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Demon Family Tree
Demons exist in every crack and crevice of the globe. In Japan the are called oni,
in India devas, in England bogies and in Scotland gyres; but by any name, fiendish
spirits are up to no good. Demonologists throughout the ages have tried to sort
out a hierarchy of demons, leaving a morass of definitions in their wake. It is
generally agreed that, although certain similarities exist, we pitiful humans have
no way of knowing whether we are dealing with a good spirit or an evil one. To be
on the safe side, one should expect the worst. According to Guazzo's
Compdenium Meleficarum (1608) there are six families, or genera, of demons.
Fiery The first are demons who dwell in the upper air and will not touch ground or
cause trouble until the Last Judgment.
Aerial The second are devils who stir up the atmosphere and cause turbulence,
storms, hurricanes, and thundering tempests as they try to destroy mankind.
These creatures may descend into Hell and will make themselves visible to
humans if called upon to do so.
Terrestrial Living in forests, glens and knolls, these hellions lay in wait for
unexpecting passersby. One is apt to find them in a lonely field or behind a rocky
outpost, giving false directions to lost travelers. Off all the families, these demons
are the most common; they live secretly among people, mimicking their habits
and befriending them in order to learn their darkest secrets and betray them.
Aqueous Living in oceans, rivers, and streams, these powers of darkness raise
storms at sea, sink ships, and drown swimmers. Associated with mermaids and
the sirens from the Iliad, they frequently appear in seductive female forms. Their
leader is the ignominous beast Leviathan.
Subterranean This batch of demons lives in caves and caverns and harasses
miners and other workers who toil beneath the earth. They are the source of
earthquakes, wildfire, and dry, hot winds that scourge the earth.
Heliophobic The final breed of demons are the most malicious. Homicidal and
merciless, these demons only appear at night and, with one blast of their
noixious, icy breath, will kill a person who has the misfortune of running into them.
Within these families of demons are subcreatures who have populated bad
dreams and haunted human beings for centuries, some of which serve a specific
purpose.
Heathen activities such as dancing, blasphemy, promiscuity, miserliness,
tyranny, laziness, gambling, and pride all have their patron demons. Diseases like
asthma, croup, insanity, and indigestion are also caused by particular devils, as
are phobias of heights, water, and flying. In fact, almost ervery blight on the face
of the earth can be attributed to some sort of evil spirit of the same name. Of the
millions of demons, a few stand out in their foul ignominy.
Ahrimanes
In a Persian tale that influenced developement of the Christian idea of evil, the
Ahrimanes are angels that followed their leader, Ahriman, to stage a revolt
against the principle of good, known as Orzud or Ormazd.
Ahriman and his followers were expelled and went to live on earth, where they
were rejected. As revenge, Ahrimanes injured the earth's inhabitants.
They now live in the space between the stars and the earth.
Beast 666
According to the book of Revelation, the end of the world will be heralded by the
unleashing of a horrible demon into the world.
In one final, desperate attempt to reassert himself, the Devil will send a false
prophet - the Antichrist - and the Beast 666, a ferocious apocalyptic creature who
rises from the sea ridden by the whore of Babylon.
Beast 666 is a scarlet-hued monstrosity with the body of a leopard, the feet of a
bear, and the jaws of a lion. It sports ten horns and seven heads, and spews
blasphemy and haughty words from each of its seven mouths.
It will have power over the world for forty-two months, and within that time
'dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not
and is to come'. (Revelation 17:8).
The Beast will lay waste to all around it, visiting plague and destruction on the
lives of mankind and defeating the power of the saints. In time, the Beast will be
accompanied by the false prophet, or Antichrist, who will trick people into
believing that he is the Messiah.
The Antichrist will fashion brazen images of the Beast, commanding the masses
to adore it. He and the Beast will brand their followers with the mark 666 upon
their forehead or hand, and anyone who resists will be slaughtered.
According to the prophecy, the Day of Reckoning will dawn in a place called
Armageddon: the false prophet, the Beast 666, and the legions of evil will do
battle with the Son of God, seated 'faithful and true' upon his dazzling white horse,
and an army from heaven bedecked in gleaming white linen.
