Dumah ( Heb. ''dūmā'', "silence") is an angel mentioned in

Rabbinical Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonian ...

and

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic literature as an angel who has authority over the wicked dead. Dumah is a popular figure in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

folklore.

I. B. Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer ( yi, יצחק באַשעװיס זינגער; November 11, 1903 – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jews, Polish-born American Jewish writer who wrote and published first in Yiddish and later translated himself into English wi ...

's ''Short Friday'' (1964), a collection of stories, mentions Dumah as a "thousand-eyed angel of death, armed with a fiery rod or

flaming sword Flaming sword may refer to: * Flaming sword (mythology), in myth and legend, a sword glowing with flame by some supernatural power * Flaming sword (effect), a sword coated with combustible fuel and set ablaze for various types of performances * '' ...

". ''Dumah'' is the

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

word for silence.

The angel

Duma(h) or Douma (Aramaic) is the angel of silence and of the stillness of death. Dumah is also the tutelary angel of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, prince of

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

, and angel of vindication. ''

The Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

'' speaks of him as having "tens of thousands of angels of destruction" under him, and as being "Chief of demons in Gehinnom .e., Hellwith 12,000 myriads of attendants, all charged with the punishment of the souls of sinners." As the patron of Egypt, he disregarded the command of God to exercise judgment over the Egyptian deities. Whereupon God banishes him into

Gehenna The Valley of Hinnom ( he, , lit=Valley of the son of Hinnom, translit=Gēʾ ḇen-Hīnnōm) is a historic valley surrounding Ancient Jerusalem, Ancient Jerusalem from the west and southwest. The valley is also known by the name Gehinnom ( ...

, there he becomes its ruler and three angels of destruction are appointed to him. He and his fellow angels torment the sinners every day in the week except on

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

. In the

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...

n legend of the descent of

Istar ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing t ...

into the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...

, Dumah shows up as the guardian of the 14th gate. According to

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

s mentioned in Al-Suyuti's ''al-Haba'ik fi akhbar al-mala'ik'',

Azrael Azrael (; , 'God has helped'; ) is the angel of death in some Abrahamic religions, namely Islam, Christian popular culture and some traditions of Judaism. He is also referenced in Sikhism. Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael ...

hands over the souls of the deceased unbelievers to Dumah.

Other references

*Dumah is a city associated with the descendants of Ishmael that was known to the

Assyrian empire Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyr ...

as ''Adummatu'' and is known in modern times as Dumat Al-Jandal.Gallagher, 1999, p. 56.Hoyland, 2001, p. 68. *Dumah is the name of one of the seven compartments of

. *In the video game '' Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver'', Dumah is the name of a boss character. He is the vampire brother of Raziel, and along with Turel is the one who cast him into the Abyss on Kain's orders. In reference to the meaning of his name, when finally confronted, he has been killed by vampire hunters, and his corpse is sitting silently on a throne. *Doma (a variation of Dumah) the Angel of Silence is a card in the card game Yu-Gi-Oh!. *Dumah makes an appearance in Neil Gaiman's '' The Sandman'' (DC Comics), specifically in "The Season of Mists". He, along with Ramiel, become the keepers of Hell after Lucifer abandons his throne. *Dumat, the Dragon of Silence in the ''

Dragon Age ''Dragon Age'' is a media franchise centered on a series of fantasy role-playing video games created and developed by BioWare, which have seen releases on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The fra ...

'' series of video games, is named after this angel. Within the series' backstory, he was the first of the Old Gods to become an archdemon, necessitating the creation of the Grey Wardens (the series' primary protagonists) to stop him, some 1,200 years before the series begins. *In the video game ''

Fire Emblem Gaiden is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Famicom. Released in March 1992, it is the second installment in the ''Fire Emblem'' series and the last to be developed for the Famicom. It bui ...

'' and its remake '' Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'', Duma is the final boss of the story. He believes that humanity is weak and that hardship makes them strong. He is the patron deity of Rigel and is worshiped as the War Father, but becomes denounced as a Fell God by some of the characters because of his descent into madness. In his corruption, he takes the form of a large one-eyed green dragon. *An angel named Dumah appears in

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

television series ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'', portrayed by

Erica Cerra Erica Cerra (born October 31, 1979) is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Deputy Jo Lupo on the Syfy series ''Eureka'', and artificial intelligence A.L.I.E. and her creator Becca on '' The 100''. Career Cerra was born in Vanco ...

. She debuts in the "War of the Worlds" episode of season thirteen.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dumah (Angel) Angels of death Angels in Islam Angels in Judaism Fallen angels Individual angels

The angel

Other references

See also

References

Bibliography