The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

Remy, Nicholas 209
Ravana has a trickster side to him. He spent years in
penance to Brahma, then forced the great god to repay
him by making him invulnerable to all the gods. Then
he declared war on the gods, who could not defeat him.
He captured many of them, forcing them into servitude
on Lanka. Eventually they escaped and plotted their
revenge.
Ravana went next to Siva and did penance, hoping for
the favor of immortality. He stood on one of his heads for
1,000 years. Siva was unmoved. Ravana cut off the head
and stood on another one for 1,000 years. This went on
until Ravana had exhausted all of his heads, and it seemed
that he would have to cut off the last one. Siva at last
granted Ravana immortality, the most beautiful woman
in the world, and the sacred phallus, Atmalingham, for
his mother. The boons were short-lived, however, for Siva
tricked Ravana on his return to Lanka and forced him to
return all the favors.
Ravana declared war on the gods again. Still unable to
defeat him because of his invulnerability, they appealed
to Vishnu for help. Vishnu cut himself into quarters, each
of which became mortal. The strongest and purest was
Rama, who had the power to kill Ravana.
Ravana kidnapped Rama’s wife, Sita, and imprisoned
her on Lanka. He threatened to eat her unless she agreed
to marry him. Sita held him off long enough for Rama to
build a bridge to Lanka, where Rama engaged in battles
with Ravana. Finally, Rama shot an arrow clean through
the demon, killing him.
Raysiel DEMON among the 31 AERIAL SPIRITS OF SOLO-
MON. Raysiel serves under DEMORIEL and rules as a king
in the north, attended by 50 dukes during the day and 50
more at night. Each duke has 50 servants. The daytime
demons are good-natured; the nighttime demons are evil,
stubborn, and disobedient. The 16 major dukes of the
day are Baciar, Thoac, Sequiel, Sadar, Terath, Astael, Rarnica,
Dubarus, Armena, Albhadur, Chanael, Fursiel,
Baetasiel, Melcha, Tharas, and Vriel. The 14 of the night
are Thariel, Paras, Arayl, Culmar, Lazaba, Aleisi, Sebach,
Betasiel, Belsay, Morael, Sarach, Arepach, Lamas, and
Thurcal.
Remy, Nicholas (Nicholas Rémy, Remigius) (1530–
1616) French lawyer, demonologist, and witch hunter.
Nicholas Remy claimed to have sent 900 witches to their
deaths over a 15-year period in Lorraine, France. Remy’s
book, Demonolatry, served as a leading guide for witch
hunters.
Remy was born in Charmes to a Roman Catholic family
of distinguished lawyers. His father was mayor of
Charmes. He followed the family tradition and studied
law at the University of Toulouse. He practiced in Paris
from 1563 to 1570, when he was appointed lieutenant
general of Vosges, filling a vacancy created by his retiring
uncle. He held chairs in law and literature at several
French universities. Remy also was a historian and poet
and wrote several works on history. He was married and
had “numerous” children, including three sons.
As a youth Remy had witnessed the trials of witches,
which shaped his later opinions that witches were thoroughly
evil and must be exterminated. He believed that
France was riddled with secret covens of witches plotting
malicious acts in league with DEMONs and the DEVIL. He
even believed that everything unexplained and not normal
is in the “cursed domain of demonology.”
In 1575, Remy was appointed secretary and privy
councillor to Duke Charles III of Lorraine and went to
live in Nancy. The duke also made him a provost of Nancy.
There were four to six provosts, and they constituted a
ducal court that judged all criminal cases, including
those involving sorcery and witchcraft. Remy was zealous
in pursuing the latter cases and, if he could not judge
them himself, had detailed reports submitted to him. He
earned the title of “scourge of the witches.” His dedication
impressed the duke, who conferred a noble title upon
him as a reward.
In 1582, Remy took up his own personal crusade
against witches in greater earnest. Several days after refusing
to give money to a beggar woman, his eldest son
died. Remy was convinced the woman was a witch and
successfully prosecuted her for bewitching his son to
death. He controlled all the courts within his jurisdiction
and ordered all the magistrates to prosecute witches.
He even took to the road himself to make certain that
his orders were followed. No village was too small for his
inspection.
As did his contemporary Jean Bodin, Remy believed
in Devil’s PACTs, wild SABBATs, and maleficia against
people and beasts. He believed fantastic stories about
demons raising mountains in the blink of an eye, making
rivers run backward, extinguishing the stars, and
making the sky fall. As did Bodin and other authorities,
he advocated the torture of witches and their execution
by burning.
In 1592, after a decade of prosecuting witches, Remy
retired to the countryside to escape the plague. There, he
compiled Demonolatry, which was published in 1595 in
Lyons. The book is divided into three parts: a study of SA-
TANISM, accounts of the activities of witches, and Remy’s
conclusions, based on confessions and evidence obtained
in the 900 trials.
Remy discussed the powers, activities, and limitations
of demons. He asserted that witches and demons were inextricably
linked. He described witches’ black magic and
spells, the various ways in which they poisoned people,
and their infernal escapades with demons and the DEVIL.
Demons prepared ointments, powders, and poisons for
witches to use against human beings and beasts.
He devoted much space to describing satanic pacts and
the feasting, dancing, and sexual orgies that took place at
sabbats. He described how the Devil drew people into his