History Main / OurAngelsAreDifferent

[[caption-width-right:350: ''They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel ... Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.'' -- Ezekiel 1:15]]

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': Angels, usually called 'Aeons' amongst themselves, are one of the four principal forms of life created by the Gods (the other three being Devils, Servants and Humans).
** They are made of the Cold White Flame Immortal, and are [[ResurrectiveImmortality eternal]] EnergyBeings who naturally dwell in the VoidBetweenTheWorlds. In order to enter the physical realm they require a shell forged of ash, which the angel wears as ContainmentClothing - should the shell be breached, [[DefeatEqualsExplosion the Angel will be banished back to the Void in a highly volatile way]]. Angels all have a piece of the Gods' Old Law hammered into them, and are named after passages from said Old Law. This leads them to have [[NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom long and very esoteric names that hint at the angels' personality]], such as "82 White Chain Returns From The Void To Subdue Evil" [[note]]TheDeterminator, who keeps returning to the physical plane to maintain the Law despite being frequently banished in its defense[[/note]] or "10 Vigilant Gaze Pierces The Horizon" [[note]]an old and somewhat passive angel who guards the angels' base in the Void, keeping watch over his fallen brethren who are reforming within it[[/note]]. The number in front of their name indicates how many times they have reincarnated. The angel's true form in the Void can be highly variable and only sometimes humanoid, always including numerous wings and [[EyesDoNotBelongThere eyes in odd places]]. At least one angel is a free-floating Euclidean solid with a halo.

* When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was visited by Angel Gabriel to convey the message of god, he was extremely terrified to the point of trembling and seeking for the comfort of his wife (Khadijah), who wrapped him in his cloak. Later on, he sighted the Angel Gabriel as a massive human eclipsing the horizon, something which scared him even more. Anyone would probably shit their pants if they were tasked with such an enormous task in that situation, so this is justified.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonUranium'': Dunseraph, a fan evolution of Dunsparce, is a reptilian being with white feathered wings, winglike "eyebrows", and "Seraph" as a part of its name, referencing the occasional interpretation of the Seraphim as serpentine or draconic beings.

* According to UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, angels are spirits that can take on a human form and were created as a ServantRace to [[{{God}} Allah]]. In art, they are usually depicted as humans with colorful wings. One heavily contested aspect among Islamic scholars is whether or not angels are incapable of sinning. Some point to verses saying that they do not disobey God, others point out verses in which He tests them and say do have free will, but choose to obey Him because they know Him well. Some traditions regarding the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated an army three times their number, tell that Angels actually fought alongside the Muslims in battle.

* According to UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, angels are spirits that can take on a human form and were created as a ServantRace to [[{{God}} Allah]]. In art, they are usually depicted as humans with colorful wings. They're free to question the motives behind God's decisions, as they did when He announced His intention to create Adam, but, like Jewish angels but unlike Christian ones, are unable to disobey God in any fashion because they lack free will. Some traditions regarding the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated an army three times their number, tell that Angels actually fought alongside the Muslims in battle.
** A conclusion to angels lacking free will is that angels are unable to rebel against God. As a result, there is no such thing as a FallenAngel in Islam. Satan (either called ''Shaitan'', its Arabic equivalent, or ''Iblis'', from the Greek word ''diabolos'') is not an angel, but a [[OurGeniesAreDifferent jinni]]. The jinn are God's second creatures, after angels but before humans, and somewhat a middleway between them; they are supernatural (''ghaib''), but they have free will and can choose to be either good or bad.

* When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was visited by Angel Gabriel to convey the message of god, he was extremely terrified to the point of trembling and seeking for the comfort of his wife (Khadijah), who wrapped him in his cloak. Later on, he sighted the Angel Gabriel as a massive human eclipsing the horizon, something which scared him even more. Anyone would probably shit their pants if they were tasked with such an enourmous task in that situation, so this is justified.

