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A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels
The result of sixteen years of research in Talmudic, gnostic, cabalistic, apocalyptic, patristic, and legendary texts, the classic reference work on angels is beautifully illustrated and its reissue coincides with the resurgence of belief in angels in America.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Gustav Davidson
22 books7 followersGustav Davidson was a poet, writer, and publisher. Davidson attended Columbia University in New York City and worked for the Library of Congress. He was one time secretary of the Poetry Society of America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
September 19, 2013
YES, "including the fallen angels". whew, those are the best ones!
a pleasant way to while away an evening. put some castrati on the record player, pour a glass of white wine, and learn all about the legions of good & ill. fascinating! and exhaustive. i found it fun to compile a mental list of my favorite and least favorite angels and proceed to pit them against each other in my own imaginary personal rapture/apocalypse.
a pleasant way to while away an evening. put some castrati on the record player, pour a glass of white wine, and learn all about the legions of good & ill. fascinating! and exhaustive. i found it fun to compile a mental list of my favorite and least favorite angels and proceed to pit them against each other in my own imaginary personal rapture/apocalypse.
September 20, 2013
This dictionary attempts to list all the angels named in authoritative sources, along with what is known of their functions and relationships.
I got this book in December 1983, probably as a Christmas present (sorry, can't remember from whom). I had started to acquire reference books, and I had certainly turned toward an interest in spiritual things, so this book would have been a natural addition to my library. But since my main interest was not in Christianity or Judaism, and I did not particularly believe in angels myself, I never gave it more than the odd glance over the years.
Things have changed. For one thing, my current literary opus in progress is about a world in which angels figured much more prominently in people's imagination; and for this reason alone I have now read the book cover to cover. But another reason is that my view about the existence of angels has swung from skepticism to a definite inclination toward belief. Indeed, the only reason I don't simply declare my belief in angels is due to lingering uncertainty as to what exactly that term points to. But if I simply stick with the definition that appears in my Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary--"a spiritual being superior to man in power and intelligence"--then I can simply come out and say: I believe.
Indeed, my own belief in angels seems to be greater than Gustav Davidson's. In his intriguingly personal and fervent introduction, he has this to say about it:
This profession of belief--if that's what it is--is surprisingly tepid, considering the passions he experienced in the researching and compiling of his dictionary (a 15-year task, according to The Wall Street Journal). He says he "was literally bedeviled by angels. They stalked and leaguered me, by night and day." He goes on to say:
So Davidson's project was a kind of obsessive quest, one that led him down many dark and traumatic byways. Starting with the Bible, which, while mentioning angels many times, names only two or three, he worked his way out, writing to theologians and expanding the range of sources he was prepared to investigate to include the pseudepigrapha, such as the books of Enoch, which led him on to "related hierological sources and texts: apocalyptic, cabalistic, Talmudic, gnostic, patristic, Merkabah (Jewish mystic), and ultimately to the grimoires, those black magic manuals."
Where angels occurred in lists and hierarchies, he recorded and collated these. Often what seemed to be one and the same angel appears under one or more different names (in the case of the angel Metatron, under dozens or maybe hundreds of names). These Davidson carefully noted and kept track of.
The result of all these labors is this dictionary, and it's a wonderful thing. It consists of a long alphabetical list, followed by 33 short appendixes and an extensive bibliography. The appendixes contain things like various lists of angels (the angel rulers of the seven heavens, the angelic governors of the twelve signs of the zodiac, the angels of the hours of the day and night), but also delightful things like the angelic script and "A Spell to Guarantee the Possession of the Loved One."
By and large, not much is known about most angels, and so most entries are short--a couple of lines. But many entries are longer. Here's a fairly typical one:
Sounds appealingly human: a guy who's made mistakes and now is getting by with a teaching job in hell.
Or how about this one:
I'd like to think that I have a relationship with the angel Nilaihah--and maybe I do.
There is much, much else in here (there must be 4,000 entries in this book), including a few references to fictional angels in famous (or not so famous) literary works. Here and there the author points ironically to contradictions and absurdities in the various accounts, but he serves them all up as they are, mostly without overt editorial comment.
