Abraham is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews and God; in Christianity, he is the spiritual progenitor of all believers, whether Jewish or non-Jewish; and in Islam, he is a link in the chain of Islamic prophets that begins with Adam and culminates in Muhammad.
The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, Bereshit. Genesis is an account of the creation of the world, the early history of humanity, and of Israel's ancestors and the origins of the Jewish people.
Aaron's rod refers to any of the walking sticks carried by Moses's brother, Aaron, in the Torah. The Bible tells how, along with Moses's rod, Aaron's rod was endowed with miraculous power during the Plagues of Egypt that preceded the Exodus. Later, his rod miraculously sprouted blossoms and almonds to symbolize God's choice of Aaron and his tribe for holy service.
Archangels are the second-highest rank of angel in the Christian hierarchy of angels, put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book De Coelesti Hierarchia. The word "archangel" itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other religious traditions.
Samael is an archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore; a figure who is the accuser or adversary, seducer, and destroyer.
Raphael is an archangel first mentioned in the Book of Tobit and in 1 Enoch, both estimated to date from between the 3rd and 2nd century BCE. In later Jewish tradition, he became identified as one of the three heavenly visitors entertained by Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. He is not named in either the New Testament or the Quran, but later Christian tradition identified him with healing and as the angel who stirred waters in the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:2–4, and in Islam, where his name is Israfil, he is understood to be the unnamed angel of Quran 6:73, standing eternally with a trumpet to his lips, ready to announce the Day of Judgment. In Gnostic tradition, Raphael is represented on the Ophite Diagram.
Uriel, Auriel or Oriel is the name of one of the archangels who is mentioned in the post-exilic rabbinic tradition and in certain Christian traditions. He is well known in the Russian Orthodox tradition and in folk Catholicism and recognized in the Anglican Church as the fourth archangel. He is also well known in European esoteric medieval literature. Uriel is also known as a master of knowledge and archangel of wisdom.
Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King, who has appeared in at least nine of his novels. Described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark", he has supernatural abilities involving necromancy, prophecy, and influence over animal and human behavior. His goals typically center on bringing down civilizations through destruction and conflict. He has a variety of names, usually with the initial letters "R. F." but with occasional exceptions, such as Walter o'Dim and Marten Broadcloak in The Dark Tower series.
Graham Peter Taylor, pen-name G. P. Taylor, is the author of the best-selling novels Shadowmancer(which has been translated into 48 languages), Wormwood, and Tersias. Before taking up writing full-time, he was a police officer, motorcyclist and former rock band roadie turned Anglican vicar in the village of Cloughton, North Yorkshire. Taylor has three children and currently resides in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
Lech-Lecha, Lekh-Lekha, or Lech-L'cha is the third weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 12:1–17:27. The parashah tells the stories of God's calling of Abram, Abram's passing off his wife Sarai as his sister, Abram's dividing the land with his nephew Lot, the war between the four kings and the five, the covenant between the pieces, Sarai's tensions with her maid Hagar and Hagar's son Ishmael, and the covenant of circumcision.
Fyling Hall is a private, co-educational day and boarding school situated near the small village of Fylingthorpe, near Robin Hood's Bay, 7 miles (11 km) south east of Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1923 by Mab Bradley, the school was then run for thirty years by her daughter, Clare White. The school is centred on a Georgian country house that dates from 1819 and is situated in 45 acres (180,000 m2) of wooded hillside within the North York Moors National Park.
Archer & Armstrong is a superhero duo in the Valiant Comics universe. The two were originally created by writer and artist Barry Windsor-Smith and introduced in their own self-titled comic book series in 1992. After Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics in 1996, the two characters were rebooted in a series of one-shot comics entitled Eternal Warriors. Valiant Entertainment, Inc. relaunched the Valiant Comics universe yet again in 2012 and Archer & Armstrong Volume 2 introduced a new version of the duo. Their stories are a mix of dark superhero action and comedic adventures.
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Tharizdun is the god of Eternal Darkness, Decay, Entropy, Malign Knowledge, Insanity, and Cold. He originated in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting but has since also appeared in other settings.
Wormwood is a fantasy sequel to G. P. Taylor's Shadowmancer. It follows the adventures of Dr. Sabian Blake and his servant girl, Agetta Lamian. It is a Christian allegory.
Tersias is the second sequel to the fantasy novel Shadowmancer by G. P. Taylor and direct sequel to Wormwood. Tersias was followed in 2006 by The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street. Tersias has had two releases, one for the original copy and a second for a special edition version.
The Shadowmancer Returns is the fourth novel in Graham Taylor's Shadowmancer series, following Tersias, and a direct sequel to Shadowmancer.
Wotan is a fictional supervillain featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman, made their first appearance in More Fun Comics #55 in 1940. Wotan is frequently portrayed as the primary antagonist of Doctor Fate. Originally a female who obtained her powers through sorcery, Wotan later underwent reincarnation in a male form. Adopting the name "Wotan" from Germanic and Norse legends, the character developed a strong desire for power, leading to conflicts with Doctor Fate. Following the New 52 reboot, a new version of the character named Karel Wotan was introduced in the Earth 2 universe. Karel shares a similar background and possesses green skin as a result of a scar inflicted by Nabu. Seeking vengeance for this injury, Karel assumes the identity of Wotan. The original incarnation of Wotan briefly reappeared in the DC Rebirth storyline.
Thalaba the Destroyer is an 1801 epic poem composed by Robert Southey. The origins of the poem can be traced to Southey's school boy days, but he did not begin to write the poem until he finished composing Madoc at the age of 25. Thalaba the Destroyer was completed while Southey travelled in Portugal. When the poem was finally published by the publisher Longman, it suffered from poor sales and only half of the copies were sold by 1804.
The Bandlet of Righteousness, also known as the Ethiopian Book of the Dead, is an anonymous Ethiopic magico-religious funerary text. It consists of a frame story about how God the Father revealed the secret names of God to his son, Jesus Christ, who then gave them to his mother, the Virgin Mary, who passed them on to her relatives. The names revealed in the work function as an amulet. When written out on a scroll and wrapped around the deceased, they will bring him to Heaven.
