Angel

What is an angel?

• Messenger of God in the Bible
• Aspect of God
• God Himself as the messenger
• "Pure contingent spirits"
• Divine beings
• "Sons of God"
• Creatures of good
• Spirits of love
• Intermediate between God and men
• They are not omniscient
• They can take on different forms
• Manifest God's energy
• Deva, god, or deity
• Heavenly deities to help in the judgement of the soul
• Patronize human beings and other creatures
• Former humans or spirits of humans yet to be born
• Asexual and not belonging to either gender
• Look more like male human beings
• Names are masculine
• "Those holy souls who have severed attachment to the earthly world, who are free from the fetters of self and passion and who have attached their hearts to the divine realm and the merciful kingdom."

What are the angels roles or jobs?

• Protecting and guiding human beings
• Carrying out God's tasks
• Deliver messages to mankind
• Minister to humanity
• Teach doctrines of salvation
• Call mankind to repentance
• Give priesthood keys
• Save individuals in perilous times
• Guide humankind

What do angels look like?

• Often seen with wings.
• Immortal and superior to humans

Theories:
Angels are sent into this world for testing while they are in the form of humans.
"There are no angels who minister to this earth, but those that do belong or have belonged to it."

• Adam (the first man) is now the archangel Michael
• Gabriel lived on the earth as Noah

Angels have wings.

• Gabriel is represented with wings.
• They leave the heights and the most elevated dwelling to approach human nature.

After an angel has completed its task, it ceases to exist.

• In the book of Genesis Abraham meets with three angels and Lot meets with two.  One of the angels tasks was to inform Abraham of his coming child.  The other two angels were to save Lot and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel

Examples:
Some famous angels and their tasks:

• Lucifer or the light bearer is the angel that challenges god

• Michael or who is like God is the angel that performs God's kindness

• Gabriel or the strength of God is the angel that performs acts of justice and power

• Raphael or meaning God Heals is the angel with God's healing force

• Uriel or meaning God is my light is the angel that leads us to destiny

• Satan or the prosecuter is the angel that brings people's sins before them in the heavenly court

Legion:  Michael and Gabriel

Charmed:  The Elders and the Whitelighters



Constantine:  Gabriel

Unicorn

What is a unicorn?
It is a mythological creature that is sometimes seen as a horse with a horn on its forehead.  The traditional unicorn has a billy goat beard, a lion's tail, and cloven hooves.  It is a fabulous beast that is fierce yet good, selfless yet solitary, but always mysteriously beautiful.  Its single horn was also said to neutralize poison.  They can determine whether or not a woman is a virgin and they can only be mounted by virgins. 

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn

Examples:
Movies/Series:

The Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Charmed Season 5 Episode The Day the Magic Died

Pokemon:  Rapidash

Mermaid

From Harry Potter

What is a mermaid?
An aquatic creature with a female human head and torso and the tail of a fish.  Some stories say they are a lot like sirens who sing to people and gods.  They enchant them, distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck or run their ships onshore.  Other stories say they squeeze the life out of drowning men while attempting to rescue them.  Not only that but they are also said to carry humans down to their underwater kingdoms.  Other related mythical creatures are water fairies, water nymphs, and selkies. In 546 BC the Milesian philosopher Anaximander said that mankind had sprung from an aquatic species of animals.   In British folklore they are noted as unlucky omens both foretelling disaster and provoking it.  In the fairytales in China mermaids are a special species that has tears that can turn into priceless pearls and not only that but mermaids can also knit an extremely valuable material.  Mermaids in China actually are a symbol of wonderful creatures that are delicate, beautiful, and adaptable.

What does mermaid mean?
It is a compound word.  The first part,  mere, which is an old English word for "sea", and the second part, maid, is a woman. 

What is Sirenomelia?
It is called the mermaid syndrome.  It is a rare congenital disorder where a child is born with his or her legs fused together and reduced genitalia.  It is as rare as conjoined twins affecting one out of every 100,000 live births.  It is usually fatal within a day or two of birth because of kidney and bladder complications.  As of July 2003, there are four survivors who were known to be alive.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid

Examples:
Books/Stories:
Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquamarine_(novel)
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen:  http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html
De Dea Syria by Lucian of Samosata in Syria:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Dea_Syria
The Mermaid and the Minotaur by Dorothy Dinnerstein
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd:  http://www.suemonkkidd.com/MermaidChair/default.aspx
One Thousand and One Nights: Djullanar the Sea-girl
                                                   Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman
                                                   The Adventures of Bulukiya
                                                   Julnar the Sea-Born and Her Son King Badr Basim of Persia
In Music: 
Fair Melusina by Felix Mendelssohn:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGCpnou_NKU
The Weeping Mermaid by Fan-Long Ko
Comics/Art:
An 8 page comic in which the mermaid queen Atargatis captures two adventurers and attempts to imprison them forever by Saint James Comics.

A Mermaid created by John William Waterhouse

From History:  Atargatis:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atargatis
                         Thessalonike:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessalonike_of_Macedon

From Movies: 

Madison Bauer in Splash

Aquamarine from Aquamarine



Mylie from Charmed



Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed

The Little Mermaid by Disney

The Little Mermaid 2:  Return to the Sea by Disney