Even though I have evolved from a nonbeliever to a believer in angels, I'm not sure of the status of the various entities named in this dictionary. Are these actually existing beings? Do they really have these mostly Hebraic names? That's a tough question; we're dealing with a supernatural topic, and words, relatively natural things, turn back. Where did the writers of the various source texts get their information?
Maybe we'll never know. But a great deal hangs on the question of the existence of angels: a universe with them is a much, much different place than a universe without them. In any case, what has been thought and written about angels as individuals has been brought together in this book by Gustav Davidson. It's a treasure-trove of angelic lore, and a most appropriate addition to a decent reference library.
I got this book in December 1983, probably as a Christmas present (sorry, can't remember from whom). I had started to acquire reference books, and I had certainly turned toward an interest in spiritual things, so this book would have been a natural addition to my library. But since my main interest was not in Christianity or Judaism, and I did not particularly believe in angels myself, I never gave it more than the odd glance over the years.
Things have changed. For one thing, my current literary opus in progress is about a world in which angels figured much more prominently in people's imagination; and for this reason alone I have now read the book cover to cover. But another reason is that my view about the existence of angels has swung from skepticism to a definite inclination toward belief. Indeed, the only reason I don't simply declare my belief in angels is due to lingering uncertainty as to what exactly that term points to. But if I simply stick with the definition that appears in my Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary--"a spiritual being superior to man in power and intelligence"--then I can simply come out and say: I believe.
Indeed, my own belief in angels seems to be greater than Gustav Davidson's. In his intriguingly personal and fervent introduction, he has this to say about it:
A professed belief in angels would, inevitably, involve me in a belief in the supernatural, and that was the golden snare I did not wish to be caught in. Without committing myself religiously I could conceive of the possibility of there being, in dimensions and worlds other than our own, powers and intelligences outside our present apprehension, and in this sense angels are not to be ruled out as a part of reality--always remembering that we create what we believe. Indeed, I am prepared to say that if enough of us believe in angels, then angels exist.
This profession of belief--if that's what it is--is surprisingly tepid, considering the passions he experienced in the researching and compiling of his dictionary (a 15-year task, according to The Wall Street Journal). He says he "was literally bedeviled by angels. They stalked and leaguered me, by night and day." He goes on to say:
I remember one occasion--it was winter and getting dark--returning from a neighboring farm. I had cut across an unfamiliar field. Suddenly a nightmarish shape loomed up in front of me, barring my progress. After a paralyzing moment I managed to fight my way past the phantom. The next morning I could not be sure (no more than Jacob was, when he wrestled with his dark antagonist at Peniel) whether I had encountered a ghost, an angel, a demon, or God. There were other such moments and other such encounters, when I passed from terror to trance, from intimations of realms unguessed at to the uneasy conviction that, beyond the reach of our senses, beyond the arch of all our experience sacred and profane, there was only--to use an expression of Paul's in 1 Timothy 4--"fable and endless genealogy."
So Davidson's project was a kind of obsessive quest, one that led him down many dark and traumatic byways. Starting with the Bible, which, while mentioning angels many times, names only two or three, he worked his way out, writing to theologians and expanding the range of sources he was prepared to investigate to include the pseudepigrapha, such as the books of Enoch, which led him on to "related hierological sources and texts: apocalyptic, cabalistic, Talmudic, gnostic, patristic, Merkabah (Jewish mystic), and ultimately to the grimoires, those black magic manuals."
Where angels occurred in lists and hierarchies, he recorded and collated these. Often what seemed to be one and the same angel appears under one or more different names (in the case of the angel Metatron, under dozens or maybe hundreds of names). These Davidson carefully noted and kept track of.
The result of all these labors is this dictionary, and it's a wonderful thing. It consists of a long alphabetical list, followed by 33 short appendixes and an extensive bibliography. The appendixes contain things like various lists of angels (the angel rulers of the seven heavens, the angelic governors of the twelve signs of the zodiac, the angels of the hours of the day and night), but also delightful things like the angelic script and "A Spell to Guarantee the Possession of the Loved One."
