Succubus

  The female counter part to the incubus. In mythology, there are four original succubi that mated with the archangel Samael. One of these was Lilith, that was believed to be Adam’s first wife. She was made from the same earth as Adam, unlike Eve who was made from Adam’s rib. Supposedly Lilith ran off with Samael and had an extraordinary time, afterward she refused to come back to Adam! Of the four that mated with Samael, Lilith was the only one that didn’t bear a child. It is believed (in certain cultures) that the succubi take semen from the man and give it to the incubus to insert into their women victims. Maybe this is Lilith? The one succubus still at work trying to give Samael his offspring. It is well known in the dark/medievil ages that if a women could not procreate, she is scorned by her community. Very instersting that a succubus in very early times had the same dilemma. It is believed, as with the incubus, if repeated encounters are made with either, it could lead to poor health and even death. However not all are seen as malevolent. One pope contributed all his high rank into the Catholic church to a succubus, of who he was involved with. At his end, he confessed and died a repented man. The documentation surrounding the succubus is not as donating as with the incubus, but then when there is a women involved it rarely ever is. It seems as though men almost welcomed the experience. Now a days succubi have succumb to the same fright and dread as the incubus. They are all out for the same thing, procreation. That is what keeps races and species alive. I live through my children everyday. When you try to influence your child to make the right decision, you are are trying to give them a better life then you had. Don’t make the same mistake twice. I believe people with children try to repent themselves by not letting their kids relive their mistakes. But you know what?? NO matter how you feel or what you tell your children, they are their OWN person. Very hard to swallow. I know I am getting off subject, but it seems to me that all people feel the need to live forever. What better way then to pass your genes along? Wither it be good or evil.

In Folklore:

  In  medieval legend, a succubus (plural succubi) is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus. Religious traditions hold that repeated intercourse with a succubus may result in the deterioration of health or even death.
   In modern fictional representations, a succubus may or may not appear in dreams and is often depicted as a highly attractive seductress or enchantress, in contrast to the past where succubi were generally depicted as frightening and demonic.According to Zohar and the Alphabet of Ben Sira, Lilith was Adam's first wife who later became a succubus.She left Adam and refused to return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael.In Zoharistic Kabbalah, there were four succubi who mated with archangel Samael. They were four original queens of the demons Lilith, Agrat Bat Mahlat, Naamah, and Eisheth Zenunim. In later folklore, a succubus took the form of a siren.
  Throughout history, priests and rabbis including Hanina Ben Dosa and Abaye, tried to curb the power of succubi over humans.Not all succubi were malevolent. According to Walter Mapes in De Nugis Curialium (Trifles of Courtiers), Pope Sylvester II (999–1003) was involved with a succubus named Meridiana, who helped him achieve his high rank in the Catholic Church. Before his death, he confessed of his sins and died repentant.

Ability to reproduce:

According to the Kabbalah and the school of Rashba, the original three queens of the demons, Agrat Bat Mahlat, Naamah, and Eisheth Zenunim and all their cohorts give birth to children, except Lilith. According to other legends, the children of Lilith are called Lilin.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Witches' Hammer", written by Heinrich Kramer (Insitoris) in 1486, a succubus collects semen from the men she seduces. The incubi or male demons then use the semen to impregnate human females, thus explaining how demons could apparently sire children despite the traditional belief that they were incapable of reproduction. Children so begotten – cambions – were supposed to be those that were born deformed, or more susceptible to supernatural influences. The book does not address why a human female impregnated with the semen of a human male would not produce a regular human offspring.

Qarinah:

In Arabic superstition, the qarînah (قرينه) is a spirit similar to the succubus, with origins possibly in ancient Egyptian religion or in the animistic beliefs of pre-Islamic Arabia (see Arabian mythology). A qarînah "sleeps with the person and has relations during sleep as is known by the dreams." They are said to be invisible, but a person with "second sight" can see them, often in the form of a cat, dog, or other household pet. "In Omdurman it is a spirit which possesses. ... Only certain people are possessed and such people cannot marry or the qarina will harm them."

Appearance:

The appearance of succubi varies just about as much as that of demons in general; there is no single definitive depiction. However, they are almost universally depicted as alluring women with unearthly beauty, often with demonic batlike wings; occasionally, they will be given other demonic features (horns, a tail with a spaded tip, snakelike eyes, hooves, etc). Occasionally they appear simply as an attractive woman in dreams that the victim cannot seem to get off their mind. They lure males and in some cases, the male has seemed to fall "in love" with her. Even out of the dream she will not leave his mind. She will remain there slowly draining energy from him.

In modern times:

To this day the blame of nocturnal emissions and other sexual occurrences or mysteries are, in some cultures and circles, blamed on a demon of sins such as a succubus.
Experiences of apparent supernatural visitations at night can sometimes occur as effects of hypnagogia. The succubus is a popular figure in modern fantasy fiction.

Popular Culture:

Succubi are often featured in fantasy fiction and role-playing games, and often shown with batlike wings and bikini clad. Succubi are often very prominent in the sexual aspects of fantasy fandoms and paraphilia.

Comics:

• The Marvel Comics character “Satana” is a succubus.
• The character Drusilla in the online comic strip “Pibgorn” is a succubus in mufti.

