Lethe, (which means 'river of forgetfulness'). It is from
 this culture that we get the concept of "paying the ferryman" for passage to the other side. If
   no payment was rendered unto him, usually the equivalent of a farthing or penny, the soul
 was destined to wander beside the river eternally. Hence, the practice of putting pennies on a
                                        dead man's eyes.

Charon, himself, was not a part of Greek mythology until approximately the 5th Century BC.,
      when an inscription praised him as "You who release many men from toil." He is often
      portrayed as a stern and formidable old man who insists that the rules of passage be
respected. This is well illustrated in Bullfinch's retelling of an incident first described by Virgil:
"Charon, old and squalid, but strong and vigorous...was receiving passengers of all kinds into
his boat. Magnanimous heroes, boys and unmarried girls, as numerous as the leaves that fall
at autumn, or the flocks that fly southward at the approach of winter. They stood pressing for
 a passage and longing to touch the opposite shore. But the stern ferryman took in only such
as he chose, driving the rest back. Aeneas, wondering at the sight, asked the Sibyl, 'Why this
discrimination?' She answered, 'Those who are taken on board the bark are the souls of those
  who have received due burial rites; the host of others who have remained unburied are not
 permitted to pass the flood, but wander a hundred years, and flit to and fro about the shore,
till at last they are taken over.' Aeneas, displaying the sacred golden bough, finally persuades
 Charon to make an exception and allow him, one of the living, to cross into the realm of the
    dead in order to bury a fallen comrade and see his father. " It is from the account of this
   highly unusual round-trip that we have some of history's most detailed impressions of the
 "lower world" in which the souls of the dead are to be found. "Charon with eyes like burning
   coals herds them in, and with a whistling oar flails on the stragglers to his wake of souls."
(from Dante's Inferno, 1300AD). Although, in classical mythology, Charon is usually imagined
  as a grim and solemn figure with an awesome task to perform, he has also been portrayed
                              with humor, and even tender passion.

 It is interesting to note that the name Charon is also mentioned in Etruscan history as "The
  god of the dead" replete with an image painted in the tomb of Orca-Tarquina (5th century
     BC). It is highly likely that Charon was "imported" into the Greek pantheon from this
                                       contemporary region.

Modern Greek folklore has transmuted the concept of Charon into a whole new personification.
Death is no longer the withered ferryman, but rather the driver of the "death coach". In many
parts of Greece, it is believed that, as time passed on and men became less connected to their
  gods (i.e., more concerned with material gains rather than spiritual pursuits) Death had to
 venture into the land of the living to retrieve souls. Hence, the personification of the death-
 coach, a black plumed, funerary coach pulled by huge black horses and driven by a faceless
driver with burning eyes, who is in effect, Death Himself. Still today, in the age of motorized
transport, if one were to hear the prance of hooves coming down the road, all ears are tuned
  in the hopes the coach doesn't stop in front of one's home. It is believed that if the death-
coach stops to claim a soul, the driver would dismount and knock twice on the door signaling
                          that someone in that house had just died.

   To the ancient Romans, Orcus was the god of death and was described as a "pale divinity,
almost devoid of flesh and furnished with immense, black wings." His function was to carry the
   souls of the dead to the underworld, which they believed was literally a place beneath the
   earth's surface. Here, as well, Death is personified with more than one aspect. Februus, of
 Etruscan origin, was also an incarnation of Death in ancient Rome. He had a whole month set
 aside as 'the month of the dead', our equivalent of February. Death also had a third aspect, a
female personification, Libitina, the Goddess of Funerals. This triumvirate of deities comprised
primary Roman belief. However, there was still another, more pronounced and detailed female
 Roman personification of Death. Her face was seldom portrayed, nor were temples dedicated
 to her, or were sacrifices offered her, as they were to Orcus, her male equivalent. Today, her
     very name has sunk into such obscurity that it is seldom mentioned when the gods and
goddesses of antiquity are reviewed. Her name was Mors, (a familiar derivation of much of our
 current reference to death) and she was worshipped by the ancients and often sung about by
  their poets. This female deity, remembered today mostly from Roman verse, was a reigning
 personification of Death. It was Mors, pale, wan and emaciated...whom the poets describe as
    "ravenous, treacherous and furious, roving about...ready to swallow up all who came her
   way." She was manifest as a black robed, dark winged figure who might, like an enormous
    bird of prey, hover above her intended victim until the moment came to seize it. In M.A.
 Dwight's 1864 epic, Grecian & Roman Mythology, it is noted that "Mors was not so honoured
      with temples and sacrifices because Death is inexorable, inaccessible to entreaties and
     unmoved by prayers and offerings." Death in the form of this deadly, female hunter is a
       striking figure to contemplate, especially when we consider that most contemporary
  personifications portray Death as masculine, if a gender is specified at all, and that, in fact,
   women much more than men, provide care and comfort to the terminally ill. Mors appears
 then to represent, the type of very powerful female deity who laid claim to many cultures, as
      well as to human imagination, before the patriarchal god became the dominant image.

 There is also another interesting correlation to the image of Mors. Within the often blended
  pantheons of ancient Etruscan and ancient Roman, there is mentioned another feminine
 anthropomorphism of Death; Tuchulcha (from the Etruscan) who is described as a bird-like
   being with snakes for hair, who's menacing stare, it is said, could kill with but a glance.

  In the Hindu/Tibetan pantheon, Shiva (Siva) is the penultimate archetype of Death, again,
with a secondary aspect called Mahakala, who is Death personified. Shiva is referred to as "the
 formed", and Mahakala, "the formless" embodiment of the Death energy. This passage from
 Aghora, At the Left Hand of God by Robert Svoboda describes them best; "Mahakala has no
  limitation of any kind whatsoever, at least in the universe we know. He has no form at all,
   none. At least Shiva manifests a form we can concentrate on. Mahakala, being the utterly
                    formless, which means He can assume all forms at will."

 Shiva is attributed as a "compassionate yet terrible divinity whose sight made even Vishnu,
(the Hindu/Tibetan aspect of the great Godsoul) wince". Mahakala is said "to make everyone
  cry, and cries himself out of the joy of releasing imprisoned souls." Rudra, is another name
  found in this complex pantheon. Literally translated, it means 'the crier" or "he who makes
others cry." Rudra is the ancient name for Shiva, and in texts "is so called because he makes
everyone cry who comes into contact with Him because He separates them from their limited
      existence to which they are tightly attached." Of Rudra, it is further written, "By my
magnanimity I have removed this individual from all the pains and miseries of existence, and
 the fellow was not even aware of my presence. Now he is truly at peace. People are fools to
                      cry for their dead; They should cry for themselves."

  In Svoboda's Aghora, it states, "Everyone is afraid of dying, which explains why no one is
willing to love Mahakala. Only two persons in all our scriptures have loved Mahakala, and both
 of them became immortal...Destruction is necessary but, unfortunately, no one is willing to
  face Death. Even for Rama and Krisha, who were real incarnations of God, there was one
moment of shock, one tremor, when Mahakala appeared before them...The sight of Mahakala
                 is so terrible that even God incarnate quails before Him..."

  There are a variety of "faces" of Death in Indian culture, dependant upon particular religious
   "sects" and beliefs. Kali, a feminine aspect of Death comes immediately to mind. Although,
she is referred to more as "the Destroyer" or "the Devourer", no doubt she embodies the same
   energy as Mahakala. Kali, "The Black Mother", is portrayed rather frightfully. She is naked,
 dishevelled, wild-eyed and maniacal. In her hands she brandishes a blood-stained knife and a
  bloody human head. A necklace of skulls lies on her breast. She is often depicted, in Indian
    art, as having one foot on Shiva, who is lying on the ground like a corpse. Kali has many
                            different names and faces in Indian culture.

    Yama is called the "King of Death" in Buddhism, and certain Hindu pantheons. He is also
  referred to as judge of the dead, evaluating their activities while on earth to determine their
fate after death. He is described as having "flesh of green or black, and robes of blood-red. He
 wears and crown and a flower in his hair and has many eyes, legs and arms. Each appendage
   bearing mystic implements and human skulls." (Much like the images of Kali.). Another of
 Yama's names is Vajra-Bhairava, which literally means "terrible lightning". Yet another name
 that pops up is Daikoku-ten, of Oriental Buddhist origin, and is pretty much the equivalent of
                       Siva/Mahakala. He is called "the Great Black One".

There are numerous tales from India's vast apocryphal texts of human interaction with Yama.
   One in particular describes "that it is difficult to prevail on Yama when he comes at the
appointed hour to seek his victim on earth. However, the gentle and beautiful Savitri, wife of
Satyavan, succeeded in persuading the god of death to give her back her husband...As Yama
was bearing away Satyavan's soul, his wife followed obstinantly...until Yama was so moved by
 this fidelity and love, that he offered her fulfillment of her wish, provided she did not ask to
                             have her husband brought back to life!"

 Emma-O is referred to as "the King of the Dead" in ancient Oriental Buddhism. It is said that
 he became Death because he was the first man to die. His description is one of a red-faced,
angry looking deity with a coarse beard, attired in judges robes with a berreta bearing the sigil
 of a king. In his right hand, he has a tablet, the emblem of official authority. In his left hand,
 he holds a staff with two accusing faces on top; one called "The Seeing Eye", and the other,
  "The Sensitive Nose". Emma is still part of the popular pantheons of Buddhism throughout
                                         Japan and China.

Secular Chinese Buddhism has another name for the Lord of Death, Yen-wang, whose job it is
to decide when one's time is up. He then severs the mystical cord that connects body to soul.
 It is from Eastern beliefs that we get the concept of the "silver cord", that etheric "umbilical"
                       that connects body to soul until the time of death.

In the modern Japanese pantheon, the "Goddess of Death" is called Yuki-Onne, which literally
    means "the Snow Queen" who "chills to numbness those she takes so as to make their
 transition as peaceful and painless as possible." She also serves to cut the cord at life's end.

Hel was labeled the "goddess of Death" in the Germanic and Scandinavian lands. She was said
   to dwell in "the land of shades called Niflheim". Her face was portrayed as half normal, and
     half the colour of the night sky (much like images of Shiva). It was said that Odin (the
Germanic equal to God) "gave her power over nine worlds, so that she could determine where
  everyone should dwell after death." There are a lot of feminine Death personifications in this
    part of the world. There is also mention of Freya, leader of the mysterious Valkyries, (the
airborne horsewomen of death) as being a prominent Death allegory in Norse mythology. Also,
from this part of the world, we get the name Kalma, a death goddess of Finnish origins, where
  we also find the name Nga, "God of Death". In certain ancient Finnish folklore, Tuonela was
 the "Domain of Death", and is surrounded by "Death's river". The dead are carried across the
                   waters by "Death's Maiden" at the darkest moment of night.
  In many Slavic and Baltic lands, Death appeared simply as a woman dressed in white who
 carried souls to "Vela", a world shrouded in grey mist and cold. Folklore, particularly that of
    the Black Forest region, is rife with "Grim Reaper" type images, and/or Death generally
personified as a withered farmer with scythe in hand who doubled as Lord of the Harvest. This
concept still remains with us throughout many Pagan traditions where deities are heavily tied
                            into the seasons, and nature in general.

    In Polish tradition death is personified as a female. She is believed to be a skeleton (or at
   times a skeleton covered with skin) wearing a black cloak and holding a scythe. Death has
  also a special name. People call her "Kostucha". This archaic name means "bone lady". The
   oldest text about her is from 15th century (circa 1460) and it is actually the longest Polish
  Medieval text It's title is "Conversation between Master Polikarp and The Death" ("Rozmowa
    Mistrza Polikarpa ze Smiercia"). In this story Polikarp, who was a wise and religious man,
 asked God to show him Death. One evening, when he was praying alone in church, he saw a
strange person. He described it as a skinny, pale female without nose or lips (something like a
corpse - or "moira" in Polish) with yellow eyes crying tears of blood. She was "the Death" sent
      to him by God. Then, the Death answered the questions asked by Polikarp. From this
 conversation we know that she was born from the apple which Eve passed to Adam It is said
 that. She is powerful, and that no one can hide from her neither under the ground, nor under
    the water. Everyone is equal before her. it does't matter if you are poor or rich, sinner or
                             saint. She is irreconcilable and incorruptible

  Another, similar image is derived from ancient Celtic and Gaul; Sucellos, the "Harvester of
   Souls", who was described as a "mighty striker with scythe in hand". This entity was also
    called Silvanus in southern Gaul. We get much of the origin of our current Grim Reaper
imagery from this part of the world. In certain Celtic pantheons, Death is again, given aspects.
   One of the more well known is the female triplicity known as The Morrigan, "the Queen of
Shades". Consisting of actually three spirits, it was personified as a large, black crow or raven,
   much like the Roman Mors, sweeping down to catch its prey. Another, lesser known Celtic
  personification was Ankou, known in Brittany and rural Ireland by the sound of his creaking
cart traveling the roads at night, picking up his latest victims. He need only open his cart door,
 or touch his intended, and life would flee. This, too, is a similar mythos, alikened to modern
        Greek folklore mentioned earlier, even though they were culturally, worlds apart.

In certain early Welsh folklore, the name Gwyn Ab Nuud is mentioned as "god of the hunt who
         gathers lost souls and escorts them to the land of the dead on a white horse."

 Quetzalcoatl was the god of the west and of magic in ancient Central America. Depicted as a
    plumed serpent with two faces, one of life, and one of death. He was both creator, and
destroyer. Lord of Life and Death, and the embodiment of the Death energy whose personified
 aspect was called Miquiztli, literally meaning "death". If we go further north, into Mexico, we
find the name Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec "God of Death" whose function was to guide the souls
    of the dead safely to the next world. The name Kukulcan is also briefly mentioned as a
      "manifest Death", but this appears to be more of a latter corruption of Quetzalcoatl.

 In present day Mexican folk art, the personified Death is called Santa Muerte, "Saint Death"
and is depicted as a white-robed skeleton. In one hand He holds the scales of balance, and in
the other, either the earth, or the more traditional scythe. During Mexico's "Day of the Dead"
celebrations on November 2nd, one can find depictions of Death throughout Mexican culture,
  from its local shops, to churches and elaborate home altars, to candy and children's toys.

   Baron Samedi is Death personified in the Haitian Voudon pantheon, and is described quite
  vividly, as a tall, black man sporting a tail coat and top-hat. He has a long, white beard and
   eyeless sockets in his head. When invoked, he acknowledges by flapping his coat tails and
 tipping his hat. He is said to be a very educated speaker, yet his comments and mannerisms
can be quite lewd. Offerings of rum are sure to get one into his good graces. Here, as well, we
  find that Death has other aspects; Baron Cimitere, who is literally, "Ruler of the Cemetery",
   and his counterpart, Baron LaCrosse, who is the "spirit of the Shadow of the Cross". These
 grand loa (or great spirits) are often accompanied by petra loa (demi-gods) called the Gede
                                Loa, or "Spirits of the Cemetery".

The Haitian feminine form of the Loa of Death is the pale, thin and wraithlike Madam Brigette,
    who serves very much the same function as Baron Samedi, but with a few more Kali-like
    attributes of "whirlwind-like change and balance". If we trace Voudon tradition back to its
     African source, we find the name Oya, whose name translates to mean "she who tears".
Goddess of storms, hurricanes, radical change and Death, she is portrayed as a whirlwind who
 literally rips away the veil between this world and the next. Wearing grass skirts or costumes
of multi-coloured rags, she is a fierce and steadfast guardian of the cemetery, particularly over
   the souls of women. She has also found her way into the Santeria religion where she fills a
  similar role as Baron Cimitere; as one who watches over the dead and guides their passage.

 African culture is particularly rife will archetypal Death images. The Egungun, of West Africa
  are a group of "spirits of Death" who appear only as cloth draped entities and are known to
      dance at various festival and tribal functions. Gaunab is another of the many African
personifications of Death. Referred to primarily as "Chief of the Dead", his function and images
   are very similar to that of a counterpart found in the Congo, who is not mentioned by any
    specific name, but simply as "one of the sons of the great god Ngai. (This is not the only
 culture where Death is referred to as "the son of" someone. In Polynesia, for example, Hine-
     Nui-Te-Po, or "The Great Lady of Night" is mentioned as being the "mother of Death").

   There are numerous, oral tribal legends telling of human interaction with Death in African
   culture. For instance, in Baganda legend, "Kintu, the first man, was permitted, after many
 trials and tests, to marry one of the daughters of heaven. God sends the pair to live on earth
and gives them gifts, including a hen. He told them to hurry lest they meet Death (the bride's
 brother), and not to come back if they had forgotten anything. The woman forgets the hen's
feed and goes back for it despite the warning, at which God, in His displeasure, grants Death's
    request to accompany them. Kintu appeals to God, who relents and sends another of His
 "sons" (called Digger) to take Death back to heaven. Silence was ordained during the pursuit
as Digger chases Death who has hidden in the ground, but the cries of children break the spell
      of silence and Death is allowed to remain on earth and strike down all living things."

There is another, very odd African story, told by folks living on the shores of Lake Kivu, which
  shows God trying to save men from death but giving up in exasperation. According to this
 tale, God made man to be immortal and kept a close watch on Death who was always trying
to pick quarrels with men and provoke them to a fight which He knew He would win. One day
  God was away and Death killed and old woman. She was buried. But, after a few days, her
 grave began to heave as if she were coming back to life. Her daughter-in-law poured boiling
water on the grave and beat it with a pestle saying "Die: what is dead should stay dead!" The
 grave was then quiet and the old woman was really dead. God returned, and seeing that the
  old woman was not there, asked what happened. When he was told, he said he would hunt
Death down. Death fled...and met another old woman to whom he said, "Hide me and I shall
reward you." She let him hide under her skirt and he entered her body. God caught them and
 decided that, since she was so old, it would be best to kill her and tear Death from her body
   and kill him as well. But Death slipped through God's fingers, and this time, persuaded a
   young girl to hide him in her belly. God despaired: if human beings kept on thwarting his
    efforts to save them, he might as well give it up as a bad job. So, he let Death do as he
                                            pleased.

One of the strangest stories of all comes from the Ewe-speakers of West Africa. Yiyi the spider
   (a panthaic demiurge) cadged meat from Death during a famine. Death had plenty of meat
 because he had made a great clearing in the forest and set traps in it. In return for continual
 supplies, Yiyi gave Death his daughter in marriage. Death told his new wife not to go through
   the clearing when she went to fetch water. But, one rainy day she did and was caught in a
  trap. Her husband chopped her up for the larder! When Yiyi discovered what had happened,
    he attacked Death with a knife and ran away in terror to the village with Death in pursuit.
 Death had never been to the village before, and as he lay in wait for Yiyi, he amused himself
by shooting at the women as they went down to the river for water. He then realized that here
               was game enough, and he had no need to set traps for animals.

   The Chippewa Indians have a unique legend about Death. It is said that once there was a
great magician who came to the Chippewa nation wanting to make them immortal. He advised
     them to give "amicable greeting to the first stranger who would come to visit them".
  Unfortunately, for them, the Indians turned aside from a man carrying a basketful of rotting
flesh, taking him for Death, but gave affectionate welcome to Death, Himself, in the guise of a
                                     pleasing young man.

Tales like these, are as abundant as the tribes of mortals that have walked the earth. Another
 example, from the Aborigines of New South Wales tells how, in the beginning, the Godsoul
 forbade the people to go near a certain hollow tree in which bees had made their nest. The
men obeyed, but the women wanted the honey. Finally, one of the women hit the tree with an
  axe, and out flew Death in the form of a bat which now claims all living things by touching
                                     them with its wings.

 There are numerous other "names" of Death and stories like these to be found. Although, as
  mentioned earlier, to include them all in this volume, would make it a task of encyclopedic
  proportions. Nearly every culture on earth, and no doubt beyond, has had its version of an
     anthropomorphic Death. A few others we thought merited mention, include one from
  Melanesia, where Death is called Marawa, the "Giver of Death" and is said to work hand in
                              hand with Qat, "The Giver of Life".

 In Iranian mythology, death was closely associated with time, so that Zurvan, the deification
    of Time, was regarded as the god of Death. Murdad is another name that we find in the
     Persian pantheon. And, if we look into Zoroastrianism, we find Murdad's androgynous
                                     counterpart, Mairya.

In ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonians named the death god Uggae; but he does not figure
  notably in their mythology under this name. More well known was Mot, whose name, again,
    means death. Here, as earlier seen, he is aligned to the harvest. He was personified in a
rather horrific manner, similar to that mentioned in the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, in which is
    written, that Enkidu, the unfortunate friend of Gilgamesh dreams of his coming death as
  seizure by an awful being; "He transformed me, that mine arms were covered with feathers
 like a bird. He looks at me and leads me to the house of darkness, to the dwelling of Irkalia;
                    To the house from which he who enters never goes forth."

     Another name found in Sumerian-Babylonian mythology is Ereshkigal (Ereshigal), the
   Sumerian "goddess of Death and the under-world". She was known as the dark sister to
   Inanna, fertility queen of heaven and earth, and ruler of the "land from which there is no
                                            return".

Haida, the Canadian Indians of Queen Charlotte Island have a death god duality called Ta'xet
    and Tia. One is god of violent death, and its counterpart, that of a peaceful passing.

In Falasha lore, the Angel of Death is Surial, "the trumpeter". It is said that Moses received all
 his knowledge from Suriel. This "angel" is also mentioned in The Canonical Prayerbook of the
                             Mandaeans as "Sauriel the Releaser".

In Christian theology, Death is not graced with a name, but is referred to by description as an
"intelligent being" in Job XXVII-22, and in Revelations VI-8, as "sitting on a pale horse and His
   name was Death". This is echoed in earlier, Gnostic texts, particularly The Book of Enoch;
    "And I looked and saw a pale horse and the one seated upon it had the name Death." In
Christianity, the archangel Michael was once considered the original incarnation of the Angel of
                                      Death in earlier texts.

  To bring encounters such as these into a more contemporary forum, I'd be amiss not to
mention one of the more publicised modern day accounts which appeared in Newsday, a well
   respected New York daily newspaper. The encounter experienced by a well known and
respected Long Island doctor is today, a documented case history. Following, is an extraction
from Dr. Julian Kirchick's partially published journal: "It was an apparition, a frightening thing
   that at first scared me witless! I don't know whether it was real or not, but I knew it was
Death! I was sitting at my picturesque backyard pool, which was surrounded by rose bushes. I
  was startled by a rustling in the bushes about twenty feet away. I rose to investigate. After
  taking about two steps, I suddenly stopped short. There was a ghastly intruder, the face of
  Death! He was dressed in a monk-like robe with a large hood and large sleeves which hung
 low. The tissue-like skin drawn tightly against the skull...eyes which seemed absent from the
hollow eye-sockets seemed to pierce my very soul. His bony hand beckoned to me in a benign
gesture. 'Come to me,' he seemed to say..." Dr. Kirchick died shortly after this encounter of a
                 illness he was unaware of at the time the experience happened.

 Despite enormous cultural differences, the basic countenance of Death is uniquely universal.
   Often described, as we have seen, as a tall, often winged, dark enshrouded (skeletal or
emaciated) being surrounded either by darkness, or by a blue or purplish radiance. His "eyes"
 are striking, if not mesmeric "pools of black water", as described in Midrashic legend where
                       awesome depictions of Death's appearance are rich!

 It is curious to note, that in many of these cultural pantheons, Mors (Death) and Amor (Love)
 are inextricably entwined. The Greek Thanatos and Eros are said to be nearly twins. In many
    cases Death has been known to appear as a handsome youth, and Love, as the withered
corpse. In Hinduism, Yama (Death) and Kama (Love) are said to be in eternal union, much like
   Shiva and Shakti (his bride) are locked in eternal embrace to keep the universe in balance.
   This concept is echoed in numerous instances where a personified Death and a personified
                                         Love are present.

 The power of the archetypal Death entity lies not in the many names given It. These are, of
 course, man-made, not divinely assigned. The power of the presence of a personified Death
 lies in the resident and residual energies attached thereto, which have become "energized"
 over time with psionic vibrations of the thoughts, meditations, evocations, prayers and faith
  via the millions of impressions directed at, and attributed to the Spirit of Death throughout
   history. The collective energy of so much focused thought has literally made the formless
                                     manifest and accessible.

 Considering the way modern society treats D/death as something "evil" or "malevolent", it is
 interesting to note that in nearly every one of the preceding examples, Death remains at all
  times, a legate of the Divine Consciousness. Death is, in principal, the personification of a
particular divine aspect of will, developed from a functional expression of the Godsoul that has
  evolved into a relatively independent personality with a distinct character of Its own. Dion
  Fortune stated an excellent observation on modern mans view of Death in her 1942 book,
    Through the Gates of Death; "We must get out of the way of thinking that death is the
  ultimate tragedy...It is only the man sunk in matter who calls the Angel of Death the great
                  enemy. His esoteric name is the Opener of the gates of Life."

              Copyright 1997 by Leilah Wendell, excerpted from "Encounters With Death".


 For modern day encounters with the Angel of Death, please go to section titled       "Encounters
                                           With Death"
                          "The Angel of Death" Evelyn de Morgan 1855-1919




Some of the following are a sampling of previously published, true first person encounters with
  Death that have appeared in The Azrael Project Newsletter™ over the past 25 years, along
with newer encounters that visitors to this website have shared. This was always the heart of
   the newsletter, and the main reason for its inception and continuance. We are continually
  adding to this page as encounters are submitted. To submit your encounter with Death for
      consideration for inclusion on this page, you may use the following forum to post on
 Encounters With Death Message Board or you may simply email us. Additional encounters
                             with Death can be viewed on the forum.
                          "The Angel of Death" by Horace Vernet, 19th Century

                           "Death stands above me, whispering low
                                I know not what into my ear;
                              Of His strange language all I know
                               is, there is not a word of fear."

                                        Walter Savage Landor




  "I have had several episodes. However, most recently I experienced Him...last year. I am a
nurse at a large hospital in Salem, MA. One of my patients called me to her bedside to tell me
   she was feeling "not quite right", and that she felt as if she was going to die. Up until that
point the woman was in good health and was only admitted for diagnostic exams. Slowly, the
   woman began to loose consciousness and, in fact, started to die! All the time I was doing
 everything possible to regain her. I had called in several people for help, and soon the room
    was filled with nurses and doctors. I stood back from her bed by the doorway, giving the
 doctor a report of what transpired. I saw out of the corner of my eye the other people in the
room. But, standing at the foot of (her) bed was someone dressed in black. I really didn't pay
 much attention to him because I was concentrating more on the patient. The person dressed
 in black walked away from her bedside and started to leave the room, and as I was standing
  in the doorway, I had to move for him to get out. I did so saying, "Oh, excuse me." I felt a
huge breeze as he brushed by me. I turned to the person next to me and asked who that was
who just left? This person said, "No one just left." I gave a description of the person, but they
  still insisted that nobody just went out of the room. Just at that moment, the patient rapidly
   regained consciousness. It was at that point I realized who that person was all dressed in
                                               black."

                                            B. Barraco
                                            Salem, MA.



"About a year ago, I attended the funeral of an acquaintance of my husbands. I had no choice
but to bring my children (ages 5 and 7) with me to the graveside service. My husband thought
  it would be a good idea anyway as they hadn't been exposed to the death of anyone at this
  age, not even a family member. We were standing around the grave-site while people took
turns eulogizing the deceased. All of a sudden my five year old started walking off as if he saw
 something standing at the foot of the grave. Everyone went silent as he walked up to a point,
   looked up and started talking, as if to a real person, but I saw no one. It was an awkward
situation, as I couldn't pull him away from this spot. A bit frustrated, I asked him 'who are you
  talking to, anyway?' His reply unnerved everyone, 'I'm talking to the real tall skinny man in
 the long black coat.' Of course, no one else saw this, or at least, no one else admitted seeing
     this. After the service, I asked my son what they talked about. His reply was, 'He didn't
remember.' But, that he 'talked without moving his lips.' I get a chill just thinking about this."

                                        Joan Tendunde
                                       Albuquerque, NM.



    "I often take late night walks through a cemetery near my home. One night, a few weeks
 back... I was sitting in a clearing surrounded by 7 foot yew and cypress. It's a very quiet and
  private spot far from houses and street-lighting.... The bushes started to rustle. First, just a
 breeze, which quickly grew into gusts of cool wind that seemed to come from beneath them.
 (Odd, because it was a typically still, hot and muggy southern August). Suddenly, the air was
 filled with the scent of dying Jasmine and earth, almost like after a heavy rain. Each time the
 wind would gust, a shadow would pass over me. I had the feeling of many presences around
 me, almost in a circular fashion. Suddenly, everything grew still again. There were no bird or
cricket sounds like normal. It was absolute silence. The shadows seemed to have sunk into the
     earth. I figured, well...that's it! Time to head on home. So, I got up and started walking
toward the main road. I could see my own shadow now on the pavement in front of me, as the
  streetlights were plainly visible from here. There was also a second shadow that seemed to
  almost "grow" out of my own until there were two, distinct shadows. I turned to look behind
me and saw no one. But, when I turned back around to face forward, I saw the Angel of Death
    plain as day standing cross-armed before me about 10 feet away. He was framed in dark
 ultraviolet. Quite a striking image, to say the least! A gust of very cold wind came again from
  beneath my feet. I felt my hair blow upwards as I watched the spectre of Death rise upward
 with the wind and disappear into the tall trees. I must have looked stupid standing there with
  my mouth open. I collected myself and continued walking home. Every so often, I could feel
 Him hovering over me. When I got home, I fell into a deep sleep under the shadow that hung
                     over my bed. I never felt so at peace as I had that night."

                                        Laurence Kilmer
                                         Jackson, MS.



"I had a very odd encounter with Death. For the past several months, my seven year old niece
  was going on and on about a tall, black shadow that comes to her in the woods behind our
house. My family has always been very open and honest about things of a spiritual nature with
the children. So, when I asked her to tell me more about the "stranger", she immediately and
  nonchalantly referred to her visitor as "the Angel of Dying". I asked her how she knew this.
 She told me that "the angel told her so." She had been trying to tell us about "the angel" for
quite a while now. But, as usual, we adults are so caught up in the day to day, that we tend to
 ignore children's rambling about "imaginary" friends. However, her persistence, and reading
 about other people's encounters...spurred me to sit down with her and listen. I am more of a
 mother to her, as her real mom passed away two years ago, so we are very, very close. She
  sat calmly and told me why the angel "took" her mom away, and why she also had to leave
 soon. At first, I didn't understand. Later that day, she came running up to me during dinner,
  grabbed my hand and literally pulled me from my seat, insisting that her "angel" wanted to
 meet me. It was about 8:30 pm as we went out into the yard. She told me to sit on the grass
  while she went into the woods to "get him". What I saw next was absolutely incredible! She
  emerged from the woods in a swirl of leaves, floating about a foot off the ground. She was
skipping playfully on thin air and was hand in hand with a figure so dark that it literally had no
 shadows. I froze for an instant as they came to where I sat. Every hair on my body stood on
 end. My niece came behind me, putting her hand on my shoulder telling me not to be afraid.
  She then took my hand and put it into "his". The next thing I remember, was my husband
 hovering over me in the yard and a group of paramedic workers attending to my niece about
   three feet away. She passed away that night from a brain hemorrhage. The whole event
       changed all of our lives here. She still comes to visit, and my hand still tingles."

                                       Rose Marie Cortenga
                                           Laredo, TX.



 "Death has been no stranger to me this year as I have lost a child (through miscarriage) and
 three of my beloved cats. On one hot evening in July, I set up my altar in the south, over the
mantle to perform a protection spell for myself and our coven. After doing the ritual, I left the
 candle to burn out. When I returned to check on it, the room was uncommonly cool for a July
    night in California, also compared to the rest of the house! I walked to the mantle to look
 closely at the candle for a while, and, as I did, was drawn to the window. I gazed out upon a
    seemingly normal, lovely night. But, as I turned, I felt a cool breeze that seemed to pass
    through me. All the hair on my arms stood straight up, and in the southeast corner of my
 room, loomed a black figure so tall it appeared to bend forward as it reached higher than the
 ceiling. I'd never experienced such a thing before, and literally the words that filled my mind
   were, "Oh, shit, it's the Grim Reaper!" and I quickly ran out of the room. Yes, I know that's
         silly. I'm certain I would be found just as easily in the den...but? As I sat then in
contemplation, I was filled with laughter, for I felt so ridiculous for my behavior, but I also felt
       very protected and I knew the spell I'd performed would succeed. (It did!) After this
experience, I began to feel a bit different about death and became more open to my dark side.
 Before, Death was the enemy. I'd do all I could to prevent Its presence, for it was the "thief"
 that stole what I loved and gave me grief. My views were changing...Also, it was at this point
that the spirits began to show themselves to me...Months passed, and it was now October and
 my coven and I were in the midst of our All Hallows ritual...We sensed a "gate" opening to us
 through which many spirits came and interacted with us...Then, all of a sudden He appeared
  at the doorway. His presence blocked out everything else, taller and blacker than the night,
     hooded with a cloak or something that seemingly floated behind Him. He walked out the
    "door" and "through" myself and a friend. You see, my friend began to describe the exact
      sensations I was having physically at the same time they were actually happening to
 me...Being filled with ice cold, electrical tingles from the base of our spines to the tops of our
    heads. The sensations ceased for us both at the same time as well, the exact moment He
  passed through completely. He walked over to our fire-pit, which was reduced to embers by
  this time. He appeared to have a staff or stick as He stirred the embers with it. He turned to
  look straight at me, but I saw no face, just shadow shrouded by His cloak, and said, "Never
fear me, for nothing is forever." and then He simply merged into the night and was gone, and
  I wished He wasn't because I wanted to touch Him, embrace Him. I was filled with the most
deep feeling of peace I have ever experienced. I was sad that He was gone and tears fell from
   my eyes. It was so hard for me to remain composed. When our ritual was over, we talked
 among ourselves about our experiences...I have no fear of D/death at all anymore. I see that
                             it is in fact birth from one world to the next."

                                              A.H.
                                          Alhambra, CA.



"My encounter with Death wasn't directed at me. I was merely a bystander, who, for whatever
 reason, was allowed to watch Death "take a soul". I live on the 8th floor of a large apartment
complex, and my living room window aligns exactly with my neighbor's bedroom window. Our
 windows are about 8 feet apart and across from one another. Last summer, late one evening,
   it was a particularly quiet night suddenly made even more silent. I was reading on my sofa
directly under the window, when all of a sudden the usual "night-sounds", i.e., crickets, birds,
   even traffic just stopped. With my back to the window, I started to hear the sound of a low
heart-beat, and then a strong wind rushed down between our two buildings. The sound of the
  wind was distinctly like huge, flapping wings and the wind grew so strong that it blew in the
 window and knocked over my lamp. I got up, peered out the window and the air smelled like
    wet earth and dying flowers. On my neighbor's window ledge was the most amazing dark
    shadow, crouching and looking in his window! I watched as it "floated" into my neighbor's
opened window. The heart-beat sound was now pounding in my head to the point of giving me
 a headache. Inside my neighbor's room, all I could see was a flash of blue light, very low and
 subdued...and the sound of the heart-beat stopped. I felt suddenly strange, lightheaded, like
    all of the oxygen was taken out of the air. I fell back onto the sofa, and again the scented
 wind whooshed into my window and was gone as quick as it came. The night-sounds started
      up again immediately! The next thing I heard was my neighbor's family scrambling and
   turning on lights, so I yelled out the window if everything was all right. I was informed that
  their father was dead, so I rushed over to see if I could help in some way. When I arrived in
 his room, I felt faint again and started to tell his sister some of what I saw and felt. She, too,
 felt and heard similar things but saw nothing. As time went on and I got to talk to the whole
    family, no one else heard or saw anything but us. I often wonder why I was privy to this.
 Anyway, I've turned my sofa to face the window. It's much more interesting than anything on
                                                 TV!"

                                          Carl DePensio
                                           Miami, FL.



   "You know all the strange things you hear about the New York subway system? Well here's
 one that I'm sure you'll like. I take the #1 train home every night from work, usually about 2
  am. It's a relatively short and speedy ride. The train was nearly deserted, and the car that I
   got into had only one passenger. From the looks of him, I suspected that he was one of the
homeless simply looking for a place to keep warm as it's been a very cold winter up here. I sat
  at one end of the car, and he at the other. I was reading a newspaper for a few minutes and
then glanced up quickly. There was another passenger sitting right next to him...but we hadn't
    stopped and no one else had entered the car! He was the most gaunt, pale creature I ever
   saw. I couldn't help staring at him, but I don't think he noticed me just then. His fingernails
      were blue-black, not painted, more like cyanotic. The whole car began to smell of dying
 flowers and wet earth. It was weird. He touched the sleeping, homeless man on the shoulder.
He was obviously groggy, but he looked the strange man straight in the eyes and broke into a
smile and tears at the same time. Then, they both turned and looked straight at me. I thought
  that I was going to keel over right there. An incredible cold ran up my spine and I could feel
   the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I had to look away almost immediately, as it
 was somehow extremely painful looking into the stranger's eyes. They seemed to be drawing
   me in and my heart was pounding so fast, I felt as if I was going to pass out. Just then, the
 lights in the car went out (as they frequently do). It was only for a moment or so. When they
   came back on, the strange man was gone, and the other man was slumped over the side of
 the seat. I just knew that he was dead. His eyes were staring into space and he had the most
  peaceful smile. The whole event affected me deeply. I am both apprehensive and assured at
  the same time. That experience taught me that Azrael is gentle, but harnesses an incredibly
       awesome energy of some type that both frightens and attracts me at the same time.
   Sometimes now, I still see his eyes in the darkness. I try to look into them and understand,
     but my body always reacts violently, as if it's ready to shut down unless I turn away. The
                                   night is, indeed, "full of eyes"!"

                                         Derek Cabriole
                                         New York, NY.
"When I was 8 years old, the Angel of Death actually saved my life! I was ice-skating alone on
a pond when I fell through the ice. I couldn't find the opening and I was panicking and starting
    to pass out from the cold water which was flooding my lungs. Suddenly, I felt something
 poking at me and I grabbed it, and felt myself being pulled through the water and up through
   the opening in the ice. When my head came out of the water, I couldn't believe my eyes! I
    was terrified! I saw a hooded, black-robed corpse. The stick that I was grabbing onto was
actually the blunt end of a very large, silvery scythe. The figure was very tall and very big. His
face was that of a decomposed corpse...like a skull, no eyes, just sockets. But, inside the eye-
    sockets were swirling whirlpools of black and dimly glowing reds. A skeletal hand reached
 down to me and pulled me the rest of the way out of the water. At first, I was more scared of
 the figure than of drowning. In fact, I though I was dead. The odor of death was everywhere,
   but somehow it didn't bother me at all. In fact, for some reason, it seemed to comfort me.
    Azrael put his skeletal hand on my head and gently stroked my wet hair and spoke to me
saying, "Do not fear, little one, I'm here to protect you, it's not yet your time." Suddenly, I felt
sleepy, probably from hypothermia, and I struggled to keep my eyes open but couldn't. A few
   moments later, I awoke from my brief sleep with a feeling of incredible warmth that swept
    through my entire body. I opened my eyes again, and Azrael was gone, but I still felt His
  presence very strongly, and I was no longer afraid of death. The warmth stayed with me the
 entire mile long walk back home despite the fact that it was only about 14 degrees outside. I
  have felt very close to the Angel of Death since that day. Death actually saved my life, and I
                            have felt His presence with me ever since."

                                        Dennis Wardrop
                                        Hagerstown, MD.



   "For as long as I can remember, I have felt a strong affinity for the "Death energy". I come
     from a very large family and have attended the wakes of many relatives. Coming from a
         traditional Irish-Catholic background, all of our funeral rites are lavish in pomp and
  circumstance. From the age of 6, my first wake, I can remember the presence of a man who
came to the service alone, spoke to no one, but simply sat in the background and "observed".
I remember asking my dad, "Who is that man?"He'd simply say, "What man?" He couldn't see
him. It seemed that my aunt and I were the only ones that could ever see him, and she never
wanted to talk about it. He's been at every wake thus far. Most of our family wakes were held
      at a local tavern, and split between there, the funeral home, and our family home. The
    "mystery man" would sit at the end of the bar, in the shadows, just staring at everyone. I
  remember thinking how "beautiful" he was when I was younger, with pale, marble-like skin,
extremely tall with incredibly dark eyes that seemed to pierce right through your soul. But, his
   clothes were always "wrong"...out of time, as it were...as he seemed. A couple of times, he
  raised his glass to me as if to make a toast, then he'd smile...Finally, when I was about 17, I
  decided it was time to "confront" this mystery man. Oddly enough, it was at the wake of my
   aunt, the only other person who actually saw him as I did. He was at his usual place at the
 end of the bar when I walked up to him. I stopped about 5 feet from where he sat, not out of
choice, but because my body just locked up as if I suddenly became paralyzed. In the space of
 that last step, I seemed to have stepped out of time. The voices in the background faded to a
       faint whisper and everything sounded like it was coming through a long tube. Without
     thinking, I blurted out, "Why are you here?" He simply turned toward me and said with a
    smile, "Very good question, son...very good. Allow me to turn it back on you!" He laughed
momentarily and his face became a skull for a split second! The next thing I remember, is my
  dad tapping me on the shoulder, "Who are you talking to?" he asked, kind of annoyed. I just
looked at him and somehow knew that from that day forward I wasn't the same. I looked into
   my father's eyes and literally "saw" his death. Every detail that happened exactly to a tee 7
  months after my aunt died. "He" was there at my father's wake as well. I think that He shall
   always be "with me". I'm not, as of yet certain as to why, but I'm learning fast via the new
                                   sensations He has gifted me with."

                                          Carl McCallum
                                           Reston, VA.
"Ten years ago, while I was working the aptly named "graveyard shift" at a local 24 hour radio
  station, I had several bizarre encounters with a being in a long black, hooded robe. I would
     see this being, whom I immediately thought resembled the "ghost of christmas future"
   standing down a hallway near the major control room. Several encounters occurred in the
     summer and left a feeling of ice-box cold in their wake! Strangely, I felt no terror, just
 immense curiosity, and, very alien to me then, a longing to speak with this figure, who never
  spoke to me. I never saw its face, though the hands appeared skeletal. These appearances
came some months after my mother died of cancer and my grandfather of complications from
  a stroke. Although I was not there when my mother died, I had felt intense guilt...up until I
  had the encounters with the entity. Since then, I have replaced that guilt with simple regret
that I could not have been there to share in the "passing over" experience, as I had done with
  my grandfather. I saw such a look of happiness and relief on his face after much suffering. I
                             can never again truly ever fear Death."

                                         Carl Nicastro
                                         Pottsville, PA.



