Watcher (angel)
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Watcher is a type of
biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
. The word occurs in both plural and singular forms in the
Book of Daniel The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC biblical apocalypse with a 6th century BC setting. Ostensibly "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon", it combines a prophecy of history with an eschatology (a ...
(4th–2nd century BC), where reference is made to the holiness of the beings. The
apocrypha Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
l Books of Enoch (2nd–1st centuries BC) refer to both good and bad Watchers, with a primary focus on the rebellious ones.Barker, Margaret. (2005)
987 Year 987 ( CMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * February 7 – Bardas Phokas (the Younger) and Bardas Skleros, two membe ...
"Chapter 1: The Book of Enoch", in ''The Older Testament: The Survival of Themes from the Ancient Royal Cult in Sectarian Judaism and Early Christianity''. London: SPCK; Sheffield Phoenix Press.
Barker, Margaret (2005)
998 Year 998 ( CMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Otto III retakes Rome and restores power in the papal city. Crescenti ...
''The Lost Prophet: The Book of Enoch and Its Influence on Christianity''. London: SPCK; Sheffield Phoenix Press. .


Good watchers in Daniel

In the Book of Daniel 4:13, 17, 23 (
ESV The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Bible. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was "created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors." The ESV relies on recently published critic ...
) there are three references to the class of "watcher, holy one" (watcher, Aramaic '; holy one, Aramaic ). The term is introduced by
Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir"; Biblical Hebrew: ''Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar''), also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling ...
who says he saw "a watcher, a holy one come down (singular verb) from
heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
." He describes how in his dream the watcher says that Nebuchadnezzar will eat grass and be mad and that this punishment is "by the decree of the watchers, the demand by the word of the holy ones" ... "the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men." After hearing the king's dream, Daniel considers for an hour and then responds:
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
Protestant reformer Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...
Johann Wigand viewed the ''watcher'' in Nebuchadnezzar's dream as either God himself, or the Son of God. He promoted
Trinitarian The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Fa ...
thinking by linking verse 17 ("This matter is by the decree of the watchers") with verse 24 ("this is the decree of the most High"). Scholars view these "watchers, holy ones" as perhaps showing an influence of
Babylonian religion Babylonian religion is the religious practice of Babylonia. Babylonian mythology was greatly influenced by their Sumerian counterparts and was written on clay tablets inscribed with the cuneiform script derived from Sumerian cuneiform. The myt ...
, that is an attempt by the author of this section of Daniel to present Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian gods recognizing the power of the god of Israel as "Most High". The Greek
Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...
version differs from the Aramaic
Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...
: for example, the Aramaic text is ambiguous about who is telling the story of verse 14, whether it is Nebuchadnezzar, or the watcher in his dream.


Books of Enoch

In the Books of Enoch, the first Book of Enoch devotes much of its attention to the fall of the watchers. The Second Book of Enoch addresses the watchers (Gk. ''egrḗgoroi'') who are in fifth heaven where the fall took place. The Third Book of Enoch gives attention to the unfallen watchers. The use of the term "watchers" is common in the Book of Enoch. The ''Book of the Watchers'' (1 Enoch 6–36) occurs in the Aramaic fragments with the phrase ''irin we-qadishin'', "Watchers and Holy Ones", a reference to Aramaic Daniel. The Aramaic ''irin'' "watchers" is rendered as "angel" (Greek ''angelos'', Coptic ''malah'') in the Greek and Ethiopian translations, although the usual Aramaic term for angel ''malakha'' does not occur in Aramaic Enoch. Some have attempted to date this section of 1 Enoch to around the 2nd–1st century BC and they believe this book is based on one interpretation of the
Sons of God Sons of God ( he, בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, Bənē hāʾĔlōhīm, literally: "sons of the Elohim") is a phrase used in the Tanakh or Old Testament and in Christian Apocrypha. The phrase is also used in Kabbalah where ''bene elohim'' ...
passage in Genesis 6, according to which angels mated with human females, giving rise to a race of hybrids known as the
Nephilim The Nephilim (; ''Nəfīlīm'') are mysterious beings or people in the Hebrew Bible who are large and strong. The word ''Nephilim'' is loosely translated as ''giants'' in some translations of the Hebrew Bible, but left untranslated in others. ...
. The term ''irin'' is primarily applied to disobedient watchers who numbered a total of 200, and of whom their leaders are named; but equally Aramaic ''iri'' ("watcher" singular) is also applied to the obedient archangels who chain them, such as Raphael (1 Enoch 22:6).