By and large, not much is known about most angels, and so most entries are short--a couple of lines. But many entries are longer. Here's a fairly typical one:
Crocell (Crokel, Procel, Pucel, Pocel)--once of the order of potestates (i.e., powers),now a great duke in Hell commanding 48 legions of infernal spirits. Crocell confided to Solomon that he expects to return to his former throne (in Heaven). Meantime he teaches geometry and the liberal arts.
Sounds appealingly human: a guy who's made mistakes and now is getting by with a teaching job in hell.
Or how about this one:
Nilaihah (or Nith-haiah)--Ambelain lists Nilaihah as a poet-angel of the order of dominations. He is invoked by pronouncing any of the divine names along with the 1st verse of Psalm 9. He is in charge of occult sciences, delivers prophecies in rhyme, and exercises influence over wise men who love peace and solitude.
I'd like to think that I have a relationship with the angel Nilaihah--and maybe I do.
There is much, much else in here (there must be 4,000 entries in this book), including a few references to fictional angels in famous (or not so famous) literary works. Here and there the author points ironically to contradictions and absurdities in the various accounts, but he serves them all up as they are, mostly without overt editorial comment.
Even though I have evolved from a nonbeliever to a believer in angels, I'm not sure of the status of the various entities named in this dictionary. Are these actually existing beings? Do they really have these mostly Hebraic names? That's a tough question; we're dealing with a supernatural topic, and words, relatively natural things, turn back. Where did the writers of the various source texts get their information?
Maybe we'll never know. But a great deal hangs on the question of the existence of angels: a universe with them is a much, much different place than a universe without them. In any case, what has been thought and written about angels as individuals has been brought together in this book by Gustav Davidson. It's a treasure-trove of angelic lore, and a most appropriate addition to a decent reference library.
May 9, 2008
I don't remember who got this book for me, but it's really neat. I use it to name alot of my pets.
July 18, 2022
I always enjoy mythological and/or biblical dictionaries for the extensive (even if usually not generally all that intensive) information being featured in them, and especially so if like with Gustav Davidson’s 1967 A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels, there is also an included and detailed bibliography present (as that is sadly not always the case with these types of tomes, even though it of course should be the case).
However, the main if not even the only reason why I ended up reading A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels on Open Library last night and early this morning was in fact totally born out of my intense annoyance and frustration that in her Time Quintet series of middle grade science fiction novels Madeleine L’Engle does unfortunately not ever bother describing and explaining in supplemental glossaries the biblical angels (both good and evil or potentially evil) she makes such ample and primary textual use of (particularly in A Wind in the Door and Many Water).
And yes, A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels has certainly and definitely been a great and appreciated resource and reference tool for me (and one that I am definitely wanting a personal copy of for my own bookshelves), with Gustav Davidson delightfully listing the vast majority of angelic (and badly angelic) entities and their names as they are encountered in the Time Quintet, although that with regard to specifics, I would definitely have also wanted just a bit more detail on the cherubim and the nephilim. But considering that A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels actually lists thousands of angels from Judaic, Islamic and Christian tradition and culture in an A to Z format, I was not really expecting too many specifics either, but well, I can still wish a bit (and that yes, for me, A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels has certainly been a great resource and will thus also make reading Madeleine L’Engle much less frustrating, once I actually purchase a copy of A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels of course, as having to go to Open Library every time I need to look up the name of an angel or a fallen angel encountered in Madeleine L’Engle’s writing would easily and quickly become tedious and grating).
And finally, when I read about just how MANY different types of angels both positive and negative exist in Islam, Judaism and by extension also in Christianity, as the huge amount of angels that Gustavo Davidson presents and features in A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels is truly rather mind-boggling, I for one do also really kind of have to question just how much Judaism, Islam and Christianity are actually bona fide monotheistic religions, because while in each of these religions there is of course one main deity, are the oh so many hosts of good and bad angels not really minor gods and goddesses?
