Editing Asmodeus

{{Short description|King of demons from the Book of Tobit}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|Sidonai|the Phoenician city and its inhabitants|Sidon}}
[[File:asmodeus.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Asmodeus as depicted in [[Collin de Plancy]]'s ''[[Dictionnaire Infernal]]'']]
'''Asmodeus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|z|m|ə|ˈ|d|iː|ə|s}}; {{langx|grc|Ἀσμοδαῖος}}, ''Asmodaios'') or '''Ashmedai''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|ʃ|m|ɪ|ˌ|d|aɪ}}; {{langx|he|אַשְמְדּאָי|ʾAšmədāy}}; {{langx|ar|آشماداي}}; see [[#Etymology|below]] for other variations) is a king of [[demon]]s in the legends of [[Solomon]] and the constructing of [[Solomon's Temple]].<ref name=Brit>"Asmodeus" in ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica|The New Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. Chicago: [[Encyclopædia Britannica Inc.]], 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 635.</ref>

He is featured variously in [[Talmud]]ic stories where he is the king of the ''[[shedim]]''. The [[Quran]] refers to a "puppet" in the [[Solomon in Islam|Story of Solomon]] in [[Ṣād (surah)|Surah Ṣād]] verses 30-40, which is according to the ''[[tafsir|mufassirūn]]'' (authorized exegetes of the Quran) referring to the demon-king Asmodeus (Sakhr).<ref>Nünlist, T. (2015). Dämonenglaube im Islam. Deutschland: De Gruyter. p. 156 (German)</ref>

In Christianity, Asmodeus is mostly known from the [[Deuterocanonical books|deuterocanonical]] [[Book of Tobit]]. He is the primary [[antagonist]] and disrupts the marriages of Sarah.<ref name=Brit/><ref>{{cite web
| date = 25 March 2003
| title = Asmodeus/Asmoday
| work = Judeo-Christian Demons
| publisher = Deliriumsrealm.com
| url = http://www.deliriumsrealm.com/97/asmodeus/
| access-date = 2009-03-04}}</ref> [[Binsfeld's classification of demons|Peter Binsfeld classifies]] Asmodeus as the "demon of [[lust]]".

== Etymology ==
The name ''Asmodai'' is believed to derive from the [[Avestan]] ''*aēšma-daēva'' (𐬀𐬉𐬴𐬨𐬀𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀*, *''aēṣ̌madaēuua''), where ''aēšma'' means "wrath", and ''[[daeva|daēva]]'' signifies "demon". <!-- not originally, but "demon" will do in this context --> While the ''daēva'' [[Aeshma|Aēšma]] is thus [[Zoroastrianism]]'s demon of wrath and is also well-attested as such, the compound ''aēšma-daēva'' is not attested in scripture. It is nonetheless likely that such a form did exist, and that the [[Book of Tobit]]'s "Asmodaios" ({{lang|grc|Ἀσμοδαῖος}}) and the [[Talmud]]'s "Ashmedai" ({{lang|arc|אשמדאי}}) reflect it.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Stave
| first = Erik
| editor-last=Singer |editor-first=Isidore |editor-last2=Adler |editor-first2=Cyrus
| orig-year = 1901–1906
| year = 2002
| title = [[Jewish Encyclopedia]]
| publisher = [[Funk & Wagnalls]]
| location = New York
| chapter = Æshma (Asmodeus, Ashmedai)
| lccn = 16-014703
| chapter-url = http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=873&letter=A&search=asmodeus
| quote= since it is paralleled by the later [[Middle Persian|Pahlavi-form]] "Khashm-dev" ("Khashm dev" = "Æshma dev"), written with the Aramaic "sheda," but pronounced "dev." [..] Asmodeus (Ashmedai) embodies an expression of the influence that the Persian religion or Persian popular beliefs have exercised on the Jewish—an influence that shows itself very prominently in the domain of [[demonology]]. 
| access-date = 7 March 2018|display-editors=etal}}</ref> In the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] and [[Middle Persian]] [[demonology]], there did exist the conjuncted form ''khashm-dev'' ([https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%AE%D8%B4%D9%85# خشم] + [https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88 دیو]), where both terms are cognates.<ref>{{cite book|last= Bane|first= Theresa|editor= McFarland|editor-link= McFarland & Company|date= Jan 9, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njDRfG6YVb8C&q=%C2%A0%22Khashm-dev%22&pg=PA191|title= Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures|page= 191|publisher= McFarland|isbn=978-0-786-46360-2}}</ref>

