The group of angels who govern other angels are called archangels. In a similar manner, it is believed that there is a hierarchy in the demon world. Just like archangels, arcdemons rules over other demons. archdemon are the evil counterparts of the archangels and far more powerful than an ordinary demon. The definition of what an arcdemon is and the names of those demons has varied greatly over time.
The most popular arcdemons are the demons that associate with the seven deadly sins. They are Lucifer, Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Satan and Belphegor who represent pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and Sloth respectively. But still there is a lot of debate as to which demons act as arcdemons.
During different ages, some demons were "promoted" to arcdemons, others were completely forgotten, and new ones were created. In ancient Jewish lore, many of the gods of neighboring cultures were identified as extremely dangerous demons in order to prevent Jews from worshiping them. The pagan deity Ba'al was reinterpreted as the arcdemon Bael or Beelzebub, and the pagan deity Astarte was reinterpreted as the arcdemon Astaroth.
These two in particular were seen as some of the worst enemies of God. By the Middle Ages, these pagan deities were no longer worshiped, so their characterizations as arcdemons were no longer important, but they still persisted anyway. New arcdemons were invented over time, most of them revolving around Satan and the Antichrist. Some believe arcdemons consist only of fallen angels. Because angels are higher beings than demons and after their fall, they tend to keep that supremacy over other demons by calling themselves “the arcdemons”.
Some also say angels are gifted by god himself with immense power to defeat evil. When an angel fall they do not lose his power but demonize it. So they become more powerful than other demons and hence move to the rank of arcdemons.
The Lesser Key of Solomon, an anonymous 17th century textbook of magic, lists 72 of the most powerful and prominent demons of Hell in its first part, the Ars Goetia. Satan himself is not mentioned among them considering his overall dominion of Hell as the Prince of Darkness. Below him, The Ars Goetia suggests, are the four kings of the cardinal directions who have power over the seventy-two, next the kings, and onward with other demons with lower monarchic titles. The four kings of the cardinal directions are the primary arcdemons. They are as Amaymon: the King of the East, Corson: the King of the West, Ziminiar: King of the North and Gaap: the King of the South. 9 other demons act under the kings of the cardinal directions and they are also referred to as kings. These demons are Bael, Paimon, Beleth, Purson, Asmodey, Viné, Balam, Zagan and Belial.
As mentioned, the arcdemons tend to change, especially due to the needs of the time. According to Zoroastrian traditions, the world is created by two opposing forces. The good deity Ahura Mazda, created everything good. But for everything good, Ahriman, created an evil counterpart. These results in the existence of seven archdemon, who in return command a countless numbers of demons. Arabic and Middle Eastern occultism, demons are mostly associate with jinn, also called genie. Seven kings of the jinn are assigned to each day of the week which are viewed as arcdemons. Although they can do, unlike the spirits of heavens, both good and evil, they have responsibility given by God regarding the affairs of the earth. In some reports, they are rather infernal demons. They don't need to eat, drink and they do not produce offspring like rest of the jinn.
The days of the week are assigned to archangels as well. Arabic and Middle Eastern traditions use archdemons with sorcery. When performing a spell, one needs to get permission from the arcdemon, also called the king of the jinn. When a sorcerer make an order for the jinn-king, they summon the angel of the day as well. This act make the jinn-king unable to deny an order of the sorcerer. archdemon possess an intelligence far beyond the average demon.
Arcdemon rarely fights on the surface unless direct intervention is necessary. Just like archangels, they give commands to the demons under their control to fulfill tasks on their behalf. Even though there is believed to have conflicts between arcdemons, the lesser demons are completely loyal to their respective arcdemon. Encountering with an arcdemon is much more dangerous because of their intelligence and power. So it’s best not to mess with them and avoid them. What do you guys think of this story? If you enjoyed the video please consider leaving like and subscribe to the channel. See you again with another story to tell.
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