Asmodai

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Asmodai (Asmodeus, Asmodaeus, pronounced Ashmed or Ashmedai in Hebrew, also Chammadai, Sydonai) is a semi-Biblical demon mostly known thanks to the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit; he is also mentioned in some Talmudic legends and in demonology, as he is a leading figure in the construction efforts of the Temple of Solomon. Amongst many scholars, legends about Asmodai are thought to derive from Zoroastrianism, and incorporated into Judaism (and hence Christianity) during the Persian Achaemenids' rule over the Jews.

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[edit] Spelling variations

Æshma (Old Persian), Æshma-dæva, Ashmadia, Ashmedai (Hebrew), Asmodaios (Greek), Asmoday, Asmodée (French), Asmodee, Asmodei, Ashmodai, 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.

[edit] The Persian Asmodai

In Mazdeism, Æshma-deva (Asmodai) is the chief of all demons, a personal being under direct command of Angra Mainyu, the principle of evil, and the enemy of Sraoscha, one of the suras or angels that serve Ahura Mazdah, the principle of good (see dualism). Æshma's mission is to fill the hearts of men with anger and vengeful desires, and to create all evil on Earth. He incites men to abandon the path of good and follow that of evil. Avestan Æshma is cognate with modern Persian kheshm.

[edit] Asmodai in Judaism

In Judaism Asmodai appears in the Book of Tobit and the Talmud. Note, however, that the Book of Tobit is not part of the established Jewish canon.

In the Book of Tobit, Asmodai falls in love with Sarah, daughter of Raguel, and kills her husband each time she gets married. In this way, he killed seven men on their wedding nights, thus impeding the consummation of the sexual act. After this, Sarah becomes engaged to a young man called Tobias. Tobias is menaced by the demon and receives the aid of the angel Raphael. Raphael teaches Tobias how to deal with the demon, making him catch a fish and put its heart and liver on lit coals. This produces a vapour that makes Asmodai flee to Egypt, where Raphael binds him. More about the demon's fate in this story is unknown, but here he is presented as feeling carnal desire as well as having evil behaviour.

In the Talmud, Asmodai seems not to be the evil creature he is in other books. However, there are some legends concerning Asmodai and King Solomon. One of them tells that King Solomon tricked the demon and obliged him to collaborate in building the temple of Jerusalem. In another legend Asmodai changed place for some years with King Solomon. Yet another legend tells that Asmodai is the king of all demons, comparable to the Christian notions of Satan, and married Lilith, the daughter of Samael and Lilith (the original wife of Adam).

It is also stated that he was the offspring of the union between Adam and the angel of prostitution, Naamah, conceived whilst Adam was married to Lilith.

[edit] 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia article

[edit] His function

In the Mazdian religion the chief of the Hindu Devas, or demons. Though the oldest sections of the Avesta —the Gathas— present Æshma mainly as an abstract conception, still, in passages here and there, he is represented in the guise of a personal being ranging among the evil spirits that obey Angro-mainyush. In the later portions of the Avesta the personal character connoted by the name admits of no doubt. Æshma is an enemy of Sraoscha, one of the good angels that serve Ahuramazda. Æshma's design is directed preeminently toward imbuing the hearts of men with anger and revenge. Indeed, all the evil in the world is occasioned through his agency; he fortifies men in the pursuit of evil and seeks to keep them from entering the path of righteousness.

[edit] Etymology of the word

Whether Æshma, like the Jewish Asmodeus in the Book of Tobit, or the Ashmedai of the Talmud, was, as a demon, specially characterized by carnal desire can not be determined. Against such a supposition the fact may be adduced that the Mazdian religion embraces another demon, Azi, who, as expressly stated, is the demon of carnal desire. It is, however, conceivable that Æshma may have had the same part assigned to him in the popular beliefs of the Persians, although the literary sources contain nothing to support the conjecture. The etymology of the word "Æshma" affords no possibility of arriving at any such conclusion. It is true that "Æshma" is connected with the verb ish, denoting "to desire," "to lust after"; but the abstract sense, "anger," that lies in the word "Æshma" in the Gathas, would seem to point to the necessity of referring the word to the same verb ish in its sense of "to throw," "to put in motion" (compare Justi's note to Baudissin's article "Asmodi," in Hauck's "Realencyklopädie").

Though "Æshma" does not occur in the Avesta in conjunction with dæva, it is probable that a fuller form, such as "Æshmo-dæus," has existed, since it is paralleled by the later Pahlavi-form Khashm-dev (Khashm dev = "Æshma dev"), written with the Aramaic sheda, but pronounced dev. Corresponding to this form are Ασμοδαῖος (Asmodeus) of the Book of Tobit, and in the Talmud; for the last-named word is not to be derived from shemad. Thus, Asmodeus (Ashmedai) embodies an expression of the influence that the Persian religion or Persian popular beliefs have exercised on the Jewish—an influence that shows itself very prominently in the domain of demonology. Thus 'Ασμο, corresponds to "Æshma," and the ending δαῖος, to "dæva," "dev."

