Cassiel ( ''Qaṣpīʾēl'', "God is my wrath")—also known as Kassiel, Qassiel, and other phonetic variations—is an

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

appearing in extracanonical

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, and

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...

and magical works, often as one of the Seven Archangels, the angel of

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

, and in other roles. He is also known as Caftsiel and Captsiel ( ''Qap̄ṣīʾēl'', "God is my leap"; , '), among other phonetic translations and variations.

In Jewish mystical literature

Cassiel is invoked in an ancient Hebrew charm to tell if an enemy is running away. Gustav Davidson writes that Cassiel is described as the ruler of the seventh heaven in

3 Enoch The Third Book of Enoch (), also known as The Book of the Palaces, The Book of Rabbi Ishmael the High Priest and The Elevation of Metatron, and abbreviated as 3 Enoch) is a Jewish apocrypha, Jewish apocryphal book. Authorship Modern scholars desc ...

, citing Odeberg's edition. However, Odeberg's edition only states in a footnote that Cassiel is "(one of) the guardian(s) of the door of the seventh Hall" in ''Hekhalot Rabbati''. In turn, Cassiel is described in ''Hekhalot Rabbati'' as a guardian of the ''sixth'' palace, armed with a lightning-dripping sword (which shouts "Ruin!") as well as a bow, tempests, light, and powerful winds—weapons which he uses against anyone not fit to see God. Cassiel is later described in the same work as one of three "guardians of the entrance of the seventh palace," alongside Dumiel and

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

. Cassiel is also listed in ''Ma'aseh Merkavah'' as a guardian of the ''second'' palace. ''Sefer Raziel'' lists Cassiel as the prince of

. The

Zohar The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...

describes Cassiel as one of the two chief aides (alongside Hizqiel) to

. Cassiel is also described as one of the angels of death in

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

—specifically as the

who presides over the deaths of young men.

In Western occult literature

Sieben planetarische geister francis barrett the magus

Cassiel is listed in the related works ''

The Sworn Book of Honorius ''The Sworn Book of Honorius'' (, also ''Liber sacer'', ''sacratus'' or ''consecratus'') is a medieval grimoire purportedly written by Honorius of Thebes. The Latin word ''juratus'', which is typically translated "sworn", is intended to mean " ...

'' and in (pseudo)-

Pietro d'Abano Pietro d'Abano, also known as Petrus de Apono, Petrus Aponensis or Peter of Abano (Premuda, Loris. "Abano, Pietro D'." in ''Dictionary of Scientific Biography.'' (1970). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Vol. 1: p.4-5.1316), was an Italian philos ...

's ''Heptameron'' (the latter also being influenced by ''Sefer Raziel''). Cassiel's presence in ''Honorius'' may also be a result of Greek influence, as he is likewise listed in a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...

manual (albeit as ''Kasiel''). In those works, he is referred to as the angel of

, the angel of the North, and as one of the angels mentioned in the '' Sigillum Dei''. Following ''Honorius'' and the ''Heptameron'', Cassiel appears in the ''Liber de Angelis'' as ''Cassael'' (again the angel over Saturn), and, in various editions of the ''

Key of Solomon The ''Key of Solomon'' (; ), also known as the ''Greater Key of Solomon'', is a pseudepigraphical grimoire attributed to Solomon, King Solomon. It probably dates back to the 14th or 15th century Italian Renaissance. It presents a typical exampl ...

'', as Cassiel or ''Cassael'' (the angel—sometimes archangel—of Saturn or Saturday), and again in the ''Sigillum Dei''. Cassiel is depicted in Francis Barrett's '' The Magus'' as a dragon-riding ''

djinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

'' with a beard—again as the angel of Saturn.

Other works

Cassiel is sometimes described as the angel of tears and the angel of temperance. As Qafsiel, he is sometimes regarded as the ruler of the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

instead of Saturn.

Averroes Ibn Rushd (14 April 112611 December 1198), archaically Latinization of names, Latinized as Averroes, was an Arab Muslim polymath and Faqīh, jurist from Al-Andalus who wrote about many subjects, including philosophy, theology, medicine, astron ...

and

Ibn Arabi Ibn Arabi (July 1165–November 1240) was an Andalusian Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest com ...

likewise listed Saturn as the planetary counterpart of the archangel Kafziel. Ahmad al-Buni listed Kasfiyail as one of eight angels, among whom each has its own hierarchy of spirits under command.

In popular culture

*Cassiel is the main protagonist in '' The Outcast Season'' series by Rachel Caine. *Cassiel appears in

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker and photographer, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, Venice International Film ...

's film ''

Wings of Desire ''Wings of Desire'' (, ; ) is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its hu ...

'', as well as the U.S. remake, '' City of Angels''. Wenders found the name in an encyclopedia about angels. Cassiel, played by Otto Sander in the original and

Andre Braugher Andre Keith Braugher ( ; July 1, 1962 – December 11, 2023) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC police drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999) and Captain Raymond Holt in the ...

in the remake, watches with considerable ambivalence as his friend becomes human. In the sequel '' Faraway, So Close!'', Cassiel himself becomes human.

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

wrote "Cassiel's Song" as part of the music for that film. *Cassiel, in an alternate form, appears as one of several angels who followed the fictional son of Jesus as he travelled the world preaching the tenet "Love as thou wilt", in Jacqueline Carey's Terre D'Ange novels.

References

{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions Archangels Archangels in Christianity Archangels in Judaism Angels in Islam Individual angels

In Jewish mystical literature

In Western occult literature

Other works

In popular culture

See also

References