In the long awaited final triumph of good over evil, Judgment Day will come and
the false prophet and Beast 666 will be captured and hurled into a boiling lake of
fire and brimstone.
The Devil will be chained and locked in Hell for a term of a thousand years, and all
true believers who refused to succumb to the Beast will be saved.
Djinns
Also known as jinns of ginii, some of these Arabian spirits are good and others
are bad.
The evil ones enter the body through all five orifices, going straight for the head to
drive their victims mad.
The good ones can be persuaded to grant favors and wishes.
They are related to another band of Persian monstrosities, the div.
The Djinns' tendency to enter a human through the mouth or nose has led to the
precaution of covering one's mouth when yawning or coughing and saying
'gesundheit' or 'God Bless You' when another sneezes.
Elves
Related to and often confused with fairies and goblins, elves are created from the
root of the magical mandrake plant. If treated well, they can be wonderful
helpmates, amassing great wealth and power for their master. If treated cruelly,
an elf will see that its owner gets his or her just desserts - often in a violently
grotesque fashion.
Occasionally, elves colaborate with witches, especially in swapping one of their
own children, otherwise known as changelings, with newborn human infants.
Hopdance is a famous Scottish elf who goads people into frenzied dancing and
orgiastic frivolity
Fairies
Fairies, known in different parts of the world as nymphs, little people, trolls, or
spirits, these creatures play a vital role in popular superstitions.
Their origins are most likely pagan, and thus they have been demonized by
organized religions.
As a group, they are usually deminutive and capricious, as likely to lend a hand as
they are to torment and tease.
For the most part, these entities live in the natural places they protect: trees,
fields, forests, rivers, banks, brigdes, and stony ledges for example.
They are easily whipped into a fury if proper respect is not paid to their home, but
their wrath can be avoided with gifts of food, flowers or coins.
The adore lovers, music, dance, and laughter, but once crossed can be vicious
enemies. They are often responsible when something is missing, as they look at
any human possession as fair game.
The more malicious kinds will kill or maim a human, but only if the person stupidly
blunders into their territory without heeding their rules or paving the way with a
smail gift.
The can be warded off with iron or steel since they abhor any element of industry
or violence.
According to some, these little people are actually fallen angels who were saved
from Hell by Christ. As the angels fell, Christ lifted his hand to stop the least
responsible beings at the earth's surface, thus some vestige of goodness has
remained in them.
Fates
These three hags are memorialized in Homer's Odyssey.
One spins the yarn of a person's life, one measures its length, and the last snips
it off with her sharp shears.
The demonologist Alphonsus de Spina believed the fates were not real women
but demons.
Ghouls
Also known as ghosts, ghouls tend to haunt graveyard and unearth the freshly
buried.
In some Middle Eastern cultures, ghouls were thought to devour small children
and corpses.
These undead creatures also like dark lonely places such as mountain tops and
windswept plains.
Legend has it that dogs can see ghouls, which is why they occasionally bark at
what appears to be nothing to the human eye.
If you want to see a ghoul, stand behind a dog and look between its two ears
down the middle of its head
Gremlins
Generally good-natured, gremlins usually behave badly when they are pulling a
prank.
Gremlins are goblins that haunt the air, traumatizing pilots and air travelers by
suddenly swooping up from their underground pits around airports and landing
strips and grabbing a plane's wing.
They are green in colour and covered with mossy hair, and they use their webbed
feet to suction onto airplanes and other industrial machines.
They empty full fuel tanks, disorient the gauges in the cockpit, and cause
turbulence.
An old wives' tale claims that when you hear thunder, the rumbling comes from
the gremlins' favorite pastime, sky bowling.
As technology advances, gremlins have found new arenas in which to play their
tricks; computers, telephones, and televisions are only a few of the modern
machines they now haunt.
Harpies
The harpies are hags from Hell, vicious shrews repulsive to behold. They torment
their victim with unearthly screeches and wails, all the while scratching eyes out
and tearing flesh with their hideously long fingernails.
