Azazeal
Encyclopedia
Azazeal is a fictional character
in the British
television series Hex
, played by Michael Fassbender
.
The character is seemingly based on the similarly spelled Azazel
from The Book of Enoch. However, past the name, the similarities end. In biblical Apocrypha
, the fallen angel
s referred to in Hex as the Nephilim
were in fact called the Grigori
, or "Watchers." In the Apocrypha, the Nephilim were offspring of the Grigori by mortal women. It is most likely the difference in spelling of Azazeal/Azazel and the change to Nephilim from Grigori were done for aesthetic reasons, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Azazeal seduced a series of women throughout the ages, dating from ancient Egypt
to the present, but these women were usually killed by Ella Dee
in order to stop the freedom of the Nephilim that his son's birth would signal.
In the first episode of Hex, Azazeal sacrifices Cassie Hughes' friend and roommate Thelma Bates
, turning her into a ghost
and releasing his power. Later in the series, he enters into a sexual relationship with Cassie and Cassie's teacher Jo, eventually turning her to his side. Through a series of demonic possessions, he conceives an heir, Malachi, with Cassie, and convinces the abortionist to put the child in his care at Christmas
time.
In series two, after Cassie's death, Azazeal uses the mystical Stone of Belial
to make Ella Dee relive her torture and execution, eventually causing her to lose her immortality and rapidly age to 500 or so years old, nearing death. He, an adult Malachi and Perie the "fairy" form a small alliance, before Azazeal is suddenly notified by higher powers that he is no longer to be Malachi's caregiver, replaced with Mephistopheles
. He and Ella share a goodbye without trying to kill each other.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television series Hex
Hex (TV series)
Hex is a British television programme developed by Shine Limited and aired on the Sky One satellite channel. The story is about a remote English country school that becomes the battleground between a demonic entity and the witches who oppose it...
, played by Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an Irish-German actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class...
.
The character is seemingly based on the similarly spelled Azazel
Azazel
Azazel or Azazael or Azâzêl is a term used three times in the Hebrew scriptures, and later in Hebrew mythology as the enigmatic name of a character....
from The Book of Enoch. However, past the name, the similarities end. In biblical Apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
, the fallen angel
Fallen angel
Fallen angel is a concept developed in Jewish mythology from interpretation of the Book of Enoch. The actual term fallen angel is not found in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Christians adopted the concept of fallen angels mainly based on their interpretations of the Book of...
s referred to in Hex as the Nephilim
Nephilim
The Nephilim are the offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" in Genesis 6:4, or giants who inhabit Canaan in Numbers 13:33. A similar word with different vowel-sounds is used in Ezekiel 32:27 to refer to dead Philistine warriors....
were in fact called the Grigori
Grigori
The Watchers is a term found in the Old Testament Book of Daniel, and later sources, which is connected to angels...
, or "Watchers." In the Apocrypha, the Nephilim were offspring of the Grigori by mortal women. It is most likely the difference in spelling of Azazeal/Azazel and the change to Nephilim from Grigori were done for aesthetic reasons, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Azazeal seduced a series of women throughout the ages, dating from ancient Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to the present, but these women were usually killed by Ella Dee
Ella Dee
Ella Dee is a fictional character in the British television series Hex, played by Ulster actress Laura Pyper.Pyper's character became the new female lead in the second series of Hex after the departure of Christina Cole. Ella's backstory is that of a 446 year-old witch, "last of the Anointed Ones"...
in order to stop the freedom of the Nephilim that his son's birth would signal.
In the first episode of Hex, Azazeal sacrifices Cassie Hughes' friend and roommate Thelma Bates
Thelma Bates
Thelma Bates is a fictional character played by Jemima Rooper in Sky One's British horror dramedy series Hex.She appeared in every episode of the programme...
, turning her into a ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
and releasing his power. Later in the series, he enters into a sexual relationship with Cassie and Cassie's teacher Jo, eventually turning her to his side. Through a series of demonic possessions, he conceives an heir, Malachi, with Cassie, and convinces the abortionist to put the child in his care at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time.
In series two, after Cassie's death, Azazeal uses the mystical Stone of Belial
Belial
Belial is one of the four crown princes of Hell and a demon in the Bible, Jewish apocrypha and Christian apocrypha...
to make Ella Dee relive her torture and execution, eventually causing her to lose her immortality and rapidly age to 500 or so years old, nearing death. He, an adult Malachi and Perie the "fairy" form a small alliance, before Azazeal is suddenly notified by higher powers that he is no longer to be Malachi's caregiver, replaced with Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles is a demon featured in German folklore...
. He and Ella share a goodbye without trying to kill each other.