The spellings '''Asmoday''', '''Asmodai''',<ref>{{cite book |last=Milton |first=John |author-link=John Milton |title=Paradise Regained |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rZlNAAAAcAAJ |year=1671}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Pomfret |first=John |author-link=John Pomfret (poet) |title=Poems Upon Several Occasions |chapter=Cruelty and Lust |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Us8TAAAAQAAJ |year=1724 |publisher=D. Brown |page=73}}</ref> '''Asmodee''' (also Asmodée),<ref>{{cite book |last=Mauriac |first=François |author-link=François Mauriac |title=Asmodee; or, The Intruder |year=1939 |publisher=Secker & Warburg }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kleu |first1=Michael |last2=Eayrs |first2=Madelene |title=Who Are You? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6Giy2CSu90C |year=2010 |publisher=Xulon Press |location=USA |isbn=978-1-61579-841-4 |page=214}}</ref> '''Osmodeus''',<ref>{{cite book |last=Connell |first=Evan S. |author-link=Evan S. Connell |title=The Alchymist's Journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XbPpM4_hyngC |year=1992 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=0-14-016932-6 |page=110}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Guppy |first=Henry |author-link=Henry Guppy (librarian) |title=Bulletin of the John Rylands Library |chapter=Tobit |volume=42 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tV4aAAAAMAAJ |year=1960 |publisher=Manchester University Press |page=375}}</ref> and '''Osmodai'''<ref>{{cite book |last=Garibay Mora |first=Ernesto |title=Dictionary of Demons and Related Concepts |year=2005 |publisher=L. D. Books |location=Miami, Florida |isbn=970-732-108-3 |page=103}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Nares |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Nares |title=A Glossary of Words, Phrases, Names, and Allusions |url=https://archive.org/details/glossaryorcollec01nareuoft |year=1888 |publisher=Reeves & Turner |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/glossaryorcollec01nareuoft/page/21 21]}}</ref> have also been used. The name is alternatively spelled in the [[Language change|bastardized]] forms (based on the basic consonants אשמדאי, ʾŠMDʾY) '''Hashmedai''' ({{lang|he|חַשְמְדּאָי}}, ''Ḥašməddāy''; also Hashmodai, Hasmodai, Khashmodai, Khasmodai),<ref>{{cite book |last=Association of Modern Austrian Philologists |title=Moderne Sprachen |volume=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=chYIAQAAIAAJ |year=1999 |page=63}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ritchie |first=Leitch |author-link=Leitch Ritchie |title=The Magician |volume=I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uS-wxAeo3i8C |year=1836 |publisher=Carey, Lea & Blanchard |location=Philadelphia |page=84}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=de Laurence |first=L. W. |author-link=L. W. de Laurence |title=The Great Book of Magical Art, Hindu Magic and East Indian Occultism |year=1914 |publisher=The de Laurence Co. |location=Chicago |page=183}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=MacGregor Mathers |first=S. L. |author-link=Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers |title=The Book of the Sacred Magic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tMgr4062BpkC |year=1458 |page=110|publisher=Kessinger |isbn=9781425454142 }}</ref> '''Hammadai''' ({{lang|he|חַמַּדּאָי}}, ''Hammaddāy''; also Khammadai),<ref>{{cite book |last=Voltaire |author-link=Voltaire |title=A Philosophical Dictionary |volume=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwpJAQAAIAAJ |year=1824 |publisher=J. & H. L. Hunt |location=London |page=286}}</ref><ref name="Leland-1902">{{cite book |last=Leland |first=Charles Godfrey |author-link=Charles Godfrey Leland |title=Flaxius: Leaves from the Life of an Immortal |url=https://archive.org/details/flaxiusleavesfr00conggoog |year=1902 |publisher=Philip Wellby |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/flaxiusleavesfr00conggoog/page/n87 72]}}</ref> '''Shamdon''' ({{lang|he|שַׁמְדּוֹן}}, ''Šamdon''),<ref name="Funk and Wagnalls-1906">{{cite book |title=Jewish Encyclopedia |chapter=Asmodeus, or Ashmedai |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2019-asmodeus |access-date=May 1, 2013 |year=1906 |publisher=Funk and Wagnalls}}</ref> and '''Shidonai''' (שִׁדֹנאָי, ''Šīdōnʾāy'').<ref name="Leland-1902"/> Some traditions have subsequently identified Shamdon as the father of Asmodeus.<ref name="Funk and Wagnalls-1906"/>

The ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' of 1906 rejects the otherwise accepted etymological relation between the Persian "Æshma-dæva" and Judaism's "Ashmodai" claiming that the particle "-dæva" could not have become "-dai" and that Æshma-dæva as such—a compound name—never appears in Persian sacred texts.