The Harpies were originally storm goddesses in ancient Greece or, some believe,
aspects of the death goddess. Later myths depicted them as "body snatchers".
Their number varied, up to eight (or even more). As "snatchers" they were
described as monsters with female heads (fair-haired), claws, bear's ears, and
vulture-like bodies.
There are almost as many parents listed for each as there are mythographers,
so take what is listed here with a grain of salt! The three which are most agreed
upon as Harpies are starred * below.
The others are also included on many lists:
* Aiello (Means "Howler") Said to be the daughter of Electra and Thaumas? She is
the personification of the whirlwind. One of the two mentioned by Hesiod.
* Celaeno (Means "Screamer") She is the personification of heavily clouded
skies. Daughter of Gaia?
Kelaino (Possibly an alternative form of the above.) No other information.
Lelaino No other information.
Nicothoe No other information.
* Ocypete (Means "Swift") Personification of storm winds. Daughter of Gaia? One
of the two mentioned by Hesiod.
Podarge (Possibly another form of Celaeno) The only Harpy mentioned by Homer.
No other information.
Other sources tell that the Harpies are hags from Hell, vicious shrews repulsive
to behold. They torment their victim with unearthly screeches and wails, all the
while scratching eyes out and tearing flesh with their hideously long fingernails.
Ladies of the night, Harpies may initially take the form of beautiful women to
seduce their victims into lustfulness; but inevitably, as passions mount, they will
suddenly reveal themselves, more often than not causing the death of their
victims.
The wailing banshee that visits an Irish family to announce an impending death is
a commonly seen Harpie.
Hellhound
The three-headed guard dog of the gates of Hell, the Hellhound is related to the
Roman dog Cerberus who stood at the entrance to Hades.
The dog's heads are a parody of the Holy Trinity.
The Hellhound accompanies the Devil on his night hunts.
Hobgoblins or Goblins
Related to fairies and other little devils, goblins or cobolds, are predominant in
England and Ireland.
Rarely seen in cities, goblins are sooty-faced, hirsute creatures who loiter around
rural villages and farmhouses causing trouble for the folks they live with.
Blowing out hearth fires, knotting up ropes, and undoing chores are only a few
examples of the pesky tricks these demons play.
Their acts are hardly ever fatal, and if they happen to be in the mood, goblins will
occasionally complete a task left undone.
Imps or Familiars
Imps take the form of small animals, rodents, insects of frog-like creatures.
They are the errand-boys of witches, who send them off to execute a particular
spell or charm.
Because they are small, they are easily kept in boxes, bottles or pockets.
Witches suckle them on a third teat, otherwise known as the Devil's Mark.
Incubi
An Incubus, meaning 'to lie on' is one of a horde of demons who take human
shape and descend on sleeping women in the middle of the night, either raping
them or inspiring lustful dreams and desires.
Nuns and maidens are often the victims of the incubus's visit, and a pregnancy in
a convent is usually the result of such a visit.
Copulation with an incubus, reports claim, is a decidedly disgusting affair. The
entity allegedly sports an immense frozen penis that he uses to tear viciously into
the internal organs of his victims. If, as unbelievable as it may seem, a woman
invites an incubus to her bed, all members in the household will fall into a
trancelike sleep, even the woman's mortal lover who may be snoring alongside
her.
In the Middle Ages, any baby born with a mental of physical deformity was
considered to be the progeny of this vile union.
Knockers
Knockers are yet another tribe of little people who torment miners working
underground in tunnels and caves.
If a worker happens to catch site of a Knocker or approach one, legend has it that
he will come down with a painful rheumatism.
If left alone, Knockers are generally considered harmless.
Luciferge
These hideous demons roam the earth searching for souls to kidnap and bring
down to Hell.
Equipped with razor-sharp talons and beaks the use to tear the soul from its
body, they are the henchmen that come to collect on a deal made with the Devil.
Their counterparts, the Malebranche, torment some of the worst sinners in Hell.
These unnatural beasts have snakes coming out of their noses and ears and
sport cloven hooves and tails like their beloved leader.
