#aziraphale is Raphael

[edwardallenpoe]

everyone: Crowley is/was Raphael!!!

Me, having the most obscure and niche headcanon that Aziraphale is Raphael and Crowley is Kokabiel: water..... please.... I'm so thirsty.... I haven't drank in days.....

[lanniisters]

It’s Aziraphale. Not Azi or Zira.

One thing I’ve been fixated on lately is the importance of names in Good Omens; namely Aziraphale’s, namely how Crowley has been affectionately calling him Angel and the fandom “Azi” or “Zira”.

But Neil Gaiman continues to call him Aziraphale.

You’d think that being co-creator of this character, one of two people who nurtured the thought into a fully fleshed out character, he’d have the impulse - nee, he’d have the right to use a term of endearment or shorten his name; but I think it’s precisely because he cares so deeply about this character that he uses his full name.

Names are everything to angels. Think about how Michael tells Gabriel that choosing love means giving up being Gabriel; choosing Beelzebub meant losing Archangel Gabriel, patron saint of messagers, bringer of spiritual gifts and knowledge. For him, choosing love effectively meant losing his identity.

Now, think about the theory that Crowley is Raphael. Think about how falling from heaven meant becoming “Crawly”; his name, his identity, stopped being ethereal and was, instead, reduced to something animalistic, something he does when he tempts Eve. In every sense of the word, he has been casted out and belittled - now, he crawls.

Except he also asks Aziraphale to call him Crowley. In that brief interaction, Crowley decides that he will no longer let Heaven’s shame dictate who he is - and that starts with his friend, his companion, calling him Crowley. In fact, Crowley decides to bring himself closer to heaven by choosing a Crow. He is no longer looking up at Heaven from the muddied ground; he is choosing to fly. In a sense, that could be the first time he chooses to truly be on his own - he is no longer Archangel Raphael or Crawly the snake; he is Crowley.

And then he chooses Anthony J. Crowley. He humanizes his name.

So, what does this mean for Aziraphale?

First, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Aziraphale is so close in nature to Raphael - just a few letters off from being the patron saint of protection and healing. And, just like his name, Aziraphale is always just a few letters off from being good - or, at least, Heaven’s version of good. Aziraphale chooses gluttony, he chooses temptation, he confuses desperation with selfishness (think back on his actions in The Ressurrectionist and his interpretation of Crowley’s “we could’ve been us”). Aziraphale wants to be associated with Raphael, but he could never be heaven’s version of Raphael.

Unlike Crowley, Aziraphale also never truly humanizes his name. He never chooses a first name, instead he goes with A. Z. Fell. He focuses on the fall; he, too, is the version of Raphael that fell.

It’s also pretty significant that he allows Crowley to call him “Angel”. In The Hitchhiker, Aziraphale deepens his voice and looks annoyed when Furfur cannot pronounce his name. He takes pride in his name and Furfur is desecrating it. So, why does he never correct Crowley when he calls him “angel”? After all, he is part of an institute that values the power of names. In one sense, it could be because Aziraphale is proud to be an angel; in another, it could be that Aziraphale temporarily (and blissfully) allows Crowley to separate him from his duties as Heaven’s soldier.

Every time Crowley calls him angel, Aziraphale temporarily chooses to lose his identity to love.

So, what does this say about Neil never shortening his name? It could be nothing. I could be reading too much into it to justify my personal choice to not shorten Aziraphale to “Azi”; or it could be a way to honour Aziraphale’s depth and complexities. He’s not Azi, he’s not Zira. He is Aziraphale.

[violet-yimlat]

I’m not entirely convinced on the “Crowley is Lucifer” theory…

But if you take it along with the “Aziraphale is Raphael” theory… (I’m really into this one but more on this later)

And read Lucifer by Joost Van Den Vondel…

Note Raphael’s use of a pet name (Joy of my life, my inspiration) and Lucifer’s denial and confusion when Raphael accuses him of seeking power and lying.

In this work of literature, Lucifer’s motivation is the power that humans will have, and how it will affect him, reminiscent of how Crowley is incredulous when he’s told that the universe was created for humans and that it would be demolished soon.

Also, Lucifer doesn’t just decide to rebel on his own. It takes some other angels (including Beelzebub) to convince him.

Raphael is also very upset about what happens.

Ok now Aziraphale is Raphael. The similarity of the names. Also, he wouldn’t have to be an actual capital-A Archangel, he could even be a little-a archangel and have been promoted to principality later. He had most contact with humans and is the angel in Eden, Raphael’s role in Paradise Lost.

Ok another thought just hit me. And it’s entirely stupid.

Crowley: (leads rebellion)

Crowley: (falls)

Everyone else: (fails to recognise him)

Crowley: (treated like crap)

[sectumsempress1]

Good Omens Season 3: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Sectumsempress1, Hag

I am once again going through my Good Omens season 3 predictions bingo and explaining why I think the things I think. Today I want to talk about Metatron's memory meddling, or more specifically why I think Aziraphale is the Archangel Raphael and why I don't think he remembers.

Once again, I know I cannot be the first person to think of this theory. I'm just adding my two cents. Here we go.

