An angel is an immortal spirit associated with Heaven. They first appeared in Good Intentions. For a list of angels, see List of angels.
General[]
Angels are immortal spirits associated with Heaven. They usually stay immaterial and invisible to humans, but they can take flesh and interact at times. It is however not usual, and often something only done for very short periods of time. Some people are however able to see or hear angels, to varying degrees.[1][2] Two known types of angels are seraphim and ophanim.[3]
They do not need food or drink for sustenance, though they can eat and drink for social or sensous reasons. They also do not have excretion functions.[4][5]
While angels ostensibly should hold themselves to the unchanging ideals of Heaven, they are not immune to influences from the mortal society around them, nor to prejudice.[6] Many guardian angels also think more about protecting their single charge rather than confronting the trouble or threat directly.[7][8]
There are strong taboos among angels about relations with mortals. Romantic feelings from a guardian angel toward their ward are not uncommon, but considered highly inappropriate or even forbidden.[9][6]
Rachel presents herself as an angel of the “Third Host”.[10] It is unknown what this signifies, but it implies the presence of a First and a Second Host.
Roles[]
Very old and powerful angels are called archangels. Otherwise, a lot of the power of an angel comes from their role.
Apart from the roles below, angels also work in Heaven as bureaucrats, librarians, or other duties.[3][11]
Guardian angel[]
The angels who have the strongest relationship with humans are the guardian angels, who protect and guide a mortal through life. A person with a guardian angel is said to walk under “Heaven’s light”. Among the most important roles of a guardian angel is to take care of the soul of a newly deceased person as a psychopomp.[12][13]
Guardian angels have the capability to see their wards and have a sense of their status and feelings, even over long distances. Magical wards and demons can however block this ability.[14][15]
Due to the great balance, that some angels sometime prioritize the faith of the person rather than their well-being, and that even an angel can’t be in two places at once, their wards can become exposed to supernatural dangers or events.[16] The two most obvious cases are Brittany and Antonia Vega, but Shannon Abrams and Katerina Sorrow might also be examples.
Dominion[]
Angels that hold Dominion are similar to guardian angels, but serve their area and all who live there rather than individual souls. They are to “battle and banish the darkness” from their land, and are amongst the most powerful angels active in the mundane world.[9][17] Angels in Dominion have greater freedom to act against supernatural evils within their Dominion than guardian angels, though they are still expected to work within the great balance.[11]
Angels in Dominion also lead the guardian angels who are active within their area in various ways. It can be through policies, direct management, or by leading by example.[18][19][20] Generally, the angel in Dominion sets constraints on how active the individual guardian angels can be.[21]
Messenger[]
Some angels serve as messengers in various ways, either only between angels or from Heaven to mortals.[11][22] Messengers interacting with mortals have relatively high status.[20] Rachel served as a messenger for a considerable time, with regular mortal interaction, and she was in contact with Martin Luther just before he published his Ninety-five Theses.[22][11] Disgraced angels can serve as messengers too, but without contact with mortals.[20]
Abilities[]
Angels have many abilities. Their strength in many of these depend on the role that the angel is assigned to.
Senses[]
Angels can sense supernatural powers and creatures nearby. Guardian angels can see their wards, even over long distances, and have a sense of their well-being and emotional state even if they can’t see them.[23][15]
Angelic fire[]
Guardian angels can summon a sword made of fire that is an effective weapons against creatures of Hell. They can also cause regular fires to burn hotter and more intensely. An angel in Dominion can call angelic fire into an effective area attack.
Disembodiment and invisibility[]
The entire bodies of angels—including clothes—can move through walls and other objects unhindered. However, even small object like a mobile phone or money will make this impossible.[24][25] Angels can also be invisible to anyone in this state, including most Practitioners.
Enhanced physical attributes[]
Angels possess great speed and strength, and are extremely resilient to most damage. As an example, in a single fight Rachel took a close-in grenade blast, several point-blank hits from a shotgun, and was blasted with the flame from a succubus, but it barely slowed her down.[26]
Flight[]
Angels can fly at great speed, though their ability to carry things or people is very limited.
Healing[]
Angels have great powers of healing, and can heal or mitigate any injury short of death.
Mind reading and influence[]
Angels can read a person’s aura very effectively at a glance, including name, personality, personal connections, history, and traumas.[23][26] This ability is however primarily usable on mortals, and they can’t see directly into the soul and mind of fellow angels or of demons except in some specific situations.[6]
They also have powers of influence and mind control, though they tend to use these powers sparingly and with great care, focusing on counseling. It is considered bad form to do it on other mortals than one’s direct charge.[27]
Theories[]
In modern time, Practitioners and some other people touched by the Shadows lose their guardian angels.[28][9] However, this was not the case in ancient times. Both Onyx’s first incarnation and Malike kept Joel as their guardian angel until either he was captured or evil actions drove him away.[2] This implies that Practitioners not having guardian angels was a policy change in Heaven, and opens the question on when and why that change happened. It is unknown if Joel’s fate played a part in this.
There are several known cases where persons who have or should have guardian angels are exposed to supernatural dangers or events. Some examples are Alex Carlisle, Brittany, Katerina Sorrow, Shannon Abrams, and Antonia Vega. Some of the many people used as live refreshments by vampires during the party at Blackthorne Manor might be another example.[29]
The case of Alex is explained, but the other four are murkier as to why. According to Elliott Kay, angels sometimes place priority on the faith of their charge over their well-being.[16] That might explain Brittany’s continued exposure to a vampire, but not really Katerina or Shannon.
Antonia is especially interesting, since an angel did intervene, but only through advice and by redirecting her message about danger to Alex.[30]
It has been implied that the angels played an active role in the rise of the various monotheistic religions, and that they are somehow connected with Heaven and the angels. Earlier many other types of supernatural beings were active on Earth, but they left, turned to Hell, or faded.[31]
Sources[]
Angels play a key role in the following stories:
References[]
- ↑ “Rough Day”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Past Due, chapter 20
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Good Intentions, chapter 13
- ↑ “Can’t Stab Everything” (noncanon)
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 13
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 “Clear Communication”
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 18
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 28
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Good Intentions, chapter 19
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 2
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Good Intentions, chapter 15
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 10
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 18
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 10
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Past Due, chapter 22
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 “I may dive into this a little more in a Patreon drop, but the angels in Good Intentions:
- aren't omnipotent or omniscient
- are ultimately running on faith, too
- sometimes prioritize a mortal's faith over the mortal's well-being
- don't all agree
- are really, really NOT perfect.”
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 7
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 5
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 11
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Past Due, chapter 5
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 14
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 “On the Bus: Lewd Intentions” (noncanon)
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Good Intentions, chapter 16
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 13
- ↑ “Amends”
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Halloween for Life
- ↑ “Like a Professional” (noncanon)
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 16
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 18
- ↑ “Strangers”
- ↑ “God on the Run”