The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

Astaroth 19
out again among men and will be worshipped as gods because
humans will not know the names of the angels who
thwart the demons. He admits that he is afraid of water.
Solomon binds Asmodeus with care. He orders the demon
to be flogged and orders him to state his activities.
Asmodeus says, “I am the renowned Asmodeus; I cause
the wickedness of men to spread throughout the world.
I am always hatching plots against newlyweds; I mar the
beauty of virgins and cause their hearts to grow cold. . . .
I spread madness about women through the stars and I
have often committed a rash of murders.”
Solomon puts him in IRON chains and surrounds him
with 10 jars full of water, which make the demon complain
bitterly. Asmodeus is forced to make clay vessels
for the temple. Solomon also burns the liver and gall of a
fish and a branch of storax beneath the demon, quelling
his nasty tongue.
Solomon uses his magic ring to force Asmodeus and
other demons to build his magnificent temple. After its completion,
Solomon tells Asmodeus that he cannot understand
why demons are so powerful when he, their leader, could be
so easily chained. Asmodeus says he will prove his greatness
if Solomon will remove his chains and lend him the
magical ring. Solomon does so, only to be hurled far away
from Jerusalem. Asmodeus steals the ring, forces Solomon
into exile, and becomes king himself. He throws the ring
into the sea. But Solomon’s lover, the Ammonite Namah,
finds the ring in a fish belly, and the king regains his power.
He is immediately transported to Jerusalem when he puts
on the ring. As punishment, he puts Asmodeus in a jar.
Asmodeus was absorbed into Christian lore, becoming
one of the Devil’s leading agents of provocation. Witches
were said to worship him, and magicians and sorcerers
attempted to conjure him to strike out at enemies. GRI-
MOIRES of magical instruction sternly admonish anyone
seeking an audience with Asmodeus to summon him
bareheaded out of respect. JOHANN WEYER said Asmodeus
rules gambling houses.
According to the Lemegton, a major grimoire, Asmodeus
is the “first and chiefest” under AMAYMON and goes before
all other demons. He gives the ring of virtues and teaches
arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and all handicrafts.
When properly summoned, he gives full and true answers
to all questions. He can make a person invisible and will
reveal all treasures under the guard of Amaymon.
He was one of the infernal agents blamed for the obscene
sexual possession of the Louviers nuns in 17thcentury
France (see LOUVIERS POSSESSIONS).
FURTHER READING:
Henson, Mitch, ed. Lemegeton: The Complete Lesser Key of
Solomon. Jacksonville, Fla.: Metatron Books, 1999.
Hyatt, Victoria, and Joseph W. Charles. The Book of Demons.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1974.
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vol. 1 & 2. Edited by
James H. Charlesworth. 1983. Reprint, New York: Doubleday,
1985.
Astaroth (Ashtaroth) A male DEMON who evolved from
the ancient Phoenician mother goddess of fertility,
Astarte or Ashtoreth. Astaroth is also a FALLEN ANGEL
and 29th of 72 SPIRITS OF SOLOMON. According to Judaic
lore, he was a high-ranking ANGEL, either one of the seraphim
or a prince of thrones, prior to his fall.
Astaroth is a grand duke and treasurer of HELL and
commands 40 LEGIONs of demons. He is one of the three
supreme evil demons, with BEELZEBUB and LUCIFER, in
the Grimoire Verum and Grand Grimoire, which date from
about the 18th century. In the Lemegeton, he appears as
either a beautiful or an ugly angel, riding a dragon and
holding a viper. He possesses a powerful stench and
stinking breath. Magicians who desire to conjure him
must hold a magical ring in front of their faces to protect
themselves against his smell.
Astaroth teaches all the sciences and is keeper of the
secrets of the past, present, and future. He is invoked
in necromantic rituals of divination. When conjured in
magical rites, which must be performed on Wednesday
nights between 10:00 and 11:00, he will give true answers
to questions about the past, present, and future. He discovers
secrets and is skilled in liberal sciences. He encourages
slothfulness and laziness.
The demon is said to instigate cases of demonic POS-
SESSION, most notably that of the Loudun nuns in France
in the 16th century (see LOUDUN POSSESSIONS). The nuns
accused a priest, Father URBAIN GRANDIER, of causing
their possession. At Grandier’s trial, a handwritten
Astaroth (DICTIONNAIRE INFERNAL)