The Shadowhunter's Codex (19 page)

It is difficult to make any clear statements on Raziel’s earthly appearance; we can go only from the earliest art and text describing and depicting the birth of the Nephilim. From that, we can put together, as it were, a composite sketch. We can say that the Angel is consistently depicted as many times the size of a man, as having long hair of silver and gold, as being covered in golden Marks not found in the Gray Book, and as a being whose appearances “fled from the mind and memory as quickly as they were seen.” Many depictions show him with large golden wings, each feather of which contains a single golden eye.

Unfortunately, when speaking of the first meeting of the Angel Raziel and Jonathan Shadowhunter, an act of great symbolic as well as actual significance, it is difficult to divide what is intended as factual description from what is meant as allegory. Since history has not preserved a record of this first meeting—as told by Jonathan himself or even by anyone who personally knew Jonathan—all depictions of Raziel must be assumed to have some kernel of truth but also some kernel of interpretive fiction.

What is generally accepted is that Raziel is (a) huge, (b) terrifying, and (c) displeased to be dragged into human affairs, preferring for us to use the tools granted us to solve our own problems. There are many (possibly apocryphal) stories through Nephilim history of unfortunate Shadowhunters attempting to summon Raziel, only to be quickly smote and reduced to ash for wasting the Great Angel’s time. The Mortal Instruments are meant to summon Raziel and provide protection so that the summoner will not, in fact, suffer a swift death. Unfortunately, Raziel is unlikely to look kindly upon those who summon him in response to a problem that is not global and truly epic. In addition, the question is merely theoretical, since the Mortal Mirror is lost to the Shadowhunters and has been for hundreds of years.

Seems obvious once you know the secret, huh?

It’s a little embarrassing now, I won’t lie.

OTHER ANGELS KNOWN TO THE SHADOWHUNTERS

It is a common question among young Nephilim: If angels never appear in our world, and cannot and should not be summoned here, why must we learn and memorize the names of so many of them? Shadowhunters must know the names of the angels, first because we are of their blood and so we learn their names out of respect. Also, of course, we name our seraph blades after them, and it’s believed that the seraph blades are infused not just with the generic heavenly fire of
adamas
but with some of the spirit of the named angel. This is why you will rarely find seraph blades named after the most famous and powerful of angels out of worry that such angelic power might overwhelm and destroy the wielder of such a weapon.

Hereafter follows a basic lexicon of angels known to the Shadowhunters, to be used to name seraph blades. More thorough information on each angel can be found in the official angel handbook,
Be Not Afraid
, 1973, Alicante.

A handy tip: When angels say “be not afraid,” you should be afraid.

Also, as I said earlier, we have to memorize angel names because Jonathan Shadowhunter wanted us to have to memorize angel names.

They sure like to end angel names in “el.”

Means “of God” in Hebrew, Clariel.

You two are just adorable.

Adriel

Ambriel

Amriel

Anael

Arariel

Ariel

Asmodei

Atheed

Barachiel

Camael

Cassiel

Dumah

Eremiel

Gabriel

Gadreel

Gagiel

Hadraniel

Haniel

Harahel

Harut

Israfiel

Ithuriel

Jahoel

Jegudiel

Jehuel

Jerahmeel

Jophiel

Khamael

Lailah

Malik

Marut

Metatron

Michael

Moroni

Munkar

Muriel

Nakir

Nuriel

Pahaliah

Penemue

Peniel

Puriel

Raguel

Raphael

Raqeeb

Raziel

Remiel

Ridwan

Sachiel

Samandriel

Sandalphon

Saraqael

Sealtiel

Shamsiel

Taharial

Uriel

Yahoel

Zadkiel

Zaphkiel

Another handy tip: Do not name a seraph blade “Raziel.” Legend says he doesn’t like it.

What would happen?

Just . . . don’t do it. Nothing good.

DO NOT SUMMON ANGELS

Wait, I’m confused. So I . . .
should
summon angels? Is that right?