[edit] Asmodeus in the Book of Tobit

Apart from this etymological coincidence—which, as is now generally agreed, has its basis in the fact that the Jewish word is borrowed from the Persian—Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit and Ashmedai in the Talmud bear no very great similarity to their Persian parallel, as Kohut, for instance, has sought to render plausible. All three are evil, harmful demons, though in different degrees; the worst of the three being undoubtedly the Persian Æshma. The Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is attracted by Sarah, Raguel's daughter, and is not willing to let any husband possess her (Tobit, vi.13); hence he slays seven successive husbands on their wedding-nights. When the young Tobias is about to marry her, Asmodeus purposes the same fate for him; but Tobias is enabled, through the counsels of his attendant angel Raphael, to render him innocuous. By placing a fish's heart and liver on red-hot cinders, Tobias produces a smoky vapor which causes the demon to flee to Egypt, where Raphael binds him (viii.2, 3). Asmodeus would thus seem to be a demon characterized by carnal desire; but he is also described as an evil spirit in general: 'Ασμοδαίος τὸ πονηρὸν δαιμόνιον or τõ δαιμόνιον πονηρόν, and πνεῦμα ἀκάϑαρτον (iii.8, 17; vi.13; viii.3). It is possible, moreover, that the statement (vi.14), "Asmodeus loved Sarah," implies that he was attracted not by women in general, but by Sarah only.

[edit] Special office of Æshma

This general designation of an evil spirit tallies with the description of Æshma in the Bundahis (xxviii.15 et seq.): "Seven powers are given Æshm that he may utterly destroy the creatures therewith: with those seven powers he will destroy seven of the Kayân heroes in his own time; but one will remain. There where Mîtôkht ["Falsehood"] arrives, Arask ["Malice"] becomes welcome; [and there where Arask is welcome] Æshm lays a foundation; and there where Æshm has a foundation many creatures perish, and he causes much non-Iranianism. Æshm mostly contrives all evil for the creatures of Auhramazd, and the evil deeds of those Kayân heroes have been more complete through Æshm, as it says that Æshm, the impetuous assailant, causes them most" (E. W. West, Sacred Books of the East, by F. Max Müller, v.108).

Less harmful in character than Æshma and Asmodeus is the figure of Ashmedai in the Talmud: he appears there repeatedly in the light of a good-natured and humorous fellow. But besides that, there is one feature in which he parallels Asmodeus, inasmuch as his desires turn upon Solomon's wives and Bath-sheba. Thus, while Asmodeus resembles Æshma-dæva with tolerable closeness, Ashmedai, on the contrary, would seem to come into direct comparison with a Greek satyr rather than with an evil demon. The historical element, however, that identifies him with Asmodeus on the one hand, and both with their Persian parallels on the other, is by no means to be ignored. Besides, if the Jews have merely borrowed the name from the Æshma-dæva of Parseeism, and have developed, independently, the idea of a demon corresponding to the name, it merely shows that the Jews shaped on lines of their own the materials they had borrowed from their neighbors.

[edit] Influence of Persian beliefs on Judaism

However, it is not impossible that Æshma-dæva, too, may have had other qualities analogous, point for point, to those of Asmodeus and Ashmedai. It is probable that the belief in the existence of a number of carnally minded and lascivious spirits, which was prevalent among the Parsees as among other peoples with whom the people of Israel came in contact, exercised an influence not merely on the Hebrew conceptions of an Asmodeus or Ashmedai, but also on Jewish ideas in general with regard to the qualities of evil spirits. In later Judaism there may be observed an extensive evolution of the conceptions that are present by intimation in the mythological reminiscence found in Gen. vi.1 et seq. This evolution would seem, in any case, to have been advanced by the views spread by foreign religions. Not the least was the influence of Parseeism. To what extent this influence made itself felt among the Jews of later times, it is of course impossible to determine from the mere presence of Asmodeus in the Book of Tobit or of Ashmedai in the Talmud. But this occurrence indicates one of the channels through which the influence of foreign religions found its way among the Jews. Just as several of the apocalyptic works seem to show that the ideas of the Persian religion have had a bearing upon Jewish theological modes of thought, so do the conceptions of the Book of Tobit with regard to Asmodeus, and the depiction of Ashmedai in the Talmud, show that the popular beliefs of the Persians have likewise had a bearing, presumably in the first instance, on popular beliefs, and later, through them, on their theological modes of thought.

Bibliography: Baudissin, Asmodi, in Hauck's Realencyklopädie für Theologie und Kirche, ii.142; Stave, Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judentum, 1898; Kohut, Aruch Completum, i.318.

This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.

[edit] 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 worshipped 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.


[edit] Asmoday

The spelling Asmoday can be seen in the Ars Goetia as a king, and is said to have a seal in gold and is listed as number 32 according to respective rank[1]. He "is strong, powerful and appears with three heads; the first is like a bull, the second like a man, and the third like a ram; the tail of a serpent, and from his mouth issue flames of fire."[2] Also, he sits upon an infernal dragon, holds a lance with a banner and, "amongst the Legions of Amaymon governs seventy two legions of inferior spirits[2].

