Grigori - Blog Posts
Who is Azazel to you?
My view of Azazel is very shaped by his role in the Book of Enoch, which I'll explain for those reading this who are less familiar, and also because I don't know if you have any knowledge of the story therein. There's also a bit of him that borders on UPG/Unverifiable Personal Gnosis, which I'm fine admitting to. I think more people should be inclined to fess up to when there's ideas or experiences that work for them (and maybe others) that might not have textual evidence.
I suspect I was sent this question at least partially because, depending on your religious background, the name can evoke a pretty different set of emotions and ideas. I can't get into it in dept here without writing an essay, and the question was "who is Azazel to you" instead of just "who is Azazel", but I've found in my research that the name appears in some form in Christianity, Islam to a degree (not as Azazil/Iblis though, their names are just similar, but rather in a story similar to his Enochic appearance), Judaism, and the apocrypha. That last one is where my view of him comes in!
In the Book of Enoch, Azazel is one of the Watchers or Grigori: angels who were meant to watch over mankind, but who were enticed by their leader to pursue their desire for mortal women. The result of this union was the Nephilim, a race of giants. Genisis describes them like so.
Genesis 6 1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
During this time, the Watchers were said to teach mankind new knowledge and skills... the act of which ultimately led to them being cast out of Heaven. Each Watcher taught something different, such as Penemue teaching about ink and paper so mankind could write, Sariel teaching about the lunar cycle, and Baraqel teaching astrology. Azazel, in my opinion, is credited with an incredibly interesting set of teachings. We get in Chapter 8...
And Azazel taught men to make swords and knives and shields and breastplates; and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them; and bracelets and ornaments; and the use of antimony and the beautifying of the eyelids; and all kinds of costly stones and all colouring tinctures.
I just think it's very interesting that blacksmithing for the purpose of making armour and weaponry came from the same entity that was said to teach the creation of jewelry and cosmetics. So to me, all three of these acts and their results are very connected to Azazel. His punishment for being generous with this knowledge also makes him (and every other Watcher for that matter) an incredibly Promethean figure, which is a theme that comes up A Lot in my Luciferianism to the surprise of literally no one. It's not that unique a taste to have.
And now comes the parts that get a bit less concrete textually, but I incorporate into my understanding and relationship with Azazel: I see him as a potential teacher of magic, particularly witchcraft, occult and medicinal herbalism, and by extension veneficium. My reasoning for this is twofold.
To be fair, magic is not attributed to him specifically by name among the skills he taught. It is mentioned in regards to their leader Semjaza, who taught enchantment, and Armaros, who taught the "resolving" (I assume breaking) of enchantments. These two are interesting to me (as all the Watchers are) but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew when dealing with this sort of entity, if you follow, and Azazel was the one I felt most drawn to and got a very positive response from.
However! This is just when looking at their individual attestations that begin in Chapter Eight or so. In Chapter Seven, when their actions are described as a group, we get the following passage:
And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants.
The fact that no other Watcher is credited as teaching herbal lore leads me to believe that magic and herbalism were skills that they universally understood and taught as a collective regardless of other specialties/focuses/areas of mastery, rather than this being an overview of a few subjects they individually taught. So, in my opinion, if you feel drawn to the Watchers but Azazel doesn't feel right to you and/or doesn't seem to reciprocate your interest, I personally do not believe he is the only means of working with them in an explicitly magical context.
He is, however, the only one of them with a long and repeated association with goats, which are of course also a very popular symbol in witchcraft (especially portrayals of the Witches' Sabbath when the Devil is involved), so to me that only furthers my association between Azazel and the teaching of magic, but witchcraft in particular. I'm not saying he's the true and universal identity of the Witch's Devil, or the Sabbatical goat, or the Man in Black, or anything else so universal. Many, many figures can fill those roles for different people, practices, and traditions. However, for me (so far), he seems well suited and well inclined to fill that role, and it's another appealing detail when viewing him through a lens of folkloric witchcraft.
I hope that answers the question! Thanks for asking.
What kind of bird is Azazel associated with?
Description
In the extra-canonical text the Apocalypse of Abraham (c.1st CE), Azazel appears as an unclean bird who came down upon the sacrifice which Abraham prepared. (This is in reference to Genesis 15:11: "Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away" [NIV]).
The Apocalypse of Abraham describes him as a carrion bird.
Possible Species
Birds of prey or predatory birds, colloquially known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). Although predatory birds primarily hunt live prey, many species (such as fish eagles, vultures and condors) also scavenge and eat carrion.
Birds of prey such as hawks, falcons, eagles, osprey, vultures, and owls are familiar carnivorous birds.
