Aziraphale is one of the primary characters in the novel 'Good Omens', by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. He is one of the two main supernatural characters, along with his counterpart, Crowley.

About the Character

The first thing to note is that Aziraphale is an angel, although perhaps not the traditional angel. Oh yes, he does still have the big white wings and the ability to perform miracles as one might imagine... but he’s also the owner of a second-hand bookshop in Soho, and sort-of-kind-of-not-really best friends with a demon.

His job in long times gone past was to guard the Eastern Gate of Eden, it was quite a nice job and he had a big flaming sword to help him do it. Of course, this all went horrendously downhill when a demon called Crawly (now renamed Crowley) tempted Eve into taking a bite of that forbidden apple. Unlike some people, he doesn’t believe God overreacted. After all, one cannot hope to understand His plan, and in all His ineffable wisdom it must have been the Right Thing To Do to cast Adam and Eve out of Eden.

However, as much as he trusted His decision to cast out Adam and Eve, he had thought it a crying shame to leave them alone in a storm when Eve was expecting. So Aziraphale had given them his flaming sword, and then told everyone else he lost it. Whoops. Aziraphale is very committed to doing the Right Thing, a little too committed some might say, but then he would remind them in a very polite and mild-mannered tone that it was just his inescapable nature as an angel.

Thousands of years pass, and Aziraphale has been noted to have gone ‘a little native’; enjoying sushi and classical music, as well as entering an Arrangement with the aforementioned demon. Being who he is, and therefore utterly concerned with doing the Right Thing, he sometimes feels a little guilty about this Arrangement, which basically constitutes a strange sort of pact and alliance.

While large parts of his personality are shaped by the fact he is an angel – for example, making Crowley give a ride to a girl he’d run over when they should have been speeding off to stop the Armageddon – the long years of exposure to the human race have given him several quirks. He has a weakness for the human race, and for many things in it, so much so that he allowed himself to be tempted by Crowley into helping stop what should have been part of the Divine Plan... because, really, thwarting the Antichrist was just his job, right?

He styles himself as a middle-aged British man with a slightly plump figure (although he will look mildly offended if his rotund appearance is brought up and deny he’s any such shape). His sense of aesthetic taste seems permanently stuck in the 1950’s, and he has a huge weakness for classical music – even if Beethoven’s 5th sometimes include vocals by Freddie Mercury.

His collection of second-hand books is his pride and joy; and, like any true collector, the bookshop is only really a means to store said collection rather than sell them. In fact, he goes to great lengths not to allow any customers a purchase, keeping quite erratic and unsociable hours, as well as glaring at anyone who does actually dare to turn up during opening hours.

He is sweet and kind in his own way, almost over-the-top polite and sometimes quite Victorian in his terms of address. You’ll never hear him swear or curse, and he has a penchant for calling people ‘my dear’.

Possibly the best, and most succinct way to sum up Aziraphale’s character are from two extracts taken from the book itself: