Monday: Angel Profile (Sariel)

Welcome to a new Monday feature: an angel profile. Today I'll be talking about Sariel, one of my favorite archangels and the hero (as Xariel) of my up-coming short novel, Death Sword.

Depending on the source, Sariel can be either a holy angel or a fallen one. According to the Book of Enoch, he is one of the Grigori (Watcher Angels) who came to earth and taught men the lunar cycle. Enoch also names him as one of the seven archangels. Sariel's name means "God's command" and he is "responsible for the lot of angels that violate God's sacred ordinances" (Angels A to Z). He rules Aries and is "considered a prince of the presence, like Metatron, as well as an angel of healing, like Raphael" (Angels A to Z).

Sariel's role as an angel of death is noted in Malcolm Godwin's Angels: An Endangered Species, and he is said to have retrieved Moses's soul on Mount Sinai. According to Gustav Davidson's A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels, Suriel is the name used when referring to his role as an angel of death. Other names associated with Sariel include Sarakiel, Saraqael, Saraqel, Suruquel, and Zerachiel.

In Death Sword, Xariel is primarily an angel of death, although his past as one of the Grigori plays a significant role. (The name was changed because of another angel, Samael, and the concern that Samael and Sariel might prove too confusing to readers. )

Although thousands of years old, Xariel appears 24. He has blue-violet eyes and long black hair. His wings are also black and span 13 feet. He stands 6'8" but is actually the shortest angel, not counting the half-human Karla. His weapon of choice is a schiavona, a sword with a pommel in the shape of a cat head.

He has his own blog at http://xariel-deathsword.blogspot.com

Sources:

Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels.
New York: The Free Press, 1971, pp. 260, 280

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Angels.
New York: Checkmark Books, 2004, pp. 318

Lewis, James R. and Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy. Angels A to Z.
Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996, pp. 353-354

(Disclaimer: Death Sword and the characters described therein is a work of fiction and no actual resemblance to persons living or dead is intended or implied.)