WHAT IS A BLACK ANGEL? (OR ANGEL OF DEATH) - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

A black angel, according to Christian tradition, is an angel who has been expelled from paradise. However, its meaning varies between cultures. In many religions angels are considered as spiritual beings who act as intermediaries between God and humans.

As messengers of God, angels can fulfill different functions. Their main task may be to teach, direct, or inform individuals about their destiny. Angels can also act to protect or help people.

The word angel comes from the Greek word angelos, which means messenger. In Western religions, the word typically describes a kind or benevolent being. However, in most religions, the line that separates "good" angels from "bad" angels is not always clear cut.

An angel might act benevolent under one circumstance but with evil intentions under a different one. In religions based on revelations (the communication of the truth or divine will towards humanity), the role of angels is developed in much greater detail.

In these religions, God and humanity are distant from each other. Angels help bridge that gap. They praise God, do his will, and reveal his truth.

They can also help people obtain salvation or receive special favors. Further, acting in the name of God, angels can influence human affairs, rewarding believers and punishing those who do evil.

Origin of the black or fallen angels

The black angels or fallen angels were once close to God, but for some reason they fell to a lower position. They tried to interfere with the relationship between human beings and God, motivating some individuals to sin.

Black angels are believed to have caused disasters such as famine, disease, war, and earthquakes. In the Christian tradition, the leader of the fallen angels was Satan, also called Lucifer, who led a rebellion against God, for which he and other angels were condemned to hell.

In the Hindu tradition, black angels who do evil cannot tell right from wrong. However, in the Christian tradition, these angels know the difference and yet choose to act against God's will.

The first black angel

Satan, also called Lucifer, was the first black angel. Lucifer was expelled from paradise during the so-called battle of heaven. God had created angels and so He created human beings.

God asked the angels to take care of humanity. Lucifer refused to see for humans. He was the first rebel. The legend says that he was the most beautiful angel and that his envy towards God was such that he wanted to receive the same adoration that God received.

This story has been told in different cultures, with some variations in the narration. In the Christian bible, it is found in the Gospel of Luke. When Lucifer came out of paradise, he took a third of the angels with him. They all immediately turned into black angels.

Among them were different types of angels, including some who were very high in the hierarchy. There were Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Powers, and more. They all started calling Lucifer the Prince of Hell.

Black angel or angel of death

Just as human beings have freedom to do good or evil, God gave the angels that same freedom as well. Those angels who chose to do evil were expelled from paradise and became black angels.

The black angels, however, should not be confused with the Angel of Death, who is an envoy of God and brings peace and healing to death.

Some people who fear death might think that a black angel might come for them or a loved one at the end of their lives. This is not true, actually. In the face of death, a generous and careful Angel of Death comes to take them to paradise.

A black angel is neither loving nor healing. Black angels have no respect for humanity. They spend their time trying to tempt people to do evil and promoting evil. The black angels do Lucifer's will.

The most popular black angels

In different cultures there are some black angels known by name, who have lived with humanity at different times and have fulfilled different functions. Many of them are named in sacred scriptures in different religions.

Abaddon

One of them is Abaddon, whose name in Hebrew means destruction. Abaddon is part of the underworld where, according to some legends, lost souls lie between fire and snow.

The place where this black angel dwells within hell is one of those that Moses visited. While still in paradise, Abaddon was a Seraph-type angel.

Leviathan

There is also Leviathan. Its name in Hebrew means sea monster, something that could be interpreted as a whale. Leviathan is believed to be a monster emerged from nature that represents chaos.

It is extremely large in size and legend has it that it eats at least one whale a day. In the story of Jonah and the whale, the whale barely escapes being eaten by Leviathan. He was also a Seraph in paradise.

Beelzebub

Beelzebub, or according to some translations of his name, the Lord of the Flies, is another black angel who is sometimes represented in images as a fly. He is considered the commander-in-chief of Lucifer's army and enjoys one of the highest ranks in the infernal hierarchy.

Beelzebub has been held responsible for many of the seven deadly sins, especially vanity and gluttony. When he dwelt in paradise, Beelzebub was a Cherub.

Gresil and Florón

Other minor black angels are Gresil and Florón. Gresil is considered the black angel of impurity and dirt. Meanwhile, Florón, a sea monster, is the great Marquis of Hell and commands twenty-nine legions of dark angels.

Lilith

A prominent figure in the ranks of the black angels is that of Lilith. In Jewish mythology, this character is believed to have arisen as part of an ancient class of female demons in the Mesopotamian religion.

Lilith appears in ancient Hebrew scriptures mentioned as the first wife of Adam, who was created at the same time and from the same clay. This differs from the Christian tradition, which says that Eve was Adam's wife and created from one of her ribs.

Lilith abandoned Adam when she did not want to be subjugated to him and would leave the garden of Eden after meeting the archangel Samael, becoming a black angel. The legend of Lilith continues to be a raw material in Western literature, occultism, fantasy and horror to our time, even becoming a symbol of feminism.

Azrael

Special mention deserves Azrael, also called Ezrael, Izra'il, Abu-Jahia and Abou-Jaria, in Islam. He is also known as the angel of death, who enjoys the category of archangel in paradise.

An archangel is an angel of very high hierarchical rank. Archangel-like beings are found in a large number of religious traditions, however the specific term is usually related to Abrahamic religions. The name comes from the Greek and literally means chief angel.

Different religions consider the Angel of Death as part of the army of God. In charge of leading souls to paradise after his earthly death, Azrael's role is dark and therefore some legends take him as a black angel.

However, his presence in hell is due to the fact that he would rescue the souls headed for that place to finally bring them before God. Hence, in certain mythologies he is related to Lucifer and the rest of the black angels.

Black angels in metaphysics

Although there is a mythology developed around the black angels and its origin from Lucifer, another interpretation of the term, especially in the practice of metaphysics, is that of a lover.

It could be a karmic relationship that is problematic or harmful in a way. The black angel of love is someone who is present in the life of the person who suffers from it and who cannot stop thinking about or obsessing over him or her. It is that relationship that cannot be managed and that causes great pain.