Still, the encyclopedia proposes that the "Asmodeus" from the Apocrypha and the Testament of Solomon are not only related somewhat to [[Aeshma]] but have similar behaviour, appearance and roles,<ref>[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2019-asmodeus Jewish encyclopedia 1906 full text unedited version , entry "Asmodeus" paragraph "Asmodeus, Ashmedai, and Æshma." ]</ref> to conclude in another article under the entry "Aeshma", in the paragraph "Influence of Persian Beliefs on Judaism",<ref>Stave, E., [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/873-aeshma-asmodeus-ashmedai Æshma (Asmodeus, Ashmedai)], Jewish Encyclopedia, unedited full text 1906 version</ref> that Persian Zoroastrian beliefs could have heavily influenced Judaism's theology on the long term, bearing in mind that in some texts there are crucial conceptual differences while in others there seems to be a great deal of similarity, proposing a pattern of influence over folk beliefs that would extend further to the mythology itself.

However, the Jewish Encyclopedia asserts that although 'Æshma does not occur in the Avesta in conjunction with dæva, it is probable that a fuller form, such as Æshmo-dæus, has existed, since it is paralleled by the later Pahlavi-form "Khashm-dev"'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/873-aeshma-asmodeus-ashmedai|title=Æshma (Asmodeus) etymology in Jewish Encyclopedia|last=Strave|first=Erik|quote=Though "Æshma" does not occur in the Avesta in conjunction with "dæva", it is probable that a fuller form, such as "Æshmo-dæus", has existed, since it is paralleled by the later Pahlavi-form "Khashm-dev" ("Khashm dev" = "Æshma dev"), written with the Aramaic "sheda," but pronounced "dev."}}</ref> Furthermore, it is stated that Asmodeus or Ashmedai "embodies an expression of the influence that the Persian religion or Persian popular beliefs have exercised" on Judaism.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ibid. Jewish Encyclopedia|quote=In fine, Asmodeus (Ashmedai) embodies an expression of the influence that the Persian religion or Persian popular beliefs have exercised on the Jewish—an influence that shows itself very prominently in the domain of demonology. Thus 'Ασμο' ... corresponds to "Æshma", and the ending δαῖος ... to "dæva".}}</ref>

==In the texts==
===In the Book of Tobit===
The Asmodeus of the [[Book of Tobit]] is hostile to Sarah, [[Reuel|Raguel]]'s daughter,<ref name="Tobit 6:13">{{Cite web |title=Tobit 6:13 |url=https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Tobit%206:13&version=nrsvae |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref> and slays seven successive husbands on their wedding nights, impeding the sexual consummation of the marriages. In the [[New Jerusalem Bible]] translation, he is described as "the worst of demons".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Tobit 3 |url=https://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?bible_chapter=3&id=17 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=Catholic Online |language=en}}</ref> When the young Tobias is about to marry her, Asmodeus proposes the same fate for him, but Tobias is enabled, through the counsels of his attendant angel [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]], to render him innocuous. By placing a fish's heart and liver on red-hot cinders, Tobias produces a smoky vapour that causes the demon to flee to [[Egypt]], where [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]] binds him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tobit 8:2–3 |url=https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Tobit%208:2%E2%80%933&version=nrsvae |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref> According to some translations,{{which|date=August 2024}} Asmodeus is strangled.{{fact|date=August 2024}}

Perhaps Asmodeus punishes the suitors for their carnal desire, since Tobias prays to be free from such desire and is kept safe. Asmodeus is also described as an evil spirit in general.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tobit 3:8 |url=https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Tobit%203:8&version=nrsvae |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tobit 3:17 |url=https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Tobit%203:17&version=nrsvae |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref><ref name="Tobit 6:13"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tobit 8:3 |url=https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Tobit%208:3&version=nrsvae |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref>

===In the Talmud===
The figure of Ashmedai in the [[Talmud]] is less malign in character than the Asmodeus of Tobit. In the former, he appears repeatedly in the light of a good-natured and humorous fellow. But besides that, there is one feature in which he parallels Asmodeus, in as much as his desires turn upon [[Bathsheba]] and later [[Solomon]]'s wives.