When a doomed individual takes his last breath, the Malebranche leap on his soul
with whoops of joy and carry it off to its horrible fate in a cloud of stinking,
sulfurous smoke.
Mourners present at the moment of death have been known to catch a whiff of
the telltale odor of damnation
Monsters
The following entities, Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies cannot technically be
called demonic, as they are not sent by the Devil to tempt and torment the
innocent, nor do they play a role in punishing sinners in Hell.
However, being a foul and notorious group, the perpetrate violence and evil on the
world and call upon dark forces for their powers.
For this reason they are included here..
Nightmare or Mares
Waking with shortness of breath or heaviness in the chest is evidence of a visit
by a nightmare demon.
These heinous creatures attack at night, sitting on a person's chest and
breathing putrid breath into their nostrils.
Their exhaust causes horrible dreams; and if the person awakes while the
demon is still present, he or she will be paralyzed under the weight of the
monster.
Poltergeists
Also called 'jumping demons', these creatures reside in people's homes and play
irritating tricks at night.
They will break dishes, hide belongings, shake the walls, and turn lights and
stereos off and on.
Poltergeists like to creep up and rip the covers off sleeping victims. They also
love to stand at the edge of the bed and tickle the bottoms of feet.
Occasionally a poltergeist gets violent, resulting in injury to their victims or, more
rarely, death.
For the most part, however, poltergeists are harmless, albeit irksome and often
terrifying household pests.
Succubi
The female counterpart of the incubus, a succubus (meaning 'to lie under')
attacks innocent men in their sleep.
The denizens of Lilith, succubi sit astride a man's prone body and have their way
with him.
Often taking the form of beautiful women, succubi will instantly turn into
miserable hags if confronted with their real identities.
Monks in monasteries are often visited by these troublesome spirits who inspire
dirty dreams and tempt the brethren with their lusty ideas.
In the Middle Ages, fearful monks tied crucifixes to their genitals before retiring
at night as protection against nocturnal visits by succubi.
Vampires
A ruthless group of undead who surface only at night to suck the blood of the
living.
Once mortal, these corpses were raised from the dead and granted eternal life
by the forces of evil; the catch is they must drink fresh, warm blood in order to
survive.
Virtually helpless during the day - sunlight is fatal - vampires sleep the sleep of
the dead in hidden lairs, either in deep caves or in locked coffins, until sunset.
They have the ability to transform themselves into many forms - bats, rats,
wolves, shadows, even a sinister, creeping fog.
Annals of vampiric legend and lore have been collected throughout the ages, and
there have been many eyewitness accounts of their existence.
Many rules and advisors have evolved about how to behave when confronted with
a vampire - garlic, holy water, and the sigh of the cross seem to ward them off -
but the only sure way to do away with one of these ghastly beings is to find its lair
by day, drive a wooden stake through its heart, and chop off its head.In what
could be called vampiric tradition, certain Black Masses reportedly profane the
Eucharist by celebrating a ceremony in which worshippers drink human blood
from a gold vessel.
Werewolves
Lumped in the same category as vampires due to their ability to change shape,
their nighttime proclivity, and their fondness for human flesh, werewolves are
half-human, half-wolf creatures that have a penchant for juicy young maidens and
farmers' livestock
They are especially powerful during full moons and occasionally stalk their
victims in packs.
In some traditions, one can become a werewolf by petitioning the Devil. In others,
those bitten by a werewolf will metamorphose into one too.
Werewolves return to their human form at dawn, so it is impossible for most
normal folks to know who is and who isn't...
Zombies
Living corpses who find their origin in West Indian, Caribbean, and Voodoo
legend, zombies are used by evildoers as servants.
The zombie is actually a poor soul that, having just been buried, in unable to move
peacefully into the afterlife because it is called forth by someone on earth.
Once it answers, the zombie climbs out of its fleshly dug grave to heed its
master's call, obeying whatever commands the master makes.
With human nature being what it is, these orders are usually wicked.
To ensure that their loved ones get safely into the afterlife, many West Indian
cultures bury their dead face down, with their mouths full of dirt and their lips
shut.