Bad watchers in the Book of Enoch

In the Book of Enoch, the watchers (
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 ...
עִירִין, ''iyrin'') are angels dispatched to Earth to watch over the humans. They soon begin to lust for human women and, at the prodding of their leader
Samyaza Samyaza ( he, שמחזי; arc, שמיחזה; el, Σεμιαζά; ar, ساميارس, '), also Shemhazai, Azza, Uzza, or Ouza, is a fallen angel of apocryphal Abrahamic traditions and Manichaeism who ranked in the heavenly hierarchy as the leade ...
, defect en masse to illicitly instruct humanity and procreate among them. The offspring of these unions are the
Nephilim The Nephilim (; ''Nəfīlīm'') are mysterious beings or people in the Hebrew Bible who are large and strong. The word ''Nephilim'' is loosely translated as ''giants'' in some translations of the Hebrew Bible, but left untranslated in others. ...
, savage giants who pillage the earth and endanger humanity. Samyaza and his associates further taught their human charges arts and technologies such as weaponry, cosmetics, mirrors,
sorcery Sorcery may refer to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities * Magic in fiction, ...
, and other techniques that would otherwise be discovered gradually over time by humans, not foisted upon them all at once. Eventually God allows a Great Flood to rid the earth of the Nephilim, but first sends
Uriel Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...
to warn
Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
so as not to eradicate the human race. The watchers are bound "in the valleys of the Earth" until
Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
( Jude verse 6 says, "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."). The chiefs of tens, listed in the Book of Enoch, are as follows: The book of Enoch also lists leaders of the 200 fallen angels who married and commenced in unnatural union with human women, and who taught forbidden knowledge. Some are also listed in Book of Raziel (Sefer Raziel HaMalakh), 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 ...
, and Jubilees. * Araqiel (also Arakiel, Araqael, Araciel, Arqael, Sarquael, Arkiel, Arkas) taught humans the signs of the earth. However, in the '' Sibylline Oracles'', Araqiel is referred to not as a fallen angel, or watcher, but as one of the five angels who lead the souls of humans to judgment, the other four being
Ramiel Ramiel ( arc, רַעַמְאֵל, he, רַעַמְאֵל ''Raʿamʾēl''; gr, ‘Ραμιήλ), not to be confused with the holy angel "Remiel", is a fallen Watcher (angel) while the other is an Archangel in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. Rami ...
,
Uriel Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...
, Samael, and Azazel. *
Armaros Armârôs (Aramaic: תרמני, Greek: , ) was the eleventh on a list of 20 leaders of a group of 200 fallen angels called Grigori or "Watchers" in the Book of Enoch. The name means "cursed one" or "accursed one". The name 'Armaros' is likely a Gr ...
(also Amaros or Armoniel) in Enoch I taught humanity the resolving of enchantments. * Azazel taught humans to make knives, swords, shields, and how to devise ornaments and cosmetics. * Gadreel (or Gader'el) taught the art of cosmetics, the use of weapons and killing blows. * Baraqel (Baraqiel) taught
astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
. * Bezaliel mentioned in Enoch I, left out of most translations because of damaged manuscripts and problematic transmission of the text. * Chazaqiel (sometimes Ezeqeel or Cambriel) taught humans the signs of the
cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may co ...
s (
meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
). *
Kokabiel Kokabiel ( arc, כוכבאל, grc, χωβαβιήλ), also spelled Kôkabîêl, Kôkhabîêl, Kakabel, Kochbiel, Kokbiel, Kabaiel, or Kochab, considered the 'angel of the stars', is a fallen angel, the fourth mentioned of the 20 Watcher leaders of ...
(also Kakabel, Kochbiel, Kokbiel, Kabaiel, and Kochab), In the ''Book of Raziel'' he is a high-ranking, holy angel. In Enoch I, he is a fallen watcher, resident of the nether realms, and commands 365,000 surrogate spirits to do his bidding. Among other duties, he instructs his fellows in astrology. * Penemue "taught mankind the art of writing with ink and paper," and taught "the children of men the bitter and the sweet and the secrets of wisdom." (I Enoch 69.8) * Sariel (also
Suriel Sariel (Hebrew language, Hebrew & Aramaic: שָׂרִיאֵל ''Śārīʾēl'', "God is my Ruler"; Greek language, Greek: Σαριηλ ''Sariēl'', cop, ⲥⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Souriēl''; Amharic: ሰራቁያል ''Säraquyael'', ሰረቃኤ ...
) taught humankind about the courses of the
moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
(at one time regarded as forbidden knowledge). *
Samyaza Samyaza ( he, שמחזי; arc, שמיחזה; el, Σεμιαζά; ar, ساميارس, '), also Shemhazai, Azza, Uzza, or Ouza, is a fallen angel of apocryphal Abrahamic traditions and Manichaeism who ranked in the heavenly hierarchy as the leade ...
(also Shemyazaz, Shamazya, Semiaza, Shemhazi, Semyaza and Amezyarak) is one of the leaders of the fall from heaven in ''Vocabulaire de l' Angelologie''. *
Shamsiel Shamsiel (Hebrew and Aramaic: שִׁמְשִׁיאֵל ''Šīmšīʾēl'', "God is my sun" Greek: Σεμσιήλ Semsiḗl), also spelled ''Samsâpêêl'', ''Shamshel'', ''Shashiel'' or ''Shamshiel'', was the 16th Watcher of the 20 leaders of th ...
, once a guardian of Eden as stated in the ''Zohar'', served as one of the two chief aides to the
archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
Uriel Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...
(the other aide being Hasdiel) when
Uriel Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...
bore his standard into battle, and is the head of 365 legions of angels and also crowns
prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
s, accompanying them to the 5th
heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
. In ''Jubilees'', he is referred to as one of the Watchers. He is a fallen angel who teaches the signs of the sun. * Yeqon or Jeqon ( he, יָקוּם, translit=Yaqum, lit=he shall rise) was the ringleader who first tempted the other Watchers into having sexual relations with humans. His accomplices were Asbeel, Gadreel, Penemue, and
Kasdaye Tamiel (or Tumiel; arc, תומיאל, grc, Ταμιήλ), also spelled Tâmîêl, is a fallen angel, the fifth mentioned of the 20 Watcher (angel), watcher leaders of the 200 fallen angels in the Book of Enoch. Tamiel is also called either Kasda ...
(or Kasadya), who were all identified as individual "
satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
s". The account of the Book of Enoch has been associated with the passage in
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
6:1-4, which speaks of
Sons of God Sons of God ( he, בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, Bənē hāʾĔlōhīm, literally: "sons of the Elohim") is a phrase used in the Tanakh or Old Testament and in Christian Apocrypha. The phrase is also used in Kabbalah where ''bene elohim'' ...
instead of Watchers:


