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Asmodai - Asmodai in demonology
The importance given to Asmodai in demonology is less than in Judaism, being considered somewhat lower to other hellish authorities by most Christian demonologists (according to The Lesser Key of Solomon he is the thirty second in rank), but all of them coincide on his duty, which is to exacerbate carnal desire.
In the Testament of Solomon (dated 1st - 3rd centuries CE) , Solomon invokes Asmodeus to aid in the construction of the Temple. The demon appears and predicts Solomon's kingdom will one day be divided.
"My constellation (is like an animal which) reclines in its den in heaven; some men call me the Great Bear, but others the Offspring of a Dragon. Moreover, a smaller constellation accompanies my constellation, for the high position and throne of my father is always in the sky. So do not ask me so many things, Solomon, for eventually your kingdom will be divided. This glory of yours is temporary. You have us to torture for a little while; then we shall disperse among human beings again with the result that we shall be worshiped as gods because men do not know the names of the angels who rule over us." - Testament of Solomon 5:4-5
When Solomon interrogated Asmodeus further, he learned that Asmodeus was thwarted by the angel, Raphael, as well as sheatfish found in the rivers of Assyria. He also admitted he hated water.
In the Malleus Maleficarum (1486), he was considered the demon of lust, to which agreed Sebastian Michaelis saying that his adversary is St. John. To some demonologists of the 16th Century, that assigned each month to a demon, Asmodai's power is stronger in November. According to other demonologists his zodiacal sign is Aquarius but only between the dates of January 30 and February 8, he has seventy-two legions of demons under his command, and is one of the kings of Hell (Lucifer being the emperor). They also add to his mission that of inciting gambling, as he was said to be overseer of all the gambling houses in the court of Hell; and some Catholic theologians compared him with Abaddon. To other authors this demon is considered a prince of revenge and protector of male homosexuals, homosexuality being one of his methods of seduction. In the Dictionnaire Infernal by Collin de Plancy he is depicted with the chest of a man, cock legs, serpent tail, three heads (one of a man spitting fire, one of a ram, and one of a bull), riding a lion with dragon wings and neck, all of these creatures being associated with either lasciviousness, lust or revenge.
Other spellings: Æshma (Old Persian), Æshma-dæva, Ashmadia, Ashmedai (Hebrew), Asmodaios (Greek), Asmoday, Asmodée (French), Asmodee, Asmodei, Asmodeios, Asmodeo (Spanish, from a Latin declination), Asmodeius, Asmodeus (Latin, as he is known in most translations of the Book of Tobit), Asmodi, Chammaday, Chashmodai, Sidonay, Sydonai.
See also The Lesser Key of Solomon, Ars Goetia.
Other related archives16th Century, Abaddon, Achaemenid's, Adam, Ahura Mazdah, Angra Mainyu, Aquarius, Ars Goetia, Baator, Book of Tobit, Brian Jacques, Christian, Christianity, Collin de Plancy, Demons, Dictionnaire Infernal, Dungeons and Dragons, Earth, Egypt, February 8, Fictional kings, Forsaken, Gene Roddenberry, In Nomine, January 30, Jewish demons, Jews, John, John Milton, Judaism, King Solomon, Lilith, Lucifer, Luís Vélez de Guevara, Mace: The Dark Age, Malleus Maleficarum, Mazdeism, Megatokyo, Nintendo 64, Ogre Battle, Paradise Lost, Persian language, Raphael, Redwall, Robert Jordan, Satan, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Spectre, Star Ocean, Talmud, Terranigma, The Lesser Key of Solomon, Wheel of Time, Zoroastrian, adder, angels, baatezu, bull, cock, demonology, demons, deuterocanonical, dragon, dualism, evil, fighting game, fish, homosexuality, lion, lust, ram, seduction, serpent, video game, zodiacal
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