Another Talmudic legend has King Solomon tricking Asmodeus into collaborating in the construction of [[Solomon's Temple]]<ref>Raphael Patai ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions'' Routledge 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-317-47170-7}} page 39</ref> (see: [[s:Translation:The Story of King Solomon and Ashmedai|The Story of King Solomon and Ashmedai]]).

Another legend depicts Asmodeus throwing King Solomon over 400 leagues away from the capital by putting one wing on the ground and the other stretched skyward. He then changed places for some years with King Solomon. When King Solomon returned, Asmodeus fled from his wrath.<ref>{{cite book|last=Talmud|title=Gittin|pages=68b}}</ref> Similar legends can be found in [[Islam]]ic lore. Asmodeus is referred to as '''Sakhr''' ({{langx|ar|صخر}} ''the Rock'' or ''the Stony One''), because Solomon banished him into a rock, after he takes his kingdom back from him. He is considered to be a king of the ''[[Div (mythology)|divs]]'' or ''[[Ifrit|ifrits]]''.<ref>Robert Lebling ''Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar'' I.B.Tauris 2010 {{ISBN|978-0-857-73063-3}} p. 39</ref>

Another passage describes him as marrying [[Lilith]], who became his queen.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Schwartz
| first = Howard
| author-link = Howard Schwartz
| year = 1988
| title = Lilith's cave: Jewish tales of the supernatural
| publisher = [[Harper & Row]]
| location = San Francisco, CA
| page = [https://archive.org/details/lilithscavejewis00schw/page/8 8]
| isbn = 978-0-06-250779-2
| oclc = 62241318
| lccn = 87045196
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/lilithscavejewis00schw/page/8
}}</ref>

===In the Testament of Solomon===
In the [[Testament of Solomon]], a 1st–3rd century text, the king invokes Asmodeus to aid in the construction of the Temple. The demon appears and predicts Solomon's kingdom will one day be divided (Testament of Solomon, verse 21–25).<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Conybeare
| first = Frederick Cornwallis (trans.)
| author-link = Frederick Cornwallis Conybeare
|date=October 1898
| title = The Testament of Solomon
| journal = [[The Jewish Quarterly Review]]
| volume = 11
| issue = 1
| pages = 1–45
| issn = 0021-6682
| jstor = 1450398
| doi = 10.2307/1450398
| url = http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
| access-date = 2012-02-09
| url-access = subscription
}}</ref> When Solomon interrogates Asmodeus further, the king learns that Asmodeus is thwarted by the angel [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]], as well as by sheatfish found in the rivers of Assyria. He also admits to hating water. Asmodeus claims that he was born of a human mother and an angel father.

===In the ''Malleus Maleficarum''===
In the ''[[Malleus Maleficarum]]'' (1486), Asmodeus was considered the demon of [[lust]].<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Kramer
| first1 = Heinrich
| author-link1 = Heinrich Kramer
| last2 = Summers
| first2 = Montague (trans.)
| title = Malleus Maleficarum Part 1 Question IV
| author-link2 = | publisher = [[John Rodker|J. Rodker]]
| location = London, England
| volume = 1
| chapter = Question IV: By which Devils are the Operations of Incubus and Succubus Practised?
| oclc = 504248484
| lccn = 29017069
| chapter-url = http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/mm/mm01_04a.htm
| quote = But the very devil of Fornication, and the chief of that abomination, is called Asmodeus, which means the Creature of Judgement: for because of this kind of sin a terrible judgement was executed upon Sodom and the four other cities.
}}</ref> [[Sebastien Michaelis]] said that his adversary is [[John the Apostle|St. John]]. Some demonologists of the 16th century assigned a month to a demon and considered November to be the month in which Asmodeus's power was strongest. Other demonologists asserted that his [[zodiac]]al sign was [[Aquarius (astrology)|Aquarius]] but only between January 30 and February 8.