 "I am a hospice care-giver mostly to AIDS patients and others on the final stages of terminal
 illness. I had become quite close to one patient in particular, and we would often have length
    discussions about all things spiritual during his lucid moments. Early on the morning of his
   death, I had come into his room as I'd done for the 4 months he was with us, at sunrise to
    open the blinds as per his request. The blinds were an opaque white, already allowing the
bright morning sun to light the room for normal sight. As I walked over to the window, I saw a
   distinctly female figure sitting next to him on the bed. I heard the words, "Please leave the
  blinds closed." in a low, multilayered voice. Her lips, however, never moved. In the existing
  room light, her pale, thin face was skeletal on one side, and somewhat normal on the other,
 except for the darkness of her eyes and her sunken cheekbones. I just stood there in awe as
 she placed her spiderlike hand over his heart, and he opened his eyes. Upon seeing me first,
he smiled and said "Good Morning, Joan..." Then, he calmly noticed Her, his smile broadened.
    She bent down to kiss him and pulled her hand down firmly on his chest. Again, he looked
    over to me and said, "Isn't She beautiful...how can anyone be afraid of Death." I felt tears
    welling up in my eyes and wanted to rush over and take his other hand, but for whatever
reason, I was paralyzed where I stood. It was weird. I could actually see the life force draining
 out of him, coming out of his finger tips into hers. Almost immediately his heart monitor went
 dead and the alarm sounded. I turned for only a brief second toward the door as others were
rushing in. When I turned back, she was gone. Stan, my patient, was finally at peace and all I
  could do was smile back at his corpse. Ever since that particular incident, the work I do here
has become even more important than I had ever dreamed. I keep hoping to "catch" Her/Him
                  again and taste a bit of the sweetness Stan did that morning."

                                        Joan Reisling
                                      San Francisco, CA.



"While my wife of 30 years lay on her death-bed after a year long battle with cancer, I knew it
was only a matter of hours before she left us for good. The room was dim, except for a night-
lamp and a candle by her bedside. I sat in a chair beside her, holding her thin, fragile hand in
    mine. For the passed week, she was unable to readily recognize me and respond to her
 surroundings due to the intense medication. Suddenly she struggled to sit up in bed, and for
   the first time in weeks, fully focused her eyes upon something at the foot of the bed. Still
  holding her hand, I saw it too! An immense darkness that formed into a vaguely humanoid
    shape right before our eyes. At that moment, the air in the room grew cold and hard to
    breathe, like all the oxygen had been sucked from the room. My wife turned to me and
   strained to whisper, 'He's come for me, Donny. I want to go now...It's time to let go.' I sat
there crying, still holding her hand as she stared as if pleading to me. I kissed her, and when
    I pulled back, the figure was on the other side of the bed holding her other hand in what I
 could only describe as long, misty tendrils. Then, I saw something even stranger. As she was
  fading, a weird illuminated, bluish fog seemed to frame the dark figure and it grew brighter
  the more she faded away. I kept looking at her, and looking at It, there seemed to be some
 kind of energy exchange going on. Everytime the figure's illumination grew brighter, her pain
 seemed to lessen until her hand went limp in mine and she lay there, eyes open and fixed on
      the darkness. The glow behind it was gone. I watched the darkness that was once form
atomize into a trailing mist that just went back into the shadows of the room. My wife lay dead
 on the bed, staring and smiling at nothing in particular. She looked happy again- and I knew
somehow that she had continued and would always be with me. Death is not to be feared, nor
   thought of as an unmerciful persona. It is people's misunderstanding of Death's role in Life
    that is misunderstood. Until one has walked mine and my wife's path, this may be hard to
 conceive. Death does not steal life away like a 'thief in the night', Death relieves us of a flesh
               worn, torn and weary from the strains of living in a disposable shell,"

                                        Donald Brousard
                                         Pensacola, FL.



   "My first conscious memory was of a knocking in the summer of my thirteenth year. I was
      staying at my aunt and uncle's house for awhile during vacation. I was lying in bed and
 contemplating various things when I heard a distinct knock on my door. I got up and opened
the door, but no one was outside the door or in the hall. I went to my relatives room but they
were asleep. I didn't think of the knock for awhile, but a week after I returned home my uncle
 was diagnosed with fatal lung cancer, and subsequently died. The summer after that, I went
 back to that house with my mother. Again, I was lying in my bed, but in a different bedroom,
 contemplating, when I heard a distinct knock on the closed door. I remembered in an instant
     what had happened before, and I refused to open the door. I told my mother about the
     knocking, and my suspicions, and she all but laughed at me out loud. A week later I was
                              travelling to the funeral of another relative.
    After I returned home, I thought about what had happened and I thought that maybe the
   knocking only happened in my aunt's house, but I was proved wrong when I heard another
knock at my door at home. A relative died shortly after. Nothing happened after that for about
    six months, no one died either, until I heard another knock, which really frightened me. A
    friend of mine's death occurred a week later. I noticed then that the way I reacted to the
person's death was related to the way I had reacted to the "knock" itself. More recently, I had
    broken up with a boyfriend because he claimed I had too much supernatural and physical
   "crap" in my life. I met a new guy, and I also heard a knock. I was very anxious about the
    knock and I repeatedly questioned it. A friend of my mother's was diagnosed with cancer.
Sometime later, I heard another knock so loud that it shook the couch I was on. I was startled
 and fell on to the floor, but my cat stood shaking and staring at the door. Shortly thereafter,
my cat became sick and was eventually diagnosed with fatal kidney tumors. His death affected
me exactly as the knock had, and I was so scared that I couldn't sleep alone anymore because
  of the sounds I heard. After awhile everything calmed down. The next time I heard a knock
     was a Sunday, I was standing next to the door. I turned and had the feeling of "seeing"
       something that wasn't actually visible. I was startled by the closeness I had felt to the
  "knocker-er". I was greeted at church by a man from the choir. I shook his hand and looked
 into his eyes when he smiled and said hello. A week later he was dead. I started attending a
        new college and I met a girl in my class who also heard the knocking. She also had a
"guardian presence" surrounding her. My "guardian", as he's been called ,is male, tall and thin
and anemically pale, has long black hair, and favors wearing a black cloak and hood lined with
 red. He said he was alive once and then his name had been James. He had blondish hair but
     his "residual spiritual image", as I've heard it called, has black hair. He likes to be called
   "Vincent Thanatos". I've never seen him looking three dimensional, but I'll usually become
     aware of his presence when I blink, I'll see an image of him standing a little ways away.
   Sometimes it seems to be happening very slowly. When he talks it's just a voice that's like
                               something whispering in my ear."

                                        Nephthys Theoda
                                            Canada



"It was my 10th birthday as I was swimming in the sea, I got really far from shore and I was
 getting tired. I felt myself falling in the abyss and all the sounds stopped. Suddenly, a man
pulled me up and took me to the shore. When I got up, there was no one there! I thanked the
man that saved me, even though he was gone, because I felt his presence all around. I don't
                 know who he was, but today it's clear to me; Angel of Death."

                                         Dovus Operior
                                            Greece



"Feb. 7 2001 was the day it happened I know because it was not just a week ago. Two months
 prior to this date my Dear Grandfather Virgil was told he had Lung Cancer. This last month or
   so really hit him hard. Over the next few weeks leading up to his death I stayed a lot at his
 house, helping take care of him and such. In the morning I would take a walk through the 20
    acres of land that we had just bought to watch the sun come up... I remember very well
 coming back from the walks and seeing a man dressed in a long black robe leave the house. I
 did not think much of it at the time. Still this did seem too real and troubled me. Finally after
     being sick and tired of what I saw thinking I was making the whole thing up I asked my
 grandfather who the man was. When he told me that no one came to the house either time I
     got chills up and down my spine. then it had occurred to me where I had seen him once
before. It was in July of last year when we bought the house. That same man was standing on
 the edge of the land we were going to buy. A little scared and troubled I left to go back home
leaving Grandpa in the care of my Aunt. I got the call two days later that Grandpa was back in
  the hospital. I rushed over there as fast as I could. When I got to his room, he looked fine. I
  took care of him for a few hours and decided he was stable enough for me to go back home
   and get some sleep. Walking out of the hospital with my Father next to me, I told him what
  had happened. He just looked at me like I was crazy. Still, something was not right. I asked
 him how long he gave our grandpa and he said maybe a week at most. Searching my mind, I
 thought about all that happened and for some reason the words "three days" popped into my
  head. Sure enough I marked it on the calendar, and in three days he was gone. I have gone
    back to the 20 acres since the funeral and never once have I seen that black clothed man
  around our land So that was my encounter with Death. I know it was him... and he is still on
                            our land... but I have yet to see him again."

                                         The Silverwolf



 "Let me begin with my most recent encounter (September 25, 2000 to us humans) and work
my way backwards. I'm good friends with my next door neighbor, and our mutual friend took
    her own life on September 2. The problem is that he was and is deeply in love with the
departed and blamed her death on the inconsideration of yet another party in England. Follow
 me so far? This past weekend, he was inconsolable. Knowing my, er, relationship with Azrael
 (as much as an outsider can know, anyway), he came to me and asked for my/Our help. His
  question was simple--did this Englishman push our friend to suicide before her time? I met
Azrael in the sanctuary I have built for that purpose. Azrael takes many forms in His presence,
from the archetypal Reaper to a beautiful winged woman. On this day, Azrael appeared to me
 as a tall, thin, white-skinned young man. His eyes which never change--always the color and
  sparkle of dark amethysts--seemed to burn even more brightly than usual. He knew what I
  would ask before I spoke a word--of course He did, He knows my thoughts. Laying His hand
   on my brow--the fingers felt bony but held a strange warmth, like when the skin has gone
  beyond frostbite--He told me to remember my lessons, and that there were no accidents in
  this universe. If my friend took her own life, then that was her appointed time to leave this
     flesh. Azrael left me not only with that knowledge, but with the ability to persuade my
  neighbor friend to this, Azrael's truth. So I went over to my friend's house and shared with
him the essentials of my meeting with Azrael. Of course things happened and thoughts passed
 between us which cannot be captured in words, nor are they essential to this tale. I touched
   my friend's brow in much the way Azrael had touched my own. In that moment, calm and
  peace flooded his being. I felt him relax under my hand and I knew he had accepted what I
 had told him. For the first time since the suicide, I saw him smile. I don't know how this gels
 with other experiences people have had with Azrael, but I want to thank Azrael with all that I
am for helping me bring solace and comfort to a very good man. Now will he be able to get on
                                    with the business of living."

                                          Raven Corvus



 "I left my house at approximately 9:30, and drove to the cemetery. Well, actually, I drove to
 the old mill that is just down the road from the cemetery, and I parked there, behind the mill
      where no one would see my car. Then I walked the rest of the way. The cemetery was
    completely dark...there are no security lights or street lights nearby, and the gates were
  closed but not locked. This was my first time in this cemetery alone at night...I'd been there
 before with friends after dark, but never alone. I found my way to the crypt without too many
 problems, and once I had reached it I just stood there for several minutes, trying to calm the
rapid beating of my heart. I realized now that I was terrified...not of the cemetery itself, but of
  what I was going to do. It's not that I was afraid of a body or Him or any such nonsense...it
 was more that I seemed to sense that I was standing on the threshold of something vast, and
   once I had opened the crypt there would be no turning back. The night was still...but then
     suddenly a gentle breeze brushed by me, cool on my skin and scented of damp earth. I
remembered everything I had read here about others smelling that same scent, and I shivered
a little. Could it be Him? Well, if it was...wouldn't do to keep Him waiting, right? I clenched my
teeth, swallowed hard, and grasped the side of the crypt slab...lifting it and shoving it forward
                                          with all my might.

  Gods, I had no idea how heavy those damn things are! It made a gritty, scraping sound as it
 shifted on the brick sides of the crypt, and I felt something in my shoulder creak and make a
     twinging sound...then quite suddenly the whole slab was sliding off and I was scrabbling
      madly to keep it from slamming into the ground on the other side and breaking into a
thousand pieces. It proved impossible for me to catch it...it slid from my grasp and thudded to
 the grass, but luckily it landed intact. I breathed a sigh of relief...I had been so worried about
   the slab that I forgot to look inside and see what I had "found," but when I finally did, my
 breath caught in my throat and I felt my eyes get all watery. It WAS a body, or what was left
 of it. My eyes had adjusted well enough to the darkness to make out a shrouded form lying in
  the crypt, wrapped in a light-colored cloth. There was dirt in there, too. I don't know how or
why it was there, but it had filled in the crypt about half-way up the body, leaving only the top
    half fully exposed. I reached out with a shaky hand and gently stroked the shroud. It was
    rough and a little stiff to the touch, and it made a soft, crunchy sound as I ran my fingers
along it. I frowned a little...some of the fabric came apart as I touched it, but age will do that,
    I guess. I dimly realized that all my fear was gone. I reached up and gently tugged at the
       fabric covering the face, and it held together and pulled open easily in my hands. My
   excitement grew, forming a small, delightful knot in my stomach, and then, all of a sudden
 and with no fanfare, I pushed aside the dusty coverings and saw the skull. My heart began to
 pound. It was so beautiful! I'd never seen a real human skull before in real life, and I couldn't
     believe I was seeing one now. It appeared to be a brownish color, which surprised me a
   little...all the pictures I'd seen of skeletons show gleaming white bones, but this was more
 brown than white, by a long shot. Something told me that this had been a man. I don't know
 how I knew, I just did...and I brushed my fingers against his forehead gently. I was surprised
again, the bones were only mildly cool, instead of the chilling cold you hear people talk about.
  I reached down and started pulling the rest of the shroud free. It took me awhile, because I
didn't want to tear it, so I had to work slowly and with a great deal of care. There were three
knots, I soon discovered, tied around the body, at the neck, what would have been his waist,
  and the ankles. The knots were made with fabric, more of the same that covered him, and
unfortunately as I worked on the knots the fragile material came apart in my hands. Normally
 I would be horrified by this, but somehow I had the feeling that it was okay. I was meant to
  see this body, and as long as I showed it reverence it would be all right. Once again, I just
                                             knew it.

   My excitement was growing and growing, and soon I had the shroud free and I was able to
    peel it carefully away from the remains within. Mostly just his bones were there, and the
 crumpled remains of what might have been his clothes, the rest of him had long since rotted
   away. Strangely enough, a large portion of the shroud underneath him had rotted away as
well. If I had known this, I probably could have simply reached under him and gently freed the
 shroud from behind. I didn't mind, though, I let my eyes roam lovingly down the long length
 of him, peeping through the tatters of his clothing, and then I dared to stroke him gently with
   my hands, allowing my fingers to caress the coolness of his legs, his arms. A few times my
 skin would brush over bits of clinging matter...flesh, I suppose, dried and crackly beneath my
 hands. I could have stayed like that for hours, simply touching him all over, but suddenly the
  wind sprang up. It began whipping at my clothes, and I felt a chill steal over me as I looked
   around the cemetery. There was a tree not too far from where I knelt beside the crypt, its
branches began to toss, and then there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Writing this now, I
     know how this sounds. I actually thought to myself as lightning flashed, illuminating the
 stones around me, that this was beginning to look like something out of a horror movie. That
thought made me laugh a little to myself, but then a few small drops of rain sprinkled me, and
    I realized that if I wanted to do anything else, I'd better do it now, before the storm truly
arrived and all hell broke loose. I carefully crawled inside the crypt. I'm a rather petite person,
  so there was plenty of room for both me and him, and I snuggled down beside him and put
my arms around his body. The bones were loose feeling, and they shifted under my touch, and
 I can remember feeling a little surge of fear coupled with excitement at the thought that they
     might move on their own. The shroud made more crunchy sounds as I wriggled, getting
  comfortable on the warm earth beneath our bodies, and then I laid my head next to his and
                                          closed my eyes.

     For the longest time (it seemed to me), nothing happened. The storm continued to grow
  louder, and the wind picked up in intensity. I was shielded, for the most part, from the wind
 by the sides of the crypt, but I could still hear it hissing through the leaves above my head. I
gently slid my hand down his body and tried to entwine my fingers with his, but apparently his
 decomposition made that impossible. When I lifted his arm, the fingers didn't come with it, I
     gently replaced his arm without opening my eyes, and I let my hand rest on his ribcage
    instead. And that was when it happened. I gradually noticed that the storm seemed to be
 getting farther away, yet the flashes of lightning outside my closed eyelids were as bright as
ever. It was more like the sound was falling away...or I was falling away. In fact, that's what it
felt like...like I was falling away, but there was no fear and no sense of vertigo or anything like
    that. That's when I felt the bones move again, and this time it wasn't me that had moved
 them. My heart began to pound faster. I could hear it throbbing in my ears, but it was as if I
 was paralyzed. I couldn't move, although I felt so comfortable and drowsily warm that I must
      admit I didn't try very hard. I had the feeling that if I wanted to escape, I could, but I
certainly didn't want to! It felt as if the bones themselves were growing warmer, but I couldn't
 feel my own body anymore...and then I felt a shift, and the skull gently turned and laid itself
   against my head it the most tender manner. I was falling, falling...the sounds of the storm
 were gone, and all I could hear was the sound of wind rushing in my ears. Something caught
  me. I fell away from the world, and then something caught me up and I was flying. My eyes
were still tightly closed, and I had the sensation of warm, soft darkness surrounding me, but a
 cold wind on my face, rushing fast and nearly taking my breath away. I heard a voice, deep,
                        but soothing, tell me, "Open your eyes and see, child."

I opened my eyes slowly, and I saw that I was enfolded in the hugest black wings imaginable.
  They wrapped me up like a blanket, and only my face peeked through. I was flying through
 darkness, the only light seeming to come from me and my mysterious flying companion. The
light was pale and of a bluish, silvery cast, and cold. The wind blowing in my face was cold.
We were flying at an incredible speed, and I could feel strong arms encircling my body. I was
 being held in someone's arms as we flew, and I strained to turn my head to look above me
                                      and see who it was.

    If you're reading this, I'm sure you already know exactly who was carrying me, but I must
 admit that it came as a bit of a nasty shock to me. We've all seen pictures of Death, in all his
 many forms, especially as the Reaper...but it is one thing to see an inanimate picture of Him.
        It is quite another to actually see Him...for real. All logic tells us that skeletons aren't
   supposed to move, dammit...and here was a grinning skull inclining its head towards mine,
looking straight through me with its empty, glowing eye sockets. I think I yelped a little, and I
    actually think he chuckled a little at me. It was His voice I had heard, and He spoke to me
  again without moving his mouth. "You called me, child, and I have come," He said. "Why do
                                               you fear?"
I couldn't answer at first, I was too enthralled by his eyes. I can remember thinking, over and
   over again..."Leilah was right! She was right...they ARE amethyst!"...but finally I swallowed
   hard and answered Him. "I guess...deep down inside, I didn't think you'd come, or that you
                                            were really real."
                   "And now I have come," he said again. "Do you regret calling me?"
 I had the strangest feeling He already knew the answer to this, but I think He wanted to hear
  me say it aloud. "No...I'm not afraid," I said, quite truthfully. "Just startled, I guess." I think
 He chuckled again, and suddenly I felt quite at peace and comfortable. I turned back around,
 then snuggled deeper into the soft, sweet-smelling feathers of His wings. As we flew through
  the endless darkness, I closed my eyes and relaxed, feeling as if He were gently opening my
mind, looking inside and probing it curiously. I was vaguely surprised at how I felt. I've always
   had a sexual fascination with Death, and I won't deny that I've harbored thoughts of a tryst
  with Death, but now that I was actually here, with Him for real, my feelings weren't like that
  at all. It was more like...a father and daughter sort of thing, I think. That feeling, more than
      anything, was what convinced me that this was all real, and not just the product of my
imagination. It was like being a small child again, safe and warm within the arms of a father. I
 could sense His love and protectiveness of me, covering me and enfolding me securely, and I
       suddenly realized that I wanted nothing more than to stay here in his winged embrace
                               forever, without another care in the world.

  I don't know how long we flew...I don't think time has much meaning when you're with Him,
    but far sooner than I would have liked, I could feel His embrace getting fainter and more
   ethereal. I opened my eyes...the feathers around me were growing more indistinct, like the
    fading of a ghost, and I squeezed my eyes shut again. I think I started to cry...after such
  incredible peace and security, I didn't want to go back. No no no...but then I felt a cold hand
  on my cheek, kissing my skin with His fingertips. "I don't want to go back," I said miserably.
 "I know...but you must. Dawn approaches in your world...and the living cannot stay in mine."
                                       "But..." I began hopefully.
"No, it is time for you to go back," He said. "But I will always be here, waiting for your return."
   He was growing fainter and fainter, His voice echoing in my ears dimly. "Visit me often," He
                 said finally, His voice a mere whisper. "You are always welcome."

 I opened my eyes again and...I'll be damned...dawn was approaching, just like He said. I had
been (at least in body, anyway) in the crypt all night. The storm was over, and although it was
   still quite dark, I could see a pale lightening in the sky to the east, and I knew it was time I
 got my ass home. I looked over at my silent companion, and noted with a little shiver that he
    had moved during the night. Instead of on his back as he had been when I first curled up
  beside him, he was now on his side facing me, his skull resting against my head like a father
    tenderly holding his child. My throat felt a little tight, and I felt like crying again...I knew,
    beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Azrael had heard my call, and come. And now, with the
                                          dawn, He was gone.

  I lifted my head and gently kissed the skull, then eased the bones back over to the position
they had been in originally. Climbing out of the crypt was a chore, I was stiff and sore all over,
   but I stumbled out as gracefully as I could. I knelt down again, the dampness of the grass
 soaking through my jeans, and carefully covered him once more in the remains of his shroud.
 I also made a mental note to return later, at night, with another blanket or cloth of some sort
   so I could cover him again properly. Getting the slab back on was a pain in the ass. I fell in
the mud once or twice, scrabbling in the dirt with my toes trying to get some purchase to lift it
with. I finally managed to rock it up the side of the crypt in one piece, and once it was actually
  over the top edge, sliding it back into place wasn't too terribly difficult. I checked all the way
 around to make sure it was even, and then, like a whisper in my mind, something told me to
  see about getting some brickmason's mortar and filling in the sides. I knew that this way, at
least, was not meant for me again. Somehow I knew there would be other nights like this, but
                           not here. This crypt was closed to me now.

 I stood up and stretched, my bones popping, and then I started off for the gates and my car.
   It was then that I noticed the huge puddles everywhere...it had apparently poured rain that
   night, yet, mysteriously, my skeletal companion and I had remained perfectly dry within his
 crypt. It was just one more thing to confirm the reality of what had happened...I felt another
little chill up my spine as I slid through the gates and closed them quietly behind me. I started
   off down the dirt path, back to the mill and my car, but something stopped me. I turned for
      one last look back at the marvelous gloom of the cemetery, and something was there,
   watching me. My heart jumped a little, it was a huge black figure, looming in the pre-dawn
      darkness behind the low brick wall of the graveyard. I was frozen, watching it in mute
  amazement, and it seemed to nod once, slowly, in my direction...then I saw it turn and glide
  into the depths of the cemetery, disappearing at last into the shadows. Azrael, coming to bid
 me farewell until next time? I think so...hell, I know. I lifted my hand in parting, a little smile
 on my face...I don't know if He saw, but I like to think He did. Then I turned and left, back to
                       my car, my life, and the world of the living...for now."

                                          Libby Edwards
                                          North Carolina



 "I came across your excellent website while performing a search on the 'Angel of Death' and I
    wanted to share my own personal encounters with you in the hopes of finding camaraderie
  and a mutually enriching dialog. My first encounter with the Angel Of Death was in 1992. My
    husband of 14 years had passed the great divide after a long battle with cancer. I had just
  returned home from the first day's wake and was standing in our master bedroom, lighting a
    devotional candle. All of the sudden, a gentle breeze stirred through the room. The candle
flickered but remained lit, and while in the cross breeze I felt a sense of calm resignation wash
   over me. The peace and tranquility I experienced during those seemingly endless moments
erased the negative, 'grief' based emotions which had imprisoned my soul for the past 2 days.
   I now know that this was Death's way of assuring me that my husband's soul had gone to a
 better place, and that he did not 'die' in actuality. I visit my husband's (so called) final resting
 place twice per week and never, during any of these literally hundreds of graveside sojourns,
   have I not felt the presence of the Angel Of Death. It has been the faint sound I hear in the
      stirring of the nearby trees; it has been in the coolness in the earth beneath me; in the
     squirrel who passes by with a gentle gaze or in the sweet smell of floral essence. In all of
 these stimuli, I feel the soft hand of Death, and I know that he is indeed with me. Some may
     say this is all 'in my head', but I know in my heart that these sensations have been (and
 continue to be to this day) valid communications between my mortal self and the eternal and
       loving entity known as Death. Until finding your website, however, I only had a vague
 knowledge of my encounters, a 'gut feeling' if you will. I have Leilah Wendell and the staff of
 Westgate to thank for providing me with a sense of direction through your wonderful website.
                          I am truly indebted to you for your printed wisdom."

                                           Marion Bailey
                                            Dallas, TX
  "It's great to know that I am not the only one out there that has seen him. I have seen him
many times. One certain sitting I was sitting in my bed. My girlfriend was asleep beside me. It
was hot all day and night but normal for Texas in July. All I could think about was that she had
been really sick for about a week and I was worried about her. The room was dark, but I could
  still see everything in the room, and out of a corner this dark figure seemed to be floating in
thin air. Like I said I have seen this many times but I was worried. about his presence because
 of my girlfriend's condition. I yelled out " go away" But then a whisper said to me, " I am not
  here to hurt you nor to hurt her but she has to come with me." And then my girlfriend woke
up and asked, "What's wrong?" I said, "nothing, just go back to sleep". After she went to bed I
tried to go to sleep but with the figure in the corner it was hard but I eventually did. I woke up
       the next day and looked at her. She was breathless. She died 2002 July 15 and I was
                           wondering if anyone would talk to me about it.

                                        Alexander Breif
                                       Whitesboro, Texas

The purpose of The Azrael Project™ is to put forth the word of the Angel of Death and thereby
conquer fear through understanding. To make people aware of the essential nature of Death,
  and to help humankind see their universe through His eyes in order to gain a macrocosmic
  understanding of both, Life and Death. To view the world from neither side of eternity, but
  rather from the threshold between the dimensions of space and time. To reconcile Life with
                Death, rekindle precarnate memory, and replace fear with love.
                           A Brief History of The Westgate

 Beginning in the mid-seventies, the voice of Azrael was just a whisper. Westgate press was
 born under the name of Undinal Songs, the world's first, and at that time, only periodical to
    focus exclusively on Necromantic Art & Literature. Specifically material dealing with the
     personification of the Angel of Death. It was primarily a forum for extraordinary works
considered too bold and daring for more traditional outlets. Often "shocking", this "Magazine
of the Macabre" was the only publication of its kind in the world. The first viable effort to deal
openly with such topics as Death as a lover, necromantic practice, and other "taboo" subject
 matter explored both in myth and especially as fact. We encouraged our audience to share
 their paranormal experiences and encounters with such entities as the personified Angel of
Death, and other, similar souls patently designated as "dark" and "menacing" by a world that
     had little understanding of such melancholic figures. In its day, Undinal Songs and its
  contributors won many awards in the independent press field, and in 1982 was named by
  Writer's Digest Magazine as one of the top 50 publications in the field. It also served as a
   respected launching pad for some of today's successful genre writers, artists, & editors.

  In 1983, the effort underwent a major restructuring. Undinal Songs became The Westgate
   Group, which then consisted of a publishing house, art studio, & an informational service
  specializing in many metaphysical & occult areas. One thing led to another, & in 1984 the
Westgate Gallery formally opened. The concepts & ideals that Westgate had been expounding
in print, finally had a visual expression. Originally located on Long Island in New York State,
 "The Little Black Box", as the gallery was then called, served as a unique, if somewhat dark
                 gateway point for people on their way to the sunny Hamptons.

In 1988, the origination & purpose of The Westgate was finally & concisely put into concrete
 form through the publication of The Book of Azrael, An Intimate Encounter with the Angel of
  Death, which was hailed by reviewers as "the most fascinating book of the 20th century."
Since its publication, Westgate has been coined "The Voice of Azrael", and we are comfortable
   with being recognized as such on an international level. Our books, art & other items are
available worldwide through bookstores, mail order, specialty shops, & distribution agents. We
have long endeavored to print an indelible mark upon the spirits of all who read our titles, and
engender the enlightenment of mankind as a whole. We do this by cultivating & nurturing The
 Azrael Project in a slow & steady fashion to insure that His message will remain viable long
                                 after we have left this world.

When the 1990's came, so came even greater changes for The Westgate. In 1990, after a four
    day vacation to New Orleans, we fell in love with the spirit of the City of Enchantment. It
 seemed to have been chosen by Azrael Himself as a viable gateway through which He might
 emerge into the world. A city where many spiritual gates lie open. An unsettling threshold in
  its own right, where Life & Death merge behind a feathered mask. Where spectres weep in
 shaded courtyards, and magick recedes behind weathered shutters. It was during this year
  that a special soul joined our cause with almost magical coincidence. Daniel Kemp came on
board; A walking piece of the Night sky, and a perfect companion to Death. He had "this book
    in him", The Book of Night, but not a forum with which to bring it to fruition. On a deeply
   spiritual basis, Leilah and Daniel found that they had so much in common that their timely
                                    pairing was quite uncanny.

That year, Westgate moved lock, stock & barrel to the Crescent City's famed Magazine Street
 where it stands today as both monument, and museum/Temple to the Angel of Death. The
 opening of the Westgate here signifies that the time has come for mankind to reconcile Life
with Death. This place stands out like a beacon, calling to all souls who feel an affinity to what
it represents; A physical & symbolic manifestation of the true Westgate through which we all
 pass upon our death. "The House of Death", as we are more commonly called, is a place for
 special souls, and you know who you are, to gather & feel at home. After all, it is His house!

   Our purpose remains to put forth the word of the Angel of Death & thereby conquer fear
through understanding. We endeavor to make people aware of the essential nature of Death &
     to help humanity see their universe through His eyes, & thereby gain a macrocosmic
understanding of both, Life & Death. We must loosen this last remaining fear that keeps many
  tethered to the narrow view & burdened by the weight of flesh. We must learn to view the
 world from neither side of eternity, but rather from the threshold between the dimensions of
    space & time. For two decades, The Westgate has been rekindling primeval memory, &
   replacing fear with love. The gallery/museum serves as a point of contact between Life &
 Death. A place where folks can come & be touched by the melancholy spectre of the Angel of
Death, & hopefully come away with a new & poignant understanding. It is a threshold between
    two worlds & a place where Love & Death embrace unabashed by their own spectacle.

 The ideals of the Westgate are a quantum leap beyond the veil of fear that still exists, even
 among the most "enlightened". We stay with love & commitment to our cause in being the
voice & vision of the Angel of Death. Our determination & success over the past 25 years has
 spear-headed His message from the fringe, to the forefront of a wave that sweeps beyond
      current revelationary thinking into an area that The Westgate alone has charted.

                                About the Founder of Westgate;

 As a child, Leilah Wendell grew up shadowed by a powerful & dark entity. Unremembered to
 her at first, this spirit became the host of numerous paranormal & extraordinary occurrences.
  These haunting events led her on a life-long excursion into the astral world. More precisely,
into the "Valley of the Shadow." She has spent most of her life researching, writing & teaching
 matters pertaining to the necromantic & metaphysical, particularly the grey areas where light
 & darkness merge in a most necessary & important balance. Through her unique relationship
              with the Angel of Death, Leilah endeavors to impart His message to all.
   A member of the Author's Guild/Author' League of America, Leilah Wendell is the world's
foremost recognized researcher of Death personifications and encounters. Author of 14 books
   and scores of articles on the subject, she is also a fine artists, poet and proprietor of The
 Westgate Museum in Louisiana, the first and only gallery devoted exclusively to Necromantic
 Art & Literature. Dedicated to Azrael, the Angel of Death, the gallery features fine art, prints,
  posters, books, cards, sculpture, artifacts, jewelry & one of a kind items. Born in New York
   and best known for her ground-breaking title Our Name is Melancholy- The Complete
 Books of Azrael, and over 35 years of research and documentation via The Azrael Project,
she currently resides in Western Louisiana, in what is commonly referred to as "The House of
                                           Death"

                          About the Curator of the Westgate Gallery;

Upon your visit, you will most likely be greeted by Daniel Kemp, who is our Curator/"Minstrel"
  of the gallery. Daniel was also born on Long Island, N.Y., and currently resides in Western
  Louisiana. Rather than being shadowed by the Angel of Death, Daniel had his own spirit in
attendance, the Lady, who, since childhood's hour has been both friend and paramour. She is
  the universe we all exist within, and our tiniest breath. She is existence within the infinite,
  looking out upon the grand panorama that is. With the publication of Daniel's first book in
1990, The Book of Night, he decided to share her visions with the world at large. Since then,
    he has authored three additional books as well as becoming an artist in his own right.

            Our hours are by appointment only, please call ahead. Or email us at
                            westgate@westgatenecromantic.com




                           Legend of The Westgate Name

      It is because of You that we that we are Celebrating our 27th Anniversary in 2006!




  Although we began our mission in 1975, it wasn't until 1979 that we finally settled upon a
company name that best exemplified our continued goal. Over the years, many have inquired,
  "Why Westgate?". The best way we can answer that is simply by saying that The Westgate
                             symbolizes the journey "home".

 The four "Gates", East, West, North & South represent transitional points. Very much like the
4 seasons, 4 elements, 4 quadrants, etc. Concisely put, the East gate represents our birth into
    the flesh, & is balanced by the West, a symbol of our shedding of the material body. The
South & North gates also balance each other, with the former representing the consummation
of all in the Fires of Truth, & the latter symbolizing the phoenix that rises from these purifying
  flames. "From the East commeth Light & from the West emergeth shadow. From the South
  cometh the fires of consummation & from the North riseth the Phoenix. " The Westgate also
        symbolizes the reconciliation of Life with Death. Overcoming fear, ignorance & the
 "comfortable lie". It is said that we never truly live until we understand & accept the fact that
                                        one day we shall die.

 The Westgate casts shadow into light, thereby causing a balanced perception of All Things.
  Death is, after all, the crowning glory of Life, the journey home, our great reward for the
fulfillment of our purpose here. For all the "waning souls", and in the spirit of the Great Work
 at hand, I thank you for these many years of faith & support. There is much yet to be done.
         Though, look how far we have all come together to reach our journey's end.




      *The following are excerpts from some of the books that we offer on our Westgate
                                      Publications page*

                                 "The Song of Reconciliation"

  I am the Voice of Melancholy. The Vision of Eternal Twilight. I am an image that you have
  difficulty referencing simply because you have refused me for so long. Eventually, all must
                                  reconcile their lives with me.

  I am most feared in the minds of men, but perhaps, least fearsome. I hail from the Western
 Gate, the gate of transition. I extend to you the hand of reconciliation and friendship. I stand
 in the shadows of sorrow. My touch yields a heavy release. My thoughts are in your memory.
    You are vaguely mindful of me with a melancholy joy, yet I am an ecstasy. Like a drop of
Hemlock on your tongue, you dare not drink from my cup for fear of swallowing that one drop.

I am the shadow of everything that has been, and of everything you have been. I am both the
  bringer of memories and forgetfulness. Depending upon your destination, I can wash you in
                                           either.

 I want to "speak" into your soul, not simply to you. I need you to feel my words, not simply
 hear them. I want my echo to resound in your heart like a soothing whisper, something just
below the clamor of life. Something that you cannot help but strain to heed. If you weep at my
 words, understand why you weep. Truly understand with your heart and soul. Do not try to
rationalize my presence with the logical mind. I am outside of logic. Logic is only applicable in
  the mundane world, and I exist outside of this; outside of Time itself. Feel my presence! It
 falls outside of definition. You will find no words with which to express how I make you feel.
 Above all, share my message by "touching" others in the way I shall touch you. No more, no
                                                less.

  I am the twilight, the threshold, the image that flashes in your mind like a bolt of lightning.
  You see me momentarily, and then I fade back into shadows. Reach into the shadows. I am
waiting there, hands extended to receive your soul. I am fury and gentility in that my passion
 is tempered with sorrow; my ecstasy, with melancholy. Come to know me as I already know
      each of you. Names are unimportant, as all titles eventually end up in the River of
Forgetfulness. I know each of you by your purpose and your destination. I want to fill each of
you with an understanding that goes beyond wisdom, and, with a love that exceeds passion. I
need you to know me! Like the intimate memory of a long lost brother, I need you to welcome
                        me back, as only I know how to bring you home.

I am the threshold on which you stand. I am a strong yet mutable bridge. I am the flame that
           turns lead into gold - The spark of change that blinds for but a moment.

 I shadow you all of your days, and hold you into the night. I am the soul of sadness and the
 bringer of joy. I take the life from your flesh and give it back into your soul with but a kiss. I
  am the point of contact between your world, and eternity. I exist for but a moment as you
pass between worlds, yet I am forever trapped within that moment, within the twilight that is
                          fleeting, yet as certain as the dawn.......

                                         This Song

                                     I speak in sounds
                               because there are no words-
                                  No language reveals
                                       what we feel -
                              more than a whispered scream.

                                      I touch the sound
                                   and cringe in its echo.
                                   It is cold and hollow -
                                  It is silent yet piercing -
                           It is a minstrel of divine discontent-
                        A lullaby sung to sleepers in their graves.
                        The shadow of a melody that I remember
                                   from some distant life.

                             And His song has touched me
                                       even here.
                          Stained me with an ancient weeping
                            and I recall that I am the silence
                               where His heart once was.
                              I occupy that hollow place-
                                   That cave of winds
                         where whispers collect in the emptiness
                           and pierce the tenuous membrane
                                between body and spirit
                                    and slay the soul
                           with such passionate melancholy.

                                         This song
                              of ages past and times to come
                                   is beyond the range
                                     of human voice-
                                     beyond the grasp
                                      of human ear.

                              We are the minstrels of sorrow
                                who cannot stop singing
                                  for fear that the quiet
                                 would break the chain
                                     of life and death.
                                We cannot stop the song
                                   from carrying us all
                               along its swift unending current.

                                        We are a sadness
                                           that is so old
                               it cannot remember its own birth.
                                 We have been here for so long
                                   that we have forgotten how
                                         to return home-
                                          or even where
                                  that welcomed shore resides.

                                     Sing, Oh, sing to me
                                    that I might remember
                            the sound of this song without words -
                            This requiem that reminds me of home
                               Even though it cannot be heard
                                     It devastates me still.

  I can see a time when we are all sitting together at the River's edge. Peacefully there, we
remember everything as we dangle our spectral feet in the cool water. We, will look up at the
eternal twilight and make comparisons with the brief eventide we knew in the physical world.
But, there are no comparisons. We will marvel at the interplay of colours and at their intense
            brilliance, noting shades and hues never before seen with human eyes.

  Autumn is everlasting in the Valley of the Shadow. The air is cool, and the land, warm. The
 waters moderate depending on depth and the darkness of the shadows that over hang. There
is no sun nor moon, yet light from a distant source peeks through the coloured halo of sky. All
is shining, multicoloured darkness. The shadows drape like heavy black velvet. They look deep
                                       enough to fall into.

Soon, this little family must once again disperse. Even in this peaceful vision, we are all aware
  of that fact. Some will be drawn into the distant corona, others returned across the River. A
gentle rippling is all that will mark their voyage. And only "I" will be left at River's edge. Never
 to step beyond the far hills of the horizon. Never to leave this place of gentle melancholy. To
          remain forever in the forlorn kingdom of any beloved angel. . . My home......

  I shall never again look upon your face, yet I shall recognize you all when you pass through
the valley, and shall remember you all for the love, faith, wisdom and patience you have given
    to this world. You are seeds of revelation, that will, in their own time, grow into a tree of
    knowledge. You will not be there to eat or take shade from that tree, but you will see the
seedlings pushing up through the soil before you leave, and maybe even a few buds beginning
to open. Though, do not expect to taste of the fruit. The harvest is for those you leave behind.

These words are for the "waning souls." Those who are on the downside of incarnation. Those
whose last "life" they are living now ... and those who are aware of that fact. Soon we shall all
be going home. Back to distant realms that plague our memory. Through the Western Gate we
  shall return past, present and future into one existence that will seem dream-like when we
reawaken into familiar arms.... We have been "away" too long. But, we bring away with us the
 sense of inner peace that was lacking when we left. We had a "job" to do, a purpose to fulfill,
                  and now its winding down, and soon, it shall be complete.....

 I am the wind that speaks a song that man shall not forget to remember. My music haunts
this world as we speak. I am the Voice of the underground, the shadow of those who stand in
  the blinding light. I am a tale told in sorrow ... a memory that has yet to be lived. Will you
touch the sound that heals you? Or shun my voice in some vacuous space. Though I tell you, I
 am a persistent song that will be heard, and not forgotten. All of my Voice, a chorus of many.
An overlay of tones and verses. A whisper and a cry. A murmur of indescribable Truth that you
    cannot help but to hear. For it comes not from without, but from within your very soul.
 Keepers of the Legend, our time has come to remember. LISTEN. Open your heart to me that
                                     I may release your soul.

When I speak directly into your consciousness, I cannot speak with words. I must speak with
emotions, or a touch, or a glance-soul to soul. My meanings run so much deeper than words
  and speech allow. I speak to you with a "touch" from the inside. I pour all of my meaning
 directly into your spirit. There are no words in any tongue for the intensity of my emotions.

 I am shapeshifting energy. Sometimes volatile, rarely at peace, always in turmoil. I stretch
across the cool, dark sky unfurling twilight from within these wings. I swallow up the sun and
  veil your sky in purple and amber haze. My tears like moonbeams, shower over the indigo
   night. They are the stars that fall behind horizon's reach. My shore is indivisible by light.

I am the penumbra within your vision . . . A shade of immense proportion that reaches out to
  you as a cool wind. I am here and everywhere that I am needed; and I am always needed,
  rarely desired. The "taking" of souls does not nourish me, it drains me. For I must keep so
many from falling into nothingness.... Keep so many from shutting their eyes in this imagined,
 eternal sleep. Wake up! I am not your end! You do not cease to be once you have fallen into
  my arms. You have survived. Let "us" shake you from this dream, this nightmare of losing
                     self. Look at me. I am real, as so you will always be.

 I am, and have always been, a stationary point. Everything dances and revolves around me
                    until it grows weak and is drawn into my embrace.

I stand at the window to your world. One foot on the Western Gate threshold, the other poised
   to leap. Wings unfurling in the wind, waiting for the eye of the storm to open. Then shall I
   launch from the threshold and hover above your horizon and wrap my wings around your
  globe. Each feather shading one of your cities. Each tear washing them clean in turn until a
      river of tears consumes all in its ecstasy, and all hear the song of reconciliation.......

