The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

Thompson/Gifford Obsession 255
• Hminza Tase enter the bodies of crocodiles, tigers,
and dogs and attack people. They haunt areas where
they once lived unhappy lives.
The Tase can be kept away by banging pots and making
great rackets of noise or by appeasing them with sacrifices
and dances. Sometimes, the dead are buried without
grave markers, an attempt to make them forget where
they once lived, so they will not return in demonic form.
tefillin
Temple of Set
See amulet.
See satanism.
tengu Asian goblin or demon who acts as a vampire,
poltergeist, and trickster.
Descriptions of the tengu date to the eighth century.
The demon appears in the shape of a man with wings and
long, sharp nails on his hands and toes. His nose is either
a crow’s beak or red and round, and its size indicates the
demon’s strength. Sometimes, he carries a fan or a stick.
The tengu is especially known for kidnaping people in
remote, mountainous areas. He is fond of stealing children.
Possession by a tengu is not necessarily diabolical.
The possessed acquire supernormal skills and knowledge
during their occupation by the spirit.
Tezcatlipoca Aztec prince of the Underworld, sorcerer,
and king of the witches. The name Tezcatlipoca means
“smoking mirror,” in reference to the obsidian mirror
that he uses to foretell the future and spy on others. He
is also known as Yaomauitl, which means “dreaded one.”
According to the Popul Vuh, Tezcatlipoca wears a star
on his forehead as a sign that he is the ruler of darkness.
He wears a jaguar skin around his hip, the body of a dead
bird on his ear, and a snake’s head fixed to one nostril. As
a scepter, he carries the amputated arm of a woman who
died in childbirth, which he uses in necromantic rites.
Tezcatlipoca and his brothers, the tzitzimime, created
the world. They were thrown out of paradise, Tamoanchan,
when Tezcatlipoca made the mistake of picking the
sacred roses of Tamoanchan. Tezcatlipoca entered the
underworld by climbing down a giant spider web.
There are many stories about this demon god and his
activities. He sentences the newly arrived souls of the
dead, who stand before him dressed in ocelot skins with
yokes around their necks. He makes them run an obstacle
course through Mictlan, a region of hell.
According to lore, the practice of human sacrifice in
Mexico began with Tezcatlipoca. He assumed the shape
of a rooster to seduce the first woman ever created. Then
he killed her, cut out her heart, and offered it to the Sun.
Tezcatlipoca is blamed for the disappearance of the
Toltecs, a mythical race of beings. The demon summoned
them to a great feast where they danced and sang. A sudden
panic gripped them, and they fled across a stone
bridge over the river Texcaltlauhco. Tezcatlipoca caused
the bridge to collapse, and most of the Toltecs fell into the
river and became stones. A few survived but were rendered
senseless.
Tezcatlipoca spreads disease and pestilence. He assumes
the form of a blob and rolls like a tumbleweed,
spreading sickness as he goes. Sometimes, he takes the
form of a cock or a coyote and lurks at crossroads in
order to ambush travelers. He rides howling winds, especially
at night.
Further reading:
Hyatt, Victoria, and Joseph W. Charles. The Book of Demons.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1974.
Theophilus (ca. 53) Legendary monk who made a Pact
with the devil. The story of Theophilus was popular during
the Middle Ages, especially because of its triumphant
ending. It was written in various languages, was read at
many churches, and was made into a drama, Le Miracle de
Theophile, by Ruteboeuf, a 13th-century trouvere.
Theophilus was bursar of the church of Adana in
northern Cicilia. He was offered a bishopric. A modest
man, he declined because he was afraid he could not do
the job. The man who did become bishop took a perverse
interest in tormenting and harassing Theophilus, even
accusing him of sorcery. Theophilus lost his job.
In revenge, he went to see Salatin, an “evil old Jew”
who took Theophilus to a crossroads and conjured the
Devil in an exotic language. The Devil offered revenge and
the bishopric in exchange for Theophilus’ soul. Theophilus
agreed, renounced Jesus and Mary, and signed a pact
in his own blood.
According to Le Miracle de Theophile, the pact read:
To all who shall read this open letter, I, Satan, let know
that the fortune of Theophilus is changed indeed, and
that he has done me homage, so might he have once
more his lordship, and that with the ring of his finger he
has sealed this letter and with his blood written it, and
no other ink has used therein.
As satan promised, the church realized there was no
evidence against Theophilus. The bishop was removed
from his office and Theophilus installed in his stead.
But Theophilus was not happy; he began to worry about
spending eternity in hell. He started praying unceasingly
to the Virgin Mary for help. She took pity on him and interceded
with God, obtaining God’s pardon. The relieved
Theophilus burned his pact, made a public confession,
and lived the rest of his life piously and in peace.
The moral of Theophilus’ story is that repentance and
prayer will save a person from the snares of the Devil.
See Faust.
Thompson/Gifford Obsession Remarkable spirit obsession
case investigated by the psychical researcher James