The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

74 Erinyes
Ephippas tells Solomon that he has the ability to move
mountains, carry houses from place to place, and overthrow
kings. Solomon bids him to move the cornerstone.
The demon says not only will he do that, but he will also
raise up the pillar of air from the Red Sea and place it
wherever the king wants. Ephippas inserts the cornerstone
at the entrance of the temple. Solomon takes this
as a profound sign according to Scripture: Psalm 118:22
says, “The stone which the builders rejected has become
the head of the corner.”
Ephippas goes out with the demon of the Red Sea,
ABEZETHIBOU, to raise up the pillar. They have been outwitted
by Solomon, who binds them to the pillar so that
they remain suspended in air holding it up until the end
of time. The pillar of air may be the same as the “pillar
of cloud” referred to in the Old Testament and may mean
the Milky Way.
FURTHER READING:
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vols. 1 & 2. Edited by
James H. Charlesworth. 1983. Reprint, New York: Doubleday,
1985.
Erinyes (Furies) In Greek mythology, three female goddesses,
later demonized in Christianity, who punish
wrongdoers to death, sometimes causing them to commit
suicide. Erinyes means “roused to anger.”
The Erinyes are Alecto, Megara, and Tisiphone, and
they were born from the BLOOD of the castrated god Uranus.
They are ugly, winged women with hair, arms, and
waists entwined with poisonous SERPENTS. They carry
whips and are clothed in the long black robes of mourners
or the short skirts and boots of huntress-maidens.
The Erinyes particularly punish those who kill their
mothers. They serve in the court of Hades and scourge
the shades of sinners. When they play their lyres, mortals
wither. They cause insanity and mind-ruining derangement,
especially for murderers. They also cause disease,
illness, and hunger.
The Erinyes can be placated by rituals of atonement
and purification.
See HELL.
Eurynomus In Greek lore, a high-ranking DEMON of
Hades. The Greek geographer Pausanias (second c.
C.E.) said in Description of Greece that the oracles at
Delphi described Eurynomus as a flesh-eating demon
who strips corpses down to the bone. His color is
black-blue like that of flies, and he has sharp teeth and
sits on the skin of a vulture. Later European demonologists
described Eurynomus as a “prince of death” who
has a body covered with sores, long teeth, and fox-skin
clothing.
FURTHER READING:
Collin de Plancy, Jacques. Dictionary of Witchcraft. Edited
and translated by Wade Baskin. Originally published
The Erinyes in Hades (AUTHOR’S COLLECTION)
as Dictionary of Demonology. New York: Philosophical
Library, 1965.
Luck, Georg. Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek
and Roman Worlds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1985.
evil eye A demonic power of causing illness, misfortune,
calamity, and death through the eyes.
Evil eye beliefs are universal and date to ancient times.
The oldest recorded reference to the evil eye appears in
the cuneiform texts of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and
Assyrians, about 3000 B.C.E. The ancient Egyptians believed
in it and used eye shadow and lipstick to prevent
the evil eye from entering their eyes or mouths. The Bible
makes references to it in both the Old and New Testaments.
It is among ancient Hindu folk beliefs. Evil eye
superstitions remained strong into modern times, especially
in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, and in
Mexico and Central America.
There are two kinds of evil eye, involuntary and deliberate.
Most cases of evil eye are believed to occur involuntarily;
the person casting it does not mean to do it and
probably is not even aware of it. No revenge is sought for
this hazard.
A deliberate, malevolent evil eye is called “overlooking”
and is a form of witchcraft that can bring about misfortune
or catastrophe: illness, poverty, injury, loss of