When people think of angels and demons, a host of names and stories may come to mind. How many of these familiar figures would actually be considered canonical, especially the names, would probably be fairly low. The Abrahamic faiths all share certain base texts and beliefs and surprisingly the existence of certain angels and, to a lesser extent demons, is among them. For instance, the idea that God has archangels who work under him is more or less accepted. Two of these figures, among a semi-canonical seven, are bonafides; Michael and Gabriel. Besides those two, everything seems to be up for debate depending on what denomination or sect you are coming from. When it comes to demons, things get a little murkier. The Jewish faith isn’t as focused on demons, devils and the afterlife as the Christians wound up being and the Muslim faith is similarly less devoted to exploring this side of the divine order. As far as Christianity goes, the idea that hell has ‘Princes’ and ‘legions’ allowed a lot of creative, but strange, men to create and name these hosts in a phenomenon known as demonology that was popular a few hundred years ago. These demons, much like our missing archangels, allowed people of faith room to create within their own religions, and while not part of official theology in many instances, they came to become important to certain groups of believers at various times throughout history. So, without further preamble, here are 13 pseudo-canonical angels and demons from the Abrahamic faiths. Enjoy.
- Metatron
Despite having a name that sounds like a Transformer, Metatron has caused quite a stir in theological circles for some time. Mentioned only in the Babylonian Talmud, Kabbalistic texts and Druze cosmology. His role varies, but generally he is depicted as a high ranking angel, second only to God himself, and also as Heaven’s scribe. Early Jewish traditions had, for a time, hinted at the dual nature of God and in some circles this second nature came to mean Metatron. In some instances he was described as equal to God, but in others he was more of God’s backup, aka he handled God stuff when God was busy. Later he became associated with Enoch, a pre-Noah figure in the Torah, and some claimed Metatron was Enoch ascended to angelic form. By the time of Babylonian Talmud, seeing him as on par with YAHWEH wasn’t kosher anymore so they made the judgement call that he was simply a high ranking angel, not an aspect of, or co-ruler with, the one supreme God. The Islamic take on the figure is slightly different. He is still an archangel, but he is also known as the Angel of the Veil (death I believe) and it is said only he knows what lies beyond it.
- Jophiel
Originally part of the Psuedo-Dionysian school of Christian thought, Jophiel has gained legitimacy in the Anglican and Episcopal faiths. Depicted as one of the five nameless archangels, Jophiel is often shown with a flaming sword and is known as a warrior of heaven, commanding a varying number of its legions. He is known as a patron of the arts and in Thomas Milton’s Paradise Lost he is described as the swiftest of the angels. Jophiel is also important to the Kabbalistic tradition. He is the guardian of the Torah and the angel that spread language to the ancient peoples of the world. A companion of Metatron, he is seen as a high ranking angel.
- Raphael
While Raphael is not strictly canonical across all of the Abrahamic faiths, he has come to be associated with specific stories in the all three of the main branches. In Judaism he has come to be known as the third angel in the Michael & Gabriel trio that God sends out to do various tasks in the Old Testament. Raphael is given the tasks of healing Abraham’s circumcision (fun), saving Lot and meeting with Moses. For Christians, he is the unnamed angel in the Gospel of John who stirred the healing waters at the pool in Bethesda, and for Catholics and few others, he is a central figure in the book of Tobit. He is generally pictured with a staff in hand and is considered a patron of pilgrims. In Islam he is named Israfil and is numbered as the fourth main archangel. Instead of being associated with healing, he is the trumpeter of God who will announce the Day of Resurrection.
- Uriel
Accepted mainly in the Russian Orthodox and Anglican communities, Uriel is depicted as the fourth of the seven archangels, following Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Despite being known as an archangel, he is sometimes depicted as a Seraph or cherub. He is considered to be angel of repentance and salvation and is said to be as ‘pitiless as any demon’. His biblical feats include helping to bury Adam and Abel, warning Noah of the impending flood, instructing Ezra (in an apocryphal text), checking the doors for lambs blood during the first Passover and saving baby John the Baptist from Herod. With little actual theological merit, Uriel has gained popularity more in folk traditions and religious literature than most on our list so far.
- Sandalphon
Sandalphon is an angel known in the Jewish and Christian traditions, though he is certainly not strictly canonical. He has been identified as Metatron’s twin, the prophet Elijah risen to angelic status or one of the cherubs depicted on the Ark of the Covenant. Characteristics generally ascribed to Sandalphon are great height (despite being a cherub I guess, or possibly only in his non-cherub version) and left handedness. He is said to gather up the prayers of the faithful and place them on a garland that he will then deliver to god. He is a servant of Metatron in some traditions and has a role in choosing the sex of a child before birth.
