Comments | cadhla: Supernatural: angelically yours.

cadhla

Supernatural: angelically yours.

Sep 26, 2008 12:04

Being the go-to girl for folklore facts both large and small for a great many people, I've been the target of a lot of 'what the...?' questions over the past few weeks. So I thought I'd take a moment to address the biggest of them. Because it's fun!

( Nowhere near everything you've always wanted to know about angels, and were absolutely not afraid to ask. And yes, there are spoilers for the adventures of the Winchester boys behind this tag. )

supernatural, television, geekiness

Comments 12

firestrike September 26 2008, 19:21:05 UTC

Now, really, Cassiel seems like a much more likely candidate as the model for our dear Castiel. For one thing, he's a pretty regular player in texts on angels and the angelic host; it's thus easier to find references to him and his exploits.

Is he specifically assigned to a roster after Satan & God picked teams? Or does his bio entry in Who's Who in the Heavenly Host date from before the competition started?

azurelunatic September 26 2008, 19:24:51 UTC

synecdochic recognized the name: http://synecdochic.livejournal.com/263502.html

cadhla September 26 2008, 19:28:01 UTC

I think she's likely right; I also think there's at least a chance that they got the generic crossed with a mispronunciation or distortion of a 'standard' angelic name. Especially given that we do have a minimum of two whose names are reasonably close.

beable September 26 2008, 20:26:35 UTC

I do agree with several of synecdochic's gripes about the language Castiel uses (e.g saying he was sent by God rather than by the Lord). But I have an alternate theory.

Castiel isn't an angel. He's a Blues Brother. And he's on a MISSION from GOD!

azurelunatic September 27 2008, 02:39:34 UTC

:D

This is just the thing that cries out for fanfiction.

Thread 5

Speaking not of Supernatural beable September 26 2008, 20:27:34 UTC

Is it weird that I was humming X-Libris while in the shower last night and it morphed naturally into Downhome Aphrodite - leaving me confused because the words to X-Libris has CHANGED and I couldn't figure out why?

wendyzski September 26 2008, 20:50:34 UTC

I thought of you today. I was given a copy of Zombie Haiku for my birfday!

tibicina September 26 2008, 21:15:04 UTC

Gustav Davidson's Dictionary of Angels lists Castiel as 'A Thursday Angel mentioned in occult lore'. Sadly, it gives no other description, which... I'm guessing means that it's fairly obscure, but makes me wonder /which/ occult lore.

I've also got the Kafziel variation of Cassiel/Casiel/Casziel specifically as 'The angel governing the death of kings'. The name means 'speed of God'. And He can also be the angel of solitudes.

There's also Katzfiel who is an angelic prince of the sword and guard of the 6ths heaven, whose sword emits lightning.

The only fallen or bad angel that I've got that's even close is Kasbeel/Kaspiel/Kazbiel/Kazpiel (Yay, attempting to transliterate Hebrew/Angelic script before there was some sort fo standardization.) The name means 'He who lies to God' (his original name, when he was a true angel was, apparently 'Biqa' or 'Good person' and he was referred to as 'Chief of the Oath'.)

batyatoon September 28 2008, 02:09:20 UTC

I've seen the "angel of Thursday" identification of the name Castiel too. He's supposed to look out for people born on Thursday and/or people who cry out for help on Thursday.

Dean Winchester was apparently born on a Monday. (dotfic looked it up.) He was, however, dragged out of Hell on a Thursday.

tibicina September 28 2008, 02:34:28 UTC

There are a bunch of angels for every day of the week. (And some of them rule hours in days other than the ones for which they are the angel of the day... It's all very complicated.)

I'm willing to go with it being either 'I need the name of a fairly obscure angel' or a conflation of Cassiel and Castiel. We shall have to see how it all develops.