Topic: Armchair etymologists, what's the origin of these demons?

[Nagumo]

So I'm interested in the origins of all the enemies that appear in the Castlevania series. Usually it's pretty simple to figure out, but I can't for the life of me figure out the origins of the demons from the Ars Goetia. To clarify, it's a book about demons which describes them, how to summon them, what their qualities are, etc. A couple of the demons mentioned in that book have been used in Castlevania games. They are: Amduscias, Andras, Bael, Biphron, Buer, Decarabia, Eligor, Forneus, Gaap, Glasya Labolas, Lerajie, Malphas, Procel, Stolas, Vapula, and Vassago. A lot of the time, demons are actually gods or deities from other religions which have been demonized in Judeo–Christian sources. However, this doesn't appear to be the cases with most demons in this book, which I think is odd.

A little background: the earliest source that I know of which mentions these demons is the "Pseudomonarchia Daemonum" which is an appendix to the "De praestigiis daemonum" from 1577. This information was later copied to other books like the Ars Goetia, Key of Solomon, etc. Their appearances in Castlevania are actually based on illustration from the 1868 edition of the Dictionnaire Infernal. Buer and Stolas are good examples of this.

Bael appears to be based on a very ancient god from Syria. Also, Biphron is apperently a corruption of the name Janos, a Roman god (could someone perhaps explain to me how that works?). I'm completely stumped about the others.

I'm just trying to figure this out with the occasional fruitless google search, so I don't expect many answers, but maybe someone here knows something more about this. 

[Chernabogue]

I have been doing researches on such topics a few years ago. I'll try to give you a hand (plus it's for the Wiki, huhu).

I found a PDF of the Dictionnaire Infernal, and being French, I think I'll have no problem reading it and finding all this information.

[X]

Also, Biphron is apperently a corruption of the name Janos, a Roman god (could someone perhaps explain to me how that works?).

It's Janus actually (looked it up just now). He's the only Roman god that is indigenous to Roman lore alone and is not based off of any prior Greek conception.

[theplottwist]

I also searched for this already. The farthest I got was to discover that all the demons are from the "Gentiles", which tells me squat because anyone who was not a jew was a gentile, an "outsider".

I'm under the impression that these specific demons are actually invented over the base gods, or bear almost no resemblance to the base gods. "Amduscias" and "Glasya Labolas/Caacrinolaas", for instance, have such specific names, but turns up nothing when you look for their etymology.

Still, I'll see if I find something

Also, not trying to derail the thread but: Anyone else think that Solomon hunting all 72 demons and locking them in magic sigils would be an awesome videogame?

[Chernabogue]

It seems the Dictionnaire Infernal has nothing new to share, as everything's already on Wikipedia or other websites. No origin information, unfortunately.

[Nagumo]

The names of the demons are almost certainly corruptions of their original names. For example, Cereberus is mentioned as Naberius. No idea how this happend because both names are Latin. Apperently the original names could be quite different.

[Ratty]

Let me crack open Gustav Davidson's "A Dictionary of Angels including the fallen angels" and see if there's anything about them in there. In the interests of academic research a few direct quotations should be alright.

"Bael (Baal- "lord" or "master")- in The Zohar, Bael is equated with the archangel Raphael. However, in the grimoires, and in the Wierus, Pseudo-Monarchia, he is a great king of the underworld serving in the eastern division of Hell and attended by 60 or 70 legions of devils. He manifests, when invoked, as a creature with 3 heads (toad, man, cat)."

"Forneus- before he fell, Forneus was of the order of thrones and partly also of the order of angels. In the underworld he is a great marquis, with 29 legions of infernal spirits ready to carry out his commands. In addition to teaching art, rhetoric, and all languages, he causes men to be loved by their enemies. The sigil of Forneus is shown in Waite, The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts, p. 174. It is said that, when he is invoked, Forneus manifests in the form of a sea monster."

Procel redirects to Crocell

"Crocell (Crokel, Procel, Puccl, Pocel)- once of the order of potestates (i.e., powers), now a great duke in hell commanding 48 legions of infernal spirits. Crocell confided to Solomon that he expects to return to his former throne (in Heaven). Meantime he teaches geometry and the liberal arts. May be the same as Procel, in which case his sigil is shown in Waite, The book of Ceremonial Magic, p 211."

"Vassago- in the grimoires, a "good spirit" invoked to discover a woman's deepest secret. [Rf. Christian, The History and Practice of Magic II, 402.] In Waite, The Lemegeton, Vassago is a prince of the nether realms where he busies himself finding lost possessions and foretelling the future. His sigil is shown in Shah, The Secret Lore of Magic, p. 210"

And those were the only exact matches, though there was a reference to an entry for "Andas" on page 20 and Malphaes sounds a little bit like it could be a corruption of one of the names for the angel of death.