I know there is a fairly popular theory that Crowley was Raphael before the fall, but putting aside the fact that it simply wouldn’t work for television to give them a name that similar to Aziraphale, I just disagree with that assessment. I like to think that Crowley was Jophiel before they fell and Aziraphale’s original name was Raphael. 

I think we can answer this theory very quickly by noting that in The Book of Tobit, Raphael disguises himself as a human on earth, acting as a healer and guardian under the name Azariah. I honestly just think that Neil and Terry took the name Raphael and his human name Azariah and landed on Aziraphale. 

Furthermore, Raphael (“God has healed”) is literally the archangel of healing. He is also known as the angel of protection and keeping people safe on their journeys. God gives Raphael a mission in The Book of Enoch, verse 10:10 to:

“Restore the earth, which the [fallen] angels have corrupted; and announce life to it, that I may revive it.”

Aka ‘thwarting evil wiles.’ In The Zohar it’s also stated in Genesis chapter 23 that he: 

“is appointed to heal the earth of its evil and affliction and the maladies of mankind.”

If I were to go over every single instance of Aziraphale fitting the bill for these descriptions I would be here all day, but some I can think of off the top of my head are:

Giving Adam and Eve the flaming sword to assist them on their journey

Healing Anathema’s broken arm and bike

“Actually, I encourage humans to do the actual- [thwarting of evil wiles]”

Fixing that man’s phone in the graveyard in Scotland

Insisting that he wants to heal wee Morag  

Protecting ‘Jim’ 

This stunning scene in the Job memory: 

He is very clearly shown as a healer, protector and guardian of humanity, more so than any other character. 

Raphael is also known as a matchmaker, which is funny when you think about the Nina and Maggie situation but also makes total sense. Aziraphale loves love. Also he blows the trumpet to announce the Day of Judgement, aka the second coming. I guess Metatron needs Raphael back now huh? He even told Aziraphale himself that he is the only one qualified for this job. Aziraphale is Raphael. 

Or… he was.

I believe that Raphael was demoted following the fall, and Gabriel’s story is meant to mirror his. This scene says SO much: 

“You have refused to exercise your celestial authority, and are henceforth removed from office”

I think something similar absolutely could have happened to Raphael. We all saw how immediately drawn Aziraphale was to Crowley in ‘before the beginning,’ and it makes sense that Metatron could have seen that connection as a liability when he fell. He cannot have an Archangel in Heaven who is sympathetic to one of the fallen, it would be a ticking time bomb for another revolution. Aziraphale being sympathetic towards Angel!Crowley before and during the fall would make him question the fall as a concept, and Heaven could not afford that.

“For one Prince of Heaven to be cast into the outer darkness makes a good story, for it to happen twice makes it look like there is some kind of institutional problem.”

I think the first prince of Heaven Metatron is referencing to is Crowley, and I think he had this same mindset of making sure there was no perceived institutional problem during the time of the fall. So I think that is one of the reasons why Raphael wasn’t cast down; it would look bad. I think the other reason is; Metatron wanted him and Crowley separated, even then. Even then there was some glimmer of their potential combined power, the love and danger that could be born by having them both in the same place with neither of them on Heaven’s side. The most logical option would be to cast Crowley out and make Aziraphale think he deserved it. Because Metatron is smart. He knew that keeping an angel like Crowley in Heaven—an angel who unapologetically asked questions and wasn’t afraid to go against the status quo, even before he fell—could only end badly. The smart move was to keep an angel like Aziraphale on—an angel who wants to believe, who needs to believe, that heaven is fundamentally right and good—and feed into his faith by manipulating his fear. 

(Editing to add- it’s presented as an either or. We will not send you to hell, we will wipe your memory and demote you. We will do A or B. This is why I think Gabriel’s story mirrors Aziraphale’s more than Crowley’s, because being cast down to hell and having your memory wiped was never on the table here. It’s either or.)

“Although as a kindness, your memory of your time as Gabriel will be erased. You will be demoted.”

“As a kindness, your memory of your time as Raphael will be erased. You won’t remember the Starmaker, you won’t remember the fall, you won’t remember the injustice. All you will remember is the war, the divine plan, God’s will and your undying faith to carry out that will. You will remember what not doing so costs, but you will never remember why. All you’ll remember is that you had better not ask, because look where that got the others. Oh, and you will be demoted to earth. You will not remember the incredible power you wield as an Archangel. Because if you hand power like that to someone with a powder keg of repressed questions it may spark an explosion, and we cannot afford that. Not again, Aziraphale.”

Now I want to talk about two specific scenes that relate heavily to this theory.

Before The Beginning

I think this memory has been altered, and there are two ways of looking at it.

Aziraphale remembers it just as shown on screen. 

But in Eden he genuinely seems as though he is meeting Crowley for the first time, and then when he introduces himself as ‘Crawley,’ Aziraphale consistently messes up and calls him that even after he changes it to Crowley. So I can deduce from that that if Aziraphale had known Crowley by another name for millennia before Eden he would very much struggle with remembering to call him Crawley to begin with. The fact that he doesn’t struggle at all makes me think that it truly is his first time learning this person's name, his first time meeting them.