One of the lessons learned most quickly by Shadowhunters is that life is deeply unfair. Most unfair is the truth that while our vocation and mission are given to us by Raziel, we have essentially no direct access to angels or their powers [which we the editors hesitate to refer to as magic; the faculties of angels are rather beyond the ken of even the most powerful warlock, for example]. As a young Shadowhunter you may have considered that the best weapon against the demon threat might be an equal opposing angel threat, and you have thought in your idle moments of summoning an angel yourself. Perhaps you have even sought tales or grimoires on angel summoning in your Institute library.

The Shadowhunter art is an ever evolving one, and yesterday’s forbidden methods are tomorrow’s accepted norms. However, there is a rule that remains globally true:

You should not attempt to summon an angel to your aid.

There are several major reasons for this. The first, and least interesting, is that it is most likely a waste of your time. Angels do not respond to summonings in the same way that demons do. For one thing, they cannot maintain a corporeal form in our dimension for long, any more than other non-demon creatures can in a dimension not their own. And the summoning rituals that claim to bring angels to us are obscure, difficult, and unreliable; they have been accomplished so rarely that we don’t have much evidence for what does and does not work. The risk of disaster, injury, or death from a misunderstood or misapplied summoning ritual is very high.

The second reason not to attempt an angel summoning is that there is no way to oblige an angel to cooperate with your needs. An angel cannot be
bound
in the way that a demon is bound, except by the application of forbidden and blasphemous rituals, the performance of which are among the worst violations of Law that a Shadowhunter could commit.

Finally, even if a summoning is successful, you and any companions you persuade to assist you will die, and die quickly. Unlike demons, angels do not
want
to be on our plane of reality. They do not like manifesting here, they do not like helping humans, and they are not known for their mercy. They are on the whole deeply indifferent to the travails of the mortal realm. They are not merely messengers but soldiers: Michael is said to have routed armies. They are not patient or tolerant of human vicissitudes. You must put out of your head images of naked winged babies draping someone in robes. Angels are great and terrible. They are our allies, yes, but make no mistake: They are utterly alien and inhuman. They are, in fact, far more inhuman than the most monstrous demon you will encounter. Angel blood we may carry in our veins, yes, but pure heavenly fire will burn and consume us, as surely as demonic poison will.

Angels are our mystical source of power, and the origin of whatever righteousness we possess. They are not, however, our friends.

Yes, yes, ha ha, it’s all very funny, this is actually important advice here.

What are the odds this is going to come up again?!

ON ANGEL BLOOD

Nephilim are raised knowing that in their veins flows some of the blood of angels, and thus angel blood is a substance about which many stories and tall tales have been told—that it grants superior strength, that it cures any disease, that it lengthens the human life. All of these claims must be considered less than credible, if only because stories claiming the appearance of angels in our world are, to our knowledge, universally false. A Downworlder who claims to be selling angel blood, or anything derived from angel blood, is lying to you. Shadowhunters should be too smart to be taken in by such claims, but sadly over the years a number of young Nephilim have shaken in Institute infirmaries, recovering from the ingestion of whatever substances have been mixed together to give the semblance of angel blood. There are no vials of angel blood floating around that grant superpowers. None. Do not fall for this ruse. Ahem.

I guess this is another one where I get credit for real-life experience.

I believe so, yes.

MUNDANES

Oh, I can’t wait.

The mundane world is the world you know. It is the world from which, new Nephilim, you have come, and its people, the mundanes, are the people you knew and the people you yourself were, until recently when you were changed. We often speak of the mundane world as though it is a minor aspect of our lives and our world, but in truth we exist by necessity
because
of mundanes. When Nephilim say we are protectors of the world, what we mean is protectors of the mundanes. They are our charges and our responsibility. Chumps!

Mundanes live their lives in ignorance of the shadows surrounding them, and it is our job to protect that ignorance and, as much as possible, maintain it. As you walk the streets of your cities and towns, as you patrol, you will be surrounded by mundanes living their lives, celebrating and mourning, knocked about by happiness and sadness and anger and sorrow and joy. These emotions you see may be at odds with what you, with the true Sight, know to be the truth. Sometimes drastically at odds. Many are the Nephilim who have been shaken by their need to run down and fight to exhaustion a demon who threatens to destroy an entire town of smiling, oblivious mundanes. This is one of the burdens we bear. It is our job to bear it appropriately.