Out of all the archangels, the archangel Tariel might be one of the most obscure and least well known. Mentioned within the Book of Protection, Tariel is often associated with the season summer, or is even labeled the angel of summer. For those of you who are not familiar with the Book of Protection, it is a handbook or guidebook of Syriac magic as well as a collection of magic charms. Quite obviously this literary work is not at all considered to be canonical scripture by any of the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, thus Tariel is not officially considered by these to be an archangel. He is what you might call an angel of fringe belief, regardless of his Abrahamic roots. In researching Tariel, I discovered that he is named within some Christian literature, however not as an archangel but as a fallen angel. Apparently some scholars believe that his glorious archangel days ended when he rebelled along with Satan, and was cast out of heaven.
When flipping through the Book of Protection, the reference to Tariel is contained within a magic spell. This specific spell involves summoning a long list of angels and archangels, and then commanding them to silence the tongues of any person who would wish to spread lies against the person conducting the spell. It that sense it is a binding spell, which will remain in effect so long as the person who initiates it wears a small charm. Legend has it that once the charm is taken off of the body, the spell will then no longer be binding. What I'm interested in knowing, is where the author of the Book of Protection sourced his list of angels from, including Tariel. I know for a fact that Tariel as an archangel predates the Book of Protection, as some older Christian literature names him as a fallen angel. Unfortunately I wasn't able to locate the first original source mentioning the archangel Tariel, and I searched many large libraries throughout my city and state.
In the occult and New Age realm, Tariel is also celebrated as an angel of summer, however this role is quite embellished upon. For example occult beliefs state that the archangel Tariel is not just the angel of summer, but also the angel of summer heat. Tariel is often associated in this regard with the Summer Solstice, and is known as the deity that ushers in the warmer season. Legend has it that on the first day of summer he descends from the heavens down to earth, and his spirit then spreads throughout the world, kicking off the warmer months. What is interesting is that these embellished occult beliefs regarding the archangel Tariel, almost perfectly match the attributes and powers of the Roman Goddess Aestas, which would lead me to conclude that Aestas is the true inspiration and foundation for the occult interpretation of Tariel. If this is true, as I suspect it is, it wouldn't be the first time the occult has merged or mixed separate myths.
So in conclusion, the archangel Tariel is quite a difficult archangel to pin down. What we do know for sure is that some of the older mentions of him consider him to be a fallen archangel, while other fringe Judeo Christian inspired beliefs state that he is actually still an archangel. The first source mentioning Tariel could very well be impossible to find, and it's even possible the name Tariel is simply an alternative spelling of one of the more well known archangels, however at some point it was mistakenly thought that it signified a totally separate or unique angel. If you yourself know the original scriptural source for the archangel Tariel, then please be sure to contact me, as I can't seem to find it no matter how hard I search. I'm willing to bet Tariel as an archangel is based entirely on a mix up or a mistaken angelic identity. It is possible that he was simply pulled out of thin air within the last century or so, however it would be difficult to prove it.