PS-
Would you like me to look in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend? Might be a bit more useful for what you're looking now that I think about it.

[Nagumo]

PS-
Would you like me to look in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend? Might be a bit more useful for what you're looking now that I think about it.

Yes, bring out all the books of eldritch lore.

And those were the only exact matches, though there was a reference to an entry for "Andas" on page 20 and Malphaes sounds a little bit like it could be a corruption of one of the names for the angel of death.

What's the name of the angel of death?

I did find a small lead on Gaap. He is mentioned in the Munich Manual of Demonic Magic which is allegedly from the 15th century (exact year is uncertain). So, that would mean that book would predate the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum by at least 78 years. So it's possible other demons mentioned in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum  and later books could be mentioned in that book or even earlier grimoires.

A modern version of the books with an introduction and analysis can be found here . 

[Dracula9]

OH BOY DEMONOLOGY TALK YES YES YES

I'll bust open my various books once I'm off work, got a good fieldguide for demons and more than a few grimoires and magick compendiums. Hopefully I'll be able to help out.

[Ratty]

Yes, bring out all the books of eldritch lore.

What's the name of the angel of death?

*looks at the dictionary again*

"Malach ha-Mavet" is the the angel of death in "Koranic lore" and "rabbinic literature" synonymous with Sammael or Azrael. "Malach ha-Sopher" and "Malach Menmue" are aids to "Duma", angel of the silence of death. "Malaku 'L-Maut" is the angel of death in Koran suras 32 and 11, can be identified/equated as Izrael or Azrael. There's also Malchiel/Malkiel "an angel invoked in Syrianic incantation rites." who is "grouped with Micheal, Gabriel, Harshiel and other spellbinding angels. [Rf The Book of Protection; Budge, Amulets and Talismans.]"

It occurs to me also that Malphas could conceivably be a refrence to the Magus (better known to us as Magi, as in the three wise men), a caste of Median astrologers/diviners/magicians. According to Funk and Wagnells many of their rituals (such as letting the dead rot in the open air) were incorporated into Zoroastrianism, and Zoroaster himself might have been a Magus, as the Greeks believed.

Unfortunately Funk and Wagnalls was mostly a wash, it's a huge book but the sheer breadth of subject matter means it can be skimpy on more obscure figures. The entry on Baal was good though:

"Baal or ba’al (feminine baalat; plural baalim) The generic name for numerous ancient Semitic gods, especially of Syria and Palestine, each usually the local agricultural deity bestowing fertility upon land and flocks. With later theological development we may speak of a god Baal (compare Babylonian Bel), but originally there were as many baalim as sacred places in which they dwelt. There is no evidence of baalim separate from physical surroundings, e.g. gods of abstract qualities, the theory being that the baalim developed about the sacred nature of places like springs and oases in the life of an agricultural desert people. The cult of Melkart, the baal of Tyre, reached prominence in Palestine under Ahab and Jezebel and brought forth denunciation from the prophets because of its license, human sacrifice, etc. The word baal has the basic meaning of “master, owner” and still survives, for example in several Yiddish words as “baalboos” “master of the house, home-owner”. See: Astarte; Bel; Semitic Mythology"

[Dracula9]

It occurs to me also that Malphas could conceivably be a refrence to the Magus (better known to us as Magi, as in the three wise men), a caste of Median astrologers/diviners/magicians. According to Funk and Wagnells many of their rituals (such as letting the dead rot in the open air) were incorporated into Zoroastrianism, and Zoroaster himself might have been a Magus, as the Greeks believed.

Pardon my ignorance, but where does that connection come into play? The only Malphas I've heard of is the builder-demon one can summon for hard labor, depicted as an anthropomorphic crow. In the context with which I'm familiar, he was one called upon to construct impregnable fortresses, as well as to teach his summoners how to breach their enemy's own ramparts. I've never heard of a connection to the Magi, though do elaborate if a well-documented one exists, this is interesting to note.

Personally I'd attribute the openly-rotting and festering dead to Eurynome, who in de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal is described as the "prince of death," with a body covered in decaying sores and who feeds on decaying flesh. Granted, de Plancy's work was published in 1863, and obviously there are far older texts which have already been mentioned here. So take any references to the Infernal with a pinch (or should I say circle?) of salt.

