BY ALICE FONTANESI
STAFF WRITER
Because the spooky season has ended, here’s your daily dose of demonology.
We all know how Lucifer fell from grace, but he wasn’t the only one who got thrown out of heaven. The Seven Princes of Hell are seven demons, including Lucifer, who rule hell and represent the Seven Deadly Sins.
Lucifer
Many people get Lucifer and Satan mixed up or think they’re the same person, but they are separate demons. Lucifer is the sin of pride, and he was thrown out of heaven because he believed that he was better than God. Other demons followed in his path, and he became the ring leader of all the demons. His wife is Lilith, the supreme empress of hell, and she was the first wife of Adam who left the Garden of Eden.
Satan
Satan became popular when the craze about witchcraft in the Middle Ages happened. He was believed to whisper into Christian’s ears to lead them astray. He was often associated with witches and was Lucifer’s right-hand man. Satan also represents wrath.
Asmodeus
We are unfortunately not going to talk about Asmodeus from Helluva Boss, but the demon he’s based off of. He’s also the one I know the most about.
Asmodeus is the sin of lust and often appears with three heads of the following: a human, a ram, and a bull. He also rides an infernal dragon.
Asmodeus fell in love with a woman named Sarah and prevented anyone else from marrying her. He killed seven of her husbands on their wedding day, but the eighth one, Tobias, had escaped. Tobias went to the Archangel Gabriel and followed his advice to burn coal and place a fish heart and liver over it. The smell made Asmodeus flee, and he was bound by Gabriel.
Some people think that Asmodeus was never an angel. He was instead a Cambian, a creature half-human and half-demon, with his father being King David and his mother being a succubus.
Mammon
Mammon represents greed, but he was originally more of a concept. He was eventually characterized in the Middle Ages, and his name means money.
Yeah, that’s kind of it.
Belphegor
Sloth means laziness, but Belphegor’s deception and manipulation make up for his sin.
If you summon him, he’ll take any form that will get him what he wants. He’ll whisper into people’s ears to get them as rich as they can, but then he’ll take it all.
Beelzebub
Though this guy has probably the most nonsensical name of the princes, Beelzebub is the lord or gluttony. He doesn’t exactly have a domain in hell, but he is associated with things that can fly since he’s portrayed with wings. Beelzebub has appeared in other civilizations, and in Solomon, he’s a fallen angel associated with Lucifer.
Leviathan
Some people might recognize this guy as a sea monster, but in Christianity, Leviathan is the sin of envy. Leviathan is kind of the guard to the gates of hell, and he will punish those who have committed envy by eating them whole. In some Angelo-Saxon art, Leviathan’s mouth is the gateway to hell.