Demons exist in every crack and crevice of the globe. In Japan the are called oni,
in India devas, in England bogies and in Scotland gyres; but by any name, fiendish
spirits are up to no good. Demonologists throughout the ages have tried to sort
out a hierarchy of demons, leaving a morass of definitions in their wake. It is
generally agreed that, although certain similarities exist, we pitiful humans have
no way of knowing whether we are dealing with a good spirit or an evil one. To be
on the safe side, one should expect the worst. According to Guazzo's
Compdenium Meleficarum (1608) there are six families, or genera, of demons.
Fiery The first are demons who dwell in the upper air and will not touch ground or
cause trouble until the Last Judgment.
Aerial The second are devils who stir up the atmosphere and cause turbulence,
storms, hurricanes, and thundering tempests as they try to destroy mankind.
These creatures may descend into Hell and will make themselves visible to
humans if called upon to do so.
Terrestrial Living in forests, glens and knolls, these hellions lay in wait for
unexpecting passersby. One is apt to find them in a lonely field or behind a rocky
outpost, giving false directions to lost travelers. Off all the families, these demons
are the most common; they live secretly among people, mimicking their habits
and befriending them in order to learn their darkest secrets and betray them.
Aqueous Living in oceans, rivers, and streams, these powers of darkness raise
storms at sea, sink ships, and drown swimmers. Associated with mermaids and
the sirens from the Iliad, they frequently appear in seductive female forms. Their
leader is the ignominous beast Leviathan.
Subterranean This batch of demons lives in caves and caverns and harasses
miners and other workers who toil beneath the earth. They are the source of
earthquakes, wildfire, and dry, hot winds that scourge the earth.
Heliophobic The final breed of demons are the most malicious. Homicidal and
merciless, these demons only appear at night and, with one blast of their
noixious, icy breath, will kill a person who has the misfortune of running into them.
Within these families of demons are subcreatures who have populated bad
dreams and haunted human beings for centuries, some of which serve a specific
purpose.
Heathen activities such as dancing, blasphemy, promiscuity, miserliness,
tyranny, laziness, gambling, and pride all have their patron demons. Diseases like
asthma, croup, insanity, and indigestion are also caused by particular devils, as
are phobias of heights, water, and flying. In fact, almost ervery blight on the face
of the earth can be attributed to some sort of evil spirit of the same name. Of the
millions of demons, a few stand out in their foul ignominy.
Ahrimanes
In a Persian tale that influenced developement of the Christian idea of evil, the
Ahrimanes are angels that followed their leader, Ahriman, to stage a revolt
against the principle of good, known as Orzud or Ormazd.
Ahriman and his followers were expelled and went to live on earth, where they
were rejected. As revenge, Ahrimanes injured the earth's inhabitants.
They now live in the space between the stars and the earth.
Beast 666
According to the book of Revelation, the end of the world will be heralded by the
unleashing of a horrible demon into the world.
In one final, desperate attempt to reassert himself, the Devil will send a false
prophet - the Antichrist - and the Beast 666, a ferocious apocalyptic creature who
rises from the sea ridden by the whore of Babylon.
Beast 666 is a scarlet-hued monstrosity with the body of a leopard, the feet of a
bear, and the jaws of a lion. It sports ten horns and seven heads, and spews
blasphemy and haughty words from each of its seven mouths.
It will have power over the world for forty-two months, and within that time
'dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not
and is to come'. (Revelation 17:8).
The Beast will lay waste to all around it, visiting plague and destruction on the
lives of mankind and defeating the power of the saints. In time, the Beast will be
accompanied by the false prophet, or Antichrist, who will trick people into
believing that he is the Messiah.
The Antichrist will fashion brazen images of the Beast, commanding the masses
to adore it. He and the Beast will brand their followers with the mark 666 upon
their forehead or hand, and anyone who resists will be slaughtered.
According to the prophecy, the Day of Reckoning will dawn in a place called
Armageddon: the false prophet, the Beast 666, and the legions of evil will do
battle with the Son of God, seated 'faithful and true' upon his dazzling white horse,
and an army from heaven bedecked in gleaming white linen.
