Angels on Supernatural: The lore on the show and in the Bible

Angels on Supernatural aren’t the most favorite characters in the world. Just how close are they to the Biblical stories?

If you asked non-Supernatural viewers what they thought of angels, you’d hear that they’re sweet, diaper-wearing, harp-playing, cloud-sitting beings. That’s certainly not the case with angels on Supernatural.

From their first introduction in the Supernatural Season 4 premiere, it was clear that angels were anything other than the harp-playing beings. They’re soldiers; they’re fighters.

Just how much does the lore in the series hold up to the Biblical stories? Is there a hint of soldiers in the Holy Bible? It’s time to delve into the lore on angels.

Angels on Supernatural lore

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In the series, angels are God’s soldiers. They predate humanity and, of course, there’s a fallen one called Lucifer. There are four archangels: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel, who are more powerful than angels.

Overall, angels are the most powerful beings in existence, able to destroy other monsters with a touch. The only weapon that can kill them is an angel blade, although they can be banished through the use of a blood sigil.

In the series, angels are split into garrisons, very much like a traditional army. They are to do God’s bidding but things don’t quite go to plan when God vacates the building and the Winchesters refuse to play their part in the apocalypse. With Lucifer and Michael both gone, angels found themselves struggling to unite under one leader.

Angels in religious text

You’ll not just find angels in Biblical text. They show up in different religious texts, but it’s the Biblical story most commonly used for Supernatural. As benevolent beings, they act as messengers from God and help to send messages back to God. However, like in Supernatural, they were created by God for God.

There are certainly some adaptations of the religious texts for the show, but there are also some similarities if you look between the lines. Gabriel was known as the angel to exact justice in Jewish text, which is kind of what Gabriel/the Trickster does in the series. Uriel leads to destiny, which he did in Supernatural Season 4 in a way, trying to bring about the apocalypse.

At no point have angels been described as the harp-playing, cloud-sitting beings that we tend to view them as. They are more in line with the soldiers created for Supernatural. In fact, various artwork has depicted them as soldiers and powerful beings.

Yet, they can also offer comfort and guidance. This is something we see more from Castiel than any other angel.

In the Qur’an, angels are mentioned when it comes to testing individuals. They grant people wisdom or wealth or even illness to see how people react to them. In this text, Mikail/Michael is the angel of nature, which could be viewed as the angel of human nature. Could this be why he’s pushing to be God in every world he conquers?

Did you know everything about angels? What were you surprised about when angels on Supernatural were introduced? Share in the comments below.

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