Throughout history, good help has been
hard to find. Sometimes, leaders need to contract with demons to
complete the construction on a building such as a temple, wall or
tower. The demon Malphas
has an impressive
resume
highlighting his proficiency in the construction of public and
private structures.
Demons Get A Boost
Known for his public administration and
real estate development skills, the biblical rock star, King Solomon
(990 BC to 931 BC), was not above hiring temporary laborers from the
demon realm. As with many characters from the Bible, what started out
as a collection of humble verses has exploded into a historical epic.
Possibly for marketing purposes, book
publishers historically have invoked Solomon’s name. Malphas gained
notoriety in the 1584 book, “Pseudomonarchia Daemonum,” which is
available today as “The
Discoverie of Witchcraft.”
The book lists 69 known demons. Years later, Malphas and many other
demons become even more famous in the book “The Lesser Key of
Solomon.” That book lists a few more demons.
The book justifies using Solomon’s name
by crediting him with summoning and controlling 72 demons. According
to the ever-growing legend of Solomon, he was a genius, so he should
have been qualified to manage that many demons.
Like the spinoffs and fan fiction of
today, Solomon’s and Malphas’ exploits reached an extended universe
as years went by.
Master marketer and book publishing
champion, Aleister Crowley (1875 to 1947) produced a retro
version of
“The Lesser Key of Solomon” that survives today. Crowley added a
bunch of ceremonial instructions to the list in the book. Crowely is
famous for being an occultist and a magician.
Religious Bedtime Stories
Possibly the most aggressive producer of
demon information through the centuries is religion. Through biblical
spinoffs, religious organizations have been educating the masses
about the back stories and abilities of demons for centuries. A
bishop thought up the seven
princes of hell
in the 1500s.
The New
Testament
was written before 100 AD, by most accounts. Demon stories are full
of interesting details about cool powers and the significance of
numbers such as three and seven. Fairy tales use similar devices on
more of a PG-13
level.
Religions may have created and spread
more mythology about demons than Halloween. In a story for
Discovery.com, Benjamin
Radford reported
that religious leaders are concerned Halloween increases children’s
interest in supernatural beings.
The irony is the demon stories religions
expose children to on a continual basis may have greater effect. The
practice is the equivalent to telling someone not to say “Bloody
Mary” 13
times in front of a mirror. Telling a person not to do it will make
him want to do it.
People are fascinated by numbers and
conspiracy theories, today, just as they were in ancient times. The
theory claiming the “M” on the Monster Energy Drink can
is 666 in
Hebrew became popular a couple of years ago. Perhaps the theory was
that if someone drinks enough Monster, he will become evil.
When things go wrong in the world, it’s
easier to blame a demon than take responsibility. The more powerful
the demon is, the more havoc he can reek. One
interpretation
of Malphas states he is a president of hell and can take the form of
a crow or an attractive, male human. Some versions of the legend use
“prince” instead of “president.”
Another Malphas
bio boasts
his ability to read minds and bring objects such as rocks to life. In
this story, he is the president/prince of hell and has a huge aura.
As with most classic fairy tales, stories of demon summoning usually
have a negative twist. It’s pretty unrealistic to think there is such
as thing as an honest and trustworthy demon.
There is a rumor Malphas is second in
command to Satan, but according to “Paradise
Lost” by
John Milton, the second in command is Beelzebub. Both demons made it
into “Dictionnaire Infernal” by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de
Plancy.
It first came out in 1818, but the 1863
version is the most prized because it has illustrations of the
demons. If you see an illustration of Malphas in the internet, it’s
probably the one from “Dictionnaire Infernal.” The book is in
French, and there are plenty of free PDFs of it on the internet. For
a short, English print or ebook version, go here.
The French 1863 version is 736 pages long.
In Culture
Demons have proven to be great
inspiration for artists and have infused themselves into pop culture.
Malphas has been successful in many arenas partially because of his
cool-sounding name. The crow form seems to have lost out to the human
form overall. Malphas has had roles in video games, role-playing
games, anime, manga and is the name of a metal
band. The
human form of Malphas sometimes has characteristics of a vampire in
pop culture.
In the video game Castlevania, Malphas is
in crow
form and his
depiction is rumored to be partially influenced by the Shinto goblin,
Tengu.
Hieronymus
Bosch (1450
to 1516) may be the most influential artist in the demon genre. His
depictions of demons and mortals engaged in sinful acts were meant to
scare the hell out of viewers.
The paintings possibly had the opposite
effect and still inspire artists. Heavy metal album cover
art
certainly bears a similarity to Bosh’s work. It is notable Bosch was
alive when “Pseudomonarchia Daemonum” was released to the public.
Demons star in horrors films on a regular
basis. One of the most famous is Sam Raimi’s “The
Evil Dead”
released in 1981. The film was low-budget, but it had so many
innovative techniques and so much popular appeal, it spawned a
franchise.
In novels, demons are huge. Kim
Harrison’s “Hollows Series” is the high standard for urban
fantasy fiction, nowadays. Starting in book one, “Dead
Witch Walking,”
Harrison builds a mythology for demons and their world. She borrows
from many sources of demon lore.
How to Summon
The main reason people summon demons is
for help. Solomon supposedly did it at least 72 times. For those
confident they will avoid suffering eternal damnation, demon
summoning is pretty straightforward.
A few ritualistic tools and a positive
attitude are about all you need, according to the Joy
of Satan Ministries.
One thing conjurers need for sure to have handy is the sigil
of the demon they want to contact. Extreme sacrifices are not
necessary. Not even Crowley killed
anyone
during a ritual.
The conundrum of summoning a demon is he
eventually will want more than a shout-out for his services. This may
be part of the reason people delve into demon summoning. There is a
challenge to outsmart the demon or maybe a secret desire to lose.
