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Watchers
In Jewish lore a high order of angels, called the Grigori. The term Grigori translates to "Those who watch" or "The ones who never sleep"
The Grigori are a superior of angels in booth the 2nd and 5th heavens (depending on whether they are the holy or fallen ones). They resemble men in appearance but are taller then giants, and are eternally silent.
Originally, according to the Book of Jubilees, the watchers were sent by god to instruct the children of man, but they fell when they came to earth and fornicated with mortal women. ["The Sons of God" in Genesis 6]
Some versions in rabbinic and kabalistic lore speak speak of good and evil watchers. Chief among the good watchers are Uriel, Raphael, Raquel, Michael, Zerachiel, Gabriel, and Remiel; the evil ones include Azazel, Semyaza, Shamshiel, Kokabel, Sariel, and Satanil.
In a newly discovered "A Genesis Apocryphon," Lemech suspects his wife Bat-Enosh, of having had sex with one of the watchers (called "holy ones or fallen angels") and that Noah is the seed of the union. Bat-Enosh swears "bt the King of the Worlds" that the fruit is his (Lamech's). The causeof the suspicion is the fact that Noah was born, he immediately started talking to "the Lord of Righteousness" and that his likeness was "in the likeness of the angels of heaven."
Lamech goes to father Methuselah for help. Methuselah goes to Enoch for the truth.
Since the "Apocryphon" breaks off here, we will probably never know what Enoch said.The Old Testament does not mention the notion of the fallen angels whatsoever. The actual first reference to a fallen angel/s does not show up until the New Testament, specifically Revelation 12 --
" And his tail (the dragon's or Satan's) drew the third part of the stars of Heaven (angels) and did cast them to Earth... and Satan, which deceived the whole world; he was cast out into the Earth and his angels were cast out with him."
In the writings of Enoch 1, there seems to be about 200 that fell ( a very small number I would say), naming about 19 (spelling variations observed) and listing the most prominent among them.
In the Book of Enoch is mentioned that a group of angels lusted after mortal women. "No-No" sin. There is a very brief excerpt about this group in Genesis 6:2-4 --
"That the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose".
There is a group called the Watchers or Grigori. This is the group that this passage speaks of. They are said to look like human male, but taller/larger, they never slip and they are silent. In Jewish legend/lore it is said that there are good and evil watchers, the good watchers residing in the 5th Heaven, while the evil ones reside in the 3rd Heaven.
The mysterious eighth order of angels, the gentle Grigori were created by God to be Earthly shepherds of the first humans. The Grigori were both physically and spiritually gigantic, at least by the standards of the people who later wrote about them. They served early humanity as vast reservoirs of information concerning the finer points of civilization, and their selflessness was beyond compare. They were also called the Watchers, as it was their job to observe humanity, lending a helping hand when necessary but not interfering in the course of human development.
In the Book Of Enoch, it describes that God had sent a legion of angels to earth in order to watch over and assist man during the beginning of civilization. These angels taught man sciences which were forbidden by God such as the magic in herbs, reading the stars, divination and sorcery.
Enoch goes on to say:
"...but they chose husbands and wives from among the humans and led greatly debauched lives, neglecting their heavenly duties..."
This angered God greatly and he banished the "fallen".
Sadly these angels were not suited to this job and instead of playing a positive role they began to teach man sciences that God had deemed to be forbidden.
These subjects included astrology, divination, herb craft and magic.
To compound this, they also began to lust after some of the women they were supposed to be guiding. In order to cohabitate with these women they even assumed physical forms. Although the church might argue that angels have no gender and therefore are unable to procreate anyway, the following excerpt from Genesis 6:4, points out that "the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them". The resulting half-breeds were named as the Nephilim.
This kind of bad angelic behavior could not be tolerated and as a result the Grigori were taken from their posts and imprisoned in a layer of heaven. Although they appealed to Enoch to speak on their behalf to God, they remained bound for 70 generations. As for the Nephilim, it has been suggested that one of the main reasons for the great flood, was not only to punish man, but to cleanse the earth of the half-bred creatures created from the union of fallen spirit and flesh.
Among the Strega the Watchers are called the Grigori. Originally there were 4 royal stars or Lords and they were called the Watchers. Each of these Lords ruled over one of the 4 cardinal points...North, South, East, West.