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' involves the adventures of an Earth woman with an angel from another realm called the Throne, a hole-ridden, statuesque being whose name translates as ''82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil''.
** The form an Angel wears in most situations is actually a shell that houses their true body, which the author has likened to a controlled nuclear explosion. Angels are immortal but not unkillable; if slain through superior force, they reincarnate in the VoidBetweenTheWorlds, where they appear in their true form--only sometimes humanoid, and always including numerous wings and [[EyesDoNotBelongThere eyes in odd places]]. At least one angel is a free-floating Euclidean solid with a halo. The number in front of their name actually indicates how many times they have incarnated.

** Later comics introduced a Cherubim ("Always plural... they're gestalt beings with four aspects."), which apparently did not go along with the plan to turn Heaven into a CelestialBureaucracy and got exiled for it. Rumisiel describes them as pure, raw power times four, and the one we've seen perpetually had a cat on his shoulder while pretending to be human, then when revealing his true nature, an eagle and an ox appeared as well, all apparently part of the same being (a reference to the Biblical description of what are believed to be Cherubim given in the [[Literature/TheBible Book of Ezekiel]], as beings with four faces: a man's, a lion's, an eagle's, and an ox's).

* The Wandjina deities of the [[Myth/AboriginalAustralianMyths Western Australian]] "Wandjina-Wungurr" cultural complex resemble Abrahamic angels in a myriad of ways, being luminous beings of light that dwell in the heavens and even have [[HolyHalo halos]] (which, also like the halos of Abrahamic angels, tend to get... "creatively interpreted" as being [[AncientAstronauts helmets]] by certain conspiracy theorists). Like biblical angels they are also unapologetically weird, being among other things also embodiments of the land, spirit ancestors and unborn souls. Many modern Aborigines equate them with Christian angels for good measure.

* The Wandjina deities of the [[Myth/AboriginalAustralianMyths Western Australian]] "Wandjina-Wungurr" cultural complex resemble Abrahamic angels in a myriad of ways, being luminous beings of light that dwell in the heavens and even have [[HolyHalo halos]] (which some unpleasant white people have taken to misidentify as [[AncientAstronauts helmets]]). Like biblical angels they are also unapologetically weird, being among other things also embodiments of the land, spirit ancestors and unborn souls. Many modern Aborigines equate them with Christian angels for good measure.
* In Myth/NorseMythology, Valkyries perform many of the same functions as Judeo-Christian angels, acting as messengers of Odin and gatherers of dead souls. They aren't winged but their horses are. Oh, and they rode wolves before horses. The war god they served was not viewed as a well-intentioned figure in their earlier tales and even after Odin became popular they were still [[GoodIsNotNice usually the cause of death for the souls they took away.]] Similar to angels, they were pretty frightening but became associated with beautiful people and such later.
* While having a completely different function, the Anemoi (wind gods) of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]] were depicted as angels are today, being, in fact, the origin of their modern winged humanoid appearance. Somewhat closer in the role and also depicted as winged humanoids were Eros, Thanatos, and Hypnos.

