Lord Asriel

Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Asriel is a member of the English aristocracy in a parallel universe dominated by the Church. He is described as being "a tall man with powerful shoulders, a fierce dark face, and eyes that seem to flash and glitter with savage laughter." Possessed of enormous determination and willpower, he is fierce in nature and commands great respect in both the political and academic spheres, being a military leader and a fellow of Jordan College in his world's version of the University of Oxford. The name Asriel could be derived from the Hebraic name of the angel 'Asra'el, who, in the Jewish and Muslim tradition is the Angel of Death, who separates the soul from the body upon death. Alternatively Asriel, being an anagram for Israel, could refer to the English translation of the name Israel, given to Jacob in the Hebrew Bible - namely; "He who has struggled with God". The name Azrael, although incorrectly, has been... full article at wikipedia