Aziraphale does not remember this moment, it’s only shown to the audience for a season 3 payoff. 

But during the confession, Aziraphale says “like the old times, only even nicer.” re: Crowley becoming an angel again, which implies that Aziraphale remembers ‘the old times’ with him. He also says “I know the angel you were” during the Job scene. 

We are at a bit of a dead end here… or are we? A possible solution is that Aziraphale does remember ‘before the beginning,’ but that memory has been altered to remove Crowley’s involvement, à la Frozen (“I recommend we remove all magic, even memories of magic, to be safe… but don’t worry, I’ll leave the fun.”) The ‘magic’ in this instance being anything that would paint Crowley in a sympathetic light and the ‘fun’ being the actual events that transpired. That would also explain why he remembers it the way he does, aka why Crowley’s angel name is omitted and why he introduces himself as Aziraphale and not Raphael, but he still recalls the actual string of events. Because Aziraphale can’t just have large gaps in his memory. He has to actually remember the cold hard facts. Metatron is far too refined of a villain to leave holes in his soldiers’ minds, especially giant star-shaped love holes. Where was I going with this? Okay anyway…

So when Aziraphale says “like the old times, even nicer” he is not specifically referencing the Starmaker scene, but instead a more general ‘memory’ of Heavenly life, which makes total sense considering Aziraphale’s apparent blindness to the true detailed atrocities of Heaven. All he sees is the big picture anyway, that’s all he’s ever seen. Because… ‘even nicer’ ??? What do you mean NICER? A bureaucratic job will be nicer than watching the being you love build a universe?? Okay. 

Same goes for “I know the angel you were” from the Job scene. The wording is important here. He didn’t say “I knew the angel you were” or “I knew you in heaven.” It feels like he is a step away from saying “I know of the angel you were.” Which, in the context, makes sense. He is trying to use a personal plea as a last-ditch attempt to get Crowley to do what he thinks is right, he is not reminiscing on their time as besties. He’s already cycled through:

“You don’t have to do this!”

“You have free will!”

“I don’t think God wants this!”

“I don’t really think you want to either!”

And when Crowley asks “what do you know about what I want?” in that bitter tone, Aziraphale reads it as an in. He thinks a personal plea may be the thing to get Crowley to stop, so he uses it. It’s a tactic.

With all that in mind, I believe ‘before the beginning’ to be an altered memory. I believe that Aziraphale remembers the creation of the universe in general terms but does not remember the Starmaker or the feelings that were already beginning to take root inside of him. 

In The Beginning

I believe this to be an authentic memory, and if you look hard enough (aka are delusional and also insane) there are clues to support my ‘Aziraphale doesn’t remember' theory, starting with their first meeting.

Aziraphale does a few confused double takes (which, sure, could be interpreted as ‘oh fuck it’s you’ but I am choosing to not see it like that :)) and then politely smiles and laughs at what Crowley says before asking for clarification. This is absolutely giving ‘awkward first meeting with a stranger’ energy and not ‘oh fuck it’s my old bestie who is now damned.’ This is not a face of recognition, even fearful or reluctant recognition:

This is very much just giving ‘who the hell is this?’ Especially because it is then followed up with:

Aziraphale flat-out does not know who that is. He even closes his eyes for a second in what looks like confusion, as if he’s trying to remember. As if he’s trying to look where the furniture isn’t. And if I think he’s confusedly pursing his lips for a millisecond as if he wants to say a J name that’s my damn business.

They look sorrowful. I don’t know how I didn’t catch it the first few times I watched the show. This is the face of someone who just slithered up to an old friend and started having a chat as if it was the most natural thing in the world only for that friend to have no idea who they are anymore. Even as their face moves into a smile, it’s not real.

Babygirl looks like he’s experiencing the most haunting, ancient melancholia behind those lovely snake eyes. It’s actually quite striking. David Tennent you are on my hit list.

Anyway Crowley then goes on to question the ineffable plan in a way that’s very reminiscent of ‘before the beginning,’ which I believe to be intentional because they remember, and Aziraphale doesn’t. So Crowley is thinking to himself that maybe Aziraphale’s memory could be jogged with familiar behaviour. 

Crowley also goes on about the flaming sword, which I believe used to be theirs when they were the angel Jophiel, so the emphasis on it makes sense. 

They really said “what the fuck did you do with my sword?” But then when Aziraphale says he gave it away we get the most genuine display of emotion from Crowley that he’s shown during this entire sequence. 

He is impressed. He is remembering the angel who refused to exercise their celestial authority and got his memories stolen as a result. They are thinking there may still be hope after all.

Okay now let’s briefly talk about why I think Crowley does remember. I feel like this is a pretty easy one to get through as there are plenty of moments where Crowley references heaven and the fall in a very clear way, some of which I will drop right here:

All well and good, but one big question still remains: if Crowley knows, why the fuck did he not tell Aziraphale in six thousand years?