North - Formalhaut - who marked Winter Solstice
South - Regulus - who marked Summer Solstice
East - Aldebaran - who marked the Vernal Equinox
West - Antares - who marked Autumn Equinox
In the Strega Mythos, the Watchers were Gods who guarded the Heavens and Earth. Over time the Greeks made them Gods of the 4 winds, and the Christians made them creatures of the Air. In Stregheria we call the elements from the altar. The Grigori are of a "higher" realm and guard the portals to the gods.
In "A Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, the good Watchers are portrayed as a high order of Angels, (Archangels), also known as Grigori or Irin.
Chief of the Good Grigori are Archangels:
Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Zerachiel, Gabriel, and Remiel
Update, New information
The Watchers
The Mighty Grigori
The Tenth Choir of Angels
The following information is from the book:
"Angels:An Endangered Species" by Malcolm M. Godwin
A Flaw in the Sons of God
Enoch mentions in very detailed and fascinating passages the role of the mysterious Grigori or "Sons of God."
It is these angels who, in one version, precipitated the "fall."
These gigantic beings were called the "Watchers" and appear to constitute an almost separate Order, although they are generally grouped under the angelic wing.
Amongst the ranks of this particular group we find such infamous names as:
Shemjaza, Arakiba, Ramiel, Kokabiel, Tamiel, Ramial, Asael, Armaros, Batanel, Ananel, Zaquiel, Daniel, Ezequeel, Bartiqijael, Samsapiel, Turiel, Jomjael and Sariel.
The term Watcher or Grigori can mean:
"those who watch", "those who are awake" or "the ones who never sleep"
Satanial was the leader of one group of seven Watchers who first disobeyed the Lord and were punished. These were held in a penal area within the Fifth Heaven which is described as reeking of sulfur.
It was some of the Watchers who first cohabited with the women of the lowlands which lay below Eden.
In doing so they produced monsters which later became identified with the Babylonian legend of Tiamat's terrible brood.
Enoch was the grandfather of Noah and so could record, in detail, the flood which was meant to destroy these mutant and ravaging giants.
Lust and the Choirboys of the Tenth
The later church fluctuated for many centuries as to whether the fall of the rebel angels had happened through pride, lust or both.
Lucifer is said to have fallen through 'hubris', which is a Greek combination of lechery and pride. This was associated with phallic erections and as Barbara Wallace points out, Patriarchal Gods especially punished hubris, the sin of any upstart who became - in both senses - "too big for his breeches."
As angels really were considered sexless, and therefore above reproach, a typical compromise adopted was one given by the Bishop of Paris in the 13th century.
According to this theory there were nine orders of angels but it was a separate one, the tenth that fell.
It was these Sons of God who were held to be of a separate essence, who saw the Daughters of Man and who, we are told in Genesis 6, lusted after their seductive flesh and "took themselves wives from among them."
The Watchers had become the "Voyeurs."
This was a neat solution to a decidedly discomforting theological double-bind.
For it was difficult to reconcile a theology which insisted that angels were sexless, and therefore sinless, with the damning evidence from sacred scriptures that showed these lusty celestials were enthusiastically demonstrating just the opposite.
So it appears there were three distinct orders of angels in the lower echelons.
At the top were the seven Archangel chiefs, who were known as the aristocratic two-eyed serpents.
Each commanded 496,000 myriads of ministering angels who were known as the one-eyed serpents.
Last came the real working class Watchers or guardian angels.
That Crucial Nine-Tenths
Neither archangel nor angel was supposed to be able to reproduce (only demons can do this, but fortunately for us they are reported to have relatively short lives).
It does appear the Grigori, however, are nearer in form, genes, and sexual enthusiasm to humankind.
As we shall later discover, their association with the daughters of Eve ended in disaster.
As far as can be ascertained, mixing the genes was totally against the Law and those angels guilty of the act were severely punished.
One can understand how such a scripture sits uncomfortably with any orthodox Christian idea.
The rabbis had no such qualms, although Simeon ben Yoasi, the fanatic author of the Zobar, forbade his disciples, on pain of curse, to ever speak of the Sons of God having the mechanics to cohabitate.
Nevertheless it is these Grigori who are later punished for "bringing sin unto earth."
In His punishment of these Watchers, God ignores the fact that these angels appeared to have mixed motives ranging from lusty appetites to a genuine friendship and a desire to teach humans the secrets of heaven.
