Asmodeus

## アスモデウス (Asumodeusu)

**Asmodeus** (ˌæzəˈdiːəs; Ἀσμοδαῖος, *Asmodaios*) or **Ashmedai** (ˌæʃmᵻˌdaɪ; אַשְמְדּאָי, *ʾAšmədʾāy*), is a *prince of demons* and hell. In Judeo-Islamic lore he is the king of both daemons (jinn/*shedim*) and demons (*divs*).

In Lygophobos, Asmodeus is seen as a woman, the *queen of the hellions*, and a hellion herself, lairing and participating in sex work and prostitution in Tsunematsu, Tokyo to later consume her clients. In Tsunematsu, Asmodeus is a legendary character said to exist within the town, and poses as **Utsunoumaru** (宇 (う) 渡 (わた) 能 (のう) 丸 (まる) , *Utsunōmaru*β), the extremely beautiful yet evil and lustful Hanayuujo of the Nakazawa House.

Asmodeus in himself is mostly known from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit, in which he is the primary antagonist, or the Ars Goetia. In Peter Binsfeld's classification of demons, Asmodeus represents lust. The demon is also mentioned in some Talmudic legends; for instance, in the story of the construction of the Temple of Solomon. In Islam, he is identified with the "puppet" mentioned in the Quran, which dethroned Solomon and reigned over his kingdom until he got his kingship back.

## Etymology

The name *Asmodai* is believed to derive from the Avestan *\*aēšma-daēva* (𐬀𐬉𐬴𐬨𐬀𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀\*, \**aēṣ̌madaēuua*), where *aēšma* means "wrath", and *daēva* signifies "demon". While the *daēva* 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" (Ἀσμοδαῖος) and the Talmud's "Ashmedai" (אשמדאי) reflect it. In the Zoroastrian and Middle Persian demonology, there did exist the conjuncted form *khashm-dev* (خشم + دیو), where both terms are cognates.

The spellings **Asmoday,** **Asmodai**, **Asmodee** (also Asmodée), **Osmodeus**, and **Osmodai** have also been used. The name is alternatively spelled in the bastardized forms (based on the basic consonants אשמדאי, ʾŠMDʾY) **Hashmedai** (חַשְמְדּאָי, *Ḥašmədʾāy*; also Hashmodai, Hasmodai, Khashmodai, Khasmodai), **Hammadai** (חַמַּדּאָי, *Hammadʾāy*; also Khammadai), **Shamdon** (שַׁמְדּוֹן, *Šamdōn*), and **Shidonai** (שִׁדֹנאָי, *Šīdōnʾāy*). Some traditions have subsequently identified Shamdon as the father of Asmodeus.

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, to conclude in another article under the entry "Aeshma", in the paragraph "Influence of Persian Beliefs on Judaism", 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"'. 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.

## Appearance

Posing as Utsunoumaru, Asmodeus takes the appearance of a young and extremely beautiful, voluptuous woman with a fair complexion and "strange eyes". Utsunoumaru's long, black hair is often pinned down into a light bun decorated with golden Tiara-styled headbands. Meanwhile, her eyes appear a profound blue with a pink circle around the pupils. When meeting a client, Utsunoumaru wears a white traditional furisode in white that fades to a night-violet at the bottom, altogether decorated with esoteric-looking pale bluish patterns all over. Below her eyes are usually seen a pair of face jewelry: thin golden chains over the bridge of her nose, with the chains going behind her ears like how one would wear glasses. She also has three golden rings in her left ear, and two golden piercings and a small golden ring in her right ear.

Unleashing her true form, Asmodeus takes the appearance of a young woman of extreme beauty with a pale complexion filled with cracks and scars. In her true form, Asmodeus' pink circle around her pupils transfers to her irises and surrounds them, and her hair becomes shoulder-length, now styled differently with bangs, and turns a very pale, almost white, blue with streaks of pale green, pale orange, pale pink, and pale gray all over her hair. As for clothing, Asmodeus wears a skintight, black shirt with a missing right sleeve and an oversized left sleeve, coupled with bright red hakama-styled pants along with three yellow-and-green obi with one tied in a *tateya musubi* style, another one tied in a *bara musubi* style, and the last one tied in a *asagao musubi* style.

## In the texts

### In the Hebrew Bible

The full name "Ashmedai" is not found in the standard Masoretic canon of the Hebrew Bible.

### In the Book of Tobit

The Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is hostile to Sarah, Raguel's daughter; 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". 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, to render him innocuous. By placing a fish's heart and liver on red-hot cinders, Tobias produces a smoky vapor that causes the demon to flee to Egypt, where Raphael binds him. According to some translations, Asmodeus is strangled.

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: 'Ασμοδαίος τὸ πονηρὸν δαιμόνιον or τὸ δαιμόνιον πονηρόν, and πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον.

### 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 Asmodai into collaborating in the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Another legend depicts Asmodai 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, Asmodai fled from his wrath. Similar legends can be found in Islamic lore. Asmodeus is referred to as **Sakhr** (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 jinn or demons (*divs*).

Another passage describes him as marrying Lilith, who became his queen.

### 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). When Solomon interrogates Asmodeus further, the king learns that Asmodeus is thwarted by the angel Raphael, as well as by sheatfish found in the rivers of Assyria. He also admits to hating water and birds because both remind him of God. 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. Sebastien Michaelis said that his adversary is St. John. Some demonologists of the 16th century assigned a month to a demon and considered November to be the month in which Asmodai's power was strongest. Other demonologists asserted that his zodiacal sign was Aquarius but only between the dates of 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 man, a cock leg, 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. The Archbishop of Paris approved the portrait.

### In the Lesser Key of Solomon

Asmodai 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.

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; the tail of a serpent, and from his mouth issue flames of fire." 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.

### In Lygophobos

Asmodeus appears in Lygophobos as a Hanayuujo, a high-ranked courtesan in sex business and sex work, in Tsunematsu, the gigantic red-light district housing many brothels and prostitutions and various sex houses.

Asmodeus is the Hanayuujo of the Nakazawa House, one of the four largest and most renowned houses in all of Tsunematsu, and is accompanied with her "associate", who happens to be Satan himself inside the body of a very beautiful woman that he deemed perfect for after-death possession.