Well… why did Elsa not tell Anna about her powers? I know this analogy is a little silly and trust me I’m losing my mind right now, but hear me out. Elsa doesn’t tell Anna about her powers because she thinks it's in her best interest not to know. She thinks that knowing will put Anna at risk and that she will be to blame for that risk. Now look back on Crowley and Aziraphale’s history, terrible communication aside, they don’t tell each other things because they both think that they can handle it on their own and they both don’t want the other to be in danger. They both consistently hide important and dangerous things from one another. For example:

Crowley didn’t tell Aziraphale about the Hell Hound for 11 years

Neither of them realised that both of their team of human agents were Shadwell’s men

Crowley didn’t tell Aziraphale the details of his execution

Aziraphale didn’t tell Crowley that he met Shax on the way home from Scotland

Crowley didn’t tell Aziraphale that he got dragged to hell and offered a promotion from Beelzebub

Crowley didn’t tell Aziraphale about The Book of Life threat 

You get the point. It’s a pattern. And the details of the fall, stories from their distant past… these are lethal pieces of information. And we have to remember that both of them are essentially under constant surveillance. They never know when they’re truly alone or not, as we can also see with how much they side-step and rationalise their relationship away. They are both constantly terrified. Why would Crowley share information like this when they know how the acquisition of knowledge ended for the last group of angels? After all, Aziraphale wouldn’t like it in Hell.

Now there is also another very plausible explanation: Crowley is simply assuming that Aziraphale already does know and is following his perceived unspoken lead to never discuss it. Which again makes sense considering how fragile every aspect of their relationship is. It’s largely unspoken with a shared handbook of unspoken rules that they use to maintain the little bubble of companionship that they’re permitted to have. They have presumably never had a real conversation. So when would this ever realistically come up?

In conclusion, I need a lobotomy. But I want this to be true so badly as it does genuinely make sense in my sadly un-lobotomised little brain. As always, Neil Gaiman, I am in your walls. 

[microclown]

Everyone’s entitled to their head cannons and maybe I’m missing something huge here, because I know a lot of people are really attached to the idea of Crowley as Raphael, but…

It just seems so obvious to me that Aziraphale is Raphael? Like Raphael is basically in his name, and and he’s about to become the fourth Archangel? I’ve seen a surprising few people talking about this on tumblr, but this YouTube video explains the theory well…

[bernard-is-tired]

My favorite Good Omens theory is “Crowley is Lucifer” cause like THINK ABOUT IT. He was the snake in the garden, he’s the one who destroyed Jeb’s life, he showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world, all things that Lucifer did in the Bible. Now you might be saying, “but Bernie, Crowley isn’t the king of hell.” WELL EITHER IS LUCIFER. Lucifer and Satan are two different people, and in Good Omens Satan is explicitly the King of Hell.

Now, you might be saying “what about the “it’s Lucifer and the guys” line?”, and I say what about it? You *really* think that they’d throw away a plot as big as Crowley being Lucifer over a *tiny* little throw away line? Not to mention that it can be easily retconned because when he says that, his voice goes up in pitch, which means he could be mocking someone, like *Satan*. So, instead of Crowley coming across Lucifer and the guys, it’s Satan coming across Crowley and the Guys.

Not to mention that Crowley fell cause he “asked too many questions”, and who else fell because he questioned God’s Plan? LUCIFER. Not to mention the snake, the red hair, the black wings, how *hot* he is (Lucifer was canonically the hottest Angel cause he was God’s favorite). And him being able to open the file that only Thrones and above can open, you know what’s above a Throne? AN ARCHANGEL. Also his line about him and the others making up being written out of existence to scare the Cherubs, and who else knew about that? MICHAEL. This would *also* explain Crowley’s hate of Gabriel because Gabriel was the one who beat Lucifer in the first battle of Heaven and Hell.

Not to mention how thematically satisfying it is for Gabriel to attempt to kill Lucifer when he was pretending to be Aziraphale, and for Crowley to fuck with him! That is such a Lucifer thing to do! And it’d explain Crowley’s hesitation in helping Gabriel before he even heard of the trouble Aziraphale would be in.

Also, Lucifer would’ve been very important in hell, important enough to have his freedom on Earth without someone regularly checking up on him like Gabriel did to Aziraphale. Also, Lucifer is the sin of Pride, and Crowley is *definitely* a proud person.

Now, I do like the “Crowley is Raphael” theory, but it doesn’t make quite as much sense. Other than him obviously being an Archangel, there’s not a lot that connects him to Raphael, especially cause Raphael didn’t fall.

You know who it makes sense for them being Raphael though? *Aziraphale*. The angel who’s name *literally* means “Of Raphael”. Because not only did Aziraphale not fall, but Raphael is the Angel of Healing. You know who we see heal? Aziraphale.

But now your saying “Aziraphale is a principality not an Archangel!” Easy. He was demoted. That’d explain why he doesn’t remember Crowley before the Garden. And who better to keep an eye on a former Archangel, *than another former archangel*.

Also, why would the archangels believe that a principality was able to preform a miracle stronger than any archangel, because he used to be an archangel. You also wanna know what’s stronger than one Archangel? *Two motherfucking archangels*.

