The goat demon Azazel is an ancient figure that can be found within Hebrew mythology. The name Azazel is Hebrew, and can be seen spelled as Azazil, Azezil, Azozil, or Azazel. The first references to Azazel can be found within the Apocrypha, a book of age old Hebrew scriptures, as well as in the Old Testament. In Leviticus Chapter 16 of the Holy Bible, it states that a goat like demon named Azazel was exiled into the desert as part of the tradition of Yom Kippur. Many religious scholars believe this reference found within the Book of Leviticus is connected to the ritual contained within the Day of Atonement. Second only to Satan or Lucifer himself, Azazel is thought to be demonic prodigy of great evil power, and in fact he is one of the most mysterious figures within ancient Jewish religious scripture. Some Judaic beliefs even go so far as to claim that Azazel is a manifestation of one of Satan's many evil personas, and not a separate figure at all.
With regard to etymology of Azazel, the name is considered to be theophoric, that is a combination of words. The word Azaz itself in Hebrew means rugged, while El means power, strength, or God. The first word Azaz is thought to be a direct reference to the very harsh rugged mountainous terrain that exists within the deserts of Judea. So combining both words together, you get a meaning that is roughly translated to mean the mighty mountain, or the strong mountain. Some rabbis also believe that the Azazel name refers to the rugged mountain cliffs from which an evil scapegoat was thrown over during Yom Kippur, and at the time when the first temple of Jerusalem still stood. Ibn Ezra went so far as to state that Azazel is a class of se'irim, which are goat like demons or spirits that haunt the scorching deserts of Judea, corrupting or destroying anyone unfortunate to cross paths with this dark force. The ancient Israelites even made sacrifices to it.
Azazel within a contemporary context is quite revered within modern Satanism. Many new Satanic or demon worshipping groups consider Azazel to be the ultimate giver of forbidden knowledge. As Satanism generally isn't a unified or highly organized religion, Azazel's exact role as a spiritual deity seems to widely vary. For example some Satanists consider him to be a great demonic general, commanding legions of demons, while other Satanists consider him to be the right hand man of Lucifer, sort of like a permanent prime minister that rules over hell. Other Satanist groups don't consider Azazel to be separate from Satan, and instead portray him as opposite of the Christian Holy Ghost, a sort of antithesis or arch enemy to the third part of the Godhead. What does not seem to vary within these occult groups, is that Azazel is an extremely powerful Luciferian spirit opposed to Yahweh, or the Demiurge regardless of the exact specifics of his powers.
Within the Book of Enoch, Azazel is referred to as one of the great generals of the rebellious group of fallen angels that were cast out of heaven by Michael. Supposedly he gathered a group of angels under the banner of Lucifer, and amassed them on Mount Hermon. He lead an angelic charge against Michael and his forces of light, and was soundly defeated. It is also said within the Book of Enoch that Azazel was one of the evil Watchers on the earth around the time of the Great Flood. It is said that he taught men of the earth the art of warfare, weapon making, and armor making. It is also said that he taught women the art of deception in finding a mate, such as hair dyeing, ornamenting the body with jewelry, and how to apply makeup to the face and eyebrows. Further it goes on to state that Azazel is the father of all witchcraft, as he taught humans the art of dark and black magic. Cheers, we hope you enjoyed reading this brief article about Azazel.
