Castiel on Supernatural: The inspiration behind the angel

Very few angels in the Bible are given names. Just where does the idea of Castiel on Supernatural come from?

This month marks the 10th anniversary of Castiel’s appearance on the series. His name isn’t a name of one of the angels in the Bible, but there are theories as to where the inspiration for Castiel on Supernatural came from.

It’s time to delve into that inspiration and have a look at the character. Knowing exactly where the inspiration came from is impossible without a straight answer from Eric Kripke and the whole team at the time. However, it’s possible to make some educated guesses.

Castiel on Supernatural

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In the series, Castiel is the first angel we meet on the screen and the only one to really become a friend of the Winchesters. Others have become part of the team, but mainly for their own selfish reasons, while Castiel does it because he knows the Winchesters are good people and they help protect the world.

He was the one to raise Dean from Hell and would go on to help stop the Apocalypse, while all other angels remained out of it (or helped try to start it). He has also sacrificed himself for the Winchesters and the world when necessary.

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Little is known about him, except that he was a loyal soldier for many years and rebelled for Dean. He has become human after the loss of his grace thanks to Metatron tricking him and has been a Leviathan, a God, and much more. When he said yes to Lucifer, he became Lucifer’s vessel for a short time.

But where does the lore for Castiel come from?

Lore about Castiel and inspirations

Many people believe that Castiel is a form of Cassiel from Biblical text. Cassiel (sometimes written as Castiel) is the Angel of Thursday, which links to Castiel’s first appearance on a Thursday. Kripke has shared that the name purely came from Kripke Googling “Angel of Thursday” and coming up with Castiel.

In Jewish lore, there are various spellings for Cassiel but none of them call him the Angel of Thursday. The Zohar describes Kafziel as one of the aids to Gabriel. He can also be known as the Angel of Tears and the Angel of Temperance.

In some Western culture and literature, he’s the Angel over Saturn. However, other lore states his planet Jupiter. This is where the confusion with names and lore can come from, making it much harder to determine where the character’s inspiration came from.

The name Castiel in Hebrew (the original of angelic names) means “God is my shield/cover.”

In all honesty, the name was likely one taken from a list of angelic names. It’s likely that other elements weren’t completely taken into account because of so much contradiction. If the show is based on Christian mythology (and then we have to consider Protestant, Catholic, and other denominations) then we’re looking at an angel that isn’t actually named in the Bible! The name purely did come from Kripke’s Googling, as he’s always said.

Oh, and let’s not forget that Castiel is technically not a “he.” Angels don’t have a gender, which is something that the show has certainly proven over the years with Castiel, Raphael, and Hannah, all choosing both male and female hosts.

Are you surprised to learn the truth about Castiel on Supernatural? Did you think he was Cassiel? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Supernatural Season 14 premieres on Oct. 11 at 8/7c on The CW.