Razakel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Razakel figures in some rare (mostly oral) European folklore, which tells of a man "who is a blasphemer born in sin and beyond salvation" (both a bastard and unbaptised).
As he grows up, he gradually turns to a life of sin and sorcery. He later devotes his life to the servitude of an evil spirit (claimed to be Asmodai) in order to receive unnatural power and wisdom.
Accepting this proposal, the demon strips the man of his conscience and human emotion and later turns him into a demon whom he names Razakel (see points below). He then grants Razakel the power to inflict madness and despair, which he must do for eternity.
In some ways, the tale is a typical one of reaching for things best left untouched, or gaining power at the cost of one's own humanity and soul.
- The name Razakel might be a mockery of the angel Raphael, enemy of Asmodai in the Book of Tobit.
- Others hold that the name originally has something to do with the Rakshasas of Hindu mythology, who also were held to once have been cruel humans.
