The incubus and the succubus are the inventions of early Christian theologians based on older lore. According to ancient tradition, there are two main types of demons that lust for humans sexually: The Incubi which assault women, and the succubi, which seduce men. Both of these demons are said to have been born as a result of Adam's sexual intercourse with Lilith. Lilith was often said to be Adam's first wife, or fantasy fantasy wife created to help relieve his loneliness before the creation of Eve. If Lilith were but the creation from Adam's mind, then his intercourse with her would be masterbation. In such interpretation, these demons were created from Adam's semen.
Many modern occultists believe that in the lustful human imagination, when excited by powerful erotic dreams and fantasies, ejaculates an etheral sperm that provides the seed for succubi and incubi. If she were real, the story goes that when she demanded equality with Adam and he refused, she retired to a cave where she consorted with demons and gave birth to demonic children. Adam complained to God about Lilith's departure. God then sent three angels named Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangolef to bring her back to Adam. These angels found her in her cave and threatened that, unless she went back to Adam, she would lose a hundred of her demonic children daily by death. But Lilith preferred this punishment to living with Adam. She takes her revenge by injuring or killing human infants and young children. The three angels only stopped harassing her when she swore that, whenever she saw the names and images of these angels in an amulet worn by or near to a child, she would not harm the child. In Jewish lore, Lilith is a female spirit of the night who, like a succubus seduces men while they are sleeping, causing them to emit semen which she takes to breed children of her own; she also strangles human infants during or after their birth. Her female offspring are called Lilim.
In the middle ages, theologians warned against masterbation, for waiting demons stood ready to transport such spent semen for their own evil purposes. Another legend states that these demons were fallen angels. Though more popularized by churches in the middle ages, some mythological stories were found where male and female demons or gods shapeshifted into humans to steal the soles or fluids of other humans. In latin, Incubus comes from the word incubare, meaning "to lie upon" and succubus comes from the word succubare, meaning "to lie beneath."
The
Incubus often seduced unsuspecting women by
shapeshifting as people they often knew or felt they
could trust instantly, such as husbands or lovers. They
fashioned temporary bodies out of water, vapor, or
gases, and had no actual physical bodies, but were able
to create illusions and could easily inhabit recently
dead bodies for their lustful purposes. Some men when
blamed of having attacked women, defended themselves
saying that an incubus took their looks and attacked the
poor befuddled women. Being attacked by an incubus was
also a convenient excuse for unmarried women who became
pregnant. Many priests believed that the sole purpose of
the succubi was to have demon offspring. Such offspring
from both Succubi and Incubi were called "Cambion's"
which were half-demon, half-human.
Humans who hadvslept with these demons were believed to birth witches and mutations, also. Father Montague Summers, a well known witch and werewolf hunter of his time, believed that the incubi might be composed of ectoplasm, the same substance the spirits of the dead draw their temporary body during materialisation seances. He reasoned that such a psychic drainage could occur if a frustrated young person encouraged the attentions of an evil entity by longing thoughts and concentrated willpower. In the 17th century, friar Ludovico Sinistrati, who wrote a book about demons, claimed that he once tried to exorcise an incubus. He gathered piles of stone and erected a wall around the woman's bed so the demon could not taunt or try to take the woman. When he finished the working of the stone wall, the couple could only get out of the bed using a ladder.
The Incubus, as well as succubus, actually played a role in the history of the Inquisition, which in that time many, many people were believed to be working with the devil in some way, and were of course burned or killed by torture. The easiest way for a convicted person to be murdered at the time for supposedly being involved with the devil were to have trials where the convicted were tortured until they gave up and admitted they were helping demons or the devil in some way.
Most of the time, the convicted would fess up only to stop the massive pain brought on by the torture given. If they didn't fess up, there were other ways to know if they were a helper, such as signs people, or a person of the church saw. Rumors spread from chruches said that Witches slept with the Incubi often and bragged that when having intercourse with their succubi lover, heavy pain from it's large cold penis set their belly's aflame. Even pious nuns appeared before the Inquisition attesting to their affliction by persistant succubi trying to have the nuns break their vows of chastity. During the mid-1400s, many nuns in certain sites were victims of incubus attacks with the nuns often displaying amnesia over the event. The copious amounts of semen present left no doubt that something physical actually happened.
Succubi
could prove to be very jealous lovers, such as in 1533,
when, according to legends, an incubus became enraged
when he found out his human mistress had been flirting
with the tavernkeeper's son. In his furious state of
mind, he set not only the tavern afire, but the whole
town to the ground.
Another story about the possesiveness of the Incubus happened in the 11th century to Guibert of Nogent's mother. She was possessed by a demon lover, but spurned her demon lover and married a human husband. This act of disobedience caused the enraged incubus to curse her husband to 7 years of impotence. During those years her husband was unable to perform his marital duties.
