Described as “the king of demons,” Asmodeus appears in many ancient books and writings. He is one of the chief demons involved in a cases of possession. Throughout history, he has been regarded as one of the most evil of Satan’s infernal demons. He is usually portrayed as having three heads: those of an ogre, a ram, and a bull—all sexually licentious creatures; he is also portrayed as having the feet of a cock, another sexually aggressive creature; having the wings and tail of a serpent; he rides on a dragon and breathes fire.
Asmodeus has roots in ancient
Persia. The name Asmodeus is derived from Aeshma, one of the seven archangels,
or amarahspands, of Persian mythology. The Hebrews absorbed him into
their mythology, where he attained the highest status and most power of all his
legends. Prior to his fall from heaven, he was part of the seraphim—the highest
order of angels [but this a contradiction—how could he be a seraph when he was
the also said to be the offspring of a demon and a human?].
In other Hebrew legends, he is
either associated with or the husband of Lilith, the demon queen of lust.
Sometimes he is said to be the offspring of Lilith and Adam.
In
the Book
of Tobit [also sometimes known
as the Book of Tobias], the demon
Asmodeus fell in love with the beautiful human female Sarah, daughter of
Raguel. Asmodeus wanted Sarah for himself, and he refused to allow her to be
married to any human male. So, every time Sarah was married, the demon came to
the marriage bed and took the life of her new husband. Seven men fell to the
predations of this jealous demon, until Tobias received a visit from the angel
Raphael, who instructed him on how to handle Asmodeus (by burning the gall of a
certain fish). Tobias subsequently married Sarah and drove the demon away with
the technique Raphael had told him. Asmodeus reportedly fled to the furthest
reaches of Egypt, where he was then tracked down and bound by the angel
Raphael.
In
the pseudepigraphical Testament of Solomon, Asmodeus lives
in the constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Major) and is called up by King
Solomon. Asmodeus is taken into the presence of the King by Beelzebub, and King
Solomon demands to know his names and functions. Sullen, arrogant and defiant,
he tells the king he was born of a human mother and an angel father. He also
says that Solomon will have only a temporary hold over the demons; his kingdom
will eventually be divided, and demons will go out again among men and will be
worshipped as gods because humans will not know the names of the angels who
thwart the demons. He admits that he is afraid of water. He is said to be in
charge of “the destruction of fidelity (faithfulness in marriage), either by
separating man and wife through calamities or by causing husbands to be led
astray. One of his main objectives is to prevent intercourse between spouses,
wreck new marriages, and entice husbands to commit adultery. He is also said to commit murders and to attack
the beauty of virgins, causing them to waste away. He has knowledge of the
future. In one passage from the Testament, which is similar to the Book
of Tobit, Asmodeus admits that the angel Raphael holds power over him.
Further in the Testament
of Solomon, Asmodeus claims to have been “born an angel’s seed by a
daughter of man,” which connects him firmly with the tradition of the Watcher Angels of Genesis chapter six in the story of Noah, and also
the First
Book of Enoch as well as the Second Book of Enoch.
This statement about Asmodeus
being the offspring of a fallen watcher Angel and a human female is also
reflected in the portion of the Jewish Haggadah concerned with the life of Noah. Here, he is
said to have been born of the union between the fallen angel Shamdon and the
lustful maiden Naamah. He was reputedly bound by King Solomon with iron, a
metal that was often presented as an anathema to demons.
[Strictly
speaking, this would make Asmodeus an Evil
Spirit, and not a demon – if one defines a demon as strictly a fallen
angel. This is the subject of debate and discussion among even Christian
demonologists—whether there is such a thing as evil spirits as being the
spirits of the now dead offspring of demons (fallen angels) with human females
(one explanation of the identity of the Nephilim of Genesis 6).]
The Grimoire of Armadel mentions Asmodeus in conjunction with
leviathan, claiming that the two demons can teach about the malice of other
devils. This same text cautions against summoning them, citing the fact that
they lie.
Francis Barret’s The Magus depicts an image of Asmodeus, associating him
with the sin of wrath.
In Arthur Edward Waite’s 1910 Book
of Black Magic and Pacts, he is
listed as the superintendent of hell’s casinos. This demonic hierarchy stems
from the writings of the nineteenth century demonologist Charles Berbiguier.
In Mather’s translation of Sacred
Magic of Abramelin the Mage, he is called Asmodee, and is identified as
one of eight sub-princes ruling over all the other demons. In this text, he has
the power to produce food—typically in the form of huge banquets; he can know
the secrets of any person; has the power to transmute metals and transmogrify (to
change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect) people and
animals, changing their shapes at will.
In the Goetia, he appears as the thirty-second demon under
the name Asmoday.
Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s
encyclopedia lists him as a demon of lust (the third of the seven deadly sins),
and of jealousy (which is born out in his jealousy of Tobias.)
Asmodeus was absorbed into
Christian lore, becoming one of the Devil’s leading agents of provocation.
Witches were said to worship him, and magicians and sorcerers attempted to
conjure him to strike out at enemies. Grimoires of magical instruction sternly admonish
anyone seeking an audience with Asmodeus to summon him bareheaded out of
respect. Johann Weyer said Asmodeus rules gambling houses.
According to the Lemegton,
a major grimoire, Asmodeus is the “first and chiefest” under Amaymon and goes
before all other demons. He gives the ring of virtues and teaches arithmetic,
geometry, astronomy, and all handicrafts. When properly summoned, he gives full
and true answers to all questions. He can make a person invisible and will
reveal all treasures under the guard of Amaymon. He was also one of the
infernal agents blamed for the obscene sexual possession of the Louviers nuns
in 17th century France.
Variations of his name include:
Asmodeus, Asmodius, Hasmoday, Sydonay, Asmoday, Aeshma, Ashmedai, Asmodee, and
Asmodai.