- Samael
Our final angel on the list blurs the very thin line between angel and demon in the Christian tradition. As those familiar with the story of Lucifer probably know, angels can be a rebellious bunch and the idea of them as strictly ‘angelic’ doesn’t jibe with the actual stories about them. Samael is a prime example of this. An archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, Samael is known as the seducer, accuser and destroyer despite remaining faithful to heaven. He carries out grim and violent duties as the main angel of death and some traditions even claim that he planted the tree of knowledge and fathered Cain with Eve. He is viewed as an enemy of ancient Israel and one of their main heavenly detractors. It is easy to see how the Christian tradition later bastardized him into a demon or a figure synonymous with Lucifer, but his true role is much more nuanced.
- Baal
Alright, I’ll admit, Pseudo-canonical is not really applicable to Baal. Baal is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament and is framed as the major rival to YAHWEH in the ancient near eastern communities. This may have had some historical validity as scholars think some of the Ancient Israelites likely did become enamored with other regional gods, and Baal was a main one. In fact, some think Baal is not one God, but a term, like ‘Lord’, and that Baal encompasses many different Gods. Whether Baal is a concept or a single entity, he seems to have left an impression on the early Jewish community. In a famous story, Elijah challenges the priests of Baal to a contest. When the priests of Baal fail to match the Jewish God’s feats, Elijah orders his priests slaughtered (because that’s what makes God happy before he had a kid and mellowed out a bit). Outside of the Abrahamic context, Baal was likely a fertility God popular in the Levant. The Romans even mention Baal as a God of Carthage, one that the locals sacrificed children too. Far from being simple ancient slander, archaeology has begun to support this claim.
- Beelzebub
Interestingly enough, the demon that has come closest to becoming synonymous with the Devil himself, may have developed out of our previous entry. Some scholars think Beelzebub is simply a misidentification of one of the many ‘Baals’ of the region, in this case ‘Baal Zebub’. Whether or not this is true, in the coming years the figure took on a life of its own, becoming popular with the Demonologists during their heyday. To this new group of demon enthusiasts, Beelzebub was now a Prince of Hell and Lord of the Flies. Not on par with Satan, he was considered part of a number of unholy triumvirates meant to counter the trinity symbolically. He is associated with pride, gluttony and false gods.
- Orobas
Our next five entries are all from the volumes put out by the demonologists in an effort to sell books and fill out the oft mentioned armies of hell. They have little to no basis in theology and are included here because they are interesting in that they seem to be based on saints and operate in much the same way. For instance, Orobas was given the designation ‘Great Prince of Hell’ and said to have commanded over twenty legions of hellspawn. As all demons can be, he could be conjured by those willing to risk damnation. When he is summoned he is faithful to the conjurer and protects them from temptation and deception. He is depicted as a man who can change into a horse at the conjurer’s command.
- Naberus
Naberus is essentially a rip-off of the Greek three-headed dog Cerebus, though there are some obvious changes to make it fit into a Christian framework. He is known as the most valiant of Hell’s marquis and commands nineteen of its legions. When summoned he can make the conjurer wise in the arts, skillful with rhetoric and can restore lost dignities and honors. He is depicted as a wealthy and amiable looking man with a demon’s rough voice that can turn into either a three-headed dog, a raven or a crane depending on which version you’re looking at.
- Murmur
From the Greek word to mutter or whisper, Murmur is a Great Duke and Earl of Hell (as opposed to a Prince or Marquis) and he commands a solid thirty legions. He was an angel before the fall and had the name Matthias. As a demon he is both a philosopher and a diviner, able to call to souls of the dead and force them to answer questions. He is depicted as a soldier wearing a ducal crown and riding either a massive vulture or a griffin. He is constantly preceded by two ministers who announce his arrival with trumpets.
- Malphas
Not an Earl, Marquis, Duke or Prince, Malphas is a President of Hell elected I’m sure) and is second in command only to Satan. He commands a whopping forty legions and is depicted either as a raven or a man with a hoarse voice. Malphas is linked to building; he can help those who summon him construct with ease while destroying the structures of his enemies. He is also dangerous to conjure since he will take any offering presented but is always deceptive regardless of its quality.
- Ipos
Our final demon is both an Earl and Prince of Hell (Hell’s power structure is seeming a little out there, I know) and commands thirty-six legions despite not seeming very important in the grand scheme of things. In many texts, Ipos can tell either the future or the past, but rarely both. He can grant the one that conjures him wits and courage as well as suppress their emotions and clear confusion from their minds. He is generally depicted as a lion headed or vulture headed man, with a rabbit’s tail and goose feet.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed yourself. If you found this list interesting consider checking out 7 Culture Heroes from Around the World, 9 Obscure Native American Mythological Figures, 9 Strange Yokai from Japanese Folklore, 9 Mythic Weapons from Around the World or our Myth, Folklore & Literature Archives.
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