Ananiel, his name meaning the Storm of God, is the Angel of Storms and the fourteenth Watcher of the twenty leaders of the two-hundred fallen angels who are mentioned in an ancient work titled the Book of Enoch.
History[]
Background[]
Ananiel was an ancient spirit or angel that was given dominion over the raging tempests of the Earth by God. When his name was uttered by Samyaza, the gales of the Earth fully manifested in honor of his name. Ananiel would be joined by his fellow Watchers, Baraqiel the Angel of Lightning, Ramiel the Angel of Thunder, and another angel who was not part of the Watchers known as Matariel the Angel of Rain. With Matariel he brought forth rain, followed by Baraqiel's lightning, Ramiel's thunder, and culminating in Ananiel's storm.
Ananiel was said to be a territorial spirit that lorded over the weather space of the planet. He is also believed to be a replacement of Rahab the Angel of the Sea as Ananiel would spend the majority of his time overlooking the ocean and seeing the mortals sail across the coast to other lands. While not fully confirmed if he was intended to be Rahab's replacement, both he and Ananiel do share a connection with one another.
Angel of Storms[]
Ananiel was also an angelic guard of the gates of the South Wind. The Book of Enoch describes three gates for each direction. The first gate inclines to the south-east and brings a hot wind. The second is due south and brings pleasant fragrances, dew, rain, prosperity and life. The third is south-west and brings dew, rain, locusts and devastation. Ananiel is one of the guardians of these gates and can be interpreted as an Archangel to petition for these.
He would unleash his wrath upon any sailor who would dare traverse the dark waters through raging storms. He lulls the wayward sailors with dark songs, influencing their minds to turn back. His warnings through these songs come in three notes which are also signs: the first is rain, the second is lightning, the third is thunder, and the final ends in a storm. If they do not heed these warnings, he summons the waves to do what his words could not. He wrenched their boats from shore until the land was lost to the horizon. In life, first seafarers had been his acolytes, but in death, they were their own men. The men who perish at sea from Ananiel's song are then given to Rahab as they sink beneath the deep.
Fall from Grace[]
Ananiel was among the Watchers who fell from grace after procreating with women and creating the dreaded the Nephilim. His Nephilim children had control over the mighty tempests of the world by way of their father and were thus worshipped as gods. After their destruction at the hands of Gabriel, Ananiel was arrested by Michael and thrown into Sheol.