Feathered musings....
"Did an angel whisper in your ear,
Hold you close, and take away your fear..."
- Lake Charles, Lucinda Williams
I'm not religious. I call myself an agnostic, but am probably functionally an atheist. This was probably caused by an upbringing in a religion which just didn't work for me, and the choice of a career path that actively encourages skepticism, if not downright disbelief without proof. Study of biology does that to you.
Why, then, am I so enamored with the idea of angels in stories? They're really not even all that special a mythical (or mystical) beast. Simply take a human (or any animal, really) and add a pair of feathered bird wings. Big whoop. Well, I know the wings are not the most important part, and really isn't their true form, anyway.
I guess while I'm skeptical in real life, I have never had a problem with suspension of disbelief when it comes to stories. Maybe it's for this reason I saw no reason to pick holes in the science behind Darwin's Radio, although I'm sure there were some already there wide enough to walk though. Give me telepathy, talking animals, weird aliens of every shape and size, and a good story to go with it and I'm happy as a clam (what exactly makes a clam happy, anyway? The perfect texture mud to dig his foot in? The ideally shaped burrow with the optimum number and proportion of symbiotic species? Spawning season?).
"Angels were singing,
Didn't you hear?
I wish I'd listened close
When they whispered in my ear..."
Paper Wings, Gillian Welch
I guess I like the idea that they represent comfort, the easing of sorrow and pain, whether through taking the dying away from their physical bodies, or touching the living to pass support though contact. I don't think I believe in heaven, or that we become one of these creatures when we pass away, although the idea is attractive. Who wouldn't want wings and to be able to fly? The thought niggles at me that, biologically, where would all that wing musculature go? Were they real creatures, they would probably look quite different than just a human with wings sticking out of his/her back. For balance reasons, they would probably emerge at waist level instead of shoulder level, for instance.
But they make nice imagery, whether the plumage is actual or metaphorical.
I think my favorite angels are somewhat conflicted. I was compelled to look up R.A. MacAvoy's series Damiano, Damiano's Lute, and Raphael, (also sold as a single volume, Trio for Lute), thinking I'd like to reread them. Unfortunately, it seems like most of this author's books are out of print. They deal with a wizard's son, who wants nothing more than to play the lute decently. The only things he's used his powers for are to make his dog talk because he's lonely, and to call the angel Raphael to give him lessons. I wish I could remember it better, but I remember a major part of the story had to do with Raphael falling in love with a mortal woman who was also a witch*, and having to make the choice to be with her or continue being a resident of heaven.
The film Wings of Desire similarly tells the story of an angel, Damiel, who after eons of merely observing, chronicling and attempting to comfort mortals, is restless and wants to interact with them. He too falls in love with a mortal woman, a circus performer, and decides he must become mortal as well. Peter Falk's character senses his presence, and gives him some hints, before and after his transformation. It turns out he's been there. What I found charming out this movie was that as an angel, Damiel was dignified, calm, neatly attired (and all the angels had well-groomed little pony tails), but as a human, is a big doofus who wears mismatched plaids and a funny hat, is not sure what the deal with money is, and who, despite centuries of observation, knows very little about what humans are really about. I love the opening poem:
Lied Vom Kindsein
- Peter Handke
Als das Kind Kind war,
ging es mit hängenden Armen,
wollte der Bach sei ein Fluß,
der Fluß sei ein Strom,
und diese Pfütze das Meer.
Als das Kind Kind war,
wußte es nicht, daß es Kind war,
alles war ihm beseelt,
und alle Seelen waren eins.
Song of Childhood
When the child was a child
It walked with its arms swinging,
wanted the brook to be a river,
the river to be a torrent,
and this puddle to be the sea.
When the child was a child,
it didn’t know that it was a child,
everything was soulful,
and all souls were one.
This is probably the last movie made showing the Berlin Wall, and all the artwork painted on it, still standing. Wings of Desire, which was originally in German, was remade in English as City of Angels, with Nicholas Cage, and moved from Berlin to Los Angeles.
There's a sequel to this film, titled Faraway, So Close. It deals with Damiel's friend Cassiel, who suddenly jumps to the same decision in order to save a child from an accidental death. He has a far less positive experience, coming in contact with the darker side of human existence. It's definitely not as warm and fuzzy. I remember my friend Mike telling me, "That was almost a good sequel."
Angels: God's thoughts, passing to man.
- Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Alan Rickman embodied this in Dogma, where he played the Metatron. While I only saw the version that aired on television, I loved how this angel was the Voice of God, yet was endearingly cranky and sarcastic and loved his tequila (even though he couldn't swallow it). Kevin Smith's angels are quite a bit more worldly than previously portrayed. I know there's a picture somewhere of the Metatron flipping off the camera (apparently the wings got painful after a long day of filming, and Mr. Rickman was sick of people taking his picture). (Ah, here it is, thanks to the kind folks at alanrickman.)
And in Michael, one of the few movies I've actually like John Travolta in, an angel makes no bones about the fact that he's come to earth to have a good time. Most of the women in close proximity with him say he has a wonderful smell, like their favorite baked goods. He wears a dirty trenchcoat from under which the occasional feather falls, is rather unkempt, and has no problem with gorging himself, drinking and smoking. All of this makes the three people with whom he spend most of his time rather doubt his celestial origins, even though the evidence is quite often right in front of them.
Fully 78 percent of us believe in angels, which is up from 72 percent in 1994. Eighty-four percent of women believe in angels, compared with 72 percent of men... - CompuServe
Angels even show up in science fiction. Sharon Shinn's series of books, beginning with Archangel, deal with a society that has emigrated to another planet. Here, angels are real physical beings, who interbreed with humans but live apart in luxurious Eyries usually only accessible by air. Angels can actually hear the prayers of humans as they fly above their planet, and intercede if they see fit. Every so often, the archangel takes a human mate, called the Angelica. The two are supposed to raise their voices together at an annual Gloria, to inform Jovah that the world is still in harmony, otherwise it will be destroyed. Of course, angels still have an alliance with the church which is to their advantage, but one angelica discovers that the angels origins may not be as heavenly as the church lets on. It's been a while since I read these so I may be misremembering it a bit.
I just finished reading Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife, the second book in His Dark Materials, in which angels also play a part. They are simultaneously subatomic particles, humanoid beings made of light, and architectural structures that penentrate the finest corners of the multiple universes. They are Watchers, who are compelled to act when they sense the appearance of an entity who will challenge the Authority (God). I'm not quite sure whether they mean to help 12-year-old Lyra and Will, the main characters, in their quests, or hinder them. They seem to have their own agenda, since they are intent on helping Lyra's father, who murdered her best friend in the first book, The Golden Compass. I guess I'll find out in the next book (The Amber Spyglass). Since Pullman is an outspoken atheist, I suppose it's to be expected his angels are not necessarily good or out for the benefit of others.
"In the arms of the Angels, fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here"
-In the arms of the Angels, Sarah McLachlan
Trigun's main character, Vash the Stampede, seems to be somewhat angelic as well. Whether he and his twin are immortal is not quite clear, but he's at least 150 years old and still looks like a young man. He's mortal enough to be injured and suffer anguish and terrible scars, quite often at his brother's hands. Like Damiel, he's also a big goof, when people aren't trying to kill him. While he seems to be a created being (and if you believe in a creator, aren't we all?), his mentor Rem refers to him and his brother as an angels who've come to help them, and he's shown with wings in the manga (whether real or imaginary). One of his most fearsome weapons is an "angel arm" capable of destroying entire cities (certainly some angels are capable of that) and putting a crater in one of the planet Gunsmoke's many moons. And yet, he's a gentle soul who likes to play with children, who constantly hits on women without much success, and has never killed anyone, even in self-defense (at least until very late in the series). A figure both comic and tragic, he is "a being outside of time" and a humanoid disaster area. There's a lovely music video of him to the above song at here (In the Arms of Vash), and Sarah MacLachlan's lyrics fit Vash perfectly.
As far as other anime, probably the first thing that got me interested Dragonball Z was all the guys with halos. I have a picture of Goku as an angel on my desktop at work, as well as an action figure of him with wings. I'm especially fond of it because it's the only one I've found where he's not scowling, and Goku smiles more often than he scowls.
All right, I forgot what point I was trying to make here. Maybe I didn't have one. These are just my favorite angels, and I had no idea I'd read or seen so damn many. So far.
And then there's this (thank you, Darby Conley):
(scroll to the right below)
Cherry cheesecake Newtons, mmmmmmmmmm......
__________________________________
*No, I reread this thanks to the wonderful Powell's in Portland OR, which had used copies of these out of print books. Damiano was the one in love with the witch; in the last book Damiano and Raphael have switched places, and Raphael falls in love with a fellow slave who's saved his life (since he's so clueless about being human). Really, it's funnier than it sounds.
