Azazel

Overview

• 'But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the
  Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.'
  —The Book of Leviticus

• The First Scapegoat

  A scapegoat is one who takes on the sins of others - or at least bears the brunt of the blame for them. The modern notion of scapegoating has its origin in an old Jewish ritual described in the Biblical Book of Leviticus. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, it was tradition for the ancient Israelites to make a sacrifice of two goats chosen by lot. One goat was appointed for the Lord and slaughtered, its blood taken into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled upon the Ark of the Covenant. The other goat was appointed as the scapegoat, and the high priest would place his hands on the goat's head and confess his sins and the sins of the people. This goat was then led away from the place of habitation, and taken on a trek to a rugged cliff at the edge of the lonely wilderness. There it would be pushed backwards over the precipice. The tumble was usually enough to kill the goat; otherwise the barren wasteland would claim it. This casting away was for atonement, a symbolic removal of all the misdeeds committed by the community, borne upon the back of the scapegoat. A sin-offering - but not to God - to Azazel. The first Scapegoat.
  
  

  'And the whole Earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel:
  To him ascribe all sin.' —The Book of Enoch

• His Nomenclature

  N a m e :
  Azazel (Hebraic: עֲזָאזֵל 'Rugged Might of God')
  
  V a r i a n t s :
  Azaz, Aza'el, Azāzīl, Azâzêl, Aza'zeyl, 'Azā'zyēl.
  
  A l i a s e s :
  Rameel (Hebraic: רעמאֵאֵל 'Arrogant towards God')
  Gaderel (Hebraic: גַּבְדריאֵל 'Wall of God')
  Behemoth (Hebraic: בְּהֵמוֹת 'The Beast' in majestic plural)
  Shamdon (Hebraic: שָׁמדוֹנ 'Destroyer')
  Ba-neb-djed (Egyptian: 'Soul of the Lord of Mendes')
  Baphomet (Greek: Baphe Metous, 'Baptism of Wisdom')
  Tragos Apopompaios (Greek: 'the Goat Sent Out')
  Caper Emissarius (Latin: 'the Emissary Goat')
  
  E p i t h e t s :
  The Scapegoat, the Black Goat, the Emissary Goat,
  the Sabbatic Goat, the Goat of Mendes, the Beast,
  the Beast of the Earth, the Spirit of the Wilderness,
  the Unclean Bird, the Sent-away One, the Watcher.

• Nature of the Beast

  Of all the holy angels who fell from grace, mighty Azazel suffered the most for it. Though he was but one amongst many disobedient Sons of God, it was Azazel who was singled out to bear the harshest punishment for his rebellion against the Heavens. Nowadays, as a matter of course, it is the Devil himself who has the more infamous reputation - Lucifer, Satan, Samael, Shemyaza - his many names are synonymous with evil. Yet it was Azazel, standing at Lucifer's right hand, bearing the battle-standard of the Morning Star, who was held equally accountable by God for the propagation of sin and the corruption of mankind. Thus the Lightbearer and the Scapegoat were colleagues in disgrace.
  
  

  'Then strait commands that at the warlike sound Of Trumpets loud and Clarions be upreard
  Azazel as his right, a Cherube tall: Who forthwith from the glittering Staff unfurld
  Th' Imperial Ensign, which full high advanc't Shon like a Meteor streaming to the Wind
  With Gemms and Golden lustre rich imblaz'd, Seraphic arms and Trophies: all the while
  Sonorous mettal blowing Martial sounds: At which the universal Host upsent
  A shout that tore Hells Concave, and beyond Frighted the Reign of Chaos and old Night.'
  —John Milton, Paradise Lost

  
  

  
  
  The Angelic Sigil of Azazel

• The Story of His Sin

  Azazel was merely one of twenty chieftains set over the two-hundred fallen angels known as the Irim, or Watchers. He and his brethren descended upon the earth in the days before the Great Deluge. They had lost the War in Heaven and as punishment they were cast out from On High, condemned to dwell upon the world and watch over it in service to mankind. But to spite their Creator, the Watchers instead made themselves the masters of mankind, establishing themselves as false gods presiding over the burgeoning human race. They took mortal women, the Daughters of Man, to be their brides, and begat monstrous semi-divine offspring called the Nephilim, who terrorized the antediluvian earth.
  
  Just as their chieftain had first slithered into the Garden of Eden in the guise of the Serpent - tempting Adam and Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge - so too did the Watchers pass down the forbidden secrets of Heaven to their mortal followers, corrupting the Children of Clay with blasphemous teachings. Amongst the Watchers, it was Azazel in particular who was credited with the invention of metallurgy; he taught men how to forge armour and weapons of war, and women how to seduce with precious metals, gemstones, tinctures, perfumes and enchantments.
  
  For Azazel's part in the defilement of the Earth, he was singled out for special punishment, and bound beneath the desert by the archangel Raphael - in a place called Dudael, the Cauldron of God - there to dwell in darkness for all days until the very last. Following his imprisonment, the Great Deluge was unleashed upon the world to wash away the influence of the Watchers and their Nephilim offspring, while the fallen angels themselves were cast down into the Outer Darkness and the Seven Hells.
  
  

  'When the generation of the deluge began to practice idolatry, God was deeply grieved.
  The two angels Shemhazai and Azazel arose, and said: "O Lord of the world!
  It has happened, that which we foretold at the creation of the world and of man,
  saying, 'What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?' " And God said,
  "And what will become of the world now without man?" Whereupon the angels:
  "We will occupy ourselves with it." Then said God: "I am well aware of it,
  and I know that if you inhabit the earth, the evil inclination will overpower you,
  and you will be more iniquitous than ever men." —Legends of the Jews

• The Legacy of Azazel

  Nonetheless, Azazel's worldly legacy survived his banishment; preserved in the arts which he had passed down to mankind, and in the remnants of the blasphemous goat cults dedicated to his idolatry. Even nowadays, the horned visage of the Sabbatic Goat has become an enduring icon of diabolical evil, although it belonged to Azazel long before it was adopted as a familiar symbol of the Devil. The Serpent is the proper idol of Satan, while the Black Goat is the true visage of Azazel. And there are those in the world today who would seek to have that face behold the light of day once more. . .
  
  

  'And the unclean bird spoke to me and said, ‘What are you doing, Abraham,
  on the holy heights, where no one eats or drinks, nor is there upon them food for men?
  But these all will be consumed by fire and ascend to the height, they will destroy you.’
  And it came to pass when I saw the bird speaking I said this to the angel:
  ‘What is this, my lord?’ And he said, ‘This is disgrace, this is Azazel!’'
  —The Apocalypse of Abraham
  
  
  
  The Sigil of the Sabbatic Goat

• Sign the Goatbook

  'And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb,
  and he spake as a dragon.' —The Book of Revelation

  • 

    Michonne || October 6 2019, 6:41am

    "Uhhh your website is like, jaw dropping man. Freken love it."

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    Unicorn || October 28 2016, 4:29pm

    "Amazing custom rpr, loved reading all the details. Clearly a well researched and put together muse."

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    Pooka || October 28 2016, 4:50pm

    "Thank you kindly, O Monoceratic One! It was important to me that my interpretation of the figure of Azazel be as accurate to the original folkloric material as possible, with only a little embellishment where needed. I still have a lot of illustrations to finish before it's done, howbeit."

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    SilentSybil || July 19 2018, 11:54am

    "I completely fell in love with how you were able to use folklore to the advantage of making this character. It is truly inspiring and a great testament that facts can be used in the most creative of ways and can also shine a different light on lore that may have been heard dozens of times before. Fantastic read, will be doing the same for your other creations."

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