Succubus Mythology
In Western medieval legend, Succubus mythology describes the Succubus (plural form Succubi) as a demon which takes the shape of a beautiful woman to seduce men (especially monks) in their dreams in order to have sexual intercourse with them. They drain the men of their energy and this is how the Succubus sustain themselves. They drained the men to the point of exhaustion and sometimes death. According to the Malleus Maleficarum, otherwise known as the Witches Hammer, the Succubi would collect semen from the men and impregnate women and this is how demons could sire children. Children born from this way of gestation were supposedly more susceptible to the influence of demons and evil.
The Witches’ Hammer was published against the recommendation of the Catholic Church in 1487, and it was officially banned in 1490. From the 16th century on, the carving of a Succubus on the outside of an inn indicated that a brothel was being operated in that location as well as an inn.
The Succubus were sometimes described as looking like an alluring woman of beauty with demonic bat-like wings and large breasts. They also had other evil features such as horns, and cloven feet. Sometimes they just appeared as beautiful women and the men could not seem to get them off of their minds. They would lure the men and in some cases the man would think he was in love with the Succubus. Even when the man was not dreaming, he still could not get the beautiful woman out of his mind. The Succubus would remain in the mans mind and slowly drain him of his energy until he died from exhaustion. Another version of the story says the demon Syccubus would steal the man’s soul when he ejaculated.
Another version of the story of the Succubus which comes from the Middle East shows the Succubus as a beautiful, alluring, scented woman who would wonder around the desert on the hooves of a camel. This form of Succubus is a judge of character instead of having sexual intercourse with the men to collect their semen. They get revenge on those who commit adultery. The Succubus would lure the men to have intercourse with her and she had sharp razors within her vagina and they would slice off the man’s penis. They , while the man is in great pain, she transforms herself into her true form and eats the man alive. The Middle eastern version of the Succubus was known as Um Al Duwayce.
The word Succubus comes from the changing of the Latin word succuba, which means strumpet. The word is derived from the Latin prefix sub which means below or underneath, and the verb cubo, which means I lie.
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