A Year of Demons ”“ October and November

In the colder months of October and November, you should be on the lookout for the powers of demons Baal and Asmodai, who are believed to be stronger during these times of the year. In this article, you will learn about some of the descriptions and associations of the two demons.

October ”“ Baal

Also known as Bael or Baell, Baal is considered one of the seven princes of Hell, who appears a great deal in the Old Testament as a major pagan idol of the Phoenicians. In Christian demonology circles, Baal is the demon that was ranked as the first and principal king of Hell. He was said to rule over the East and was believed to have 66 legions of demons under his command. According to demonologists from the 16th century, his powers were the strongest during the month of October.

In times of the English Puritans, Baal was sometimes compared to Satan or thought of as his main assistant. English occultist Francis Barrett spoke of the demon as having the power to make those who invoke him invisible. The demon Baal is connected to an earlier Semitic figure that appears as a man or a bull, but the demon is other depicted as a man, cat, toad or a blend of the before-mentioned creatures. In a book called Dictionnaire Infernal, which was published in 1818, Collin de Plancy showed the demon as having the heads of three creatures placed upon a set of spider legs.  

November ”“ Asmodai

According to the Book of Tobit, Asmodai (or Asmodeus) was a king of demons that played the role of an antagonist. Appearing in tales, such as the story of the construction of the Temple of Solomon in some Talmudic legends, he was also referred to as the King of the Nine Hells in certain Christian circles. Others called the demon one of the seven princes of Hell. In connection to the seven deadly sins, Asmodai is called the demon of lust ”“ one who enjoys twisting the sexual desires of humans.

Asmodai appears in many different religious texts and is believed to be stronger in the month of November. For instance, followers of Kabbalah are introduced to the ‘king of demons’ who is supposedly the son born to King David and a succubus named Agrat Bat Mahlat. In the Book of Tobit, Asmodai is attracted to Sarah and prevents any husband from possessing the woman. When she settles with a man, the demon kills seven husbands in succession on the night of their weddings before they have a chance to sexually bind their marriage. Some say that he is the worst of demons. One tale speaks of Tobias, who is about to take Sarah as his wife. Asmodai prepares to hand down the same fate to the man, but Tobias gains assistance from the counsels of his attendant angel (Raphael). He is able to produce a smoky vapor that sends the demon fleeing to Egypt, where Raphael binds him.