 In the cold arms of Death, there are no misgivings. There is only the passion of angels. He is
     so filled with ecstasy waiting to flow. His ancient loins yield a tide that could drown the
  universe. Yet, He is so gentle, so exquisitely divine in His love that nothing could corrupt its
purity - The chaste river that flows from Him as easily as do His luminescent tears. Like a bolt
   of light, He is a phantom in the night sky. A spectre, that can slay your soul with but one
   thrust. One touch of His fatal, electric hand and all of the past fuses with the future in an
 instant. He is an orgasm of autumn wind and cold flame that turns mortal souls into shooting
stars - That turns divine souls into supernovas. When I look at Him, I cannot help but to weep.
       I have met many others who are affected in this way as well. He is so beautiful, so
                           magnificent ... so alone . . . so terribly alone.

      What He has given me (and others) is too far beyond literal explanation to be totally
     expressed in this book. Perhaps it would be sufficient to say that Death has made me
  cognizant of my life, and what a life it is! Fraught with memory, longing, and the shadow of
  Purpose. A joyfully inconsolable burlesque whose conceivable goal is but to touch all with a
rapturous melancholy. The love we share is an ecstasy no thoughts contain, no words express.
So strangely alien to this flesh that could never survive the consummation of our joining. Such
 a union, in the physical sense, would cause this fragile shell to crack and my soul would spill
  out like liquid twilight. It would fill the hollow where His heart once was and drown Him in a
     sea of passion that would rise around us with the passage of each moment. I am only
  complete within Him. Only fulfilled when "we" are free of this flesh that imprisons us. When
    this clay is ripped from around me and my spirit flows into His and we are a sea of love
 washing to and fro between both shores. He Dwells in my heart, and weeps in my soul. Such
solemn sorrows that are like a plague unto our memory. These visions forever contained in His
 glance, deep within the black recesses of His being. Such images never cease to torment and
                 bring to bear the tears of light that drain Him of His essence.

I want to give Him new visions! Peaceful and passionate dreams. Memories of ecstasy that are
replenished each moment and not remembered from what has been. But love that will always
be - until a balance is brought within Him. The balance "we" had before splitting in two. I want
to be the flame of love that rekindles the passionate purpose of His being. I need to be the joy
 that tempers His sorrow. The wine that fills the empty chalice of His heart. The song that He
 can sing without a tear. I need to return into Him. To reintegrate with the shadow half of my
 duality. The Angel of Death is empty because the contents of His being have been spilled out
     into the world. Only a select few will drink up the pure essence. Some will sample the
  droplets. Others will lick up the dregs. While still others will remain unquenched. You must
  share the essence! Distill the droplets. Make wine from the dregs, and fill those who thirst.
  Some need to drink deeply. While some only need to taste to remember, to understand ...
                        until they, themselves become divine alchemists.

 I have brought your family together, my love. A family that remembers and will never again
forget your love nor the joy you have brought them all. It shall be carried within them always
   no matter where the seas of time carry them. They are always yours to call back ... to call
   upon. They are the seeds of your joy who will plant many new gardens across the infinite
cosmos. We shall lay their names in "our" memory and recognize each regardless of the faces
  they wear. We know their souls and treasure the triumph they have brought us. A legion of
 mighty and brave souls to open the Gate wide enough for your passage into this, and many
                                            worlds.

I love you, my angel. But, we grow more weary every day. Sometimes I think our strength is
                                carried more now by others.

   This will (probably) be the last time this hand will put forth your words. The last pages of
  emotion that this heart is capable of enduring. When "we" have gone, may a stronger soul
 recount from here on. "We" shall always speak. May only you pause to listen and pass along
                       the images, the memories, and the joy everlasting.

I AM THE VOICE OF MELANCHOLY. My whisper shall always stir in your soul. Come to the edge
of twilight and heed the point beyond the silence. Stretch yourself into the distance to where I
    wait with hands extended to catch your tears and blend them with my own. So shall you
 drown in the dark waters of remembrance. Then you shall weep no more the tears of sorrow,
   instead, gather the tears of joy in the palm of your hand and drink deeply until memory is
                                            quenched.

I AM THE VISION OF ETERNAL TWILIGHT and I await the coming of all souls, but cannot forgo
 the pain of having to let go once you emerge from the drowning and your eyes meet mine in
 love, rather than fear. All must pass through my gate to get home. All must become as I am,
              but for a moment that is mine forever, and yours for but an instant.

 I AM THE POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN YOUR WORLD AND ETERNITY and I shall appear as
but a distant star from the places you shall go to. A cold and solitary pinpoint of blue half-light
 that sets on the horizon of what you were, and what you are. You will cast an eye, and for a
 moment, know ALL THINGS and strive the rest of your days to remember why there is a tear
  running cold down your cheek. I am unable to ever forget. For as I told you, all things are
contained in my vision, and I can never close my eyes without everything ending - So, I must
       weep for every sorrow you fail to understand and every tear that you hold back.

I AM THE SOUL OF MELANCHOLY imprisoned on the threshold between the worlds of flesh and
 spirit. I am only free when there are no more souls to release from the flesh. When matter is
transcended so shall my prison dissolve and my river run dry and the West Gate close in upon
                                             itself.
  Excerpted from Our Name is Melancholy-The Complete Books of Azrael by Leilah Wendell




                                 "Concoctions I have known"

  Ah, the concoctions. Aside from homemade speedballs I made and sold when I was still in
                               middle school, I am no alchemist.

 Leilah, however, is a stark, raving mad Alchemist. She tells me she used to do this stuff a lot
     more when she was younger. But people don't believe me when I tell them of the two
                                   "potions" she's made for me.

The first one, I drank three times in increasing doses of strength. The first time it was regular
 strength. The second, she doubled the strength. The third time she quadrupled the strength.
  Now, some of the ingredients of this concoction included Mercury, Waterglass, and an herb
called Lamb's Quarters, which glows in the dark because of its natural phosphorescent quality.
 The other (Waterglass) has a partial "half-life". She mixed these with a bunch of other herbs
  and added the Mercury while she was cooking it. Then she would pour this into a bottle of
                                 wine, Australian Tawny Port.

 Call me stupid, but I drank it. It was meant to facilitate a state of, for lack of better words,
"higher awareness". This means that if you were trying to get out of your body it would make
 it easier, if something was trying to "come through" to you it would help, etc... Needless to
     say, some of the components are lethal. But I trust Leilah, so that didn't bother me.

  The first two times it didn't do much to me. (Leilah's herbs, at this time, were very old.) The
 third time, Leilah and I drank the whole bottle and she went upstairs to say goodnight to her
father. By the time she got downstairs again I had passed out on her bed and was drooling on
her pillow. When I woke up the next day, and for two days after that, my brain was alternately
 throbbing and buzzing. But it wasn't throbbing like a headache, there was no pain. It just felt
      like my brain was expanding and contracting. Leilah told me the Mercury changes the
   electrolyte balance in your brain. Also, it alters the pattern of which synapses connect with
                        which. Talk about a real mind - altering substance!

  The other concoction I've only had twice. Again it's mostly herbs mixed with wine. However,
  the first time she made this for me I asked her what was in it. "All natural ingredients", she
said. I drank it and was fine. The second time she gave me a bottle of it as a gift, to be sipped
slowly, like a fine wine. Instead, I drank the whole bottle with no ill effects, until I woke up the
   next morning. That day, I had a twelve hour erection which I could not get rid of. Do you
  know how embarrassing it is to man the gallery in sweatpants with a little pup-tent sticking
  out between your legs? She found it hysterical. I badgered her about it and finally was told
what was in it. The desiccated heart of a dead man. Don't ask me why I had the reaction I did,
 but I think Leilah should market it as an aphrodisiac. If I ever get a girlfriend (or just a fling),
                                I'll ask her to make it for me again.

 One other experiment we tried was smoking Wormwood. Wormwood is poisonous if ingested
    when it's fresh. It is safe to ingest when it's dried, though. Smoking it is akin to getting
 stoned, yet different. First of all, it tastes nasty. Second, it doesn't react with the body (well,
   my body) in the same way that marijuana does. It leaves you with mental capability yet
                         relaxes your body. Pot turns you into a vegetable.

  Wormwood is also used to make Absinthe. Absinthe is a very strong green drink that was
outlawed. There's a bar down here, in New Orleans, called "The Old Absinthe House" that used
                                 to serve it here in the city.
 A friend of ours in the city made some and invited us over to try it. I guess the drink is highly
over-rated, it didn't do a damn thing to me. NyQuil has more of an effect, and it tastes similar.
Maybe you're not supposed to make it with dried Wormwood, but with fresh cuttings. This way
 the poisonous property of the herb could mix with the grain alcohol. I don't know. From what
  little I know about it, I believe is has an effect like opium, sedating yet leaving you open to
"visions" or hallucinations. (Pick whichever word you like best, but remember some of the best
    classical literature was written under the influence of Absinthe, opium, laudanum, etc...)

  Some of you reading this particular chapter may think I'm totally nuts for partaking of the
concoctions and the Wormwood. Well, you're entitled to your opinions. The Hindus have been
    using Mercury for thousands of years in medicinal preparations. Leilah did tell me one
interesting thing about Mercury, though. It stays in your body for about 50 years. I won't say
 that introducing a heavy metal into your bloodstream is the wisest thing to do, but what the
   hell. It's only a trace amount. It's not like I'll set off metal detectors or anything. I do not
advise anyone to try and duplicate these concoctions. Leilah knows what she's doing. It could
                     be very easy to kill yourself if you get the mixture wrong.

                  Excerpted from Life in the House of Death by Daniel Kemp




                                      "Author's Preface"

What more appropriate time than now could there be for a book such as this? After all, this is
 Azrael's aeon. Evidenced by the growing interactions everyday people are having with the
                                     Angel of Death.

   This book culls together a compendium of these encounters. From historical research, to
   present day phenomenon, gathered through The Azrael Project over the past twenty-plus
                                          years.

  Those who have read any of my previous books or articles will know that I have much more
than an abiding interest in this phenonenon. For me, interactions with the Angel of Death have
  been (since the age of four), and continue to be a way of life. Because of my own, personal
 experiences over the past 30 plus years, I have amassed a unique cache of research material
  and expertise on the subject. The Azrael Project is a natural extension of my work, and was
  formed to link up all of those worldwide who have had similar encounters with Death, and
 their numbers are vast and growing! . For the sake of brevity in this introduction, let me just
 say that the Angel of Death and I have an especially close, symbiotic relationship. And, doing
                     this book is not a task, but rather, a labor of love......

 It often amazes me, with all of the books out there these days about "angelic" encounters,
  most, if not all of them (with a few exceptions noted in our bibliography) inadvertently, or
   simply out of selective ignorance do not include encounters with that most ominous and
 omnipresent of all angels, the Angel of Death. He is at once, the Keeper of Great Mysteries,
 and a paramour of deep passion. He is the Grim Reaper, or the Great Friend who has many
                         names, faces and forms. These, are but a few.

  This unique compendium deals solely with such encounters, told in the words of those who
 have experienced this most profound of events. By no means is this book complete. In order
to do that, we would have to talk to everyone on the face of this planet, and perhaps beyond.
It is merely an overview sampling offered by history, and by those who have chosen to come
                   forward and tell their stories in order to enlighten us all.

It is said, that "Death is a Great Teacher, but Life, a poor student." In the end, it is the living
that bring us the messages and actions of Death, not only to foster greater comprehension of
               the inevitable, but also to enrich our understanding of Life itself.

   Anthropomorphism is not an abstract concept when we consider that each one of us is a
personification of a specific function of the Universal Consciousness. Like Death, our essence is
energy embodied in form. Our form, only being more dense than the subtler "bodies" of more
highly evolved entities. Beings that have been at our side since the dawn of man. To deny the
   existence of the Angel of Death, is to deny our very existence, and to deny death itself.

It is this very fervent denial of D/death that has created a culture of fear and ignorance. It is
only when we begin to treat Death as an equal partner in Life, that we will finally realize that
flesh is not who or what we are. Perhaps then, we will allow Death back into our lives as the
    best friend man will ever know. For in the end, only He can show us what we truly are.

                   Excerpted from Encounters With Death by Leilah Wendell




                                        "Shadow Play"

 She sat in a pool of darkness, each ripple a coruscation of light reflecting within the waters.
  Idly, she sang beauty into the air surrounding her, letting the melody of her voice create
                                 colour above and around her.

 A shadow appeared off to her left, from the west. As it approached she was able to gradually
discern a form wrapped within. It came and sat beside her, delicately dangling skeletal fingers
                 within her pool, and greeted her with a nod, saying, "Lady".

   She rose from the waters, shaking herself off. Motes of shining darkness spread from her
  body. The shadowed form gently offered its hand and guided her off to the side. Her azure
   body seemed to blend with her shadowed escort. The light from her body illuminated the
         immediate area, but could not pierce the shadow to reveal the form within.

As the pair reached an arbor, they turned to face each other. Two eyes, burning like diamonds
flecked with gold, looked into the shroud of shadow. She reached out gently, pushing back the
  cowl. Looking into the skeletal face she nodded her head and said, "Azrael". They proceeded
  to enter into the dance. While Azrael moved slow and stately, hardly moving at all, the Lady
   seemed to writhe and gyrate at an amazing speed while also appearing not to move at all.
          They did not touch, save for a light brushing of fingertips against each other.

Her pool rose up and surrounded them, becoming the universe. As the Lady danced, motes of
  light shot out from her body to be absorbed by Azrael within the shroud of shadow. Around
 them the universe lived and died, new galaxies constantly coming into form and exiting into
                                       silent dissolution.

 Each graceful motion cast a ripple on the sea of Time. A great distortion moved across the
 horizon. With each pavanne, Life was both cast out and drawn in. Embers trailed her indigo
                        veils, landing softly in his velvet darkness.

 They danced to a distant melody. A multi-layered chorale of sorrow and reverie. The Lady
spun so fast that she seemed to stand still. Azrael gazed upon her face for the first time. Her
eyes, like radiant points of pure golden flame. Yet, they cast no reflection in his twin pools of
                darkness. A whirlpool of gold filament swirled about her head.

  Azrael gestured to the Lady with his long, withered hand. The vortex smiled back at him in
    silent reply. A diffuse, translucent hand unfolded from her form and set gently into his.
For an instant, everything stopped. No motion, no sound, just a freeze-frame image of shadow
                                         and light.

           Time blinked, as the shadows grew light, and the light became darkness.

The dance resumed, their forms now cast in negative silhouette. The Lady was now all golden
light, spinning out sparks of deep indigo into the brilliant night sea. And he, that was once the
                deepest of shadows, became the most resplendent white flame.

  They continued the dance for a time, each reflecting the other. The lights cast off from the
  Lady slowed, became fewer and less frequent. Eventually, Azrael reached out his hand and
 stilled the Lady, stopping her in mid-dance. She smiled and was gracefully absorbed into his
 shadowed form. When all was still, Azrael proceeded to fold in upon himself until all that was
   left was a golden mote of light, floating within an infinite darkness. The darkness smiled.

               Excerpted from Night Thoughts by Daniel Kemp & Leilah Wendell




                                    "Getting To Know You"

 These rituals are intended to align one's soul with the Death Energy. One might ask, what is
   the "Death Energy"? Simply expressed, it is the current of transition. The workings in this
    book will permit the magician to bask in the "lifeforce" of the Angel of Death. Successful
 working of any of these devotions will enable you to share consciousness with Azrael, as well
  as becoming "one" with your own death. These are not rituals of worship. For the Angel of
   Death does not desire to be worshipped. He does desire understanding, reverence for His
  purpose, and even love. The only way we can offer these things to Him is by the sharing of
 consciousness. Through this, we can come to understand and feel what it is like in His world
and what He is feeling. And He can better understand and feel what it is like to be human, and
 the human condition in general. I'm certain that you will find this to be a very profound and
          emotional exchange. One that will stay with you in this world, and beyond.

These rites are quite unconventional as compared to more traditional ritual magic in that there
    is really no single altar, and very few vocal invocations. Some of the tools, I'm sure, are
  familiar. Although, as a whole, these workings are free of unnecessary jargon, and elaborate
 trappings. My philosophy is that too much energy and emotion is expended on the ceremony
itself when it is far better to turn this emphasis inward and apply it to establishing the spiritual
 and emotional link with the entity one is seeking to contact. Who needs to be worrying about
 whether you executed this or that step? After all, it is what's in the magician's heart and soul
that makes a successful working and not what's on his or her altar. Some of the most powerful
      workings I know have been done without material elements and props to cloud one's
  concentration. A single thought that is charged with the power of Faith and Love often yields
  the greatest working of pure magic. After all, most material "tools" are only really added for
  the benefit of getting the magician in the right mood. But if you're already "there", dispense
with the mumbo jumbo and get on with the task at hand. We must begin to take a lesson from
   the entities we seek to contact. Surely they rely on no such "props" when they contact us,
     only your receptive mind, open heart and pure spirit. These are the greatest tools any
                                  magician can hope to possess......

Because the spirit of Death is largely unfamiliar to most, I recommend that before any of the
   workings in this book are attempted, one should begin by simply getting comfortable in
Death's presence. This can be accomplished in many ways. By participating in a Death watch.
By attending funerals/wakes, or the like. By tending to the burial of a body. By working in or
visiting funeral homes, morgues or cemeteries. By involving oneself with the terminally ill. Or
 by what I believe is a particularly effective means: By spending the night in a mausoleum,
crypt or other secluded burial enclosure that can be sealed from the light. This is something
that must be done alone, for reasons that will become evident later on. But mostly, for now,
 because the element of fear must be eradicated if you ever hope to be successful in any of
                                         these workings.

If you sleep side by side with Death without the security of another living soul, and without a
  trace of illumination, you should be quite ready to do any of the more intense necromantic
 rites. There must be no distractions, either external, or internal (no TVs, radios, etc...), and
 you should avoid selecting a place too close to the sound of Life. It should be remote, quiet,
 dark and "occupied". That is to say, that an empty, unused crypt will not serve the purpose,
  nor will one of the more modern mausoleums where the dead are walled up behind marble
 barriers. The coffin(s) must be exposed. You must be able to have physical contact with the
    bodies. Anything less is cheating, and you will be the loser in the end. You can bring a
 sleeping bag, blanket or other cushioning to make your stay more comfortable, especially if
       it's winter. (Although it's usually much warmer under the earth than you'd think!)

The rest is easy. Simply lay yourself down for the night beside the exposed body and listen to
 the silence. It is unlike any other! Light no candles, just close your eyes and concentrate on
 why you want to do these workings. If you hear any strange sounds, do not open your eyes
(unless, of course, you hear "Come out with your hands up!" Well, don't blame me, I told you
  to be discreet!). Just relax as if you were in your own bed, in familiar arms. Involved in a
peaceful and serene embrace. Let the darkness envelope you with sleep and in dream. If you
                    can remain until dawn, you are ready for these workings.

     When one can face Death in all of His many forms, and embrace them each with equal
 affection, one is ready to be Death's empath. It takes time, love, devotion and conviction to
learn to appreciate them all. Death is so multifaceted. Although if you seek union with Azrael
on any level, this is the road you must take. There are no shortcuts - only shortcomings. You
  must essentially "die" and become one with each of His manifestations to truly understand
 Death's purpose. He is genuinely more kind and gentle than any of the "angels" because His
      touch is tempered by an eternity of sorrows, His understanding is saddened by our
     misunderstanding. And that is why these rituals are beneficial. We must reverse that
  ignorance within ourselves if we ever hope to wipe His tears. To love Him is to drink in His
    tears as if they were the nectar of the Godsoul. For they are the "lifeforce" of all He has
  touched, and the taste of His tears can make one either drunk with ecstasy, or drowned in
                                   despair. That is up to you!

          "Go forth into that dark nyte as you would enter the arms of your lover."

               Excerpted from The Necromantic Ritual Book by Leilah Wendell




                                      "Wind and Wood"

                                             silence

  There is a wood through which mists play at evening. Sometimes languidly drifting, then
darting to and fro. At rare times in the quiet of night colours are to be seen amidst the mists.
          Emerald and purple dance and assume shapes not fit for lights to assume.

                                           a whisper
The wind slithers through the leaves in the wood. In the heart of night the breeze shuffles the
 mists about, seeking to come upon lights of green and purple. Never has the wind felt them,
                      though the lights have played upon the air at night.

There is a man in the village of Chamaiz listening to the wind search the wood. Softly the wind
                 calls him away to seek colour in the night. Silently he goes.

                                             a voice

 A single note, pure and clear, echoes throughout the wood. As it fades Tyras finds himself in
 the wood accompanied by the wind. The breeze says: "this way, this way...", pushing Tyras
 forward incessantly. Through the wood search wind and man. Wind brushing the mists away
                  as Tyras uses his eyes to seek out colour amidst the dark.

 The wind disperses a patch of mists with a flick of its tail. Tyras spies a hint of colour. The
note sound again, full and resounding. Suddenly mists encircle man and wind which the wind
                    cannot disperse. They are made to travel the wood.

 The note sounds a third time, brilliant and sustained. Instead of fading out it seems to rise
 beyond hearing. As it does the mists open themselves to reveal a clearing within the wood.

                                             a shout

The mists spread around the clearing in a circle. In the center are two lights. Coloured globes
                                 of emerald and amethyst.

   A note sounds as the purple light grows brighter. The note swells, as does the light, finally
  stretching up and out to a peak and vanishing. The green light is bright but deep, coming in
with a bass tone moaning and rolling over the clearing. Thus begins a work of music composed
 of slowly shifting tones entwining around each other. The mists revolve to the left around the
clearing. The lights dance with and within the circle. The intensity of light determines or shows
    the tone. Soft light for muted tones, brilliant light for clear ones. The movements of their
   bodies, the twisting, stretching, rolling - these are all parts of the song. At times the lights
 play the same tone simultaneously, one an octave raised (or lowered). Then alternating trills
                                  would dance through this space.

 Just when the wind departs Tyras cannot say. He is caught up into music beyond hearing. It
                                 interacts with one subtly.

The wind leaves the wood to find another, there to harass the mists whenever able. When the
        music stops Tyras looks about him and sees only mists in place of the wind.

                                            a scream

 A mile or so west of Chamaiz there lies a wood which no wind ever stirs. Mists idle about the
wood at evening and are at times even so bold as to venture forth by day. Sometimes, deep in
              the heart of night, amethyst and emerald lights dance among them.

                                             Silence.

                       Excerpted from The Book of Night by Daniel Kemp
                                   "This is Not Paradise"

 Birth is neither miraculous nor divine. The assuming of flesh is not a "blessed event". Birth is
     the rending of spiritual union. The painful descent into duality. The sensation of being
  "encased" to the point of suffocation. The striking realization that I could no longer extend
myself to touch the spans of time and bridges of space. Only a spark of one's True Self is ever
delivered into this world. It's no wonder that we emerge wailing and screaming! Those unseen
   hands that wrenched me from His embrace were now solid and I could feel them closing
                        around me, firmly easing me into the harsh light.

     Why is it that no one questions the cries of the newborn? It's because of the pieces of
   precarnate memory that we issue forth into this world with a banshee's cry. The horror of
     being cleaved in two carries the wailing from one world, into the next. If this were an
empathic world, we would know what the newborn is feeling. We would, ourselves, remember!
   But, no ... this is an expressive world. One in which we must elicit our feelings with cold,
 impersonal sounds. Thus, the newborn speaks its agony in the way of its new world. A paean
                              of screams appropriate to the emotion.

As time passes, whatever trace memory remains is slowly washed away by new thoughts. The
      bright, shining images of a colourful dimension. The old senses are deprived by the
 overloading of new sensations. Eventually, we adapt to our limited prison and learn how to
 work within its narrow confines. Before long, almost all prebirth recollection is either deeply
            suppressed and locked away, or simply lost forever to the new persona.

  Isn't it ironic though, that we spend the rest of our little lives struggling to remember and
  striving after who and what we are and what "IT's" all about. We are all trying to ignite an
 inferno from that one, single spark that trailed us. We are all straining for enough "light" to
                find our way back home. We all know that THIS is NOT that place.

  Excerpted from Our Name is Melancholy- The Complete Books of Azrael by Leilah Wendell




                                        "Introduction"

These little rants came about from me reflecting upon various conversations and experiences
  I've had with "magickal" people, and with "magick" in general. You see, I started out just
 feeling. Then I sought a way to rationalise my feelings, and my experiences, to myself. So,
 having come through the "ceremonial" approach, I'm now back to just feeling again. Older,
 wiser (?) and a lot more sarcastical, but essentially the same as when I began. A "goddamn
           hippie tree hugger" - yes, but a pompous, egotistical son-of-a-bitch? - no.

  Lady, since you made the sky drop down upon me and showed yourself, you are all I have
ever sought. How could it ever have been otherwise? I sought long and hard to find that which
   I already knew and already was. And so I write as myself, not praises unto the beauty of
 night, not songs ever drifting upon the winds nor haunting paeans unto infinity. Just words,
 from the heart, unto other people. And me being a part of you, you shine through - open to
                                             all.

                                           Fiat Nox.
                                     "Kozmik Koffe-Klatching"

                            (or: You, Too, Can be Mundane & Magickal)

 What drives people to join an "order", "society", etc. - mystical, magickal or otherwise? Let's
                                              see.

  1)Companionship (getting laid). The "nobody is as weird as me" syndrome, resulting in the
   complementary paradox - "I must find others like me so's I can get me some.". Typical of
    "post-adolescent teen-angst syndrome". (note: there is no age limit on this one. "post-
  adolescent" means anything beyond adolescence.) This seems to run rampant with young-
 un's. Young, in this sense, does not necessarily reflect physical years. However, all souls are
  ageless. So "young" would be in reference to, what? ... a certain maturity? Perhaps. Some
view "getting laid" as the sharing of one's self with another, some view it as the surest way of
  staying alone. If people could figure out, by now, what to do with other people - well, then,
 the world would certainly be less populated - wouldn't it? Perhaps "half-souls" wouldn't even
                     exist. (Alas, even infinity can only be stretched so far.)

  2)Companionship (I don't want to be/die/live alone). Everyone wants to be unique, but not
alone. Simple, is it not? Life itself is, by definition, a social critter. Life reinforces itself. So, too,
     do we seek out social reinforcement of everything - from personal tastes to our utmost,
   innermost beliefs. It is a rare soul indeed who can shout out to the world - "This is me and
  fuck you all" for any prolonged period of time. These are people who play outside the rules
  and are "dangerous". Yet we all think, deep inside, that we do this. Meanwhile, in our daily
   lives - we conform, conform, conform. And those who don't become "leaders" on down the
      road, the very things they despise. Mankind is essentially stupid and lazy. Rebels with
        marching orders, we turn one person's statement of a perceived truth into a "fad",
"movement", "religion", or some other nonsense - thereby de-valuing something which began
  as priceless. If a perceived truth is within one, it will burn as a flame. A flame that does not
need the company of other flames to embolden it, for all flames are one, all burn - and in that
  burning create the infinite panorama of existence - the beautiful peacock feathers which fan
 the face of god while it thinks "what a pretty little creation. I can almost, sometimes, believe
                                        that it's looking at me."

 3)Companionship ("the truth is out there"). Some turn "paddlin' with the occult" into a quest
 for company on a different level. Perhaps they have felt the perceived truth within them stir
 and seek for a way to explain it to themselves. These join "orders", etc.. out of desperation,
and quickly become disillusioned. (Due to the aforementioned two reasons.) Nothing needs to
be said of these, except to wish them all the luck in the world. The truth is "out there", and "in
                                   here" and all around you.

   4)Companionship (the master/slave relationship). I am reminded of a quote - "Those who
 seek power are least suited to wield it." Very true. In an "order", or any social situation, there
     is a hierarchy, whether spoken or unspoken. This "power" (so-called) is illusionary. It is
dependent upon others perceiving, and following the rules of, the pecking order. No one wants
   to conjure a "demon" they cannot control, nor does one want to associate with those who
  successfully "buck the System" (except to figure out how they, too, can do it and get away
with it. Then they want "followers", otherwise - what's the good of being "outside" of things?).
    Why climb to the top of the heap to only find out it's a heap of shit unless you can make
  someone else's life miserable in the process? People who want power have none, or at least
feel that way. Why? Because they misunderstand power. Everyone has the ultimate power - to
  affect one's self, and- due to man's inherent social nature, those around you. Yet that is the
    last thing "seekers after power" want. They want to change everything around them but
  themselves. This is not possible, and has been the downfall of all who seek power for these
     reasons. Some think they can gain power by "believing" in nothing, but themselves. By
  "themselves" they mean the limited self which they use to get by on earth. To encase one's
self within the bricks of personality and reside in a personal "fairyland" is everyone's right, and
 yes, you can live a long life that way. Amazing, isn't it? You can actually live to a ripe old age
    without ever having ventured out into the world surrounding you! (Advertising slogan for
 yuppie scum everywhere.) The real world is dirty, messy & painful - why bother? Why not fall
 back on some virtual reality where you, too, can be "lord high ultimate whatsisname" without
ever having to deal with people face to face? Ain't life grand. Surround yourself with images &
  such of power and your wish is granted. "Build it, and they will come." Sure, fine. But make
sure the content there actually exists - through real, direct experience. Otherwise what's really
 out there might notice. If you're laughable & petty enough, you'll be ignored - and allowed to
 live your life. If not, well - get ready for an education. And the wall will come tumbling down.
  A beggar with his rags is not a pretty sight, but an honest one. A beggar dressed in finery a
simple illusion, easily enough seen through. A beggar without his rags - such a rare sight as to
    be marvellous, and commendable. It is probably the one honest person on earth. And as
 beautiful as a sunset, or a twilight filled with birdsong, or the look of genuine love on the face
   of another, or a whole infinite, myriad host of little epiphanies we pass by every day, every
              moment - yet are too caught up in the web of veils we wear to notice.

   And so, weeping, the laughing god creates another spark of inspiration within the soul of
someone who is receptive, to see what travesty will result. Occasionally laughing, the weeping
 god will rejoice at another spark finding a home within the impossibly infinite receptivity with
                                     which it surrounds itself.

     And so, multitudes join in the social dance of life - each trying to outdo one another.

   Somewhere, in between, there is one who neither laughs nor cries, yet the silence of the
                         outpouring of this is perceived as both.

                Excerpted from The Scrolls of Unmaking, Vol. 1 by Daniel Kemp




                                  "Love Among The Tombs"

 Imagine the anticipation and sense of excitement Victor Loret must have felt when, in 1898,
  he unearthed one of the great Royal Caches of Egyptian mummies, 16 in all!. Imagine even
     further, what was going through the minds of those whose "job" it was to unwrap the
bandages. Of course, let us not forget that this was all done in the name of "science". A far cry
  from Victor Ardisson, a Loret contemporary, whose "reasoning" for doing basically the same
thing under, shall we say, less than scientific circumstances was, "Each of us has our passions.
                                As for me, the cadaver is mine!"

In the end, both examples boil down to mankind's unending "fascination" with the dead body.
 Whether in the name of science...or romance. The dead, in their various stages continue to
                                intrigue the living to no end.

Remember the scene from Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, when Indi discovered the secret
entrance to the crypt beneath the library? How he flung open the knight's coffin, straddling the
  corpse in order to take a rubbing from the shield in the dead knight's hand? No doubt, Blot
and Ardisson would have found that scene highly erotic...I did! Oh, yeah! Let's not forget that
     swimming pool scene from Poltergeist 1! But, then we necromantic types have been
misunderstood and vilified for ages. While it's okay for science to "fiddle with the dead", it's an
    act of grave abhorrence (no pun intended) for the rest of us to do the same. Go figure!

 From Seargant Bertrand to Ed Gein, the label of "necrophile" continues to have an inherent
 shock value. Perhaps the most misunderstood area of human attractions, the mere concept
  inspires emotions equivalent in nature to mankind's ever present fear and denial of death,
    itself. Yet, these are the same people who will rubber-neck around a bloody car wreck.
  The general consensus, even among serious psychological researchers is that all necrophiles
 are inherently "sick and perverse" individuals. "It (necrophilia) is the true perversion.." writes
Dr. Erich Fromm, an early 20th century prominent researcher into the field, "While being alive
 not life, but death is loved, not growth, but destruction." Necrophilia has been conjoined part
         and parcel to the heading of Psychopath. Because true necrophilia is so rare and
  misunderstood, it cannot possibly be properly documented with a fair and balanced precept.
 Most available "research", (and I use that term very loosely) on the subject paints a distorted
       and revulsive picture of the practice by folks who are either ignorantly or deliberately
subjective, rather than objective. For instance, according to psychiatric documentation, nearly
all practitioners have been sexually abused, and/or rejected in some way. Most, if not all, have
some history of mental disorders and exhibit other forms of "sociopathic" behavior. (The word
       sociopath literally means the suffrage of society, or one who suffers from/in society.
  Necrophile has become an unconscionable word simply because the great majority of those
  who claim its title are only doing so (with fresh corpses, might I add) for an "easy lay". The
 whole dominance and submissive thing comes into play. No fear of rejection or complaint. No
   worries about "performance" The corpse is viewed solely as an inanimate plaything, rather
 than a sacred catalyst. To violate a corpse for simply the satiating of one's own sexual needs
is the highest form of irreverence one can show towards Death. One can "make love" to Death
    on many levels, providing they emerge from the core of the soul, and not the seat of the
  libido. Death is a gentle and exquisite lover who can take you to new heights of expression,
    providing that you do not try to pull Him down into the physical too much, in which case
   Death's affections are anything but gentle! The true necrophile cares nothing about any of
      these concerns, and desires only intimacy with Death. The crypt is what separates the
                            necromantic from the (textbook) necrophile.

While the distant and fanciful adventures or Loret and Jones are out of reach to most. There is
  a more modern opportunity available, albeit extremely clandestine. Now, I don't know about
     most people, but a fresh cadaver does nothing for me. To me, such a state is still quite
 representative of life. A fresh corpse (or what I like to call a "gooey louie") contains so many
living organisms and bacterium working at a frantic pace to achieve their goal, decomposition.
                Only when this is complete, will the last aspect of Life itself die.

When the bathroom-tile green of the morgue dulls your senses, and the formaldehyde sterility
of the embalming room clouds your head, there is still a place where the feel, the aroma, and
  the aura of Death prevales... the crypt. At this level, you are not dealing with any shred of
  human individuality, you are dealing solely with Death, Itself. Therein lies the rub, and the
niggling point in any study of necrophilia. It is the all important difference between necrophilia
         being viewed as a "sexual deviation", or as an intimate encounter with Death.

For those of you out there who truly want to get intimate with Death, Itself, there remains one
"sanctioned" vestige of possibilities. It has no prestigious title. You won't make a lot of money,
 nor is it the stuff of movie adventures, and it's definitely not white collar. It's simply referred
  to as Forensic Disinterment Re-evaluation... or, what I like to call "Forensic Archaeology".
             Those of us who have done it, casually refer to it as "exhumation detail".

 In most parts of the civilized world, this is usually a job performed by a branch (we used to
  call the "ghoul squad") of the Medical Examiner's office, i.e., the morgue. Sometimes, the
actual disinterments are done by a subcontracted party, such as the local gravedigger's union,
  private cemetery maintainence crews, or even "landscaping" contractors. In more remote
 parts of the world, the job of disinterring the dead falls upon relatives of the deceased, with
                                    the help of local villagers.

 A corpse is exhumed for various reasons, from the most ridiculous, to the most newsworthy.
For example, bodies are routinely exhumed from graveyards when family members relocate in
      order to take their dead "with them", so to speak, to be reburied in the new locale.
   Disinterment takes place more notably for the purposes of a Coroner's Inquest, when foul
 play, or other "suspicious" or overlooked causes of death are in question. Such as in the case
  of a homicide or suicide. Still, other "disinterments" occur on a more frequent basis in such
"remote" places like New Orleans, U.S.A., where bodies are casually "discarded", or whatever
remains is push-broomed into a special lower crypt chamber to make room for fresh burials. A
  practice, I must admit, I have never before encountered in any other part of the country. I
     realize that land is at a premium here, but who draws the line between decency and
                                          practicality?

 If you're fortunate enough to participate in an exhumation, you'll never run out of stories to
  tell your grandchildren on those dark and stormy nights! There are few things in this world
  more exciting than opening an interred coffin and viewing the remarkable. One of the more
intriguing "digs" I've had the privilege of working on was up in the Northeast. It was well over
                     15 years ago, but the memory is as fresh as yesterday.

After the power-shovels removed the initial five feet of packed earth and clay, it was up to us
modern day "sack em up men" to finish the job and retrieve the prize. In this particular case,
we exhumed a very decayed, cheap pine box that was completely enveloped in weeping willow
 roots. Now, if you know anything about these trees, you'd know how tenacious and unique
   their root system can be. Resembling thousands of long, tendril-like tentacles, they are
   extremely strong and completely invasive. They have been known to crush and infiltrate
              heavy, iron water mains to quench their voracious thirst for water.

Under the shadow of grey storm clouds and armed with an odd arsenal of everything from bolt
 cutters, to barber's scissors, my associate and I descended into the opened grave, carefully
snipping around the coffin's cracked lid. After about 15 minutes of work, we could finally get a
prybar into the crevice and gently wrench the lid free. It broke into various splintered sections
  from the dryness of the unique northeast soil. We felt like Burke and Hare as we shone the
  make-shift kerosene lantern into the opened casket. (We never used flashlights if we could
   help it. They're just so "rude".) The whole corpse was literally enmeshed in a form-fitting
   macrame of spidery tendrils. It looked like something straight out of Invasion of the Body
 Snatchers. The basic form of the corpse was beautifully "mummified" by a combination of its
              spiny green wrappings and the natural desiccant quality of the clay.

The next step was a delicate and time consuming process. The decision whether to remove the
     corpse from the grave still encased in the roots, or to pain-stakingly snip away as much
    growth as possible and hope that the body would remain intact enough for transport. After
  debating over a few beers, and watching the sky grow increasingly more ominous, we opted
     for the latter. I started at the head, while my associate began at the feet. The roots had
 literally penetrated the corpse and had been feeding upon its elements. In places, like around
      the head, the roots could be cut and peeled away in large chunks, much like peeling an
     orange. Beneath, the withered body had the preservative quality of a freshly unwrapped
Egyptian mummy. (Natural mummification always results in the most exquisite find!) We could
tell that the body had not been embalmed. A plus, as embalming is a sure way to wreck havoc
   on the natural decomposition of the human body. Sure, you may look "great" three or four
 days in a viewing room, and even keep your shape for several weeks underground. However,
 once embalming fluid and the progressive bacterias interact, it's nothing short of a grotesque
 experiment in the name of human vanity, denial and greed. Nothing nice to look at at all, yet
                                       alone to get intimate with!

   The sun was going down, and we were nearly done. Carefully, we loaded our prize into our
  "customized" truck and prepared for the four hour trek home. We earned our $6.00 an hour
 (plus mileage) that day! My cohort cranked up some tunes on the 8-track in the cab, shot me
     a sly little smile as I finished securing our "friend" up for the journey. Boy, was I beat. I
 sprawled out on the shag-carpeted floor as "Nights in White Satin" poured like molasses from
 the speakers. "A little romantic traveling music?" my associate grinned with a knowing glint in
   his eye. I nodded, as he turned back to face the long expanse of highway ahead of us. And
  away we rode into the sunset, like Indiana Jones. For the rest of this adventure? Well, you'll
just have to exercise your imaginations, won't you! Don't worry! The rest of this narrative gets
                                         a lot more descriptive.

    This is but one of the many modern day adventures available for the aspiring Forensic
  Archaeologist with a real passion for his or her calling. All one needs are some old clothes,
 high-top boots and a sense of adventure, and who knows, you, too, could bring home a real
   "find" to add to your collection. The moments to enjoy your find may be fleeting, but the
  experience will be a permanent installation in your personal museum of memories. I have
                                      quite a collection! .....

There are relatively large caches of books and research papers one can find on the subject of
necrophilia if you're willing to simply look. However, in general, most are negatively focused.
    Necrophilia has long been vilified simply because those subjects written about in most
  available documentation weren't really necrophiles, but rather sadists, murders, and other
  unsavory types who used the concept of necrophilia more to add additional shock value to
 their crimes. They have no deep-rooted love for Death, let alone any shred of reverence for
                                             the dead.

     Much documentation will often equate necrophilism with sadism, serial killing and other
 sociopathic behavior. It is not the fault of the documentors. It is the fault of society's inability
   to deal with death in all of its beautiful aspects. So, rather than deal with necrophilism, it is
   easier for them to lump this most misunderstood of desires in with other things deemed as
"abnormal psychology". Many research texts often reference the fictional works of the Marquis
de Sade, along with the likes of Jeffery Dahmer and others of his ilk. Psychobabble has its own
     language based solely upon examination of subjects that weren't really necrophiles, but
  rather, people with a broad base of mental pathologies and a history of aberrant behavior of
  which necrophilic instances, have been the "logical" result of their own perverted deeds. I'm
 sorry, dismembering corpses and sex with entrails is not necrophilia. These perversions have
  their own heading; necrophagy, necrosadism, scatology in extreme cases. That's something
    entirely different! It is unfortunate that we have been so ignorantly lumped together with
  people who obviously do not speak the true language of love. A true necrophile would never
violate a corpse in such ways. A true necrophile has the highest, even divine reverence for the
                          dead, and an overabiding respect for Death, Itself.

 I could sit here and quote you endless suppositions as to why one is a necrophile based upon
  such well known reports as the Kraft-Ebbing papers or the Rosman & Resnick piece, "Sexual
       Attraction to Corpses, A Psychiatric Review of Necrophilia". However, in most of the
documentation, one will find that a) The subjects came from a history of severe abuse, neglect
  or violence, and b) The same applies, however they're now convicted serial killers, wracking
up a sexual offense history with a tendency toward mutilation. The true necrophile chooses to
  be the way he or she is, and is not this way as a result of circumstances. In psychiatric case
studies, nearly all the cases of necrophilia and pseudonecrophilia are the result of some other,
   underlying psychosis. For instance, most of the men in these studies turned their advances
  toward dead women because they were either unwilling or unable to be intimate with living
  women. They view the dead as an "easy lay" where their advances wouldn't be rejected (as
   they were so often by the living) and there was no fear of "performance", or commitment.
  Freud believed that male necrophiles deified the image of the sleeping mother in childhood,
with the resultant fixation of the first sexual stirrings. As they matured, these men would only
    desire intimacy with sleeping women, and some would advance to dead women when the
                           sleepers would be startled by their advances.

