Samael - Definition and Overview

Samael in Judaism

Samael is an important figure in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer, and destroyer. Legends referring to Satan refer equally to him, such that Samael is often taken to be the true or angelic name of the Devil, as opposed to the epithet Lucifer or the job title Satan (Adversary).

Samael is etymologized as "the venom of God," since he is sometimes identified with the Angel of death. But the name could also be derived from that of the Syrian god Shemal. Samael is also identified with the Choronzon entity of the Elizabethan ceremonial magician John Dee, and of Aleister Crowley.

Fictional Samaels

• A demon character called Samael is the chief adversary in the Silent Hill series of video games.

• Sammael is the name of a major antagonist from the Wheel of Time series of books.

• Samiel, or The Black Huntsman, is the demonish antagonist in the Weber opera Der Freischütz.

• In the movie Hellboy, Samael is the name of the demon dog that the main villain resurects.

People and groups named Samael

• Samael is the name of a Swiss black metal band. They began from 1990 with their debut album "Worship Him".

• Samael Aun Weor, was a Colombian neo-Gnostic, who formed the Gnostic Institute of Anthropology and is heralded by his followers as the Founder of Contemporary Gnosticism.

External links

• The Jewish Encyclopedia entry on Samael (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=106&letter=S)