Archangel Uriel
One of the lesser known Archangels, Uriel, Uri'el (Hebrew) is primarily an angel in rabbinical angelology mentioned in Enoch 1 and Ezra IV. He is one of seven who stand at the throne of God and is also one of four who serve humanity and is also one of the archangels who presides over the four quarters of the earth along with Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Uriel is often referred to as prince of the angels and of Tartarus.
He's one of the angels in non-canon lore and is alternately described as either Kerubim or Seraphim and is often referred to as the Angel of the Presence. Legend says that he stands at the gate of the Lost Eden with a fiery sword and he was attributed as being the angel who warned Noah of the impending flood. Although Uriel was accepted as an archangel by the church for centuries he was finally removed in something like 800 AD because the church was growing concerned about a growing fixation and importance placed by the public in angels.
His name means 'God is my Light'.
He is sometimes shown as the angel of death in fiction, and is thus a total Badass.
See also Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel, Archangel Raphael, Satan, and Our Angels Are Different/Celestial Paragons and Archangels.
Art
- He's featured in Leonardo Da Vinci's Virgin on the Rocks.
Anime and Manga
- Appears in the Angel Sanctuary drama CDs, as heroic and somewhat emo.
- In A Certain Magical Index, he's the patron of Vento of the Front and the source of her powers.
Comic Books
- The Marvel comics version of Uri-El is a hairless, yellow skinned humanoid with solid gray eyes, who wears long, bronze robes and is surrounded by an orange aura underneath them. He wields a red sword that seems to be made of some sort of energy and is known as the angel of redemption.
Literature
- He appears as an important recurring character in The Dresden Files from Small Favor onwards, and is credited with the slaying of the First Born of Egypt, and seen as the most subtle and powerful of the Archangels. Described as Heaven's assassin, spook, spymaster and doer of the gritty jobs involved in protecting free will. Mab likes his style.
- Harry reckons he's powerful enough to wipe out all life on Earth with very little effort.
- Also known as 'Mr Sunshine', but really doesn't like being called Uri. Since this means 'Light' — removing the -el ending would be cutting God out of his name — and the other angel called light is Lucifer and Harry's nicknaming has profound effects, this is justified.
- He also takes different forms as and when he chooses to. He's an old janitor in Small Favor and Warrior, and a young blonde man in Changes and Ghost Story
- He's also a Star Wars fan. In his own words, the Black and White Morality makes him "feel young again" when he watches it.
- He's also a skilled Chessmaster and Bob notes that he once conned the Father of Lies, i.e. Satan. Which is pretty impressive however you look at it.
- In Weaveworld, the nigh-omnipotent entity Uriel claims to be an angel. It's probably wrong.
Live-Action TV
- Appears in Supernatural as a Scary Black Man antagonist.
Tabletop Games
- Appears only in the backstory of In Nomine, where he was called to the Higher Heavens (from which no being returns) in the Middle Ages after prosecuting a crusade against the creatures of myth and legend. His title in the game was "Archangel of Purity", and some of the other Archangels thought he was doing his job too well; although no one is exactly sure why he was recalled by God, some think that Uriel's being "called upstairs" was the only way to keep the other Archangels working together.
Video Games
- Appears in a lot of Shin Megami Tensei games, sometimes as a boss.
Web Original
- Appears as the Angel of Death in The Salvation War universe, and kills thousands of people in the second book, before being finally killed by the machinations of Michael who puts him at the lack of mercy of a large amount of fighter jets and several battleships, as well as a YAL-1 laser. This version is most definitely Made of Iron, surviving numerous missiles, being microwaved by an exceptionally powerful radar and generally being shot.