Guest Post With Melanie Nilles

SUBJECT: In the Beginning… (aka How Angels Became Aliens)



Angels, messengers of God, are often seen as having wings. Why? They aren't mentioned in the bible as having wings, so why do painters give them wings?

The three major religions of the world all share a belief in angels. Some may say that angels aren't myths, but that's not the opinion shared by everyone. I believe they're real, but not as artists portray them.

In my Starfire Angels series, I wanted to cast angels in a new light. Instead of the usual supernatural beings, I thought it would be fun to make them real but not as we expect. I asked myself "What if..." (Yes, a writer's favorite question, because every story expands on a "what if" scenario.) In this case, I thought what if we see angels in pictures with wings--since I'd never read a Bible passage that mentioned angels having wings, although found in my research it's mentioned once--because they weren't angels as we know? What if they were alien visitors; but early civilizations didn't understand or accept the idea that the world wasn't only one of a million in a vast universe and thought what was technology was magic. What if those primitive Earth civilizations saw them as supernatural beings, messengers of a higher power when they were really a far more advanced civilization?

Because I wanted to use that and keep it plausible to what I knew of angels in the Bible, I wanted to have a way to make these beings match much of that. I gave them a purpose, which came from an element of a story I wrote in college. In this case, some of their species have the power to hide their wings because of a special symbiosis with a higher intelligence, or rather a collective of creatures from another dimension. It fit perfectly with what I wanted to do. I had my explanation for how they could hide on Earth among humans, since they otherwise looked human and didn't always have wings.

Usually, we think of angels as helpers and that's how I wanted to use them. If my aliens came from an advanced civilization, they might come to help us. I'm an optimist and took that road. However, even aliens can have their problems. The fun part was then to bring those problems to our world as those jealous of the small group with powers hunted them down.

I've also created a history for my Inari angels that links the present to the past and shows how so much has changed yet some things always stay the same. Those are shown through the Starfire visions Raea receives as guidance. The entities are ageless, being of pure energy, so they have much to impart to their Keepers. In a way, I also created a life after death, as you'll see in more of the entities' perspectives in CRYSTAL TOMB. I wanted to show the beginning of the crystal's creation, so I give the reader a window onto their home dimension.

It's been a lot of work, but I've set up a world that could explain the stories of angels visiting humans by giving it a new twist.

Learn more about the Inari as angels on Earth in the Starfire Angels series (STARFIRE ANGELS, BROKEN WINGS, and CRYSTAL TOMB) and  the website at starfireangels.melanienilles.com.

To enter the drawing of an original bookmark and signed paperback of STARFIRE ANGELS, please post your comments on or before May 31st. (Comments may include questions for the author.)