mythology

Balam is the 51st demon in the Goetia and a king who commands 40 legions. He rides a bear and is described as having three heads (bull, man, ram), a serpents tail instead of legs, and flames for eyes. This description differs from his depiction in the Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863โ €


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Old Lady and the Devil is an American children’s song about a farmer who gives up his “scolding” wife to Satan. When demons come to take her, the Old Woman “beats out the(ir) brains”, but is ultimately taken away by The Devil in a sack. โ €

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Stolas is a demonic prince who commands 26 legions of lesser spirits. He teaches astronomy and knows about the worth of all herbs and precious stones. He can appear as either a nightraven (a old term for an owl) or a man. Image: Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863โ €


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A dybbuk is a malicious spirit from Jewish Mythology that enters people and clings on to their soul. They’re believed to be the lost souls of dead people who were not put to rest properly or committed a grave sin. Like demons, they can be exorcised. Image: Ephraim Moshe Lilienโ €

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Shax (or Chax) is a dark marquis of hell. Heโ€™s known for stealing horses and gold from kings, turning folks deaf and dumb, and revealing hidden things. Conjurers should be wary of receiving familiars from him, as they may share his wicked deceptive nature. Image: Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863


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Ronove is a Great Earl and Marquis of Hell who commands twenty legions of demons, and harvests the souls of old, dying humans and animals. He teaches art, rhetoric, and foreign languages, and can help win the favor of friends and enemies. Image: Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863โ €


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Hammu Qaiyu (or Hammou Ukaiou) is the male counterpart to Aicha Kandicha, and some say her husband. Like her, his identity and origin is debated; he may be a powerful afrit-type jinn, a fallen regional god, or a nobleman. He attacks women traveling alone, particularly if they’re menstruating.โ €

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Six animal headed jinn snapping their fingers. If any one knows the significance of this let me know, as I couldn’t find anything special about finger snapping in Islamic tradition. From Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing, 1283โ €

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Ribesal (or Rubezal, Ruberzah) is a regional demon who rules the Krkonoลกe mountains in the Czech Republic. He can take any form, and sometimes poses as an old lady seeking help, to test travelers. He’s also known to cause storms and snow fall. Image: Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863โ €


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Nybbas is one of the Masters of Revels in the high upper gallery of hell, who controls visions and dreams. Despite his position, he’s actually a demon of an inferior order and is regarded as a buffoon and charlatan. Image: Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863โ €


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Jinn sometimes steal human babies and switch them with their own offspring as ‘changelings’. Mothers who are victims of this will take their babies to the cemetery. They leave them for 15-20 minutes before coming back to see if the real child was returned. Stories of changelings are common across many cultures. Image: The Book of Wonders and Creatures, 1921

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