Samael
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the demon. For other uses, see Samael (disambiguation).
Samael is an important figure in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer, and destroyer. Legends mentioning Satan refer equally to him, such that Samael is often taken to be the true or angelic name of the Devil, some also use the name Lucifer (light-bearer), but this is a mistranslation of Isaiah 14 where Helel was a Babylonian / Canaanite god who was the son of another Babylonian / Canaanite god named Shahar. An early Christian translator, St. Jerome who translated the Christian bible from Hebrew and Greek to Latin, used the Latin word lucifer as a translation for Helel (both have the same meaning of "morning star." )
Samael cannot always be simply identified with Satan, because some translations of the Book of Enoch confirm Satan's angelic name to be Satanail.
The etymology of Samael is "Venom of God," as he is sometimes identified with the Angel of death. But the name could also be derived from that of the Syrian god Shemal. It is in this context that Samael is used in the infernal names in Satanism.
Contents |
[edit] In Judaism
In Jewish lore, he is said to be the Angel of Death, the chief ruler of the Fifth Heaven, one of the seven regents of the world served by two million angels. Yalkut I, 110 of the Talmud speaks of Samael as Esau's guardian angel. In Sotah 10b, Samael is Edom's guardian angel, and in the Sayings of Rabbi Eliezer, he is charged with being the one who tempted Eve, then seduced and impregnated her with Cain. Though some sources identify Gadreel as the angel that seduced Eve, other Hebrew scholars say that it was Samael who tempted Eve in the guise of the Serpent. Samael is also sometimes identified as being the angelic antagonist that wrestled Jacob at Esau, and as being the angel that held back the arm of Abraham as he was about to sacrifice his son.
In The Holy Kabbalah (p. 255), Samael is described as the "severity of God," and is listed as fifth of the archangels of the world of Briah. Samael is said to have taken Lilith as his bride after she left Adam. According to Zoharistic cabala, Samael was also mated with Eisheth Zenunium, Naamah, and Agrat bat Mahlat - all angels of prostitution. Samael is perhaps the true Personification of Wrath, rather than Satan, since Samael is often associated with Asmodeus, the demon of lust and wrath, and Satan is considered a juridical adversary, directed by God. After Isaac Luria had introduced the practice of refraining from speaking the name of Satan, the custom of calling Samael Samekh Mem became widespread among kabalists.
[edit] In other traditions
In the Apocryphon of John, found in the Nag Hammadi library, Samael is the third name of the evil demiurge, whose other names are Yaldabaoth and Saklas. In this context, Samael means "the blind god", the theme of blindness running throughout gnostics. He is born out of the error of Sophia, who desires to create offspring of her own without the Spirit. His appearance is that of a lion-faced serpent. In On the Origin of the World in the Nag Hammadi library texts, he is also referred to as Ariael.
Samael is also identified with the Coronzon entity of the Elizabethan ceremonial magician John Dee, although the link is only tenuous, and of Aleister Crowley, who changes the Coronzon spelling by adding an H after the initial letter thus changing the name to Choronzon.
Samael is also betrayed as one of the guardians of eden and as the wrath of God. Which primarily hinges on the "Poison Of God" rather than "Poison To God". This would make him the regent of Mars in Solomonic Invocation and a Holy Warrior rather than the Ruler of the Pit. Even more scarce is the belief that there are a multitude of angels that bear the same name, in the manner in which men often share the same name.
Samael Aun Weor is the pseudonym of a spiritual guru from Colombia.
[edit] Fictional Samaels
[edit] Musical
- Samael is the name of a black metal band from Switzerland, who started in Sion in 1987 and still perform now.
- The American prog rock band The Mars Volta refer to Samael in their song Asilos Magdalena.
[edit] Literature and print
- Samiel, or The Black Huntsman, is the demonic antagonist in the Weber opera Der Freischütz
- The Italian comic writer, Hugo Pratt, uses Samael in a few of his stories: 'Corto Maltese; Romeo and Julliet' (Shamaël) and 'West of Eden' (Samaël)
- Samael is the occluded deity who imposed chaos — disorder — onto Horselover Fat's life in the novel Valis, by Philip K. Dick
- Sammael is the name used by Satan in Malign Fiesta, the final complete section of Wyndham Lewis's novel, The Human Age
- Samael is a name used by Lucifer before The Fall of Man in the Sandman comic book series written by Neil Gaiman
- In Mike Carey's comic series Lucifer, Samael is the name of Lucifer before he left heaven.
- Sammael, one of the Forsaken in the The Wheel of Time series of novels.
- Samael also features as the oldest and greatest of the vampires in Storm Constantine's "Burying the Shadow".
- In the story Miracle Monday, Samael, the ruler of Hell, sends his greatest agent of evil, C. W. Saturn, to Earth, to destroy Superman morally.
[edit] Film
- In the movie Hellboy, "Sammael the Desolate One," or "The Seed of Destruction," is a hound-like demon resurrected by the film's antagonist, Rasputin.
- In the movie Warlock, Samael is channelled through a medium for instructions to the warlock.
- In the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, it has been said by fans that Samael makes a cameo in the opening sequence; a figure appears with twelve wings with eyes on them, which is supposedly a religous rendering of Samael.
[edit] Computer and video games
- In the first game in the Silent Hill series, Dahlia Gillespie, an antagonist, refers to a symbol as being the "Mark of Samael" - A statement she makes to lure the main character into acting out her wishes. In the third game of the series, "Samael" is revealed to be the name given to the god of the Order by its opponents (presumably Christians).
- Samael makes an appearance as a boss and a snake-like dragonic demon in the role-playing game, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, and Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga which is also sometimes called Shin Megami Tensei: Avatar Turner
- Samael is one of the beings sent by God to aide Daniel in the video game Painkiller
- Samael is an enemy in the role-playing game, Tales of Symphonia
[edit] Trivia
- Samael, is sometimes confused in some books with Camael, an archangel of God, whose name means "He who sees God", an example of this is "The book of Angels "Angelorum" written by Migene Gonzalez-Wippler.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] References
- Bunson, Matthew, (1996). Angels A to Z : A Who's Who of the Heavenly Host. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-88537-9.
- Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels. Free Press. ISBN 0-02-907052-X
[edit] Further reading
- Bamberger, Bernard Jacob, (March 15, 2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0797-0
- Cruz, Joan C. 1999. Angels and Devils. Tan Books & Publishers. ISBN 0-89555-638-3.