But, you could be saying, “why was Aziraphale demoted then?” I dunno, because he spoke up when a very friendly archangel was cast out. Now, Aziraphale is not the type of man to stand up for someone to the point of falling, but if I was God, who just cast out a bunch of my angels, I wouldn’t take kindly to another Angel questioning me. I’d probably demote him just so he doesn’t question me again, which is exactly what God did.

[air--so--sweet]

Muriel says to have clearance to open the file about Gabriel's trial 'You have to be a throne, a dominion or above'. I didn't pay much attention to this line, other than I presumed they were high up angel roles and left it at that. But today, thanks to a tiktok comment, I learnt something new - Thrones and Dominions are of a higher rank than archangels! We've been trying to guess what archangel Crowley was when m,in the show, it literally tells us he wasn't any of them - he was more powerful than that!

So...um...who knows anything about seraphim?

Also this fully has me even more convinced of the theory that archangels choose/change their names after becoming archangels and Aziraphale is Raphael

[s-l-martin]

And Aziraphale is Raphael.

Crowley is Lucifer

(Ok I know some of you don't believe this theory but I highly suggest you give this a quick read anyway. I tried to make it short and easy and I'll be going chronologically, from s1 all through s2)

- First, let's get this out of the way, Lucifer and Satan aren't neccesarilly the same person. Even in the show the devil that appeared in s1 has only ever been reffered to as Satan, not even once as Lucifer.

- In the bible Lucifer was the one to tempt Eve with the apple, and who do we know that does that in the show. Crowley is literally THE snake from Eden.

- An obvious one perhaps, but the red hair is also a giveaway

- In the bible Jesus was tempted by the devil for 30 days, in the show Crowley says "I showed him all the kingdoms of the world", so that's another role Lucifer has that Crowley had in the show

- It's well known (even mentioned in the Sandman) that Lucifer was the most beautiful of all angels, and our demon is played by no other than David Tennant

Now on to season 2 because there's a LOT to unpack here

- He litterally started the engine of the universe which was one of Lucifers roles

- He's the first to say "let there be light", which is pretty fucking huge since that is Gods line

- "I worked closely with upstairs on it" even in the first scene they're telling us Crowley is an angel of very very high rank

- He fell for asking questions, which is litterally what Lucifer fell for, for questioning God. This in and of itself should be a pretty big indicator. "I only ever asked questions"

- Shax: "a miracle of enourmous power only the mightiest of archangels can perform"

Crowley: "How do you know I didn't do it"

And Shax just... doesn't counter that. She looks even skeptical, as if it COULD be a possibility, unlike Uriel who says to Aziraphale don't excpect us to believe you did it. Shax litterally doesn't shut the option down which confirms Crowley has the power not only of an archangel but of the mightiest kind

- In the bookshop with Gabriel/Jim he says "I don't remember. It [gravity] seemed like a good idea when we were all talking about it"

- "You're welcome to come in, you might even spot an archangel" don't tell me this was Crowley just egging Shax on and not being sneaky

- The fact that he could sense the demons coming. "Somethings wrong""It's coming in waves", when Aziraphale couldn't. It could be a demon thing but we saw Sandalphon, an archangel of lower rank, in the first season mention "something smells evil" so obviously angels can sense demons too, they just have to be powerful enough. And keep in mind Sandalphon was already in the book shop for quite some time, Crowley sensed them even before they had arrived (he also sensed the hell hound who was some fucking miles away)

- The.fucking.folder. "You have to be a throne or dominion above" and this dude opens these clasified documents like it's nothing. If this isn't an indicator of his high position as an angel I don't know what is.

- He's worked with Saraqael, another very high ranking angel

- "I'm the only first order archangel in the room"... and the camera imediately pans to Crowley, and for anyone who's read the book and watched the show you know that rarely anything is coincidental

- When the Metatron says they can't lose another prince of heaven. This... this fucking line. So it's relatively well known that Gabriel and Lucifer are brothers, and if Gabriel is one of the princes of heaven I wonder who the other one could be. "Two princes of heaven". And the Metatrons words were very careful, he doesn't say lost as in heaven can't find him, he says it in the context that they won't be sending Gabriel to hell since they won't lose another prince to downstairs

- In the bookshop when no one can identify the Metatron he turns to Crowley who imediately recognises him. Now you have this dude, who's literally on top of the angel hierarchy and is responsible for running heaven and the connection to God themself, surrounded by archangels and a principality you spoke to face to face with just a few years ago and... none of them can tell who you are, the only one who does is the literal demon. That tells us that Crowley has not only seen him in this form, but has probably worked with the Metaron himself personally. "Always asking damn fool questions", 10 million angels and he remembers what this one particular angel was like 6000 years ago

- Crowley is also very reluctant to reveal his identity as an angel. Now if he were just an ordinary angel of no real significance he wouldn't have a problem revealing his name, but... if his name was one that's the literal representation of all evil in this world, then it is understandable he keeps it a secret, in fear he might scare Aziraphale away

- And I wanted to leave the best for last. So you remember in the book when Crowley has to sign his name to start Armaggedon, and Hastur tells him "no, your real name" after which he reluctantly writes it. Now in the book we never see him write anything, but in the show we see him write a sygil, something that looks very mich like an L. An L... A FUCKING L. And now I wonder how this theory didn't come up sooner.

