WitchofBastet

Samael translates as the “Poison of God.” However, If you read my post on Angel names you know it can also be translated as “The Poison God” AKA “God of Death.” which would further support the idea of an ancient Jewish pantheon. 

Now, Samael is a complicated figure, identified both as a fallen angel, and a loyal angel to heaven and its hierarchies. Samael had his roots firmly planted in jewish folklore. In the “Chronicles of Jerahmeel,” Samael is described as the chief of the satans (Also check out on post on the satan umbrella), Even though these texts present him as an evil angel, they also present him as a devoted angel in service to the lord.He is presented as an angel of death that collects the souls of humanity. 

Some key points into my studies about the demonization of paganism, and the truth about demonology. This is what represents demonology today. 

Fallen angels (That have a possible connection to an early Jewish pagan pantheon) (Via Book of Enoch, and Missing books of the bible)

The Nephalim (half human half angel) also in the Book of Enoch

Greek/Roman/Nordic spirits, and Deities that were demonized by the church. (As seen in many manuscripts now used by occult communities)

Sumerian/Babylonian/ Middle Eastern/North African deities and spirits that were demonized by the early Judeo-Christians. (Evidence in the Bible, and all abrahamic texts.)

The main evidence in ALL of this was simply in their names. 

We of course also have words that were considered holy in hebrew, that was mistranslated and turned into actual demons by the church. 

So all I ask is for people to question whether or not something is a demon or angel simply because it was listed, and treat the gods with respect especially if that is their origin. 

The ancient Sumerians had a demon for every illness. In Sumerian exocism the name of the demon was considered the most powerful for driving them away. If the name wasn’t known they would read a list of names related to the illness, thinking one would be it. 

Sumerian exorcisms used animal substitutes such as pigs, or goats to trasfer the demon from the person to the animal, then they would kill the animal ending the demon’s possesion. (This is similar to what we see of Jesus in the bible casting out demons into swine “pigs”)

In the 1906 Theophilus Pinches study of Babylonian and Assyrian religon, he talks about the spirits from the ancient world. The alu is described as a bull or entities of the storm. In the story of Gilgamesh, Ishtar (Ardat lili AKA lilith) sent an alu to attack Gilgamesh. The ahhazu-dimme kur were known as the “seizers,” and had characteristics of night demons.

Lucifer, One of the most recognizable names for the “devil.” The name Lucifer itself is Latin for “Light-bearer.” It was translated from the Hebrew word Helal meaning “Morning Star.” The hebrew word at the time as represented an astronomical phenomenon with the planet Venus, and so the name for the phenomenon in Latin was simply Lucifer, so it wasn’t an error of translation. We first see the name Lucifer translated in Isiah 14:12 of the bible.

“How art thou fallen from heaven , O Lucifer, Son of the morning! How art thou cut down the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” 

What’s intresting about the Book of Isiah is that many biblical scholars believe that the fall of Lucifer, was actually the fall of a Babylonian King, and this story was more of a taunt towards him. There were many references to the fall of Lucifer. One of the more notable ones was from Jesus in Luke 10:18 that states that he fell from heaven like lightning.  

Slowly but surely a rich history around Lucifer evolved. Most of his mythos is based more on material written about the bible than the bible itself, but it still stays incredibly interesting.

The name satan is derived from a Hebrew word meaning “the adversary.” Most instances of the word “Satan” used in the Old testament were not used as a proper name, but as a function. In the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, the fallen angel Samuel is decribed as a cheif of the satans, further indicating that this was less of a name and more of a function. 

Nevertheless this name become overused and connected to many well known demons, instead of their proper name being used. For example, in the book of Job, it tells of about leader of the satans walking up to the courts of heaven and making a wager with God, but it was translated as satan walked up to the courts of heaven and made a wager with God. These translations came with the rise of christianity. 

