Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’re going to discuss Asmodeus: one of the most nefarious and notorious demons in Hell’s hierarchy, a malevolent entity that blights marriages, killing husbands or compelling husbands into the arms of other women, and robs virgins of their beauty and chastity, one of the seven princes of hell who personify the seven deadly sins, him embodying the deadly sin of lust, and one of the nine kings of hell.

Let’s get into it.

The prophet Zarathustra, also called Zoroaster, lived sometime between the years 1500 and 1000 BC. He founded Zoroastrianism, the ancient pre-Islamic religion of Iran. There is still some remnant of it there today, though it was widely suppressed and scoured when Islam superseded it. Many religious refugees fled to India to escape Muslim persecution; as a result, the Parsees, who today are descended from the Iranian Zoroastrians who fled to India, are considered to be the principal stewards of the Avesta, which is the sacred text of Zoroastrianism. One of the demons of Zoroastrianism is called Aeshma Daeva, meaning ‘raging demon’, and he is thought to be the antecedent Asmodeus, meaning Asmodeus is of ancient Iranian origin, later being incorporated into Jewish lore and becoming one of the most fearsome and formidable demons of Christianity.

Other names for Asmodeus include, Asmodai and Asmoday, which takes us to The Lesser Key of Solomon, a grimoire that codifies 72 demonic entities of Hell’s hierarchy. There is an individual entry for each of the 72 entities in which their rank, appearance, and power is outlined, as well as how to invoke them through summoning and binding.

The 32nd spirit, Asmoday is described as a king characterised by greatness, strength, and power. He has three heads: that of a bull, that of a man, and that of a ram. He has the treacherous tail of a serpent. Gouts of flame shoot from his mouth. And his feet are webbed like those of a goose. He rides a hellish dragon and wields a lance with a banner than billowes beneath the blade. Watch the video for the rest!