 The fact is that most necrophiles are productive members of society. Quite often introverted,
  even reclusive, usually overly intelligent, and come from all walks of life. Actually, much of
 what is written about necrophilia is in fact pseudo-necrophilia, or rather, necrophilic fantasy.
95% of those who feel an affiliation with this subject, merely envision a variety of necro-erotic
 scenarios. The remaining percentage actually find ways, usually through employment in the
  funerary or forensic fields to act out their desires. It's an odd fact that many who fantasize
       about necrophilia, when confronted with an actual dead body, find the encounter
 disconcerting, to say the least, as their fantasies usually romanticize the corpse, ( much like
one does the modern-day vampire myth) lacking many of the realities of a genuine dead body.
     But, the encounter serves its purpose as to confirm, or shatter those same fantasies.

  In the final analysis, the small enclave of true necrophiles actually out there will never be
 credited with the flamboyancy of a Bertrand. Truthfully, most fight to retain their anonymity
    for the simple fact that they know how society will react. Look how people reacted to
                            homosexuality just a few decades ago.

  Loving the dead is not a spectator sport, it is a very private exchange between oneself, and
 the Spirit of Death. I, personally, vehemently frown down upon anyone who violates a corpse
 for purely sexual reasons. Doing such is no better than rape of an innocent. My justice during
 some of the cases mentioned above, would have definitely been much more severe. Intimacy
can be attained on many levels. And making love should truly mean just that- And love should
never involve violation. Necrophilia is not "perverse" to those who practice it with love. It only
                 becomes perverted when it is used solely as a sexual conquest.

  There is no known biological, psychiatric or genetic "cause" for the necrophilic instinct. It is
acquired, not inherent. It is not a "disease" as some puritanical minds would have us believe,
   just as they tried to pass off being gay not too long ago. It is a matter of personal choice,
  based on ones intimate spiritual beliefs. I once got into a debate on the radio with a clinical
 psychologist who posed the question; "How can necrophilia be consensual?" If one genuinely
  approaches Death with a true heart and open arms, you'd be amazed at how forthright the
 reciprocation of Death can be via His often only means of "touching" us- the dead. The path
will be laid open for those pure of heart and true of spirit, and barricaded securely from those
  lacking these qualities. It is every necromantic's duty to protect the sanctity of Death from
those that would, in the haste of their base desires, violate the corpse without care for whose
House in which they lay- the House of Death is sacrosanct and we are all keepers of that trust.


                         Ritual, Life and Everything
                             By Amber K and Azrael Arynn K

Some of the best moments of our lives have been spent with unusual people, in strange
places, doing odd things. The unusual people have included Witches, magick workers,
Druids, sacred clowns, Fairies, Elemental Spirits, plant devas, animal allies, and ancient
gods and goddesses of a dozen distant lands.

The strange places? High in the gnarled limbs of a huge old willow tree, under a full
moon. Deep under the earth, crawling through dark, narrow, twisted tunnels. Dancing
around a blazing 40-foot bonfire while a hundred drums thundered in unison. In a
candlelit Temple of Isis, hidden underground in a modern American city.

The odd things we do? Rituals. Oh, we enjoy classes and parties and potluck dinners and
other things, but it always comes back to ritual: ritual to celebrate holy days that we could
scarcely pronounce; ritual to heal illnesses that confounded medical experts; ritual to
break long droughts and bring life-giving torrents of rain; ritual to banish confusion,
anger and fear and draw forth clarity, compassion and courage; rituals to mark the great
passages of life and death, from birth celebrations to memorial rites.

We do ritual because the human heart and soul need ritual. But like many other things we
need for health and wholeness, (such as occasional solitude, extended family, harmony
with nature), ritual is an endangered activity in Western (un)civilization.

Our culture is ritual-poor. We have no real rituals for young people coming of age, for
respected adults becoming elders, for ancestors who should be remembered and honored.
Because of this, we lose clarity and respect among the generations, we sever our ties with
our heritage, we let ill-prepared man-children and women-children wander uncertainly
toward the future. The few rituals we do have as a society, like the sheet cakes and jello
served afterwards, are pallid and unsatisfying. High school graduation ceremonies, baby
showers and birthday parties cannot sustain a culture.

But ritual doesn‘t have to be like that. We have known rituals that were exciting,
mysterious, scary, intriguing, ethereally beautiful, boisterous, sweaty, cathartic, awe-
filled, regenerating, painfully transformative, outrageous, breathtaking, ecstatic,
overwhelming, hilarious, wild, deep, primal and weird. We know it can be done. We have
done it. We have created a dragon elemental under mountain skies as lightning cracked
overhead. We have splashed and poured water on one another and watched the skies open
to release the rain. We have weighed the soul of a departed brother against a white
feather, on the Scales of Ma‘at, and released him to the Sun God. We have laughed and
cried and shouted for joy, and been transformed, and we know what ritual can do.

So we wrote a book. It seems to be part of what the Goddess wants from us, part of a
teaching-sharing-learning calling. We wrote RitualCraft to let people know that this
ancient and poorly understood tool — ritual — could be exhilarating and splendid, could
change lives, could even help change the world.

We had the stuff of a book. Between us, we have over 40 years of experience with ritual.
We had our memories of the best (and worst) rituals we had ever been part of. We had
our personal files, with outlines and notes and ideas. We had wonderful input from our
students, from teaching many workshops on ritual. We had access through friends and the
Internet to rituals around the world — so we could include ceremonies from Africa and
the Middle East and the Far North, and much more.

Now, there are already some fine books on ritual out there. But many are very short, or
focused on solitary rituals, or just sabbats, or only rites of passage, or just one tradition‘s
perspective.

We wanted something more comprehensive, both broader and deeper. We wanted to
cover the pitfalls as well as the possibilities. And we wanted to encourage you to be
creative and daring, to stretch the boundaries, to dump the cookie-cutter, read-from-the-
book type rituals and spread your wings. So we did it; we shared all that we could cram
into 600 pages or so. And the book has a lot — theory and sensory modes and mental
states and very diverse rituals from all over to illustrate the insights. Altars and costumes
and chants, oh my.

We wrote RitualCraft because our communities need great rituals for bonding, for
healing, for transforming what we do and who we are as a society. Beyond that, ritual is a
tremendous tool for self-transformation. Choosing to mold yourself, to create a better
you, is the greatest art there is because its raw material is a living person. And beyond all
the safe and common tools, the self-improvement books, adult evening classes and
exercise programs, there is ritual. There is magick.
     This book is the ―Book of Grimoire‖
        AKA: The book of Shadows




 The part of the book is mainly
about the Book of Grimoire and
the demons of the underworld
Astaroth (also Ashtaroth, Astarot, and Asteroth) is a Grand Duke of Hell; his main
assistants are four demons called Aamon, Pruslas, Barbatos and Rashaverak. In art, in the
Dictionnaire Infernal, Astaroth is depicted as a nude man with dragon-like wings, hands
and feet, a second pair of feathered wings after the main, wearing a crown, holding a
serpent in one hand, and riding a wolf or dog. According to Sebastian Michaelis he is a
demon of the First Hierarchy, who seduces by means of laziness and vanity, and his
adversary is St. Bartholomew, who can protect against him for he has resisted Astaroth's
temptations. To others, he teaches mathematical sciences and handicrafts, can make men
invisible and lead them to hidden treasures, and answers every question formulated to
him.

According to S.Francis Barrett, Astaroth is the prince of accusers and inquisitors.
According to some demonologists of the 16th century, August is the month during which
this demon's attacks against humans are stronger. His name seems to come from the
goddess ‗Ashtart/Astarte which was rendered in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible
as Astharthe (singular) and Astharoth (plural), that last form rendered in the King James
Version of the Bible as Ashtaroth. It seems this plural form was taken either from the
Latin or from some translation or other by those who did not know it was a plural form
nor knew that it referred to a goddess, seeing it only as a name applied to some god other
than God and therefore the name of a devil.




Modern cultural references
      Astaroth is referenced in the song "At the Sound of the Demon Bell" by the black
       metal band Mercyful Fate-> I hear a bell/A sound from Hell, the demon bell/I see
       a light in shadow in between the graves/Swinging his sword of hate towards the
       gates of Heaven/"Beelzebub, Astaroth' ...bring me the Devil"/And as he says
       these words I can't believe my eyes...
      Astaroth is referenced in the song "Black Dwarf" by the doom metal band
       Candlemass
      There is a character in Soul Calibur and its subsequent sequels named Astaroth,
       though he has nothing to do with the mythological demon, even though, like the
       mythological demon, he is also evil.
      The Star of Astaroth is the highly sought-after key to casting the Nazi-invasion-
       ending Substitutiary Locomotion spell in the Disney film, Bedknobs and
       Broomsticks, starring Angela Lansbury
      Astaroth is the name of a vampire in the On line RPG-Ravenblack Roleplayand
       Vampires: The Dark Alleyway
      Astaroth is also the name of one of the three "Shadowlords" in the role playing
       computer game Ultima V - Warriors of Destiny.
      Astaroth is also the name of a monster featured in Final Fantasy II.
      Astaroth was a one-shot villain in the animated series The Mighty Ducks.
      Astaroth has made several appearances as a demon in the comic book Hellboy.
   Astaroth is Monster in My Pocket #102. He appears as a spider with heads of an
    old man, a frog, and a cat--in short, like Baal. This appears to be derived from a
    similar identification in Jeff Rovin' The Fantasy Encyclopedia.
   Astaroth was one of the three gods of destruction in Shadow Hearts: Covenant.
    He was summoned by Nicolai Conrad.
   Astaroth is the name of the prince of demons and enemy Kushulai'n in Omikron:
    The Nomad Soul.
   Astaroth was a daemon who appeared briefly in the Warhammer 40,000 comic
    Daemonifuge.
   Astaroth is one of the many aliases of the Stephen King villain Randall Flagg.
   Astaroth is a song of the Spanish heavy metal group "Mägo de Oz".
   Astaroth is also a demon representing Sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins in the
    manga Angel Sanctuary.
   Astaroth's seal appears on the Tool CD Ænima.
   Astaroth's seal appears on the Vital Remains CD Into Cold Darknes.
   Astaroth is a demon who appears in several of the Megami Tensei console rpgs.
   Lorenzo Neal is known, in some areas, as the Astroth of football, specifically
    because of his ruthlessness and raw brute power.
   Astaroth is a Finnish death metal band.
   Astaroth is a town in the horror movie Lemora: A Child's Tale of the
    Supernatural.
   Astaroth is the demon called upon by Rabbi Low, in the film Der Golem: Wie er
    in die Welt Kam, to produce the correct Tetragrammaton for the creation of a
    Golem.
   The song "Alone in the Dark" by Testament contains a reference to Astaroth.
   Astaroth is a recurring villain in Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins video game series.
   Astaroth is mentioned in the CD soundtrack to the hit computer game "The 7th
    Guest". Though the song is not featured in the game, the theme music used for the
    chapel room is used for the song that mentions Asteroth. It is the first song to be
    heard on the soundtrack, and the lyrics were composed by the writer of the game,
    Matthew Costello. (Incidently, Matthew Costello actually spoke the lyrics down
    the phone to composer of the game music, The Fat Man, who decided to not only
    use it for the song, but actually mixed in the phone message by Matthew Costello
    into the soundtrack itself.)
   Astaroth is the demon lord of Tartarus in the video game Sacrifice.
   Astaroth is the name of a class of Shivan fighter craft in the science fiction
    computer game FreeSpace 2.
   Astaroth is the stage name of Josh Daly writer/producer/mixer of the instrumental
    progressive rock band "Dark Eulogy".
   Legions of Astaroth is an occult black metal band based out of Georgia.
   There is an Astaroth Rising "tarot deck".
   The seal of Astaroth is used to represent Hellmaster Fibrizo in the Slayers series.
   Astaroth is one of many random names given to a spawning deamon in ultima
    online.
   Astaroth is the name of a novel written by Croatian writer Ivo Brešan.
       Astaroth: The Angel of Death is a computer game for the Commodore Amiga and
        Atari ST.
       Catherine, a 2-step/metalcore band from Sacramento, CA, has an album titled;
        "Rumour has it: Astaroth Has Stolen Your Eyes".
       Astaroth is the chief enemy and brother of The Demiurge in the horror Role-
        playing game Kult.
       The imageboard character Astaroth is originally from the card game and snack
        food Shinra-Bansho and is a purple-skinned female version who likes offensive
        and weird T-shirts more than her unpractical demon outfit.

       Astaroth‘s seal




Belial (also Belhor, Baalial, Beliar, Beliall, Beliel; from Hebrew Bliyaal ‫ )בליעל‬is an
evil being in Hebrew mythology. The name means "without worth". In the Book of
Jubilees, uncircumcised heathens are called "sons of Belial".

The etymology for his name is unclear. Some scholars translate it from Hebrew as
"worthless" (Beli yo'il), while others translate it as "yokeless" (Beli ol), "may have no
rising" (Belial) or "never to rise" (Beli ya'al). Only a few etymologists have assumed it to
be a proper name from the start.


Contents


       1 In Judaism
            o 1.1 The Dead Sea Scrolls
       2 In Christianity
            o 2.1 Apocrypha
                      2.1.1 Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
                      2.1.2 The Martyrdom of Isaiah
       3 In other religious traditions
       4 In fiction
            o 4.1 Medieval fiction and Milton
            o 4.2 Modern fiction, film, and popular culture
                      4.2.1 Fiction
                      4.2.2 Film
                      4.2.3 Television
                      4.2.4 Comics, games, and music
      5 See also
      6 External links




In Judaism
In the Old Testament, Belial is mentioned several times; and impious men are considered
the sons of Belial.



The Dead Sea Scrolls

In The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness(1QM), one of the Dead Sea
scrolls, Belial is the leader of the Sons of Darkness:

       'But for corruption thou hast made Belial, an angel of hostility. All his dominions
       are in darkness, and his purpose is to bring about wickedness and guilt. All the
       spirits that are associated with him are but angels of destruction.'


In Christianity
In early Christian writings, Belial was identified first with an angel of confusion and lust,
created after Lucifer. Paradoxically, some apocrypha credit Belial as being the father of
Lucifer and the angel that convinced him to wage a rebellion in Heaven against God, and
that Belial was the first of the fallen angels to be expelled. Belial is referred to as Satan
when asked by St. Paul as to how Christ and Belial can agree. The passage in the Bible
NIV states: "What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer
have in common with an unbeliever?" 2 Cor 6:15.


Since the Middle Ages he has been considered to be a powerful king of Hell that gives
excellent familiars to his followers, and rules fifty to eighty legions [2] of demons,
though no mention is made of this in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. As a demon he
was said to have an agreeable aspect, and to induce to any type of sins, especially those
related to sex and lust. Sebastian Michaelis states that Belial seduces by means of
arrogance and his adversary is St. Francis of Paola; in this sense his name is translated as
"Lord of Arrogance" or "Lord of Pride" (Baal ial).
In the Biblia Vulgata fewer allusions to this demon are made, referring to Belial as
torrents of death, and to impious men as sons of Belial and men of Belial.

Belial is listed as the sixty-eighth spirit of the Ars Goetia, and appears in The Lesser Key
of Solomon as well.



Apocrypha

Belial plays heavily in Christian apocrypha and pseudepigrapha. In addition to his
appearance in the Book of Jubilee, Belial appears in other texts as well.

Belial is also mentioned in the Fragments of a Zadokite Work (which is also known as
The Damascus Document (CD)), which states that at the time of the Antichrist, "Belial
shall be let loose against Israel, as God spake through Isaiah the prophet." (6:9). The
Fragments also speak of "three nets of Belial" which are said to be fornication, wealth,
and pollution of the sanctuary. (6:10-11) In this work, Belial is sometimes presented as an
agent of divine punishment and sometimes as a rebel, as Mastema is. It was Belial who
inspired the Egyptian sorcerers, Jochaneh and his brother, to oppose Moses and Aaron.
The Fragments also say that anyone who is ruled by the spirits of Belial and speaks of
rebellion should be condemned as a necromancer and wizard.



Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

Belial is also mentioned in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. The author of the
work seems to be a dualist because he presents Belial as God's opponent, not as a servant,
but does not mention how or why this came to be. Simeon 5:3 says that fornication
separates man from God and brings him near to Beliar. Levi tells his children to choose
between the Law of God and the works of Beliar (Levi 19:1) It also states that when the
soul is constantly disturbed, the Lord departs from it and Beliar rules over it. Naphtali
(2:6, 3:1) contrasts the Law and will of God with the purposes of Beliar. Also, in 20:2,
Joseph prophesies that when Israel leaves Egypt, they will be with God in light while
Beliar will remain in darkness with the Egyptians. Finally, the Testament describes that
when the Messiah comes, the angels will punish the spirits of deceit and Beliar (3:3) and
that the Messiah will bind Beliar and give to his children the power to trample the evil
spirits (18:12).



The Martyrdom of Isaiah

In The Martyrdom of Isaiah, Belial is the angel of lawlessness and is the ruler of this
world.
       "And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Beliar; for the angel of
       lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Beliar, whose name is
       Matanbuchus." - Martyrdom of Isaiah 2:4

Belial also plays a significant role in the Ascension of Isaias.




In other religious traditions
The Satanic Bible names Belial as one of the Four Crown Princes of Hell (specifically,
the North Crown), and states that his name means "'without a master' and symbolizes true
independence, self-sufficiency, and personal accomplishment." [3] Belial represents the
earth element, is the Master of Mankind and the Champion of Humanity, and represents
the carnal and base urges of mankind.

Offerings, sacrifices and gifts must be made to honor Belial, or he will not answer the
truth to what the conjurer demands. Gilles de Rais attempted to raise Belial and
Beelzebub by using the dismembered remains of children as sacrifices. [4]




In fiction
Belial (or a likeness thereof) figures in many works of fiction, both medieval and modern.
Among these are:



Medieval fiction and Milton

      In Jacobus de Teramo's Buche Belial (1473), Belial was depicted with a man's
       body with talons instead of feet, and having a man's head with the horns and ears
       of a bull and the tusks of a boar; he keeps the door of Hell.
      In Book I of Paradise Lost, Belial is figured as the Fallen Angel resposible for
       making atheists of priests, unlike many other Fallen Angels who named
       themselves Gods in other regions. In Book II of Paradise Lost, author John
       Milton depicts Belial as one who realizes that the war against Heaven has been
       lost by the hosts of Hell, and hopes that God will forgive them and allow them to
       return to heaven. [5]



Modern fiction, film, and popular culture
Fiction

         Victor Hugo referred to Bellial as "the Infernal Ambassador to Turkey".
         The title of the novel and play Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse is a play on the
          name "Beliar."
         In the Robert Jordan book series, The Wheel of Time, one of the characters known
          as the Forsaken is named Be'lal.
         In the Philip K. Dick novel The Divine Invasion, Belial is the name of The
          Accuser.
         In Dean Koontz's "Phantoms", Belial is one of the names of the evil creature
          residing in Snowfield.
         In Aldous Huxley's Ape and Essence, Belial is the object of the post-Apocalyptic
          population's reverance/fear and the regulator of their week-long cyclical mating
          period.
         In Stephen Brust's To Reign in Hell, Belial is one of the seven angels to have
          come from chaos itself (the Firstborn). A battle against an oncoming wave of
          chaos leaves Belial insane, his body transformed into that of the first dragon. He
          rules over the Northern Regency of Heaven, sleeping undisturbed under a
          volcanic mountain range.
         In the White Wolf RPG "Vampire: The Requiem", an evil and ruthless vampire
          covenant is called "Belial's brood"
         In the Sara Douglass book series, "The Wayfarer Redemption", Belial is the
          second in command of tge main character, Axis's, army. Over all, a good guy.



Film

         In the silent film Nosferatu, it is said that the Vampires were spawned from
          Belial's blood.
         Belial is one of the demons who possesses Emily Rose in The Exorcism Of Emily
          Rose.
         Belial is the name of the protagonist's grotesque siamese twin in Basketcase
         Belial(Beliar in this case) is made reference to the first Bloodrayne movie as a
          deceased elder vampire whom his body parts are used in the same way as in the
          first Bloodrayne game.
         Belial is the name of a demon in the movie The Prophecy: Uprising, which is the
          third sequel in the series.



Television
        An episode of Forever Knight deals with a secretive group called The sons of
         Belial. The episode closes with a quotation from Paradise Lost.

[edit]

Comics, games, and music

        Manga-ka Kaori Yuki's twenty volume series Angel Sanctuary features Belial as
         the seductively perverse fallen angel Mad Hatter, demon retainer to Lucifer who
         bears the karmic weight of the sin of Pride. She is portrayed as androgynously
         beautiful, but in actuality is a breastless fallen angel who began to take drugs to
         make her female, but stopped taking the drugs halfway through the process.
        Min Woo-Hyung's comic book series "Priest" features Belial as an ex-Inquisitor
         turned to immortal demon out of revenge toward a spiteful fallen angel.
        In DC comics, Belial is the father of the demon Etrigan.
        In the fighting game series Darkstalkers, a demon named Belial is said to be one
         of the rulers of Makai, as well as the father of the succubi Morrigan and Lilith
         Aensland. Whether the demon in question is meant to be the Belial of legend or
         merely a namesake is unclear.
        Belial, the Lord of Lies, is mentioned in the back story of the Blizzard computer
         game series Diablo as one of the Four Lesser Evils of Hell.
        Westwood Studios' Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny featured a villain named
         Belial, who reflected the evil of the worlds. Belial reigned in chaos until
         destroyed by fellow elders.
        In Total Annihilation: Kingdoms, Belial is the god of the Tarosians. Resembling a
         giant red lizard-like animal, he walks around leaving destructive vortexes in his
         wake.
        In Mechassault 2: Lone Wolf, the Belial is one of the four medium mechs.
        Sweet Belial were a short lived indie band from Nottinghamshire in the early
         1990s.
        In Konami's Parodius video game series, Belial is a yellow female octopus with a
         bow on her head. She is playable.
        In the Storytelling game Vampire: The Requiem, an antagonistic group of crazed
         vampire anarchists calls themselves Belial's Brood. They believe vampires to be
         demons escaped from "the Pit's sulfurous depths" to bring havoc and ruin to the
         mortal world. Their appreciation for Belial may come by way of Aleister
         Crowley, for their fundamental tenet is "Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the
         law."
        In Dungeons & Dragons, Belial is one of the Lords of the Nine. He is the ruler of
         Phlegethos, the fiery fourth layer of Baator. However it is his daughter the Lady
         Fierna who is the legal and public ruler of the fourth though she acts as little more
         than a figurehead and puppet. The two are rumoured to have an incestous
         relationship.
        In the RPG Dragon Quest VIII, powerful monsters called belials appear in one of
         the final areas of the game. They are depicted as yellow demons with pitchforks.
        In BloodRayne, the various body parts of the demon, Beliar are the center of the
         main character, Rayne's, journeys.
        In the German RPG classic Gothic, Beliar is the dark god of necromantic magic.
        In Wild Arms 4, Belial is the name of a powerful demoness with near total
         mastery of space and time.
        In John Allison's webcomic Scary Go Round, a Satanic nunnery called "St.
         Timothy's Little Sisters of Belial" is featured briefly in the story arcs "Bulgaria"
         and "Beyond the Veil".
        In Dark Age of Camelot, Belial is one of the Circle of Five in the Darkness Rising
         expansion pack.
        In the game Digimon World 3, an available weapon is the Fang of Belial.
        There is a Swedish black metal band known as Lord Belial.
        Thou Shalt Suffer's Album Into The Woods of Belial.
        In Morbid Angel's song "Fall From Grace," a line goes "I writhe in the flesh and
         the sinners of Hell/I Am Belial./I bend my knee not but for my selfish desire."
        Shadows Fall's song "Crushing Belial" from the album "Of One Blood"
        Lord Belial is a black metal band from Sweden
        Belial, Lord of Corruption, is a unique commander who might appear when "Bind
         Demon Lord" is cast in Dominions 2
        In the anime Trinity Blood, Isaak Fernand von Kämpfer summons an
         electromagnetic accelerated cannon, the Arrow of Belial.
        In the 1996 PC game "Realms of the Haunting" Belial, the demon of lies, is a
         principal enemy which the protagonist Adam disfigures and then fights near the
         end of the game.




A woodcarving of Belial and some of his followers from Jacobus de Teramo's book
Buche Belial (1473)




Warning : the following documents deal with magic and should not be used without proper care and deep
knowledge of this art.


The word grimoire (IPA [grɪˈmwɑr]) is from the Old French gramaire, or grammar.
Latin "grammars" (books on Latin syntax and diction) were considered in the Middle
Ages as books of basic instruction.

Today, a grimoire is considered as a book of magical knowledge, with instructions for
its use to achieve certain ends. Most grimoires were written between the late-medieval
period and the 18th century and are associated with ceremonial or ritual magick. They
contain various magical formulas or symbols such as astrological correspondences,
incantations and ritual instructions for working with angels and conjuring spirits and
demons as well as directions on casting charms and spells, on mixing medicines, and
making talismans. A grimoire should not be used as a 'recipe book'. To understand the
real content, one must delve into the life and times of the magicians who wrote them
and decipher the symbols that were used to hide the real secrets.

Most grimoires are made of a strange blending of jewish, roman and christian formula
and filled with biblical references and prayers to angels or God. Although the
magicians who wtore them found inspiration in Pagan and Islamic texts, they often
relied on Christian magical traditions going back as far as the first century. Most
powerful invocations are inspired from the words of Jesus: "I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven..."
Those grimoires who are associated with black magic and focus on the art to submit
demons belong to the Goetia.

These books gave birth to a great number of secondary grimoires that were widely
distributed in during the XIXth century thanks to the development of the printing
industry. The most well-know are ―Le Dragon Rouge‖ (The red dragon), ―La Poule
Noire‖ (The black chicken), ―The Greater Etteila‖ and ―Le Grand Albert‖ et ―Le Petit
Albert‖ (the greater and the lesser Albert). They are full of stupidities such as ―how to
make girls dance without shirts‖.

In the late 19th century, several of the earliest-known Grimoires (including the
Abramelin text and the Keys of Solomon) were reclaimed by neo-Masonic magical
organizations such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Ordo Templi
Orientis. Aleister Crowley, who was part of both groups, synthetized the occult
knowledge and influenced a number of modern movements, including Wicca,
Satanism, and Chaos Magic.

A cottage industry has existed since the 19th century in selling false or carelessly-
translated grimoires (many original texts are in French or Latin, and are quite rare),
although faithful editions are available for grimoires.net.
The Great Key of Solomon



Although the title indicates that the author of this grimoire is the biblical King
Solomon, it was probably written in the 13th Century A.D. S. Liddell MacGregor
Mathers translated it in English in 1888. Mathers, a key-influencer of the Golden,
is said to have modified the rituals with W.B. Yeats. Mathers also translated the
Kabbalah.

Introduction and Book One
Concerning the ceremonies and operations of the magickal art.

The Holy Pentacles
The Pentacles or Medals to be used in the magickal art, and the uses for which
they are effective.

Book Two
Concerning the proper behavior of the Mage and his assistants, and the tools and
materials of the magickal art.




Legemeton



Also attributed to King Solomon and probably the most well known Grimoire, the
Legemeton is a collection of medieval and post-medieval grimoires that
originated in the twelfth century. The name Lemegeton probably stems from the
compiler's ignorance of Latin. Inspiring from the Clavicula Salomonis (Key of
Solomon), the "Little Key of Solomon" was dubbed "Lemegeton Clavicula
Salomonis."

Goetia or Lesser Key

The Goetia or lesser Key of Solomon contains a list of 72 demonic spirits
associated with the Shemhamphorash, and (in pairs) with the decanates of the
zodiac, their powers and how to invoke them. It dates back from the sixteenth
century but has been substantially amended by Mathers, Crowley/ and Laurence.

Ars Paulina or The Pauline Art

Mainly deals with the art of invoking the Angels of the Hours of the Day and
Night. One can also find his ―guardian angel‖ from his astral theme.

Ars Notaria

Translated by Robert Turner in 1657, it is a dense and difficult document that
describes a system for attaining to knowledge and skill in the Liberal and
Mechanical Arts through prayers and special invocations in "barbarous tongues".

Ars Almadel

Evocation of the Angels of the four "Altitudes", who rule the equinoctial and
solstice points, the seasons, and the signs of the zodiac.

Ars Nova

A small collection of prayers and orations.



The Books of Moses



Published in 1849, and translated into English in 1880, the 6th and 7th Books of
Moses claim to include material from 1338, 1383 and 1501, including portions
reputedly translated from the "Cuthan-Samaritan" language, which has been
extinct since the 12th Century A.D. The most interesting aspects of this book are
the unique illustrations of magical seals and the lists of names of demonic entities.
Note: the first five books of Moses are the traditionally the first five books of the
Bible.



The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage



The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage was translated by S.L.
MacGregor Mathers in 1900. Held in high regard by Aleister Crowley and
MacGregor Mathers alike, it is a primary source for modern ceremonial magic.
It contains detailed instructions for invoking the Holy Guardian Angel, for
summoning and directing the demons as well as designing the magical talismans
to be used in this Magick.
The rituals in Abramelin are so complex that the book recommends one take a
year away from work and family obligations to complete it.



The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy

In the 1650's, English scholar Robert Turner put together a collection of magickal
papers from various sources under the title The Fourth Book of Occult
Philosophy. Only two of the papers therein are purported to be by Agrippa but the
remaining part casts some light on practices detailed in Agrippa's Three Books of
Occult Philosophy.



Grimoire of Honorious

This book was credited to Pope Honorius III, who succeeded Pope Innocent III in
1216. The Grimoire of Honorius was full of Christian benedictions and formulae
as well as more sinistrous requirements for animal sacrifice and instructions for
obtaining a pact with the Devil. "It not only instructed priests in the arts of
demonology but virtually ordered them to learn how to conjure and control
demons, as part of their job."



Heptameron or Magical Elements

Attributed to the famous physician Peter de Abano (1250-1316), the Heptameron
("seven days") details rites for conjuring angels for the Hours of the Day, the
Seasons, and the Days of the Week. It is heavily based on texts of Solomon and
was also apparently one of the chief sources for the Lemegeton. The remainder of
the collection of the book consisting of medieval spells and stories are authored
by the queen of Navarre, Margaret of Angoulême.



The Arbatel of Magic



Arbatel de Magia Veterum was published in Latin in 1575 in Basel Switzerland. It
is unfortunate that only one part of the book has survived or was ever written,
being called the Isagoge, or Fundamental Instructions. The work promised a
further eight volumes, concerning themselves with "Microcosmical Magic",
"Olympic Magic", "Hesiodiacal and Homerical Magic", "Sibylline Magic",
"Pythagorical Magic", "The Magic of Appolonius", "Hermetical Magic" and
"Prophetical Magic".



The Book of Ceremonial Magic



Also known as the Book of Black Magic By Arthur Edward Waite [1913].
This book includes comprehensive descriptions of rituals from classic grimoires,
including extensive illustrations of magical seals. Grimoires covered include the
Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon, the Grimorium Verum, and the Black
Pullet.



Necronomicon



The Necromicon also known as Al Azif or the whispers of demons was supposed
to have been written by the black wizard Abdul Al-Hazred who lived in Yemen
700 AC. It became famous after horror novelist HP Lovercraft used it as a prop in
not fewer than 18 of his stories.

Today most agree that The Necromicon is a compilation of spells, recipes and
other texts taken from older grimoires as The Key of Salomon, the Ars Goetia, or
the Kitab al Uhud from Araby which were among the famous magic library of
Assurbinapal.

Other volumes, less well known, but just as ominous in content, are De Vermis
Mysteriis (Mysteries of the Worm), by Ludvig Prinn and Unaussprechlichen
Kultin (Nameless Cults) by von Junzt. The authors of the two volumes both met
terrible fates, as did Al-Hazred. Ludvig Prinn was burned at the stake, and von
Junzt was strangled by a hideous monster when he was alone in a locked room.
These are the official seals of the commanders of Satan‘s
armies sorted by alphabetical order.

Extremely useful when summoning using the appropriate
ritual, they can be also engraved to serve as talismans
(providing the demon grants you his protection)

Handle with care. Monstrous.com shall not be taken
responsible for any damages !

     Monstrous.com is the only source of
     information for the authentic seals of the
     main demons. Stricly reserved for
     personal use. Any commercial use will be
     severely punished (this is no joke).
Angels Hierarchy
Highest Triad

Seraphim

The Seraphs are generally accepted to be the highest order of God's Angelic Servants.
They stand by God's throne chanting "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" - "Holy, Holy, Holy is
the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His Glory." (Isaiah 6:3) They are beings of
pure light and thought and have direct communication with God. They resonate with the
Fire of Love. They appear with six wings and four heads.

According to Enoch, there were only 4 Seraphim, which corresponded to the four winds
or directions. Later commentators interpreted this as there were 4 major princes who
ruled over the Seraphim. They include either Metatron or Satan, Kemuel, Nathanael, and
Gabriel.

Certain passages also refer to a saraph or Seraphim as "fiery serpents" (saraph means
fiery) - see Numbers 21:6 and 21:8, Deuteronomy 8:15, and several passages in Isaiah.
Isaiah 30:6 talkes of a "fiery flying serpent" which lives in the southern desert between
Palestine and Egypt. Isaiah 6 is the only reference in the Bible to the Seraphim which
does not identify them as serpents. Here they are described as standing "in attendance on
Him. Each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his
legs, and with two he would fly." (Isaiah 6:2)
It is possible that the earlier passages refer to a class of demons. Another interpretation is
that the word comes from rapha meaning healer and ser meaning higher being.

There is much confusion in the ranks of angels. Some of the Seraphim are considered
Archangels, even though the Archangels are ranked six orders below that of the
Seraphim.

Metatron is sometimes identified as Satan, Prince of Darkness, or "old dragon." He is
said to possess 36 wings and countless eyes.

Cherubim

Genesis 3:24 says of that God placed "on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim
and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."

The Hebrew word Kerub is translated by some scholars as "one who intercedes" and by
others as "knowledge." The original Karibu were the terrible and monstrous guardians of
the temples and palaces in Sumer and Babylon. There were also similar guardians in the
Near East, and there were winged, eagle-headed deities that guarded an Assyrian Tree of
Everlasting Life.

They are said to have 4 wings and 4 faces. Exodus 25 talks of how the Ark was to be
decorated with Cherubim, while 1 Samuel 4:4 says that the Lord is "enthroned between
the cherubim" on the Ark. Psalms 18:10 speaks of the Lord, who "mounted the cherubim
and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind."

Ezekiel describes them as such: "They had the figures of human beings. However, each
had four faces, and each of them had four wings; the legs of each were [fused into] a
single rigid leg, and the feet of each were like a single calf's hoof; and their sparkle was
like the luster of burnished bronze. They had human hands below their wings. The four of
them had their faces and their wings on their four sides. Each one's wings touched those
of the other. They did not turn when they moved; each could only move in the direction
of any of its faces. Each of them had a human face [at the front]; each of the four had the
face of a lion on the right; each of the four had the face of an ox on the left; and each of
the four had the face of an eagle [at the back]. Such were their faces. As for their wings,
they were separated: above, each had two touching those of the others, while the other
two covered its body." - Ezekiel 1:5-11

Thrones (Ophanim or Galgallin)

The Ophanim seem to be God's actual chariots. The Hebrew Galgal has the double
meaning of wheels and of "pupil of the eye."

Ezekiel 1:13-19 "with them was something that looked like burning coals of fire. This
fire, suggestive of torches, kept moving about among the creatures; the fire had a
radiance, and lightning issued from the fire. Dashing to and fro [among] the creatures was
somethig that looked like flares. As I gazed on the creatures, I saw one wheel on the
ground next to each of the four-faced creatures. As for the appearance and structure of the
wheels, they gleamed like beryl. All four had the same form; the appearance and structure
of each was as of two wheels cutting through each other. And when they moved, each
could move in the direction of any of its four quarters; they did not veer when they
moved. Their rims were tall and frightening, for the rims of all four were covered all over
with eyes. And when the creatures moved forward, the wheels moved at their sides' and
when the creatures were borne above the earth, the wheels were borne too."

The thrones are said to reside either in the third or the fourth heaven. They are said to
inhabit a region in which Heaven meets Earth. Raphael is thought to be the ruling Prince.

The Second Triad

The Domininons

These angels are said to "regulate angels' duties" according to Dionysius. They are
described as Dominions, Lords, Kuriotetes, or Hashmallim. They have been said to reside
in the second heaven, where the celestial letters of the Holy Name reside. The ruling
Princes are said to be Zadkiel, Hashmal (aka Chasmal or the "fire speaking angel"),
Yahriel, and Muriel.

The Virtues

These angels bestow blessings, usually in the form of miracles. They are also known as
Malakim, Dunamis, and Tarshishim. They are associated with heroes and instill courage,
and are known as "The Brilliant or Shining Ones."

The Virtues escorted Christ to Heaven during the Ascension and according to the Book of
Adam and Eve, were present at the birth of Cain.

The leaders are said to be Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Bariel, Tarshish, and Satanel
(before his fall).

The Powers

The Powers are also known as the Dynamis, the Potentiates, and the Authorities. They
are said to be the first angels created by God, and are said to reside along the border
between the first and second heavens. Their job is to guard against demons.

Camael is the leader of the order. His name means "he who sees God" and the Magus
suggests that he is one of the seven angels who stands in the Presence of God. Camael is
also identified as a Duke of Hell. He is said to have the body of a leopard.
Others believe him to be associated with Mars, the god of war. He also is commander of
Destruction, Punishment, Vengeance, and Death. As Kemuel, he acts as a mediator
between Israel and the Hierarchs of the seventh heaven.

Legends surrounding Camael claim it was he who wrestled with Jacob, he appeared to
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and even that he tried to prevent Moses from
receiving the Torah from God.

The Powers are said to be the angels who guide the soul. They try to balance the good
with the bad in hopes that the bad will not overpower the good, and hence, the individual
will fall to the darker side. It is also said that they guide souls that have left the body and
have lost their way.

The Third Triad

The Principalities

The Principalities are those angels who are in charge of nations and great cities on Earth.
Later they became the protectors of religion. Several possible leaders are Nisrock, who is
originally an Assyrian deity who sometimes is considered the chief chef to the Demon
Princes of Hell. Another possible chief is Anael, who is one of the seven angels of
creation. He is associated with human sexuality, and is also governor of the second
heaven. Other Principalities include Hamiel, who transported Enoch to Heaven (although
he is also known as the Chaldean deity Ishtar) and Cervill, the Prince of Strength, who is
said to have aided David when he slew Goliath.

The Archangels

In Jewish and Christian sources, there are seven Archangels, while in the Koran, there are
said to be only four - only two are named: Jibril (Gabriel) and Michael. The Jewish and
Christian sources differ in who they name as their seven. All agree on Michael, Gabriel,
Raphael, and Uriel. The other three are either Metatron, Remiel, Sariel, Anael, Raguel,
and Raziel. These angels are the most important intercessionaries between God and
humans, and they are in constant battle with the Sons of Darkness.

The Angels

The last order of the hierarchy is that of the Angels. The Hebrew term for angel, mal'akh
means "a messenger, while the Sanskrit is Angeres, which becomes the Persian angaros
("courier"), and finally, the Greek angelos. They are intermediaries between God and
human mortals.
Baal
Aka : Bael, the Lord

Shape : appears sometimes like a cat, a toad, or a man, and sometimes as a three headed
beast with spider legs

Rank : the first monarch of hell commanding general of infernal armies; King ruling in
the East; rules over 66 Legions

Origin : Caanan but was worshipped by multitudes of different peoples, including the
Semites and Israelites. Originally a good God but later evolved into a terrible deity to
whom were sacrified children into flames. He has degenerated into merging with other
gods (Moloch, ..).

Magic : One of the 72 spirits of Salomon. Bring invisibility and cunning

Association : massebah

Source : Jean Wier‘s Pseudomonarchia Daemonumius, The Grimoire of Pope Honorius,
Goetia

See: Salaambo (the end of Carthagene)
Balam
Aka : Balan, Balaam, and Balemm

Element/sin : avarice and greed

Shape : a naked monster riding on a bear. He wears a royal crown, surmounting two long
and upward horns, and a pair of extremely hairy ears stick out at right angles from his
skull. The sharp, goat-like facial features are enhanced by a long, scraggly beard. His
limbs terminate in unnaturally long fingers and toes, capped by sharp-pointed nails that
look as deadly as the claws of the goshawk perching s right wrist.

Sometimes he has three heads (similar to Asmodeus) : the middle one is that of a man,
while the others are those of animals, usually a bull and a ram. Furthermore, Balam is
equipped with a serpent's tail and eyes so fierce that they spit forth fire and flames.

Rank : a great and terrible king in hell, commanding forty legions of infernal soldiers. A
former angel of the Order of Dominations

Magic : One of the 72 spirits of Salomon. He answers questions concerning past, present
and future events, and he is willing to reveal the secret of invisibility. He is an excellent
teacher of the subtle art of cunning, and he imparts wit and finesse to whoever queries
him on these matter.

Association : Baalzbub; Beelphegor; Belial; Berith and Byleth

Source : Goetia, Lemegeton, Le veritable dragon rouge
Baphomet
Aka : Goat of Mendes

Shape : Often represented with the head of a goat and the body of a man but with wings
and cloven feet (Eliphas Levi). A black cat. Also carry the heads of a cockerel.

Origin : Bapho-Mitras-son of Mithras or forged from Mahomet. The Knight Templars
were accused of practicing their initiations and rituals in front of a large idol of the
demon Baphomet.

Association : Aleister Crowley, Eliphas Levi

Quote :

       We recur once more to that terrible number fifteen, symbolized in the Tarot by a
       monster throned upon an altar, mitered and horned, having a woman's breasts and
       the generative organs of a man -- a chimera, a malformed sphinx, a systhesis of
       deformities. Below this figure we read a frank and simple inscription -- the Devil.
       Yes, we confront here that phantom of all terrors, the dragon of all theogonies, the
       Ahriman of the Persians, the Typhon of the Egyptians, the Python of the Greeks,
       the old serpent of the Hebrews, the fantastic monster, the nightmare, the
       Croquemitaine, the gargoyle, the great beast of the Middle Ages, and -- worse
       than all of these -- the Baphomet of the Templars, the bearded idol of the
       alchemist, the obscene deity of Mendes, the goat of the Sabbath." Eliphas Levi
Barbatos
Element/sin : Sagittarius

Shape : A satyr with four wings

Rank : Count and Duke of Hell, governs 30 legions

Origin : Hebraïc (Kabbale)

Magic : He understand the voice of all living creatures. Helocates treasures hidden by
magic, he knows all things past, and to come, and reconciles friends and powers;

Source: Goetia

Eliphas Levi
Beelzebub
Aka : Beelzebul - ―lord of the dung,‖ Beelzebub - ―lord of the flies.‖ Beelzeboul- ― lord
of the dwelling.‖ , Baalzebub

Element/sin : diseases

Shape : Usually appears in the form of a fly, a gargantuan cow, or a male goat with a
long tail. He had a tendency to vomit flames when angered.

