Succubi and incubi have been morphed into the modern day literary and media vampires, as tempters and temptresses or masquerading as various kinds of illicit supernatural liaisons. I have previously discussed Lilith as being associated with the Nephilim, but that’s another topic for another time. The late 20th century also witnessed Lilith’s elevation to that of a Goddess in some sects of modern witchcraft. The 19th century saw Lilith return in the form of popular culture in Europe, becoming a fallen, romantic and rebellious literary trope. Yet as time passed on, she was forgotten by all except the Hasidic Jews, who still put written charms against Lilith on their children’s cradles and beds, and this practice continued well into the early 20th century. ![]() Lilith was known to the ancient Akkadians and functioned in their spirit list as a kind predatory she-demon, and was later considered one of the demonic queens. Later, she became the consort and mother of demons and preyed upon young children and adolescent males. Because of this insubordinate refusal, she was cast out of paradise by Yahweh, who then fashioned Eve as her replacement. Lilith was reputed to be Adams first wife, but she refused to submit to him (a fancy way of saying she refused to lie underneath him). So now we come to the really important core of the mythic image of the succubus-incubus, and that is its association with the ancient she-demon known as Lilith. While the incubi were essentially nameless (other than “incubus”), the succubi were explicitly named and associated with various attributes of Lilith. Great heros (such as Gilgamesh) and magicians (Merlin) were reputed to be the spawn of these kinds of spiritual entities. Perhaps this was a way of explaining nocturnal emissions or unavowed pregnancies due to incest or rape.Ī child born of such a supposed supernatural liaison would itself have supernatural qualities. This inherent reasoning stated that the succubus would consort with men, thereby collecting their seed, and then transform into an incubus, thus injecting the collected seed into a female victim. Still, according to Thomas Aquinas, demons were considered bi-sexual, so the succubus and incubus were interchangeable facades for the same spirit. (There was a special section for these demons in the “Malleus Maleficarum.”) Later on, it was said that witches and wizards had demon lovers (but of course!), and that these beings could even take on physical bodies. These entities were well known and identifiable targets of exorcism and banishing/blessing rites used by both Christians and Jews starting from the late middle ages. They usually appeared in dream form (at first), causing heightened erotic fantasies, sleep paralysis and nightmares, and often resulting in some kind of unbidden orgasm. Where demons usually would possess the body of their victims by inhabiting their soul, an incubus or succubus would consort with their victims, thereby externally draining their life-force. These were supposedly demonic entities that were intimately and sexually involved with human beings, representing a unique class of spirits. The succubus would somehow get between the sleeping man and the bed and enfold him. Just do a internet search for “succubus” or “incubus” and witness the volume of what you discover.Ĭuriously, the root word for both succubus and incubus is the Latin verb “cubare” (to lie), where incubus means to “lie upon,” and succubus means to “lie under.” The incubus was known as a demon that would lay upon the body of a woman, causing her nightmares and paralysis. Due to their popular nature, they are still to be found, in some form or another, today. They later became mythic themes that, because of their illicit sexual nature, caught the “sweaty” imaginations of prelates and populous alike. What they actually were (or are) is a matter of debate. Reports of these two types of demons were often remarked upon when interrogating witches and wizards during the early renaissance. ![]() In some cases the alluring powers of the succubus became associated with the witch, and the incubus could be both her familiar and lustful companion. In addition to the familiar spirit, the succubus and incubus functioned as either the lover of the witch or as a tool to sexually attack targeted victims. The succubus is female, the incubus, male, and they’re generally of the variety of demonic spirits that seek sexual union with their victims. Two of the more unusual spirits associated with the medieval witch are the succubus and incubus.
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