* Supernatural creatures that were not outright gods or monsters were called daemones. Good ones were Eudaemones and when Christianity became the official religion in the Roman empire the righteous dead (saints) and angels became eudaemones... partly why people erroneously think of them as the same thing.
* The word ''tenshi'' (lit. ''servants of [[CelestialBureaucracy heaven]]'') is currently the Japanese word for angel. Originally, it referred to a kind of ''kami'' whose actual role and form were lost to time.
** This may have to do with the influence of Buddhism that gave rise to the concept of ''tennin'', Heavenly People, that serve a similar purpose which may explain why they were used as a loan word for Judeo-Christian angel.
* Certain types of Dragons in Myth/ChineseMythology serve the same purpose to Judeo-Christian angels, bearing messages from heaven and back and so forth.
* Yazatas served a similar role as Angels in Indo-Persian Zoroastrian mythology, with Amesha Spentas being similar to Archangels. Scripture calls them beings ''worthy of worship'' or ''worthy of veneration''. At the time Persians and Hebrews got along very well, which lead to several Yazatas and the Amesha Spentas coming to be viewed as Angels. One example is the Yazata Sraosha became equated with the Angel Surush.
* One scholarly Jew, Maimonides, proposed that the amber light coming from God's fire cloud and shining on the angels Ezekiel described [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm was itself an angel of the hashmallim choir]]. The Dominions of [[WordOfDante Christian tradition]] are watered-down versions of the same concept.
* Samael is different enough in Jewish folklore already, his being both evil and good at the same time and being so big it would take five hundred years of traveling before someone covered a distance equal to his height (and being covered in eyes). In some Gnostic sects, Samael was equated with Yaltabaoth, a lion-headed serpent that ruled over at least 365 pseudo angelic archons.
* The Archons from UsefulNotes/{{gnostic|ism}} works are heavenly regents created by [[GodIsEvil Yaldabaoth]] (supposed to be the Judeo-Christian Yahweh but also borrows from the platonic demiurge), and the top ones, the Hebdomad, are basically planetary archangels. However, they are at best oppressive and at worst outright hostile, devouring the souls of the dead. To drive the point home, many are equated with actual Hebrew angels. Though the "real" Hebrew angels are occasionally seen in gnostic traditions and are independent, benevolent beings. It's complicated.
* According to UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, angels were created as a ServantRace to [[{{God}} Allah]]. They are similar to angels in Christianity only in that they are good [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] that can take on a human form, but they differ in many ways. They're free to question the motives behind God's decisions, as they did when He announced His intention to create Adam, but are unable or unwilling to disobey God in any fashion because they lack free will. Some traditions regarding the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated an army 3 times their number, tell that Angels actually fought alongside the Muslims in battle.
** A conclusion to angels lacking free will is that angels are unable to rebel against God. As a result, there is no such thing as a FallenAngel in Islam. Satan (either called ''Shaitan'', its Arabic equivalent, or ''Iblis'', from the Greek word ''diabolos'') is not an angel, but a [[OurGeniesAreDifferent jinni]]. The jinn are God's second creatures, after angels but before humans, and somewhat a middleway between them; they are supernatural (''ghaib''), but they have free will and can choose to be either good or bad.
** Some angels are delegated tasks pertaining to humans. There is Gabriel the messenger, but there are also a pair of angels [[GoodAngelBadAngel who sit on humans' shoulders and record their deeds]], another pair of angels who question human souls upon their entry to [[PurgatoryAndLimbo Barzakh]], and angels who guard the gates of Heaven and Hell. Yes, Hell is guarded by an angel ([[GoodIsNotSoft although he is a very scary one]]).
* In [[Literature/BookOfZechariah Zechariah 5:9]], there is a passage mentioning two women with stork-like wings bringing a woman representing Wickedness out of Israel to Babylon. These two are probably the closest thing the Bible has to the common concept of winged humanoids associated with angels.
* Dakas (male) and Dakinis (female) are protective benevolent spirits in UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} very similar to the Norse Valkiries, however they are created by the minds of the Buddhas and thus not fully individual beings. Some people have equated also the Buddhist concept of the Devas as the equivalent of the Buddhist angels as Devas are seen as beautiful spirits living in heaven-like realms, and some of them are protectors of humans. However this is more of a New Age interpretation as Buddhist scripture see Devas more as just another life form alongside humans and animals.
* And Angels also play a role in many New Age believes, generally seen as the most common pop cultural representations of benevolent good winged humanoid. Similar to other traits from different spiritualities (like karma, chakras or cristals) is re-interpreted into a more post-modern way with little to non connection with the original biblical conception of angels (who are more closed to be monsters and who can kill sinners and destroy cities in attacks of wrath). Entire seminars are often offer to teach how to contact angels, have their help, use them in spells and so on.
* Angels also play a role in Western Esotericism and Occultism. This is kind of complex but most of it comes from the Esoteric concept of Theurgy that might originate in some Gnostic and Platonic magical practices of the Classical Age later Christianized. Theurgy consists in invoking the "powers of heavens" and generally working with heavently beings (originally gods, later angels), the opposite of Goetia which is working with demons. This was also a way to rationalize the practice of magick for many Christian esotericists despite the fact that the Bible forbids magick. Their argument is that what the Bible forbids is dealing with demons, not magick per se (and indeed many important Western esotericists and ceremonial magicians were devote Christians like Jhon Dee, Eliphas Levi, Michel de Nostradamus and Paracelso much to both fundamentalist Christians and modern neo-Pagans/Occult enthusiasts surprise today). The use of angels in Esoteric work is common in many systems. One of the most famous is the Enochian System developed by John Dee and Edward Kelly in Elizabethan times, later spread in many circles, most notably the Golden Dawn. Similarly angels are also mentioned as part of the divine hierarchy in Theosophy and use in books of many modern Occult writers including the likes of Ben Woodcroft, Damon Brand and Henry Archer, sometimes alongside Goetic demons. Although the exact definition of their nature is often matter of debate, angels (and demons) are seen as powerful otherwordly spirits that can be summoned for help.