(Also he can fucking stop time, like dafuq)

Edit:

- "Oh looky here it's Lucifer and the guys" we all thought he was talking about someone else, he's just refferencing things other angels have said about HIM. FUCK

- I keep seing people saying Crowleys memories were wiped because he couldn't remember Saraqael and Furfur. But I think people forget, demons lie. He's lying to make them think he's not that angel they worked with, that he's not Lucifer. (In season 1 we hear him a few times refferencing his life as an angel, so he does remember most of it)

- Also saying if the Raphael theory were true then as showrunners they would have mentioned him somewhere for those not that familiar with the bible (or don't read much fanfiction). The refferences for Crowleys past are so so vague that it would be too sudden and confusing if he were Raphael. But there is one name that everyone is familiar with, no matter who you are how old you are or where you're from, a name that needs no introduction.

Edit 2:

- Back to him being the most beautiful angel, I don't think it was ever quite explained how every single demon when they're in hell looks... awful, but Crowley doesn't. Beelzebub has the spores all over their face, Hastur the maggots and the sh-, Dagon the scales etc. But Crowley doesn't, not even when he's in hell, he's always just so, well, pretty.

- I saw a few people asking about how Lucifer started the rebellion and Crowley wouldn't do that. I think it's the same Crowley who wouldn't get stuck in traffic after creating the M25, or the same Crowley that wanted to call Aziraphale after bringing down the entire London network, "you told them you invented the spanish inquisition, and started the second world war""so the humans beat me to it that's not my fault", "so all this is your demonic work?""no, the humans thought it up themselves nothing to do with me"

- Also I think Satan's in charge of hell not Crowley the same way the Metatron's in charge of heaven and not Gabriel (and who can very easily demote angels if he so wishes)

Edit 3:

- like some of you pointed out Lucifer is also known/means Light-bringer. And Crowley was the first to say "let there be light."

- The file he opens with Muriel is Gabriels file, a class A archangel, so if he knows the password to that it means that either he's on the same level as Gabriel, or above him.

[justsmth2]

mom said it's my turn to draw reverse omens au

[s-l-martin]

So sad. Theory bites the dust. ☹️

hey, I may be stupid, but when Metatron is speaking to the council of Angels about removing Gabriel from status, who is the other high rank Archangel that was removed? I’m pretty sure it’s Lucifer, right?

Right.

[if-i-look-straight-look-again]

The way we keep getting little snippets of how powerful Crowley was as an angel is driving me WILD like

1. he was in charge of CREATING GALAXIES?? WHAT!!

2. he casually knows all of the Archangels, and they all know him and talk to him like they’ve personally met before (including Metatron with that comment about how “he always wanted to go his own way, asking too many questions”)

3. he has access to confidential information, available only to dominions or higher??

4. we only see the angels do the “let there be light” thing, and exactly one (1) demon. Guess which one.

AND HE STILL CHOSE DAMNATION OVER POWER

He chose freedom over compliance, he chose what he believes in over being a relevant angel.

He saw the chance of ruling Heaven with Aziraphale, the love of his life, reinstated back to all that power, and he STILL said no, I’ll make my own way, because I will not give up my freedom and my morals for your scraps of power and love.

We gotta respect him for that

[goodomens-girlie]

Crowley in the 70s vs Freddie Mercury in the 70s

[assiraphales]

I’m committed (for funsies) to the ‘crowley is lucifer’ theory because the evidence is lowkey convincing (lucifer is the light bringer and crowley created the stars, he loved humanity too much, he was the one to tempt eve, he’s was a high ranking angel AND a high ranking demon who got all the big jobs like the flood, job, jesus, someone said he signed his name last season with an L) BUT I would also like to consider that there may be more to aziraphale than we know. because he was there at the beginning of the galaxy with crowley. he also got all those big jobs. he held audience with the archangels for his entire career and asked questions/was allowed a bookstore/stopped armageddon and wasn’t punished more than getting fired. the miracle he and crowley performed set off alarms. metatron is trying to manipulate him & his power for the second coming. something is up!!!

[inevitably-ineffable-husbands]

Oh! This is interesting, and I initially wasn’t for Azzie being Raphael, S2 has changed the game, I think. I propose this, in light of this revelation then... 

What IF... Crowley was the OLD Raphael (because I genuinely believe he was an Archangel, given he was able to open the folder without issue) and Aziraphale becomes the NEW one, taking on all the powers associated with that name??

What IF this is WHY their miracle together was SO STRONG and set off alarm bells in heaven? I don’t think it was Azzie that set it off, I think it was Crowley since he was the one hiding Gabriel from Heaven (and Shax mentions something about “only an archangel can do that” and mentions that it wasn’t Aziraphale). Was it strong because Azzie is MEANT to take Crowley’s powers, or because the swap unintentionally granted him some of Crowley’s power?

Just a little nugget that got my brain going after watching this video.

