Succubus

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For the film Succubus, see Succubus (film). For usage of the succubus in popular culture, see The succubus in fiction. For succubi in the Dungeons & Dragons game, see Succubus (Dungeons & Dragons). For the South Park episode, see The Succubus.

A bracket carved as a winged succubus on the outside of an English inn, suggesting that a brothel could have been found inside.

In Western medieval legend, a succubus (plural succubi) is a demon who takes the form of a female to seduce men (especially monks) in dreams to have sexual intercourse. They draw energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhaustion or death of the victim. From mythology and fantasy, Lilith and the Lilin (Jewish), Lilitu (Sumerian) and Rusalka (Slavic) are, in redactive Christian fables (folktales not part of official Christian theology), considered succubi.

According to the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Witches' Hammer", succubi would collect semen from the men they slept with, which incubi would then use to impregnate women. Children so begotten were supposed to be more susceptible to the influence of demons.

In some beliefs the succubi would morph into the Incubus with its newly collected semen ready to impregnate their victims. This was to account for the fact that demons could not reproduce naturally, however the incubus could impregnate women.

From the 16th century, the carving of a succubus on the outside of an inn indicated that the establishment also operated as a brothel.

1 Etymology
2 Appearance
3 Middle Eastern belief
4 In modern times
5 References to succubi in modern times
6 See also
7 References

[edit] Etymology

The word comes from an alteration of the Late Latin succuba meaning "strumpet". The word itself is derived from the latin prefix "sub-" which means "below, underneath", and the verb "cubo" which means "I lie". So a succubus is someone who lies under another person. Whereas an incubus (latin "in-" stand in this case for "on top") is someone who lies on top of another person. ^[1]

Mare was also a term for the sighing, suffocative panting, or an intercepted utterance, with a sense of pressure across the chest, which occur during sleep. These symptoms were also thought to be an incubus (or succubus), an evil preternatural being causing nightmares and/or nocturnal emissions.

[edit] Appearance

The appearance of succubi varies just about as much as that of demons in general; there is no single definitive depiction. However, they are almost universally depicted as alluring women with unearthly beauty, often with demonic batlike wings; occasionally, they will be given other demonic features (horns, a tail with a spaded tip, snakelike eyes, hooves, fangs, etc). Occasionally they appear simply as an attractive woman in dreams that the victim cannot seem to get off their mind. They lure males and in some cases, the male has seemed to fall "in love" with her. Even out of the dream she will not leave his mind. She will remain there slowly draining energy from him.

[edit] Middle Eastern belief

A Middle Eastern version of the succubus known as "um al duwayce" (أٌم الدويس) portrays this succubus as a beautiful, alluringly scented woman who wanders the desert on the hooves of a donkey. She attempts to lure men to have intercourse with her, at which time sharp razors within her vagina slice the partner's penis, leaving him in agonizing pain. Having rendered the man helpless, she turns into her true form and kills him.

[edit] In modern times

Experiences of apparent supernatural visitations at night can sometimes occur as effects of hypnagogia. To this day the blame of nocturnal emissions and other sexual occurrences or mysteries are, in some cultures and circles, blamed on a demon of sin such as a succubus.

Most notably in popular television, Comedy Central aired an episode of South Park entitled The Succubus. Succubi are popular figures in modern fantasy fiction; see "The succubus in fiction" for more information. Succubus was also the name given to the demon that possessed Marlena Evans in the popular day time drama: Days of our Lives.

[edit] References to succubi in modern times

Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic features a dark elf unit that is a winged succubus
American Dad in episode Iced, Iced Babies, Stan calls his wife Francine a succubus after she tries to have sex with him when it isn't one of their safe sex nights.
Aquanox The Succubus is an underwater sea-vessel used by Commander Flint in this PC Game. Also Succubus 2
Castlevania The succubus is a popular, recurring enemy in the series, undergoing many different appearances and different attack styles. In Symphony of the Night and Lament of Innocence, she is one of the boss characters.
Charmed, a popular TV series, features a succubus during the season two episode "She's a Man, Baby, a Man!"
City of Heroes/City of Villains Succubi are one of several types of demons bound in the service of the mystical Circle of Thorns, who specialize in confusing players into attacking their teammates.
Darkstalkers The character Morrigan Aensland and her sister Lilith Aensland are Succubi.
Days of our Lives

An infamous storyline in the 90's saw the popular Marlena Evans get possessed by a demon called succubus.

