Azrael is the traditional name of the Archangel of Death. He is also the Angel of Death in Islamic extrabiblical tradition and folklore. It is an English form of the Arabic name Azra'il (عزرائيل) or Azra'eil (عزرایل), the name traditionally attributed to the angel of death in Islam and some Hebrew lore.[1] The Qur'an never uses this name, referring instead to Malak al-Maut (which translates directly as angel of death). It is also spelled Izrail, Izrael, "Azriel", Azrail, Ezraeil, Azraille, Azryel, or Ozryel. Chambers English dictionary uses the spelling Azrael. The name literally means Whom God Helps.[1]
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Although some sources have speculated about a connection between Azrael and the human priest Ezra,[2] he is generally depicted as an archangel whose history long predates this figure.[3] Rather than merely representing death personified, Azrael is usually described in Islamic sources as subordinate to the will of God "with the most profound reverence."[4] In Jewish mysticism he is identified as the embodiment of evil, not necessarily or specifically evil itself.[1] Depending on the outlook and precepts of various religions in which he is a figure, Azrael may be portrayed as residing in the Third Heaven.[5] In one of his forms, he has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, the number of which corresponds to the number of people inhabiting the Earth. He will be the last to die, recording and erasing constantly in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively.[6] Riffian (Berber) men of Morocco had the custom of shaving the head but leaving a single lock of hair on either the crown, left, or right side of the head, so that the angel Azrael is able "...to pull them up to heaven of the Last Day." [7]
There has been much confusion over true identity of Azrael. The historical documentation provided by scribes in the Islamic tradition, conclusive narrative.
Notwithstanding the phonetic similarities between the Arabic Azrael and the Hebraic Israel, it is in the latter that we are given to understand the full significance of the covenantal encounter that transforms Jacob (Heb. Ya'aqobh, lit. "one that takes by the heel"), patriarch of the twelve tribes of Israel, into Israel (Heb. Yisra'el "he that striveth with God).[8]
Azrael, as both a character or a more abstract concept has been adopted by many different artists, musicians, poets, and authors over the centuries to express or evoke a variety of different meanings or emotions in the reader – often drawing on the cultural resonance of the name for effect.
In literature, Azrael has been featured by a variety of authors, across a broad range of styles and countries.
| ←Prelude | Tales
of a Wayside Inn by Part Third, The Spanish Jew's Tale, Azrael |
Interlude→ |
King Solomon, before his palace gate: At evening, on the
pavement tessellate
Was walking with a stranger from the East,
Arrayed in rich attire as for a feast,
The mighty Runjeet-Sing, a learned man,
And Rajah of the realms of Hindostan.
And as they walked the guest became aware
Of a white figure in the twilight air,
Gazing intent, as one who with surprise
His form and features seemed to recognize;
And in a whisper to the king he said:
"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 looked, and replied: "I know him well;
It is the Angel men call Azrael,
'T is the Death Angel; what hast thou to fear?"
And the guest answered: "Lest he should come near,
And speak to me, and take away my breath!
Save me from Azrael, save me from death!
O king, that hast dominion o'er the wind,
Bid it arise and bear me hence to Ind."
The king gazed upward at the cloudless sky,
Whispered a word, and raised his hand on high,
And lo! the signet-ring of chrysoprase
On his uplifted finger seemed to blaze
With hidden fire, and rushing from the west
There came a mighty wind, and seized the guest
And lifted him from earth, and on they passed,
His shining garments streaming in the blast,
A silken banner o'er the walls upreared,
A purple cloud, that gleamed and disappeared.
Then said the Angel, smiling: "If this man
Be Rajah Runjeet-Sing of Hindostan,
Thou hast done well in listening to his prayer;
I was upon my way to seek him there."
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From Arabic عزرائيل (ʕizrā’īl).
|
Singular |
Plural |
Azrael
   | Song of Azrael - Song of Azrael - An Angel Speaks |
| | Chapter V: The Angel of Death - Folk-lore of the Holy Land: Ideas and Superstitions: V. The Angel of Death |
| | sacred-texts.com - Internet Sacred Text Archive Home |
| | ''Encyclopedia Mythica'' - Encyclopedia Mythica: mythology, folklore, and religion. |
| | here - Coil - equ.in/ox |
| | here - Coil - equ.in/ox |
| | Vidéo d'Azraël - YouTube - Vidéo d'Azraël |
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