However, the main if not even the only reason why I ended up reading A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels on Open Library last night and early this morning was in fact totally born out of my intense annoyance and frustration that in her Time Quintet series of middle grade science fiction novels Madeleine L’Engle does unfortunately not ever bother describing and explaining in supplemental glossaries the biblical angels (both good and evil or potentially evil) she makes such ample and primary textual use of (particularly in A Wind in the Door and Many Water).
And yes, A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels has certainly and definitely been a great and appreciated resource and reference tool for me (and one that I am definitely wanting a personal copy of for my own bookshelves), with Gustav Davidson delightfully listing the vast majority of angelic (and badly angelic) entities and their names as they are encountered in the Time Quintet, although that with regard to specifics, I would definitely have also wanted just a bit more detail on the cherubim and the nephilim. But considering that A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels actually lists thousands of angels from Judaic, Islamic and Christian tradition and culture in an A to Z format, I was not really expecting too many specifics either, but well, I can still wish a bit (and that yes, for me, A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels has certainly been a great resource and will thus also make reading Madeleine L’Engle much less frustrating, once I actually purchase a copy of A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels of course, as having to go to Open Library every time I need to look up the name of an angel or a fallen angel encountered in Madeleine L’Engle’s writing would easily and quickly become tedious and grating).
And finally, when I read about just how MANY different types of angels both positive and negative exist in Islam, Judaism and by extension also in Christianity, as the huge amount of angels that Gustavo Davidson presents and features in A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels is truly rather mind-boggling, I for one do also really kind of have to question just how much Judaism, Islam and Christianity are actually bona fide monotheistic religions, because while in each of these religions there is of course one main deity, are the oh so many hosts of good and bad angels not really minor gods and goddesses?
February 20, 2010
This is an amazing book -- I used it when doing research for my novel, Release, and I'm continuing to use it for the sequel, Return. It also contains spells from the Key of Solomon and various grimoires at the end.
Be warned, though, that this work, which is very thorough, was published before all the Dead Sea Scrolls were translated and thus, the tales of the Nephilim from the Book of Enoch are not fully detailed in this book. Still, it's a great reference work on Judeo-Christian mythology.
Be warned, though, that this work, which is very thorough, was published before all the Dead Sea Scrolls were translated and thus, the tales of the Nephilim from the Book of Enoch are not fully detailed in this book. Still, it's a great reference work on Judeo-Christian mythology.
March 30, 2020
Just to be clear - I'm not religious at all. I very much enjoy the mythos of the fall from grace, and the various stories therein. This provides a great reference for those stories. If you like cinema that illustrates angels or demons like The Prophecy, Constantine, Dogma, Wings of Desire, Legion, or Meet Joe Black, this is a pretty cool book.
May 26, 2025
Nie mam pojęcia dla kogo i po co ta została ta książka napisana.
Ateista miesza ze sobą wszystkie możliwe religie, w których były wzmianki o aniołach, czasami powołuje się na Biblię, a czasami na książki, które mają w nazwie słowo ,,legendy" albo ,,słownik" xd (Ginzberg, ,,Legendy Żydowskie" i ,,Słownik mitologii hinduskiej"). Jeszcze wymienia Buddę? Mówi o nim jako o awatarze, a nie o aniele, więc nie wiem jak to się ma do tematu.
Jakby się chłop skupił na jednej lub ewentualnie na paru odłamach z jednej religii to bym jeszcze go brała na poważnie, jako badacza, ale tu po prostu są wymienione imiona istot z różnych dzieł na temat wiar tzn. przy aniołach występujących w Islamie źródłem jest książka ,,Dictionary of Islam" napisana przez Brytyjczyka itp.
Może innym quirky🤪 ateistom zastanawiającym się jak nazwać swoje zwierzaki się przyda. Ja bardzo się zawiodłam.