Lilith the night demon can be traced all the way back to Sumerian mythology where she appears as the female spirit “Ardat lili” who preys among men in their sleep. Supposedly this being died a virgin, so she became a spirit yearning what she couldn’t have. Her embraces were considered deadly, so she was greatly feared in the Sumerian world. (Ardat Lili was also believed to be an other name for the goddess Ishtar)

Ardat Lili AKA Lilith’s name was derived from the sumerian word “lil” meaning “Storm.” It’s important to note that the lilin/lilitu were not a singular being but a class of demons that lived in the deserts and wastelands. The name being associated with “storm” fits typical sumerian mythology which associates demons with destructive forces like storms, eathquakes, and disease. These beings are often associated with owls and wild beasts. In Isiah 34:14 (KJV) the name lilith is translated to the screeching owls. 

Ardat Lili’s connection with birds appear from the 1st images that emerge of her in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Here she appears as a demon who inhabits the Huluppa Tree alongside a dragon and something called a Zu-bird. When Gilgamesh slays the dragon Ardat lili tears her house down and fleas into the wilderness. This is her sumerian/babylonian origin.

Years later Lilith was adopted into Jewish demonology. In the Talmudic Erebim (18b), It states that after Adam was under a curse, before the birth of Seth, he sired demons- both the shedim and the lilin. There is a similar pasage in the Nidda (16b), However this immediatly followed the death Abel, and banishment of Cain. For 130 years, Adam refused to sleep with his wife Eve. So Lilith his 1st wife came to him and bore him all manner of demons by his seed. Earlier stories tell about Lilith, Adam’s 1st wife, was cast out of the garden of Eden for refusing to submit to her husband. She was cast out in a similar matter in the Epic of Gilgamesh and fled into the wilderness. 

Later when she was adopted into Christian demonology, she became a direct consort of Satan and Samuel. 

Now I will go back to the lilin, The lilin were greatly feared by the Jewish people, So they believed if you had amulets with lilin demons’ names on them, you would be protected. The lilin were said to have a fondness of attacking infants, and mothers in labor, and also like Ardat lili they all seduced men to their deaths.

This will be interesting for me to cover, because there are stories of this sea serpent all over the world and in many different cultures and mythologies. However, since my focus has been mostly biblical so far I’ll focus on that since they also managed to demonize it. 

The Leviathan in Hebrew means “twisted/Coiled,”  It’s mentioned 5 times in the bible. In Pslams 104 it implies that God made the Leviathan for “Sport.” A description of this beast is told in the book of Job 41, and it describes the Leviathan as a sea monster capable of devouring a whale. 

In the Talmud it suggest that God will slay this creature on judgment day and create a feast from it’s meat. In many other stories the serpent fought an other well known beast, the behemoth. In the 6th and 7th book of moses there is a spell directly related to it. There is a high liklihood that the children of Israel first heard about this creature from the Sumerians (The monster had the name Tiamat for them), However again, This creature does apear in many cultures all over the world. 

Summoning demons in the name of God may be extremly strange to some, but It was quite common during the medieval era. Medieval society was all about order and hierarchy so it’s no suprise that many grimores wrote that demons also had this hierachy. It’s thought that if you know the name of the demons’ superior then you also have power over it, along with the many names for God. These names were scribed around the summoning circle. The circle below, the Tetragammaton, was considered the most holy. 

Other names of God used in demonic invocation include Adonai, Sabaoth, Elohim, and El Shaddai. Modern Excorcist use these names to this day.

Keep in mind alot of grimoiric traditions in the Middle Ages borrowed from Jewish mysticism. Demons and Angels play a significant role in the Jewish magical system known as Qabbalah. Qabbalistic magic evolves around something called the tree of life. It calls for the individial to ascend through these points known as Sephiroth or sapphires/jewels in English. This includes rigorous practices of fasting, meditation, and in depth ceremonial ritual.  Demon and Angel encounters were seen as  an important part to acending up this spiritual ladder.

The Seraphim have been called the highest order of angels according to most biblical scholars, even above archangels like Michael and Gabriel. However, the term “seraph,” has been used to represent things with more dark aims in the bible. 

Biblical Scholar W.O.E Oesterly, did a close linguistic study on the Seraphim. “Seraph” comes from the Hebrew root “Saraph,” which means “to burn.” So Seraphim means the “Burning ones,” and not in a good way. Take this passage from Numbers 21:6 “and the lord sent fiery serpants among the people, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died.”

The term used for “fiery serpants,” was translated from seraphim nahash. Further in the text Moses makes a cure for the snakebite by making a image of the “seraph” and putting it on a pole, and whoever looks at it becomes cured. Some scholars believe this means that he made an angel, however Oesterly argues that it makes more linguistic sense that it was a snake. 

