Who are demons❓

In European culture, demons are the antagonists of the forces of Good, fallen angels who incline people to sins, hunting for human souls for Hell. The Bible, as the first source of knowledge about them, as well as the teachings of the church,describe the origin of demons ambiguously. First of all, they are associated with those angels who followed Lucifer in an attempt to overthrow the Kingdom of God and destroy people. All of them were thrown into the Underworld, having lost their wings. From the unorthodox version stands out about the natural origin of demons (God is the creator of everything). The Apocryphal Book of Enoch describes in more detail the biblical story of the cohabitation of angels with women, from which giants were born. The punished angels, in this version, were also cast out and became demons. The ancient Jews associated the origin of demons with the first wife of Adam, Lilith. According to later versions, the souls of dead sinners, damned, can also become lower demons.

"Demon" (from the Greek. Diamon) - "divine power", "rock". In pagan Greece, daimons mediated between gods and people, they could be a guardian spirit. Evil demons misled people.

In the Slavic tradition, a devil was a synonym for a demon, demons were located lower in the hierarchy. In Islam, Iblis is represented - a genie created by Allah from fire and expelled from heaven for disobedience, the younger devils are called shaitans. In Indian mythology, there are rakshasas - evil demons that inhabit dead bodies and asuras - titans opposing the gods, subject to the vices of anger, pride, boasting, etc. Thus, in different cultures there is an idea of ​​the dark principle opposing the Creator, Light, Good.

It is believed that if you know the true name of the demon or the image of the binding seal, you can summon it and subdue, for which the rituals of summoning demons are developed. Such knowledge is recorded in special books - grimoires - and passed down through the generations.
Demon Hierarchy
The Bible does not describe the exact hierarchy of angels and demons; rather, it gives scattered information about their functions, appearance, participation in events. However, the questions of the organization of society, the hierarchy of angels and demons, were of interest to believers from the very beginning. Apostles, church fathers, saints, theologians, scientists of different times and peoples - all of them, using the Bible and their personal spiritual experiences, restored knowledge about the structure of Paradise and the Underworld. Focusing on the Good-Evil dichotomy, they assumed that Hell is a reflection of Paradise, and accordingly, demons of different strengths and ranks are subordinate to the main Devil (by analogy with seraphim, cherubim, archangels and angels in God). There are nine ranks in total, divided into three faces of three ranks each.

In the modern view, Lucifer (Latin Lightbringer), "the morning star", a fallen angel, is also associated with Satan (Hebrew. Enemy, adversary) and the Devil (Greek. Slanderer, liar). For the first time he showed himself in the Bible as the Serpent - the tempter of Eve. He heads the hierarchy of Hell.
He is followed by the demons of Hell. Let's list the most famous:

Baal (Baal, Bel) - a fallen angel, an ancient deity of the Assyrian-Babylonian culture, revered as a thunderer, god of fertility, war, etc. In hell he is responsible for torture, suffering.

Belial (Beliall, Agriel) is a fallen angel who has no pity. Acts as a seducer of a person who seduces into a crime. Makes possible the favor of friends and enemies, can heal and bestow life in this world - in exchange for an immortal soul. He is fierce and hypocritical, but outwardly beautiful.

Beelzebub is a fallen angel, an ancient deity. He seduced people with pride and ambition. appeared in the form of a fly or sent diseases with the help of hordes of flies, for which he received the nickname "Lord of the Flies."

Asmodeus is a demon tempter, a deity in the Avestan culture. He is not only the overseer of all gambling houses in Hell, but also the main distributor of debauchery. The demon of lust, incited troubles in families.

Astaroth is a high-ranking demon, possibly a distorted name of Astarte (or Ishtar, the Sumerian-Akkadian goddess of love, fertility). He gives knowledge about the past and the future, can teach people all the free sciences. Awakens laziness in people.

Abaddon is a demon of wars, possibly an angel, the lord of the abyss, leading the hordes of locusts. the prince of demons (furies), rules over the forces of strife and devastation.

Leriathan is a sea monster mentioned in the Old Testament. In hell he is considered the secretary of maritime affairs.

Hippopotamus is a demon of carnal desires (especially gluttony), giving people "bestial inclinations". Encourages blasphemy and profanity. It can take the form of any large animal.

There are several classifications of demons:

According to the 7 deadly sins, 7 main demons are distinguished:

Lucifer - Pride of

Beelzebub - Gluttony

Leviathan - Envy of

Asmodeus - Lust

Mammon - Greed

Belphegor - Sloth

Satan - Anger

The classification proposed by Stephanie Connolly is more convenient for practicing spellcasters who summon demons for specific purposes. According to her, the main sphere of influence of the demons are:

Love, Lust (Asmodeus, Astaroth, Lilith, and others.)

The hatred, revenge, anger, war (Andras, Abaddon, Agaliarept et al.)

Life-Healing (Verrin, Verrier, Belial etc. .)

Death (Eurynom, Vaalberit, Babael)

Nature (Lucifer, Leviathan, Dagon, etc.)

Money-Prosperity-Luck (Belphegor, Beelzebub, Mammon, etc.)

Knowledge-Secrets-Witchcraft (Ronwe, Python, Delepitora, etc.) )

Weier's Demon Hierarchy

Johann Weier in De Praestigius Daemonum (The Hierarchy of Demons or Pseudomonarchy of Demons, 16th century) tried to paint a complete picture of the Infernal Empire, assigning each demon a corresponding rank or position. Also in the book, he outlined instructions for summoning a demon, controlling and protecting. In total, he describes 69 demons: their position, appearance, special abilities and the number of legions in submission. Unlike part 1 of the "Small Key of Solomon", in the "Hierarchy of Demons ..." there are no images of demonic seals and the ritual is simplified, although there are references to the teachings of Solomon.