The Dictionary of Demons, page 44
Mermo: In the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Mermo is named as one of several demons who serve the infernal princes of the cardinal directions. Mathers suggests that the name is connected with the ocean and may mean “across the water.” However, the name of this demon may also be a variation of Mormo, a title associated with the Greek goddess Hecate, later taken up as a patron of witches. The name Mormo was made famous by Hippolytus in a passage from his third-century-CE work Philosphumena. Here Hecate is addressed as “Gorgo, Mormo, thousand-faced Moon.” There is some debate as to the origin and meaning of the name Mormo, although the most common explanation is that it is tied to a Greek ogress who was a devourer of children. No solid evidence supports this assertion, however, and the name remains a mysterious title accorded to Hecate in her ancient rites. See also MATHERS.
Merosiel: A night-demon governed by the wandering duke Buriel. Merosiel despises the light of day and will only manifest when it is dark out. According to the Ars Theurgia, he is a roguish spirit, possessed of a wholly evil nature. Merosiel and all of the other demons who serve beneath Buriel are hated and reviled by all of the other spirits. When Merosiel appears, he takes the form of a human-headed serpent. Although the head of this serpent is that of a beautiful young girl, Merosiel nevertheless speaks with a rough male voice. As a demon awarded the title of duke, Merosiel has eight hundred and eighty lesser spirits at his command. See also ARS THEURGIA, BURIEL.
Meroth: A demon who serves the infernal prince Dorochiel in the capacity of a chief duke. The Ars Theurgia links him to the demonic court of the west. He is said to rule over four hundred lesser spirits, all of whom are willing to carry out his commands. Allegedly, he is tied to the hours of the second half of the night, serving his infernal master between midnight and dawn. See also ARS THEURGIA, DOROCHIEL.
Mertiel: A demon of transportation who can send a person to any location in an instant. He is also known by the name Inertiel. This demon appears in the True Keys of Solomon, where he is said to serve chief Sirachi, an agent of Lucifer. See also LUCIFER, SIRACHI, TRUE KEYS.
Metafel: A demon who serves beneath the four infernal princes of the cardinal directions: Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. Metafel appears in the Mathers edition of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Metathiax: According to the Testament of Solomon, Metathiax is a demon of disease that causes the veins to ache. One of thirty-six demons associated with the decans of the zodiac, Metathiax can be driven away with the name of the angel Adônaêl, who holds power over him. See also SOLOMON.
Mextyura: A demon ruled over by Maymon, king of the spirits of Saturn. In the Joseph H. Peterson translation of the Sworn Book of Honorius, Mextyura is said to have power to inspire hatred, anger, and sorrow. He can call down storms of snow and ice. He is associated with the region of the north but is also subordinate to the southwest wind. How exactly this demon is related to two distinctly different directions remains unclear within the text. Compare this name with Zynextur, a demon said to serve Albunalich, demon-king of the earth, in the Driscoll translation of the Sworn Book. See also ALBUNALICH, MAYMON, SWORN BOOK, ZYNEXTUR.
Milalu: A demon who can change the thoughts and wills of others. He can also influence journeys and bring rain. Milalu is a minister of the demon Harthan, king of the spirits of the moon. He appears in the Peterson translation of the Sworn Book of Honorius. According to this text, he serves in the region of the west. When he manifest, his body resembles a dim and milky crystal or a dark cloud. See also HARTHAN, SWORN BOOK.
Ancient Exorcisms
The ancient Sumerians had a demon for practically every ailment, and in Sumerian rituals of exorcism, the name of the demon possessing the afflicted individual was believed to be instrumental in driving that demon away. Often, the name was not known, and so Sumerian exorcisms frequently included a litany of demonic names, working on the theory that if all of the demons who could possibly be responsible for the possession were named, at least one of those names would hit its mark.
In addition to utilizing the power of names, Sumerian exorcisms frequently made use of an animal substitute for the possessed individual. Through ritual and incantations, the essence of the demon was transferred from the possessed human into this animal sacrifice. Goats or pigs were commonly used as the sacrificial animals in these ancient exorcisms. The demon was bound to the animal with the power of its name—and with a little help from the gods whose names were also invoked to control and compel the demon. With the demon thus trapped in this substitute flesh, the animal was then destroyed, an act that was thought to drive the demon from the earthly plane.