Birds that are regularly known as carrion-eaters include: vultures, buzzards, condors, caracaras, eagles, hawks, crows, ravens, and other large corvids, gulls, skuas, and terns
Specific
{Criteria: bird of prey that also eats carrion and is found in Israel}
Crows, jays, and magpies Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae
Brown-necked raven, Corvus ruficollis
Common raven, Corvus corax
Eurasian jackdaw, Corvus monedula
Fan-tailed raven, Corvus rhipidurus
Hooded crow, Corvus cornix
Rook, Corvus frugilegus
Hawks, eagles, and kites Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae
Black kite, Milvus migrans
Common buzzard, Buteo buteo
Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus
Greater spotted eagle, Clanga clanga
Imperial eagle, Aquila heliaca
Lesser spotted eagle, Clanga pomarina
Long-legged buzzard, Buteo rufinus
Steppe eagle, Aquila nipalensis
White-tailed eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla
Sources
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azazel https://mythology.net/demons/azazel/
https://www.thespruce.com/meaning-of-carrion-386879
https://www.thespruce.com/carnivorous-diet-definition-386866
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_of_prey
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrion
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Israel
Acts of Devotion for Azazel
Dyeing your hair
Wear dragon, serpent, or goat jewelry
Tie-dye or other ways of dyeing fabric
Do some makeup
Learn how to sword fight; kendo, fencing, etc
Make your own jewelry
Dedicate jewelry to wear for him
Collect weapons; check your local/national laws for regulations on legality
Practice fire scrying and incorporate fire in your witchcraft
Metallic nail polish
Learn about metallurgy
Arts and crafts involving metals and/or gems
Explore the wilderness around you
Get a nose piercing
Cultivate grapes
Drink grape juice or wine if of age
Spend some time in darkness
Learn to identify plants of your area
Wear black, red, and/or yellow
Mirror scrying
Be proud of yourself
Celebrate your own beauty
Explore pleasure and your sexuality
Help protect snakes
Azazel
The name Azazel only occurs one time in all of the canonical Bible, in Leviticus 16:8-10. As the Catholic Encyclopedia records, this passage explains the ceremony that the Jewish people should perform as part of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
As a personification of evil, the Jewish Encyclopedia refers to Azazel as "in some degree a preparation" for the idea of Satan. The figure of Azazel is likely pre-Israelite in origin and is probably closely tied to a communal fear for the mountainous desert region that he came to personify.
According to the Nahmanides the scapegoat rite is a symbolic expression of the idea that the people's sins and their evil consequences were to be sent back to the spirit of desolation and ruin, the source of all impurity.
1 Enoch portrays Azazel as responsible for teaching people to make weapons and cosmetics, for which he was cast out of heaven.
In the extra-canonical text the Apocalypse of Abraham (c.1st CE), Azazel appears as an unclean bird who came down upon the sacrifice which Abraham prepared. (This is in reference to Genesis 15:11: "Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away" [NIV]).
In the Apocalypse of Abraham, Azazel is described with his own Kavod (Magnificence), a term usually used for the Divine in apocalyptic literature, already indicating the devil as anti-thesis of God, with the devil's kingdom on earth and God's kingdom in heaven. Azazel is also identified with the serpent which tempted Eve.
In De occulta philosophia (1509-1510), Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Scale of quaternary: Four Princes of devils in the elements: Azazel: Air
In later lore, he is fallen and is punished by having his nose pierced.
The word "scapegoat" has developed to indicate a person who is blamed and punished for the actions of others.
The illustration depicts him with horns, a pitchfork, a banner, and, of course, a goat. There's a frog on the banner. From Dictionnaire Infernal by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy
Alternative Spellings
Hebrew: עֲזָאזֵל ʿAzāʾzēl
Arabic: عزازيل, romanized: ʿAzāzīl
Asael
Azael
Azazyel
Azzael
Epithets
The Adversary
Advisor
The Angel of Darkness
Blender of Eyeshadows
Counselor
The Crafty Adversary
The Crafty Worm
The Cunning Worm
The Fallen Archangel
Forger of Swords
Guardian of Goats
The Lawless One
The Rebel Angel
Seducer of Mankind
Identified With
The Devil
[Apocalypse of Abraham] Here there is the idea that God's heritage (the created world) is largely under the dominion of evil – i.e., it is "shared with Azazel" (Abr. 20:5), again identifying him with the devil, who was called "the prince of this world" by Jesus. (John 12:31 niv)
Gadriel and Rameel
Some of the fallen angels that are given in 1 Enoch have other names, such as Rameel ('morning of God'), who becomes Azazel, and is also called Gadriel ('wall of God') in Chapter 68. (A source is not cited for this)
Gadreel (Hebrew: גדר האל, romanized: Gader ha-el, lit. 'Wall of God') is listed as one of the chiefs of the fallen Watchers. He is said to have been responsible for deceiving Eve. Schmidt lists the name as meaning 'the helper of God.'