In the long awaited final triumph of good over evil, Judgment Day will come and
the false prophet and Beast 666 will be captured and hurled into a boiling lake of
fire and brimstone.
The Devil will be chained and locked in Hell for a term of a thousand years, and all
true believers who refused to succumb to the Beast will be saved.
Djinns
Also known as jinns of ginii, some of these Arabian spirits are good and others
are bad.
The evil ones enter the body through all five orifices, going straight for the head to
drive their victims mad.
The good ones can be persuaded to grant favors and wishes.
They are related to another band of Persian monstrosities, the div.
The Djinns' tendency to enter a human through the mouth or nose has led to the
precaution of covering one's mouth when yawning or coughing and saying
'gesundheit' or 'God Bless You' when another sneezes.
Elves
Related to and often confused with fairies and goblins, elves are created from the
root of the magical mandrake plant. If treated well, they can be wonderful
helpmates, amassing great wealth and power for their master. If treated cruelly,
an elf will see that its owner gets his or her just desserts - often in a violently
grotesque fashion.
Occasionally, elves colaborate with witches, especially in swapping one of their
own children, otherwise known as changelings, with newborn human infants.
Hopdance is a famous Scottish elf who goads people into frenzied dancing and
orgiastic frivolity
Fairies
Fairies, known in different parts of the world as nymphs, little people, trolls, or
spirits, these creatures play a vital role in popular superstitions.
Their origins are most likely pagan, and thus they have been demonized by
organized religions.
As a group, they are usually deminutive and capricious, as likely to lend a hand as
they are to torment and tease.
For the most part, these entities live in the natural places they protect: trees,
fields, forests, rivers, banks, brigdes, and stony ledges for example.
They are easily whipped into a fury if proper respect is not paid to their home, but
their wrath can be avoided with gifts of food, flowers or coins.
The adore lovers, music, dance, and laughter, but once crossed can be vicious
enemies. They are often responsible when something is missing, as they look at
any human possession as fair game.
The more malicious kinds will kill or maim a human, but only if the person stupidly
blunders into their territory without heeding their rules or paving the way with a
smail gift.
The can be warded off with iron or steel since they abhor any element of industry
or violence.
According to some, these little people are actually fallen angels who were saved
from Hell by Christ. As the angels fell, Christ lifted his hand to stop the least
responsible beings at the earth's surface, thus some vestige of goodness has
remained in them.
Fates
These three hags are memorialized in Homer's Odyssey.
One spins the yarn of a person's life, one measures its length, and the last snips
it off with her sharp shears.
The demonologist Alphonsus de Spina believed the fates were not real women
but demons.
Ghouls
Also known as ghosts, ghouls tend to haunt graveyard and unearth the freshly
buried.
In some Middle Eastern cultures, ghouls were thought to devour small children
and corpses.
These undead creatures also like dark lonely places such as mountain tops and
windswept plains.
Legend has it that dogs can see ghouls, which is why they occasionally bark at
what appears to be nothing to the human eye.
If you want to see a ghoul, stand behind a dog and look between its two ears
down the middle of its head
Gremlins
Generally good-natured, gremlins usually behave badly when they are pulling a
prank.
Gremlins are goblins that haunt the air, traumatizing pilots and air travelers by
suddenly swooping up from their underground pits around airports and landing
strips and grabbing a plane's wing.
They are green in colour and covered with mossy hair, and they use their webbed
feet to suction onto airplanes and other industrial machines.
They empty full fuel tanks, disorient the gauges in the cockpit, and cause
turbulence.
An old wives' tale claims that when you hear thunder, the rumbling comes from
the gremlins' favorite pastime, sky bowling.
As technology advances, gremlins have found new arenas in which to play their
tricks; computers, telephones, and televisions are only a few of the modern
machines they now haunt.
Harpies
The harpies are hags from Hell, vicious shrews repulsive to behold. They torment
their victim with unearthly screeches and wails, all the while scratching eyes out
and tearing flesh with their hideously long fingernails.