[edit] Asmodai in fiction

  • In Dungeons & Dragons, Asmodeus currently resides in Fortress Malsheem, located in Nessus, the ninth layer of Baator. He is acknowledged by all baatezu as the king of Baator, essentially making him lord of the nine layers of Hell. In earlier publications, Asmodeus was the Lord of the Nine Hells, having overthrown Baalzebub (now Baalzebul), who himself overthrew Satan (who walks the Earth). Asmodeus was Lawful Evil and overlord of the (lawful) devils (as opposed to Demigorgan who was Chaotic Evil and overlord of the (choaotic) demons).
  • El Diablo Cojuelo (The Cripple Devil), by Luís Vélez de Guevara
  • Paradise Lost, by John Milton
  • In Redwall, by Brian Jacques, he is a giant adder (see Asmodeus Poisonteeth).
  • In the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan as Asmodean, one of the thirteen Forsaken, near-immortal men and women of magical might and political influence who serve the Dark One.
  • In Nomine as Asmodeus, one of the Demon Princes.
  • Shadow Hearts: Covenant as Asmodeus, a demon. He was summoned by Rasputin.
  • Terranigma as Asmodeus, the disease that ravaged the surface world.
  • Megatokyo webcomic as Asmodeus, archenemy to Seraphim
  • In the Japanese comic Angel Sanctuary, Asmodeus was once a member of the cherubim and represents the sin of Lust as one of the Seven Satans.
  • Gene Roddenberry's Spectre has a fictional cult devoted to the worship of him. In addition, the animated Star Trek episode The Magicks of Megas-tu features a resident of Megas-tu who claims he was known, on Earth, as Asmodeus.
  • In the arcade/Nintendo 64 fighting game Mace: The Dark Age, Asmodeus is a demon who wields an unholy relic called the Mace of Tanis. Drawing on its netherwordly power, he supports the Covenant of Seven, an alliance of vicious rulers in the medieval world. In return, these sovereigns constantly war on their neighbouring countries and subject their lessers to the worst kinds of torture imaginable, thus satisfying the dark cravings of the Mace and its master.
  • The first Star Ocean video game features the Demon King Asmodeus as the source of the virus that ravaged the planet of Roak.
  • In the Ogre Battle Saga, as both Asmodeus and Asmodee, the god of Bane.
  • In Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, Asmodeus is the demon the titular character must defeat in the Temple of Solomon.
  • In the comic series RFU, Asmodai is the leader of the Pointy Hat Guys, responsible for orchestrating many of the series' events.
  • In the PC game Diablo, referred to as Azmodan, the Lord of Sin.
  • In Anne Perry's Tathea, Asmodeus is the evil counterpart to God.
  • In Linda Haldeman's Esbae: A Winter's Tale, Chuck Holmes summons the demon Asmodeus to help him pass his college classes.
  • In Robot Alchemical Drive, Asmodeus is the Leader of an evil robot race, and the final boss.
  • In a Role-Playing Story called the "Yoshi Bodyguards" (formerly located in the Nintendo Nsider Forums, now in a private forum), Asmodeus is a Titan made of fire. The story's main character was named Asmodeus as well.
  • In a series of novels by Richard Harland called the Heaven and Earth Trilogy, Asmodai is a fallen angel who pretends to repent. He is welcomed back into Heaven, but secretly continues to plot Heaven's fall.
  • In the video game Painkiller, Asmodeus is the leader of Lucifer's armies. In the expansion, he usurps the throne of Lucifer.
  • In Charmed the leader of the demonic group known as the Triad, the leader is named Asmodeus.
  • Asmodai is also the name given to the Interrogator-Chaplain of the Dark Angels Space Marine chapter in the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe.
  • In Raven's Gate, by Anthony Horowitz, Jayne Deverill, a witch, has a cat called Asmodeus.
  • In the action videogame Max Payne, the psychotic mafia goon Jack Lupino mentions Asmodeus in his deluded worship of various demons and other malevolent figures.
  • Asmodaios was the name of a Greek satirical newspaper published by writer Emmanouel Roidis between 1875 and 1876.
  • Asmodeus is the name of the demon who is about to be raised by his followers demons in the Playstation 2's game Shadowman 2 Second Coming.
  • Asmodeus is the name of the demon of lust in the film Demon hunter (2005) portrayed by the actor Billy Drago.
  • In the book Dora, Doralina by Rachel De Queiroz, Asmodeus is the name of the main character's second husband/true love. His father named him Asmodeus in order to spite a local Catholic priest.

[edit] Trivia

In Larry Miller's Just Words, Miller makes a reference to Asmodeus in describing one of his "friends," also making a reference to Goethe's Faust-Mephistopheles.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ chapter:Classified List of the 72 Chief Spirits in the Goetia, by S.L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley
  2. ^ a b the Goetia or Lesser Key of Solomon, page 32

[edit] Sources

  • Aleister Crowley (ed.), Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (trans.), The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. York Beach, ME : Samuel Weiser (1995) ISBN 0-87728-847-X.
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