In other passages like Deuteronomy 8:15, there is mention of “seraph serpants and scorpions.” in the wilderness. Isaiah 14:29 tells about a viper that comes from a serpant’s root and his fruit shall be a “fiery flying serpant.”  a flying “seraph.”

Oesterly’s argument is that the Seraphim were the exact opposite of angels and actually demons who haunted the desert and plagued the children of israel with fiery burning bites.

Baphomet is depicted as a goat-headed hermaphroditic being. The first time we hear about Baphomet was through the transcripts of the templars. These templars were arrested and sentenced to death from abandoning their christian faith and worshipping Baphomet. From old French documents in the 12th and 13th Century suggested that Baphomet was originally a corruption of the name Mohammad, back then spelled as Mahomet. Which would suggest that the templars converted to Islam. However keep in mind this is from a Judeo-Christian perspective.

There is an other theory that explains where the imagery comes from. The templars crusaded around places like Egypt and Greece. There are prominent Ram gods that they had exposure to. Gods like Banebdjedet, the Ba (soul) of Osiris that ruled the city of Mendes, and the Amazihn (Berber) God Ammon that was worshipped heavily by Greek Heroes like Alexander the Great, and had temples in Thebes, and Sparta (Also got combined with Zeus in Zeus dominated cities.) 

Belial sometimes also written as Beliaal/Beliar is derived from a Hebrew word translated as “Worthless” or “Wickedness.” This name often appeared in the old testament in the bible refering to a class of people. They were called the sons/daughters of Belial for being in direct opposition of their new abrahamic religon. (2 Corinthians 6:15) THEY WERE PAGANS. It was used as an insult towards pagans who were against this new religon coming in and changing things. Later through translation woes Belial has been mistaken as an other name for satan, which is why its being debated as a “proper” name due to how the word was used in the old testament and how it was translated. Belial at it’s core is the Essence of human secular desires, that were not considered ok in this new abrahamic religon. 

The followers of Belial (the pagans) were also called the sons/daughters of darkness as described in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the Quran, in the testament of Amram they are also depicted in the same way. 

The word demon comes from the Greek word daimon/daemon. Books in the New Testament bible were composed by Semitic-speaking people writing in Greek. When they needed a word for an unclean spirit, for situations like the man possessed in Luke chapter 8 and Mark chapter 5, they used the Greek word daimon to identify these spirits. 

However, there was a huge problem with this decision. 

For the Greeks, daimons simply were spirits above humanity but below god. The daimons tended to be fickle with humanity yes, but they were not percieved as being evil through and through. 

Philosopher Plato believed in the existence of 2 types of daimons. The eudaimones and the kakodaimones.

Eudaimones- Good spirits and served in a role of a spirit familiar or guide.

Kakodaimones-Bad spirits that were more chaotic than evil.

If you pay close attention to angels, fallen angels, or demons you will notice a pattern in their names. That ~el or ~ael ending. 

These endings derive from the semetic root that means God. In the case of angels most readings read like this “~of God”, for example Raphael (Raph means to heal) would be read as “healing of God,” This is commonly interpreted as a way to show the angels devotion to God. 

HOWEVER,

It can also be translated as the “God of Healing,” which would suggest the possibility that all angels belonged to an ancient pantheon that predates jewish monotheism. 

I briefly touched on this in my last post, but I will futher expand it here. Baal is the canaanite word for god and Ashtaroth was the word for goddess. When the Isaelites entered Canaan they saw the “Cult of Baal”/”Baal Worship”, this just means they saw the worship of their pagan gods. Every district had its own “baal.” Baal worship was in direct competition of this new abrahamic religon, Which is why they made a way to demonize the baals. 

“Prince Baal” Also known as the God of thunder was mocked by these abrahamic folllowers and they changed his name into “Baalzebub/Beelzebub” the “lord of the flies.” Who later became a popular demon in christian demonology. Another baal called “Baal-Peor” was turned into Belphegor, an other well known demon of hell. Baal in it’s pural form is baalim. Bael is alternate form of Baal, later developed into a completley seperate deity.