First Ideas of Demonology--Rabbinical
Tradition--Adam's Marriage--The Wicked
Lilith--Demons--Egyptian Tradition--Arabian Worship of
Genii--Christians' Opinions of Demons--Forms assumed
by Evil Spirits--Demoniacal King--Duty of Inferior
Demons--Task of Benign Spirits--Schools of Magic--What
was taught in them--Circassian Opinions--Belief of
Indians--Situation of Hell--Men's Actions
recorded--Rewards and Punishments--How to frighten
Demons--Treatment of the Sick--Condemning Spirits to
Everlasting Punishment--Attendant Angels--Worship of
Gods--Foretelling Future Events--Small-pox propagated
by an Evil Genius--Souls of Deceased Persons--Dread of
Evil Spirits--Effect of Charms.
To the Chaldeans we are indebted for the first ideas of demonology.
From Chaldea the notions of demonology spread to Persia, Egypt, and
Greece; but, as stated in another part of these pages, a belief in
spirits or genii and of witchcraft prevailed at an early period of
man's existence. There is an ancient Rabbinical tradition, no doubt
very absurd, but illustrative of early notions of superstition, that
Adam was first married to a sorceress named Lilith, or the mother of
devils. She refused submission to Adam, and disregarded commandments
conveyed to her by angels. She persisted in her disobedience; and
having one day, in a more than ordinary state of impiety, invoked the
name of Jehovah, according to the rules of the Cabala, she ascended
into the air and disappeared. Lilith was feared by divers nations.
When children died of diseases not properly understood, their deaths
were attributed to Lilith, who was supposed to carry out her wicked
purposes as an aerial spectre. Newly married pairs were accustomed to
inscribe the names of angels on the inside partitions of their houses,
and the names of Adam and Eve and the words "Begone, Lilith," on the
outside walls. The name Lilith was given to women suspected of holding
intercourse with demons. The legends of Lilith were transmitted from
people to people until they came down to the Jews, who believed them.
This people were wont to inscribe on their bed-posts the words, "Et
zelo Chuizlilith," that the sleepers might be delivered by Lilith from
dreams.
Demon was a term applied by the Greeks and Romans to certain genii or
spirits who made themselves visible to men, with the intention of
doing them either good or harm. The Jews and early Christians ascribed
a malignant nature to demons, the former endeavouring to trace their
origin to intercourse between man and supernatural beings, and the
latter maintaining that they were the souls of departed human beings,
permitted to visit the earth to assist those they favoured, and punish
persons against whom they or their favourites had a grudge. Certain
spirits were supposed to be celestial, others watery, some airy, and
not a few of them fiery. Tertullian said: "Spirits flew through the
air faster than any winged fowl. Unless commissioned to act, they
remained passive, neither doing good nor evil; but the evil spirits
went and came at the devil's command, and both classes of spirits were
at man's service if he only knew how to summon them into his
presence."
The ancient Egyptians had a tradition, that at a far past period men
rebelled against the gods, and drove them away. Upon this taking
place, the gods fled into Egypt, where they concealed themselves under
the form of different animals; and this was the first reason assigned
for the worship of inferior creatures. A leading principle in the
religion of the ancient Arabians was their belief in fairies or genii.
They thought that these genii attended people through life; that
every man had two of these waiting on him, the one good and the other
evil; that all evil actions were committed at the instigation of the
evil spirit in the absence of the good genii, who sometimes went with
messages to the celestial regions. The Arabians further believed these
genii were continually at war with each other, which, the people
considered, accounted for the contending passions in their minds.
Their principal genius was Hafedhah, to whom the people, on setting
out on a plundering expedition, prayed he would send them a strong
genius to assist them.
In the middle ages conjuration was regularly practised in Europe, and
devils were supposed to appear under decided forms. A devil would
appear either as an angel of light, or as a monster in hideous shape.
An anonymous writer, discussing the subject, says: "A devil would
appear either like an angel seated in a fiery chariot, or riding on an
infernal dragon, and carrying in his right hand a viper, or assuming a
lion's head, a goose's feet, and a hare's tail, or putting on a
raven's head, and mounted on a strong wolf. Other forms made use of by
demons were those of fierce warriors, or old men riding upon
crocodiles, with hooks in hand. A human figure would arise, having the
wings of a griffin; or sporting three heads, one of them being like
that of a toad, the other resembling that of a cat; or defended with
huge teeth and horns, and adorned with a sword; or displaying a dog's
teeth, and a large raven's head; or mounted upon a pale horse, and
exhibiting a serpent's tail; or gloriously crowned, and riding upon a
dromedary; or presenting the face of a lion; or bestriding a bear, and
grasping a viper. There were also such shapes as those of archers or
bowmen. A demoniacal king would ride on a pale horse, assume a
leopard's face and griffin's wings; or put on three heads, one of a
bull, another of a man, and a third of a ram, with a serpent's tail
and the feet of a goose; and in this appearance sit on a dragon, and
bear in his hand a lance and flag; or, instead of being thus employed,
goad the flanks of a furious bear, and carry on his fist a hawk. Other
forms were those of a goodly knight; or of one who bore lance, ensign,
and even sceptre; or of a soldier, either riding on a black horse, and
surrounded with a flame of fire; or wearing on his head a duke's
crown, and mounted on a crocodile; or assuming a lion's face, and,
with fiery eyes, spurring on a gigantic charger, or, with the same
frightful aspect, appearing in all the pomp of family distinction, on
a pale horse; or clad from head to foot in crimson raiment, wearing on
his bold front a crown, and sallying forth on a red steed."