He has 72 legions of demons under his command. He is one of the Kings of Hell under [[Lucifer]] the emperor. He incites gambling, and is the overseer of all the gambling houses in the court of Hell. Some Catholic theologians compared him with [[Abaddon]]. Yet other authors considered Asmodeus a prince of revenge.

===In the ''Dictionnaire Infernal''===
The ''[[Dictionnaire Infernal]]'' (1818) by [[Collin de Plancy]] portrays Asmodeus with the breast of a [[Human|man]], a [[Rooster|cock]] leg, [[Snake|serpent]] tail, three heads (one of a man spitting fire, one of a [[sheep]], and one of a [[bull]]), riding a [[lion]] with [[dragon]] wings and neck - all of these creatures being associated with either lascivity, lust or revenge in some cultures.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris|Archbishop of Paris]]{{which|date=August 2024}} approved the portrait.{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=93}}

===In the Lesser Key of Solomon===
Asmodeus appears as the king 'Asmoday' in the ''[[Ars Goetia]]'', where he is said to have a seal in gold and is listed as number thirty-two according to respective rank.{{sfn|Mathers|Crowley|1995|pp=68–70}}

He "is strong, powerful and appears with three heads; the first is like a bull, the second like a man, and the third like a ram or a [[goat]]; the tail of a serpent, and from his mouth issue flames of fire."{{sfn|Mathers|Crowley|1995|p=32}} Also, he sits upon an infernal [[dragon]], holds a lance with a banner and, amongst the Legions of ''Amaymon'', Asmoday governs seventy-two legions of inferior spirits.{{sfn|Mathers|Crowley|1995|pp=68–70}}

===In ''The Magus''===
Asmodeus is referred to in Book Two, Chapter Eight of ''[[The Magus (Barrett book)|The Magus]]'' (1801) by [[Francis Barrett (occultist)|Francis Barrett]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Barrett |first=Francis |author-link=Francis Barrett (occultist) |title=[[The Magus (handbook)|The Magus, a Complete System of Occult Philosophy]] |publisher=Cosimo Classics |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-60520-301-0 |volume=Book II |location=New York |pages=49–52 |chapter=VIII: The Annoyance of Evil Spirits, and the Preservation we have from Good Spirits |lccn=11015009 |oclc=428109956 |access-date=2010-09-28 |chapter-url=http://theology101.org/grim/magus/ma220.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728100200/http://theology101.org/grim/magus/ma220.htm |archive-date=2011-07-28 |url-status=dead |orig-year=1801}}</ref>

==Later depictions==
=== In Christian thought ===
Asmodeus was named in the [[Christian angelology|Order of Thrones]] by [[Gregory the Great]].{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=20}}

Asmodeus was cited by the nuns of Loudun in the [[Loudun possessions]] of 1634.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Dumas
| first = Alexandre
| author-link = Alexandre Dumas
| year = 1634
| title = Urbain Grandier
| series = Celebrated Crimes
| chapter = Urbain Grandier: Chapter V
| chapter-url = http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Urbain_Grandier,_Celebrated_Crimes#CHAPTER_V
| url = http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Urbain_Grandier,_Celebrated_Crimes}}</ref>

Asmodeus' reputation as the personification of lust continued into later writings, as he was known as the "Prince of Lechery" in the 16th-century romance ''Friar Rush''.{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=87}} The French Benedictine [[Antoine Augustin Calmet|Augustin Calmet]] equated his name with a fine dress.{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=87}} 
The 1409 [[Lollard]] manuscript titled ''[[Great Architect of the Universe#Lanterne of Light classificati in of demons|Lanterne of Light]]'' associated Asmodeus with the [[Seven deadly sins|deadly sin]] of [[Lust#Catholicism|lust]]. The 16th-century Dutch demonologist [[Johann Weyer]] described him as the banker at the [[baccarat (card game)|baccarat]] table in hell, and overseer of earthly gambling houses.{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=92}}