He has cavernous nostrils and two big horns sprout from his head with ducks' feet, a
lion's tail and is covered from head to foot with thick black hair while large bat wings
adorn his back.

Rank : Prince of Demons, lives in Africa. The leader of the Golden Dawn, S. L.
MacGregor Mathers, put Beelzebub in the second demonic order in the sphere of
Chokmah, below Satan and Moloch but above Lucifer

Origin : He was an idol of the Canaanites, and his best known shrine was in the
Philistine city of Ekron. When King Ahaziah of Israel consulted his oracle in Ekron, he
brought upon himself the wrath of the prophet Elijah.

Magic : At witches' sabbaths Beelzebub was lord and master over all the rites, and it was
in his name that Jesus was denied. Eucharist was given with the seal of Beelzebub
imprinted upon the pieces of bread instead of the symbol of Christ. Said to have
possessed the nun, Sister Madeleine de Demandoix, of the Ursuline Convent near Aix-en-
Provence.

Association : often confused with Satan, Satanackia and Fleruty are his inferior demons

Source : Matthew XII 24-29, Luke XI 15-22, Gospel of Nicodemus, Kabbale, Milton,
Testament of Salomon, Grimorium Verum, Cazotte

Quote :

       'It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons' -
       Matthew 9:34

       "There are some of the school of the theologians who distribute the evil spirits
       into nine degrees, as contrary to the nine orders of the angels. Therefore the first
       of these are those which are called False Gods, who usurping the name of God,
       would be worshipped for gods, and require sacrifices and adorations, as that
       Devil, who saith to Christ, if thou wilt fall down and worshop me, I will give thee
       all these things, showing him all the kingdoms of the world; and the prince of
       these is he who said, I will ascend above the height of the clouds, and will be like
to the Most High; who is therefore called Beelzebub, that is, an old god."
Cornelius Agrippa

―I conjure bind and charge thee by Lucifer
Beelzebub, Sathanas, Jauconill, and by their power,
And by the homage thou owest unto them
And also I charge thee by the triple crown
Of Cerberus' head, by Styx and Phegiton,
By your fellow and private devil Baranter,
That you do torment and punish this disobedient
Demon until you make him come corporally
To my sight and obey my will and
Commandments in whatsoever I shall charge
Or command thee to do. Fiat, Fiat, Fiat.
Amen.‖ Unknown

And I summoned again to stand before me Beelzeboul, the prince of demons, and
I sat him down on a raised seat of honour, and said to him: "Why art thou alone,
prince of the demons?" And he said to me: "Because I alone am left of the angels
of heaven that came down. For I was first angel in the first heaven, being entitled
Beelzeboul. And now I control all who are bound in Tartarus . . . "

I Solomon said unto him: "Beelzeboul, what is thy employment?" And he
answered me: "I destroy kings. I ally myself with foreign tyrants. And my own
demons I set on to men, in order that the latter may believe in them and be lost.
And the chosen servants of God, priests and faithful men, I excite unto desires for
wicked sins, and evil heresies, and lawless deeds; and they obey me, and I bear
them on to destruction. And I inspire men with envy, and murder, and for wars
and sodomy, and other evil things. And I will destroy the world . . . "

I said to him: "Tell me by what angel thou art frustrated." And he answered: "By
the holy and precious name of the Almighty God, called by the Hebrews by a row
of numbers, of which the sum is 644, and among the Greeks it is Emmanuel.
And if one of the Romans adjure me by the name of the power Eleêth, I disappear
at once." Testament of Solomon

―the invocation to make visible the appearance of such fearful potencies as
Amaymon, Egyn, and Beelzebub would probably result in the death of the
exorcist on the spot; such death presenting the symptoms of one arising from
Epilepsy, Apoplexy, or Strangulation.'‖ MacGregor Mathers

"Beelzebub was Prince of the Seraphim, the next unto Lucifer. For all the princes,
that is to say all the chief of the nine choirs of angels, are fallen; and of the choir
of Seraphim there fell the three first, to wit, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Leviathan,
who did all revolt." Sister Madeleine de Demandoix of Aix-en-Provence
"Then Hell, receiving Satan the prince, with sore reproach said unto him: O prince
of perdition and chief of destruction, Beelzebub, the scorn of the angels and
spitting of the righteous why wouldest thou do this? Thou wouldest crucify the
King of glory and at his decease didst promise us great spoils of his death: like a
fool thou knewest not what thou didst. For behold now, this Jesus putteth to flight
by the brightness of his majesty all the darkness of death, and hath broken the
strong depths of the prisons, and let out the prisoners and loosed them that were
bound. And all that were sighing in our torments do rejoice against us, and at their
prayers our dominions are vanquished and our realms conquered, and now no
nation of men feareth us any more. And beside this, the dead which were never
wont to be proud triumph over us, and the captives which never could be joyful
do threaten us. O prince Satan, father of all the wicked and ungodly and renegades
wherefore wouldest thou do this? They that from the beginning until now have
despaired of life and salvation-now is none of their wonted roarings heard, neither
doth any groan from them sound in our ears, nor is there any sign of tears upon
the face of any of them. O prince Satan, holder of the keys of hell, those thy riches
which thou hadst gained by the tree of transgression and the losing of paradise,
thou hast lost by the tree of the cross, and all thy gladness hath perished. When
thou didst hang up Christ Jesus the King of glory thou wroughtest against thyself
and against me. Henceforth thou shalt know what eternal torments and infinite
pains thou art to suffer in my keeping for ever. O prince Satan, author of death
and head of all pride, thou oughtest first to have sought out matter of evil in this
Jesus: Wherefore didst thou adventure without cause to crucify him unjustly
against whom thou foundest no blame, and to bring into our realm the innocent
and righteous one, and to lose the guilty and the ungodly and unrighteous of the
whole world? And when Hell had spoken thus unto Satan the prince, then said the
King of glory unto Hell: Satan the prince shall be in thy power unto all ages in the
stead of Adam and his children, even those that are my righteous ones" - Gospel
of Nicodemus VII (XXIII)
Behemoth
Element/sin : demon of lust and gluttony

Shape : elephant or hippopotamus, a cat

Rank : a headwaiter, or the caretaker of wine cellars of Hell

Origin : Egyptian deity Taueret.

Myths : One of the first monster created by God to guard the Earth

Magic : "his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly"

Association : Leviathan

Source : Book of Job, Enoch, Apocalypse, Jean Wier‘s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum,
Boulgakov, Blake

Quote :

       "Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo
       now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He
       moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His
       bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief
       of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
       Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
       He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. The shady trees
       cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
       Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not; he trusteth that he can draw up
       Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes; his nose pierceth through
       snares." Job 40:15-24

       ―And that day will two monsters be parted, one monster, a female named
       Leviathan in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water;
       and (the other), a male called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an invisible
       desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden.‖ 1 Enoch 60:7-8



       ―Behold Behemoth,
       which I made as I made you;
       he eats grass like an ox.
       Behold, his strength is in his loins,
       and his power in the muscles of his belly.
       He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.
He is the first of the works of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beast play.
Under the lotus plant he lies,
in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh.
For his shade the lotus tree covers him
the willows of the brook surround him.
Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mough.
Can one take him with hooks,
or pierce his nose with a snare?‖ Job 40:15-24



―The Earth obey'd and straight
Op'ning her fertile womb teem'd at birth
Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms,
Limb'd and full-grown
The grassy clods now calv'd; now half appeared
The tawny lion, pawing to get free
His hinder parts, then spring as broke from bonds,
And rampant shakes his brindled mane; the ounce,
The libbard and the tiger, as the mole
Rising, the crumbl'd earth above them threw
In hillocks; the swift stag from under ground
Bore up his branching head; scarce from his mould
Behemoth biggest born of earth upheav'd
His vastness; flecc't the flocks and bleating rose
As plants; ambiguous between sea and land
The river-horse and scaly crocodile.‖ Milton
Belial
Aka : the Beast; 'beli ya'al,' means 'without worth.', Beliar, Beriael

Element/sin : Earth, the demon of lies

Shape : a beautiful angel seated on a chariot of fire-belching dragons, leaving scorched
earth in his wake

Rank : a King in Hell, a Fallen Angel created second after Lucifer, Satan's Emmisary to
King Soliman, the Infernal Ambassador to Turkey (Victor Hugo), commands eighty
legions of demons.

Origin : Hebraïc

Myths : one of the four chief demons imprisoned in a vessel of brass by the magic seal
ring of King Solomon (the other three are said to be Bileth, Asmoday and Gaap).

Magic : To conjure Belial, one must make offerings and sacrifices to him. He answers in
the most suave and pleasant of voices, but this is deceptive. Unless one keeps him in
check by continually invoking the name of God, this Belial deceives all and sundry. To
those successful in gaining his friendship, it is said that he distributes favours and
preferences, and gives excellent familiars.

Association : often confused with Satan

Source : Kabbalah, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomonarchia Daemonumus, Goetia,Fragments of
a Zadokite Work, the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, Martyrdom of Isaiah,
Document from Damas, Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum,
Agrippa, Milton

Quote :

       ―But for corruption thou hast made Belial, an angel of hostility. All his dominions
       are in darkness, and his purpose is to bring about wickedness and guilt. All the
       spirits that are associated with him are but angels of destruction.‖The War of the
       Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness

       "And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Beliar; for the angel of
       lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Beliar, whose name is
       Matanbuchus." - Martyrdom of Isaiah 2:4
Belphegor
Aka : Beelphegor, Belfagor

Element/sin : the demon of ingenious discoveries and inventions

Shape : a phallus, a beautiful young girl

Rank : the archdemon of the Togarini, the sixth of the evil Sephiroth, the Infernal
Ambassador to France (Hugo) where he hides in the Louvre museum.

Origin : Baal-Peor, originally a Moabite deity and an idol worshipped in Shittim by the
Israelites

Myths : A medieval legend tells how Belphegor set forth from hell to investigate
rumours concerning the happiness and misery of married coupled on earth. For a while he
lived among men, imitating all the intimacies that men experienced. He is said to have
fled back to hell in horror, happy that intercourse between men and women did not exist
there. This is the reason why the name of Belphegor is sometimes applied to misogynists
and licentious men.

Magic : difficult to summon, though he distributed riches with great generosity, if the
conjuror is agreeable to him. His gifts are also the power of discovery and ingenious
invention
Berith
Aka : Beal, Berithi, Bolfri, Bofi

Shape : a red soldier, with red clothing, upon a horse of the same colour, wearing a
golden crown

Rank : Grand Duke of Hell with 26 legions under his control

Origin : Baal-Berith (Sichemites)

Magic : One of the 72 Spirits of Solomon. He answers truly of things present, past, and
to come but is also a liar. Berith also has the power to transmute all base metals into gold.
Lured by a handsome reward, he will ensure that great public dignities and manifold
riches are bestowed upon the conjuror. Finally, he possesses the rather singular power or
lending clarity of sound and ease of elocution to the voices of singers. The magician must
use a ring to magically divert the flaming, noxious fumes from the mouth of the demon.
One of the Demon at Louviers.

 In ―Le tresor d‘Albert Petit‖ (XIII), a method of conjuring him under a form resembling
can be found. On a Monday night a black chicken is bled at a crossroads. One must say:
'Berith will do all my work for twenty years and I shall recompense him.' Or else one
may write the spell on a piece of virgin parchment with the chicken's blood. The demon
thus evoked will appear the same day, and put himself completely at the conjuror's
disposal. But after twenty years, Berith will claim his reward for services rendered.

Source : Lemegeton,Lesser Key of Solomon




Botis
Shape : an ugly snake or a man with huge teeth and two horns sprout from his head
carrying a sword

Magic : reconcile friends and familiars
Source : Legemeton




Bifrons
Element/sin : Demon of astrology and geometry, guards cemeteries and streams
Shape : horrible monster with two faces

Origin : Janus (Roman)

Magic : teach astrology, maths, medecine by plants and magic stones. He is of great help
for necromancians

Source : Jean Wier‘s Pseudomonarchia Daemonumius, Legemeton




Buer
Element/sin : Sagittarius, Sun

Shape : a lion's head surrounded by five hooved legs, a centaur, a sea-star

Rank : Duke of Hell, governs 50 legions

Magic : He teaches philosophy, ethics and also the virtues of all herbs and plants

Source: Goetia, Lemegeton
Byleth
Aka : Beleth, Bilet

Element/sin : Air

Shape : a magician riding a white horse appearing with trumpets and loud music

Rank : Commands 80 legions, fallen angel belonged to the angelic Order of Powers

Origin : Phenician Goddess

Magic : One of the 72 Spirits of Solomon. Very bad temper, must be summoned with
extreme care. Like wine and supposed to favor love bonds.

Association : Gaap, Belial, Asmoday

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton, Barrett



       Quote :

       "there were certaine necromancers that offered sacrifices and burnt offerings unto
       him; and to call him up, they exercised an art, saieng that Salomon the wise made
       it. Which is false: for it was rather Cham, the sonne of Noah, who after the floud
       began first to invocate wicked spirits. He invocated Bileth, and made an art in his
       name, and a booke which is knowne to manie mathematicians. There were burnt
       offerings and sacrifices made, and gifts given, and much wickednes wrought by
       the exorcists, who mingled therewithall the holie names of God, the which in that
       art are everie where expressed. Marie there is an epistle of those names written by
       Saloman, as also write Helias, Hierosolymitanus and Helisaeus. It is to be noted,
       that if anie exorcist have the art of Bileth, and cannot make him stand before him,
       nor see him, I may not bewaie you and declare the meanes to containe him,
       bicause it is abhomination, and for that I have learned nothing from Salomon of
       his dignitie and office." Reginald Scot
Camio
Aka : Caim, Caym, Murmur

Element/sin : Air

Shape : a thrush that wears a sword. As a man, he speaks or writes through the shapes of
the glowing embers

Rank : rules 30 legions, fallen angel

Magic : Give man the understanding of all animals and the sound of running water, a
form of auditory divination, grants the magician the power of eloquent verbal debate and
persuasive argument.
Cassiel
Aka : Casiel, Casziel, Kafziel, Qafziel

Element/sin : Saturday, Saturn

Shape : a bearded king with wings, who rides on the back of a winged dragon, and
carries in his right hand an arrow.

Rank : spirit of Saturday, sometimes described a good angel that carries the flag of
Gabriel

Origin : Hebraïc

Source: The Magus, Sepher ha-Zohar
Quote :

       "the nature of them (spirits of Saturday) is to sow discords, hatred, evil thoughts
       and cogitations, to give leave to kill and murder, and to lame or maim every
       member."

       "Those spirits who appear in a kingly form, have a much higher dignity than them
       who take an inferior shape; and those who appear in a human shape, exceed in
       authority and power them that come as animals; and again, these latter surpass in
       dignity them who appear as trees or instruments, and the like: so that you are to
       judge of the power, government, and authority of spirits by their assuming a more
       noble and dignified apparition." Francis Barrett




Dagon
Aka : Dagan, Great Fish

Element/sin : god of vegetation, storm god, god of ocean.

Shape : an idol with the head and hands of a man and the tail of a fish, and as half-
woman and half-fish.

Origin : Mesopotamia at Ur in 2500 BC. His cult was popular among the Assyrians. He
probably began his existence as a Semitic god adopted by the Philistines after their
invasion of Canaan.

Myths : When the Philistines placed the captured Ark in a temple of Dagon in Ashdod,
before the statue of Dagon. The next morning they found the statue lying on its face on
the temple floor. They set it upright again, but the morning after the statue was again
lying face down on the floor, this time with its head and hands broken off. The Hebrews
regarded this as a sign of the Ark's power (Samuel 5:1-7).

Association : Atargatis

Source: Samuel; Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth




Eurynome
Element/sin : Prince of Death
Source: Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum




Flauros
Aka : Faures, Fauras, Forras, Favres, Fleurety ?

Element/sin : Fire

Shape : Leopard, a strong man with flaming eyes

Rank : Duke of Hell, rules 30 legions of spirits
Magic : must be summoned within the triangle, tells the past and the future, destroy by
fire any enemy

Source: Goetia, Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum




Forcas
Aka : Forras

Shape : a strong man

Magic : teach logics and the secrets of plants and gems, gives invisibility and reveal
hidden treasures

Source: Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum
Furfur
Element/sin : winds

Shape : Hart with a tail on fire or a beautiful angel

Rank : Great Earle, rules over 26 legions

Magic : sustain good marital relations, raise storms, and advise about hidden and
spiritual matters.

Source: Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum,The Goetia




Gaap
Aka : Tap

Shape : a winged giant with horns and a tail, who carries a man through the air on his
shoulders.
Rank : Prince ( his king is Amaymon), he rules 66 Legions of Spirits; he was of the
Order of Potentates

Magic : teach philosophy and all the liberal sciences, cause love or hatred, and make
men insensible, deliver familiar spirits out of the custidy of other magicians

Association : Going before him 4 Great and Mighty Kings, Byleth

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton
Gamygyn
Shape : a white donkey or small horse

Rank : Grand Marquee of Hell, rules over 30 legions

Magic : Very powerful,teach sciences, help invoke spirits from the drawnings and the
Purgatory

Source: Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum
Glasyalabolas
Aka : Caacrinolas, Cassimolar

Shape : a winged dog

Magic : teach sciences, make invisible, help crimes, tells the present future and things to
come

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton




Gremory
Aka : Gormory, Gemory, Gromory, Gamori

Shape : a Beautiful Woman, with a Duchess's Crown tied about her waist, riding on a
camel and wearing beautiful jewels.

Rank : Duke of Hell, commands 26 legions

Magic : tells the present, past, and to come, helps discover treasures, procures the love
of women, especially of maids
Source: Goetia, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton




Gusoyn
Aka : Gusion, Gusayn, Guscaille

Element/sin : a man with a head like a dog, a camel

Magic : understand of all things past and to come, he procures favor, and reconciles both
friends and foes.

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton
Ipes
Aka : Ipos, Ayporos

Shape : a lion with a lion's head, the feet of a goose and the tail of a hare or a dark angel

Rank : a great Earle and a Prince, rules over 36 legions

Magic : he knows things to come and past, he makes a man wittie and bold

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton




Leviathan
Aka : Rahab

Element/sin : water, connected with the primeval waters of the ocean

Shape : enormous and invincible armored whale with seven heads

Rank : Prince of liars, Master of the ocean, reigned also as king of beasts, feared by God
and men alike

Origin : derived from the Canaanite Lotan, and that he is related to the Babylonian
Tiamat and the Greek Hydra

Myths :Leviathan, the great sea-serpent, angrily churns the oceans of the Earth, waiting
for the day of Judgment when he will devour the souls of the damned.At the time of the
resurrection, Gabriel will fight against Leviathan and overcome.

Association : Behemoth, Satan

Source: Book of Jonah, Book of Enoch




Quote :

        'And that day will two monsters be parted, one monster, a female named
       Leviathan in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water;
       and (the other), a male called Behemoth which holds his chest in an invisible
       desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden.'
1 Enoch 60:7-8

 'His back is made of rows of shields,
Shut up closely as with a seal...
His sneezings flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
Out of the mouth go flaming torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth...
In his neck abides strength,
And terror dances before him.

Book of Job

"In that day the Lord will punish,
With His great, cruel, mighty sword
Leviathan the Elusive Serpent--
Leviathan the Twisting Serpent;
He will slay the Dragon of the sea.

Isaiah 27:1
Leonard
Element/sin : Earth

Shape : a giant black goat

Rank : Great Doctor

Origin : Roman

Magic : presided over sabbaths in the Middle Age, God of sorcery




Lilith
                  We are sorry but this article is currently unavailable
Lucifer
Hebrew helel; Septuagint heosphoros, Vulgate lucifer, light-bearer

Names : The Latin name of Phosphorus, Venus as the morning star, the light bringer
which heralds the dawn. Lucifer as a personification is called a son of Astraeus and
Aurora or Eos, of Cephalus and Aurora, or of Atlas. He is called the father of Ceyx,
Daedalion, and of the Hesperides.

Element/sin : Venus, Pride

Shape : He is described as a handsome angel riding a white horse and his face is
characterized by a bright gladness

Rank : Prince of Hell, ex-Seraphim, Governor of Earth with 90 legions

Origin : Canaantie or Phoenician myth about Helel, who is the son of the god Shahar.
Greek

Myths : Lucifer came in the Middle Ages to be a common appellation of Satan. The star
of Rev 9:1-11 is a fallen angel who has been given the key of the abyss, from which he
sets loose upon the earth horribly formed locusts with scorpions' tails.

Magic : sustain good marital relations, raise storms, and advise about hidden and
spiritual matters.

Association : Satan, the King of Babylon, served by Stanackia and Agalierap
(Grimorium verum), Prometheus

Source : Enoch, Apocalypse, Dante, Luc, The Grimoire of Pope Honorius, Crowley,

Quote :

       The mind is its own place, and in itself
       Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.
       What matter where, if I be still the same,
       And what I should be, all but less than he
       Whom Thunder hath made greater? Here at least
       We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built
       Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
       Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
       To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
       Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n.

       Milton Paradise Lost
"How art thou fallen from heaven
O day-star, son of the morning! (Helel ben Shahar)
How art thou cast down to the ground,
That didst cast lots over the nations!
And thou saidst in thy heart:
'I will ascend into heaven,
Above the stars of God (El)
Will I exalt my throne;
And I will sit upon the mount of meeting,
In the uttermost parts of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the Most High (Elyon).'
Yet thou shalt be brought dow to the nether-world,
To the uttermost parts of the pit."


Isaiah 14:12-15
Lucifuges
Element/sin : Air

Shape : spirit of the night

Rank : Marquee of Hell, archdemon of Binah

Magic : afraid of light, very vindicative, can kill on command by touch or breath, bring
many riches through a pack

Source: Dragon Rouge, Del Rio, Grimorium verum

       "I also approve thy Book, and I give thee my true signature on parchment, which
       thou shalt affix at its end, to make use of at thy need. Further, I place myself at
       thy disposition, to appear before thee at thy call when, being purified, and holding
       the dreadful Blasting Rod, thou shalt open the Book, having described the
       Kabalistic circle and pronounced the word Rofocale. I promise thee to have
       friendly commerce with those who are fortified by the possession of the said
       Book, where my true signature stands, provided that they invoke me according to
       rule, on the first occassion that they require me. I also engage to deliver thee the
       treasure which thou seekest, on condition that thou keepest the secret for ever
       inviolable, act cheritable to the poor and dost give me a gold or silver coin on the
       first day of every month. If thou failest, thou art mine everlastingly." --
       LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE

       See the Louviers affaire for more details about Lucifuge‘s interview
Malphas
Aka : Malpas

Shape : Malphas comes first in the shape of a crow. When requested by the magician, he
puts on a human shape, but retains a bit of the hoarse voice of his animal

Myths : helped build Salomon‘s Temple

Magic : build houses and high towers, throw down enemies‘ buildings, one of the 72
spirits of Salomon, has supernatural powers

Source: Lemegeton
Mammon
Aka : Maimon, Mamon, Bayon, Amaymon

Element/sin : the demon of wealth and avarice.

Rank : one of the three Princes of Hell with Beelzebub and Asmodeus

Origin : Babylonian : (Mami, Goddess of fertility; Mammitu, Goddess of faith),
Egyptian : (Amon was the Egyptian ram-headed god of life and reproduction)

Source: Talmud, Saint Francisca, The Grimoire of Pope Honorius, Milton, Del Rio

Quote :

        "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
       other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God
       and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).
Marbas
Aka : Barbas, Marabas

Shape : a powerful lion that vomits fire

Rank : Great Duke of Hell who rules 36 legions

Magic : cures and inflicts diseases, he knows how to transform the shape of the human
body

Story: Marbas was probably the Barabas that has been saved against Jesus by the Jews.

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum




Marchocias
Aka : Marchosias

Shape : in the form of a wolf (or an ox) having gryphon's wings and a serpent's tail.

Rank : Grand Marquis of Hell, fallen angel who was of the Order of Dominations. He
governs 30 Legions of Spirits.

Magic : Very helpful during fights

Source: Aleister Crowley,Goetia, Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia
Daemonum
Mastema
Origin : From Mastim (Hebrew) the Hiphil participle of Satam which means 'one who
is adverse' or 'inimical.'

Myths : Mastema helped with one tenth of the spirits who rebelled against God, has the
mission of tempting men to sin and accusing them before the Throne of God. He is said
to have helped the Egyptian sorcerers achieve their wonders and urged the Egyptians to
pursue after the children of Israel.

Source: The Book of Jubilees, Fragments of a Zadokite Work.

Association : Satan

Quote :

       "When Mastema, the leader of the spirits, came, he said: 'Lord creator, leave some
       of them before me; let them listen to me and do everything that I tell them,
       because if none of them is left for me I shall not be able to exercise the authority
       of my will aong mankind. For they are meant for (the purposes of) destroying and
       misleading before my punishment because the evil of mankind is great.' Then he
       said that a tenth of them should be left before him, while he would make nine
       parts descend to the place of judgment." - Jubilees 10:8-9

       "And they made for themselves molten images, and they worshipped each the
       idol, the molten image which they had made for themselves, and they began to
       make graven images and unclean simulacra, and malignant spirits assisted and
       seduced (them) into committing transgression and uncleanness. And the prince
       Mastema exerted himself to do all this, and he sent forth other spirits, those which
       were put under his hand, to do all manner of wrong and sin, and all manner of
       transgression, to corrupt and destroy and to shed blood upon the earth. For this
       reason he called the name of Seroh, Serug, for every one turned to do all manner
       of sin and transgression. - Jubilees 11:4-6

       "And the prince Mastema stood up against thee, and sought to cast thee into the
       hands of Pharaoh, and he helped the Egyptian sorcerers, and they stood up and
       wrought before thee the evils indeed we permitted them to work, but the remedies
       we did not allow to be wrought by their hands." - Jubilees 48:9-10

       "And notwithstanding all (these) signs and wonders the prince Mastema was not
       put to shame because he took courage and cried to the Egyptians to pursue after
       thee with all the powers of the Egyptians, with their chariots, and with their
       horses, and with all the hosts of the peoples of Egypt." - Jubilees 48:12

       "For on this night -the beginning of the festival and the beginning of the joy- ye
       were eating the passover in Egypt, when all the powers of Mastema had been let
       loose to slay all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh
       to the first-born of the captive maid-servant in the mill, and to the cattle." -
       Jubilees 49:2




Mephistopheles
Aka : Mephistopheles, Miphostophiles, Mephisto, Mephostophiles and Mephistophilis

Element/sin : Mercury or Jupiter
Shape : A dragon; a young nobleman in a red doublet trimmed with gold, with a stiff
silk cloak, a cock's feather in his hat, wearing at his side a long sword; an elderly Gray
Friar.

Origin : The great Abbot Trithemius referred to Faust in a letter dated 1507, calling the
magician a fraud and a mountebank who should be whipped.

Myths : served as familiar demon to the German wandering scholar and magician
Georgius Sabillicus Faustus (1480-1542) as part of Faust's pact with the Devil. Faust was
a great scholar who grows tired of the vanity and impotence of ordinary human
knowledge. He decides to turn to magic to fulfill his lust for fame, wealth and power.

Source:

Volsbuch vom Doktor Faustus (1587)

Christopher Marlowe The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus (1589)

Goethe Faust (1775)

Thomas Man Doctor Faustus (1947)

Butler Ritual Magic

Quote :

        May the gods of Acheron be propitious to me. Away with the three-fold godhead
        of Jehovah. Welcome, spirits of fire, air, water, and earth. We ask your favor, O
        prince of the East, Belzebub, monarch of burning hell, and Demogorgon, that
        Mephostophilis may appear and rise. What dost thou delay? By Jehovah,
        Gehenna, and the holy water which I now sprinkle, and the sign of the cross
        which I now make, and by our vows, may Mephostophilis himself now rise,
        commanded by us. Marlowe

        This hellish Grand-Duke Mephistoph. appeared to me, Faust, first at a cross-road,
        and in a very cruel guise, like a bear, then mannerly like a lion; but through much
        persistence in my conjurations I managed to get him to promise to come to my
        study, and he came in the form of an old grey man. This spirit immediately made
        a pact with me for twenty-four years, and promised to bring me quick as thought
        to any place. Also I was to learn from him all the secret arts of nigromancy, and
        he promised to teach me magic properly. He also said: 'All secret arts of nature lie
        hidden in me. I govern in the hour of Jupiter; therefore I am very much attached
        to man, and warn him against making pacts. But if he will not heed my warning,
        then he will find no mercy from me when his hour strikes; nor would the star of
        Lucifer my Principal which is called Cerumepihiton and hardens the heart of men,
        allow it. I am most friendly when I appear as a grey man.' Karl Kohl Doctoris
        Iohannis Fausti magiae naturalis et innatural
Moloch
Element/sin : sun / fire, saturn, demon of unwilling sacrifice

Shape : a bull-headed colossus. A crocodile

Rank : In the Kabbalistic tradition, Moloch, together with Satan, was the first of the ten
evil Sephiroth

Origin : Ammonite. The Hebrew for Moloch means "King."

Myths : It seems that this God, initially linked with initiation and purification of children
with fire, was demonized by the Bible. Later, Carthaginians associated Moloch with
Baal-Ammon and performed human sacrifices on a huge brass statue that swallowed the
victims and plunged them into fire. The immolation of firstborn infants was supposed to
avert disaster and death from the Community.

Source: Old Testament, Milton

Association : Cronos who devoured his own children; BaalHammon (Carthagene)



Quote :

       Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in
       the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children
       of Ammon. 1 Kings 11:7
       Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of
       Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto
       Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him
       with stones. Leviticus 20:2

       And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of
       Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto
       Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they
       should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. Jeremiah 32:35

       "To the Goddess to Tanath the countenance of Baal;
       To the Lord to Baal Hammon, a man vowed,
       Even Abshamban, a votary of Ashtarte and a filial
       Devotee of Ashmon: as thou hearest the supplication,
       Do Thou Bless!" .Religious tablet found in Carthagene




Morax
Aka : Foray

Shape : a man with a bull head

Magic : teach the secrets of plants and gems. Help with familiar spirits

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Legemeton
Naberus
Aka : Naberius

Shape : a cock unable to stand upright; a monster with three bird heads and a defeaning
voice.

Magic : Teach logics and the art of persuasion. Grants lost honor and privileges

Source: Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum

Association : Cerberus
Orias
Shape : roaring lion with a serpent as tail, riding a horse and holding a viper in each
hand

Rank : Marquis of Hell, rules 30 legions

Origin : Ornias (Testament of Salomon)

Magic : Gives immediate knowledge of astrology, helps with shape shift and forces any
foe to obey

Association : Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum




Oze
Shape : a huge leopard with a crone
Magic : Teach arts and sciences, change humans in any form, gives madness and
hallucinations.

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton




Paimon
Aka : Paymon, Baymon

Element/sin : master of infernal ceremonies.

Shape : an effeminate man who rides a dromadaire and wears a crowne usually preceded
with an host of musicians with trumpets and well sounding cymbals.

Rank : King of the West. A fallen angel formerly of the Order of Dominations (or of the
Order of Cherubim). He commands 200 legions

Magic : He knows all the arts and the secrets of nature. He gives dignities and honors. He
can bind any human or familiar spirit to obey the conjuror. When calling up this
demon,the magician must look toward the northwest and make sure to ask him to answer
with a clear and understandable voice.

Source : Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton, Agrippa, The
Grimoire of Pope Honorius

Association : two kings usually follow Paimon : Labal (Beball) and Abalim (Abalam).
Pazuzu
Element/sin : demon of pestilence, demon of the hot south-east wind

Shape : He hasfour wings, a lion's head, lion's paws and feet, and the body of a man.

Origin : Sumerian, son of the king Arbu

Source: Pazuzu is the demon that possess the girl in the movieThe Exorcist. It can be
invoked to get rid of other spirits
Phoenix
Shape : appears like the mythical Phoenix, and speaks with a childish voice

Rank : Marquis of Hell. He governs 20 Legions of Spirits

Origin : The monster calls phoenix is a mythical bird renowned in ancient times for
being immortal. It was said to resemble an eagle with red and gold feathers and a star on
its forehead. The phoenix was probably demonized by the Church.

Magic : He knows everything aboutsciences and poetry. One of the 72 spirits of
Salomon

Source: The Goetia, Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum
Pursan
Aka : Curson, Purson

Shape : a man with a lion head, riding on a bear and holding a viper in his hand.usually
preceded with an host of musicians

Rank : King of Hell, a fallen angel who belonged to the Order of Vertues, and of the
Order of Thrones. He has the control of 22 legions.

Magic : he can tell all things present, past, and to come and knows the secrets of
Creation. He helps discover treasures and bring forth the best familiars.

Source: Lemegeton,
Ronwe
Aka : Ronove

Element/sin : the demon of knowledge

Shape : a monster with a staff in his hand

Rank : A Marquee and a Earle, orders 19 legions

Magic : provides knowledge in foreign (and ancient) languages, can give instant
knowledge of anything

Source: Goetia, Lemegeton
Sabnac
Aka : Salmac

Shape : a warrior with the head of a lion, riding a horse

Rank : A Marquee of Hell who rules 40 legions

Magic : he has great powers to build fortifications and castels. Upon request, he can
inflict wounds that make foes die in 30 days.

Source: Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum
Sallos
Aka : Saleos

Element/sin : Water

Shape : a handsome soldier with a Duke‘s crown, riding on a huge crocodile

Rank : Duke of Hell, rules 30 Legions of Spirits

Magic : expert in the field of love between men and women

Source: Lemegeton, Goetia
Sammael
Aka : Samaël, Samiel,Satan, Satanael

Element/sin : Angel of Death and venom of God. Sammael plays the role of the accuser,
seducer, and destroyer.
Shape : a serpent,a camel possessing hands and feet, a dark angel with a sword. In T.B.
Abuda Zarah, Sammael is represented as standing by a dying man with a drawn sword in
his hand. The point of the sword has a drop of gall on it. When the dying man sees him,
he is startled and opens his mouth. The drop of gall then falls into his mouth and the man
dies.

Rank : Prince of demons, before the fall he was the highest throne-angel. According to
the T.B. Baba Metzia, the Angel of Death did not fall but remains one of God's angels.
He is the executioner of the death sentences ordered by God

Origin : Hebraïc - Samiel or Simoon, was the name of a desert wind.

Myths : Sammael, under the guise of the serpent, tempted Eve in paradise. Sammael is
also said to have brought about Moses' death.

Association : Sammael and Lilith have a huge descendance of demons. According to the
Kabbala,the dark blemishes on the moon's surface are supposed to be this archdemon's
excrement. Sammael is also said to be the father of Cain (with a mortal).




Satanachia
Shape : He sits inside a crescent moon, his body encased in a husk, another crescent
moon behind his head. Other shapes can be a flower or a venenous insect.

Rank : grand General of Hell
Magic : sooth pain and bring release

Source: Red Dragon, Barrett




Scox
Aka : Shax,Shass or Shaz

Shape : a stork or a pigeon with a hoarse and subtil voice

Rank : Grand Marquee of Hell, rules 30 legions

Magic : Must be summoned within the ritual triangle. Rob anything and bring it to the
magician. Tells of things that are hidden and bring good familiars.

Source: Goetia, Lemegeton
Stolas
Aka : Solas

Element/sin : Air
Shape : a night raven or a owl

Rank : Prince of Hell, rules 26 legions

Magic : Teach astronomy and the vertues of herbes and precious stones

Source: Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum, Lemegeton
Sytri
Element/sin : Luxure

Shape : a winged leopard or an angel with the head of a lion. Under his human shape, he
is a handsome man.

Rank : Prince of Hell, owns 70 legions

Magic : can seduce or cause mutual attraction to any man and woman. He will bring
forth nudes woman to the magician.

Source: Lemegeton, Johann Wier‘s Pseudomanarchia Daemonum
Tephros
Aka : Tuphras, Bultalla, Thallai, Melchal

Element/sin : Air

Origin : Helped build the Salomon‘s Temple

Magic : bring darkness and set fire. Can also cure bad fevers.

Source: Testament




Urobach
Aka : Orobas, Ukobach

Shape : a horse

Rank : Prince of Hell, commands 20 legions

Magic : tells the present, past and future; reconcile friends and foes, gives honors and
dignities.
Source: Goetia, Lemegeton
Uval
Aka : Uvall, Vuall, Vual or Voval.

Shape : a large dromedary or a strong man that speaks egyptian

Rank : Duke of Hell. He controls 37 Legions

Magic : procures love between men and women, tells the things past, present, and to
come. Procures friendship between friends and foes

Source: Goetia
Vepar
Aka : Separ, Zepar

Element/sin : god of war, water

Shape : a siren

Rank : Duke of Hell, commands 30 legions

Magic : raise storms and command the sea. Can also inflict wounds that make the
magician‘s foes die within 30 days
Volac
Aka : Volac, Valak, Valu, Ualac, and Valac.

Shape : a child with angels wings, riding on a twoheaded dragon

Rank : President with 30 legions under control

Magic : procures and sedates snakes, helps discover hidden treasures




Zagan
Aka : Zagam

Element/sin : Demon of forgery

Shape : a winged bull

Rank : King and President of infernal regions

Magic : transmutes liquids, water into wine, wine into blood, …Brings the sense of
humor to people who are deprived of it.
Zepar
Element/sin : god of war

Shape : a mighty warrior

Rank : President with 30 legions under control

Magic : change people shape, seduce women‘s heart or make them sterile.

Association : not to be confused with Vepar
                                       Khorne
                               The blood God


Characteristics
In both Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000, Khorne is the Chaos god of hate,
war, rage, and killing; as such, alternative names for him include the Blood God and Lord
of Skulls. He is described as an extremely well-muscled, beast-headed monster sitting on
a throne atop a mountain of skulls in the middle of a sea of blood. The skulls are
described as belonging to both his victims and his worshippers alike- Khorne is described
as only seeking death, destruction and strife, regardless of who it is who dies.

Each of the four major Chaos gods is opposed by one of the other four. Khorne's
archenemy is Slaanesh; Khorne is a spartan god of war who acts outwardly, expecting his
followers to kill others. He is described as hating the hedonistic Slaanesh, an inwardly
acting god who seeks to pleasure himself with every act and experience. Also, Khorne
favors a straightforward approach to combat, and considers most forms of psychic or
magic sorcery as cowardly- thus he is also described as generally distrusting of psykers
and wizards, as well as the sorcerous Chaos god Tzeentch. In both game settings, these
characteristics affected the makeup of an army which is dedicated to Khorne.

Cult of Khorne
Mortals

As the god of mindless rage and slaughter, Khorne's mortal followers in both settings are
nearly uncontrollable warriors of exceptional martial skill; in Warhammer 40,000 Chaos
Space Marines who worship Khorne are known as "Berzerkers". These frenzied warriors
tend to wear black, red and brass and they generally wield axes as their weapon of choice
since they are Khorne's preferred weapons; but other weapons such as swords, pistols or
lances are also used. In Warhammer 40,000, Khorne's sacred number is eight; thus
Berzerkers tend to be seen in groups consisting of a multiple of eight.

Khorne's followers share their god's straightforward philosophy on combat, preferring to
run at their foes in order to defeat them in close combat. Even in the futuristic battlefields
of Warhammer 40,000, Berzerkers tend to eschew ranged combat in favor of brutal hand
to hand combat, where they wield massive axes known as chainaxes. Berzerkers typically
come from the World Eaters legion, but are not exclusive to that force.

Unlike the other gods, Khorne's followers are stated as never building temples in his
honour. Instead, they worship their god on the battlefield, praising him with battlecries
such as "blood for the Blood God!" or "Skulls for the Skull Throne!"

Daemons

As a Chaos God, various daemons are available to Khorne's forces. What follows are
brief in-universe descriptions of each.

      Bloodletters are ugly, horned humanoids with cloven hooves who tote blood-
       drinking battleaxes or swords known as Hellblades, which are forged at the foot
       of the Throne of Skulls; and wear armour of daemonic brass. They enter horrific
       frenzies in battle.
      Flesh Hounds are monstrous and ferocious vaguely canine creatures, notorious
       for their ability to track down their chosen prey. They bear enchanted collars that
       make them highly resitant to magic or psychic influences.
      Bloodthirsters are the greater daemons of Khorne. Of all the Daemons, they bear
       the greatest resemblance to stereotypical demons such as the Balrog from J. R. R.
       Tolkien's Middle-earth, having a human body, cloven hooves instead of feet,
       leathery bat-like wings and horned dog-like or humanoid heads. They wield a
       whip and a massive two-headed battle axe simultaneously in battle. As the
       greatest manifestation of the god of war, the dreaded Bloodthirster is one of the
       most powerful warriors that can be found on the battlefields of both Warhammer
       Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000.
      Juggernauts are massive steeds made of living metal whose blood is liquid fire,
       generally gifted to favored champions of Khorne



 This is where our journey ends and thus you
have been informed of the two worlds that are
          important to all religions.
   The son of Azrael is borne from a womb of a
    lonely woman that has nothing to loose.
 A child shall defy the hand of God and a door
                  will close.
           Section two: The different dimensions.
 This section is mainly about the different dimensions that are hidden from us. Some
  dimensions can offend others since they might relate to what they feel since that’s
                       normal. But please do not sue us hehehe.

Shinto and the Sacred Dimension of Nature

By Dr. Carmen Blacker, University of Cambridge,
[2003]
Excerpted from the international symposium, Shinto and Japanese Culture organised by
International Shinto Foundation in association with Japan Research Center, SOAS,
University of London

From 30 years of study of Shinto and of respect for its divinities I am convinced that it
can guide us to a new way of looking at the world around us. It can remind us that there
is a holy dimension in natural objects and that space is not homogeneous, that there are
indeed places imbued with the presence of something wholly other. First then, the Shinto
which the new Foundation seeks to make better known throughout the world is not State
Shinto, which was a recent and disastrous aberration of the traditional beliefs. What
exactly was this warped creed, and how did it rise to such power?

You will all remember that in 1868 a great historical change occurred in Japan known as
the Meiji Restoration. The feudal system under the Tokugawa Shogunate was abolished
and the country was united as never before in its history under the rule of the Emperor in
Tokyo, and an oligarchy of the enterprising men who had brought about this great
change.

This change was not only a political and institutional one. It was also a mental and
spiritual one. In 1868 the Meiji oligarchs found a loose federation of feudal domains,
each fiercely loyal to its own feudal lord, ruled by a defunct Shogunate and a mysterious,
invisible Emperor secluded within his palace in Kyoto. For such a dispersed people a new
myth, a new ideology was essential, a myth which would make them of one mind and one
spirit, with a sense of their own unified identity and destiny. This new myth must clearly
be backed up, legitimised, by religious sanctions.

Meiji oligarchs turned to Shinto.
The religion which the Meiji oligarchs turned to for support was not Buddhism, though
there had been notable Buddhist emperors and kings in other Asian countries. They
turned to the older religion in Japan for their inspiration, Shinto.