Ateista miesza ze sobą wszystkie możliwe religie, w których były wzmianki o aniołach, czasami powołuje się na Biblię, a czasami na książki, które mają w nazwie słowo ,,legendy" albo ,,słownik" xd (Ginzberg, ,,Legendy Żydowskie" i ,,Słownik mitologii hinduskiej"). Jeszcze wymienia Buddę? Mówi o nim jako o awatarze, a nie o aniele, więc nie wiem jak to się ma do tematu.
Jakby się chłop skupił na jednej lub ewentualnie na paru odłamach z jednej religii to bym jeszcze go brała na poważnie, jako badacza, ale tu po prostu są wymienione imiona istot z różnych dzieł na temat wiar tzn. przy aniołach występujących w Islamie źródłem jest książka ,,Dictionary of Islam" napisana przez Brytyjczyka itp.
Może innym quirky🤪 ateistom zastanawiającym się jak nazwać swoje zwierzaki się przyda. Ja bardzo się zawiodłam.
January 12, 2011
Growing up Protestant I didn't know much about angels. Who knew they were like smartphone apps of the heavens? Seriously, there's an angel for practically anything and everything. I really enjoyed this book and found it an incredible resource as I wrote an angel related original fiction last year. Comprehensive and easy to use, it was useful as a starting point to help me do further research certain characters. I think anyone who's interested in the supernatural will find this a handy addition to their collection.
March 6, 2022
Sublime !!! Magnifique
Un voyage dans le monde angélique...
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Un voyage dans le monde angélique...
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
December 4, 2011
If you're into angelology, this is probably the best reference book there is. Nearly every named angel (including not only those from apocrypha, but texts including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, and Hindu traditions) is included here. You can find all the different hierarchies of angels described here. It really is an encyclopedic reference. Writers who want to use angels from mythology would be well advised to refer to Davidson's work; many other dictionaries of angels are just condensed summaries of this book.
July 24, 2012
I got this book out of the library to use as research for one of my upcoming novels and discovered enough information that I have decided it is worthy of purchasing my own copy for further reference. Gives names and titles of angels alphabetically, but also by groups and by their "job descriptions". Full of charts and sigils and other interesting "artifacts".
Definitely helpful for an author researching angels, but also full of enough information for anyone with any interest in them at all.
Definitely helpful for an author researching angels, but also full of enough information for anyone with any interest in them at all.
July 11, 2010
This book is IT. While writing my debut novel, Psyche's Gate, I referred to Mr. Davidson's fantastic compilation of all things angelic again and again. From the well-known to the obscure, the highest Seraph to the lowest of the fallen angels, this book is a rich wellspring for the author, historian, student, theologan, or general fan of mythology.
January 11, 2011
With all the books on Angels out there today, Davidson's work reigns toward the top. To many, it is THE angelic resource. I like how it includes the fallen angels and not just the frilly standard names you find elsewhere. Lots of obscure angels throughout many religions and Davidson does a good job tracing alternative spellings and nicknames back to their original owner.
May 24, 2008
Not that great. I expected more stories or explanations about Angels. No, the book has a short definition of each Angel. With a few added sections like the one with prayers. Like a dictionary. Who would have guessed?
August 13, 2010
I love this book.
It has very reliable and interesting information about Angels and Fallen Angels.
And his introduction was very fascinatingly cool.
I wish he had more book's out.
Can't wait to reread it.
It has very reliable and interesting information about Angels and Fallen Angels.
And his introduction was very fascinatingly cool.
I wish he had more book's out.
Can't wait to reread it.
June 19, 2007
This is an awesome resource book. Any angel you can think of is listed here - including the fallen!
April 21, 2011
Not really a sit-down to read book, but a reference book --- good to have around for research!
August 15, 2024
This is a review of the 1967 hardback. I haven't seen the 1994 reprint, so I don't know if there were any added rext or illustrations from the original edition.
When I went to Millersville University from 1989-1991, I had dropped Christianity, but I was absolutely positive that I had a guardian angel. Looking back, I don't know why I did. But I did.
Anyway...
For a while at Millersville, I worked in the library. On Sunday nights, I worked the reference department desk. There was almost nothing to do. So, I'd select strange reference books and read them during my shift. Since these were books considered too valuable to be taken out of the library, sometimes after classes, I'd come back to the library to continue a reading a reference book I'd started during work.