In 1641, the Spanish playwright and novelist [[Luis Velez de Guevara]] published the satirical novel ''El diablo cojuelo'', where Asmodeus is represented as a mischievous demon endowed with a playful and satirical genius. The plot presents a rascal student that hides in an astrologer's mansard. He frees a [[devil]] from a bottle. As an acknowledgement the devil shows him the apartments of Madrid and the tricks, miseries and mischiefs of their inhabitants.<ref>[[Luis Vélez de Guevara]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/624832/Luis-Velez-de-Guevara|title = Luis Vélez de Guevara &#124; Spanish author}}</ref> The French novelist [[Alain-René Lesage]] adapted the Spanish source in his 1707 novel ''le Diable boiteux'',{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=87}} where he likened him to [[Cupid]]. In the book, he is rescued from an enchanted glass bottle by a Spanish student Don Cleophas Leandro Zambullo. Grateful, he joins with the young man on a series of adventures before being recaptured. Asmodeus is portrayed in a sympathetic light as good-natured, and a canny satirist and critic of human society.{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=87}} In another episode Asmodeus takes Don Cleophas for a night flight, and removes the roofs from the houses of a village to show him the secrets of what passes in private lives. Following Lesage's work, he was depicted in a number of novels and periodicals, mainly in France but also London and New York.{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=88}}

Asmodeus was widely depicted as having a handsome visage, good manners and an engaging nature; however, he was portrayed as walking with a limp and one leg was either clawed or that of a [[rooster]]. He walks aided by two walking sticks in Lesage's work, and this gave rise to the English title ''The Devil on Two Sticks''{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=93}} (also later translated ''The Limping Devil'' and ''The Lame Devil''). Lesage attributes his lameness to falling from the sky after fighting with another devil.{{sfn|Rudwin|1970|p=50}}

On 18 February 1865, author [[Evert A. Duyckinck]] sent President [[Abraham Lincoln]] a letter, apparently mailed from Quincy. Duyckinck signed the letter "Asmodeus", with his initials below his pseudonym. His letter enclosed a newspaper clipping about an inappropriate joke allegedly told by Lincoln at the [[Hampton Roads Peace Conference]]. The purpose of Duyckinck's letter was to advise Lincoln of "an important omission" about the history of the conference. He advised that the newspaper clipping be added to the "Archives of the Nation".<ref>{{cite book|last=Duyckinck|first=Evert A.|title=Evert A. Duyckinck to Abraham Lincoln, Saturday, February 18, 1865 (Sends clipping with story Lincoln allegedly told at Hampton Roads conference) – The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress|url=http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/malquery.html|access-date=February 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222013514/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/malquery.html|archive-date=February 22, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===In the Kabbalah===
According to the [[Kabbalah]] and the school of [[Shlomo ibn Aderet]], Asmodeus is born as the result of a union between [[Agrat bat Mahlat]] and King [[David]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Scholem  |first=G. |author-link=Gershom Scholem |title=New Chapters in the Story of Ashmedai and Lilith / פרקים חדשים מענייני אשמדאי ולילית|journal=[[Tarbiẕ]] |year=1948|volume=19 |issue=3–4 |pages=160–175|publisher=Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies |jstor=23585831}}</ref>

In the ''Treatise on the Left Emanation'', which describes ''sitra achra'' (Aramaic: סטרא אחרא), meaning the "other side" or the "side of evil", Asmodeus is described as a figure living in the third ether of Heaven. He is [[Samael|Samael's]] subordinate, and married to a younger or alternative form of Lilith (Samael is married to the older Lilith). Asmodeus is still able to inflict pain and destruction, but only on Mondays.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpejft/asmodeus/0 | title=ASMODEUS &#124; Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions - Credo Reference }}</ref>

== Islam ==
[[File:Asmodeus, Solomon, and Queen of Sheba.jpg|thumb|Solomon and the Queen of Sheba informed by an angel about their child, possibly an allusion to Nizami's Tale of the Princess of the Yellow-Gold Pavilion. A red demon enslaved in the garden, presumably Asmodeus, is forced to work.]]
In Islamic culture, Asmodeus is known as a demon ({{langx|ar|شَيطان|''šayṭān''}} {{langx|fa|دیو|''dīv''}}) called ''Sakhr'' (rock), probably a reference to his fate being imprisoned inside a box of rock, chained with iron and thrown into the sea.<ref>Sami Helewa ''Models of Leadership in the Adab Narratives of Joseph, David, and Solomon: Lament for the Sacred'' Lexington Books 2017 {{ISBN|978-1-498-55267-7}} page 167</ref> or his association with the desires of the lower world. He features prominently as the antagonist of the prophet Solomon. He is sometimes identified with the [[ifrit]] who offered to carry the Throne of Solomon.<ref>Eichler, Paul Arno. "Die Dschinn, Teufel und Engel im Koran." (1928). p. 19</ref> In the story of Buluqiya,{{who|date=August 2024}}{{clarify|date=August 2024}} Asmodeus teaches a young Jewish prince about the seven layers of hell.<ref>Christian Lange Locating Hell in Islamic Traditions BRILL 978-90-04-30121-4 p. 118</ref>

