Ramiel
Râmîêl (Aramaic: רעמאנל, Hebrew: רעמיאל Greek:‘Ραμιήλ) is a fallen Watcher in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, one of 20 leaders, mentioned sixth. Ramiel means "thunder of God"[1] from the Hebrew elements ra'am and El, "God". Remiel is one of the archangels of the Christian and Islamic traditions, the Hebrew name meaning "Mercy of God" or "Compassion of God" (see Jerahmeel). He is often confused with Azazel who is also called Râmêêl ("arrogant towards God" or "evening of God") although they are not the same angel.
There are 20 leaders in the Book of Enoch, also called 1 Enoch. The section that mentions them reads:
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7. And these are the names of their leaders: Sêmîazâz, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîêl, Tâmîêl, Râmîêl, Dânêl, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîêl, Samsâpêêl, Satarêl, Tûrêl, Jômjâêl, Sariêl. 8. These are their chiefs of tens." - R. H. Charles translation, The Book of the Watchers, Chapter VI. |
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As described in 1 Enoch, these are the leaders of 200 angels that are turned into fallen Angels due to their taking wives, mating with human women, and teaching forbidden knowledge.
Ramiel is the angel of hope, and he is credited with two tasks: he is responsible for divine visions, and he guides the souls of the faithful into Heaven. He is called Jeremiel or Uriel in various translations of IV Esdras, and is described as "one of the holy angels whom God has set over those who rise" from the dead, in effect the angel that watches over those that are to resurrect.
He is said to have been the archangel responsible for the destruction of the armies of Sennacherib, as well as being the bearer of the instructions of the seven archangels.
He is mentioned also in 2 Baruch where he presides over true visions (55:3).
Ramiel/Remiel in popular culture
- Remiel is the name of the first angel met by Lloyd Irving's party in the game Tales of Symphonia. He is also the only plot-important angel in the game to have a more traditional look, with feathered wings, as opposed to wings made of light. He is later fought by the party and subsequently dies while pleading with Kratos for help.
- Following the end of the Sandman series, Remiel and Duma lose ownership of Hell in a complex sequence of events in the Lucifer spin-off series. Lucifer refers to Remiel as the angel "who stumbled rather than fell", in reference to Season of Mists, where Remiel, upon receiving the order to take custody of Hell, refused the task, claiming he was "too pure", which caused his immediate fall.
- In the Canadian Sci-Fi TV series, Andromeda, Remiel is the new avatar for the Balance of Judgement in the episode "Day of Judgement, Day of Wrath."
- Remiel is the name of the angel spirit of the character Cebin (part of the X-Laws) in the manga Shaman King.
- Remiel is the archangel Rena Sendou plays in GetBackers when she serves Lord Lucifer during the Kami no Kijutsu (Divine Design) arc.
- Remiel is one of the several angels that Vittorio sees and interacts with in Anne Rice's book, Vittorio the Vampire.
- Remiel is one of the seven Arc Angels sent to reclaim and return the light to purgatory from the Fallen angels in the 2007 Australian movie Gabriel (film)
- Remiel is the lead character in the Thomas E. Sniegoski Kiss Before The Apocalypse book series, has left Heaven and works on Earth as private eye Remy Chandler.
- Remiel appears in the Atlus game Devil Survivor for the Nintendo DS. He possesses the body of a religious leader Amane, who informs the game's hero of God's Ordeal which has been imposed on the people of Tokyo. Likewise Remiel is an angel of the Light/Law alignment in the same Atlus series Megami Tensei 2.
References
- ^ The Ethiopic Book Of Enoch., Knibb, Michael A., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978, repr. 1982.
- The Book Of Enoch (1917) translated by R. H. Charles, introduction by W. O. E. Oesterley
- The Ethiopic Book Of Enoch (1978), Knibb, Michael A., Oxford: Clarendon Press, repr. 1982.
See also