As for other CV monsters, it's possible to see potential inspiration behind even more basic enemies, such as Persephone. Wife of Hades' name notwithstanding, there's a Hungarian demon called the Liderc, who in addition to an incubus and ignis fatuus, can take the form of what is described as a "household helper." Sound familiar? Of course, in this context, it assumes the form of "a featherless chicken, which can arrive on its own or be hatched from an egg incubated under the armpit. It carries out tasks for its master. Unfortunately, it carries out tasks too quickly and efficiently and always wants more to do, until eventually it incessantly begs its master for new chores." This version of the Liderc can, however, assume a human form at will.¹

I think it's interesting to note that the angel of death figure in Hinduism is called Mara(not to be confused with Yama, the Hindu Lord of Death), and is less an evil being and more the embodiment of all that causes suffering, for such a thing must exist to balance out the good. It's only worth noting due to the similarities of the name of the death angel in Koranic and rabbnic lore. Fascinating how that happens, I think.¹

"Bael (Baal- "lord" or "master")- in The Zohar, Bael is equated with the archangel Raphael. However, in the grimoires, and in the Wierus, Pseudo-Monarchia, he is a great king of the underworld serving in the eastern division of Hell and attended by 60 or 70 legions of devils. He manifests, when invoked, as a creature with 3 heads (toad, man, cat)."

He may have served as the inspiration for Asmodeus (the effigy demon representing Lust, as well as the chieftain demon lord in Judaism, respectively), who has three heads also (bull, ogre, ram). He rides a fire-breathing lion and has the legs of a cock. His name alone makes his connection to the ancient Persian demon of wrath, Aeshma, going even further back. The legs of the cock are also important, as that can also be traced back, to the Babylonians and their belief that the cock as a major divine entity of the night to whom sacrifice was made. That this reference exists serves to beef up the power this demon has. In Christian lore he is interchangeable with Sammael and therefore Lucifer himself. He's also the guy who stole Solomon's ring and had a field day trolling everybody.^{1 2}

As odd a theory as this sounds, the Cave Troll's licking might be a reference to the (yes, this exists) foot-licking Palis of the Arabias, which snuck up on sleeping campers and licked the soles of their feet until somehow their blood was drained. Yeah, I don't understand this one either.

I'll post some more later, when I'm not so tired.

________________

^{1 - A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits
2 - The Book of Tobit, an apocrypha of Hebrew lore}

[X]

What's the name of the angel of death?

Depends on the country. I do know of one of his names; Thanatos. Here's an image link of it.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/camphalfbloodroleplay/images/4/4f/ThanatosBrocky.png/revision/latest?cb=20130703024737

[Nagumo]

I found a very good overview listing all the demons mentioned in the grimoires by their different names. I tried googling some of the alternate names, but still with no luck. But maybe there's a name that rings a bell with some of you guys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ian.thomson/Sandbox

Otherwise, I'm afraid it's a dead end.   

[Nagumo]

Double post.

I took a quick look at the "The Sworn Book of Honorius" (available to read online), which appears to predate and influenced all the grimoires mentioned in this thread so far. I think I found a couple of possible origins. Though as always it's hard to tell because of the corrupted names.

Alfas (possibly Malphas): 

[CV.] Of the spirits that be under the planet Saturn.

And of these some be called Saturnines, which be these:

Bohel
Casziel 
Michathon
Datquiel
 
And their nature is to cause sadness, anger, and hatred, and to make snow and ice. Their bodies are long and *slender1, pale or yellow, and their region is the North. [And five demons are under these, namely one king and his four attendants, with which all other demons of Saturn are subjugated. They are these: Maymon the king, Assaibi, Albunalich, Haibalidech, Yasfla, which demons in the subordinate with the Southwest Wind, which are: Mextyura, Alchibany, Alflas, they may be compelled to serve, or they rest.]

Andas (possibly Andras):  One of the angels "of the third month which is called Sivan."

Pacrel (possibly Procel): One of the angels "of the tenth month which is called Tevet."

Labelas (possibly Glasya Labolas) : One of the angels "in the day of the Luna".

Amnanyneylin or Amdalysin (possibly Amduscias): One of the angels "in the day of the Luna".

Leyraiell (possibly Lerajie): One of the angels "of the day of Venus".

Note that a lot of grimoires don't just mention summoning demons but also angels. 

[Dracula9]

Found a lead for Glasya Labolas in the Infernal.

The demon Caacrinolaas, who varies as a President/Earl/Emperor/etc of Hell, is a commander of thirty-six legions and knows past and future events. He's a purveyor of violence and killing, and can cause friends and enemies to love one another as well as incite them to murder (guess which he prefers).

Caarcinolaas is one of his many names, one of which is Glasya Labolas. And looking at his depiction in the Infernal, it's easy to see that this is probably the direct inspiration behind the Castlevania incarnation.