Alright guys - it’s pretty clear to see that we’re going the distance when it comes
to demonology, and the vast host of theological entities that encompass the world of occultism.
We’re at Part 4 now - that's a whole council worth of demons that you should probably just
straight up avoid.
Whatever your thoughts on the matter - when it all boils down - these things are just
straight up interesting - steeped in mysterious magic and ancient writings from time lost
civilizations.
Well, I guess we better get started then, eh?
Hello horror fans - and once again, welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top
5 Scary Videos - your heartfelt home for all things horrifying.
As always, I’ll be your humble host Jack Finch - as we peer back into the abyss - and
take a look at the Top 5 Scary Demons You Should Never Summon - Part 4.
Roll the clip.
And that clip - for those of you that are curious, was from 2005’s Constantine starring
my guy Keanu Reeves.
Pretty decent film, but even better graphic novels - so if you enjoy demonology, you’ll
enjoy John Constantine, Hellblazer even more.
Before we kick off this list guys - make sure to hit that thumbs up button, and if you stick
around all the way till the end I’ll be reading out some of your most creative comments
from the past few days.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Abraxas
Who is perhaps one of the most mysterious entities in the whole of the Demonic Goetia’s.
Throughout ancient history, Abraxas is referred to many times as an Archon, an Aeon, a demon
- and even a god.
In the ancient theology of Gnosticism - Abraxas is continually referred to in the Holy Book
of the Great Invisible Spirit - as an Aeon, a species of cosmic intrigue that inadvertently
created the Demiurge - a mysterious malevolent force of unknown intent.
Abraxas really has been around for as long as anyone can recall - and his mystic uncertainty
is what guides his rank in the demonic hierarchy.
In Jacques Collin de Plancy’s Infernal Dictionary - Abraxas is labelled as the Supreme God of
the Basilidians - a Gnostic sect that were wiped out some time in the 4th century - and
whose motivation in history is unclear.
There are a series of mysterious relics left behind though - a vast number of engraved
stones, dubbed the Abraxas Stone’s - of which purpose, no one really knows.
Spooky.
Coming in at Number 4 - Mammon
Mammon - who takes up a role as one of the seven princes of Hell - who in more interpretable
terms make up the seven deadly sins - is the demonic manifestation of greed.
Mammon is widely considered to be a demon of Syriac origin.
As Peter Lombard, the Bishop of Paris stated - riches are called by the name of a devil,
namely Mammon, for Mammon is the name of a devil by which name riches are called according
to the Syrian tongue.
Throughout many ancient texts, the word Mammon crops up to describe an entity of greed and
avarice.
In John Milton’s Paradise Lost - Mammon is referenced as a fallen angel who values
earthly treasures over all other things.
Later - in contemporary occultism - Collin de Plancy describes Mammon in the Dictionnaire
Infernal as Hell’s ambassador to England.
Which - I’m not entirely sure if I’m insulted or not.
Either way - Mammon has cemented himself a pretty kushty demonic existence by hoarding
material wealth and corrupting others to do the same.
Next up at Number 3 - Agrat bat Mahlat
Possibly the daughter or granddaughter of Lilith - who we’ve covered here before,
Agrat bat Mahlat is a prolific demon in Jewish mythology.
In Zoharistic Kabbalah - she is a queen of demons, and one of the four sacred angels
of sacred prostitution - who mated with the archangel Samael, we’ll get to him later
- and later became the four succubi.
Her fellow demons and sisters are Lilith, Naameh and Eisheth.
In Rabbinic literature, she is known as the dancing roof demon - haunting the air with
her chariot and her train of eighteen messengers of spiritual destruction.
Which - is pretty heavy reading, I guess.
Agrat bat Mahlat also occurs in ancient texts as the mistress of the sorceresses - who communicated
magical secrets to Amemar, a prominent sage of Babylon.
She’s also widely tied up in legends of King David, where she bore him the son Asmodeus
- king of the demons.
Swinging in at Number 2 - Samael
Who is a very interesting and oftentimes perplexing figure in theology and demonology.
Samael in Hebrew - is described as the Venom, the Poison and the Blindness.
He is an incredibly important figure in the Talmud - where he is seen as the accuser,
the seducer and the destroyer - and is often regarded as both good and evil.
Oh - and on top of that, he’s the archangel of death.
Pretty big boots to fill.
It’s in the Kabbalah where his roots in demonology begin though, where he is tied
to the demon Lilith - the first of the succubi.
With her - Samael created a host of demonic children, including a son - the Sword of Samael
- who you may known as Asmodai.
In Gnosticism - Samael appears as the blind god - and comprises one third of the demiurge.
Often through Gnostic texts, he appears as a lion-faced serpent - and is perhaps one
of the oldest maligned references through ancient scripture.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - Leonard
And to be honest - I’ve been wanting to cover this guy for quite some time, simply
because of his name.
Leonard.
The antiquitous pronunciation, of course, would be LEOnard - but, come on, it’s Leonard.
Also known as Master Leonard, as laid out in the Dictionnaire Infernal - is the grand-master
of nocturnal orgies and demons.
In folklore he is represented as a three-horned goat with a darkened human face.
He marks his initiates with one of his horns - and is often considered the demonic representation
of the goat.
In demonology, infernal powers obtained from the worship of Master Leonard range from metamorphosis,
into monstrous animals - or even causing men to fly as an incubus.
It is often thought that Leonard is associated with the iconography of Baphomet - or the
Goat of Mendes, a figure worshiped allegedly by the Templars.
In scripture, he was worshipped at black banquets, held in Leonard’s honor - where dead baby
goats were eaten without salt and boiled with reptiles to deliberately spoil the meat.
I mean - that’s just a needless waste, really.
Well - there we have it horror fans - Part 4 of the Top 5 Scary Demons You Should Never
Summon.
Before we depart, let’s read out some of your greatest comments from the past few days.
VRTXProductions says - If you’re gonna do Lovecraftian games I hope y’all would include
Darkest Dungeon.
The narrator is phenomenal but the game overall plays on many stories and themes.
Well my good buddy - Darkest Dungeon is legit my favourite roguelike game ever made, even
more than XCom - and that’s saying something.
If you’re a fan of gaming and Lovecraft, I’d definitely recommend picking this one
up.
Those blackened arcades of antiquity.
In regard to Worst Horror Remakes Part 2 - Grim Explorations says - The thing should not be
on this list, the thing was a prequel like you said, if you have a better name for it
other than The Thing - lets hear it.
-- Not The Thing.
How’s that?
Although, I agree - perhaps that was unfair.
Like I said, it was a personal grudge.
Well - there we have it folks, cheers for sticking around all the way to the end.
If you were a fan of this video, make sure to hit that thumbs up button, ding that subscribe
bell, and show us some love in the comment box down below.
As always, I’ve been your host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary Videos
- and until next time, you take it easy.