The Angels

Castiel - http://www.eyeconfla.com/supernatural/images/castiel01.jpg

Angels have become an integral part of the show Supernatural over the past two seasons. The two main characters, Sam and Dean, have encountered different angels over this time, some created for the show and others are from religious literature. Castiel is a type of guardian angel for the two boys and attempts to help them whenever possible. There is no mention of an angel Castiel that would have any significance in religious literature. An angel named Anna also appears in the series and is portrayed as one who has lost her "grace" or ability to be an angel. She, like Castiel, has no importance in other religious literature. Other angels are mentioned throughout the show, but are only minor characters. The two main angels in the show that are referenced from lore, are Michael and Lucifer. For the past two seasons, the main plot of Supernatural has been leading up to the battle of earth, between Michael and Lucifer.

Michael

Michael is known as the greatest angel in religious literature and his name means "who is like god" (Guiley, pg. 242). Michael is the chief Archangel, and is one of four. The other Archangels include Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael. Michael is known as a "warrior, priest, protector, healer and guardian...a prince of light, angel of truth and an angel of repentance, righteousness mercy and salvation" (Guiley, pg. 242). Another one of Michael's duties is to be the Angel of Death. In Christian lore, Michael is seen as a Guardian Angel and "the angel who wages ceaseless war against the forces of Satan" (Guiley, pg. 244).

He is mentioned many times in the show but only appears once to Dean, requesting to use him as a "vessel" to help win the war against Lucifer, the fallen angel. Dean has been chosen, by God we are led to believe, to be a human host for Michael's spirit. Dean is defiant and resisting the idea. To be able to use Dean as a human host, Michael must get Dean to say yes to this request. It is yet to be seen in the show if Dean finally accepts his responsibility as the host for Michael's spirit. Michael's portayol as warrior, protector and guardian angel to the people of earth is shown in Supernatural because his goal is to defeat Lucifer and bring peace to this world. In Supernatural, Michael is to lead the forces of good against Lucifer and his army to try and reach peace for earth. We are unsure at this time the type and length of war that will occur, but it seems that the armies of heaven will continue in a ceaseless war.

Lucifer

http://images.buddytv.com/articles/spn-whereislucifer.jpg

Lucifer is known by many names, Satan, the Devil and Diabolos to name a few. His name means "bearer of light or bearer of fire and Son of Morning" (Guiley pg. 221). He was once said to be an Archangel, like Michael, and was one of God's most faithful servants. However, his thirst for more power, as seen everyday with the people of earth, was seen as defiant and God cast him out heaven and down to earth. He had "the desire of independence of God and equality with God" (Kent). One reason for Lucifer's rebellion against God is that through history it is often shown that those closest to people of power, thrive to have their power. Lucifer was a very high ranking angel and close to God, so this theory seems to be true for him. Lucifer may not have wanted to usurp God as the leader, he may however, wanted to gain power equal to that of God's. Unfortunately for him, any angel that does not follow God's wishes will have their powers removed, will "be removed by an infinite distance from the plenitude of God's power and majesty, so that a successful rebellion" (Kent) would be impossible. This wanting of power equal to that of God, showed Lucifer's first sin, lust. He had the lust for power and equality to God.

In Supernatural, Lucifer is portrayed as a calm and collected character which is different than most viewers conception of the devil. Many believe Lucifer to be an angry and evil being, who's lust for power is seen in his every action and will cause harm to everyone around him. He does still show his wanting of power and evil tendencies still are shown in the show. In season 5, episode 10, he performs a ritual that brings upon Death (the fourth horsemen of the Apocalypse) to run free on the earth (supernatural site). As with Michael, Lucifer needs a "vessel" for his spirit to be able to walk the earth. He is currently possesses a host but he is not as powerful as the one set forth for him. Sam, Dean's brother, is the vessel that Lucifer needs to be powerful enough for the eventual battle with Michael. The problem again lies with the host needing to accept the request of the spirit, and under the circumstances, Sam does not want to be the Devil's host body. Once again, as with Dean, we are uncertain if Sam eventually adheres to Lucifer's request because the season is yet to be completed.