The infernal names
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The Infernal Names are biblical anti-figures used in LaVeyan Satanism, as representations and figures of Satan. The following names and meanings are as listed in the The Satanic Bible, written by the church founder Anton Szandor LaVey. Either all Infernal Names or those most relevant are recited in ritual.
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[edit] The Infernal Names
- Abaddon - The Destroyer (Hebrew)
- Adramalech - Samarian devil
- Ahpuch - Mayan devil
- Ahriman - Mazdean devil
- Amon - Egyptian ram-headed god of life and reproduction
- Apollyon - Greek synonym for Satan, the arch fiend
- Asmodeus - Hebrew devil of sensuality and luxury, originally "creature of judgment"
- Astaroth - Phoenician goddess of lasciviousness, equivalent of Babylonian Ishtar
- Azazel - Taught man to make weapons of war, introduced cosmetics[citation needed] (Hebrew)
- Baalberith - Canaanite Lord of the covenant who was later made a devil
- Balaam - Hebrew devil of avarice and greed
- Baphomet - Worshipped by the Templars(by accusation) as symbolic of Satan
- Bast - Egyptian goddess of pleasure represented by the cat
- Beelzebub - Lord of the Flies, taken from the symbolism of the scarab (Hebrew)
- Behemoth - Hebrew personification of Lucifer in the form of an elephant
- Beherit - Syriac name for Satan
- Bilé - Celtic god of Hell
- Chemosh - National god of Moabites, later a devil
- Cimeries - Rides a black horse and rules Africa
- Dagon - Philistine avenging devil of the sea
- Damballa - Voodoo serpent of God
- Demogorgon - Greek name of the devil, it is said it should not be known to mortals
- Diabolous - "Flowing downwards" (Greek)
- Dracula - Romanian name for son of the devil or dragon, which would also denote a "devilish" name--Romanian isn't too clear on which meaning, if not both, is correct.
- Enma-O - Japanese ruler of Hell
- Euronymous - Greek Prince of Death (a misspelling, correct spelling Eurynomos)
- Fenris - Son of Loki, depicted as a wolf
- Gorgo - dim. of Demogorgon, Greek name of the devil
- Haborym - Hebrew synonym for Satan
- Hecate - Greek goddess of the underworld and witchcraft
- Ishtar - Babylonian goddess of fertility
- Leviathan - Hebrew personification of Lucifer in the form of a great sea reptile (usually it represents the Antichrist; the beast of the sea)
- Lilith - Hebrew female devil, Adam's first wife who taught him lust
- Loki - Teutonic devil
- Mammon - Aramaic god of wealth and profit
- Mania - Etruscan goddess of Hell
- Mantus - Etruscan god of Hell
- Marduk - god of the city of Babylon
- Mastema - Hebrew synonym for Satan
- Melek Taus - Yezidi devil
- Mephistopheles - he who shuns the light, q.v. Faust (Greek)
- Metztli - Aztec goddess of the night
- Mictian - Aztec god of death
- Midgard serpent - Jörmungandr, son of Loki, depicted as a serpent
- Milcom - Ammonite devil
- Moloch - Phoenician and Canaanite devil
- Mormo - King of the Ghouls, consort of Hecate (Greek)
- Naamah - Hebrew female devil of seduction
- Nergal - Babylonian god of Hades
- Nihasa - American Indian devil
- Nija - Polish god of the underworld
- O-Yama - Japanese name for Satan
- Pan - Greek god of lust, later relegated to devildom
- Pluto - Roman god of the underworld
- Prosperine - Greek queen of the underworld
- Pwcca - Welsh name for Satan
- Rimmon - Syrian devil worshipped at Damascus
- Sabazios - Phrygian origin, indentified with Dionysos, snake worship
- Saitan - Enochian equivalent of Satan
- Samael - "Venom of God" (Hebrew)
- Samnu - Central Asian devil
- Sedit - American Indian devil
- Sekhmet - Egyptian goddess of vengeance
- Set - Egyptian devil
- Shaitan - Arabic name for Satan
- Supay - Inca god of the underworld
- T'an-mo - Chinese counterpart to the devil, covetousness, desire
- Tchort - Russian name for Satan, "black god"
- Tezcatlipoca - Aztec god of Hell
- Thamuz - Sumerian god who was later relegated to devildom
- Thoth - Egyptian god of magic
- Tunrida - Scandinavian female devil
- Typhon - Greek personification of devil
- Yaotzin - Aztec god of Hell
- Yen-lo-Wang - Chinese ruler of Hell
[edit] Musical Influence
With the occult stance of Satanism, many occult-related bands or band members have used certain infernal names as their band name or pseudonyms for themselves. Examples include:
- Abaddon - Stage name for the original drummer of thrash metal band Venom Tony Bray, Venom being a huge influence on the black metal scene.
- Amon - The original name of death metal band Deicide.
- Apollyon - Part of the band name for a Tom Fischer project Apollyon Sun.
- Azazel - In the name of the death metal band Dawn of Azazel and Kult ov Azazel
- Behemoth - Name of Polish black/death metal band.
- Nergal - Name of the guitarist and vocalist of the Polish death metal band Behemoth.
- Euronymous - name of a song by Celtic Frost, which inspired the stage name of former Mayhem guitarist Øystein Aarseth, a prominent character in the black metal scene of the early 90's (misspelling statement below).
- Fenriz - Stage name of Darkthrone drummer Gylve Nagell.
- Loki Strike - Is the name of a Minnesota punk/metal band.
- Marduk - Name of Swedish black metal band.
- Samael - Name of Swiss dark metal band, though this band adheres to the correct spelling.
- Tchort - Stage name of former Emperor bassist Terje Schei.
[edit] Errors
There are evident errors in the list of infernal names, possibly the most noticeable being Midgard, stated here as a son of Loki depicted as a serpent. Loki is a god in Norse mythology. In Norse mythology, Midgard is the land on which humanity resides, the word itself being an old Germanic word. The son of Loki depicted as a serpent is named Iormungand or Jörmungandr. The source of this confusion is likely that Jörmungandr is referred to as "The Midgard Serpent."[1] Another noticeable mistake is the statement that Pluto was the Greek god of the underworld, when in fact he was the Roman god of the underworld (Hades is the Greek god of the underworld[2]; also, planets in our solar system were named after the Roman gods). Euronymous is misspelt too, the correct spelling being Eurynomos. Also Loki in Norse Mythology is actually a god that has a fondness for being a trickster, and is said that he will be freed upon the oncoming of Ragnarok, which is essentially the battle between the gods of Asgard and Niflheim. The battle culminates with the Norse god Odin being devoured by Fenrir and the world as it is known is destroyed and starts anew[1]. Another would be the comparison between O-yama and Satan.
[edit] Source
[edit] Note
Anton LaVey (whose sole work The Satanic Bible is the only given reference of this list) never got accreditation by an academic institution, therefore it may be difficult to distinguish that which is factual from that which is fictional in his works.