Iblis
In Islamic lore, Azazel or Azazeel was the name of Iblis before he disobeyed God by not bowing to humans and was sent from the Earth.
Satan
Origen ("Contra Celsum," vi. 43) identifies Azazel with Satan.
Azaz, as in Azazel, means strength, so the name Azazel can refer to 'strength of God'. But the sense in which it is used most probably means 'impudent' (showing strength towards), which results in 'arrogant to God'. This is also a key point in modern thought that Azazel is Satan. Also important in this identification is the fact that the original name Rameel, is very similar in meaning to the word Lucifer ('Morning Star') which is a common Latin name of Satan in Christianity.
Associated With
Alchemy
Antimony (use of)
Beauty
Coloring tinctures
Cosmetics
Cunning
The earthly realm
Fatherhood
Forbidden knowledge
Freedom of choice
Goats
Dye making
Herbalism
Knowledge
Magic
Marriage
Metallurgy
Metalworking
Mirror making
Occult arts
Ornamenting the body
Pleasure
Pride
Rebellion
Scapegoats
Seduction
Self preservation
Sensual experiences
Sexuality
Temptation
Warfare
Weapon making
Wisdom
Witchcraft
Attributes
Abyss, hole, pit
Air
Antimony
Banner with a frog on it
Black
Bracelets
Breastplates
Chain
Coats of mail
Cosmetics
Darkness
Desert
Dragon
Dudael, Dûdâêl (God's Kettle/Crucible/Cauldron)
Dye
Fallen/falling star
Fire
Goat, goat skulls, goat bones
Grapes, grapevine
Herbs
Jewelry
Knives
Metals
Metalsmithing tools
Mirror
Mount Azazel (Jabel Munttar) in the Judaen Desert
Nose piercing
Precious stones
Red
Rough and jagged rocks
Serpent
Shields
Swords
Unclean bird, bird of prey, carrion bird
Uninhabited places
Weapons
Wilderness
Depictions
His form is described as a dragon with "hands and feet like a man's, on his back six wings on the right and six on the left." (23:7)
Originally, Azazel was one of heaven’s angels, a gloriously beautiful man with wings on his back.
Today, like many demons, Azazel is drawn with red skin, glowing yellow eyes, and a barbed tail. He may also be found wearing goat skulls or dressed in goat bones.
He is a shape-shifter and may appear in any form, including a winged angel.
An unclean bird, bird of prey, carrion bird
One of the earliest definite mentions of Azazel was in the Book of Enoch, particularly in what is known as The Book of the Watchers. This text, written between the 3rd and 1st century BCE, is a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls and is not considered canon by most modern day denominations but the characters and stories in this text remain a popular source of intrigue even to this day. In Enoch, we are told of the Grigori (Watchers) who were a group of 200 angels in charge of, you guessed it, watching mankind. In the process of watching humanity, they began to notice the “beautiful and comely daughters” of mankind and were overcome with lust for these women. Collectively, they agreed to take wives and father children but their leader Semjaza expressed concern that some of his men would back out. In an effort to guarantee that he would not be the only one commit this great sin, they all took an oath on Mt. Hermon, binding themselves ‘by mutual imprecations.’ Of the 200 Grigori, there were 20 leaders, with Semjaza holding the highest rank. The second highest rank went to Azazel who taught mankind how to make weapons and use cosmetics (get yourself an angel who can do both!)
Each of the Watchers taught humanity different ‘secrets of heaven’, which ended up being subjects like astrology, meteorology, and various practices considered ‘witchcraft’ in those times. However, some of them taught subjects still considered taboo in certain cultures. Tamiel, also called Kasdeja, for instance, was said to have taught women about abortion. Each of the Watchers also slept with mortal women and fathered monstrous giants called Nephilim. The Nephilim were said to be 3000 ells high, which is a little more than 2 miles tall. They were ravenous, even cannibalistic. When the labors of humanity could no longer keep up with the Nephilim’s appetites, the Nephilim turned on humanity, devouring man, animal, and each other. Those who were killed by the deeds of the Watchers arrived in heaven and brought God’s attention to destruction on Earth. To combat the devastation brought on by the Watchers, God sent he archangels. Uriel was told to warn Noah of the upcoming flood. Gabriel was in charge of killing the “bastards and the reprobates” as well as the Nephilim. He was instructed to pit them against each other while Michael bound Semjaza and the rest of the Watchers so that they could see their son’s rip each other apart. But God specifically set out an individual punishment for Azazel. “The Lord said to Raphael: ‘Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there forever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire.” He further adds “the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.’
Art: Azazel by Peter Mohrbacher ( @bugmeyer ) for his work, Book of the Watchers.
