CryptoAngels: Sariel
The eighth in a series of posts about the Archangels of the CryptoAngels project and their inspirations.
Owned by ArtoftheFuture, Sariel is the first Archangel we meet who is not posted in a particular location in or around Heaven. Instead, he flies around the Multiverse traversing time, space, and dimension, to hunt and destroy the agents of the Dark. Sariel has an unusual personality for an angel. A cynical individualist, he does not fit in with the other Archangels – it is even suggested he has a certain level of contempt for them. He shows that there are many types of angel in the Multiverse. He is partly based on the ‘maverick cop’ type characters in films such as Dirty Harry. He bends the rules to capture and eliminate his foe and doesn’t care what anyone thinks about it. His spear is named Pitiless – appropriate for a character who strikes his enemy without mercy.
An inspiration for Sariel’s pursuit of his foes is the Wild Hunt from Germanic, Celtic, and Slavic mythology, which was led by a legendary figure – in some versions the god Wotan. The passing of the Wild Hunt struck terror into those who believed they witnessed it. Sariel’s two canine companions in the hunt are Fidus and Ferus, which mean ‘faithful’ and ‘fierce’ in Latin. Echoes of these hounds can be heard throughout folklore, where they are known by such names as The Devil’s Dandy Dogs, Gabriel’s Dogs, and Cŵn Annwn.