(I still love the Raphael!Crowley theory to bits, but GO S2 really is slotting more clues into places)

One of the TikTok’s I had to private because the twitter mob was Really Mad!

Aziraphale is/is GOING TO BE Raphael!

[youryurigoddess]

Aziraphale, Raphael, and other angelic names you should probably know

Yes, I’m digging out my oldest piece of Good Omens meta. If you’re one of the very few people who might remember it from my main blog or had followed me on Twitter before it was shared there last year, you should already get the gist of what’s going to come next. For the rest of you, this might serve as a nice warning of how true brainrot begins.

We will start at the very beginning: the name-giving. Since God has created the world with one word, in the Bible and related Jewish tradition names of things are considered of great importance. As the life-givers, they imbue meaning and power to those who bear them, and often lead them towards a certain predetermined path. The concept of true names in general is a global phenomenon, with traces of this belief to be found everywhere from Plato's Theory of Forms through Grimm’s fairytales and beyond, not only in religious, but also philosophical and anthropological context. Considering the vast number of options to choose from, coining a new name instead of just repeating someone else’s is certainly a choice.

Unsurprisingly, the one who came up with the name Aziraphale was Terry Pratchett, and according to an interview it was originally pronounced Aziraphael:

“It should be Azz-ear-raf-AE-el, but we got into the habit of pronouncing it Azz-ear-raf-ail, so I guess that’s the right way now.”

Don’t worry, we’ll get there in a moment. The second thing you need to remember from this interview is Terry’s answer to the question about the name’s origin:

“It was made up but… er… from real ingredients. [The name] Aziraphale could be shoved in a list of ‘real’ angels and would fit right in…”

Conveniently, I’ve already explained who he was and why he was so important in Judaism in one meta discussion on Tumblr, so I’ll be lazy and copy-paste my thoughts and expand them to add some details from other Abrahamic religions.

Before the Beginning, or the Angel of Love

Long story short, Libbiel was one of the archangels working with God on the creation of humans. The idea was opposed by some of them, especially the Angel of Truth, who was promptly cast down from Heaven to Earth (but promised to spring back out of the Earth eventually, don’t worry).

Unlike Michael and Gabriel, Libbiel (“God is my heart”) warned his angelic troops to accept the Ineffable Plan in advance and saved them from the Fall, which granted him God’s recognition and a new name, Raphael, the Rescuer, appointing him as the Angel of Healing (“God has healed”).

This seems to check out within the Good Omens universe: Aziraphale was involved in the Earth creation project before the rollout and had enough access to the human plans to see them with his own eyes and share this knowledge with the angel that eventually became Crowley.

He also appeared extremely anxious at the very mention of Crowley’s obligation to dissent and wanted to save him from any negative consequences even at the cost of interrupting the conversation he’s been enjoying so much.

We’ve noticed some peculiar reactions of Aziraphale to any mentions or acts of love, right? They usually involve reaching out to Crowley and might either suggest his feelings toward him or how physically overwhelmed he is with the very concept of love (or both, actually).

Interestingly, one of the official titles of archangel Raphael is Angel of Love. In Christianity he is considered a patron saint of happy meetings, matchmaking and marriage, and his healing powers involve especially eyes and… heart, in the context of both mental health and human love.

Raphael also has a canonical (at least in Catholicism) episode of playing a human matchmaker on God’s behalf in the Book of Tobit, in which he appears on Earth under the disguise of a man named Azariah. Aziraphale seems now like an obvious portmanteau for Azariah, Raphael’s alias used while disguising himself as a human, and Raphael, the name given to him by God as a commendation. An archangel embracing some humanity of his own volition.

Raphael’s color is sometimes mentioned as light blue, exactly like the light Aziraphale emits in the S2 opening sequence, and his symbol is a serpent (the ancient Caduceus, but I feel like at this point we can call him Crowley).

The angelic couple, or Zophiel and Barachiel

Remember that bit of Terry’s interview about real ingredients? Raphael’s backstory already seems complicated enough, but what if Aziraphale had not one, but two angelic prototypes? I happen to know one more angel — a cherub said to possess great feminine energy — whose story rings some alarm bells.

This is Jophiel (“The Beauty of God”) or Zophiel (“My Rock is God”, “Widom of God”, “God’s Rage”), believed to be a companion to the angel Metatron, regent of the Principalities and leader of the Cherubim, a heavenly protector — one of the child amulet angels.

In Jewish tradition Zophiel takes on the role of the guardian of the Torah as well as other books and knowledge itself, based on the fact that he was the one to guard the Tree of Knowledge and, armed with a flaming sword, drive Adam and Eve out of Eden. He also watched over Noah and his family during the Flood and was serving as an assistant to King Solomon when he spoke on Wisdom and wrote the books of Proverbs, Wisdom, and Ecclesiastes. In the Anglican tradition he is recognized as an archangel and typically depicted with a fiery sword in hand. The color belonging to Zophiel is yellow.

