The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

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Onoskelis appears in the form of a beautiful woman
with a fair complexion and the legs of a mule. She says
she lives in caves, cliffs, and ravines and perverts men
and strangles them. They think they will obtain gold
through her, but she gives little to those who worship her.
She travels by the full Moon and is associated with the
constellation of Capricorn. She is thwarted by the name
Yahweh (Holy One of Israel).
Solomon uses the name of Yahweh and his magical
ring to bind Onoskelis in a standing position to work day
and night spinning hemp for ropes used in the construction
of the Temple of Jerusalem.
FURTHER READING:
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vols. 1 & 2. Edited by
James H. Charlesworth. 1983. Reprint, New York: Doubleday,
1985.
oppression Demonic influence over a person that
involves total domination of the victim’s will, either
through a horrendous bombardment of external terrors
or through an internal, psychological breakdown.
Oppression follows INFESTATION and can progress to full
demonic POSSESSION. It is also referred to as “vexation.”
Oppressed victims are terrorized by demonic bloodcurdling
screams; heavy breathing and footsteps;
knockings, rappings, and poundings; hellish moans
and inhuman voices through televisions or telephones;
nightmares and disturbed sleep; putrid and disgusting
smells, such as sulfur, rotting flesh, and excrement; extremes
of hot and cold, often in succession; levitation of
people or large objects and furniture; and, finally, materializations
of a black form that personifies evil.
Internally, the demon causes the victim to believe he
or she is insane. There are dramatic personality changes
and mood swings and deep depression. The victim becomes
argumentative and makes heavy use of foul or obscene
language. Friends and family feel the victim has
undergone a marked personality change.
Oppression is relieved by rites of EXORCISM, accompanied
by the spiritual reform of the victim.
Orias FALLEN ANGEL and 59th of the 72 SPIRITS OF SOL-
OMON. Orias is a marquis who has 30 LEGIONs of DEMONs.
He appears as a lion with a serpent’s tail that rides a
horse and holds two huge, hissing snakes. He teaches the
virtues of the planets and stars. He transforms men;
grants dignities, prelacies, and confirmations; and confers
the favor of friends and enemies.
Ornias One of the FALLEN ANGELS, who is bested by
King SOLOMON. According to the Testament of Solomon,
Ornias is an annoying, vampirizing DEMON who lives in
the constellation Aquarius. He has shape-shifting ability:
He strangles men born under the sign of Aquarius
because they have passion for women born under the
sign of Virgo; he becomes a man who likes boys and
causes them pain when he touches them; he turns into a
heavenly winged creature; and he can assume the form
of a lion.
During the construction of Solomon’s Temple of Jerusalem,
Ornias appears at sunset and takes half the wages
and food of the master workman’s boy—Solomon’s favorite—and
sucks out his soul through his right thumb. The
boy grows thin. Solomon asks him why he is losing weight,
and the boy tells him about Ornias. Incensed, Solomon
begs God for help to have authority over the demon. The
archangel Michael gives him a magical ring with a seal
engraved upon it that will bestow the power upon Solomon.
Michael tells Solomon, “You shall imprison all the
demons, male and female, and with their help you shall
build Jerusalem when you bear this seal of God.”
Solomon gives the ring to the boy and instructs him
to fling it at the demon’s chest when he next appears and
order him to go to Solomon. When Ornias next appears,
as a flaming fire, the boy does so and shouts, “Come! Solomon
summons you!” Ornias screams and promises to
give the boy all the gold and silver on Earth if he will give
the ring back to Solomon. But the boy binds the demon
and delivers him to the king.
Solomon finds the demon trembling at his gates and
goes to interrogate him. Ornias says that he is descended
from an archangel and is thwarted by the archangel Uriel
(see THWARTING ANGELS). He says he resides in the constellation
Aquarius, where he strangles “those who reside
in Aquarius because of their passion for women whose
zodiacal sign is Virgo.” Ornias says that while in trance,
he undergoes three transformations: “Sometimes I am a
man who craves the bodies of effeminate boys, and when
I touch them, they suffer great pain. Sometimes I am a
creature with wings (flying) up to the heavenly regions.
Finally, I assume the appearance of a lion.”
Solomon binds the demon with his ring and sets him to
work cutting stone from the quarry. Terrified by IRON, the
demon begs for a measure of freedom, promising to call
up other demons. Solomon summons Uriel, who forces
Ornias to cut stones by terrorizing him. Uriel calls up sea
monsters and withers them, casting them to the ground.
When that work is done, Solomon orders Ornias to
fetch the Prince of Demons. He gives Ornias the magical
ring, and the demon goes to BEELZEBUB. The Prince of Demons
is unimpressed by the name of Solomon, so Ornias
throws the ring at his chest and commands him to go to
the king. Beelzebub cries out like one burned by fire and
does as commanded.
Ornias has the gift of prophecy, explaining to Solomon
that demons fly up to heaven, where they overhear
God’s plans. Those who are exhausted by doing so become
FALLING STARS.
FURTHER READING:
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vols. 1 & 2. Edited by
James H. Charlesworth. 1983. Reprint, New York: Doubleday,
1985.