=== Quran and exegesis ===
[[File:Angels banishing Demons.jpg|thumb|Angels fighting to hold a demonic dragon in chains. On the left side of the picture, the head of Asmodeus lurks from a crag of the demonic manifestation. The image conveys the battle between the demonic passions and the rational intellect in the form of the angels, supposedly happening inside a human's heart. [[Siyah Qalam]] (1478)]]

Islamic [[Tafsir|exegesis]] (''tafsīr'') commentary about Asmodeus are abundant in Medieval Islam. Asmodeus became a central figure in of the Quranic [[Ṣād (surah)|Ṣād]] verse {{qref|38|34}}: "We allowed Solomon to be seduced by temptation, and we cast a body upon his seat. Then he repented."<ref>Lewisohn,&nbsp;L.,&nbsp;Shackle,&nbsp;C.&nbsp;(2006).&nbsp;Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition: The Art of Spiritual Flight.&nbsp;Vereinigtes Königreich:&nbsp;Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 153</ref> [[Tabari]] (224–310 AH; 839–923 AD) identifies the body mentioned in the verse as a ''[[shaytan]]'' in both his ''[[History of the Prophets and Kings|Annals of al-Tabari]]''<ref>Nünlist,&nbsp;T.&nbsp;(2015).&nbsp;Dämonenglaube im Islam.&nbsp;Deutschland:&nbsp;De Gruyter. p. 156 (German)</ref> as well as his ''tafsir''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=1&tSoraNo=38&tAyahNo=34&tDisplay=yes&Page=1&Size=1&LanguageId=1 | title=موقع التفير الكبير }}</ref> 

[[Abd al-Razzaq Kāshānī]] comments on the same verse, "The satan who sat thereupon [sovereignity's throne] and took its ring away, represents the elemental earthly nature, ruler over the lower sea of matter, called Sakhr, the 'rock,' on account of its inclination toward the lowest things and clinging thereto, even as a stone on account of heaviness."<ref>Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. pp. 408. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 357</ref>

{{ill|Aziz ad-Din Nasafi|fa|lit=عزیزالدین نسفی}} depicts Solomon as [[caliph]], a symbol of the ruling intellect, whose task it is to reduce the physical passions to proper obedience, else the forces will capture the mind's seat and turn into an usurping demon.<ref name="Brend, Barbara 1535 p. 357">Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. p. 357. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 357</ref> Solomon's ring signifies the imperial command over the forces of nature, while Solomon's lapse into lust and idolatry caused him to lose.<ref name="Brend, Barbara 1535 p. 357"/>

[[Attar of Nishapur]] elucidates a similar allegory: one must behave like a triumphant 'Solomon' and chain the demons of the ''[[nafs]]'' or lower self, locking the demon-prince into a 'rock', before the ''[[rūḥ]]'' (soul) can make the first steps to the Divine.<ref>Lewisohn,&nbsp;L.,&nbsp;Shackle,&nbsp;C.&nbsp;(2006).&nbsp;Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition: The Art of Spiritual Flight.&nbsp;Vereinigtes Königreich:&nbsp;Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 156</ref><ref>Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. p. 360. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 360</ref>

=== Narrative exegesis ===
Supplementary materials which usually included in [[Qisas al-Anbiya|Stories of the Prophets]] (''Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ'') give various reasons for Solomon's punishment and Asmodeus' consequently temporary victory; sometimes because of acting injustly before a family dispute or hands the ring to a demon in exchange for knowledge, while most sources (such as Tabari, [[ʿUmāra ibn Wathīma]], [[Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi]], [[ibn Asakir]], [[ibn al-Athir]]) invoke the idea that one of his wives committed idolatry.<ref>Klar, M. O., and ﻣ. . کلار. “And We Cast upon His Throne a Mere Body: A Historiographical Reading of Q. 38:34 /" وألقينا على کرسيه جسدا ": قراءة تاريخية لآية 34 من سورة ص .” Journal of Qur’anic Studies, vol. 6, no. 1, 2004, pp. 103–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25728129. Accessed 5 Mar. 2023.</ref>