Second Book of Enoch

The Jewish pseudepigraphon Second Book of Enoch (''Slavonic Enoch'') refers to the ''Grigori'', who are the same as the Watchers of 1 Enoch. The Slavic word ''Grigori'' used in the book is a transcription of the Greek word ἐγρήγοροι ''egrḗgoroi'', meaning "wakeful". The
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
equivalent is ערים, meaning "waking", "awake". Chapter 18 presents the Grigori as countless soldiers of human appearance, "their size being greater than that of great giants". They are located in the fifth heaven and identified as "the Grigori, who with their prince Satanail rejected the Lord of light". One version of 2 Enoch adds that their number was 200
myriad A myriad (from Ancient Greek grc, μυριάς, translit=myrias, label=none) is technically the number 10,000 (ten thousand); in that sense, the term is used in English almost exclusively for literal translations from Greek, Latin or Sinospher ...
s (2 million). Furthermore, some "went down on to earth from the Lord's throne" and there married women and " befouled the earth with their deeds", resulting in confinement
underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...
. The number of those who descended to earth is generally put at three, but Andrei A. Orlov, while quoting the text as saying three, remarks in a footnote that some manuscripts put them at 200 or even 200 myriads. Chapter 29, referring to the second day of creation, before the creation of human beings, says that "one from out the order of angels" or, according to other versions of 2 Enoch, "one of the order of archangels" or "one of the ranks of the archangels" "conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to
he Lord's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
power. And
he Lord He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless." Although in this chapter the name "Satanail" is mentioned only in a heading added in one manuscript, this chapter too is often understood to refer to Satanail and his angels, the Grigori. The ''Mercer Dictionary of the Bible'' makes a distinction between the Grigori and the fallen angels by stating that in fifth heaven, Enoch sees "the giants whose brothers were the fallen angels." The longer recension of 2 Enoch 18:3 identifies the prisoners of second heaven as the angels of
Satanail Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. ...
.