Lynn Fischer in “Angels of Love and Light: The Great Archangels & Their Divine Complements, the Archeiai” (November 1996) describes Zophiel as one who

“stirs the feelings through radiation of illumination and into aspiration … help in absorbing information and studying for and passing tests; dissolution of ignorance, pride, and narrow-mindedness; and exposure of wrongdoing in governments and corporations. Jophiel helps in fighting pollution, cleaning up our planet, and brings to [hu]mankind the gift of beauty. He also provides inspiration for artistic and intellectual thought providing help with artistic projects and to see the beautiful things around us.”

While this angel is mentioned in other works of fiction, Zophiel makes his most notable appearance in John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, as the warrior “cherubim with the swiftest wings” in the battle of Heaven, where he was believed to assist Michael as the standard bearer. He’s presented as a spy returning from a reconnaissance mission to the rebel camp, much in the way Aziraphale had infiltrated Hell and fooled its demons in the wake of Armageddon’t.

As Zaapiel derived from Za’ap (Hebrew) meaning rage, anger or storm, he is also recognised as the angel of storms and, under the variant Zafiel, the angel of rain. This might be the reason why Zophiel is traditionally associated with the archangel of lightning and thunder, Barachiel (“God’s Blessings” or “Lightning of God”, especially when transcribed as Barakiel or Baraqiel) — to the point of being mentioned as his partner or consort.

Barachiel is the angel of lightning, but also — as the name suggests — blessings. In Catholic iconography he is usually depicted with a staff, a basket of bread, or a rose, each petal of which is representing a blessing from God, tossed out as the angel pleases to bless people. He is the chief of guardian angels, but in particular watches over young children, and sometimes takes on the task of delivering the blessing of offspring to prospective parents.

Like Zophiel is believed to have taught humans languages and wisdom found in books, Barachiel is commonly revered as the angel who taught them astrology, the wisdom of the stars.

Nothing lasts forever

Raphaelic legends aren’t all fun and games, but also mention the less marketed aspect of being an archangel: signaling the Day of Judgment. In Christianity, this is usually assigned as another one of Gabriel’s jobs, but he’s on the run right now, isn’t he? Well, good news! In Islam, Raphael is called Israfil or Israfel and believed to be the angel who blows the trumpet to signal Qiyamah, a counterpart of the Christian Second Coming, instead. The fact that Aziraphale has taken over Gabriel’s position in Heaven might be much less coincidental than some think.

And it’s important to remember that this power is not only destructive — while the first blow will kill all creatures and creations, the second one will revive them and prepare for the Last Judgment (yes, the very same one that in Christian belief will be administered by Jesus with the help of Book of Life). Very much in line of what Adam, the Antichrist, has done with the help of a certain shoulder angel and shoulder demon.

This is exactly the sentiment found in the poem “Israfel” by Edgar Allen Poe. In a material world nothing is meant to last forever, which is a curse and a blessing. A curse because it means death and destruction; miracles may sustain a certain bookshop in its current form through millennia, but as a tombstone to the life they led instead of a home it once used to be. A blessing, because it also means change and a new beginning — as long as there’s enough life force to replace whatever is lost in the process.

Nothing on Earth lasts forever, but we should use it for inspiration, savor momentary bliss, and hold it in our hearts. Only Heaven and the passions of its angels (fallen or not) are truly eternal.

And we can expect at least two of them to keep loving each other beyond the human concept of time, perhaps in a nice cottage on the South Downs.

[unicornbeck]

I want to know when, and why, Aziraphale took the name Fell. It feels to me like he took it out of guilt, or shame, and I think he did it because of, or for, Crowley.

Is the reason for the name, which I feel must be self-imposed, chosen, the same as the reason why the other angels all scorn him so?

Did our angel take this name for himself because he feels guilty? Because he feels he ought to have Fallen too? Because he secretly feels he did?

The popular consensus has been that “AZ Fell” sounds like “Aziraphale.” But writers, like demons, lie, and I think it means something more. It’s also worth the question: how far did Aziraphale fall? Did he fall from Archangel Raphael to Principality Aziraphale? Was his a fall from political power but not wholly from Grace? Is the AZ missing the “R” sound from his name as a clue that he lost his “R” name completely?

Aziraphale’s wings are white. He has never (yet) lost his faith in Her. Crowley’s Fall was away from Her. His wings darkened as he ceased to trust, fell into shadow as stepped away from Her light.

Aziraphale does not, yet, acknowledge the difference between Heaven, the political bureaucracy, and God, in whom his faith resides. But there clearly is one, as he has never Fallen… his wings are white, though he disagrees with all of Her bureaucratic agents.

Did She stop speaking to everyone because they developed free will, or in order to allow them that choice? The last time we hear Her voice speaking to Aziraphale, he lies to Her. Free will established. This is the same God who put the Tree of Knowledge of the Good and the Bad in the Garden. Who deliberately gave humans the choice— and they took it.

All of these choices are so important. Remember that Good Omens itself is a fanfic of The Bible. It’s already meta. So. Why does Aziraphale label himself fallen? Does he believe he is Fallen? Is it as much solidarity as he can display with Crowley? Is it guilt? Something else?

Did he take the name Aziraphale by choice in memorial to Raphael? Was he Raphael? Was Crowley? (Again, authors lie.) It feels too much like (gasp) A Clue. 💗