The Harpies were originally storm goddesses in ancient Greece or, some believe,
aspects of the death goddess. Later myths depicted them as "body snatchers".
Their number varied, up to eight (or even more). As "snatchers" they were
described as monsters with female heads (fair-haired), claws, bear's ears, and
vulture-like bodies.
There are almost as many parents listed for each as there are mythographers,
so take what is listed here with a grain of salt! The three which are most agreed
upon as Harpies are starred * below.
The others are also included on many lists:
* Aiello (Means "Howler") Said to be the daughter of Electra and Thaumas? She is
the personification of the whirlwind. One of the two mentioned by Hesiod.
* Celaeno (Means "Screamer") She is the personification of heavily clouded
skies. Daughter of Gaia?
Kelaino (Possibly an alternative form of the above.) No other information.
Lelaino No other information.
Nicothoe No other information.
* Ocypete (Means "Swift") Personification of storm winds. Daughter of Gaia? One
of the two mentioned by Hesiod.
Podarge (Possibly another form of Celaeno) The only Harpy mentioned by Homer.
No other information.
Other sources tell that the Harpies are hags from Hell, vicious shrews repulsive
to behold. They torment their victim with unearthly screeches and wails, all the
while scratching eyes out and tearing flesh with their hideously long fingernails.
Ladies of the night, Harpies may initially take the form of beautiful women to
seduce their victims into lustfulness; but inevitably, as passions mount, they will
suddenly reveal themselves, more often than not causing the death of their
victims.
The wailing banshee that visits an Irish family to announce an impending death is
a commonly seen Harpie.
Hellhound
The three-headed guard dog of the gates of Hell, the Hellhound is related to the
Roman dog Cerberus who stood at the entrance to Hades.
The dog's heads are a parody of the Holy Trinity.
The Hellhound accompanies the Devil on his night hunts.
Hobgoblins or Goblins
Related to fairies and other little devils, goblins or cobolds, are predominant in
England and Ireland.
Rarely seen in cities, goblins are sooty-faced, hirsute creatures who loiter around
rural villages and farmhouses causing trouble for the folks they live with.
Blowing out hearth fires, knotting up ropes, and undoing chores are only a few
examples of the pesky tricks these demons play.
Their acts are hardly ever fatal, and if they happen to be in the mood, goblins will
occasionally complete a task left undone.
Imps or Familiars
Imps take the form of small animals, rodents, insects of frog-like creatures.
They are the errand-boys of witches, who send them off to execute a particular
spell or charm.
Because they are small, they are easily kept in boxes, bottles or pockets.
Witches suckle them on a third teat, otherwise known as the Devil's Mark.
Incubi
An Incubus, meaning 'to lie on' is one of a horde of demons who take human
shape and descend on sleeping women in the middle of the night, either raping
them or inspiring lustful dreams and desires.
Nuns and maidens are often the victims of the incubus's visit, and a pregnancy in
a convent is usually the result of such a visit.
Copulation with an incubus, reports claim, is a decidedly disgusting affair. The
entity allegedly sports an immense frozen penis that he uses to tear viciously into
the internal organs of his victims. If, as unbelievable as it may seem, a woman
invites an incubus to her bed, all members in the household will fall into a
trancelike sleep, even the woman's mortal lover who may be snoring alongside
her.
In the Middle Ages, any baby born with a mental of physical deformity was
considered to be the progeny of this vile union.
Knockers
Knockers are yet another tribe of little people who torment miners working
underground in tunnels and caves.
If a worker happens to catch site of a Knocker or approach one, legend has it that
he will come down with a painful rheumatism.
If left alone, Knockers are generally considered harmless.
Luciferge
These hideous demons roam the earth searching for souls to kidnap and bring
down to Hell.
Equipped with razor-sharp talons and beaks the use to tear the soul from its
body, they are the henchmen that come to collect on a deal made with the Devil.
Their counterparts, the Malebranche, torment some of the worst sinners in Hell.
These unnatural beasts have snakes coming out of their noses and ears and
sport cloven hooves and tails like their beloved leader.
