Introduction The Angels Madimi & Nalvage
The angel Madimi features in my novels from the ‘When Darkness Calls’ series.
Madimi plays the angelic confidant of Cathy, The Reticent Witch. She is also key to the short story ‘The Blade of Nalvage.’
Both Madimi and Nalvage feature in the records of John Dee. These records or diaries are often refered to as the angelic conversations.
These conversations occurred between 1582 &1589 for seven years Dee and his colleague Edward Kelly carried out black mirror scrying sessions.
Dee and Madimi
Over the course of seven years Dee and Kelly claimed to have communicated with over seventy different entities. Some angels some demons and some of indeterminate sorts.
Of all of these Dee’s favorite was the angel Madimi, indeed he would name one of his daughters after her.
It could be that Dee was in love with Madimi.
The angel Madimi first appeared to Dee and Kelly as a playful young girl of around eight years of age. She is the daughter of Galvah. Madimi was one of the daughters of light
The Angel Galvah
Dee had spoken with Galvah and questioned her regarding her intent. Dee said that Johannes Trithemius a German benedictine abbot who died in 1516, had said, ‘that no good angel ever appears in the form of a woman, or animal.’
Johannes Trithemius had developed a system for communicating with angels Dee held a copy of this in his vast library. (the largest in Europe)
Galvah had told Dee that angels were neither male nor female. Instead they took their form based on the will of God. This would be appropriate to the specific task in hand.
Galvah said that she was a beam of wisdom that is the end of man’s excellency. She continued to say that ‘wisdom was often painted in a woman’s garment as for than the pureness of a virgin, nothing is more commendable.’
Strangely, each time Madimi appeared to Dee and Kelly, she had grown. Therefore after several visits she was a fully grown woman of great stature and beauty.
She appeared in green silk gowns, once she appeared covered in blood and also appeared naked.
Madimi asks too much of Dee
Madimi however, would be instrumental in the demise of Dee and Kelly’s relationship. She had instructed that they crossmatch (wife swap) Although they went through with it Dee was unable to do the deed and shortly after the two parted ways.
Dee as you will know from my other posts, was no crackpot. He was arguably the greatest mind of his time.
There is for instance, speculation that the angel Madimi was in fact a demon. As a self-proclaimed daughter of light she may well have been. Lucifer translated means bringer of light.
In conclusion and for the purpose of my fiction books I believe she was inherently good. The angel Nalvage from some of the recorded conversations was vehemently opposed to evil. As such I have him down as the slayer of beasts and the creator of the blade of Nalvage.
Dee’s scrying equipment can be found in the British Museum. His Shew Stone which was handed to him by an angel, can be found in the Science Museum. Some of his books are held at the British Library.
