Name for an angel?

[Ireth]

There are a few without the "-el" ending, such as Sandalphon and Metatron, but adding "-el" to anything will make it sound angelic...Gregel or Gregiel for instance.

Hmm... Gregoriel? Maybe I could tweak that... Looking at the meaning of Greg, "watchful", I found a Hebrew equivalent which I think is spelled zahir. (I went by the phonetic pronunciation given, "za-HEER," along with the Hebrew script which I can't read.) So maybe Elzahir or Zahirel, "God is watchful?"

 

[Shockley]

I've always loved angelic names. One thing I came across in my research is that the "-el" ending is a suffix attached to most angel's names to "bind them" to God, supposedly after the fall, but Samael (Lucifer) still had that part of his name as well (unless it was applied retroactively).

There are a few without the "-el" ending, such as Sandalphon and Metatron, but adding "-el" to anything will make it sound angelic...Gregel or Gregiel for instance.

I can clarify all of these points, actually.

Metatron is the prophet Enoch turned into an angel, while Sandalphon is Elijah. They lack the 'el' simply because they were not natural angels.

As for Samael, there's some dispute as to whether that's Lucifer or we're dealing with conflation. He's most certainly the 'Ha-Satan' of the Old Testament, but his role is not that of Lucifer. If you read your Old Testament carefully, you can notice that Ha-Satan makes his appearances in Heaven itself, somewhere the fallen angels are not allowed to go. He's definitely the most interesting angel (being fundamentally evil, having the role of Angel of Death, wrestling with Jacob, rescuing Isaac, etc.) but he's not among the fallen.

 

[Ireth]

He's definitely the most interesting angel (being fundamentally evil, having the role of Angel of Death, wrestling with Jacob, rescuing Isaac, etc.) but he's not among the fallen.

Wait... why would an evil angel do good things like wrestling with Jacob (and consequently blessing him), rescuing Isaac, etc.? Doesn't seem to make much sense.

I don't think we should continue the discussion here, since I'm not sure if it would break the rules on religion (and it's kinda derailing the thread topic), but somewhere else would be great.

 

[Shockley]

I'll message it to you, if you'd like.

 

[Zero Angel]

For instance there is a favourite of mine Uriel which stands for God is my light, and an adaptation of that could simply be Urel.

Uriel is a favorite of mine also...which is why that is the name of one of the main characters of my novel. WAY back when I was first brain-storming, I had him as Ramiel, but I ended up switching to the more awesome (in my opinion) Uriel--plus it sounds cooler.

I also had a healer character named Rafarial or just Rafa (clearly a nod to "Raphael"), and I felt there were too many R-names.

 

[Zero Angel]

Metatron is the prophet Enoch turned into an angel, while Sandalphon is Elijah. They lack the 'el' simply because they were not natural angels.

I didn't know that about Sandalphon--but my only research experience with that was connected to the lava angel in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

 

[Shockley]

Hmm... Gregoriel? Maybe I could tweak that... Looking at the meaning of Greg, "watchful", I found a Hebrew equivalent which I think is spelled zahir. (I went by the phonetic pronunciation given, "za-HEER," along with the Hebrew script which I can't read.) So maybe Elzahir or Zahirel, "God is watchful?"

I missed this. Zahirel would be grammatically correct, if that's of any concern.

 

[Ireth]

I'll message it to you, if you'd like.

Sure, could be a fun thing to discuss/debate.

I missed this. Zahirel would be grammatically correct, if that's of any concern.

Thanks. ^^

 

[Steerpike]

Angelus?

 

[Ireth]

Angelus?

That'd make any Buffy fan (including me) think of evil!Angel. Not really the connotation I want for a good guy character. XD

 

[Steerpike]

That'd make any Buffy fan (including me) think of evil!Angel. Not really the connotation I want for a good guy character. XD

Yeah, I'm watching Angel right now

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

I got it heard this name from the Hebrew story of Jannus and Jembres...Metatron.

 

[Zophos]

Use Azariel, the angel of death. Lot's of good connections with your deaf character. In some traditions Azariel never speaks. He writes your name when you are born and blights it out when you are gone.

Excellent complexity of characterization with him being the Angel of Death and serving as a protector for someone who can't say his name -- can't tell anyone about it. If your character is the only one who sees him, anyway, she'll only ever sign his name.

Signing is quite a bit different from speech. Have her sign something that has sibilance (consonant characterized by a hissing sound) much like the whispered enunciation of Azariel. Maybe she calls him Silence, Secrecy, Speechless, Stillness. Maybe she fixes on a characteristic like Sapience or Salience.

Edit: Obviously, this depends on your narrative voice. If you're in 3P you can call him Azariel and she can call him whatever she wants. Probably have to can the golden boy features, however. Might want something somewhat...uh, darker. Cobalt or amethyst features, might work.

 

[Zophos]

I like where you are going with your story's development, BTW. Read a bit of it down in the Showcase or wherever you had it posted and I've been following your open development in other threads. Really digging the deaf character.

 

[Ireth]

Thanks, Zophos! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far. I'm not sure about the Angel of Death character, as Diana would see the angel more as a friendly guardian than anything more sinister -- after all, this is the angel who frees Peter from prison, according to the scene depicted in the tapestry. I'm not sure I want to use the name of an existing angel at all, just to avoid confusion, unless I chance to find a name for that specific angel somewhere in Biblical or apocryphal canon.

 

[Zophos]

Thanks, Zophos! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far. I'm not sure about the Angel of Death character, as Diana would see the angel more as a friendly guardian than anything more sinister -- after all, this is the angel who frees Peter from prison, according to the scene depicted in the tapestry. I'm not sure I want to use the name of an existing angel at all, just to avoid confusion, unless I chance to find a name for that specific angel somewhere in Biblical or apocryphal canon.

That's the beauty of the Angel of Death. She doesn't have to (or perhaps have the faculties to) know what he does for a living. She's just a side job.

There's also the whole role reversal thing for his character. Milton expands beautifully on the fact that Angels aren't good or bad, they are just playing a role and doing what they are programmed to do. He does it with Lucifer, of course, who is a tragic (and somewhat conflicted) hero. You and I may look at death as a bad thing because it means the end of this leg of existence, but someone who understands it better as Gods' avatar or visage would likely have a much different opinion of it.

All I'm getting at is we have to seperate the "dark" connotation of death from "evil", which it most certainly is not, and seperate the "sinister" perception of death from the reality of death as the culmination of both life and Gods' providence. It's ponderously brilliant, and in my opinion, vastly oversimplified by many writers who aren't willing to decouple the humane opinion of "sadness" of death from the cosmic opinion of "fulfillment" of death.

Sorry...sidetrack. The concept is just so darn fascinating, though.

Edit: I've only just realized how ironical (not to mention comical) it is that the dude named for a darkness you can feel is playing up Azariel as the name you should choose for your heroic angel. I promise I'm not sitting around wearing a black trench coat and swimming through eye-black like it's a box of chicklets.

 

[Shockley]

While the angel that appeared to Peter is unidentified in the Bible and supplementary sources, there is an angel (in Angelosophy, which I'm not fond of, but whatever) whose specific purpose is to open prison doors and serve as a patron of liberation: Colopatiron.