Consider this Babylonian spell quoted by Reginald Campbell Thompson:
Give the pig in his stead,
And give the flesh as his flesh,
The blood as his blood,
And let him [the demon] take it;
Its heart set upon the man’s heart.
Give as his heart
And let the demon take it.
Animal sacrifices were not always used. Sometimes an object was crafted as the ritual substitute instead. Waxen images were popular, and once the demon had been driven into this substitute form, the figure of wax was typically placed in or near a fire and allowed to melt. As the figure melted, so too was the power of the demon believed to melt away.
* Thompson, Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia, p. xxxiii.
Milau: Ruled by the demon-king Harthan, Milau serves in the region of the west. He is connected with the sphere of the moon and thus has the power to cause rain, influence journeys, and change a person’s thoughts. Milau appears in the Peterson edition of the Sworn Book of Honorius. According to this text, he is also affiliated with the west wind. See also HARTHAN, SWORN BOOK.
Milion: “The destroyer of the day,” at least according to occultist S. L. MacGregor Mathers. This demon is reputedly a servant of prince Ariton, one of four rulers of the cardinal directions named in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In other versions of the Abramelin material, this demon’s name is rendered Nilion. See also ARITON, MATHERS.
Mimosa: In his 1898 translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Mathers suggests that the name of this demon means “imitator,” from the same root as mimic. Mimosa is said to serve under the joint leadership of the demons Magoth and Kore. See also KORE, MAGOTH, MATHERS.
Minal: A demon with the power to raise an army of one thousand soldiers, Minal appears in the Driscoll translation of the Sworn Book, where he is identified as a minister of the demon Jamaz, infernal king of the element of fire. As a creature of fire, Minal manifests with a complexion that resembles living flame. By nature, he is hot and impetuous, but he also possesses great strength and generosity. He can cause death instantly, but he can also prevent and completely reverse the effects of decay. See also JAMAZ, SWORN BOOK.
Minosum: For those individuals with a yen for gambling, Minosum can be summoned to assist in games of chance, allowing a mortal to win whenever desired. In Peterson’s Grimorium Verum, Minosum is listed as serving in the seventh rank beneath the demons Hael and Sergulath. Under the name Minotous, he appears along with his sigil in the Wellcome Library’s 1709 version of the Clavicle of Solomon. According to that text, an alternate version of his name is Minoson. See also GRIMORIUM VERUM, HAEL, RESBIROTH, CLAVICLE OF SOLOMON, SERGULAF, SERGULATH.
Misiel: A chief duke of the day said to serve in the court of the demon-king Malgaras. Misiel appears in the Ars Theurgia, where his name is also presented as Masiel. Twenty minor spirits exit to carry out his commands. His region is the west. See also ARS THEURGIA, MALGARAS.
Misroch: In A. E. Waite’s version of the Grand Grimoire, Misroch is identified as the Grand Steward of the Royal Household of Hell. Although Waite’s Book of Black Magic and Pacts cites this title as originating from the work of the sixteenth-century scholar Johannes Wierus, the designation is not quite that old. Misroch and his infernal hierarchy actually stem from Les Farfadets, the early-nineteenth-century work by self-styled demonologist Charles Berbiguier. See also BERBIGUIER, GRAND GRIMOIRE, WAITE, WIERUS.
Mistalas: This demon appears as a night raven and is knowledgeable in witchcraft and necromancy. He can be called upon to teach the same, as well as to pass along knowledge of the virtues of stones, trees, and herbs. Named in the Book of Oberon, Mistalas is one of twelve principal servants of the demon-king of the west, Paimon. See also BOOK OF OBERON, PAIMON.
