Cherubim

A **Cherub** (/ˈtʃɛrəb/; plural **Cherubim**; Hebrew: כְּרוּב‎ *kərūv*, pl. כְּרוּבִים *kərūvîm*) are a rank of Angel who directly attend to God according to Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of Cherubim assign to them many different roles; their original duty having been the protection of the Garden of Eden.

## **History**

The Cherubim are the most frequently occurring heavenly creature in the Hebrew Bible, with the Hebrew word appearing 91 times. Despite these many references, the role of the Cherubim is never explicitly elucidated. While Hebrew tradition must have conceived of the Cherubim as guardians of the Garden of Eden. They are often depicted as performing other roles; for example in the Book of Ezekiel, they transport Yahweh's throne. The Cherub who appears in the Song of David, a poem which occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible, in 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18, participates in Yahweh's theophany and is imagined as a vehicle upon which the Deity descends to earth from Heaven in order to rescue the speaker.

In Exodus 25:18-22, Yahweh tells Moses to make multiple images of Cherubim at specific points around the Ark of the Covenant. Many appearances of the words *Cherub* and *Cherubim* in the Bible refer to the gold Cherubim images on the mercy seat of the Ark, as well as images on the curtains of the Tabernacle and in Solomon's Temple, including two measuring ten cubits high.

## **Appearance**

Cherubs appear as human with four swan-like wings, and possessing four faces, one of a lion, which represents wild animals, an ox which represents domestic animals, a human which represents humanity, and an eagle which represents birds.

## **Powers and Abilities**

Being a type of low-class Angel, they posses a significant amount of power, but nothing compared to the power of higher class Angels.

* **Super Strength**- Although a relatively weak type of Angel, Cherubs possess great strength.
* **Super Speed**- Cherubs can move at great speeds.
* **Super Senses**- Like all Angels, Cherubs possess enhanced sense of smell and hearing.
* **Super Stamina**- Cherubim do not tire, and do not require sleep or sustenance to sustain themselves.
* **Immortality**- Cherubim can live forever, and are immune from aging and disease.
* **Advanced Invulnerability** - Cherubim are only vulnerable to divine weaponry or higher beings.
* **Regeneration**- Cherubs can recover from any non-fatal injury relatively quickly.
* **Flight** - Like all Angels, they are able to fly using their wings.
* **Electromagnetic Interference**- Their presence will cause all the lights in the near vicinity to flicker.
* **Dream Walking**- They are able to communicate with humans through dreams.
* **Shapeshifting**- They are able to take on human form.
* **Astral Perception** - They can see things that are invisible to humans.
* **Invisibility**- Cherubs can turn themselves invisible to the physical realm, however other Angels and Demons can still see them.
* **Telekinesis**- They can move objects with their minds.
* **Photokinesis** - Being Angels, they are able to generate and manipulate light.
* **Teleportation**- They are able to teleport between Heaven and Earth at will.
* **Telepathy**- Cherubs are able to read minds.

## **Weaknesses**

* **Divine Weaponry** - Like all Angels, they are vulnerable to weapons of divine origin.
* **Deities** - Gods can effortlessly annihilate any Cherub.

## **Known Cherubim**

* Cherubiel
* Ophaniel
* Rikbiel
* Sachiel
* Zophiel