* One scholarly Jew, Maimonides, proposed that the amber light coming from God's fire cloud and shining on the angels Ezekiel described [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm was itself an angel of the hashmallim choir]]. The Dominions of [[WordOfDante Christian tradition]] are basically watered-down versions of the same concept.
* Samael is different enough in Jewish folklore already, his most notably being both evil and good at the same time and being so big it would take five hundred years of traveling before someone covered a distance equal to his height (and of course being covered in eyes). In some Gnostic sects, Samael was equated with Yaltabaoth, a lion-headed serpent that ruled over at least 365 pseudo angelic archons.

* According to UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, angels were created as a ServantRace to [[{{God}} Allah]]. They are similar to angels in Christianity only in that they are good [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] that can take on a human form, but they differ in many ways. They're free to question the motives behind God's decisions, as they did when he announced his intention to create Adam, but are unable or unwilling to disobey God in any fashion because they lack free will. Some traditions regarding the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated an army 3 times their number, tell that Angels actually fought alongside the Muslims in battle.
** A notable conclusion to angels lacking free will is that angels are literally unable to rebel against God. As a result, there is no such thing as a FallenAngel in Islam. Satan (either called ''Shaitan'', its Arabic equivalent, or ''Iblis'', from the Greek word ''diabolos'') is not an angel, but a [[OurGeniesAreDifferent jinni]]. The jinn are God's second creatures, after angels but before humans, and somewhat a middleway between them; they are supernatural (''ghaib''), but they have free will and can choose to be either good or bad.

* In Zechariah 5:9, there is a passage mentioning two women with stork-like wings bringing a woman representing Wickedness out of Israel to Babylon. These two are probably the closest thing the Bible has to the common concept of winged humanoids associated with angels.

* ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'': When Thistle saves Brent from [[spoiler:[[OurDemonsAreDifferent the drach]], [[https://www.daughterofthelilies.com/dotl/436 he sees a glowing golden being]], with six arms, wings of flame, and halo-like horns studded with eyes, who appears behind her, burns away the drach, and tells him to fear not and that the servants of the One-Who-Is-Three watch over him]]. When he asks Thistle about it later, she says that while she's seen a vision of such a being as well she has no idea what they could be beyond hypothesizing them to be enemies of the drach, as she's been unable to find anything said or written about them.

Compare OurFairiesAreDifferent and {{Pegasus}}. Contrast OurDemonsAreDifferent. For angel feathers or wings used for symbolism, see FeatherMotif.

* The [[UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}} Archons]] from gnostic works are heavenly regents created by [[GodIsEvil Yaldabaoth]] (supposed to be the Judeo-Christian Yahweh but also borrows from the platonic demiurge), and the top ones, the Hebdomad, are basically planetary archangels. However, they are at best oppressive and at worst outright hostile, devouring the souls of the dead. To drive the point home, many are equated with actual Hebrew angels. Though the "real" Hebrew angels are occasionally seen in gnostic traditions and are independent, benevolent beings. It's complicated.

* Several possible angels of varying stripes are cataloged by the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation''.

** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/dr-clef-s-proposal Dr. Clef's proposal for SCP-001]] is a titanic glowing figure with a variable number of wings (ranging from 2 to 108) apparently guarding a gate and will destroy anything that approaches with his sword, including an ICBM; it is clearly meant to be a bona fide Judeo-Christian Angel as they were ORIGINALLY conceptualized. It's somewhat implied that it's specifically the angel which guards the gate back into Eden. According to what might have been a message from the future, it will eventually destroy the world. It actually has a name, too. Courtesy of [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki,]] meet [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jophiel Archangel Jophiel.]] That also makes him one of the Cherubim chiefs.

* Both [[LoveGoddess Cupids]] and [[HornyDevils Cubi]] in ''ComicBook/FinePrint'' are races of lesser-gods descended from Eros, their purpose to cultivate certain emotions ([[ThePowerOfLove love]] and {{lust}} respectively) and use it to grow Eternal Ambrosia, allowing the gods to remain immortal in an era devoid of worship. While there is some FantasticRacism between them, it's portrayed more as a form of InterserviceRivalry and [[AngelDevilShipping interracial relationships]] tend to happen.

* In ''Webcomic/AfraidOfMonstersOzkosar'', angels are albino humanoids with one to three pairs of wings, and a third eye at the end of a tail. They appear to cry blood and have soothing auras around humans. They have powers based on Biblical references like miracles and plagues according to WordOfGod.
* In ''Webcomic/BasicInstructionsBeforeLeavingEarth'', angels are the souls of the virtuous gone to heaven (and ''act'' like real people, believe me). Heaven accepts souls from every planet in the universe, so angels are mostly aliens united only in ownership of wings and a halo. They can be temporarily banished for committing crimes against Heaven (fallen angels), or leave entirely and become known as devils. There are also cherubim, which are native to heaven, have no souls, and were created by [[ArchangelMichael Mikael]] as CannonFodder.
* The Heavenly hosts in ''Webcomic/{{Blip}}'' include white-robed WingedHumanoid {{chibi}}s, white-robed WingedHumanoid {{bishonen}}, some Literature/ChildrenOfTheCorn, [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} and at least one former human who's still wearing his street clothes]]. There's also the Adversary, who may or may not count as an angel, and wears a tuxedo and a WhiteMaskOfDoom. Angels serve the will of God and are pretty big assholes.
** Their asshole qualities are justifiable. In the story, God has a plan for everything in the universe, except for K (the main character). K screws up The Plan. Just the suggestion of anything in the plan is enough to send angels into [[HeroicBSOD BSOD mode]].)

* Angels from ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' are simply another race of Creatures in Furrae. They have feathered wings and a proficiency with light magic as opposed to the Demons' bat wings and talent for dark magic. Angels aren't a strictly "good" race either; they value power and influence as much as the greediest demon (though there are undoubtedly individual exceptions). [[spoiler:Oh, and they're also slowly dying out for some reason.]]
* There's a trio of angels in ''Webcomic/DarwinCarmichaelIsGoingToHell'' that are, basically, stereotypical stoners, who spend 99% of their time either getting high or trying to figure out how to get high. The other 1% they turn into dead serious, no-nonsense, crazy prophetic guys.
* The Paedagogusi in ''Webcomic/ErrantStory'' more or less fit the angel role, by any other name... and they're ''different'', all right.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Erstwhile}}'', following the fairy tale, Snow White and Rose Red are protected in the GhibliHills by an angel that keeps them from falling over a cliff.

* ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo''

* In ''Webcomic/TheSenkari'', angels are either apathetic or jerks.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', two angels appear, primarily as winged humanoids who don't look any older than twelve. They occasionally dress up as a pair of possibly-Jehova's-Witnesses. Very prone to {{Troll}}ing the Devil. The extent of Lil' E's AmnesiacDissonance? [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2012-10-31 He goes trick-or-treating as an angel]]

* In ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'', angels are white-haired humanoids who serve a benevolent god and are said to be inherently good. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, and though the two main angelic characters are both definitely heroes there are suggestions that angelic society is imperfect. They have classical ElementalPowers, wear color-coded uniforms, and have been at war against demons for centuries.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Sombulus}}'', the Kanites are all [[WingedHumanoid feathery-winged people]] and are supposedly representatives of the God Madir, but their morals seem questionable at times.
* In ''WebComic/Sorcery101'' Mages get angels to guide them when demon hunting. There are all sorts of rules governing the angels' behavior. For example, they can't ask for help from "creatures of darkness" (or anyone connected to such beings). Angels are sexless, featureless, glowing humanoids with wings and a thin layer of paint/glamour that makes their skin, clothes, and feathers. Damage will strip this layer and it takes a couple of seconds for it to regenerate.

