Angel of Death: Azrael

Azrael is often identified with the Angel of Death of the Hebrew Bible. 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. In one of his forms, he has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues; the number thereof 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.

The Hebrew name translates to “Help of God“, or “One Whom God Helps.  Azrael is the spelling of the Chambers Dictionary. The Qur’an refers to a Malak al-Maut (“Angel of Death”) but it does not refer to him by the Judeo-Christian term.

The Roman Catholics consider the archangel Michael is viewed as the good Angel of Death (as opposed to Samael, the controversial Angel of Death), carrying the souls of the deceased to Heaven.

Death, also known as the Grim Reaper, is a common element in culture and history. As a personified force it has been imagined in many different ways. In some mythologies, the Grim Reaper causes the victim’s death by coming to collect him. In turn, people in some stories try to hold on to life by avoiding Death’s visit, or by fending Death off with bribery or tricks. Other beliefs hold that the Spectre of Death (in Greek mythology) is a guide of souls to the place of the dead, serving to sever the last ties between the soul and the body, and to guide the deceased to the afterlife, without having any control over when or how the victim dies. In many mythologies, Death is personified in male form, while in others, Death is perceived as female.