Mithiomo: A demon called upon to assist in the art of scrying. Mithiomo is named in the Munich Handbook, where he is said to assist in the discovery of thieves. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Mitruteeah: One of a number of Hebrew names believed to belong to the night-demon Lilith. In Jewish lore, Lilith was believed to be the first wife of Adam, cast out of the Garden for refusing to submit. She then wandered the wilderness, becoming the mother of demons. She jealously preyed upon mothers in childbed and newly born babes, and a wide variety of talismans were constructed in order to protect against her attacks. It was believed that scribing Lilith’s names upon these talismans would ward her away. Author T. Schrire, in his 1966 work Hebrew Magic Amulets, presents a number of these traditional names. See also LILITH.
Death stroking a raven. Ravens, as birds that fed on corpses, were often associated with spirits and demons. Process print by Walter Appleton Clark, ninteenth century. Image courtesy of the Wellcome Collection, London.
Molael: A servant of the demon Symiel, who rules in the north by east, Molael is a demon with an obdurate nature. He appears only at night, and even then he is often reluctant to make himself visible to others. According to the Ars Theurgia, he holds the rank of chief duke and has ten lesser spirits in his entourage. He is connected with the north. See also ARS THEURGIA, SYMIEL.
Molbet: According to the Munich Handbook, this demon holds the rank of prince in the hierarchy of Hell. He is summoned forth in a spell concerned with revealing the identity of a thief. He is also connected in general with the art of divination and can help to charm a human fingernail into showing all manner of images should the magician desire. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Molin: A demon whose name appears in Mathers’s edition of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, translated from an anonymous French manuscript of the same work. Molin is one of a large number of demons said to serve the four infernal princes of the cardinal directions: Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. Mathers suggests that Molin’s name means “abiding in a place.” See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Moloch: Originally a Canaanite deity, Moloch became famously demonized in the Bible through a passage in 2 Kings 23:10. This passage describes how children were consecrated to Moloch and cast into flames as a sacrifice. According to demonographer Manfred Lurker, the name Moloch itself may be derived from a Punic root MLK, meaning “offering” or “sacrifice.” From this, he suggests that Moloch may not have originally been a proper name, and was instead a formal term for this kind of sacrifice. Regardless of its roots, the name Moloch, through its association with child sacrifice, was rapidly adopted into demonology. According to a demonic hierarchy found in Waite’s treatment of the Grand Grimoire, Moloch holds the title of “Prince of the Land of Tears.” Like several other demons in this hierarchy, Moloch is also associated with Beelzebub’s knightly Order of the Fly. He is said to have been awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Fly. Although A. E. Waite credits the origin of these titles to Wierus in his 1910 publication The Book of Black Magic and Pacts, the real source is Les Farfadets by Charles Berbiguier. Interestingly, Berbiguier includes two versions of the biblical demon Moloch in his hierarchy: the demon Melchom is mentioned along with Moloch. Moloch is a Greek transcription of the Hebrew Molech, and in other parts of the Bible it is variously rendered Melchom and Milcom. See also BEELZEBUB, BERBIGUIER, GRAND GRIMOIRE, MELCHOM, MILCOM, WAITE, WIERUS.
Moloy: According to the Munich Handbook, this demon is a squire spirit with an affinity for castles, soldiers, and fortifications. He is also a demon of illusion. He is called upon to help conjure an illusory castle from thin air. This operation is to only be undertaken in a remote location on the tenth night of the moon. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Momel: One of a number of demons in the night-bound hierarchy of prince Dorochiel. According to the Ars Theurgia, Momel will only manifest in a specific hour in the first half of the night. He has a total of forty ministering spirits to attend him and he holds the rank of chief duke. He serves in the west. See also ARS THEURGIA, DOROCHIEL.
Monael: A demon under the rule of the infernal king Baruchas, Monael holds the rank of duke and commands thousands of lesser spirits. His name and seal appear in the Ars Theurgia. According to this work, Monael will only appear during very specific times of the day. If the day is divided into fifteen equal portions of time, then Monael will only manifest himself during the hours and minutes that fall into the eleventh portion. He serves in the region of the north. See also ARS THEURGIA, BARUCHAS.