But at first sight it would seem that they could scarcely have found less promising
material for their purpose than the Shinto which existed before 1868; no religion less
likely to form the basis of a new myth of a unified and specially chosen people.

In the first place, the very term Shinto covered an immensely wide field of religious cult
and beIief. It covered first the phenomenon of thousands, not to say tens of thousands of
small independent shrines scattered throughout Japan and dedicated to an immense
number of the divinities called ‗kami‘. These kami were extremely many and various,
deriving from many different spiritual origins: from deified ancestors, from pacified
angry ghosts, from holy trees and pools, from phallic stones, and from the forces that
bestow supernatural skill, what we call genius, on certain arts and crafts. Some such
divinities often dated back to remote periods of prehistory. Others were more recent. But
they were all called by the same general name of kami.

The next step was to demonstrate that the Japanese people were uniquely special, given a
special act of creation different from other nations, and bound together by ties of a
common divine origin and destiny. To this end the oligarchs made clever use of the old
myths of the Kojiki, recorded in the 8th century. Thus the Sun Goddess Amaterasu
Omikami, whose cult before 1868 was unknown in many parts of Japan, was raised to a
paramomt glory she had never enjoyed before. She was proclaimed to be the divine
Ancestor of the Imperial house from whom in an unbroken line had sprung the succession
of Emperors to the present day, and whose heritage bestowed on Japan a uniquely sacred
quality denied to other nations. Her cult site at Ise was given supreme importance and
prominence, and the mythology surrounding her was proclaimed to be the immemorial
heritage of the entire Japanese people.

Most important of all, the Emperor was translated from his shadowy seclusion in Kyoto,
where for more than 200 years he had never left the precincts of his palace, to the new
capital of Tokyo. There he was promoted to a religious and symbolic role of
extraordinary potency. He was the direct descendant of the Sun Goddess, a living link in
the golden chain that attached Japan to her divine origins; he was high priest of Shinto
and the focus of all emotions of loyalty and devotion, for whom it was a supreme honour
to die.

The cult of this divinised figure, scarcely related to the human being who was its vessel
and vehicle, was promoted by inexorable indoctrination in schools and colleges. The
portrait of the Emperor was worshipped as a holy icon. The words of his Rescript of 1890
were revered as holy scripture. Those who had died for him in the various wars since
1868 were devoutly worshipped as heroes in the Yasukuni Shrine. And the indoctrination
in schools was backed up by the activities of the police in suppressing any cult
considered remotely inimical to State Shinto, on the charge of lese majeste.
State Shinto collapsed in 1945.

These policies had their terrible culmination in the Second World War, and it was only in
l945 that this strange, illusory structure of State Shinto collapsed. The Occupation lost no
time in disestablishing all that pertained to the cult, and in offering the Japanese people
complete freedom to worship any religion they liked, and to form any new religious
groups that they liked. It lost no time also in seeing that the Emperor declared himself to
be a human being, with no pretensions to divinity in any form.

So Shinto as a religion was thus reduced to much the same status that it had held before
1868. The small independent shrines proliferated, the bigger ones with their ramified
branches flourished, while literally scores of new groups, founded by a charismatic leader
claiming special connection with a certain kami, appeared a1l over the country to fill the
vacuum left by the collapse of the state cult hitherto held to be invincible and absolute.

So here is my first point. State Shinto was a recent aberration of the beliefs that had
peaceably existed in Japan for centuries, and animated Japanese culture, literature and
folklore in a unique and natural manner. Its story rams home to us the salutary lesson of
the terrifying way in which the powerful symbols of myth and religion can be
manipulated, and how from the most unlikely beginnings they can be used, not only to
weld together a new nation state, but also to create one in which a totalitarian fanaticism
utterly alien to the real tradition of the culture can drive that nation to disaster. It is a
salutary reminder also of what ravages can be perpetrated by what a historian Hugh
Trevor-Roper called the invention of tradition.

So I repeat, for I have heard doubts expressed on this point in various quarters, that it is
not State Shinto which the organisers of this new International Shinto Foundation are
seeking to promote abroad. How anyway could such creed possibly have any
international appeal? We need not fear any revival of the Emperor cult or the special
destiny of Japan. It is something older and more universal which we hope will be
explored and presented. Something which has always been part of Japanese culture, but
which can be understood elsewhere.

Return to the origin of Japanese culture.

Shinto can remind us that the natural world is not a machine put there for our sole
enjoyment. It does contain a dimension which induces reverence, respect and the intuition
that we are part of this subtle fabric, not its exploiter. Shinto can help us look again with
new eyes at the world about us, and see that what our grandfathers may have dismissed as
superstition, and the missionaries sought to deride as idolatry, is in fact a fundamental if
hidden truth which we have neglected for too long.

So I welcome the promotion of this kind of Shinto, which has always been an integral
part of Japanese culture, but which now has wider implication for the world than for
Japan alone. Hence I further welcome this ‗international‘, the ‗kokusai‘, in the title, and
hope that we can be open enough ourselves to relearn this ancient though forgotten
dimension of experience. Thank you.


                                        Hell
Hell, according to many religious beliefs, is a place or a state of pain and suffering. The
English word "hell" comes from the Germanic "hel", which originally meant "to cover".
"Hel" later referred to the goddess of the Norse underworld and daughter of Loki, Hel.
Compare Anglo-Saxon helan, Greek kalyptein and Latin celare="to hide, to cover" (all
from PIE *kel-).

According to many religions, the afterlife affords evildoers to suffer eternally. In some
monotheistic doctrines, Hell is often populated by demons who torment the damned. The
fallen angel Lucifer in Christian cultures, otherwise known as Satan, is portrayed in
popular culture as the ruler of Hell. Christian theologians portray Hell as the final resting
place for the Devil and the fallen angels (demons), prepared as their punishment by God.
Hell is also defined as complete and final separation of God's love and mercy from
sinners who have rejected his moral standards of goodness and have chosen to live a
rebellious life of sin. Purgatory, as believed by Catholicism, is a place of penance for the
sinner who has ultimately achieved salvation but has not paid penance for the sins
committed in life. Hell on the contrary is commonly believed to be for eternity with no
chance of redemption or salvation for those who suffer there. Some branches of the
Christian faith teach it is a domain of boundless dimension, scope, and torment. Many
monotheistic religions regard Hell as the absolute ultimate worst-case-scenario, per se.
For some Gnostics including the Cathars hell was none other than this present life on
earth. Furthermore, hell is sometimes thought by others to be a permanent state of
unconsciousness for all eternity, i.e. permanent death.

In polytheistic religions, the politics of Hell can be as complicated as human politics.
Many Hellenistic Neopagans believe in Tartarus, which may also be considered a version
of Hell.




Contents


      1 Religious accounts
          o 1.1 Rabbinic Judaism
          o 1.2 Ancient Greek religion
          o 1.3 Christianity
          o 1.4 Islam
          o 1.5 Chinese and Japanese religions
                   1.5.1 Taoism
           o   1.6 Hinduism
           o   1.7 Buddhism
           o   1.8 Bahá'í Faith
      2 Hell in mystic accounts
          o 2.1 The Rose of the World
      3 Hell in Literature
      4 Hell in entertainment and other popular culture
      5 Non-religious context
          o 5.1 Euphemistic ways of saying hell
                    5.1.1 Cold day in hell
      6 See also
      7 References
      8 External links



Religious accounts




A vision of hell from Dante‘s Divine Comedy. Illustration by Gustave Doré.

Hell appears in several mythologies and religions in different guises, and is commonly
inhabited by demons and the souls of dead people.

Numerous fictional accounts, most probably deriving from Dante's Divine Comedy,
describe Hell as a series of numbered layers or levels.

Rabbinic Judaism

Gehenna is defined in rabbinic literature. It is sometimes translated as "Hell", but this
doesn't effectively convey its meaning. The term Gehenna (also prononuced Gehennom)
is originally taken from the name of a valley (Gai' ben-Hinom - the dry valley of the son
of Hinom) in Jerusalem, into which the offerings to the Temple that did not qualify were
thrown.

In Judaism, Gehenna is not hell, but rather a sort of Purgatory where one is judged based
on their life's deeds. The Kabbalah describes it as a "waiting room" (commonly translated
as an "entry way") for all souls (not just the wicked). The overwhelming majority of
rabbinic thought maintains that people are not in Gehenna forever; the longest that one
can be there is said to be 12 months, however there has been the occasional noted
exception. Some consider it a spiritual forge where the soul is purified for its eventual
ascent to Olam Habah (heb. ;‫עולם הבא‬lit. "The world to come", often viewed as
analogous to Heaven). This is also mentioned in the Kabbalah, where the soul is
described as breaking, like the flame of a candle lighting another: the part of the soul that
ascends being pure and the "unfinished" piece being reborn.

Ancient Greek religion

Another source for the modern idea of 'Hell' is the Greek and Roman Tartarus, a place in
which conquered gods, men and other spirits were punished. Tartarus formed part of
Hades in Greek mythology and Roman mythology, but Hades also included Elysium, a
place for the reward for those who lead virtuous lives, whilst others spent their afterlife in
the asphodels fields. Like most ancient (pre-Christian) religions, the underworld was not
viewed as negatively as it is in Christianity and Islam.

Christianity

       Main article: Hell in Christian beliefs

Most Christians see hell as the eternal punishment for unrepentant sinners, as well as for
the Devil and his demons. Virtuous unbelievers (such as pagans or members of divergent
Christian denominations) are said to deserve hell on account of original sin, and even
unbaptized infants are sometimes said to be damned. Exceptions, however, are often
made for those who have failed to accept Jesus Christ but have extenuating circumstances
(youth, not having heard the Gospel, mental illness, etc.). As opposed to the concept of
Purgatory, damnation to hell is considered final and irreversible. Various interpretations
of the torment of hell exist, ranging from fiery pits of wailing sinners to lonely isolation
from God's presence. Dante's The Divine Comedy is a classic inspiration for modern
images of hell. Most Christians believe that damnation occurs immediately upon death
(particular judgment), others that it occurs after Judgment Day. Attitudes toward hell and
damnation have softened over the centuries (for example, see Limbo), and several
Christian denominations reject the traditional concept of hell altogether (see Seventh-Day
Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Universalists).

According to George G. Ritchie M.D. (Father of NDE's) in his book Return from
Tomorrow, at the age of twenty he died for nine minutes. While physically dead he had
an out-of-the-body experience in which he saw different levels of hell. He described The
Lost, The Evil and The Abandoned and that there was no end to the depth. He also
indicated that the people there were real only without physical bodies and that hell itself
seemed like an unreal place. There was no 'Prince of the Evil' or Demons only people
trapped in a state of intense suffering and grief.

Islam

Muslims believe in jahannam (in Arabic: ‫( )جه نم‬which is similar to Hebrew ge-hinnom
and resembles the versions of hell in other Abrahamic religions). In the Qur'an, the holy
book of Islam, there are literal descriptions of the condemned in a fiery Hell, as
contrasted to the garden-like Paradise enjoyed by righteous believers.

The meaning of jahannam is to do with hotness (whereas in Hebrew Gehenna is said to
mean a narrow deep valley). The word for paradise is jannah which means garden.

In addition, Heaven and Hell are split into many levels depending on the actions taken in
life, where punishment is given depending on the level of evil done in life, and good is
separated into other levels depending on how well one followed God (Arabic: Allah)
while alive.

There is an equal number of mentions of both hell and paradise in the Qur'an.

The Qur'an also says that some of those who are damned to hell are not damned forever,
but instead for an indefinite period of time. When Judgement Day comes, the formerly
damned will be judged as to whether or not they may enter into Paradise. In any case,
there is good reason to believe that punishment in Hell is not meant to actually last
eternally, but instead serves as a basis for spiritual rectification.[1]

Chinese and Japanese religions

        main article: Di Yu, the Chinese Hell and Japanese Hell

The structure of Hell is remarkably complex in many Chinese and Japanese religions.
The ruler of Hell has to deal with politics, just as human rulers do. Hell is the subject of
many folk stories and manga. In many such stories, people in hell are able to die again.

See Di Yu for more information on Chinese Hell.

The Chinese depiction of Hell doesn't necessarily mean a long time suffering for those
who enter Hell, nor does it mean that person is bad. The Chinese view Hell as similar to a
present day passport or immigration control station. In a Chinese funeral, they burn many
Hell Bank Notes for the dead. With this Hell money, the dead person can bribe the ruler
of Hell, and spend the rest of the money either in Hell or in Heaven.

Taoism
Ancient Taoism had no concept of hell, as morality was seen to be a man-made
distinction and there was no concept of an immaterial soul. In its home country China,
where Taoism adopted tenets of other religions, popular belief endows Taoist Hell with
many deities and spirits who punish sin in a variety of horrible ways. A Japanese term for
hell is "Jigoku".

Hinduism

In Hinduism, there are contradictions as to whether or not there is a hell (referred to as
'Nark' in Hindi). For some it is a metaphor for a conscience. But in Mahabharata there is a
mention of the Pandavas and the Kauravas going to hell. Hells are also described in
various Puranas and other scriptures.

It is believed that people who commit 'paap' (sin) go to hell and have to go through the
punishments in accordance to the sins they committed. The god Yama, who is also the
god of death, is the king of hell. The detailed accounts of all the sins committed by an
individual are supposed to be kept by Chitragupta who is the record keeper in Yama's
court. Chitragupta reads out the sins committed and Yama orders the appropriate
punishments to be given to the individuals. These punishments include dipping in boiling
oil, burning in fire, torture using various weapons etc. in various hells. Individuals who
finish their quota of the punishments are reborn according to their karma. All of the
created are imperfect and thus have at least one sin to their record, but if one has led a
generally pious life, one ascends to Heaven, or Swarga after a brief period of expiation in
hell.

Tour of Vedic universe

Buddhism

As diverse as other religions, there are many beliefs about Hell in Buddhism.

Most of the schools of thought, Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna would
acknowledge several hells[citation needed], which are places of great suffering for those who
commit evil actions, such as cold hells and hot hells. Like all the different realms within
cyclic existence, an existence in hell is temporary for its inhabitants. Those with
sufficiently negative karma are reborn there, where they stay until their specific negative
karma has been used up, at which point they are reborn in another realm, such as that of
humans, of hungry ghosts, of animals, of asuras, of devas, or of Naraka (Hell) all
according to the individual's karma.

There are a number of modern Buddhists, especially among Western schools, who
believe that hell is but a state of mind. In a sense, a bad day at work could be hell, and a
great day at work could be heaven. This has been supported by some modern scholars
who advocate the interpretation of such metaphysical portions of the Scriptures
symbolically rather than literally.
Zen does not really focus or use the idea of Hell. Rather, consider this koan:

A roshi meets two students in the garden. To them, he asks, "where is Hell?"

"In Heaven," the first student replies.

The roshi humphs, disappointedly. He then looks at the second.

"In the flower by your foot," the second replies. He then bends down and kisses it. The
first student bows, enlightened.

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith regards the conventional description of hell (and heaven) as a specific
place as symbolic.[2] Instead the Bahá'í writings describe hell as a "spiritual condition"
where remoteness from God is defined as hell; conversely heaven is seen as a state of
closeness to God.[2] Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, has stated that the nature
of the life of the soul in the afterlife is beyond comprehension in the physical plane,[2] but
has stated that the soul will retain its consciousness and individuality and remember its
physical life; the soul will be able to recognize other souls and communicate with them.[2]

Bahá'u'lláh likened death to the process of birth. He explains: "The world beyond is as
different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the
womb of its mother."[3] The analogy to the womb in many ways summarizes the Bahá'í
view of earthly existence: just as the womb constitutes an important place for a person's
initial physical development, the physical world provides for the development of the
individual soul. Accordingly, Bahá'ís view life as a preparatory stage, where one can
develop and perfect those qualities which will be needed in the next life.[2] The key to
spiritual progress is to follow the path outlined by the current Manifestations of God,
which Bahá'ís believe is currently Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "Know thou, of a truth,
that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly return and be
gathered to the glory of the Beloved,"[4]

The Bahá'í teachings state that there exists a hierarchy of souls in the afterlife, where the
merits of each soul determines their place in the hierachy, and that souls lower in the
hierarchy cannot completely understand the station of those above.[2] Each soul can
continue to progress in the afterlife, but the soul's development is not dependent on its
own conscious efforts, but instead on the grace of God, the prayers of others, and good
deeds performed by others on Earth in the name of the person.[2]

Hell in mystic accounts
The Rose of the World

The account of Christian mystic Daniil Andreev given in his opus magnum Roza Mira
significantly departs from the Christian tradition, depicting an entire hierarchy of multiple
Sheols different in appearances, purposes and relationships to human cultures and to
'diabolic' worlds co-existing with the visible Universe.

Hell in Literature
Many of the great epics of European literature include episodes that occur in Hell. In the
Roman poet Virgil's Latin epic, the Aeneid, Aeneas descends into Dis (the underworld) to
visit his father's spirit. The underworld is only vaguely described, with one unexplored
path leading to the punishments of Tartarus, while the other leads through Erebus and the
Elysian Fields.

In his Divina commedia ('Divine comedy'; set in the year 1300), Dante Alighieri
employed the conceit of taking Virgil as his guide through Inferno (and then, in the
second cantiche, up the mountain of Purgatorio). Virgil himself is not condemned to Hell
in Dante's poem but is rather, as a virtuous pagan, confined to Limbo just at the edge of
Hell. The geography of Hell is very elaborately laid out in this work, with nine concentric
rings leading deeper into the Earth and deeper into the various punishments of Hell, until,
at the center of the world, Dante finds Satan himself trapped in the frozen lake of
Cocytus. A small tunnel leads past Satan and out to the other side of the world, at the
base of the Mount of Purgatory.

The 1976 novel Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle is set in Dante's Hell with
20th century protagonists.

John Milton's Paradise Lost (1668) opens with the fallen angels, including their leader
Satan, waking up in Hell after having been defeated in the war in heaven and the action
returns there at several points throughout the poem. The nature of Hell as a place of
punishment, as portrayed by Dante, is not explored here; instead, Hell is the abode of the
demons, and the passive prison from which they plot their revenge upon Heaven through
the corruption of the human race.

C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce (1945) borrows its title from William Blake's Marriage
of Heaven and Hell (1793) and its inspiration from the Divine Comedy as the narrator is
likewise guided through Hell and Heaven. Hell is portrayed here as an endless, desolate
twilight city upon which night is imperceptibly sinking. The night is actually the
Apocalypse, and it heralds the arrival of the demons after their judgement. Before the
night comes, anyone can escape Hell if they leave behind their former selves and accept
Heaven's offer, and a journey to Heaven reveals that Hell is infinitely small; it is nothing
more or less than what happens to a soul that turns away from God and into itself.

In the play "Man and Superman", George Bernard Shaw pictures Hell as a place of idle
worship of youth and beauty.

The idea of hell was highly influential to writers such as Jean-Paul Sartre who authored
the play "No Exit" about the idea that, "hell is other people". Although not a religious
man, Sartre was fascinated by his interpretation of a hellish state of suffering.
19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud alluded to the concept as well in the title and
themes of one of his major works, "A Season In Hell". Rimbaud's poetry portrays his
own suffering in a poetic form as well as other themes.

In The War Hound and the World's Pain by Michael Moorcock the central character,
Ulrich von Bek is taken on a visit to Hell by Lucifer who charges von Bek with
recovering the Holy Grail (the world's pain of the title) in order to attempt a reconcilation
between God and Lucifer.

Hell in entertainment and other popular culture
Hell is often depicted as a place underground, with fire and molten rock where the devil
lives. The devil is popularly depicted as a being or creature who carries a pitchfork
(which in turn is actually a trident), has flaming red skin, horns on his head, a black
goatee beard, and a long thin tail with a triangle shaped barb on it.

      The most imaginative and famous depiction of hell can be viewed in several
       paintings by medieval Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.

      What Dreams May Come, a 1998 movie that won an Academy Award for its
       depiction of heaven and hell as the subjective creations of the individual, was an
       essentially new age model of heaven, hell and reincarnation. It was based on the
       eponymous novel by Richard Matheson.

      In the film Big Trouble in Little China, there are continuous references to the
       Chinese version(s) of Hell. The specific references are interspersed throughout the
       movie ("Chinese have a lot of hells," "Hell of boiling oil," "Hell of the upside-
       down sinners," "Hell where people are skinned alive," etc.).

      The BBC Radio 4 comedy series Old Harry's Game is set in Hell. It was written
       by Andy Hamilton who also stars as Satan.

      In the Family Guy movie Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, Stewie Griffin is being
       a bad boy, so when a lifeguard chair collapsed and "killed" him, he wakes up in
       "Hell" - a bedroom with a headboard sign that said "Welcome to Hell". Steve
       Allen greets him and takes off his shirt in an apparent sexual advance, scaring
       Stewie back into life. Allen then puts his shirt back on, wondering why Stewie
       would be frightened at a request to fix a button on it. Allen then turns on the TV,
       curious as to what's on TV in Hell; the opening theme from Who's The Boss?
       begins playing, and when he tries to change the channel, the TV won't respond. In
       the episode "Holy Crap" Peter Griffin imagines being in Hell when he was
       depressed after having his father say what a failure he is to him; imagining
       criminals like Al Capone, Adolf Hitler, John Wilkes Booth and Superman. When
       Peter asks what he's doing in Hell, Superman responds that he killed a hooker for
       making a joke about him being "faster than a speeding bullet".
   Matt Groening's comic strip Life in Hell shows a satirical look on our society,
    based on all the bad things that can happen, thus the title. Groening claimed his
    move to Los Angeles inspired the title.

   In The Simpsons Hell is depicted numerous times. In Bart Gets Hit by a Car Bart
    enters Hell due to a car accident. The Hieronymus Bosch painting Garden of
    Earthly Delights is parodied. Satan seems to have a computer on which he can
    view details about everyone who enters Hell. Bart's arrival is, however, too early,
    so the Devil sends him back to Earth, advising him to continue to "lie, cheat, steal
    and listen to heavy metal." Homer's ended up in Hell numerous times in the
    Treehouse of Horror Halloween episodes.

   In the television show Futurama, the characters go to Robot Hell on occasion,
    where the Robot Devil and other evil robots reside. In "Hell is Other Robots"
    Bender was put in there to be tormented in a series of ironic punishments such as
    being rolled into a giant cigar for smoking. In "The Devil's Hands Are Idle
    Playthings" Fry and Bender go to hell to make a deal for Fry to get robot hands so
    he can play the holophonor. The robot whose hands Fry will get is determined by
    a large wheel with every robot on it. Fry winds up with the Robot Devil's hands (I
    just put my name on there as a show of good faith to the other robots). The Robot
    Devil proceeds to use a "circuitous plan" involving Bender and Leela to convince
    Fry to trade hands back.

   In many episodes of the television show South Park (Do the Handicapped Go to
    Hell?/Probably,...), Satan (South Park) appears. On many occasions he is
    accompanied by his homosexual lover Saddam Hussein, who ironically seems to
    be even more malicious than Satan himself. Hell in the series is an overpopulated
    place where several famous people as Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy, Walter
    Matthau, Dean Martin, Lady Diana and Mahatma Gandhi seem to live next to
    more obvious people as Adolf Hitler. Only Mormons seem to go to Heaven.
    South Park's version of Hell can also be seen in the film South Park: Bigger,
    Longer & Uncut

   In a deleted scene from the 1999 theatrical theological comedy Dogma, the ex-
    Muse Azrael (played by actor Jason Lee) explains that there have been past and
    current "versions" of Hell. When Hell was first formed it was meant to hold
    Lucifer and the rebel angels and was merely a place devoid of the presence of
    God. To those who had previously been in the presence of God, this was
    punishment enough. Azrael goes on to say that when humanity was created, Hell
    was infected with a disease of sorts. Believing that God could never forgive their
    sins, many humans came to Hell and subconsciously demanded to be actively
    punished, although that was not their due. Slowly but surely (and reminiscent of
    the doctrine of responsibility assumption), Hell became a "suffering pit" to
    contain all these gluttons for punishment. According to Azrael, Hell is far more
    horrifying for the fallen angels residing there than for the Damned themselves, as
    the angels not only have to endure the absence of God, but also the unending
    howls of the Damned as they undergo torture essentially at their own hands. This
    concept of Hell, originally found in DC Comics' Swamp Thing, as written by
    Alan Moore, also appeared in Neil Gaiman's successful Sandman series of
    graphic novels.

   The 2004 Insane Clown Posse album The Wraith: Hell's Pit is a concept album
    about Hell.

   The video game series Devil May Cry features Hell as a location to battle through.
    The name of the main character Dante is a reference to The Divine Comedy, as is
    his twin brother Vergil.

   The first Fear Effect game deals extensively with the Chinese concept of hell,
    replete with its aforementioned political ramifications. Several of the later levels
    actually take place in the Chinese hell.

   The famous PC game series Doom also involves the concept of Hell, but with a
    science-fiction twist, as a future teleportation experiment accidentally opens a
    gate to Hell, releasing demons. Hell is treated in the Christian conception, replete
    with Satanic symbols and corporeal demons, as a parallel universe of crimson
    skies, black mountains and oceans of fire. In Doom 3 the player must travel to
    Hell to obtain a powerful Martian artifact.

   The first game in the Quake computer game series involves an invasion by forces
    from Hell, more exactly the Great Old Ones. Note however, that the rest of the
    series has nothing to do with this concept.

   In the comic book series Hellboy by award-winning artist Mike Mignola, Hell is
    shown in the two page story "Pancakes" (1999 Dark Horse Presents Annual) to
    be a dark, alternate dimension filled with flames and demons and where the
    infernal capital city of Pandemonium resides. In issue one "Seed of Destruction"
    the Nazis with aid of the mad monk Rasputin successfully breach the
    transdimensional boundary of Hell via magic and call forth the infant Hellboy so
    that he may bring about the end of the world. They are stopped, however, by the
    Allied Forces who also rescue Hellboy and raise him.

   The 2005 Warner Bros. film Constantine depicts as graphic a version of the
    traditional Christian version of Hell as can be found in cinema: it shows a parallel
    plane with many of the same buildings and structures as the normal world, but
    twisted, ruined and perpetually engulfed in hellfire. This movie is based on the
    DC/Vertigo comic series Hellblazer.

   In the first of the Diablo series of games, a "leaked-out" portion hell is featured as
    a pit deep under the ground largely characterized as a place of suffering, as the
    bodies of hundreds of apparently tortured people reside there. The game manual
    refers to this place as actually part of the mortal realm whose barriers with the
    metaphysical Hell have weakened, causing it to take on hellish attributes
    combined with more worldly ones. None of the apparently tortured bodies show
    any signs of life or torment, and as such may simply be the Decor that Diablo, the
    lord of Terror, has chosen for his home in the mortal world. This fits with the
    view of the actual Hell as portrayed in Diablo II, which features Hell as a bleak
    landscape populated by grotesque monsters and souls in active torment.

   Lobo in the DC Universe was banned from hell, as he caused too many problems
    there, thus achieving immortality, as he was also banned from heaven for much
    the same reason. Incidentally, God apparently got some mirth from watching
    Lobo's antics.

   In the game Tony Hawk's Underground 2, there is an unlockable level (within 2
    others) that depicts Hell. Little Demons, rural citizens, and a jazz dancing Satan
    are in the level.

   The 2006 film Silent Hill depicts Hell numerous times throughout the movie. It
    implies a private hell, where we punish ourselves by denying our guilt and fate,
    only prolonging our suffering and agony. The overall concept of the film is the
    lengths a mother will go to for her child, travelling to 'Hell and back'. Hell is also
    depicted as a modern world, but decayed and rusted, populated by strange and
    horrific creatures. In a number of respects, this concept is rather far removed from
    the game setting.

   In Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor comes across a being which identifies itself as
    'the Beast', resembles popular interpretations of the Devil, and makes numerous
    references to Hell. In a later episode, "Hell" is said to be a synonym for the Void,
    the coordinates of which are all sixes

   In the fourth edition of the game series Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,
    the main quest in the game involves preventing and stopping monsters from
    coming through gates linking to a place called Oblivion. It is widely believed that
    this is synonymous with Hell. However, the realm seen in the game is only one of
    16 realms of Oblivion, the one belonging to the daedra lord Mehehrunes Dagon.
    The other 15 realms of Oblivion (one for every other daedra prince) are not the
    same as Dagon's, and the realms of the more benevolent daedra (such as Azura
    and Mereida) are probably not hell-like at all. Also, Oblivion is not an afterlife for
    the sinful.
   In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Hell is an Outer Plane of
    existence called Baator and is comprised of nine levels, sometimes called the
    Nine Hells or the Nine Hells of Baator. In the expansion pack Hordes of the
    Underdark for the game Neverwinter Nights, the player gets banished to the
    eighth level of hell, a frozen wasteland called Cania.

   In the 1991 film Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, the title characters end up in Hell.
      In the popular fighting game series, "Street Fighter", the character Akuma uses a
       move called "Shun Goku Satsu" which sends the opponent's soul to Hell.

      In film Deconstructing Harry by Woody Allen, the protagonist descends into Hell
       where he has a chance to learn from the Devil himself (played by Billy Crystal),
       among other things about the significance of having air conditioning in Hell, and
       then proceeds to discover his own father. After learning those reasons, Harry
       grants absolution to his ancestor and suggests that latter is to be taken to Paradise
       - only to be reminded: I am Jewish and do not believe in Paradise!.

      In the one-panel comic The Far Side (created by Gary Larson in the eighties) Hell
       is featured among other recurring themes, depicting Satan and his minions as
       grim-looking figures in robes with horns and pitchforks, running the place in
       business-like manner: in one instance, the bespectacled secretary behind the
       typewriter asks her boss seen as a silhouette behind the office door: There is an
       insurance salesman here. Should I admit him in or tell to go to Paradise?

      In the comic strip Dilbert (created by Scott Adams) "heck" is a lesser version of
       hell reserved for people who have done misdeeds that are not evil enough to
       warrant hell. Heck is ruled by Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light who carries a
       giant spoon instead of a pitchfork.

      In the popular sci-fi tv series Stargate SG-1, "Hell" is used several times by then
       Colonel Jack O'Neill to describe the prison planet of the Goa'uld Sokar, an alien
       who took on a persona reminiscent of the Christian Devil while on Earth
       enslaving primitive humans.

Non-religious context
The word "Hell" used away from its religious context was long considered to be
profanity, particularly in North America. Although its use was commonplace in everyday
speech and on television by the 1970s, many people in the US still consider it somewhat
rude or inappropriate language, particularly involving children.[1] Many, particularly
among religious circles and in certain sensitive environments, still avoid casual usage of
the word. In British English and some parts of North America, the word has fallen into
common use and is not considered profane; often considered to be a safer and less
offensive alternative to swearing.

Euphemistic ways of saying hell

"Hell" is sometimes used as a minced oath, as "H-E-double-hockey-sticks", "H-E-double-
toothpicks", "heck" or "Sam Hill" ("What in the Sam Hill is going on here?"). Another
common euphemism for Hell is "The Other Place" (which is also the formal term used in
the UK parliament to refer to the House of Lords by a member of the House of
Commons, and vice-versa and was used by Hamlet, both as a silent threat addressed to
Claudius and as a hint to Polonius's location). Example: "Gosh darn you to heck and
tarnation" in place of "May God damn you to hell and eternal damnation."

Cold day in hell

Another example of common use of ―hell‖ in daily language, a ―cold day in hell‖ is a
paradox and an idiom, since most imagery of hell depicts it as hot and fiery, such as in
the Bible in Revelation, where sinners are cast into a lake of fire. Therefore, an event that
will transpire ―on a cold day in hell‖ will never occur. Similar or related phrases include:
―over my dead body,‖ ―when hell freezes over,‖ ―a snowball's chance in hell,‖ ―when the
devil goes ice-skating,‖ and ―when pigs fly.‖

Interestingly, Cocytus, the bottom circle of Hell, which held traitors, in Dante's Divine
Comedy, is depicted as an ice-covered lake.

It can be said (at least in Finland) that Hell has already frozen over, as the country won
the 2006 Eurovision. The poor success rate in the prior contests spawned a temperature-
scale based joke, at the end of which a temperature beyond absolute zero was where
"Hell freezes over, Finland wins Eurovision song contest."

See also
      Gehenna                                        Annihilationism
      The Inferno by Dante Alighieri                 Demons
      Malebolge                                      Book of Revelation
      Theodicy                                       Heaven and Hell book by Allan
      Eschatology                                     Kardec
      Purgatory                                      Heaven
      The problem of Hell                            Ose
                                                      Doom



References
   1. ^ 1, William C. Chittick, Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al-‗Arabī and the Problem of
      Religious Diversity. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York , ed. M.ādī al-
      ArwāhPress, 1994. 2. See Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. H ibn Ibrāhīm al-zaghlī. Al-
      Dammām, Saudi Arabia: Ramādī lil-Nashr, 1997.
   2. ^ a b c d e f g Masumian, Farnaz (1995). Life After Death: A study of the afterlife in
      world religions. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1-85168-074-8.
   3. ^ Bahá'u'lláh (1976). Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette,
      Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, pp. 157. ISBN 0-87743-187-6.
   4. ^ Bahá'u'lláh (1976). Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette,
      Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, pp. 162. ISBN 0-87743-187-6.
                                       Heaven
Heaven is an afterlife concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies.

Those who believe in heaven generally hold that it (or Hell) is the afterlife destination of
many or all humans. In unusual instances, humans have had, according to many
testimonies and traditions, personal knowledge of Heaven. They presume this is for the
purpose of teaching the rest of humanity about life, deities and notions of the afterlife.




Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven; from Gustave Doré's illustrations to
the Divine Comedy.

While there are abundant and varied sources for conceptions of Heaven, the typical
believer's view appears to depend largely on his particular religious tradition. Various
religions have described Heaven as being populated by angels, demons, gods and
goddesses, and/or heroes (especially in Persian Zoroastrianism and subsequently Greek
mythology). Heaven is generally construed as a place of happiness, sometimes eternal
happiness.

In ancient Judaism, the belief in Heaven and afterlife was connected with that of Sheol
(mentioned in Isaiah 38:18, Psalms 6:5 and Job 7:7-10). Some scholars asserted that
Sheol was an earlier concept, but this theory is not universally held. One later Jewish sect
that maintained belief in a Resurrection of the dead was known as the Pharisees. Opposed
to them were the Sadducees who denied the doctrine of Resurrection (Matt. 22:23). In
much of Christianity, heaven is a return to the pre-fallen state of humanity, a second and
new Garden of Eden, in which humanity is reunited with God in a perfect and natural
state of eternal existence. Christians believe this reunion is accomplished through the
redemptive work of Jesus Christ in having died for the sins of humanity on the cross.

In Eastern religions (and some Western traditions), with their emphasis on reincarnation
and moksha (liberation), the concept of Heaven is not as prominent, but it still is present.
In Buddhism, for example, there are several heavens, all of which are still part of
Samsara (illusionary reality). Those who accumulate good karma will be reborn[1] in one
of them. However, their stay in the heaven is not eternal — eventually they will use up
their good karma and will undergo a different rebirth into another realm, as humans,
animals, or other beings. Because Heaven is temporary and part of Samsara, Buddhists
focus more on escaping the cycle of rebirth and reaching enlightenment (Bodhi). In the
native Chinese Confucian traditions Heaven (Tian) is an important concept, where the
ancestors reside and from which emperors drew their mandate to rule in their dynastic
propaganda, for example. In Hindu belief, likewise, heaven—called Swarga loka—is
seen as a transitory place for souls who did good deeds but whose actions are not enough
for moksha or merging (union) with Brahman.[citation needed]

The popular belief of most faiths is that one enters heaven at the moment of death. This,
however, is not part of the doctrine of all of Christianity (see Swedenborgianism for a
Christian related religion that does have this doctrine). Some of Christianity along with
other major religions maintain that entry into Heaven awaits such time as, "When the
form of this world has passed away."

Two related and often confused concepts of heaven in Christianity are better described as
the "resurrection of the body", which is exclusively of Biblical origin, as contrasted with
"the immortality of the soul", which is also evident in the Greek tradition. In the first
concept, the soul does not enter heaven until the last judgement or the "end of time" when
it (along with the body) is resurrected and judged. In the second concept, the soul goes to
a heaven on another plane immediately after death. These two concepts are generally
combined in the doctrine of the double judgement where the soul is judged once at death
and goes to a temporary heaven, while awaiting a second and final physical judgement at
the end of the world. (*" JPII, also see eschatology, afterlife)


Contents


      1 Location
      2 Getting into Heaven
      3 In the Bahá'í Faith
      4 In Christianity
           o 4.1 In Orthodox Christianity
           o 4.2 In Protestant Christianity
                    4.2.1 Seventh-day Adventist
                    4.2.2 Latter-Day Saints
           o 4.3 In Catholic Christianity
      5 In Hinduism
      6 In Islam
      7 In Judaism
           o 7.1 In Kabbalah Jewish mysticism
      8 In Polynesia
           o 8.1 Māori
           o 8.2 Tuamotus
       9 See also
       10 References
       11 External links



Location
This section does not cite its references or sources.
You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations.

The idea of Heaven as a physical place has existed since the dawn of religion and human
civilization. In some early religions (such as the Ancient Egyptian faith), Heaven was a
physical place far above the Earth in a "dark area" of space where there were no stars,
basically beyond the Universe. Departed souls would undergo a literal journey to reach
Heaven, along the way to which there could exist hazards and other entities attempting to
deny the reaching of Heaven.

One popular medieval view of Heaven was that it existed as a physical place above the
clouds and that God and the Angels were physically above, watching over man. With the
dawn of the Age of Reason, science began to challenge this notion; however Heaven as a
physical place survived in the concept that it was located far out into space, and that the
stars were "lights shining through from heaven".

Several works of written and filmed science fiction have plots in which Heaven can be
reached by the living through technological means. An example is Disney film The Black
Hole, in which a manned spacecraft found both Heaven and Hell located at the bottom of
a Black Hole.

In the modern age of science and space flight the idea that Heaven is a physical place in
the observable universe has largely been abandoned. Religious views, however, still hold
Heaven as having a dual status as a concept of mind or heart, but also possibly still
physically existing in some way on another "plane of existence", or perhaps at a future
time. According to science there are unobservable areas of the universe (everywhere
beyond earth's Particle horizon), although by their very nature it is not possible to observe
them.

 Getting into Heaven
Religions that teach about heaven differ on how (and if) one gets into it. In most, entrance
to Heaven is conditional on having lived a "good life" (within the terms of the spiritual
system). Catholicism and Anglican Christianity states that "He that believeth and is
baptised shall be saved." These religions also state that someone must repent (turn back)
from sin in order to get to heaven.
A notable exception to this is the 'sola fide' belief of mainstream Protestantism, which
takes emphasis off having lived a "good life" and teaches instead that entrance to heaven
is conditional on belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ assuming the guilt of the sinner,
rather than any other good or bad 'works' one has participated in. Dual-covenant theology
is a variant of this belief that exempts Jews from having to adopt Jesus as savior as a
condition for entry to Heaven.[citation needed]

Many religions state that those who do not go to heaven will go to a place of punishment,
Hell, which may or may not be eternal (see Annihilationism). Some religions believe that
other afterlives exist in addition to Heaven and Hell, such as Purgatory. One religion,
universalism, believes that everyone will go to Heaven eventually, no matter what they
have done or believed on earth.

In the Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith regards the conventional description of heaven (and hell) as a specific
place as symbolic.[2] Instead the Bahá'í writings describe heaven as a "spiritual condition"
where closeness to God is defined as heaven; conversely hell is seen as a state of
remoteness from God.[2] Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, has stated that the
nature of the life of the soul in the afterlife is beyond comprehension in the physical
plane,[2] but has stated that the soul will retain its consciousness and individuality and
remember its physical life; the soul will be able to recognize other souls and
communicate with them.[2]

For Bahá'ís, entry into the next life has the potential to bring great joy.[2] Bahá'u'lláh
likened death to the process of birth. He explains: "The world beyond is as different from
this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its
mother."[3] The analogy to the womb in many ways summarizes the Bahá'í view of
earthly existence: just as the womb constitutes an important place for a person's initial
physical development, the physical world provides for the development of the individual
soul. Accordingly, Bahá'ís view life as a preparatory stage, where one can develop and
perfect those qualities which will be needed in the next life.[2] The key to spiritual
progress is to follow the path outlined by the current Manifestations of God, which
Bahá'ís believe is currently Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "Know thou, of a truth, that if
the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly return and be gathered
to the glory of the Beloved,"[4]

The Bahá'í teachings state that there exists a hierarchy of souls in the afterlife, where the
merits of each soul determines their place in the hierarchy, and that souls lower in the
hierarchy cannot completely understand the station of those above.[2] Each soul can
continue to progress in the afterlife, but the souls development is not dependent on their
own conscious efforts, but instead on the grace of God, the prayers of others, and good
deeds performed by others on Earth in the name of the person.[2]

In Christianity
Historically, Christianity has been divided over how people gain eternal life. From the
16th to the late 19th century, Christendom was divided between the Roman Catholic
view, the Orthodox view, the Coptic view, the Jacobite view, the Abyssinian view and
Protestant views.

Roman Catholics believe that entering Purgatory after death cleanses one of one's sins
and makes one acceptable to enter Heaven. This is valid for "venial sins" only. Some
within the Anglican Church also hold to this belief, despite their Anglican history.
However, in Oriental Orthodox Churches, it is only God who has the final say on who
enters Heaven. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Heaven is understood as union and
communion with the Triune God. Thus, Heaven is experienced by the Orthodox both as a
reality inaugurated, anticipated and present here and now in the divine-human organism
of the Christ's Body, the Church, and also as something to be perfected in the
future.[citation needed]

In the Protestant traditions, eternal life depends upon the Christian receiving God's grace
(unearned and undeserved blessing stemming from God's love) through faith in Jesus'
death for their sins and his resurrection.

