Azazel is the co-leader of the fallen angels group the Watchers, who he led astray. He’s credited for teaching humankind about earth’s metals, and how to make them into weapons and armor. He also taught the secrets of cosmetics, and encouraged women to paint their eyelids. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.⠀
Aicha Kandicha is a camel-footed jinn from Moroccan folklore, who appears as a beautiful woman and lures men into the desert to kill them. Theories of her origin range from a Phoenician Fertility deity, a real noble woman, and even an anti-colonial resistance fighter.
The demon Marbas or Barbas is a great president who commands 36 legions of demons. He appears as either a lion or a man. He brings and cures disease, knows secrets and hidden things, transmogrifies people, and teaches about the mechanical arts and handicrafts. Image: 72goetia.com
An afarta is a jnoun (Tunisian jinn) of the air. It flies like a gust of wind and devours chickens, lambs, and small children. They’re among the most powerful jnoun and are responsible for possessions. From Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing 18th century ⠀
In Gnosticism, the seven Archons are demons and rulers of realms within the ‘Kingdom of Darkness’. They play an important role in Gnostic cosmology, and are each associated with a different planet. They also prevent souls from leaving the material realm. ⠀
Alastor is a demon of vengeance, Hell’s Commissioner of Public Works and an infernal judge. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.
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. ⠀
Jinn associated with the zodiac sign Taurus. From Kitāb-i ʻAjāʾib-i makhlūqāt (The Book of Wonders and Creatures), 1921.⠀
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. ⠀
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
Jinn associated with the zodiac sign Aquarius. From Kitāb-i ʻAjāʾib-i makhlūqāt (The Book of Wonders and Creatures), 1921.
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.⠀
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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.