The demon sat on their bed, laughing away at the husband or obscenely volunteered to perform in his stead. The husband broke the curse a few years later by nightly prayers and devotions, but shortly after was sent off to war and left his wife vulnerable. On this very first night her husband was gone, the demon came back take try again to take hold of the woman, wasting no time. With the help of prayers its said that she was able to keep her demon lover at bay until her husband came back.
The heavy cloud of sexual guilt that hung over the middle ages surely spawned a million incubi and succubi every night. As most likely expected, Christan hermits and monks in their loneliness were constantly harassed by sensuous succubi, who sought to tempt them into commiting carnal sins. According to the view of most medieval theologians, incubi outnumbered succubi by nine to one, but the succubi made up in menace for what they lacked in numbers by being alluring and persuasive, using their considerable charms to seduce men and lead them to eternal damnation.
In Slavic lore, there is the mora who is always a terrifying night spirit. The mora also appears in Greek folk lore, but is sometimes called the ephilaties, a name derived from a Greek word that means "to leap upon." The pagan Romans also had beliefs about such a night spirit. It was a male, and they called it the Inuus, a name derived rom a Latin word which means "to sit upon."
The succubus tempts men by appearing to be beautiful, sensual women, tempting and promising. A succubus will tempt a man into bed, only to engage in sexual intercourse once they fall asleep. The Succubus can tempt men, from drunken, staggering men coming home from a bar, to when men lie in their beds, indulging into sexual fantasies. A man who falls victim to a succubus will not awaken. Succubi, as it seems, weren't quite as popular as the Incubi. There have been more stories found about the Incubus, unfortunately. The princess of all the succubi was called Nahemah, who unfortunately I cannot find much more information about. What I have heard so far is that Nahemah was so powerful, she could take over any female body, living or dead, and use it for her own doings, either puppet-like or herself being in their body.
Medieval legends show a bit of succubus history, also. In ancient Greek legend, the Empusae, which were demons and daughters of the dark goddess Hacate, would disguise themselves as dogs, cows, or beautiful maidens at night, and lay with unsuspecting men, sucking their vital forces out until they were dead. You could also connect more legends with other mythical creatures, too. Celtic faeries, satyrs, even mermaids were known to kill men who were tricked into believing the creature had been a harmless animal or beautiful woman. The baobhan sith (pronounced as "baavan shee" and meaning "spirit-woman"), a type of celtic faerie of the Scottish highlands, seduces men at night and drinks their blood.
Tales in which mermaids caused shipwreck by luring sailors into dangerous waters with their charm and beauty and devoured them as they drowned. Good examples of this are among the folk tales of the Channel Islands in the English Channel, near the coasts of Normandy and Brittany. Here the mermaids play the role of sirens - they sing from rocks and their enchanting song lure sailors to come dangerously close to these rocks. Then suddenly a terrible storm arises and forces the ships to crash into the rocks. The mermaids then carry the sailors down into the depths of the sea and devour them.
About
the year 1500, the Bishop of Aberdeen successfully
prescribed remedies for a young man who approached him
for spiritual guidance. For many months, the young man
had been pestered by a succubus who came to him by night
and either coaxed or forced him into sexual embrace
which lasted until the break of day. The Bishop ordered
the victim to engage in devout prayer and austerity.
Apparently, the measure was successful, for after a few
days, the young man was 'delivered from the succubus
devil'. Oddly enough, most warnings say that once you
have sex with a succubus, you never wake up again. This
man was apparently lucky, that the succubus must have
wanted to play around a bit with him for so long.
In
English legend, Lamia, a snake-tongued women was said to
appear in graveyards as a beautiful woman who draws
young men to their deaths. She would lie in wait for a
naive victim, looking as if she needed his assistance in
some way. legend has it that, if you see such a woman in
a graveyard who appears to need help, you are supposed
to call out to her, for the Lamia cannot answer back,
since she has a snakes tongue and can only hiss.
In Scandinavian lore, such a night visitor is known as the mara. She is sometimes described as an ugly troll-like spirit. But there are also tales where she appears as a beautiful woman and becomes her victim's lover.
An attack from these demons can be prevented by using substances such as salt and gold sprinkled around the bed or carried as a charm. Dream catchers are also generally reported to be effective against their attacks upon the sleeping. They can be eliminated by being completely drained of energy, although this is blatant cruelty towards a largely harmless entity. Churches often preached that by praying, confessing your sins, and blocking all sexual thoughts out, you were able to keep the demons at bay. The preaching about these demons in church in the middle ages often was thought to attract more people to their churches.
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