Angelic Tropes

Serra Angel, accept no substitutes.

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

— Revelation 14:5-6, The Bible

Tropes about the Biblical divine messengers, and beings based off them.

Contrast Infernal Tropes.

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Tropes:

Also see:

• Angel Works

• Always Lawful Good
  When their leader is a good deity, so are they.
• Angel Unaware
  The story doesn't make it clear if a character is an angel.
• Angelic Abomination
  Angels portrayed as eldritch abominations.
• Angelic Aliens
  Extraterrestrials with angelic traits.
• Angelic Beauty
  Angels with pretty faces.
• Angel/Devil Shipping
  Sometimes the trope is literal.
• Angelic Transformation
  Changing to or from an angel form.
• Angels, Devils and Squid
  The angels Michael, Lucifer, and Cthulhu.
• Angels in Overcoats
  If angels appear on Earth, they're wearing overcoats.
• Archangel Azrael
  A sculptural figure often depicted as ushering the souls of the dead to God's judgement.
• Archangel Gabriel
  A biblical figure often depicted as a divine herald and messenger.
• Archangel Michael
  A biblical figure often depicted as a sword-wielding avenger.
• Archangel Raphael
  A biblical figure often depicted as a patron of knowledge and medicine.
• Archangel Uriel
  A biblical figure often depicted as guarding the gates of Eden.
• The Armies of Heaven
  Angels as a military force.
• Ascended Demon
  A demon goes good, and becomes an angel.
• Bargain with Heaven
  Making deals with angels.
• Born of Heaven and Hell
  Part angel or god and part demon.
• Broken Angel
  Angels who have forcibly become mundane
• Celestial Paragons and Archangels
  The top brass in Heaven, answerable only to one deity.
• Cherubic Choir
  Angels are often a part of these.
• Complete Angel aka Incorruptible Pure Pureness
  Not specific to angels but characters who have a good and incorruptible heart.
• Council of Angels
  A group of angels are running Heaven.
• Cybernetic Mythical Beast
  Sci-fi variants of angels fused with technology.
• Don't Fear The Reaper
  Death can be a benevolent figure, especially when an angel is assigned that role.
• Energy Beings
  Angels are occasionally depicted as this.
• Fallen Angel
  Whether to Earth, or Hell, that angel is cast out from Heaven.
• Feather Motif
  Feathers symbols can also represent angels.
• Female Angel, Male Demon
  When works assign gender roles to these sides.
• Gold and White Are Divine
  Angels with gold and white color schemes to emphasize their divinity.
• Good Angel, Bad Angel
  When you have a moral conflict, they appear on your shoulders to argue each side.
• Good Wings, Evil Wings
  You can tell the angels from the demons by these.
• The Grim Reaper
  The Archangel Azrael is the angel of death.
• Guardian Angel
  A personal angel to help you in certain ways.
• High-Tech Heaven
  Angels or deities make use of modern or even sci-fi level technology.
• Holy Backlight
  Angels are often depicted with these.
• Holy Halo
  One of the most iconic aspects of modern angels is a floating circlet.
• Inhumanly Beautiful Race
  Angels are commonly beautiful beyond human standards.
• Metatron
  An angel who serves as God's voice and scribe.
• Nephilim
  Usually some sort of hybrid angel, often human/angel or angel/demon.
• Our Angels Are Different
  People with halos and wings are just one of many ways to show an angel.
• Our Archons Are Different
  A type of angel or angel-like entity from Gnostic belief.
• Perpetual Molt
  In anime, an angel will shed lots of feathers, just because of Rule of Cool.
• Power Gives You Wings
  Powerful angels with wings
• Putto
  The modern idea of what a cherub looks like.
• Satan
  Lucifer is the original fallen angel.
• Unusual Halo
  Unique halo designs other than the basic yellow/white ring ones.
• Valkyries
  Angel-like female divine warriors; the Norse Mythology counterpart of angels.
• Winged Humanoid
  Modern angels are usually depicted this way.
• Winged Soul Flies Off at Death
  When dying, a soul looks like an angel, ascending to heaven.

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