Moracha: A demon in command of one thousand eight hundred and forty lesser spirits, Moracha is free to manifest during any hour, day or night. According to the Ars Theurgia, he is one of twelve chief dukes beneath the wandering prince Soleviel. Half serve in one year and half in the next, thus sharing the workload from year to year. See also ARS THEURGIA, SOLEVIEL.
Morael: A demon in service to the infernal king Raysiel, Morael is a demon of the night, only appearing during the hours when darkness holds power over the land. His rank beneath Raysiel is given as chief duke, and he has a total of twenty lesser spirits that minister to him. Morael’s name and seal both appear in the Ars Theurgia. Under Raysiel, he owes fealty to the court of the north. See also ARS THEURGIA, RAYSIEL.
Morail: A demon of invisibility and illusion. According to Peterson’s translation of the Grimorium Verum, Morail is the sixteenth demon serving beneath Duke Syrach. See also GRIMORIUM VERUM, SYRACH.
Morax: The twenty-first demon of the Goetia. According to Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Morax first manifests in the form of a bull. When he puts on human shape, he teaches astronomy and the liberal sciences as well as the virtues of herbs and precious stones. He also provides familiar spirits that are both wise and good-natured. He holds the titles earl and president, and he oversees thirty-six infernal legions. He is sometimes known by the name Foraii. In the Goetia of Dr. Rudd, his name is given as Marax. Here, he is said to govern only three legions of lesser spirits. The angel Nelchael constrains him. See also GOETIA, RUDD, SCOT, WIERUS.
Morcaza: A demon in the court of the infernal king Barmiel, the first and chief spirit of the south. Morcaza and his fellows are named in the Ars Theurgia, where he is said to manifest only at night. Although he holds the rank of duke, he has no spirits or ministers under his command. See also ARS THEURGIA, BARMIEL.
Morel: In the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Morel is one of a multitude of demons who serve Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon, the demonic princes of the four cardinal directions. According to Mathers, his name means “the rebellious one.” See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Moriel: A servant of the demon Camuel. According to the Ars Theurgia, Moriel is a duke, but he has no ministering spirits of his own. He belongs to the night but must be called during the day. He is tied to the hierarchy of the east, and when he manifests, he assumes a form that is beautiful to behold. He speaks courteously with those willing to converse with him. See also ARS THEURGIA, CAMUEL.
Morilen: “The Babbler,” Morilen appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. He is governed by Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon, the four demonic princes of the cardinal directions. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Morlas: A demon of the night ruled by the infernal prince Cabariel. Morlas possesses a dark and deceptive nature. A mighty duke, he oversees fifty lesser spirits that tend to him and carry out his will. Morlas is tied to the court of the west. The seal that compels him appears in the Ars Theurgia, the second book of the Lesser Key of Solomon. See also ARS THEURGIA, CABARIEL.
Mortoliel: A duke who serves the demon Hydriel. Mortoliel is drawn to wet or watery locales. According to the Ars Theurgia, he is very courteous in nature and possesses a good temperament. When he manifests, he takes the form of a serpent with a virgin’s head. He is a creature of the air, wandering from place to place in the retinue of his prince, and he has a total of one thousand three hundred and twenty lesser spirits to attend him. See also ARS THEURGIA, HYDRIEL.
Mosacus: A demon with a rather piebald appearance. Mosacus has ass’s ears, a dragon’s tail, goose feet, a mole’s hands, and an elephant’s nose. Additional faces can be found at every joint and in his nethers. Two eyes peer out of his belly and he carries a crook and a scepter. If this guise is a bit too startling, Mosacus can be commanded to take the form of a seven-year-old boy with red hair. In the Book of Oberon, his conjuring circle is drawn using a palm blessed on Palm Sunday. When Mosacus is commanded to depart, the name Effnnelion is also invoked, although it is not clear from the text whether this is the name of a spirit superior to Mosacus or an alternate name of Mosacus himself. This spirit also appears in the manuscript designated as e Musaeo 173 in the Bodleian Library and published by Daniel Harms under the title Of Angels, Demons & Spirits. Here, Mosacus is described only in his boy form. The text gives good reason to conjure him: he is said to accomplish more work in a day than a mortal might do in seven years. See also BOOK OF OBERON.