Games:

• Castlevania The succubus is a popular, recurring enemy in the series, undergoing many different appearances and different attack styles. In "Symphony of the Night" and "Lament of Innocence", the Succubus Scarlet is one of the main characters as well as one of Dracula's attendants. It could be argued that she and Dracula's compatriot Carmilla have interchangeable roles in the games.
• Phantasy Star The succubus appears in a dream battle sequence early in the game.
• Ragnarok Online The succubus is a powerful monster in the dungeon, Geffenia.
• City of Heroes/City of Villains Succubi are one of several types of demons bound in the service of the mystical Circle of Thorns, who specialize in confusing players into attacking their teammates.
• Darkstalkers The character Morrigan Aensland and her sister Lilith Aensland are Succubi.
• Diablo II: Lord of Destruction The succubus can be found in great quantity in Act V; their appearance has been controversial because of their scantly clad bodies and constant moaning.
• World of Warcraft The warlock class is able to obtain a succubus as a pet at level 20, which has the abilities to make herself invisible and "charm" (sleep effect) an opponent for a short amount of time.
• The succubus is a type of tanar'ri in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
• The CRPG Planescape: Torment features “Fall-From-Grace”, or simply “Grace”, as a chaste Succubus priestess that can join the player's party. She is depicted as a beautiful blond woman with batwings. She is the only healer in the game and can serve as a potential romantic interest for the player, albeit only mildly so. Fall-From-Grace is voiced by Jennifer Hale.
• In Star Ocean 3, a Succubus appears in Level 2 at the Maze of Tribulations to fight the party. Its attacks include Charm Person, which causes Chaos (Status ailment) on any male party member.
• Succubus is a boss in the video game Devil May Cry 3. Dantes Awakening, where the creature is a witch and an energetic vampire called Nevan, who can control electricity and uses bats as a protection from Dante's attacks.

Literature:

•  Charles Williams's 1937 novel Descent into Hell features an academic who consciously rejects the potential affections of a real woman in favor of a physically identical but perfectly obedient and pliable succubus
•  In Orson Scott Card's novel Treasure Box, a witch conjures a succubus that represents the dreams and desires of the protagonist to convince him to open a mysterious box
• Succubi and incubi are both referenced by the Reverend Hale in Arthur Miller's classic play The Crucible
• A succubus-like creature called a “neuralger” appears in Terry Patchett's Discworld novel Eric

Movies:

• O Brother Where Art Thou, a 2000 film starring George Clooney in which he calls his wife a succubus
• White Skin A university student falls in love with a Succubus
• Silent Hill 4: The Room, A female ghost takes the form of a creature that drains the health of the main character and can entangle him to keep him from running away.

TV:

• Charmed, a popular TV series, features a succubus during the season two episode "She's a Man, Baby, a Man!". Prue becomes a man in order to attract the Succubus who is murdering local men. She is portrayed as a beautiful woman with a snake-like tongue.
• Power Rangers: Mystic Force, the 14th season of the popular TV show had an episode called "Soul Specter" which had a Succubus named Gnatu.
• South Park The boys stop Chef from marrying a Succubus and defeat the demon singing the “The Morning After” (Maureen McGovern’ song, love theme for The Poseidon Adventure) backwards.
• The now-defunct series She-Wolf of London featured a succubus, causing immediate and extreme aging in her victims.

References:

1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "succubus". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=succubus.
2. ^ The Story of Lilith
3. ^ Samael & Lilith
4. ^ Geoffrey W. Dennis, The encyclopedia of Jewish myth, magic and mysticism. p. 126
5. ^ History of the Succubus
6. ^ Alan Humm, Kabbala: Lilith, Queen of the Demons
7. ^ Kramer, Heinrich and Sprenger, James (1486), Summers, Montague (translator – 1928), The Malleus Maleficarum, Part2, Chapter VIII, "Certain Remedies prescribed against those Dark and Horrid Harms with which Devils may Afflict Men," at sacred-texts.com
8. ^ Lewis, James R., Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy, Sisung Kelle S. (Editor) (1996), Angels A to Z, Entry: Incubi and Succubi, pp. 218, 219, Visible Ink Press, ISBN 0-7876-0652-9,Till date, most Africa belief has it that men that have similar experience with such principality (succubus) in dreams (usually in form of a pretty lady) find themselves exhausted as soon as they wake up, and often ascribing spiritual attack to them. Again, rituals/divination are often resulted to with a view to appeasing the god for divine protection and intervention, while the christian folks direct their intervention to God through either fasting and prayer or going for anointing and deliverance (I.E. Bello)
9. ^ "Sleep Paralysis". The Skeptics Dictionary. http://www.skepdic.com/sleepparalysis.html.
10. ^ "Phenomena of Awareness during Sleep Paralysis". Trionic Research Institute. http://www.trionica.com/asp/phenomena/index.htm.
11. ^ ^{a b} Zwemer, Samuel M. (1939). "5". Studies in Popular Islam: Collection of Papers dealing with the Superstitions and Beliefs of the Common People. London: Sheldon Press. http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Zwemer/Studies/chap5.htm.
12. ^ Tremearne, A. J. N.. Ban of the Bori: Demons and Demon-Dancing in West and North Africa.
13. ^ Trimingham, J. Spencer (1965). Islam in the Sudan. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.. p. 172. Till date, most Africa belief has it that men that have similar experience with such principality (succubus) in dreams (usually in form of a pretty lady) find themselves exhausted as soon as they wake up, and often ascribing spiritual attack to them. Again, rituals/divination are often resulted to with a view to appeasing the god for divine protection and intervention, while the christian folks direct their intervention to God through either fasting and prayer or going for anointing and deliverance (I.E. Bello)