When Asmodeus put the ring on his finger, he turned into the shape of Solomon and sat on his throne, ruling in wickedness, while the real Solomon emerged from his bath and not recognized by anyone in the palace, thus cast into the streets to wander as a beggar. Finally Solomon found work at a harbor, gutting fish. After 40 days the false Solomon's evil ways aroused suspicion and the royal minister Asaph recites some holy verses in the presence of the demon king, who screamed in rage, unable to bear the recitation, and tore off the ring. The ring then fell into a river and was swallowed by a fish. The fish eventually arrived at the table of the real Solomon who slipped the ring back on and was immediately surrounded by loyal [[jinn]] who carried him to his throne, where he and his army of men, jinn, birds, and beasts battle Asmodeus and locked him in a stone after his defeat.<ref>Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. p. 355. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 355</ref>

=== Folk literature ===
The idea of "Genie in a bottle" probably roots in the Islamic legend about the demon Asmodeus.<ref>The Book of Sindibād Or The Story of the King, His Son, the Damsel, and the Seven Vazīrs: From the Persian and Arabic.&nbsp;(1884).&nbsp;Vereinigtes Königreich:&nbsp;J. Cameron. p. 18</ref> In a story of [[Thousand and One Nights]], the "Tale of the City of Brass" refers to Asmodeus' fate after his failure against the Prophet. According to this story, travelers discover the demon locked in a stone in the middle of the desert. The story goes as follows according to Sir Richard Burton:

<blockquote>Then they came upon a pillar of black stone like a furnace chimney wherein was one sunken up to his armpits. He had two great wings and four arms, two of them like the arms of the sons of Adam and other two as they were lions' paws, with claws of iron, and he was black and tall and frightful of aspect, with hair like horses' tails and eyes like blazing coals, slit upright in his face.</blockquote>

In the essay on the Arabic "Tale of the City of Brass", Andras Hamori relied only on incomplete versions of the story without mentioning the name of the demon.<ref>Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. pp. 408. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 64-68.</ref>

In the story of Sakhr and Buluqiya, a young Jewish prince searching for the final Prophet ([[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]]), Sakhr is said to have reached immortality by drinking from the Well of Immortality. When Buluqiya arrives in an island during his search for Muhammad, he is greeted by two snakes as big as camels and palm trees, glorifying the name of God and Muhammad. They explain that they are tasked with punishing the residents of hell. Later on a different island, he meets Asmodeus the king of demons, who explains the seven layers (''ṭabaqāt'') and the punisher angels (''zabāniyya'') who sire hell's snakes and scorpions by self-copulation.<ref>Christian Lange ''Locating Hell in Islamic Traditions'' BRILL 978-90-04-30121-4 p. 118</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Religion}}
* [[Archdemon]]
* [[Belial]]
* [[Satan]]
* [[Serpents in the Bible]]

==References==
=== Footnotes ===
{{Notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Secondary sources ===
*{{cite book
| last1 = Mathers
| first1 = Samuel Liddell MacGregor (trans.)
| author-link1 = Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers
| last2 = Crowley
| first2 = Aleister
| author-link2 = Aleister Crowley
| orig-year = 1904
| year = 1995
| title = [[The Goetia|The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King]]
| publisher = [[Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari|Samuel Weiser, Inc.]]
| isbn = 978-0-87728-847-3
| oclc = 33044028
| lccn = 95037057
}}
*{{cite book |last=Rudwin |first=Maximilian Josef |author-link= |orig-year=1931 |year=1970 |title=The Devil in Legend and Literature |publisher=[[AMS Press]] Open Court Publishing Company |location=New York |chapter=Asmodeus, dandy among demons |isbn=978-0-404-05451-9 |oclc=257946679 |lccn=71111780}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Asmodeus}}

{{Demons in the Ars Goetia}}
{{Characters and Names in Quran}}
{{Demons in Pseudomonarchia Daemonum}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ifrits]]
[[Category:Book of Tobit]]
[[Category:Demons in Christianity]]
[[Category:Demons in Judaism]]
[[Category:Demons in the Old Testament apocrypha]]
[[Category:Goetic demons]]
[[Category:Mythological kings]]
[[Category:Testament of Solomon]]
[[Category:Solomon's Temple]]
[[Category:Mythological princes]]