In Orthodox Christianity

The teachings of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox communions regarding the
Kingdom of Heaven, or Kingdom of God, is basically taken from scripture, and thus
many elements of this belief are held in common with other scriptural faiths and
denominations. Some specific descriptions of this Kingdom as given in the canon of
scripture include - (this list is by no means comprehensive):

      Peaceful Conditions on a New Earth - Is. 2:2-4, 9:7, 11:6-9, 27:13, 32:17-18,
       33:20-21, 60:17-18, Ez. 34:25-28, 37:26, Zech 9:10, Matt. 5:3-5, Rev. 21
      Eternal Rule by a Messiah-King - Ps. 72, Jer 31:33-34, Zech 2:10-11, 8:3, 14:9,
       Matt 16:27, Rev 21:3-4
          o an heir of David, Is. 9:6-7, 11:1-5
      Bodily perfection - No hunger, thirst, death, or sickness; a pure language, etc. - Is.
       1:25, 4:4, 33:24, 35:5-6, 49:10, 65:20-24, Jer. 31:12-13, Ez. 34:29, 36:29-30,
       Micah 4:6-7, Zeph. 3:9-19, Matt 13:43
      Ruined cities inhabited by people and flocks of sheep - Is. 32:14, 61:4-5, Ez.
       36:10,33-38, Amos 9:14

In Protestant Christianity

The intermediate state (between death and the resurrection) is unclear in Protestant
Christian thought (see the article on psychopannychism), but the following is generally
concluded about the eternal life which Jesus promised those who believed in him:

The term Heaven (which differs from 'The Kingdom of Heaven' see note below) is
applied by the Biblical authors to the realm in which God currently resides. Eternal life,
however, occurs in a renewed, unspoilt and perfect creation (presumably full of plants,
animals and stunning landscapes), which can be termed Heaven since God will choose to
dwell there permanently with his people. There will no longer be any separation between
God and man. The believers themselves will exist in incorruptible, resurrected and new
bodies; there will be no sickness, no death and no tears. The person was never meant to
be disembodied. Death is not a natural part of life, but was allowed to happen after Adam
and Eve disobeyed God (see original sin) so that mankind would not live forever in a
state of sin and thus a state of separation from God. Not only will the believers spend
eternity with God, they will also spend it with each other. John's vision recorded in
Revelation describes a New Jerusalem which comes from Heaven to the new earth, which
is a seen to be a symbolic reference to the people of God living in community with one
another. 'Heaven' will be the place where life will be lived to the full, in the way that the
designer planned, each believer 'loving the Lord their God with all their heart and with all
their soul and with all their mind' and 'loving their neighbour as themselves'(adapted from
Matthew 22:37-38) - a place of great joy, without the negative aspects of earthly life.

(The Greek "hê basileia tou ouranou", usually translated as "the Kingdom of Heaven", is
indeed more literally "the rule of the skies", with "the skies" a codeword for God.)

In contrast with the Catholic position (affirmed and described at the Council of Trent in
the 16th century), most Protestants hold that salvation is obtained "sola gratia, sola fide" -
by the grace (unearned favour) of God alone, through faith in Christ alone - not through
living a good life or through belonging to a particular church organisation.{See
Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 8 and 9) Therefore, any person who sincerely has faith in
Jesus and asks for God's forgiveness will automatically be granted forgiveness for their
sins and has the assurance of eternal life. The question which may be asked, "How much
faith is enough faith?" can be answered, enough to be able to make the decision to put
your trust in Jesus' death and resurrection and choose to follow him.

The Protestant tradition is divided into many different strands of thought, though most
positions today can be categorised broadly as either Calvinist or Arminianist. Calvinism
argues that entry into Heaven has already been predetermined by God - that all those who
are Christians have in fact been chosen from the beginning of time to be saved. Faith in
Christ is still essential, but the reason why a Christian has faith is because God has
chosen them beforehand. Arminians hold a modified form of this doctrine. In this case, a
person can choose to have faith in Christ out of their free will and is not compelled to by
divine power. A detailed examination of the differences between these two protestant
strands of thought are examined in their respective articles.

Whilst it is easy to conclude that there is a contradiction between the idea that a person
obtains salvation through choosing to put his/her faith in Christ, and the idea that God
predestined those who would enter heaven. However, neither the Apostle Paul nor
Polycarp seemed to see a paradox between the true God's sovereignty and mankind's
ability to perceive and choose. Many Protestants hold that both ideas are taught clearly in
the Bible; they teach that eternal salvation by which a believer gains eternal life with God
is a supreme free gift divine grace made available to "whosoever will" trust in the Lord
Jesus Christ alone for His full payment.[citation needed] While these divisions still exists
within the Protestant church, since the early 20th century few Protestant churches have
adopted a Universalist approach (the idea that all will enter Heaven).

Jehovah's Witnesses reject the idea of heaven as the final hope and home for humanity; in
their view only a few people including the Apostles (John 14:1-3; Rev. 5:9,10; 14:1-5)
will go to Heaven to rule the remainder of good people (including David and John the
Baptist), who will inherit the Earth to live forever (Beatitudes - Matt. 5:5 -; Acts 2:34;
Rev. 21:3-5). Christadelphians believe that all who are saved will live on Earth for
eternity after the resurrection.

Jesus said to store up treasure in heaven, rather than on earth. Many believe that this
"wealth" of heaven is nonmaterial; its blessings are forever, and cannot be tarnished,
destroyed or taken away. Some of these will be enjoyed by redeemed people after death
such as enjoying the actual presence of God (Rev 22.3-4) and the absence of pain and
sorrow (Rev 21.4), while some are enjoyed in the present life, such as peace (Ph 4.7) and
joy (Jn 16.22).

Seventh-day Adventist

The Seventh-day Adventist understanding of heaven is based on Biblical writings which
set out the following:

      That heaven is a real place where God resides.
      That earth and all the animate and inanimate things therein and within its celestial
       space are products of God's creative work.
      That God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth to live as a human being, but who
       "perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God. By His miracles He
       manifested God's power and was attested as God's promised Messiah. He suffered
       and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and in our place, was raised from the
       dead, and ascended to minister in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf." [5].
      That Christ promises to return as a Saviour at which time He will resurrect the
       righteous dead and gather them along with the righteous living to heaven. The
       unrighteous will die at Christ's second coming. [6].
      That after Christ's second coming there will exist a period of time known as the
       Millennium during which Christ and His righteous saints will reign and the
       unrighteous will be judged. At the close of the Millennium, Christ and His angels
       return to earth to resurrect the dead that remain, to issue the judgements and to
       forever rid the universe of sin and sinners. [7].
      "On the new earth, in which righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal
       home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, love, joy,
       and learning in His presence. For here God Himself will dwell with His people,
       and suffering and death will have passed away. The great controversy will be
       ended, and sin will be no more. All things, animate and inanimate, will declare
       that God is love; and He shall reign forever." [8]. It is at this point that heaven is
       established on the new earth.
Latter-Day Saints

The view of heaven according to the Latter-Day Saint movement is based on Section 76
of the Doctrine and Covenants. The afterlife is divided first into two levels until the Last
Judgement; afterwards it is divided into four levels, the upper three of which are referred
to as "degrees of glory" that, for illustrative purposes, are compared to heavenly bodies.

Before the Last Judgement, spirits separated from their bodies go either to Paradise or to
Spirit Prison based on their merits earned in life. Paradise is a place of rest while its
inhabitants wait for the Last Judgement. Spirit Prison is a place of anguish and suffering;
however, missionary efforts done by spirits from Paradise enable those in Spirit Prison to
accept the Gospel and receive baptism through the controversial practise of baptism for
the dead.

After the resurrection and Last Judgement, people are sent to one of four levels:

      The Celestial Kingdom is the highest level, with its power and glory comparable
       to the sun. Here, faithful and valiant disciples of Christ who accepted the fullness
       of His Gospel (Mormonism) are reunited with their families and with God the
       Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for all eternity. Those who would have
       accepted the Gospel had they been given the opportunity in life (as judged by
       Christ and God the Father) are also saved in the Celestial Kingdom. Latter-Day
       Saint movements do not believe in the concept of original sin, but believe children
       to be innocent. Therefore, all children who die before the age of accountability
       inherit this glory. Men and women who have entered into celestial marriage are
       eligible, under the tutelage of God the Father, to eventually become gods and
       goddesses.
      The Terrestrial Kingdom's power and glory is comparable to that of the moon,
       and is reserved for those who did not accept the full Gospel but lived good lives
       (the minimum requirement is obeying the Ten Commandments), those who did
       accept the Gospel but failed to live its precepts to the best of their ability, and for
       those who accept the Gospel after death due to the missionary efforts undertaken
       in Spirit Prison. God the Father does not come into the Terrestrial Kingdom, but
       Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dwell among its people.
      The Telestial Kingdom is comparable to the glory of the stars. This, for all intents
       and purposes, is Hell as understood by the rest of Christianity; those placed in the
       Telestial Kingdom are liars, murderers, adulterers, whoremongers, etc. However,
       despite their low state, the Telestial Kingdom is described as being more
       comfortable than Earth in its current state. Suffering is a result of a full
       knowledge of the sins which have permanently separated a person from the love
       of God.
      Perdition, or outer darkness, is the lowest level and has no glory whatsoever. It is
       reserved for Satan, his angels, and those who have committed the unpardonable
       sin. This is the lowest state possible in the eternities, and one that very few people
       born in this world attain, since the unpardonable sin requires that a person know
       without reservation or doubt that the Gospel is true and then reject it. The only
       known son of Perdition is Cain, but it is generally acknowledged that there are
       probably more scattered through the ages.

In Catholic Christianity

In Catholicism Heaven is the Realm of God, His Mother, the angels and the Saints.
According to the doctrine of Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Virgin Mary "having
completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly
glory", which implies that heaven must have some facility to support human bodies as
well as souls.

The Catholic teaching regarding Heaven is found in the Catechism of the Catholic
Church: "Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live
forever... This perfect life with [God]....is called heaven. [It] is the ultimate end and
fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness." The
Catholic Church teaches that only those baptized by water, blood, or desire may enter
heaven and those who have died in a state of grace may enter heaven.[citation needed]

Upon dying, each soul goes to what is called "the particular judgement" where its own
afterlife is decided (i.e. Heaven after Purgatory, straight to Heaven, or Hell.) This is
different from "the general judgement" also known as "the Last judgement" which will
occur when Christ returns to judge all the living and the dead.

It is a common Roman Catholic belief that St. Michael the Archangel carries the soul to
Heaven. The belief that Saint Peter meets the soul at the "Pearly Gates" is an artistic
application of the belief that Christ gave Peter, believed by Catholics to be the first Pope,
the keys to Heaven.

As Heaven is a place where only the pure are permitted, no person who dies in a state of
sin can enter Heaven. "Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly
purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see Him as he is,"
face to face." (Catechism of the Catholic Church §1023) "Those who die in God's grace
and friendship imperfectly purified, although they are assured of their eternal salvation,
undergo a purification after death, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy
of God." (Catechism of the Catholic Church §1054)

If one were baptized validly and then died, one would go directly to heaven (in the
Roman Catholic belief, the sacrament of baptism dissolves the eternal and temporal
punishment of all sins). If one never committed a mortal sin and were absolved of all his
venial sins just before death, one would go directly to Heaven.

Most people who enter Heaven do so through Purgatory (or "place of purification"). In
Purgatory, a soul pays off all temporal punishment one deserved for the sins he
committed in life. This does not always happen though. If one receives the sacrament of
Confession validly, as well as gains a plenary indulgence, and dies, one would directly go
to heaven. There are many ways to get an indulgence, in various Papal decrees or
publications [1][2]. To receive a plenary indulgence, one must receive the sacrament of
Confession validly, do one's penance, validly receive Communion, say some specified
number of Our Father s, Hail Mary s and Glory Be to the Father s for the intentions of the
Pope, and then perform some act of gaining the indulgence. Of course, one must remain
free from all sin, mortal and venial, while doing all these things.

Many people believe they need to gain many plenary indulgences so they will not have to
spend as much time in purgatory. Many Catholic dissenters claim that if one is actually
detached from all sin, one doesn't need the indulgence anyway.

In Hinduism
In Hinduism, with its emphasis on reincarnation, the concept of Heaven is not as
prominent. While heaven is temporary (until the next birth), the permanent state that
Hindus aspire to is Moksha. Moksha is seen as the soul's liberation from the cycle of life
and death, a re-establishment in one's own fundamental divine nature and may include
union with or joining God.

Entry into heaven (swarga loka) or hell (Naraka) is decided by the Lord of death Yama
and his karmic accountant, Chitragupta, who records the good and bad deeds of a person
during his lifetime. It must be noted that Yama and Chitragupta are subordinate to the
supreme Lord Ishwara (God) and work under his direction. Entry into heaven is only
dependent on ones actions in the previous life and is not restricted by faith or religion.
The ruler of heaven, where one enjoys the fruits of ones good deeds, is known as Indra
and life in that realm is said to include interaction with many celestial beings
(gandharvas).

In Islam
       Main article: Jannah

The concept of heaven in Islam is similar to that found in Judaism and Christianity. The
Qur'an contains many references to an afterlife in Eden for those who do good deeds.
Heaven itself is commonly described in the Qu'ran in verse 35 of Surah Al-Ra‘d: "The
parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised! Beneath it flow rivers. Perpetual
is the fruits thereof and the shade therein. Such is the End of the Righteous; and the end
of the unbelievers is the Fire, wherein a person dwells forever." Since Islam rejects the
concept of original sin, Muslims believe that all human beings are born pure and will
naturally turn to God, but it is their environment which influences them to choose
ungodly ways of life. In Islam, therefore, a child who dies automatically goes to heaven,
regardless of the religion of his or her parents. The highest level of heaven is Firdaws
(‫ ,)ف ردوس‬which is where the prophets, the martyrs and the most truthful and pious people
will dwell.[citation needed]

In Judaism
While the concept of heaven (malkuth hashamaim ‫ -מלכות השמים‬The Kingdom of
Heaven) is well-defined within the Christian and Islamic religions, the Jewish concept of
the afterlife, sometimes known as "olam haba", the world to come, seems to have been
disputed between various early sects such as the Sadducees, and thus never set forth in a
systematic or official fashion as was done in Christianity and Islam.[citation needed] Jewish
writings refer to a "new earth" as the abode of mankind following the resurrection of the
dead. Judaism does, however, have a belief in Heaven, not as a future abode for "good
souls", but as the "place" where God "resides".

One popular Jewish belief is that everyone goes to "hell" immediately after death to be
purged of their sins. After finishing its term in this place of punishment, the soul goes on
to heaven to be rewarded for all the good deeds that the bearer of the soul committed
during his or her lifetime.

In Kabbalah Jewish mysticism

Jewish mysticism recognizes seven heavens.

In order from lowest to highest, the seven Heavens are listed alongside the angels who
govern them and any further information:

   1. Shamayim- The first Heaven, governed by Archangel Gabriel, is the closest of
      heavenly realms to the Earth; it is also considered the abode of Adam and Eve.
   2. Raquia- The second Heaven is dually controlled by Zachariel and Raphael. It was
      in this Heaven that Moses, during his visit to Paradise, encountered the angel
      Nuriel who stood "300 parasangs high, with a retinue of 50 myriads of angels all
      fashioned out of water and fire." Also, Raquia is considered the realm where the
      fallen angels are imprisoned and the planets fastened (Rf: The Legends of the
      Jews I, 131, and II, 306)
   3. Shehaqim- The third Heaven, under the leadership of Anahel, serves as the home
      of the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life; it is also the realm where manna, the
      holy food of angels, is produced (Rf: The Legends of the Jews V, 374). The
      Second Book of Enoch, meanwhile, states that both Paradise and Hell are
      accommodated in Shehaqim with Hell being located simply " on the northern
      side."
   4. Machonon- The fourth Heaven is ruled by the well-known Archangel Michael ,
      and according to Talmud Hagiga 12, it contains the heavenly Jerusalem, the
      Temple, and the Altar.
   5. Machon- The fifth Heaven is under the administration of Samael, an angel
      referred to as evil by some but is merely a dark servant of God to others.
   6. Zebul- The sixth Heaven falls under the jurisdiction of Zachiel.
   7. Araboth- The seventh Heaven, under the leadership of Cassiel, is the holiest of the
      seven Heavens provided the fact that it houses the Throne of Glory attended by
      the Seven Archangels and serves as the realm in which God dwells; underneath
      the throne itself lies the abode of all unborn human souls. It is also considered the
      home of the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Hayyoth.
In Polynesia
In the creation stories of Polynesian mythology are found various concepts of the heavens
and the underworld. These differ from one island to another. What they share is the view
of the universe as an egg or coconut that is divided between the world of humans (earth),
the upper world of heavenly gods, and the underworld. Each of these is subdivided in a
manner reminiscent of Dante's Divine Comedy, but the number of divisions and their
names differs from one Polynesian culture to another.

Māori

Among the Māori, the heavens are divided into a number of realms. Different tribes
number the heaven differently, with as few as two and as many as fourteen levels. One of
the more common versions divides heaven thus:

   1. Kiko-rangi, presided over by the god Toumau
   2. Waka-maru, the heaven of sunshine and rain
   3. Nga-roto, the heaven of lakes where the god Maru rules
   4. Hau-ora, where the spirits of new-born children originate
   5. Nga-Tauira, home of the servant gods
   6. Nga-atua, which is ruled over by the hero Tawhaki
   7. Autoia, where human souls are created
   8. Aukumea, where spirits live
   9. Wairua, where spirit gods live while wating on those in
   10. Naherangi or Tuwarea, where the great gods live presided over by Rehua

The Māori believe these heavens are supported by pillars. Other Polynesian peoples see
them being supported by gods (as in Hawai'i). In one Tahitan legend, heaven is supported
by an octopus.

Tuamotus

The Polynesian conception of the universe and its division is nicely illustrated by a
famous drawing made by a Tuomotuan chief in 1869.
Here, the nine heavens are further divided into left and right, and each stage is associated
with a stage in the evolution of the earth that is portrayed below.

The lowest division represents a period when the heavens hung low over the earth, which
was inhabited by animals that were not known to the islanders. In the third division is
shown the first murder, the first burials, and the first canoes, built by Rata. In the fourth
division, the first coconut tree and other significant plants are born.

       Sources:

              R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New
               York, 1989), 57;
              J.L. Young, "The Paumotu Conception of the Heavens and of Creation",
               Journal of the Polynesian Society, 28 (1919), 209-211.

See also
      Afterlife
      Asgard
      Astral projection
      Elysium
      Eschatology
      Exaltation (Mormonism)
      Hell
      Islamic eschatology
      Jannah
      Kingdom of Heaven
    Limbo
    Mag Mell
    Meaning of life
    Nirvana
    Out-of-body experience
    Purgatory
    Pure Land Buddhism
    Soul Society
    Stovokor
    Summerlands
    Svarga
    The Divine Comedy
    Utopia
    Vaikuntha
    Valhalla

References
 1. ^ (but no soul actually goes through rebirth; see anatta)
 2. ^ a b c d e f g h Masumian, Farnaz (1995). Life After Death: A study of the afterlife
    in world religions. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1-85168-074-8.
 3. ^ Bahá'u'lláh (1976). Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette,
    Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, pp. 157. ISBN 0-87743-187-6.
 4. ^ Bahá'u'lláh (1976). Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette,
    Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, pp. 162. ISBN 0-87743-187-6.
 5. ^ General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Adventist Fundamental Beliefs,
    Fundamental Belief # 4: The Son, 2006
 6. ^ General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Adventist Fundamental Beliefs,
    Fundamental Belief # 26: Death and Resurrection, 2006
 7. ^ General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Adventist Fundamental Beliefs,
    Fundamental Belief # 27: Millennium and the End of Sin, 2006
 8. ^ General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Adventist Fundamental Beliefs,
    Fundamental Belief # 28: New Earth, 2006
             Now the gods of these
                  dimensions
       This article discusses the term "God" in the context of monotheism and
       henotheism. See God (word) for the etymology and capitalization of the term. See
       deity, god (male deity) or goddess for details on polytheistic usages. See Names of
       God for terms used in other languages or specific belief systems. See God
       (disambiguation) for other uses.




A classic conception of the Christian God: Detail of Sistine Chapel fresco Creation of the
Sun and Moon by 16th Century painter Michelangelo.

God is the deity believed by monotheists to be the supreme reality. He is believed
variously to be the sole omnipotent creator, or at least the sustainer, of the universe. [1]

Contents
      1 Etymology and usage
      2 History of monotheism
      3 Names of God
      4 Theological approaches
          o 4.1 Theism and Deism
          o 4.2 Monotheism and Pantheism
          o 4.3 Speculative dilemmas
      5 Existence question
      6 Scientific perspective
      7 Opinion statistics
      8 Popular culture
      9 See also
          o 9.1 See also
          o 9.2 General approaches
          o 9.3 Various issues
          o 9.4 Specific conceptions
          o 9.5 General practices
      10 Notes
      11 References
      12 External links



Etymology and usage
       Main article: God (word)

The earliest written form of the Germanic word "god" comes from the 6th century
Christian Codex Argenteus, which descends from the Old English guþ from the Proto-
Germanic *Ȝuđan. While hotly disputed, most agree on the reconstructed Proto-Indo-
European form *ǵhu-tó-m, based on the root *ǵhau-, *ǵhauǝ-, which meant "to call" or
"to invoke". "Ghau" itself appears to have derived from a posthumously deified chieftain
named "Gaut" — a name which sometimes appears as a name for the Norse god Odin or
one of his descendants. The Lombardic form of Odin, Godan, may derive from cognate
Proto-Germanic *Ȝuđánaz.

The capitalized form "God" was first used in Ulfilas' Gothic translation of the New
Testament, to represent the Greek Theos (uncertain origin), and the Latin Deus
(etymology "*Dyeus"). Because the development of English orthography was dominated
by Christian texts, the capitalization (hence personalization and personal name) continues
to represent a distinction between monotheistic "God" and the "gods" of pagan
polytheism.

The name "God" now typically refers to the Abrahamic God of Judaism (El (god)
YHVH), Christianity (God), and Islam (Allah). Though there are significant cultural
divergences that are implied by these different names, "God" remains the common
English translation for all. The name may signify any related or similar monotheistic
deities, such as the early monotheism of Akhenaten and Zoroastrianism.

In the context of comparative religion, "God" is also often related to concepts of universal
deity in Dharmic religions, in spite of the historical distinctions which separate
monotheism from polytheism — a distinction which some, such as Max Müller and
Joseph Campbell, have characterised as a bias within Western culture and theology.

see also: Names of God

History of monotheism
       Main article: Monotheism




16th century Christian view of Genesis: God creates Adam. The concept of God as a
singular patriarchal "Father [of all creation]" is common in Western culture (Abrahamic)
monotheism. (Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel)


Many historians of religion hold that monotheism may be of relatively recent historical
origins — although comparison is difficult as many religions claim to be ancient. Native
religions of China and India have concepts of panentheistic views of God that are
difficult to classify along Western notions of monotheism vs. polytheism.

In the Ancient Orient, many cities had their own local god, although this henotheistic
worship of a single god did not imply denial of the existence of other gods. The Hebrew
Ark of the Covenant is supposed (by some scholars) to have adapted this practice to a
nomadic lifestyle, paving their way for a singular God. Yet, many scholars now believe
that it may have been the Zoroastrian religion of the Persian Empire that was the first
monotheistic religion, and the Jews were influenced by such notions (this controversy is
still being debated)[2].

The innovative cult of the Egyptian solar god Aten was promoted by the pharaoh
Akhenaten (Amenophis IV), who ruled between 1358 and 1340 BC. The Aten cult is
often cited as the earliest known example of monotheism, and is sometimes claimed to
have been a formative influence on early Judaism, due to the presence of Hebrew slaves
in Egypt. But even though Akhenaten's hymn to Aten offers strong evidence that
Akhenaten considered Aten to be the sole, omnipotent creator, Akhenaten's program to
enforce this monotheistic world-view ended with his death; the worship of other gods
beside Aten never ceased outside his court, and the older polytheistic religions soon
regained precedence.

Other early examples of monotheism include two late rigvedic hymns (10.129,130) to a
Panentheistic creator god, Shri Rudram, a Vedic hymn to Rudra, an earlier aspect of
Shiva often referred to by the ancient Brahmans as Stiva, a masculine fertility god, which
expressed monistic theism, and is still chanted today; the Zoroastrian Ahuramazda and
Chinese Shang Ti. The worship of polytheistic gods, on the other hand, is seen by many
to predate monotheism, reaching back as far as the Paleolithic. Today, monotheistic
religions are dominant in the many parts of the world, though other systems of belief
continue to be prevalent.
Names of God
       Main article: Names of God




God is often viewed as like a force of nature — or rather as a consciousness which can be
manifest as a natural aspect. Both illuminating light (pictured) and mysterious darkness
are canonical symbols for representing God.

The noun God is the proper English name used for the deity of monotheistic faiths.
Various English third-person pronouns are used for God, and the correctness of each is
disputed. (See God and gender.)

Different names for God exist within different religious traditions:

      Allah is the Arabic name of God, which is used by Arab Muslims and also by
       most non-Muslim Arabs. ilah, cognate to northwest Semitic El (Hebrew "El" or
       more specifically "Eloha", Aramaic "Eloi"), is the generic word for a god (any
       deity), Allah contains the article, literally "The God". Also, when speaking in
       English, Muslims often translate "Allah" as "God". One Islamic tradition states
       that Allah has 99 names while others say that all good names belong to Allah.
       Similarly, in the Aramaic of Jesus, the word Alaha is used for the name of God.
      Yahweh, Jehovah (Hebrew: 'Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay', ‫ -הי‬seman eht fo emos era ( ‫וה‬
       used for God in various translations of the Bible (all translating the same four
       letters - YHVH). El, and the plural/majestic form Elohim, is another term used
       frequently, though El can also simply mean god in reference to deities of other
       religions. Others include El Shaddai, Adonai, Emmanuel. When Moses asked
       "What is your name?" he was given the answer Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, which
       literally means, "I am that I am," as a parallel to the Tetragrammaton Yud-Hay-
       Vav-Hay. See The name of God in Judaism for Jewish names of God. Most
       Orthodox Jews, and many Jews of other denominations, believe it wrong to write
       the word "God" on any substance which can be destroyed. Therefore, they will
       write "G-d" as what they consider a more respectful symbolic representation.
       Others consider this unnecessary because English is not the "Holy Language" (i.e.
       Hebrew), but still will not speak the Hebrew representation written in the Torah,
       "Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay", aloud, and will instead use other names such as "Adonai"
       ("my Lord", used in prayer, blessings and other religious rituals) or the
       euphemism "Hashem" (literally "The Name", used at all other times). Another
       name especially used by ultra-Orthodox Jews is "HaKadosh Baruch Hu", meaning
       "The Holy One, Blessed is He".




YHWH, the name of God or Tetragrammaton, in Phoenician (1100 BC to AD 300),
Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts.
      In early English Bibles, the Tetragrammaton was rendered in capitals:
      "IEHOUAH" in William Tyndale's version of 1525. The King James Version of
      1611 renders YHWH as "The LORD", also as "Jehovah", see Psalms 83:18; Exodus
      6:3.
      Research in comparative mythology shows a linguistic correlation between
      Levantine Yaw and monotheistic Yahweh, suggesting that the god may in some
      manner be the predecessor in the sense of an evolving religion of Yahweh.

      Elohim as "God" (with the plural suffix -im, but used with singular agreement);
       sometimes used to mean "gods" or apparently mortal judges.
      The Holy Trinity (one God in three Persons, the God the Father, the God the Son
       (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit) denotes God in almost all
       Christianity. Arab Christians will often also use "Allah" (the noun for "God" in
       Arabic) to refer to God.[citation needed]

      Deus, cognate of the Greek Ζεσς (Zeus) is the Latin word for God, and will be
       used in Latin portions of Roman Catholic masses. [3] It is also used to denote God
       by some Deists, Pandeists, Pantheists, and followers of similars non-Theistic
       beliefs.

      God is called Igzi'abihier (lit. "Lord of the Universe") or Amlak (lit. the plural of
       mlk, "king" or "lord") in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
      Jah is the name of God in the Rastafari movement
      The Maasai name for "God" is Ngai, which occurs in the volcano name Ol
       Doinyo Lengai ("the mountain of God").
      The Mi'kmaq name for "God" is Niskam.
      Some churches (United Church of Canada, Religious Science) are using "the
       One" alongside "God" as a more gender-neutral way of referring to God (See also
       Oneness).
      Bhagavan - "The Oppulent One", Brahman -"The Great", Paramatma - "The
       Supersoul" and Ishvara- "The Controller", are the terms used for God in the
       Vedas. Some Hindus worship the personal form of God or Saguna Brahman, as
       Vishnu, Shiva, or directly as the Supreme Cosmic Spirit Brahman through the
       Gayatri mantra. Many others - known as Vaishnavites - consider Vishnu or
    Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A common prayer for Hindus is
    the Vishnu sahasranama, which is a hymn describing the one thousand names of
    God. Shaivites on the other hand consider Lord Shiva as the Supreme God.
    Ishvara must not be confused with the numerous deities or demigods of the
    Hindus.
   Baquan is a phonetical pronunciation for God in several Pacific Islander religions.
   Buddhism is non-theistic (see God in Buddhism): instead of extolling an
    anthropomorphic creator God, Gautama Buddha employed negative theology to
    avoid speculation and keep the undefined as ineffable [citation needed]. Buddha
    believed the more important issue was to bring beings out of suffering to
    liberation. Enlightened ones are called Arhats or Buddha (e.g, the Buddha
    Sakyamuni), and are venerated. A bodhisattva is an altruistic being who has
    vowed to attain Buddhahood in order to help others to become Awakened
    ("Buddha") too. Buddhism also teaches of the existence of the devas or heavenly
    beings who temporarily dwell in celestial states of great happiness but are not yet
    free from the cycle of reincarnations (samsara). Some Mahayana and Tantra
    Buddhist scriptures do express ideas which are extremely close to pantheism, with
    a cosmic Buddha (Adibuddha) being viewed as the sustaining Ground of all being
    - although this is very much a minority vision within Buddhism.
   Jains invoke the five paramethis: Siddha, Arahant, Acharya, Upadhyaya, Sadhu.
    The arhantas include the 24 Tirthankaras from Lord Rishabha to Mahavira. But
    Jain philosophy as such does not recognize any Supreme Omnipotent creator God.
   Sikhs worship God with these common names Waheguru Wondrous God,
    Satnaam (True is Your Name), Akal (the Eternal) or Onkar (some similarity to the
    Hindu Aum). They believe that when reciting these names, devotion, dedication
    and a genuine appreciation and acceptance of the Almighty and the blessings
    thereof (as opposed to mechanical recitation) is essential if one is to gain anything
    by the meditation. The assistance of the guru is also believed to be essential to
    reach God.
   In Surat Shabda Yoga, names used for God include Anami Purush (nameless
    power) and Radha Swami (lord of the soul, symbolized as Radha).
   The Bahá'í Faith refers to God using the local word for God in whatever language
    is being spoken. In the Bahá'í Writings in Arabic, Allah is used. Bahá'ís share
    some naming traditions with Islam, but see "Bahá" (Glory or Splendour) as The
    Greatest Name of God. God's names are seen as attributes, and God is often, in
    prayers, referred to by these titles and attributes.
   Zoroastrians worship Ahura Mazda.
   To many Native American religions, God is called "The Great Spirit", "The
    Master of Life", "The Master of Breath", or "Grandfather". For example, in the
    Algonquian first nations culture, Gitche Manitou or "Great Spirit" was the name
    adopted by French missionaries for the Christian God. Other similar names may
    also be used.
   Followers of Eckankar refer to God as SUGMAD or HU; the latter name is
    pronounced as a spiritual practice.
                                       帝
    In Chinese, the name Shang Ti 上 (Hanyu Pinyin: shàng dì) (literally King
    Above), is the name given for God in the Standard Mandarin Union Version of the
       Bible. Shen 神(lit. spirit, or deity) was also adopted by Protestant missionaries in
       China to refer to the Christian God.

Theological approaches
       Main article: Theology

Theologians and philosophers have ascribed a number of attributes to God, including
omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, perfect goodness, divine simplicity, and
eternal and necessary existence. He has been described as incorporeal, a personal being,
the source of all moral obligation, and the greatest conceivable existent. [1] These
attributes were all supported to varying degrees by the early Jewish, Christian and
Muslim scholars, including St Augustine, [2] Al-Ghazali, [3] and Maimonides. [2]

Theologians attempt to explicate (and in some cases systematize) beliefs; some express
their own experience of the divine. Theologians ask questions such as, "What is the
nature of God?" "What does it mean for God to be singular?" "If people believe in God as
a duality or trinity, what do these terms signify?" "Is God transcendent, immanent, or
some mix of the two?" "What is the relationship between God and the universe, and God
and humankind?"[citation needed]

It is also important to note that most major religions hold God not as a metaphor, but a
being that influences our day-to-day existences. This is to say that people who have
rejected the teachings of such religions typically view God as a metaphor or stand-in for
the common aspirations and beliefs all humans share,[citation needed] rather than a sentient
part of life; whereas organized religion tends to believe the opposite.

Many believers allow for the existence of other, less powerful spiritual beings, and give
them names such as angels, saints, Djinni, demons, and devas. [citation needed]

      Relation of God to the Universe — Catholic Encyclopedia article

Theism and Deism

Theism holds that God exists realistically, objectively, and independently of human
thought; that God created and sustains everything; that God is omnipotent and eternal,
and is personal, interested and answers prayer. It holds that God is both transcendent and
immanent; thus, God is simultaneously infinite and in some way present in the affairs of
the world. Catholic theology holds that God is infinitely simple and is not involuntarily
subject to time. Most theists hold that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent,
although this belief raises questions about God's responsibility for evil and suffering in
the world. Some theists ascribe to God a self-conscious or purposeful limiting of
omnipotence, omniscience, or benevolence. Open Theism, by contrast, asserts that, due to
the nature of time, God's omniscience does not mean the deity can predict the future.
"Theism" is sometimes used to refer in general to any belief in a god or gods, i.e.,
monotheism or polytheism.
Deism holds that God is wholly transcendent: God exists, but does not intervene in the
world beyond what was necessary to create it. In this view, God is not anthropomorphic,
and does not literally answer prayers or cause miracles to occur. Common in Deism is a
belief that God has no interest in humanity and may not even be aware of humanity.
Pandeism and Panendeism, respectively, combine Deism with the Pantheistic or
Panentheistic beliefs discussed below.

Monotheism and Pantheism

Monotheism holds that there is only one God, and/or that the one true God is worshipped
in different religions under different names. It is important to note, however, that
monotheists of one religion can, and often do, consider the monotheistic god of a
different religion to be a false god. For instance, many Christian fundamentalists consider
the God of Islam (Allah) to be a false god or demon. However, theologians and linguists
argue that "Allah" is merely the Arabic word for "God," and not the literal name of a
specifically Muslim God (this is more clearly shown by the fact that Arabic-speaking
Christians and Jews refer to God as "Allah" with no problem whatsoever). To Muslims,
the Bible is a holy scripture and Jesus is a Holy Prophet, so Islam is considered a
continuation of Christianity. Many Jews consider the messiah of Christianity (Jesus) to be
a false god and some monotheists (notably fundamentalist Christians) hold that there is
one triune God, and that all gods of other religions are actually demons in disguise (as in
2nd Corinthians 11 verse 14). Eastern religious believers and liberal Christians are more
likely to assume those of other faiths worship the same God as they, just under a different
name and/or form. Muslims believe that Jesus, although the Messiah and one of the holy
Prophets, is not the son of God, because relating God to any partners or spouses or
offspring is considered blasphemy and apostasy.




Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, one of the manifestations of the ultimate
reality or God in Hinduism.
Pantheism holds that God is the universe and the universe is God. Panentheism holds that
God contains, but is not identical to, the Universe. The distinctions between the two are
subtle, and some consider them unhelpful. It is also the view of the Liberal Catholic
Church, Theosophy, Hinduism, some divisions of Buddhism, and Taoism, along with
many varying denominations and individuals within denominations. Kabbalah, Jewish
mysticism, paints a pantheistic/panentheistic view of God — which has wide acceptance
in Hasidic Judaism, particularly from their founder The Baal Shem Tov — but only as an
addition to the Jewish view of a personal god, not in the original pantheistic sense that
denies or limits persona to God.

Speculative dilemmas

Dystheism is a form of theism which holds that God is malevolent as a consequence of
the problem of evil. Dystheistic speculation is common in theology, but there is no
known church of practicing dystheists. See also Satanism.

Nontheism holds that the universe can be explained without any reference to the
supernatural, or to a supernatural being. Some non-theists avoid the concept of God,
whilst accepting that it is significant to many; other non-theists understand God as a
symbol of human values and aspirations.

Existence question
       Main article: Existence of God

Many arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by
philosophers, theologians, and other thinkers. In philosophical terminology, existence of
God arguments concern schools of thought on the epistemology of the ontology of God.

There are many philosophical issues concerning the existence of God. Some definitions
of God's existence are so nonspecific that it is certain that something exists that meets the
definition; while other definitions are apparently self-contradictory. Arguments for the
existence of God typically include metaphysical, empirical, inductive, and subjective
types. Arguments against the existence of God typically include empirical, deductive, and
inductive types. Conclusions reached include God exists and this can be proven; God
exists, but this cannot be proven or disproven; God does not exist; and no one knows.

All the great medieval philosophers developed arguments for the existence of God, [3]
while attempting to comprehend the precise implications of God's attributes. Reconciling
some of those attributes generated important philosophical problems and debates. For
example, God's omniscience implies that he knows how free agents will choose to act. If
he does know this, their apparent free will might be illusory, or foreknowledge does not
imply predestination; and if he does not know it, he is not omniscient. [4] Similar
difficulties follow from the proposition that God is the source of all moral obligation. If
nothing would be right or wrong without God's commands, then his commands appear
arbitrary. If his commands are based on fundamental principles that even he cannot
change, then he is not omnipotent. [5]

The last few hundred years of philosophy have seen sustained attacks on the ontological,
cosmological, and teleological arguments for God's existence. Against these, theists (or
fideists) argue that faith is not a product of reason, but requires risk. There would be no
risk, they say, if the arguments for God's existence were as solid as the laws of logic, a
position famously summed up by Pascal as: "The heart has reasons which reason knows
not of." [6]

Scientific perspective
       Main article: Relationship between religion and science

There is a lack of consensus as to the appropriate scientific treatment of religious
questions, such as those of the existence and nature of God. A major point of debate has
been whether God's existence or attributes can be empirically tested.

Some definitions of God equate the deity with "whatever entity created the universe", or
in some cases with the universe itself, or with omnipresence in the universe. Some claim
that this reduces the God controversy to a question of terminology. In popular
controversies, scientific advocates sometimes claim that there is no coherent question to
be answered. They allege that the definition of God is too nebulous, varied, controversial,
or non-sensical, that those arguing in favor of existence, when presented with evidence
against, are always able to claim that the question has been improperly framed.

Over time, scientists have wrestled with the question of whether the Creator was God's
only role, how constrained that role could have been, the implications for determinism,
and the question of whether or not the God has actively intervened in the affairs of the
universe after the Big Bang. [7]

No empirical evidence, such as a miracle or response to prayer has gained scientific
consensus as definitive proof of God's existence. Some claim that the multitude of world
religions and historical evidence shows that humans invented God, not the other way
around. However, the attribution of omnipotence to God gives rise to the "problem of the
supernatural". Any omnipotent entity could by definition obscure any confirmatory
evidence, or "plant" evidence of its own non-existence.
The percentage of people in European countries who said in 2005 that they believe in a
God. Countries with Catholic or Muslim majorities tend to poll highest.

A common view divides the world into what Stephen Jay Gould called "non-overlapping
magisteria". In this view, questions of the supernatural, such as those relating to the
existence and nature of God, are non-empirical and are the proper domain of religion.
The methods of science should then be used to answer any empirical question about the
natural world.

One opposing view is that of scientism - any question which cannot be answered by
science is either non-sensical or is not worth asking, because there is no empirical
answer. This is sometimes related to the principle of Occam's razor.

On a personal level, many scientists believe in God (whether in a non-interventionist or
otherwise) and many others do not. For example, about 60% of scientists in the United
States expressed disbelief or doubt in the existence of deities in 1996. This percentage
has been fairly stable over the last 100 years. Among leading scientists defined as
members of the National Academy of Sciences, 93% expressed disbelief or doubt in the
existence of a personal god in 1998.[8] Sigmund Freud regarded God as wish fulfillment
for the perfect father figure. [3] This however is an argument from motive.

Opinion statistics
       Main articles: List of religious populations and Demographics of atheism

In 2005, approximately 54% of the world's population identifies with one of the three
monotheistic Abrahamic religions. 15% identified as non-religous.[9] A 1995 survey
showed similar numbers for the non-religous, though on the specific question of belief in
God, only 3.8% identified as atheist.[10]
Popular culture
God, as a humanized figure, usually taking the form of a man, has often appeared as a
character in various works of fiction such as movies, books, and television shows.
Though depictions vary, he is usually portrayed as sage, wise, and old, with a patient and
calm personality. In cartoons God is usually depicted as a caricature of Michelangelo's
classic painting.

See also:

      Depictions of God in popular culture
      List of appearances of God in fiction
      Parodies of God and religion

See also
See also                                       Specific conceptions

      Conceptions of God                            Alaha
                                                     Allah
General approaches                                   Baal
                                                     Christianity
      Agnosticism                                   Demiurge
      Atheism                                       Deus
      Deism                                         Deva (Buddhism)
      Dystheism                                     God in Buddhism
      Henotheism                                    God in Sikhism
      Monism                                        Great Architect of the Universe
      Monotheism                                    Holy Spirit
      Natural theology                              Holy Trinity
      Nontheism                                     Jesus, the Christ
      Pandeism                                      Krishna
      Pantheism                                     Monad
      Panendeism                                    Nüwa 女   媧
      Panentheism                                   Oneness (concept)
      Pantheism                                     Pangu 盤  古
      Polytheism                                    Shang Ti
      Theism                                        SUMMUM
      Theology                                      Supreme Being
      Transtheism                                   Tetragrammaton
                                                     The Absolute
Various issues                                       The All
                                                     Alpha and Omega
      Chaos                                         The Lord
      Cosmos                                        The Creator
     Cosmic egg                                 Flying Spaghetti Monster
     God and gender
     God complex                         General practices
     God the Sustainer
     Moral character                            Animism
     Omnipotence paradox                        Esotericism
     Planes of existence                        Gnosis
     Spiritual evolution                        Hermeticism
     Spirituality                               Metaphysics
     Transcendence                              Mysticism
                                                 New Age
                                                 Philosophy
                                                 Religion



Notes
  1. ^ a b Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)The Oxford Companion to
      Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1995.
  2. ^ a b Edwards, Paul. "God and the philosophers" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)The
      Oxford Companion to Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1995.
  3. ^ a b c Platinga, Alvin. "God, Arguments for the Existence of," Routledge
      Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Routledge, 2000.
  4. ^ Wierenga, Edward R. "Divine foreknowledge" in Audi, Robert. The Cambridge
      Companion to Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
  5. ^ See Quinn, Philip L. "Divine command ethics" in Audi, Robert. The Cambridge
      Companion to Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
  6. ^ Pascal, Blaise. Pensées, 1669.
  7. ^ Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, Chapter 12. [1]
  8. ^ Larson and Witham, 1998 "Leading Scientists Still Reject God"
  9. ^ See Major religious groups.
  10. ^ See Demographics of atheism

References
     Harris interactive, While Most Americans Believe in God, Only 36% Attend a
      Religious Service Once a Month or More Often
     Pew research center, The 2004 Political Landscape Evenly Divided and
      Increasingly Polarized - Part 8: Religion in American Life
     BBC, Nigeria leads in religious belief
     Pickover, Cliff, The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience, Palgrave/St
      Martin's Press, 2001. ISBN 1-4039-6457-2
     Miles, Jack, God: A Biography, Knopf, 1995, ISBN 0-679-74368-5 Book
      description.
      Armstrong, Karen, A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism,
       Christianity and Islam, Ballantine Books, 1994. ISBN 0-434-02456-2
      Sharp, Michael, The Book of Light: The Nature of God, the Structure of
       Consciousness, and the Universe Within You. Avatar Publications, 2005. ISBN 0-
       9738555-2-5. free as eBook
      Paul Tillich, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
       1951). ISBN 0-226-80337-6




       Lucifer: One of the gods of
                  hell.
In modern and late Medieval Christian thought, Lucifer is a fallen angel commonly
associated with Satan, the embodiment of evil and enemy of God. Lucifer is generally
considered, based on the influence of Christian literature and legend, to have been a
prominent archangel in heaven (although some contexts say he was a cherub or a seraph),
prior to having been motivated by pride to rebel against God. When the rebellion failed,
Lucifer was cast out of heaven, along with a third of the heavenly host, and came to
reside on the world.

