Angel

Angel (Greek: angelos, meaning "messenger", Persian: angaros, "courier") is traditionally believed to be supernatural beings who serve as messengers or mediators between man and primordial gods. As such, they are often depicted in religious works and mythologies as winged humanoid beings. The winged human motif stems as far back as the Sumerian civilization, and possibly earlier. The earliest known record, dating c. 10,000 BCE, of ritualistic activity involving a religious center is Gobekli Tepe where headless pillars have anthropomorphic features that might represent some type of spirit medium.

Ancient aliens
The Ancient Aliens hypothesis postulates that what was seen as “angels” were really extraterrestrials.

Popular culture

 * The Syndicate in the Dissension Universe by Aspen Comics.
 * Angels are present as extremely advanced ethereal creatures from the planet Lucifer in the Doctor Who novel Lucifer Rising.
 * In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the young Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) has heard stories from space travelers about "angels" who live in the moons of Iego and described them as the most beautiful creatures in the universe. He initially believes that Padmé Amidala is one of them.
 * Pit (from the Kid Icarus series) is an angel who, ironicly, can't fly on his own.
 * In Babylon 5 the angels of human folklore along with many similar creatures from other species' myths were actually an appearance assumed by the Vorlons to help guide these races' developments.
 * Gordon "ALF" Shumway is apparently familiar with them, as he once told Kate that her silhouette in the shower resembles that of an angel. A naked angel, he adds, much to her discomfort. In another episode, ALF is visited in his dream by an angel named Bob.
 * Angels are known to exist in the DC Multiverse, a notable example being Zauriel.
 * Angels are a key supernatural species in the TV show Supernatural, the main angel being Castiel. These angels are heavily based on the Judeo-Christian account of angel mythos. These angels are depicted in a very family-oriented way, with angels being siblings to one another and referring to God as their Father.
 * In the 2013 video game DmC: Devil May Cry, angels are a supernatural race which has waged an eternal war with their demon counterparts. Dante, the protagonist of the story, along with his brother, Vergil, are Nephilim; a hybrid of angel and demon. These angels, as well as the demons, do not follow any particular religious or spiritual mythos but are instead depicted in a very Western form with angels being benevolent beings and demons being shown as filling the roles of real-world evils or "societal ills" (bankers, politicians, club owners, media personalities, celebrities, etc.).



Resources

 * Ufo-alien database, Eloheem