EsotericEden

Alastor is a demon of vengeance, Hell’s Commissioner of Public Works and an infernal judge. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.


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The Bahamut is a gigantic fish of the marid type of jinn and the base of the structure that holds up the earth. It supports a bull that supports an Angel who stands on a ruby rock, carrying the planet. The bull and fish cause the rising and falling of the tides. ⠀

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Incubus: a famous type of demon known for engaging in sexual relations with women, and even impregnate them with half-human offspring known as cambions. Mentions of this demon go back as far as 2400 BC in the Sumerian King List. They sit on top of women’s chest as they sleep before they seduce or assault them. Many reports of incubi are explained by the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, which causes the feeling on weight on the chest, and a half-dream state, causing the hypnagogic hallucination of a demon. While they normally choose female victims, there are reports of bisexual incubi. They are said to have unnaturally large and cold penises. Art: John Henry Fuseli – The Nightmare, 1781. ⠀

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A ghaddar is a giant shaytan (an evil type of jinn) that catches travelers, tortures them, eats their genitals, and then abandons them in the desert. From Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing, 17th Century. ⠀

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Samael: in Jewish mythology he’s an archangel AND demon, whose name means “Venom of God”. He acts as the Angel of Death & has Satan-like roles, but he’s not considered necessarily evil. He’s unique because while he encourages men to sin, he remains God servant. Art: Gustave Doré

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Lilith is so much more than a sexually wanton demon who steals babies in the night. She was Adam’s first wife, made from the same clay, who refused to be subservient to him. She left the Garden of Eden and paired up with the angel Samael (a satan-like figure in Judaism) and mothered many demonic offspring known as Lilin.⠀

In modern times, she’s hailed by some as a feminist hero, for refusing to be considered lower than Adam. She appears across many ancient texts, from the Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and texts of the Kabbalah, and her story may even have roots in Mesopotamian mythology. So much has been written, and so much can be said about Lilith, and she’s my favorite demon.

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Marids are a giant and extremely powerful type of Jinn. They’re the basis for genies, a westernized version of jinn, as they were featured in the popular Thousand and One Nights book and can grant wishes if they are compelled or imprisoned. Marid are usually evil, but not always. There are humanoid types that sometimes have wings and beast-like types, including a massive fish named Bahamut.

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