Early commentators insist that nine-tenths of the Watchers fell, which left only one-tenth in Heaven.
Later theologians reversed the proportions when it was seen that such an imbalance gave a decided edge to the Satanic forces.
The ten leaders, all once illustrious angels, were listed as fallen by the 4th century A.D.
Legend Three: Lust
The third account of the fall comes from Enoch the Scribe.
He lists two hundred bene ba Elohim (Watchers or Sons of God), who descended onto Mt. Hermon about 12,000 years ago.
Originally they were assisting the Archangels in the creation of Eden.
At the same time they began teaching men some of the arts of civilization.
The trouble was that their extra-curricular activities included the unexpected seduction of the daughters of Adam.
Rabbi Elkiezer, in the 8th century, with typical patriarchal zeal put the blame squarely upon the women.
"The Angels who fell from Heaven saw the daughters of Cain perambulating and displaying their private parts, their eyes painted with antimony in the manner of harlots, and, being seduced, took wives from among them."
It is difficult to believe the Angels were entirely innocent bystanders but they did probe to be highly vulnerable.
These Angels of fire were transformed on contact with earth and the fire changed to flesh.
According to the official Papal authority these apostate Angels actually came from a separate tenth order of Angels.
As we have already seen these were the gigantic Grigori.
Presumably these Angels were the only order which possessed the physical wherewithall to couple with the daughters of man, since it is held by the church that the rest of the Angels, being of the spirit, cannot reproduce.
But there are heretical accounts which suggest that when Angels sin they "clothe themselves with the corruptibility of the flesh."
In the case of the lusty tenth order this was obviously unnecessary.
One further piece of evidence shows that the Watchers possibly came from an entirely separate stock from that of the Angels.
A description of the four Archangels found in Enoch XL:1-10 speaks of the four Arhcangels as being "Four presences different from those who sleep not."
This latter term was given to mean the Watchers, so it appears they may have been physically completely unlike the other angelic orders.
It is certainly known that by the human standards of the area the Grigori appeared to be giants.
Not only had these Sons of God cohabited with the mortals but they began teaching them many of the deeper secrets of heaven such as making weapons from metal or creating perfumes and cosmetics so that women could become even more desirable.
However benign were their intentions to educate the lowlanders, these gigantic Angels managed, at the same time, to spawn some pretty horrendous and very unruly monsters.
These mutant hoodlums began to ravage the lands and finally, regretfully it seems, had to be dispatched by Angels loyal to the Throne.
The Lord then bound the angelic fathers and hurled them into everlasting hell.
However, since that time they have somehow managed to escape to both tempt and be tempted by the all too corruptible flesh.
The Sons of God
As we have already seen, the Watchers, known also as the bene-ha-Elohim or the Sons of God, were sent from heaven to teach human beings, but they succumbed to the highly seductive flesh of the daughters of Cain.
Nine-tenths of them are said to have yielded to the temptation and either dwell in the third heaven or in hell.
There seem to have been two leaders of the Grigori, Azazel and Shemjaza.
Of the two Shemjhaza appears to have been the one who repented of his actions.
It is a little unclear as to whether he was of a different species to the Watchers.
Some traditions maintain that he was a mighty Seraph who was seduced into revealing God's name to the beautiful but deadly Ishtarah.
One version shows him so mortified by the consequences of his lust when he sees his gigantic mutant sons being destroyed by the Angels of Vengeance, that he voluntarily hurls himself into the constellation of Orion and this is where he can still be seen hanging upside down.
This perhaps is a later piece of propaganda from the clergy for most versions assure us that he is alive, lusty and very much in action.
Certainly this story of Azazel is one of the possible origins of the Hanging Man in the Tarot deck.
There is certainly no doubt of Azazel's alignment, although from descriptions it would seem he also comes from a higher species.
Said to have seven serpent heads, fourteen faces and twelve wings, he is also named the "Lord of Hell" and the "Seducer of Mankind".
In his identification with Satan it was supposedly Azazel who refused to bow to Adam.
Whereupon the Divine Sculptor cast Azazel from Heaven and changed his name to Blis, which fits neatly into Islamic traditions.
He is Satan's standard bearer and is said once to have been a Cherub but his nature seems far more like the bene-ha-Elohim.
For it was this Watcher who first showed women how to use cosmetics, perfumes and fine silks to inflame a man's passions.
This is why God has an especial loathing for this "Son," for it was the Angels who were seduced by the seductive finery rather than the men.
Each year a 'scapegoat' for Azazel fell to its death on the Day of Atonement having been thrown off the desert cliff at Haradan.
This goat was believed to transfer the sins of Israel to their instigator, Azazel, who supposedly lay imprisoned beneath a huge pile of rocks at the foot of the cliff.
Other apocrypha, however, inform us that he was free and up to mischief and didn't even seem to know of this annual sacrifice.
A complete list of the most notable Watchers is listed below:
Agniel: Taught the people of earth the enchantments of roots and the secrets of conjury, as well as using those arts to seduce one of the daughters.
Anmael: Like shemjaza he made a sexual pact with a mortal woman to reveal the secret name of God.
Araquiel (Saraqaek): Taught the people the signs and secrets of the earth (geography) but is still said to lead souls to judgement.
Araziel (Arazyael): "God is my noon" but lust seems to have been is midnight.
Asael: "Made by God"
Asbeel: "God's Deserter" Asheel was the one who really sowed the seeds of dissention and who led the other Watchers astray.
Azael: "Whom God Strengthens" Obviously not enough for he was one of two Angels who succumbed to the all too delicious flesh of Lamech's daughter, Naamah. She gave birth to Azza: "The Strong One".
Azael further got himself into trouble with the Almighty by objecting to the transformation of Enoch the scribe into the most powerful angel of all...Metatron.
It was also Azael who revealed the heavenly arcana to Solomon, thus making him the wisest man on earth.
Baraqijal: A lusty demon who taught men astrology.
Exael: One of the Watchers who according to Enoch, "taught men how to fabricate engines of war, works in silver and gold, the uses of gems and perfumes."
Ezeqeel: Taught meteorology to the early tribes.
Gadreel: "God is my Helper" Enoch names Gadreel as the angel who led Eve astray. Eve protested loudly that she had copulated "with no false beguiling serpent" but as we have learned Eve's word is not always to be trusted.
Gadreel is also known for having taught men how to make tools and weapons.
Kasdaye: He taught women the art of abortion.
Kashdejan: Taught men cures for various diseases, including those of the mind (Celtic Diyan Cecht) considered one of the worst sins.
Kakabel: Taught astronomy and the science of the constellations.
Penemuel: Who taught the art of writing "although through this many went astray until this day, for Men were not created for such a purpose to confirm their good intentions with pen and ink." (Ouch!)
Penemue: The Watcher who taught men writing. Strangely, for an evil angel he is a curer of stupidity. This seems at variance with Church doctrine which holds that demons are stupid. In fact the evidence shows that the nether regions are on the whole far better read, can quote scriptures and obscure ramifications of the Law far more accurately than their brethren "upstairs". The official reason given for this is that a demon needs to be intelligent and cunning in order to be able to tempt the wisest of men.
Pharmoros: Taught pharmacy, herbal lore, practical medicine and diagnosis of illness.
Satanail: Also known as Salamiel. He is a great prince of the Grigori. According to Enoch he and a small group of his followers were already being punished for some serious offense even before the 'fall through lust". The angel Enoch never elaborated upon his particular crime, although it was inferred that he had led a group of overworked Watchers in a rebellion. Heaven is hardly what might be considered a haven ofr socialists, or those who believe in the equality of all angels. Int his respect, however, neither is Hell.
Talmaiel: A descendent of the Grigori who managed to escape both the flood and the swords of the avenging Angels.
Tamiel: "Perfection of God"
Turel: "Rock of God"
Usiel: "Strength of God"
From page 220:
The second calamity to disturb the peace of the paradise gardens happened when the socially lower artisan angels, who we now know of as the Watchers, or in Hebrew, as the Eyrim, dispensed with the artificial procedures altogether, finding the time-honored and sensual methods far more to their fancy.
This legend has already been introduced in the Treasury. They developed an insatiable lust for the daughters of men and begat many children by them.
The results were disastrous: the offspring were monstrous and aggressive.
The Watchers were described as gigantic but their progeny were even larger.
The whole lowland area was ravaged by these mutants, so much so that the Lords in Eden, albeit with much regret, decided to destroy them.
This detraction coincided with the flood, or as one theory goes, the massive resevoir of water at the settlement was opened to devastate the valley below and drown the terrible brood.