This was one of those books. Even though it's a dictionary, and kind of dry, it does contain some very interesting mini-myths about specific angels. I think of it more of an anthology than a dictionary. Granted, many of the angels listed are only given one or two sentences, but some, like the Archangel Michael, is really gone into.
I found it sparked as my imagination, as well as helping my curiosity about angels in mythology. I think it would be a good reference tool for a fantasy writer. Many Wiccans, Pagans, New Age folk, and some Christians would also like to read this to aid their Magick spells and other whoo-hoo.
I'm surprised that I could still remember reading this after all of these years, so that's one reason why I gave it four stars. Your milage may vary.
When I went to Millersville University from 1989-1991, I had dropped Christianity, but I was absolutely positive that I had a guardian angel. Looking back, I don't know why I did. But I did.
Anyway...
For a while at Millersville, I worked in the library. On Sunday nights, I worked the reference department desk. There was almost nothing to do. So, I'd select strange reference books and read them during my shift. Since these were books considered too valuable to be taken out of the library, sometimes after classes, I'd come back to the library to continue a reading a reference book I'd started during work.
This was one of those books. Even though it's a dictionary, and kind of dry, it does contain some very interesting mini-myths about specific angels. I think of it more of an anthology than a dictionary. Granted, many of the angels listed are only given one or two sentences, but some, like the Archangel Michael, is really gone into.
I found it sparked as my imagination, as well as helping my curiosity about angels in mythology. I think it would be a good reference tool for a fantasy writer. Many Wiccans, Pagans, New Age folk, and some Christians would also like to read this to aid their Magick spells and other whoo-hoo.
I'm surprised that I could still remember reading this after all of these years, so that's one reason why I gave it four stars. Your milage may vary.
December 21, 2020
I fell in love with this book when it first came out in the 1970s and had to replace my first copy some years ago when it got too worn and moldy. I continue to flip through it and continue to learn things. What a blessing this book is. A rippling in and out of the traditional Hebrew bedtime blessing that invokes four angels to surround us and the Shekhinah to protect us from above.
April 28, 2025
Love! For me, A dictionary of Angels goes hand in hand with Devil's Dictionary as essentials for baseline references and starting points.
My only recommendation, you absolutely need to read the introduction. Davidson explains the how, the way, and the why. He also explains redundancy between cultures and the journey of how this book came to be.
My only recommendation, you absolutely need to read the introduction. Davidson explains the how, the way, and the why. He also explains redundancy between cultures and the journey of how this book came to be.
January 29, 2019
An interesting book that seems to have been put together by an author who didn't get too heavy with the material, making it more enjoyable to flip through. Not required faith reading in my opinion but if you want to satisfy some curiousity on the subject, have a look.
December 10, 2020
Interesting to read from the point of view of a non-theist, to see the pantheon of creatures to be worshipped and creatures to be feared and a fascinating look at how god behaves so capriciously and jealously etc.
March 19, 2025
Bought this for Uriel and stayed for the thorough and nich references. It’s like an outline of all the things you could look into for each angel you’re interested in. It’s like a paid, abbreviated Wikipedia page. Great starting point.
October 5, 2018
Exhaustive
October 24, 2018
Love this book. Use it extensively for my writings. It is a great aide.
January 6, 2019
I wish some of the descriptions were a little more in depth but I guess since the list of angels is so extensive that we would end up with a ridiculous amount of pages
February 13, 2019
A well organized encyclopaedia of Angels
January 31, 2020
A very reliable resource of accurate information concerning the realms of angels. Gustav Davidson derives his information from multiples of cultures.
April 10, 2020
An incredibly detailed, well-researched, and vast collection of information on most angels I can think of and (seemingly) hundreds more. Not perfect, but closer than any other book I've seen.
March 31, 2021
Reference almost never loses with me. This is similar to a book my parents had at home when I was young; they probably had the original 1967 edition.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews