HEAVEN

ATLAS

INFORMATION

Official Name: Heaven
First Appearance: (current version): Saga of the Swamp Thing Annual #2 (1984)

OVERVIEW

Heaven is a place of light and happiness, where souls are freed from the burdens of life, and rest until they decide to be reincarnated. There are as many aspects of Heaven as there are souls.

HISTORY

When a departed soul moves on from the Realm of the Just Dead and enters Heaven and begins to adjust to the afterlife it creates its own version of Heaven based on its individual beliefs and ideas of what Heaven should be like. For some it appears as the conventional Heaven as dictated by religion complete with angels and harps to others it appears as an idealized vision of the life that soul lived on Earth complete with any friends and loved ones that might be needed to complete the design.

As a result a soul usually exists on multiple planes of reality simultaneously. While the main aspect of the deceased soul inhabits its own version of Heaven other aspects can be part of other souls' idea of Heaven. Even aspects of the souls of the living or souls that have been damned can be a part of Heaven. While the main aspect of the soul might not be aware of its other selves the love shared with the aspects of their soul in Heaven will be felt by the main aspect. The only exception might be the souls of the damned as they might be too caught up in their punishment to ever notice.

The permanent residents of Heaven are the angels who all live in the Silver City. The city has neither guards nor battlements as the brightness of its buildings would blind practically any intruder. The only beings that have been seen entering the Silver City without being blinded are gods, godlike beings and beings accompanied by angels but whether or not these intrusions were a unique incidents allowed by the Presence have yet to be revealed.

Somewhere in the Silver City is the Tower of Unendingly High in which the room known as the Logos can be found. When the Presence chooses to speak this is where his voice sounds. Although the room is unguarded as well very few angels would willingly seek it out.

The only way for the angels to come before the Presence and not just his voice is to be summoned to the Primum Mobile (also known as the Throne of Light) which is a very rare occurrence.

All angels are supposedly able to assume any form they chose but certain attributes are often associated with the specific angelic orders.

First in the Angelic order are the Seraphim (also known as Seraphs) which are led by Gabriel and include Metatron, Kemuel, Nathanael, and formerly Lucifer. Besides a humanoid form the Seraphim have been know to assume serpentine form or the form of "fiery" creatures.

Second in the order are the Cherubim (also known as the Pax-Dei), which is often seen divided into four hosts (Eagle, Bull, Lion and Man). The angels of the Cherubim usually assume a humanoid/animal form associated with their host or as spheres of pure white light. The Cherubim are also the angels usually the ones associated with the images of chubby, rosy-faced, winged infants. While each of the four hosts have a lord of their own, it is said that Gabriel is the leader of the Cherubim as well.

Third are the Thrones (or Ophanim) and are said to be the fastest of all angels. The Thrones are led by Amendiel.

The most entrusted servants of God are the seven holy angels or Archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Remiel (Chamuel), Saraquel, and Raguel (Zadkiel)).

Michael is set over the best part of mankind and over Chaos, and is leader of the Celestial Host and guardian of the Gates of Heaven. Gabriel is over Paradise and is lord of the Seraphim and the Cherubim. Raphael will oversee humanity and is leader of the Thrones. Uriel is over the worlds and over Tartarus. Remiel (Chamuel) was set over those who rise but has since been given the task of ruling Hell along with Duma, the angel of silence. Saraquael is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit. Raguel is entrusted the vengeance of the Lord.