Book of Giants

The story of the Watchers is shown also in the Book of Giants.


Philo

According to ''PrEv'' 1.10.1-2 of
Philo of Byblos Philo of Byblos ( grc, Φίλων Βύβλιος, ''Phílōn Býblios''; la, Philo Byblius;  – 141), also known as Herennius Philon, was an antiquarian writer of grammatical, lexical and historical works in Greek. He is chiefly known for ...
,
Sanchuniathon Sanchuniathon (; Ancient Greek: ; probably from Phoenician: , "Sakon has given"), also known as Sanchoniatho the Berytian, was a Phoenician author. His three works, originally written in the Phoenician language, survive only in partial paraphras ...
mentioned "some living beings who had no perception, out of whom intelligent beings came into existence, and they were called ''Zophasemin'' ( Heb. ''șōpē-šāmayim'', that is, 'Watchers of Heaven'). And they were formed like the shape of an egg."


Jubilees

The term "Watchers" occurs in the Book of Jubilees (Jub. 4:15, 5:1).


Damascus Document

A reference to the "fall of the watchers from heaven" is found in Hebrew in the Damascus Document 2:18 echoing 1 Enoch 13:10.


Kabbalah

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 ...
makes reference to the "watchers" of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.


Possible Babylonian/Aramaic origin

According to Jonathan Ben-Dov of the
University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...
, the myth of the watchers began in Lebanon when Aramaic writers tried to interpret the imagery on Mesopotamian stone monuments without being able to read their
Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...
text. Amar Annus from the University of Tartu argues that the Watchers were intended as polemical representations of the Mesopotamian
Apkallu Apkallu (Akkadian) and Abgal ( Sumerian: ) are terms found in cuneiform inscriptions that in general mean either "wise" or "sage". In several contexts the ''Apkallu'' are seven demi-gods, sometimes described as part man and part fish, associat ...
, who gave wisdom to man before the flood (which is portrayed as a corrupting influence in Enochian literature).


