Wings To The World

7.

'Tanael to Taja.'

"The angel Tanael is viewed as the teacher of other angels. Throughout the years, verses of untranslated pages have had 'Tanael' written in them.

"Despite our best efforts, translation is difficult... It's not always written in fluent Hebrew. It's as if the writers themselves were not quite sure what language they were speaking. Especially when they wrote about Tanael.

"Nonetheless, one of the common names that sit with Tanael is Taja. From the story we managed to translate, Taja is the right hand of Tanael. The story reads as follows:

'Tanael, an angel of guiding wisdom, would spend their days on the base of a mountain named Tirohanga. There, Tanael would give knowledge of inventions upon the people that walked close.

One day, a traveller named Tarvial and his daughter, Taja, approached Tanael. In their arms was a dying calf. 'Angel,' Tarvial said as he bowed before Tanael. 'Heal this calf for us, please, my family needs it to live.'

Tanael looked at the calf and smiled at Tarvial. 'Bring the calf to the top of the mountain,' She said. 'Leave it there for a day, then you will find it healed at the top of the mountain.'

Tarvial did as told, and the calf healed. 'Blessed be the Lord!' He praised, watching the calf prance about. 'For he has given me my daily bread!'

Tanael saw this and smiled. Tarvial came back down the mountain to thank her and had an idea. 'I leave with you a gift of thanks,' He said. 'My daughter, Taja, and any of my daughter's silks.'

Tanael did not want the silks but took an interest at the daughter. Tarvial made his way back to his home, with no daughter and a healing calf. Taja saw Tanael and filled with sadness.

'You have taken me from my family,' Taja cried. 'What angel would take me from my family?'

But Tanael shook her head and smiled. 'Taja,' She said, holding out her hands. 'Do not be afraid, I have found you in longing for knowledge. I will teach you what you could not learn there, and you will go out and teach your fellow woman.'

Taja did not understand. 'I do not want to learn how to weave silks and cook foods,' She remarked.

'I will not be teaching you those,' Tanael smiled. 'Come, Taja, Come forth and be my apprentice. I will teach you what the Lord has asked me to.''

"And so, Tanael had her first apprentice: Taja... Taja went on to learn by the angel. Taja brought about the beginning of a secret knowledge shared in all woman and taught some how to dress as men.

"...Taja is the first known woman to disguise herself as a man and go forth into the town and get a stable job. Though from there her name fails as we could not figure out what she changed it to as a man...

"Tanael is the first to grieve (and with great sadness) when Taja died, and blesses her soul to rest forever in heaven. As such, Tanael adopts Taja's name for further visits to earth."

-'A Study Of Angels Lost In Translation',

Jerard Kleinman

The next day we visit the library again, this time to meet up with Feraphale. Light drifts through the windows as it opens one morning. As we walk in, a cheerful woman greets us.

"Hello," She smiles, her hands laying on her stomach. She's shorter than us by not much, but her boots give her an extra kick of height. "Can I help you?"

"Uh," Haphaes, who was taking lead, sputters and lets Isael take over. She stays behind both Isael and Saraiel, pretending to find an interesting shelf of books.