Lots of works include angels, but not always the same kind of angels. Often, a creator will try to put a unique spin on his or her angels.

* Two panels in ''Art/TheGhentAltarpiece'' depict music-making, robed angels -- one group singing, the other playing instruments. Oddly, especially for the work's early 15th century date, they appear quite ''human,'' with no obvious angelic features -- they lack wings and are not idealised in appearance, though they are sexless. They are identified as angels by their position in the composition and by inscriptions attached to them.

** The story later introduces [[spoiler:Cherubim, which are a type of alien species that grow large wings in adulthood. They are extreme loners, often never meeting another of their kind except to mate, and their idea of romantic attraction is BelligerentSexualTension. The BigBad is one of them, which would explain the role of angels in troll mythology - the BigBad influenced the troll's concept of TheGrimReaper]]. We've met only two [[spoiler:Cherubim]] in the story and had a brief exposition covering two more (their parents). Two are extremely kind and gentle, the other two... [[OmnicidalManiac Not so much]]. This is because their species naturally leans towards either being benevolent or malevolent, which is indicated by their [[AlienBlood blood color.]]

** Angel, of ''ComicBook/XMen'', is explicitly stated from the beginning to be a mutant who just happens to have various flying mutations including big white fluffy wings. Except, of course, [[spoiler:later developments made him a descendant of the Cheyarafim, along with Icarus (Joshua Guthrie), and added healing blood to his powers]].

* The Wandjina deities of the [[Myth/AboriginalAustralianMyths Western Australian]] "Wandjina-Wungurr" cultural complex resemble Abrahamic angels in a myriad of ways, being luminous beings of light that dwell in the heavens and even have [[HolyHalo halos]] (which some unpleasant white people have taken to misidentify as [[AncientAstronauts helmets]]). Like biblical angels they are also unapologetically weird, being among other things also embodiments of the land, spirit ancestors and unborn souls.

* According to UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, angels are created as a ServantRace to [[{{God}} Allah]]. They are similar to angels in Christianity only in that they are good [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] that can take on a human form, but they differ in many ways. They're free to question the motives behind God's decisions, as they did when he announced his intention to create Adam, but are unable or unwilling to disobey God in any fashion because they lack free will. Some traditions regarding the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated an army 3 times their number, tell that Angels actually fought alongside the Muslims in battle.

* Angels also play a role in Western Esotericism and Occultism. This is kind of complex but most of it comes from the Esoteric concept of Theurgy that might originate in some Gnostic and Platonic magical practices of the Classical Age later Christianized. Theurgy consists in invoking the "powers of heavens" and generally working with heavently beings (originally gods, later angels), the opposite of Goetia which is working with demons. This was also a way to rationalize the practice of magick for many Christian esotericists despite the fact that the Bible forbids magick. Their argument is that what the Bible forbids is dealing with demons, not magick per se (and indeed many important Western esotericists and ceremonial magicians were devote Christians like Jhon Dee, Eliphas Levi, Michel de Nostradamus and Paracelso much to both fundamentalist Christians and modern neo-Pagans/Occult enthusiasts surprise today). The use of angels in Esoteric work is common in many systems. One of the most famous is the Enochian System developed by John Dee and Edward Kelly in Elizabethan times, later spread in many circles, most notably the Golden Dawn. Similarly angels are also mentioned as part of the divine hierarchy in Theosophy and use in books of many modern Occult writers including the likes of Ben Woodcroft, Damon Brand and Henry Archer, sometimes alongside Goetic demons. Although the exact definition of their nature is often matter of debate, angels (and demons) are seen as powerful otherwordly spirits that can be summon for help.