You will have likely heard of the seven deadly sins, a famed classification of vices or behavioural
traits commonly perceived as the most negative.
But did you know that according to some scholars, these seven sins are each personified by a
particular demon, a prince of hell to be more precise.
So, who were these lords of sin, and what did they represent?
Let’s find out together, right now.
Whilst many different classifications of demons exist across the centuries, one of the most
well known is the seven princes of hell written by a German bishop called Peter Binsfeld.
He was a well-respected man of his time, considered particularly intelligent and associated heavily
with witch hunting.
His writings on the subject of witches and demonology remain some of the most influential
to this day.
His most famous work however, was his 1589 classification of the seven princes of hell.
In his text, he assigned one demon to each of the seven deadly sins.
This list has become the most widely referenced classification of the seven princes and their
associated representations.
Let’s meet the princes.
The first demon is Lucifer, who represented one of the most despised sins - pride.
Though the name and its meaning of "morning star" or "light bringer" have a variety of
applications in numerous religions, it is used here to refer to the angel who fell from
heaven after his attempt to overthrow God and create a new structure of power, thus
demonstrating the evil of pride.
He is often considered to be the leader of the demons in Hell, and is therefore particularly
dangerous.
Early medieval thinking commonly distinguished between Lucifer and Satan as two separate
entities, as we will soon see is the case in the seven princes’ classification.
While Lucifer, as the devil, is fixated in hell, Satan executes the desires of Lucifer
as his vassal.
More recently however, Lucifer and Satan are commonly considered interchangeable.
The second demon prince is Mammon, representing the sin of Greed.
Another fallen angel, Mammon was greedy even whilst in Heaven and it was suggested that
part of the reason for his fall was that he openly valued the gold streets of Heaven above
his feelings for God.
Though more recent translations of the Bible tend to translate the word "Mammon" as literal
greed or wealth, Binsfeld and others of his time viewed him as a demonic figure who lured
humans to evil deeds through the promise of great wealth.
The next prince of hell is Asmodeus, the demon of lust.
Often depicted with three heads, one of a bull, one of a human, and one of a ram, as
well as a variety of other animal-like parts, the book of Tobit claims Asmodeus killed the
seven husbands of Sarah on the night of her wedding, just before they were able to consummate
the marriage, in order to prevent her marrying anyone else.
He is also quoted in the book of Solomon as claiming that he, “Is always hatching plots
against newlyweds; I mar the beauty of virgins and cause their hearts to grow cold.”
Named by Pope Gregory the Great as one of the fallen angels, Asmodeus was the punisher
of crimes of lust in the classification of Binsfeld.
Fourth in the list is the Demon of Envy, mighty Leviathan.
In many religions, Leviathan is known as a gigantic sea monster, but it seems unlikely
this view was shared by Binsfled who claims Leviathan as a prince of hell, responsible
for punishing the envious.
St. Thomas Aquinas was one of the earliest to propose Leviathan as the punisher of envious
sinners, but it's unclear exactly why.
In the writing of Father Sebastien Michaelis, which is reportedly based on the testimony
of a demon, Leviathan was said to be responsible for tempting people toward sacrilege, which,
at the time likely referred to literal theft rather than a general sense of thwarting the
will of the church and God.
It is plausible that assigning Leviathan as the overseer of envy comes from him encouraging
people to steal from the church.
The fifth demon is Beelzebub, prince of gluttony.
In some instances, Beelzebub is painted as a fallen angel and high-ranking demon in Hell.
Often interchangeable with Lucifer or Satan, other sources name him as the chief lieutenant
to Lucifer and suggest he played a role in the demon revolt against Satan.
Beelzebub is known by a multitude of names, including "Lord of the Flies" and "Baal."
The reference to flies and/or flying could be connected to his ability to fly as well
as his links to disease.
According to other scholars, he was the demon representing either pride or envy, but Binsfeld
associated Beelzebub with gluttony.
The sixth demon is Satan himself, the lord of wrath.
As mentioned earlier, Satan is often interchangeable with other demons such as Beelzebub or most
commonly, Lucifer.
But in the classification of the seven princes of hell, he is a distinct demon that represents
the sin of wrath.
Because Satan is often conflated with Lucifer, there's some overlap in their histories - Satan
is also said to be an angel fallen from Heaven for rebelling against God.
'Satan' is translated to 'the adversary,' in this case the adversary of mankind.
Whereas God is loving and wise, Satan is wrathful towards humanity.
Often seen as the ruler of Hell, Satan is therefore one of - if not the - most powerful
demon.
The final demon prince is Belphegor, the Lord of sloth.
It is perhaps unsurprising that this particular demon was chosen to represent sloth, given
his image is one of the least intimidating of the Seven Princes of Hell, as he's frequently
depicted just sat on a toilet.
There is more to his story however, as this prince of hell is also associated with trickery
and deceit.
He seduces and manipulates humans into creating ingenious inventions that will make them rich
by revealing secrets and making suggestions that lead to amazing discoveries with the
promise of great wealth.
But when these are complete, the wealth and esteem are snatched away by Belphegor.
It is suggested that this promise of great wealth is connected to no longer having to
work, therefore encouraging the sin of sloth or laziness.
That completes the seven princes of hell, according to famed demonologist and witch
hunter Peter Binsfeld.
Each demon personifying one of the seven deadly sins.
These figures have appeared in many different religious texts in a variety of forms across
the years, often representing different ideas and associated with differing threats of punishments,
but this particular classification maintains a popular place in modern thinking.
I suppose only one question really remains.
Which of these princes of hell with their seven vices might you be seeing soon?