Demikids The Succubus is a demon in Demikids, but the data has no reference to the mythology behind Succubi. Instead, it apparently feeds off of imagination and dreams.
Diablo and Diablo 2 had Succubi enemies near their ends.
Disgaea and Disgaea 2 There is a Succubus class of monster, containing six variants in differing color schemes and ascending levels of strength.These can be opponents, or, if one is successfully captured, can be created for your own forces. They have large bat wings, horns, and a spaded tail, and of course, cartoonishly large breasts and scanty clothing. They employ their demonic attributes in many attacks, most of which involve draining Hit Points from victims through tail stabs. In Disgaea 2 they have the added benefit of dealing more damage to male opponents.
Hell's Belles First book in the Hell on Earth series written by Jackie Kessler about a succubus who runs away from Hell, hides on Earth as an exotic dancer and learns the hard way about true love.
Heroes of Might and Magic V The succubus is the fourth level creature of the inferno and the succubus mistress its upgrade.
Hex The demon Malachi turns the women he lays into slaves which Ella Dee refers to as succubi (and she herself was also one for a short while).
Lineage 2 Various kinds of Succubus can be found throughout the game. They all take the shape of a beautiful demonic woman with wings and very long claws.
The Interrogation A short story by Dean Koontz detailing a man's battle against his succubus wife.
Man of the Year Lewis Black, while referring to the lead female character, says, "She could be a succubus." A short discussion then ensues about the meaning of the term.
The Matrix Online Succubi are Merovingian/Exile-affiliated NPCs in The Matrix Online. They take the appearance of a beautiful woman and either have a purple, red, or green see-through dress with matching long hair and eye colors.
Miyuki-chan in Wonderland In the manga version Miyuki comes across one (though she calls it an incubus), who tries to seduce her.
Neverwinter Nights The succubus can be found in many of the campaigns/modules that come with the game.^[2]
O Brother Where Art Thou, a 2000 film starring George Clooney in which he calls his wife a succubus
Planescape: Torment Fall-from-Grace, one of the characters that can join the party, is an apparently chaste succubus.
Phantasy Star The succubus appears in a dream battle sequence early in the game.
Power Rangers: Mystic Force, the 14th season of the popular TV show, Power Rangers, had an episode called "Soul Specter" which had a Succubus named Gnatu.
Progress Quest When "executed", succubi drop the item "succubus bra" which is sold in exchange for gold.
Radio Free Roscoe Ray tells Kim to go off and teach at a seminar on Succubus when he sees her with Robbie.
Ragnarok Online The succubus is a powerful monster in the dungeon, Geffenia.
Silent Hill 4: The Room, A female ghost takes the form of a creature that drains the health of the main character and can entangle him to keep him from running away.
Sluggy Freelance During the "Torg Potter and the President of Arkansas" storyline, the Knight Bus is parodied by the "Succubus", a similar method of transportation, but with the outer appearance of a succubus that sucks passangers into her mouth (whose insides look like that of a regular bus) then spits them out at their destination.
Step Monster In this film starring Growing Pains' Alan Thicke, the young male protagonist must expose his soon to be stepmother's true nature to his father through violin music.
South Park:The Succubus The boys tried to stop Chef from marrying a Succubus
Succubus Blues A book and series written by Richelle Mead coming in March 2007 from Kensington Books.
The Road to Hell Second book in the Hell on Earth series written by Jackie Kessler about a former succubus who must return to Hell to save the soul of the man she loves.
Torchwood A woman is turned into A succubus by a mysterious gas in the episode 'Day One'
Warlords Battlecry The Succubus is a flying sword unit in the demon race choice which turns any units who receive their death blow from a succubus into Souls, which can be harvested by demonic spellcasters to gain mana. A summoning spell "soulharvest" will summon as many as four of these creatures. Balora, the demon titan, is also made to look like a massive succubus.
White Skin A university student falls in love with a Succubus.
World of Warcraft The warlock class is able to obtain a succubus as a pet at level 20, which has the abilities to make herself invisible and "charm" (sleep effect) an opponent for a short amount of time with the skill "seduction". This pet is very controversial due to its whipping and moaning sound effect combination.
Starship Titanic There is a machine in this game called a Succubus, although it has no ties to the mythical creature. The machine acts as a kind of package delivery service, sucking the items into its mouth and then delivering them to various parts of the ship.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne She appears as a level 37 demon, a woman in a black leotard and knee high boots, bat wings and a tail. The appearance is very similar to a lillim on the same game. It can be fought as an additional boss in a cache cube outside of the rear entrance of the Assembly of Nihilo, near Ginza.