Demons and the Devil
"If there is chaos, it is because God has not for His reasons undertaken to replace it with order; if there is darkness, it is where His light does not shine; and, most striking, if there is evil it is from Him, for God is the source of everything."
G.Papini's The Devil(1954)
"The pillars of heaven have their base in the abyss. The heedless person who denies this base could shatter paradise..." Jules Michelet, 1862
The views represented on this page are not necessarily the views of the creator of this page. Information has been included for historical value,
and not because it is all true or that I agree with it. Make up your own mind.
The Devil
Also known as Satan: in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the principle evil conceived of as a person.
The ruler of the underworld and the prince of demons, considered the arch-enemy of both God and man. The Devil was typically depicted as the sponsor
of all evil in the world, using such agents as demons and witches to plot against mankind and to claim their souls. According to the Bible, the Devil's role was to afflict the faithful with various misfortunes so that
the true nature of their faith in God might be revealed. His role was that
of the malevolent accuser, roaming the earth looking for opportunities to
expose weakness on God's behalf. The authority of the Bible was enough to convince the medieval and post-medieval mind that the Devil was an actual force to be reckoned with. If there was a God, it followed that by the same authority there was also a Devil. Denial of the Devil was, therefore, in
the eyes of stricter Church authorities, tantamount to a denial of God himself.
Demons
An evil spirit, malignant supernatural being, or any of a wide range of lesser intermediary spirits between their world and the physical world. Demons are usually associated with evil, but in pre-christian and non-christian cultures, demons were, and are, not necessarily good or evil.
Comes from the greek word daimon or daemon(meaning Divine Power, fate, or god), signifying any spirit, evil or otherwise. Good demons were once called eudemons, and evil demons were called cacodemons. A good daimon acted as a guardian spirit, it whispered advice and ideas in one's ear. Evil daimons could lead one astray. The daimon's voice warned people of danger and bad decisions, but never directed them on what to do.
Demons play no role in neo-pagan witchcraft. Demons are invoked in satanic rituals, which have no connection with neo-pagan witchcraft.
Astaroh(Astaroth)- Powerful demon believed to know all secrets and could
allegedly be summoned to make revelations about the past and the future. He appeared in the form of a half-white, half-black human male, with foul smelling breath. Reputed to command forty legions in hell, Astaroh can only be summoned successfully on Wednesdays, between the hours of ten and eleven at night.
Asmodeus - Demon who personified lust and lechery. Frequently depicted as causing trouble between husbands and wives by preventing intercourse between them and by promoting adultery, eventually he became known as the God of Lust. King Solomon gained power over Asmodeus by using a magic ring. Asmodeus deceived Solomon into giving him the ring, which he then flung into the ocean, only to have a fish return it to Solomon. When summoned by witchcraft, he manifests on the back of a dragon, and has three heads, one
of a bull, a man, and a ram. If treated with respect, the person who summoned him had to be bareheaded, Asmodeus might grant the power of invisibility and reveal the whereabouts of hidden treasure.
Baphomet-Evil-working demon allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templar. Represents fertility, lust, and wisdom.
Beelzebub-Prince of demons, second only to Satan. Called the Lord of the Flies, because of the clouds of flies that gathered around his blood-soaked idol. Identified in the Bible as the most powerful of the false gods.
Belial-The demon of lies, identified in the Bible as a source of great evil and even as the lord of all demons.
Leviathan-One of the prime demons of hell. Often depicted as a dragon.
Lucifer-One of the personal names by which the Devil or Satan was known. Lucifer, means light-bearer, was the name the Romans gave to the morning star.
Mephistopheles-One of the chief demons of hell, depicted as half-human half-animal.
Satan-One of the personal names of the Devil.
Christian Demons
Hierarchy of Devils and Demons
Binsfield(1589) created a hierarchy of devils and ascribed to them power to provoke people to commit the seven deadly sins.
Lucifer-Pride
Mammon-Avarice
Asmodeus-Lechery
Satan-Anger
Beelzebub-Gluttony
Leviathan-Envy
Belphegor-Sloth
In 1801, Francis Barrett, in the Magus, changed the roster of devils and attributed sins.
Mammon-Prince of tempters and ensnarers
Asmodeus-Prince of revengers of evil
Satan-Prince of deluders(serving conjurers and witches)
Beelzebub-Prince of false gods
Added:
Pytho-Prince of the spirit of lies
Belial-Prince of vessels of iniquity(cards and dice)
Merihim-Prince of spirits causing pestilence
Abaddan-Prince of evil war
Astaroth-Prince of accusers and inquisitors
The Evil Watchers
"The Book of Jubilees says that God created Watchers and some of
these He sent to earth to watch and instruct the children of men. The ones who stayed in heaven still live in the fifth heaven, but the ones who came
to earth were corrupted by mankind, bred with mankind, and were consigned to perdition. They are now in hell."(Book of Devils and Demons)
List of Watchers and what they taught mankind:
Amaros-resolving enchantments
Arakiel-signs of the earth
Azazel-war equipment, cosmetics, ornaments
Baraquel-astrology
Kokabel-the constellations
Penemue-writing,"bitter and sweet, and the secrets of wisdom" to children
Sariel-the course of the men
Semjaza-enchantments, root-cuttings, etc...
Shamshiel-signs of the sun
Nine kinds of Demons:
False Gods: Beelzebub
Lying Spirits: Pytho
Iniquitous Spirits: Belial
Vengeful Spirits: Asmodeus
Deluding Spirits: Balban
Creators of Tempests: the powers of the air
Furies: Powers of evil, discord, war, and devastation
Accusers:
Tempters: Mammon
Satanism:
The worship of Satan. "Satanist means a devotee of Satan. When first employed, the word was the equivalent to atheist, and was applied to infidels and unbelievers." Montague Summers, Witchcraft and Black Magic, 1946. The term satanism was not used until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Satannet
Black Mass: Parody of the Catholic Mass.
"That their is a Devil is a thing doubted by none but such as are under the influences of the Devil. For any to deny the being of a Devil must be from ignorance or profaneness worse than diabolical." Cotton Mather, Wonders of the Invisible World, 1692.
Sources:
The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & Demonology by Rossell Hope Robbins
Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering
The Complete Book of Devils and Demons by Leonard R.N. Ashley
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