When a doomed individual takes his last breath, the Malebranche leap on his soul
with whoops of joy and carry it off to its horrible fate in a cloud of stinking,
sulfurous smoke.
Mourners present at the moment of death have been known to catch a whiff of
the telltale odor of damnation
Monsters
The following entities, Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies cannot technically be
called demonic, as they are not sent by the Devil to tempt and torment the
innocent, nor do they play a role in punishing sinners in Hell.
However, being a foul and notorious group, the perpetrate violence and evil on the
world and call upon dark forces for their powers.
For this reason they are included here..
Nightmare or Mares
Waking with shortness of breath or heaviness in the chest is evidence of a visit
by a nightmare demon.
These heinous creatures attack at night, sitting on a person's chest and
breathing putrid breath into their nostrils.
Their exhaust causes horrible dreams; and if the person awakes while the
demon is still present, he or she will be paralyzed under the weight of the
monster.
Poltergeists
Also called 'jumping demons', these creatures reside in people's homes and play
irritating tricks at night.
They will break dishes, hide belongings, shake the walls, and turn lights and
stereos off and on.
Poltergeists like to creep up and rip the covers off sleeping victims. They also
love to stand at the edge of the bed and tickle the bottoms of feet.
Occasionally a poltergeist gets violent, resulting in injury to their victims or, more
rarely, death.
For the most part, however, poltergeists are harmless, albeit irksome and often
terrifying household pests.
Succubi
The female counterpart of the incubus, a succubus (meaning 'to lie under')
attacks innocent men in their sleep.
The denizens of Lilith, succubi sit astride a man's prone body and have their way
with him.
Often taking the form of beautiful women, succubi will instantly turn into
miserable hags if confronted with their real identities.
Monks in monasteries are often visited by these troublesome spirits who inspire
dirty dreams and tempt the brethren with their lusty ideas.
In the Middle Ages, fearful monks tied crucifixes to their genitals before retiring
at night as protection against nocturnal visits by succubi.
Vampires
A ruthless group of undead who surface only at night to suck the blood of the
living.
Once mortal, these corpses were raised from the dead and granted eternal life
by the forces of evil; the catch is they must drink fresh, warm blood in order to
survive.
Virtually helpless during the day - sunlight is fatal - vampires sleep the sleep of
the dead in hidden lairs, either in deep caves or in locked coffins, until sunset.
They have the ability to transform themselves into many forms - bats, rats,
wolves, shadows, even a sinister, creeping fog.
Annals of vampiric legend and lore have been collected throughout the ages, and
there have been many eyewitness accounts of their existence.
Many rules and advisors have evolved about how to behave when confronted with
a vampire - garlic, holy water, and the sigh of the cross seem to ward them off -
but the only sure way to do away with one of these ghastly beings is to find its lair
by day, drive a wooden stake through its heart, and chop off its head.In what
could be called vampiric tradition, certain Black Masses reportedly profane the
Eucharist by celebrating a ceremony in which worshippers drink human blood
from a gold vessel.
Werewolves
Lumped in the same category as vampires due to their ability to change shape,
their nighttime proclivity, and their fondness for human flesh, werewolves are
half-human, half-wolf creatures that have a penchant for juicy young maidens and
farmers' livestock
They are especially powerful during full moons and occasionally stalk their
victims in packs.
In some traditions, one can become a werewolf by petitioning the Devil. In others,
those bitten by a werewolf will metamorphose into one too.
Werewolves return to their human form at dawn, so it is impossible for most
normal folks to know who is and who isn't...
Zombies
Living corpses who find their origin in West Indian, Caribbean, and Voodoo
legend, zombies are used by evildoers as servants.
The zombie is actually a poor soul that, having just been buried, in unable to move
peacefully into the afterlife because it is called forth by someone on earth.
Once it answers, the zombie climbs out of its fleshly dug grave to heed its
master's call, obeying whatever commands the master makes.
With human nature being what it is, these orders are usually wicked.
To ensure that their loved ones get safely into the afterlife, many West Indian
cultures bury their dead face down, with their mouths full of dirt and their lips
shut.