Depictions in popular culture

There have been many different depictions of the Grigori in fiction and wider popular culture. In Kevin Smith's 1999 religious satire ''
Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
'', the character Bartleby (played by Ben Affleck) is mentioned to have formerly been a Watcher. In Darren Aronofsky's 2014
biblical epic Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...
''
Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
'', there are a large number of Watchers and they are depicted as having been cast out of Heaven after deciding to help mankind. In
Traci Harding Traci Harding (born 1964) is an Australian novelist. Her work blends fantasy, fact, esoteric belief, time travel and quantum physics, into adventurous romps through history, alternative dimensions, universes and states of consciousness. She was ...
's book ''The Cosmic Logos'' the Grigori are a group of fallen spiritual beings who watched over and assisted human spiritual evolution thus gaining the title "the Watchers". In the ''
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 ...
'' season 10 episode "Angel Heart" mentions the Grigori with one,
Tamiel Tamiel (or Tumiel; arc, תומיאל, grc, Ταμιήλ), also spelled Tâmîêl, is a fallen angel, the fifth mentioned of the 20 Watcher (angel), watcher leaders of the 200 fallen angels in the Book of Enoch. Tamiel is also called either Kasda ...
(under the name "Peter Holloway") appearing as the main enemy of the episode. At one point in this episode, a picture is shown that is implied to be a painting of a grigori—it is, in fact, a classic depiction of the archangel Michael besting Satan. In the popular ''The Black Tapes'' podcast, Grigori are mentioned in Episode 105 titled "The Devil You Know". In his Sigma Force novel ''The Bone Labyrinth'' (2015), James Rollins describes Atlantis' creators as Watchers, a superior hybrid species of early humans and neanderthals who disseminated knowledge and possibly interbred with people throughout the world. They also created the protected, hidden city of Atlantis, located in Ecuador. In
Lauren Kate Lauren Kate (born March 21, 1981) is an American author of adult and young adult fiction. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages, have sold more than eleven million copies worldwide, and have spent combined months on the ''N ...
's book ''Fallen'' a group called 'The Watchers' studied angels who consorted with mortal women, but more closely, Daniel Grigori the sixth archangel. In Darynda Jones' "Charley Davidson" series, Sean Foster is identified as
nephilim The Nephilim (; ''Nəfīlīm'') are mysterious beings or people in the Hebrew Bible who are large and strong. The word ''Nephilim'' is loosely translated as ''giants'' in some translations of the Hebrew Bible, but left untranslated in others. ...
, "part human, part angel ... descended from the union of a grigori and a human." (''Eleventh Grave in Moonlight'', 2017) In
Ichiei Ishibumi is a Japanese novelist best known for his light novel series ''High School DxD''. Career In 2005, Ishibumi received a special prize in the 17th Fantasia Awards hosted by Fujimi Shobo for the light novel ''Denpachi'' that he submitted. He mad ...
's Japanese light novel series, '' High School DxD'', the Grigori is an organisation of fallen angels, the leaders of which are some of the Watchers named in the Book of Enoch. Three of them play important roles in the story Azazel is the Governor General of Grigori and becomes a major supporting character,
Kokabiel Kokabiel ( arc, כוכבאל, grc, χωβαβιήλ), also spelled Kôkabîêl, Kôkhabîêl, Kakabel, Kochbiel, Kokbiel, Kabaiel, or Kochab, considered the 'angel of the stars', is a fallen angel, the fourth mentioned of the 20 Watcher leaders of ...
is the main antagonist of Volume 3 and Baraqiel is the estranged father of
Akeno Himejima Akeno may refer to: *Akeno, Ibaraki, a former town in Makabe District, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Akeno, Yamanashi, a former village in Kitakoma District, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan *Akeno Station, a railway station in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan * ...
, one of the main characters. In El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, many members of the Grigori are shown throughout the game as the main antagonists. To name a few: Azazel,
Armaros Armârôs (Aramaic: תרמני, Greek: , ) was the eleventh on a list of 20 leaders of a group of 200 fallen angels called Grigori or "Watchers" in the Book of Enoch. The name means "cursed one" or "accursed one". The name 'Armaros' is likely a Gr ...
, Arakiel, Baraqiel, and
Semyaza Samyaza ( he, שמחזי; arc, שמיחזה; el, Σεμιαζά; ar, ساميارس, '), also Shemhazai, Azza, Uzza, or Ouza, is a fallen angel of apocryphal Abrahamic traditions and Manichaeism who ranked in the heavenly hierarchy as the leade ...
. In the English localization of ''
Drakengard ''Drakengard'', known in Japan as is a series of action role-playing video games created by Yoko Taro. The eponymous first game in the series was released in 2003 on the PlayStation 2, and has since been followed by a sequel, a prequel and se ...
,'' the overarching antagonists are semi-divine beings called "the Watchers." Though the game sometimes refers to them as " daemons," in the original Japanese text they are simply called angels. The English localization for the prequel, ''
Drakengard 3 ''Drakengard 3'', known in Japan as is an action role-playing video game developed by Access Games and published by Square Enix exclusively for PlayStation 3. It is the third and final main game in the ''Drakengard'' series and a prequel to th ...
'', calls them angels as well. In the original Dragon’s Dogma, the dragon is attributed the name Grigori by a separate antagonist. The dragon never refers to itself as such.


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General references

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Angels in Abrahamic religions Angels in Judaism Book of Daniel Book of Enoch Classes of angels Hebrew Bible words and phrases Primordial teachers Book of Jubilees