Hold you close, and take away your fear..."
- Lake Charles, Lucinda Williams
I'm not religious. I call myself an agnostic, but am probably functionally an atheist. This was probably caused by an upbringing in a religion which just didn't work for me, and the choice of a career path that actively encourages skepticism, if not downright disbelief without proof. Study of biology does that to you.
Why, then, am I so enamored with the idea of angels in stories? They're really not even all that special a mythical (or mystical) beast. Simply take a human (or any animal, really) and add a pair of feathered bird wings. Big whoop. Well, I know the wings are not the most important part, and really isn't their true form, anyway.
I guess while I'm skeptical in real life, I have never had a problem with suspension of disbelief when it comes to stories. Maybe it's for this reason I saw no reason to pick holes in the science behind Darwin's Radio, although I'm sure there were some already there wide enough to walk though. Give me telepathy, talking animals, weird aliens of every shape and size, and a good story to go with it and I'm happy as a clam (what exactly makes a clam happy, anyway? The perfect texture mud to dig his foot in? The ideally shaped burrow with the optimum number and proportion of symbiotic species? Spawning season?).
"Angels were singing,
Didn't you hear?
I wish I'd listened close
When they whispered in my ear..."
Paper Wings, Gillian Welch
I guess I like the idea that they represent comfort, the easing of sorrow and pain, whether through taking the dying away from their physical bodies, or touching the living to pass support though contact. I don't think I believe in heaven, or that we become one of these creatures when we pass away, although the idea is attractive. Who wouldn't want wings and to be able to fly? The thought niggles at me that, biologically, where would all that wing musculature go? Were they real creatures, they would probably look quite different than just a human with wings sticking out of his/her back. For balance reasons, they would probably emerge at waist level instead of shoulder level, for instance.
But they make nice imagery, whether the plumage is actual or metaphorical.
I think my favorite angels are somewhat conflicted. I was compelled to look up R.A. MacAvoy's series Damiano, Damiano's Lute, and Raphael, (also sold as a single volume, Trio for Lute), thinking I'd like to reread them. Unfortunately, it seems like most of this author's books are out of print. They deal with a wizard's son, who wants nothing more than to play the lute decently. The only things he's used his powers for are to make his dog talk because he's lonely, and to call the angel Raphael to give him lessons. I wish I could remember it better, but I remember a major part of the story had to do with Raphael falling in love with a mortal woman who was also a witch*, and having to make the choice to be with her or continue being a resident of heaven.
The film Wings of Desire similarly tells the story of an angel, Damiel, who after eons of merely observing, chronicling and attempting to comfort mortals, is restless and wants to interact with them. He too falls in love with a mortal woman, a circus performer, and decides he must become mortal as well. Peter Falk's character senses his presence, and gives him some hints, before and after his transformation. It turns out he's been there. What I found charming out this movie was that as an angel, Damiel was dignified, calm, neatly attired (and all the angels had well-groomed little pony tails), but as a human, is a big doofus who wears mismatched plaids and a funny hat, is not sure what the deal with money is, and who, despite centuries of observation, knows very little about what humans are really about. I love the opening poem:
Lied Vom Kindsein
- Peter Handke
Als das Kind Kind war,
ging es mit hängenden Armen,
wollte der Bach sei ein Fluß,
der Fluß sei ein Strom,
und diese Pfütze das Meer.
Als das Kind Kind war,
wußte es nicht, daß es Kind war,
alles war ihm beseelt,
und alle Seelen waren eins.
Song of Childhood
When the child was a child
It walked with its arms swinging,
wanted the brook to be a river,
the river to be a torrent,
and this puddle to be the sea.
When the child was a child,
it didn’t know that it was a child,
everything was soulful,
and all souls were one.
This is probably the last movie made showing the Berlin Wall, and all the artwork painted on it, still standing. Wings of Desire, which was originally in German, was remade in English as City of Angels, with Nicholas Cage, and moved from Berlin to Los Angeles.
There's a sequel to this film, titled Faraway, So Close. It deals with Damiel's friend Cassiel, who suddenly jumps to the same decision in order to save a child from an accidental death. He has a far less positive experience, coming in contact with the darker side of human existence. It's definitely not as warm and fuzzy. I remember my friend Mike telling me, "That was almost a good sequel."
Angels: God's thoughts, passing to man.
- Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Alan Rickman embodied this in Dogma, where he played the Metatron. While I only saw the version that aired on television, I loved how this angel was the Voice of God, yet was endearingly cranky and sarcastic and loved his tequila (even though he couldn't swallow it). Kevin Smith's angels are quite a bit more worldly than previously portrayed. I know there's a picture somewhere of the Metatron flipping off the camera (apparently the wings got painful after a long day of filming, and Mr. Rickman was sick of people taking his picture). (Ah, here it is, thanks to the kind folks at alanrickman.)
And in Michael, one of the few movies I've actually like John Travolta in, an angel makes no bones about the fact that he's come to earth to have a good time. Most of the women in close proximity with him say he has a wonderful smell, like their favorite baked goods. He wears a dirty trenchcoat from under which the occasional feather falls, is rather unkempt, and has no problem with gorging himself, drinking and smoking. All of this makes the three people with whom he spend most of his time rather doubt his celestial origins, even though the evidence is quite often right in front of them.
Fully 78 percent of us believe in angels, which is up from 72 percent in 1994. Eighty-four percent of women believe in angels, compared with 72 percent of men... - CompuServe
Angels even show up in science fiction. Sharon Shinn's series of books, beginning with Archangel, deal with a society that has emigrated to another planet. Here, angels are real physical beings, who interbreed with humans but live apart in luxurious Eyries usually only accessible by air. Angels can actually hear the prayers of humans as they fly above their planet, and intercede if they see fit. Every so often, the archangel takes a human mate, called the Angelica. The two are supposed to raise their voices together at an annual Gloria, to inform Jovah that the world is still in harmony, otherwise it will be destroyed. Of course, angels still have an alliance with the church which is to their advantage, but one angelica discovers that the angels origins may not be as heavenly as the church lets on. It's been a while since I read these so I may be misremembering it a bit.
I just finished reading Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife, the second book in His Dark Materials, in which angels also play a part. They are simultaneously subatomic particles, humanoid beings made of light, and architectural structures that penentrate the finest corners of the multiple universes. They are Watchers, who are compelled to act when they sense the appearance of an entity who will challenge the Authority (God). I'm not quite sure whether they mean to help 12-year-old Lyra and Will, the main characters, in their quests, or hinder them. They seem to have their own agenda, since they are intent on helping Lyra's father, who murdered her best friend in the first book, The Golden Compass. I guess I'll find out in the next book (The Amber Spyglass). Since Pullman is an outspoken atheist, I suppose it's to be expected his angels are not necessarily good or out for the benefit of others.
"In the arms of the Angels, fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here"
-In the arms of the Angels, Sarah McLachlan
Trigun's main character, Vash the Stampede, seems to be somewhat angelic as well. Whether he and his twin are immortal is not quite clear, but he's at least 150 years old and still looks like a young man. He's mortal enough to be injured and suffer anguish and terrible scars, quite often at his brother's hands. Like Damiel, he's also a big goof, when people aren't trying to kill him. While he seems to be a created being (and if you believe in a creator, aren't we all?), his mentor Rem refers to him and his brother as an angels who've come to help them, and he's shown with wings in the manga (whether real or imaginary). One of his most fearsome weapons is an "angel arm" capable of destroying entire cities (certainly some angels are capable of that) and putting a crater in one of the planet Gunsmoke's many moons. And yet, he's a gentle soul who likes to play with children, who constantly hits on women without much success, and has never killed anyone, even in self-defense (at least until very late in the series). A figure both comic and tragic, he is "a being outside of time" and a humanoid disaster area. There's a lovely music video of him to the above song at here (In the Arms of Vash), and Sarah MacLachlan's lyrics fit Vash perfectly.
As far as other anime, probably the first thing that got me interested Dragonball Z was all the guys with halos. I have a picture of Goku as an angel on my desktop at work, as well as an action figure of him with wings. I'm especially fond of it because it's the only one I've found where he's not scowling, and Goku smiles more often than he scowls.
All right, I forgot what point I was trying to make here. Maybe I didn't have one. These are just my favorite angels, and I had no idea I'd read or seen so damn many. So far.
And then there's this (thank you, Darby Conley):
(scroll to the right below)
Cherry cheesecake Newtons, mmmmmmmmmm......
__________________________________
*No, I reread this thanks to the wonderful Powell's in Portland OR, which had used copies of these out of print books. Damiano was the one in love with the witch; in the last book Damiano and Raphael have switched places, and Raphael falls in love with a fellow slave who's saved his life (since he's so clueless about being human). Really, it's funnier than it sounds.