To inferior demons was assigned the duty of carrying away condemned
souls, and superior benign spirits had the pleasing task of conveying
from earth the souls of the blessed.
Toledo, Seville, and Salamanca were great schools of magic. The
teachers taught that all knowledge might be obtained by the assistance
of fallen angels. These teachers were skilled in the abstract
sciences, in alchemy, in the various languages of mankind, and of the
lower animals, divinity, magic, and prophecy. They professed to
possess the power of controlling the winds and waters, and of
influencing the stars. They also pretended to be able to cause
earthquakes, spread diseases or cure them, release souls out of
purgatory, to influence the passions of the mind, procure the
reconciliation of friends or foes, engender discord, and induce mania
and melancholy.
The Circassians sprinkled holy water over their friends' graves, and
the priests tolled bells near them to keep evil spirits from the
bodies. Affectionate relations visited the burying grounds from time
to time, to repeat prayers for the repose of the dead, who, they
thought, continued to be acquainted with the affairs of the world.
When an Indian became ill, the Brahmin prayed over him; for it was
believed that two spirits, one good and the other bad, attended the
dying at the hour of death. If the expiring person lived a commendable
life, he was conveyed in a flying chariot to a place of happiness; but
if he was wicked, the evil spirit carried him before a dread tribunal,
to be judged according to his works. Deceased was then sent back to
wander on the earth ten days, in the shape of a magpie. For this
reason the people always fed a magpie for ten days after the death of
a relation, imagining that the bird might possess their friend's soul.
Indians believed in former times, whatever they may do now, that hell
was situated at a great distance below the world, and that there was a
president in it called Yhamadar. Under him, a secretary named
Xitragupten wrote down a man's good and bad actions, and presented his
record to the president the instant the deceased's soul came before
him. This infernal president was reported to have been very equitable,
distributing rewards and punishments according to justice. Some souls
were supposed to be sent back to inhabit inferior bodies in this
world, while others were tormented in the most cruel manner in the
infernal regions. If a dying person laid hold of a cow by the tail,
and a Brahmin poured water over his hand, and put a sum of money into
it (the hand), the soul would be protected from the power of demons.
In Pegu, copper vessels or bells were used to frighten demons that
wanted to disturb the repose of the dead. There the priests pretended
to know what was most agreeable and acceptable to evil spirits, and
professed to be able to appease their anger. A grand entertainment was
sometimes made for the devil, at which the friends of a sick man
danced to the sound of vocal and instrumental music. These heathens
believed devils had bodies as well as souls, and that, although
immortal, they had the same passions as men. They believed, also, that
the devils or demons had power to foretell future events, and that all
dreams happened in consequence of their promptings. They therefore
consulted such devils nearly after the manner the witches of Great
Britain were accustomed to do.
When a person in Cochin-China was at the point of death, his male
relations surrounded his bed, brandishing their sabres and other
warlike weapons, to drive away the demons, which they supposed were
hovering around him to seize his soul the instant it was liberated
from the body. When a prince died, the priests held a consultation, in
order to discover what demon it was that caused the sad event; and
when they made the discovery, which they invariably did, they in a
solemn manner condemned the evil spirit to everlasting punishment. The
inhabitants of the Molucca Islands were under the impression, like
other heathens and Christians too, that two angels attended on every
person on earth, the one seeking his good, and the other his eternal
hurt. The good angel prompted the individual to holy actions, while
the malignant one was constantly instigating him to shun the right
path. The people worshipped the air under the name of Lanitho, which
was subject to another being or spirit named Lanthila, but they had
many gods they consulted on all occasions of importance. If it was
considered necessary to consult a Nito or god, the people assembled
under cloud of night, with tapers burning, and, after pronouncing
mysterious words, called on their god to appear. As soon as the
prescribed forms were gone through, Nito entered with one of the
people, who, while under the demoniacal influence, foretold future
events. A few families in that island claimed to have the power of
witchcraft vested in them from generation to generation.
Being often afflicted with small-pox, the people conjectured the
disease was propagated by an evil genius; and, to frighten the demon
from their homes, images were placed on the house-tops. If one
accidentally met a funeral or saw a corpse on the road, he returned
home in haste. If the unlucky person was a woman carrying a child in
her arms, her consternation was great, for it was imagined the soul of
the deceased hovered in the air near the corpse, and endeavoured to
injure the living, particularly young children. To protect their
children from demons, parents tied charmed beads round the infants'
necks. Indeed the people lived in constant dread of evil spirits; and,
to frustrate their evil intentions, they, in addition to the
preventatives already mentioned, always kept consecrated articles
under their pillows.