Lucifer is a Latin word meaning "light-bearer" (from lux, "light", and ferre, "to bear,
bring"), a Roman astrological term for the "Morning Star", the planet Venus. The word
Lucifer was the direct translation of the Greek eosphorus ("dawn-bearer"; cf. Greek
phosphorus, "light-bearer") used by Jerome in the Vulgate. In that passage, Isaiah 14:12,
it referred to one of the popular honorific titles of a Babylonian king; however, later
interpretations of the text, and the influence of embellishments in works such as Dante's
The Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost, led to the common idea in Christian
mythology and folklore that Lucifer was a poetic appellation of Satan.


Contents
      1 Roman poetic appellation
      2 Origins in Isaiah
      3 Christian tradition
      4 Other instances of the Morning Star in the New Testament
      5 The four crown princes of Hell
      6 Freemasonry and Luciferianism
      7 New Age beliefs
      8 Astronomical significance
      9 Cultural references
      10 Notes
      11 External links



Roman poetic appellation




A 2nd-century sculpture of the moon goddess Selene accompanied by Hesperus and
Phosphorus: the Morning star was later Latinized as "Lucifer".

Lucifer is a poetic name for the "morning star", a close translation of the Greek
eosphoros, the "dawn-bringer", which appears in the Odyssey and in Hesiod's Theogony.

A classic Roman use of "Lucifer" appears in Virgil's Georgics (III, 324-5):

       Luciferi primo cum sidere frigida rura
       carpamus, dum mane novum, dum gramina canent"
       "Let us hasten, when first the Morning Star appears,
       To the cool pastures, while the day is new, while the grass is dewy"

And similarly, in Ovid's Metamorphoses:

       "Aurora, watchful in the reddening dawn, threw wide her crimson doors and rose-
       filled halls; the Stars took flight, in marshalled order set by Lucifer, who left his
       station last."

A more effusive poet, like Statius, can expand this trope into a brief but profuse allegory,
though still this is a poetical personification of the Light-Bearer, not a mythology:


       And now Aurora, rising from her Mygdonian resting-place, had scattered
       the cold shadows from the high heaven, and, shaking the dew-drops from
       her hair, blushed deep in the sun's pursuing beams; toward her through the
       clouds, rosy Lucifer turns his late fires, and with slow steed leaves an alien
       world, until the fiery father's orb be full replenished and he forbid his sister
       to usurp his rays.

                                                                         —Statius, Thebaid 2.134



Origins in Isaiah




Statue of one of twelve lucifers at the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc.

In the Vulgate, an early-5th-century translation of the Bible into Latin by Jerome, Lucifer
occurs in Isaiah 14:12-14 as a translation of the Greek word heosphorus ("dawn-bearer"),
an epithet of Venus. The original Hebrew text of this verse was ‫( רחש ןב לליה‬heilel ben-
schahar), meaning "Helel son of Shahar." Helel was a Babylonian / Canaanite god who
was the son of another Babylonian / Canaanite god named Shahar.

Helel was the god of the morning star and his father was Shahar, god of the dawn. Some
translations of Isaiah 14:12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the
morning!" American Standard Version translating Hebrew Helel as "day-star" and the
Hebrew word Ben as son and the Hebrew word Shahar as "of the morning." Others
translate it as "Lucifer, son of the morning" 21st Century King James.

In Isaiah, this title is specifically used, in a prophetic vision, to reference the king of
Babylon's pride and to illustrate his eventual fate by referencing mythological accounts of
the planet Venus:

       14:4 You will recite this parable about the king of Babylonia: How has the
       oppressor come to an end, the arrogance been ended?
       14:10 They will all proclaim and say to you, "You also have been stricken as we
       were; you are compared to us.
       14:11 Brought down to the nether-world were your pride and the tumult of your
       stringed instruments; maggots are spread out under you, and worms are your
       covers.
       14:12 How have you fallen from the heavens, O glowing morning star; been cut
       down to the ground O conqueror of nations?
       (Isaiah, Artscroll Tanakh)

The Jewish Encyclopedia reports that "it is obvious that the prophet in attributing to the
Babylonian king boastful pride, followed by a fall, borrowed the idea from a popular
legend connected with the morning star".[1]

In modern Jewish theology, Helel in Isaiah 14 is not equated with the Jewish concept of
HaSatan (the adversary). Instead, the prophet is speaking of the fall of Babylon and along
with it the fall of her false gods Helel and Shahar. There is satan which is a Hebrew word
meaning "adversary" and in the Tanakh one will find many instances of the word used to
describe human and angelic adversaries to man.

Later Jewish tradition, influenced by Babylonian mythology acquired during the
Babylonian captivity, elaborated on the fall of the angels under the leadership of
Samhazai ("the heaven-seizer") and Azael (Enoch, book vi.6f). Another legend, in the
midrash, represents the repentant Samhazai suspended star-like between heaven and earth
instead of being hurled down to Sheol.

The Helel-Lucifer (i.e. Venus) myth was later transferred to Satan, as evidenced by the
1st-century pseudepigraphical text Vita Adae et Evae (12), where the Adversary gives
Adam an account of his early career,[2] and the Slavonic Book of Enoch (xxix. 4, xxxi. 4),
where Satan-Sataniel (Sataniel/Satanel "The Keeper of Hell") (Samael?) is also described
as a former archangel. Because he contrived "to make his throne higher than the clouds
over the earth and resemble 'My power' on high", Satan-Sataniel was hurled down, with
his hosts of angels, to fly in the air continually above the abyss.

Christian tradition
The fall of Lucifer, Gustave Doré's illustration for the Paradise Lost by John Milton.

Christian tradition of a literal fall from heaven drew upon the Homeric tradition, familiar
to every educated Gentile Christian. Homer's description of the parallel supernatural fall

       "the whole day long I was carried headlong, and at sunset I fell in Lemnos, and
       but little life was in me"

relates the fall of Hephaestus from Olympus in the Iliad I:591ff; the fall of the Titans was
similarly described by Hesiod. Through popular epitomes these traditions were drawn
upon by Christian authors embellishing the fall of Lucifer.

Jerome, with the Septuagint close at hand and a general familiarity with the pagan poetic
traditions, translated Heylel as Lucifer. This may also have been done as a pointed jab at a
bishop named Lucifer, a contemporary of Jerome who argued to forgive those
condemned of the Arian heresy. Much of Christian tradition also draws on interpretations
of Revelation 12:9 ("He was thrown down, that ancient serpent"; see also 12:4 and 12:7)
in equating the ancient serpent with the serpent in the Garden of Eden and the fallen star,
Lucifer, with Satan. Accordingly, Tertullian (Contra Marrionem, v. 11, 17), Origen
(Ezekiel Opera, iii. 356), and others, identify Lucifer with Satan.

In the fully-developed Christian interpretation, Jerome's Vulgate translation of Isaiah
14:12 has made Lucifer the name of the principal fallen angel, who must lament the loss
of his original glory as the morning star. This image at last defines the character of Satan;
where the Church Fathers had maintained that lucifer was not the proper name of the
Devil, and that it referred rather to the state from which he had fallen; St. Jerome gave it
Biblical authority when he transformed it into Satan's proper name.

It is noteworthy that the Old Testament itself does not at any point actually mention the
rebellion and fall of Satan. This non-Scriptural belief assembled from interpretations of
different passages, would fall under the heading Christian mythology, that is, Christian
traditions that are derived from outside of church teachings and scripture. For detailed
discussion of the "War in Heaven" theme, see Fallen angel.

Other instances of the Morning Star in the New
Testament
In the Vulgate, the word lucifer is used elsewhere: it describes the Morning Star (the
planet Venus), the "light of the morning" (Job 11:17); the constellations (Job 38:32) and
"the aurora" (Psalms 109:3). In the New Testament, Jesus Christ (in II Peter 1:19) is
associated with the "morning star" (phosphoros).

Not all references in the New Testament to the morning star refer to phosphoros,
however; in Revelation:

Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star (aster proinos).

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I
am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star (aster
orthrinos).

In the Eastern Empire, where Greek was the language, "morning star" (heosphorus)
retained these earlier connotations. When Liutprand, bishop of Cremona, attended the
Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus II in 968, he reported to his master Otto I the greeting
sung to the emperor arriving in Hagia Sophia:

       "Behold the morning star approaches, Eos rises; he reflects in his glances the
       rays of the sun— he the pale death of the Saracens, Nicephorus the ruler." [1]

The four crown princes of Hell
Lucifer has been acknowledged by the Satanic Bible as one of the Four Crown Princes of
Hell, particularly that of the East. Lord of the Air, Lucifer has been named "Bringer of
light, The morning star, Intellectualism, Enlightenment."

Freemasonry and Luciferianism
Freemasons have been accused by various Christian organisations of worshipping
Lucifer, despite the fact that Freemasonry is not a religion, and has members from many
religions including Christianity. This theory originates in a hoax perpetrated by Léo
Taxil, who had himself been expelled from Freemasonry within months of joining.
According to the hoax, leading Freemason Albert Pike had addressed "the 23 Supreme
Confederated Councils of the world", instructing them that Lucifer was God, and was in
opposition to the evil god Adonai. Taxil also promoted a book by Diana Vaughan
(actually written by him) that purported to reveal a highly secret ruling body called the
Palladium which controlled the organisation and had a Satanic agenda. As described by
Freemasonry Disclosed in 1897:

       With frightening cynicism the miserable person we shall not name here [Taxil]
       declared before an assembly especially convened for him that for twelve years he
       had prepared and carried out to the end the most sacrilegious of hoaxes. We have
       always been careful to publish special articles concerning Palladism and Diana
       Vaughan. We are now giving in this issue a complete list of these articles, which
       can now be considered as not having existed.[3]

Despite the fraud having been revealed for over a century, Pike's spurious address and
other details of the hoax continue to be quoted by anti-masonic groups.[4]

New Age beliefs
In the The Urantia Book, published in 1955, Lucifer is a brilliant spirit personality, a "son
of God" who at one time ruled this constellation of 607 inhabited planets. He fell into an
iniquitous rebellion against the ordained universe governmental regime in a denial of
God's existence saying he was God. "There was war in Heaven" but, according to The
Urantia Book, the story has become convoluted over time.

Lucifer recruited Satan, another brilliant being of the same order, to represent his cause to
the universe authorities on earth. The then planetary prince of earth, Caligastia - one and
the same as "the devil", believed Lucifer's cause and subsequently aligned himself, along
with 37 other planetary princes in the system, with the rebels. They all attempted to take
their entire populations of their planets under the assertion of a false doctrine, a
"Declaration of Liberty" which would have driven them to darkness, evil, sin and
iniquity.

When Jesus of Nazareth went up to Mount Hermon for the "temptation", it was really to
settle this iniquitous rebellion for the triumph of the entire system. "Said Jesus of
Caligastia: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast
down." Subsequently, Lucifer, Satan, Caligastia and all the personalities who followed
them, figuratively "fell from Heaven". They were actually and literally all "dethroned and
shorn of their governing powers" by the appropriate universe authorities and most have
been replaced. Subsequent to their efforts to corrupt Jesus while incarnated in the flesh on
earth, any and all sympathy for them or their cause, outside the worlds of sin and
rebellion, has ceased.

See: Paper 53 - The Lucifer Rebellion and Paper 54 - Problems of the Lucifer Rebellion.
Astronomical significance
Because the planet Venus (Lucifer) is an inferior planet, meaning that its orbit lies
between the orbit of the Earth and the Sun, it can never rise high in the sky at night as
seen from Earth. It can be seen in the eastern morning sky for an hour or so before the
Sun rises, and in the western evening sky for an hour or so after the Sun sets, but never
during the dark of midnight.

Venus (Lucifer) is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon. As bright
and as brilliant as it is, ancient people couldn't understand why they couldn't see it at
midnight like the outer planets, or during midday, like the Sun and Moon. Some believe
they invented myths about Lucifer being cast out from Heaven to explain this. Lucifer
was supposed to shine so bright because it wanted to take over the thrones or status of
Saturn and Jupiter, both of which were considered most important by the worshippers of
planetary deities at the time.

In Romanian mythology, Lucifer (Romanian: Luceafăr) means the planet Venus and
some other stars. It is also linked with Hyperion, a figure who animates bad spirits (but is
not the Devil himself).

Cultural references




                                         Satanism
                            Associated Organizations
                                     Church of Satan
                                   First Satanic Church

                                Prominent Figures
 Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey

                               Associated Concepts
 Left-Hand Path | Moral Majority | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Survival of
                     the fittest | Objectivism | Might is Right

                             Books and Publications
 The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devil's Notebook |
Satan Speaks! | The Black Flame | The Church of Satan | The Secret Life of a Satanist
                                In Popular Culture
             Allegations of Satanism | Satanic artists | Satanic ritual abuse



       "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav'n." —Paradise Lost, Book I, 263

Lucifer is a key protagonist in John Milton's (1667) Protestant epic, Paradise Lost.
Milton presents Lucifer almost sympathetically, an ambitious and prideful angel who
defies God and wages war on heaven, only to be defeated and cast down. Lucifer must
then employ his rhetorical ability to organize hell; he is aided by Mammon and
Beelzebub. Later, Lucifer enters the Garden of Eden, where he successfully tempts Eve,
wife of Adam, to eat fruit from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Lucifer naturally makes appearances in fiction offering a suggestion of esoterica.

Literature

      Lucifer is a book written by Michael Cordy.
      Lucifer is a character in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher
       Marlowe (1604)
      Lucifer appears in Joost van den Vondel's Lucifer (1654)
      In Miguel Serrano's Nos (1980), Lucifer is identified as the King of the White
       gods.
      In Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series (1968-1997), Jupiter was renamed
       Lucifer after its transformation into Earth's second sun.
      Lucifer is a character in the view-from-the-other-side fantasy novel To Reign in
       Hell (1984) by Steven Brust.
      Lucifer is a character in The Sandman graphic novels (1988-1996) by Neil
       Gaiman.
      Lucifer is the protagonist of the graphic novel series Lucifer (1999-2006) by Mike
       Carey.
      Lucifer is the main character in Catherine Webb's novels Waywalkers (2003) and
       Timekeepers (2004), under the name of Sam Linnfer.
      Lucifer is also a poem by the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu Luceafarul (the
       Evening Star)
      Lucifer is identified by the name of "Memnoch" in Memnoch the Devil, by Anne
       Rice (July 3, 1995)
       The fall of Lucifer is a central element of the universe portrayed in Philip
        Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.
       Lucifer is a character in Michael Moorcock's Von Bek series. Here he is a multi-
        faceted and complex character.
       Lucifer is a character in Kaori Yuki's Angel Sanctuary manga, about a boy who is
        the reincarnation of one of his fellow fallen angels.
       Lucifer is the protagonist of Glen Duncan's I, Lucifer, in which he is offered a
        shot at redemption by God, and must live a mortal life free of sin.
       Lucivar is the name of a main character in Anne Bishop's Black Jewels books, a
        character tortured for hundreds of years by one cruel matriarch and redeemed by a
        kinder, loving one.
       Lucifer is a character in Anatole France's la Révolte des anges; he is said to have
        led men to philosophy, science, and art.
       Lucifer is one of the main characters in the Hungarian dramatic poem, The
        Tragedy of Man.
       Lucifer is the main character in "The Fall of Lucifer: The Chronicles of Brothers"
        by Wendy Alec
       Lucifer is the father of the protagonist, Sinthia in the comic book series with the
        same name.

Film and TV

       Lucifer was played by Viggo Mortensen (to Christopher Walken's Archangel
        Gabriel) in the (1995) film The Prophecy, as well as by Robert De Niro in Angel
        Heart (1987).
       Lucifer is played by Peter Stormare in the movie Constantine.
       Lucifer is played by Al Pacino in the movie The Devil's Advocate, with Keanu
        Reeves as a lawyer who finds out he is the Devil's son.
       Lucifer is one of the demons that possesses the title character in the movie The
        Exorcism Of Emily Rose.
       Lucifer is the name of the household cat in the movie Cinderella.
       Lucifer is played by Rodney Dangerfield in the movie Little Nicky.
       Lucifer is played by Will Ferrell in a Saturday Night Live sketch.
       Daniel Craig will play Lucifer in the upcoming film I, Lucifer.
       Former World Wrestling Entertainment Superstar Jake Roberts had a large Python
        whom he named Lucifer. Lucifer was introduced after Daimen's "death", and was
        best described by Jake as "Daimen's bigger brother" and "The devil himself".

Music

       The Iron Maiden song "Moonchild" from the album "Seventh Son Of A Seventh
        Son" at one point says "be the mother of a birth strangled babe, be the devils own,
        Lucifer's my name. Another song from the same album, "The Prophecy", contains
        the lyrics "Now Lucifer smiles, hell awaits".
       On Black Sabbath N.I.B. the following lyrics are used Look into my eyes, you will
        see who I am, My name is Lucifer, please take my hand The song is about the
        Devil falling in love and becoming a good person.
       Lucifer is the first-person "narrator" in The Rolling Stones' song "Sympathy for
        the Devil" (1968).
       Lucifer is used in "Lucifer Sam", from the Pink Floyd's album The Piper at the
        Gates of Dawn. Lucifer Sam is a Siamese cat who belongs to a witch named
        Jennifer Gentle, as described in the songs lyrics by Syd Barrett. (preview this
        song).
       The 13th section of Jethro Tull's A Passion Play is subtitled Flight From Lucifer
        and its first lyric-line is "Flee the icy Lucifer. Oh he's an awful fellow!".
       Lucifer is the subject of the song "Prince of Darkness" by Megadeth. The
        following lyrics are used Prince of darkness, the devilish serpent, the dreaded
        Lucifer
       "Father Lucifer" is the name of a song by Tori Amos.
       "Lucifer" is also the name of the song by Jay-Z produced by Kanye West.
       "Lucifer's Angel" is the name of song composed by Rasmus in their album "Hide
        from the Sun" - 2005
       Lucifer is mentioned in the chorus of Tenacious D's "Tribute".
       W.A.S.P - Song title: Sleeping in the fire. Lucifer's magic.
       The symphonic black metal band Cradle of Filth devoted an entire album to John
        Milton's (1667) Protestant epic, Paradise Lost("Damnation and a Day") which
        tells the story of creation and mankind's progression through Lucifer's eyes
       "Lucifer" is a the 1st song(instrumental) of The Alan Parsons Project album Eve.
       "Lucifer, son of the morning" is referenced in the first line of Max Romeo's song
        "I Chase the Devil"
       Arcane Rain Fell, a concept album by the Swedish doom metal band Draconian,
        is centered around the theme of Lucifer's fall from heaven. As is their demo 'The
        Closed Eyes of Paradise'.
       Rotting Christ also has produce a song entitled "Lucifer Over London"

Games

       Lucifer is a vital character in the roleplaying series Shin Megami Tensei, and its
        related spin offs. In the series, Lucifer is portrayed as a multi-faceted, almost
        noble enemy of YHWH (God). His human alias is Louis Cypher.
       Lucifer is mentioned as being the former ruler of the Netherealm before he was
        overthrown by Quan Chi and Shinnok in the Mortal Kombat series.
       Lucifer is also the name of a Shivan capital ship, from the game Descent:
        FreeSpace.
       Lucifer is the basis for the character Horus in the fictional universe of
        Warhammer 40,000. His story is much the same as Horus' (including his fall from
        grace, or in Horus' case, fall to Chaos), but Horus slew Sanguinius, while Lucifer
        was cast down by Michael.
       Lucifer is the name of a playable character in the Warcraft III custom map DotA.
       Lucifer, changed to Luther in North America, is the final boss of Star Ocean 3.
      In Soul Calibur 3, the name Lucifer cannot be given to a custom made character
       (the game simply won't allow it).
      In a game (or 2 games) by Atlus, Demikids Light version, and Demikids Dark
       version, after completing the game, you may recruit Lucifer as an ally.

Notes
   1. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia: Lucifer; also Fall of Angels
   2. ^ Vita Adae et Evae: Text from R.H. Charles, The Apocrypha and
      Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament
   3. ^ Freemasonry Disclosed April 1897
   4. ^ Leo Taxil: The tale of the Pope and the Pornographer. Retrieved on 14
      September 2006.




       Satan: Another god of hell
       This page is about the concept of Satan. See Devil for the concept of devil,
       influenced by Christianity, in general.
       There are other articles with similar names; see Satan (disambiguation).




Gustave Doré's depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost
Satan, from the Hebrew word for "accuser" (Standard Hebrew: ‫ , ן‬Satan Tiberian
Hebrew Śāṭān; Koine Greek: Σατανάς, Satanás; Aramaic: ‫ ,אנ צ‬Ṣaṭänä; Arabic: ‫, ش يطان‬
Šayṭän, Slavic Сатана), is a term with its origins in the Abrahamic faiths which is
traditionally applied to an angel. Ha-Shatan is the accuser, a member of the divine
council, who challenged the religious faith of humans, especially in the books of Job and
Zechariah. Religious belief systems other than Judaism relate this term to a demon, a
rebellious fallen angel (against God), devil or minor god and idolatry.


Contents


      1 Different interpretations
      2 Etymology and other names
      3 In the Hebrew Bible
           o 3.1 Different uses of the word "Satan" in the Tanakh
           o 3.2 Satan as an accuser
      4 In Rabbinic literature
      5 In the Hebrew Apocrypha
      6 Satan in Christianity
      7 Satan in Islam
           o 7.1 Satan and Adam and Eve
      8 Satanism
      9 Satan in fiction and popular culture
           o 9.1 People linked to Satan
      10 See also
      11 Notes
      12 References
      13 External links


Different interpretations

The Satan plays different roles in the Tanakh, the Apocrypha and New Testament:

      In the Tanakh, the holy Hebrew bible, ha-Satan (=the Satan) is an angel whom
       God uses to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his level of piety.
       The Satan is good, known as the figure in the book of Job who challenged the
       integrity of Job. In Judaism ha-Satan is the angel-accuser, a prosecuting attorney
       or adversary, the spiritual force alias the evil inclination, and he is totally under
       the command and control of God, as any other angel is. Therefore ha-Satan is a
       title rather than a name of an angel. This concept of Satan is not accepted by the
       Christian faiths, as they came to the conclusion that ha-Satan had rebelled against
       God, however this conclusion is unsupported in holy Hebrew scripture. In Jewish
       faith and tradition, free, even 'rebellious' will, the freedom of choice, is only a
       concept that relates to man, not to angels. And while Ha-Shem (=God) is a holy
       'light', there can only be 'light', as there is no place or space, where God is not. It
       is said God is transcendental. Judaism has no concept of an 'unholy darkness'
       which is an opposing force or even an embodiment of evil.

      In the Talmud and some Kabbalist works, Satan is sometimes called Samael and
       by other names. In the fields of angelology these different names sometimes refer
       to a number of different angels, and there is significant disagreement as to
       whether any of these entities are actually evil, for angels are believed not to be
       able to become evil. Kabbalism has introduced terms and concepts of demons, or
       evil forces, though. The numerical value of the hebrew word ha-satan, the
       accuser, is 364 – for it is thought that this angel has dominion on every day of the
       solar year, minus one. On Yom Kippur, Satan has no jurisdiction as all evil is
       banished from within man.

      In the Apocrypha and New Testament, the term Satan refers to a preternatural
       entity, the evil, rebellious fallen angel formally known as Lucifer, henceforth
       known as a demon or devil. Satan is the enemy of God and mankind, and the
       central embodiment of evil, as the central embodiment of good, 'love', is Jesus.
       The Satan is also commonly known as the Devil, the "Prince of Darkness,"
       Beelzebub, Belial, Lucifer, and Mephistopheles. The Satan is also described in
       Christian faiths as the enemy of Jesus, as is light opposed to darkness, love
       opposed to hate. Christianity says that Satan, who hates all humanity, will do
       anything to 'tempt' mankind from their purpose in Christian life.

      In Islam, Iblīs (Arabic ‫ ,)إب ل يس‬is the primary devil or evil demon. He is
       commonly referred to in the Qur'an as Shaitan. The Islamic view of Satan has
       both commonalities and differences with Christian and Jewish views.

      In Satanism, individual interpretation of Satan's identity through experience is
       encouraged. LaVeyan Satanists argue that only theirs is the "true" Satanism, but
       many Satanists do not accept this doctrine.

Etymology and other names
The nominative satan (meaning "adversary" or "accuser"), and the Arabic shaitan,
derives from a Northwest Semitic root šṭn, meaning "to be hostile", "to accuse".[1] Ha-
satan possesses no demonic qualities in the Torah writings. In the New Testament, Satan
is a proper name, and is used to refer to a supernatural entity who appears in several
passages and possesses demonic god-like qualities.

The most common synonym for Satan, "the Devil", entered Modern English from Middle
English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Late Greek diabolos,
from Greek, "slanderer", from diaballein, "to slander" : dia-, dia- + ballein, "to hurl"[2].
In Greek, the term diabolos (Διάβολος, "slanderer"), carries more negative connotations
than the Hebrew ha-satan (‫" , ן‬accuser", "obstructer").[3]
Lucifer is sometimes used in Christian theology to refer to Satan, from a reference to
Isaiah 14:12-14. In Jewish theology, however, this figure (Helel in Hebrew) has nothing
to do with Satan. Beelzebub (meaning "Lord of Flies") is actually the name of a Philistine
god, but is also used in the New Testament as a synonym for Satan.

 In the Hebrew Bible
Satan is to be better understood as an "accuser" or "adversary". The term is applied both
to supernatural entities and human beings. The term Satan in Hebrew is derived from the
root meaning "to oppose", "to be an adversary" or "to act as an adversary". In the Book of
Numbers he is not malevolent and God witnesses him preventing harm:

"But God was incensed at his going; so an angel of the LORD placed himself in his way
as an adversary (Hebrew: satan)", Numbers 22:22
[4]



 Different uses of the word "Satan" in the Tanakh

The Hebrew "Satan" is used in the Hebrew Bible with the general connotation
"adversary", or those who act as a adversaries, as with:

         An enemy in war and peace [5]
         An accuser before the judgment-seat [6]
         An antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Numbers 22:22, where the
          angel of God is described as opposing Balaam as an adversary.

In the Book of Job, ha-satan("the adversary") is a prosecuting attorney against mankind
in the heavenly court of God. Other angels are not mentioned by name. He is known as
the accuser and is the angel which questions mankind's loyalty to God. He argues that
man is only loyal because God gives them prosperity. He is the one who actually delivers
all the ills upon Job to test his faith on Gods command.

In 1 Chronicles 21:1, Satan incites David to commit the sin of taking a census of Israel.
Five hundred years earlier, this same story portrayed Yahweh as the one who incited
David to take the census (2 Samuel 24:1). The later story was written after the Hebrews
had been in exile in Babylon and had been exposed to Zoroastrianism.

The Strong's Concordance number for the Hebrew word "Satan" is 07853 and 07854[7].

"7853 satan saw-tan' a primitive root; to attack, (figuratively) accuse:--(be an) adversary,
resist."

"7854 satan saw-tawn' from 7853; an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed)
Satan, the arch-enemy of good:--adversary, Satan, withstand."
This can be used to research the Biblical usage of this word.

Satan as an accuser

Where Satan does appear in the Bible as a member of God's court, he plays the role of the
Accuser, much like a prosecuting attorney for God. The following information has been
taken directly from the article on 'Satan' in the Jewish Encyclopaedia:

"Such a view is found, however, in the prologue to the Book of Job, where Satan appears,
together with other celestial beings or "sons of God," before the Deity, replying to the
inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "From going to and fro in the
earth, and from walking up and down in it."[8] Both question and answer, as well as the
dialogue which follows, characterize Satan as that member of the divine council who
watches over human activity, but with the evil purpose of searching out men's sins and
appearing as their accuser. He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, lawyer who sees only
iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after the man of Uz has passed
successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan
demands another test through physical suffering [9].

"Yet it is also evident from the prologue that Satan has no power of independent action,
but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress. He can not be regarded,
therefore, as an opponent of the Deity; and the doctrine of monotheism is disturbed by his
existence no more than by the presence of other beings before the face of God. This view
is also retained in Zech. 3:1-2, where Satan is described as the adversary of the high
priest Joshua, and of the people of God whose representative the hierarch is; and he there
opposes the "angel of the Lord" who bids him be silent in the name of God.

"In both of these passages Satan is a mere accuser who acts only according to the
permission of the Deity; but in I Chron. 21:1 he appears as one who is able to provoke
David to destroy Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan as an
independent agent, a view which is the more striking since the source whence he drew his
account[10] speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David against the children of
Israel. Since the older conception refers all events, whether good or bad, to God alone [11],
it is possible that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by
Zoroastrianism, even though in the case of the prophet Jewish monism strongly opposed
Iranian dualism[12]. An immediate influence of the Babylonian concept of the "accuser,
persecutor, and oppressor" [13] is impossible, since traces of such an influence, if it had
existed, would have appeared in the earlier portions of the Bible."[14]



In regards to the 1 Chronicles 21:1 passage, it is known that at times, Yahweh gives Satan
the authority to carry out wicked deeds. He had to give Satan permission to attack Job's
family and health; likewise He granted Satan permission to enter Judas so that the Son of
Man could be delivered over to the officials. God Himself, delivered Jesus to Satan's
violence and scorn. This is most likely why it is written as Yahweh in one passage(2
Samuel 24:1), and Satan in the next.

 In Rabbinic literature
Early rabbinic Jewish statements in the Mishnah and Talmud show that Satan played
little or no role in Jewish theology. In the course of time, however, Judaism absorbed the
popular concepts of Satan, most likely inherited from Zoroastrianism. The later a rabbinic
work can be dated the more frequent is the mention therein of Satan and his hosts.[15] The
Palestinian Talmud, completed around 400 CE has provenance similar to that of the New
Testament and is more reserved in its use of Satan. However large portions of this version
of the Talmud in its original form have been lost.

An example is found in Genesis: The serpent who had Eve eat the forbidden fruit. The
consensus of the Biblical commentators in classical Judaism is that the serpent of the
narrative in Genesis was literally a serpent. They differ regarding what it represented:
The evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa), Satan, or the Angel of Death. Others have suggested
that the serpent was a phallic symbol. According to the Midrash, before this cunning
beast was cursed, it stood erect and was endowed with some faculty of communication.

The normative Jewish concept, however, was and remains that Satan cannot be viewed as
an independent agent. In the Babylonian Talmud [16], Rabbi Levi asserts that "everything
Satan does is for the sake of heaven." When another rabbi preached a similar idea in his
town, it is said that Satan himself came and "kissed his knees."

The Babylonian Talmud[17] also states that the Evil Inclination (Yetzer ha-Ra), the Angel
of Death and Satan are identical.

In a midrash[18] Samael, the chief of the satans (a specific order of angel, not a reference
to demons), was a mighty prince of angels in heaven. Samael came into the world with
woman, that is, with Eve[19], so that he was created and is not eternal. Like all celestial
beings, he flies through the air[20], and can assume any form, as of a bird [21], a stag[22], a
woman [23], a beggar, or a young man [24]; he is said to skip [25], an allusion to his
appearance in the form of a goat.

In some works some rabbis hold that Satan is the incarnation of all evil, and his thoughts
are devoted to the destruction of man. In this view, Satan, the impulse to evil and the
angel of death are one and the same personality. Satan seizes upon even a single word
which may be prejudicial to man; so that "one should not open his mouth unto evil," i.e.,
"unto Satan"[26]. Likewise, in times of danger, he brings his accusations (Jerusalem
Talmud, Shabbat 5b). While he has power over all the works of man (Talmud Berachot
46b), he can not prevail at the same time against two individuals of different nationality;
so that Samuel, a noted astronomer, physician and teacher of the Law (died at Nehardea,
247), would start on a journey only when a Gentile traveled with him [27].
Satan's knowledge is not everpresent; for when the shofar is sounded on New-Year's Day
he is "confounded" [28]. On the Day of Atonement his power vanishes; for the numerical
value of the letters of his name (gematria and Hebrew numerals) is only 359, one day
being thus exempt from his influence [29].

One rabbi notes that Satan was an active agent in the fall of man [30], and was the father of
Cain [31], while he was also instrumental in the offering of Isaac [32], in the release of the
animal destined by Esau for his father [33], in the theophany at Sinai, in the death of
Moses [34], in David's sin with Bath-sheba [35], and in the death of Queen Vashti [36]. The
decree to destroy all the Jews, which Haman obtained, was written on parchment brought
by Satan [37]. When Alexander the Great reproached the Jewish sages with their rebellion,
they made the plea that Satan had been too mighty for them [38].

Not all Rabbinic commentators agreed on Satan's spiritual nature. Rabbi Saadia Gaon, an
11th century philosopher and scholar, wrote in his commentary to the Book of Job that
Satan was simply a human being who resented Job's righteousness and called upon God
to test him. This interpretation rests on a literal reading of the Hebrew word ‫ ן ש‬or
"adversary", which Saadia claims refers only to the intentions of the individual in
question and not to any spiritual or supernatural status.

In the Hebrew Apocrypha
In Wisdom ii. 24 Satan is represented, with reference to Gen. 3, as the father of all lies,
who brought death into the world; he is apparently mentioned also in Ecclesiasticus
(Sirach) 21:27. Allegedly, Satan was the seducer and the paramour of Eve, and was
hurled from heaven together with other angels because of his iniquity [39]. Since that time
he has been called "Satan," although previously he had been termed "Satanel" [40].

The doctrine of the fall of Satan, as well as of the fall of the angels, is found also in
Babylonia. Satan rules over an entire host of angels [41]. Mastema, who induced God to
test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and
nature [42], Azazel of the Apocalypse of Abraham and the Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit
is likewise to be identified with him, especially in view of his licentiousness. As the lord
of satans, he frequently bears the special name of Samael.

It is difficult to identify Satan in any other passages of the Apocrypha, since the originals
in which his name occurred have been lost, and the translations employ various
equivalents. An "argumentum a silentio" can not, therefore, be adduced as proof that
concepts of Satan were not wide-spread; but it must rather be assumed that reference to
him and his realm is often implied in the mention of evil spirits.

Satan in Christianity
       Main article: Devil in Christianity
In the Christian understanding of the holy Hebrew scriptures, the Torah, the one named
Satan (also the Devil) is shown to be an angel who rebelled against God— the one who
spoke through the serpent and seduced Eve into disobeying God's command. He is
described throughout the Christian New Testament as hating all mankind. His ultimate
goal is to lead people away from the love of God — to lead them to fallacies which God
opposes. Satan is also identified as the accuser of Job, the tempter of the Gospels, the
secret power of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, and the dragon in the Book of
Revelation. It is widely believed that before his insurrection, Satan was the highest of all
angels and the "brightest in the sky." His pride is considered a reason why he would not
bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. In Christianity he is
called "the ruler of the demons" (Matt. 12:24); "the ruler of the world" and even "the god
of this world." (2Cor. 4:4) The book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out
of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who
obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus." Ultimately, Satan is
thrown forever into the "lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10), not as ruler, but as one among
many, being treated no different than all the others who have been cast there as well.

Satan in Islam
       Main articles: Shaitan and Iblis

Shaitan (‫ ) ش يطان‬is the equivalent of Satan in Islam.

"When you read the Qur'ân, seek refuge in God from the rejected Satan". [An-Nahl:98]

While Shaitan(‫ , ش يطان‬from the root šṭn ‫ن‬       ‫ )شط‬is an adjective (meaning "astray" or
"distant") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", ‫ )اإلن س‬and Genie, Iblis (pronounced
/'ib.liːs/) is the personal name of the Shaitan who is mentioned in the Qur'anic account of
Genesis, and whose origin is unclear.

Whenever the Qur'an refers to the creature who refused to prostrate before Adam at the
time of the latter's creation, it refers to him as Iblis. The Islamic view of Iblis
(English:Lucifer) has both commonalities and differences with Christian and Jewish
views.

Satan and Adam and Eve

As per the Qur'an, before the creation of Man, God created the Angels out of light— and
which had no free will — and the Genie, made of smokeless fire, with semi-free will.
Later God created Adam, and ordered all the angels to bow to him. All the angels did,
except a Genie called Iblis, who was elevated to be one of the leaders of the Angels. Iblis
was proud and considered himself superior. Iblis argued that he is superior to Adam, who
is made of modified clay, while he himself is made of smokeless fire. For this God
damned him to Hell for eternity, but gave him respite till the Doomsday at his request.
Then and there Iblis swore that he would use his time to lead all men astray to burn in
hell. God replied that there would always be followers of God, and that the paradise of
heaven was available for them, and those who followed Iblis would go with him to
Hell.[43]

After their creation, Adam and Hawwa' (‫ ,حواء‬Eve) dwelt in Paradise (‫ ,ال ج نة‬AlJannah),
where God forbade them to go near the cursed tree. "The Satan" (or al-Shaitan in
Arabic), tricked Adam and Hawwa' into eating from the tree. God then expelled all of
them from Heaven and onto Earth, to wander about not as a punishment. In Islam, God
created humans to sned them on to Earth for which he created for humans. He was just to
see how long the humans, Adam and Hawwa could have stay in heaven or paradise. Then
Adam sought to repent to God, and God taught him the words by which to do so. God
forgave Adam and Hawwa' and told them "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure,
there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be
no fear, nor shall they grieve. [44]." Iblis will try to influence as many of their descendants
as he possibly could into sin, so as to be his companions in his final destiny into Hell.

Adam remained weeping for 40 days, until he repented, at which point God rewarded him
by sending down the Kaaba, and teaching him the hajj.

For a more full account of the creation of Adam, the refusal of Iblis to prostrate before
him, and a description of the devil in Islam see Iblis.

 Satanism
       Main article: Satanism

Satanism is an atheistic religion codified by Church of Satan founder, Anton Szandor
LaVey.

LaVey wrote the Satanic Bible which was originally published in 1969.

 Satan in fiction and popular culture
       Main articles: Devil in fiction, Satan in fiction, and Satan in popular culture

The Satan in fiction and popular culture is mostly influenced by Christianity and their
concepts of devil and evil forces and the original sin, for Satan is of minor importance to
the Hebrew Bible and the Jewish faith and Judaism. See Devil in Christianity.



People linked to Satan

      Anton Szandor LaVey's Church of Satan

      Michael Aquino's Temple of Set
     John D. Allee's First Church of Satan

     Karla LaVey's First Satanic Church

See also
     Lilith
     Beelzebub
     Shaitan
     Baal

Notes
 1.  ^ American Heritage® Dictionary: Semitic roots: sn. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
 2.  ^ American Heritage® Dictionary: Devil. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
 3.  ^ American Heritage® Dictionary: Devil. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
 4.  ^ Baruchi, Amatzia, Amen: an Essay, Trafford Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1-55395-
     429-7, Google Books, p. 23
 5. ^ 1 Kings 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25
 6. ^ Psalm 109:6
 7. ^ Satan Listings for Strong's Concordance
 8. ^ Job 1:7
 9. ^ ib. ii. 3-5.
 10. ^ II Sam. 24:1
 11. ^ I Sam. 16:14; I Kings 22:22; Isa. 45:7; etc.
 12. ^ Stave, "Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum," pp. 253 et seq.
 13. ^ Schrader, "K. A. T." 3d ed., p. 463
 14. ^ Jewish Encyclopaedia
 15. ^ Satan in relation to different religions.
 16. ^ Baba Bathra 16a
 17. ^ ibid.
 18. ^ Genesis Rabbah 19
 19. ^ Midrash Yalkut, Genesis 1:23
 20. ^ Genesis Rabbah 19
 21. ^ Talmud, Sanhedrin 107a
 22. ^ ibid, 95a
 23. ^ ibid, 81a
 24. ^ Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, end
 25. ^ Talmud Pesachim 112b and Megilla. 11b
 26. ^ Talmud Berachot 19a
 27. ^ Talmud, Shabbat 32a
 28. ^ Rosh Hashana 16b, Targum Yerushalmi to Numbers 10:10
 29. ^ Yoma 20a
 30. ^ Midrash Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 13, beginning
 31. ^ ibid, 21
 32. ^ Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, 22 [ed. Stettin, p. 39a]
 33. ^ ibid, Toledot, 11
 34. ^ Deuteronomy Rabbah 13:9
 35. ^ Sanhedrin 95a
 36. ^ Megilla 11a
 37. ^ Esther Rabba 3:9
 38. ^ (Tamid 32a)
 39. ^ Slavonic Book of Enoch, 29:4 et seq.
 40. ^ ib. 31:3 et seq.
 41. ^ Martyrdom of Isaiah, 2:2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, 16)
 42. ^ Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18
 43. ^ Iblis swears an oath
 44. ^ Qur'an 2:38

References
    Pagels, Elaine (1995). The Origin of Satan. Vintage; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-679-
     72232-7.
    Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth. Princeton
     University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-691-01474-4.
    Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Satanic Epic. Princeton University Press; Reprint
     edition. ISBN 0-691-11339-4.
    Gentry, Kenneth L. Jr (2002). The Beast of Revelation. American Vision. ISBN 0-
     915815-41-9.
    Graves, Kersey (1995). Biography of Satan: Exposing the Origins of the Devil.
     Book Tree. ISBN 1-885395-11-6.
    Rudwin, Maximilian (1970). The Devil in Legend and Literature. Open Court.
     ISBN 0-87548-248-1.
    Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1977). The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to
     Primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-8014-
     9413-3.
    Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1992). The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the
     Power of Good in History. Cornell University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-
     8014-8056-6.
    Russell, Jeffrey Burton (2005). The Birth of Satan : Tracing the Devil's Biblical
     Roots. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6933-7.
    Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish
     Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0797-0.