Throughout history and geography, humans
have believed in the presence of evil beings that roamed the earth.
These malevolent spirits are seen in mythology, legends, occultism, and
religion. The spread of Christianity throughout the world deepened the
belief and expanse of demons, but many cultures have their own form of
evil supernatural creatures that are considered even worse than the
countless demons of Abrahamic traditions—meaning Christianity, Islam,
and Judaism. Looking into all the demons that invade the human realm
though, some stand out as scarier or more evil than others. Here are
the top ten malevolent spirits from different religions and various
cultures around the world that humans need to keep away from if they
want to avoid the terror these demons wreak upon humanity.
01. Djinn
In the Western World, djinn are known
more commonly as genies. They are supernatural creatures that live on a
parallel plane that is similar to that of humans. According to the
Qur’an, djinn have free will just like mankind—meaning they can be good
or evil. However, when the djinn choose the path of evil and
destruction, they are certainly fearsome to behold. Their physical
bodies are composed of a smokeless flame. Iblis was a djinn who was
basically the Islamic equivalent of Lucifer. After the heavenly
rebellion which he led, Iblis was granted a pardon to live on Earth and
lead mankind astray until Judgment Day.
02. Furies
The Furies are actually creatures from
Greco-Roman mythology. The Romans knew them at the Furies while the
Greeks called them the Erinyes. They were female deities of the
Underworld who personified vengeance and the anger of humans who had
died prematurely. They roam the Earth to punish people who have sworn a
false oath and to give retribution to wrongfully murdered humans.
Their numbers can vary but they generally attack in groups of three.
Their appearance is always horrific though with eyes that dripped with
blood and generally wings of a bat to help them fly around to complete
their work.
03. Incubus
An incubus is a demon that is related to
European folklore more than any particular religion. Its name comes
from the Latin word “incubo” which can be literally translated as
“nightmare.” These demons are always male in form and like to lie on
sleeping women in order to have sex with them. Most of the time they do
this in order to make the woman pregnant so that they can be a father
to a child; however, all of the legends hold that repeated interactions
between an incubus and a sleeping female will result in severe
deterioration in the woman’s health or even eventual death.
04. Raiju
Raiju is a legendary creature in
Japanese mythology. Its name translates to “thunder beast” in English.
Its name links directly to the creature’s form. Raiju has a body
composed of either fire or lightning. However the ultimate shape of the
lightning or fire can vary from a cat to a monkey or even a blue wolf
wrapped in lightning. During thunderstorms, Raiju becomes agitated and
starts leaping on top of trees and buildings. The demon also likes to
rest in the navels of sleeping humans. The Shinto god of lightning,
Raijin, then has to shoot lightning at the demon to wake him up which
generally harms the human as well. People try to avoid this incident by
sleeping on their stomachs during a storm.
05. Succubus
Succubus demons are the female
counterpart to the incubus. They come to the beds of human men at night
to seduce the men in their dreams. Many times succubi enjoy seducing
monks. They have to draw the sexual energy from men in order to sustain
themselves almost like a vampire needing human blood. In the past,
they are generally depicted as quite frightening with wings and a
snake-like tail. However, modern times have changed their appearance to
look like a beautiful enchantress so that that can more easily seduce
sleeping men to gain their energy.
06. Pazuzu
Both the Assyrians and Babylonians knew
the king of the wind demons was Pazuzu. He represents the southwestern
wind that bears both droughts and storms. Pazuzu was known for bringing
locust during the rainy season then famine during the dry seasons. He
is often depicted with a combination of human parts and animal
parts—most commonly with a human body, a lion’s head, and two pairs of
wings.
07. Berith
Berith is a commonly studied demon in
Christian demonology. He is said to be the “Great Duke of Hell.” He is
said to be the commander of twenty-six legions of other demons. The
majority of his powers are for murder and blasphemy against the
Christian god. His physical appearance is generally that of a soldier
upon a red horse wearing red clothes and a golden crown. Occasionally,
he will have red skin as well. He can be conjured by mortals though if
the human is not wearing a silver ring that is presented to Berith’s
face the demon will torture the human into madness before killing him.
08. Banshee
The banshee is a spirit from Ireland.
Its name comes from “bean sidhe,” which means “woman of the fairy
mounds” in English. This spirit is always female, even in the Scottish
tradition. She is considered to be a omen of death or a messenger from
the Otherworld. The banshee relays these foretellings of death by
keening loudly on the dark moors at night. Her sounds of mourning are a
cross between a scream and a moan, causing chills of fear to travel
along the spine of any human close enough to hear her. Her looks can
vary though. Some stories tell of her being a frightening hag that is
the epitome of ugliness while others say that she can appear as a breath
taking beautiful woman. The important fact to remember though is that
hearing her screams are actually a warning of coming death for you or a
close loved one.
09. Pishacha
Pishachas are demons seen in Hindu
mythology. They are said to be flesh eating demons that cremation
grounds and hide in dark places. While they have the power to assume
different forms or even become invisible, their natural appearance is
quite disturbing as they have a dark complexion that shows off their
bulging veins supplemented with large, protruding red eyes. Pishachas
are also known to spiritually possess humans from time to time which
causes the victim to suffer an assortment of abnormalities and even
maladies to their physical body. Insanity is usually the most common
affliction from these creatures to the human they are possessing.
10. Abaddon
Abaddon is a demon from the Christian
tradition. He can also go by the name of Apollyon in Greek which
translates to “The Destroyer.” He is seen in the biblical book
Revelations, written by St. John. The original Hebrew, Abaddon,
literally comes to mean “place of destruction” but in the Christian
scriptures describe him as an individual person. In those descriptions
he is known as the king of the bottomless pit that holds lost souls and
commander of a viscous plague of locusts. In all other works outside of
the Christian Bible he is identified as the angel of destruction,
leader of the Apocalypse, and one of the chief demons of the underworld
that is almost equal to Satan himself.
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