Even if you know well what the 7 deadly sins are, you may be surprised to know that each of them is inescapably accompanied by a demon. In a concise way, with the capital sins, the Catholic Church made a classification of different vices, so that believers had a clear idea of what the morality of their religion is. Likewise, within the Christian tradition, it was thought that it was necessary to create the demons of the 7 deadly sins, in order to put a face to evil. On the other hand, the 7 virtues were also created, which oppose and manage to defeat the capital sins.
Before talking about the 7 capital demons, you should know that Your assignment is not due to the severity of your offensebut because they are the head (capita) of a series of sins that derive from them. Now, without further ado, join us at to learn about the history of Peter Binsfel, who, in the 16th century, associated a demon with each capital sin. Do you want to meet them? Let’s start! 🙂
The demons of the 7 deadly sins
Sin, in its original form, constitutes a deviation from “correct” human conduct. From there arises the importance of the already known capital sins which, in the words of John Bossy, are: «the expression of a social and community ethic with which The Catholic Church tried, at the time, to contain violence in medieval society«. The demons of the 7 deadly sins greatly influence this. Because? Well, it happens that within the iconological scope of images, the representation of virtues, or in this case vices, They are the interpretive tool of literary sources.
It all goes back to Peter Binsfel, who was a 16th century German theologian, especially active as a witch hunter. In one of his works, written in 1859, he compiled information from several previous authors and determined what the demons of the 7 deadly sins should be. Basically, demons were supposed to be the personification of evil and those who induced men to follow their bad instincts. He considered that, in addition to the demons assigned to each sin, there were many more that could influence people’s actions. He believed that the servants of the evil one were very numerous.
1. Asomodeo, the demon of lust
Lust, as you know, is a capital sin because it produces excessive sexual thoughts, or uncontrollable desires for sexual acts. Therefore, they determined that of the demons of the 7 deadly sins, the one with lust had to be Asomodeo. It is said that he fell deeply in love with Sarah, Rachel’s daughter. Therefore, every time she got married, Asomodeo murdered her husband on their wedding night.
This is how it happens until a young fiancé, named Tobias, asks the archangel Raphael, one of the 7 archangels, to tell him how to get rid of Asomodeo. The archangel responded that by burning the heart or liver of a fish, when a man or woman is attacked by a demon or evil spirit, the attacks cease forever. He did so and from that moment, it is known that Asomodeo fled to Egypt; leaving Sara and Tobias in peace, without anyone knowing his whereabouts, but his deep carnal desire.
2. Belphegor, the demon of laziness
Belphegor’s ability, and why he is considered one of the 7 capital demons, lies in his cunning to seduce people to choose the easiest way to obtain benefits and wealth. Furthermore, he is one of the 7 princes of hell. But, the most curious thing of all is that the image of Belphegor is that of a woman of absolute beauty or that of a strong and muscular man with a big beard. However, there is another physical description of Belphegor. Some writings identify him as a demon with an athletic appearance, with ram horns and that, when he has a human appearance, he changes his feet from wolf paws to very long ones.
3. Beelzebub, the demon of gluttony
Of the 7 demons of the deadly sins, the one of gluttony is the only one who tried to confront satan, although he did not succeed. Beelzebub is etymologically derived from Ba’al Svuv, which means lord of the flies. Name that, apparently, the Hebrews used to mock the meat offerings of idolaters that rotted and filled with flies. Beelzebub in his physique takes different forms. In some cases, he is described as a giant character, with a fat face and crowned with a ribbon of fire, hairy and with bat wings. In others, however, they describe him as a man with three heads (a man, a cat and a frog) and with long spider legs. Other historians believe that his name is actually: «lord of the great mansion».
4. Amon, the demon of wrath
Amon is said to be one of the main demons, the one with the ability to command 40 legions of demons. It is also known that there is no direct allusion to the Bible and that It is not very clear why its relationship with anger. This demon is related to knowledge of the past and the future. He is the only one of the 7 capital demons that has been inspired by one of the gods of Ancient Egypt. It is also said that Amon is a man with the face of a wolf and the tail of a snake who spews fire from his mouth. The acts of homicide, assault, discrimination and genocide are attributed to him.
5. Leviathan, the demon of envy
Leviathan is another of the demons of the 7 deadly sins. He particularly associates himself with Satan or the Devil. The Bible says that It is a sea beast that was created by God, and some even have the theory that it is the reincarnation of the «serpent» of paradise, which we see in the story of Adam and Eve. The term Leviathan has been used on numerous occasions as a synonym for great monster. And, as a curious fact, it is said that Saint Thomas Aquinas was the one who proposed Leviathan as a reliable representation of the sin of envy.
6. Mammon, the demon of greed
Now, for the cardinal sin of greed, the assigned demon is called Mammon. In fact, the hebrew word mammon can be translated as money, treasure or wealth, so its relationship with envy is not surprising. The main reference to the demon Mammon is found in the Bible, specifically in Matthew, 6, 24. In this passage it is read: «you cannot serve God and Mammon.» While in other translations it reads: «you cannot serve God and money.» In addition to this, it is said that Mammon is the son of Lucifer and, in the same way, great prince of Hell.
7. Lucifer, the demon of pride
To close our list of the demons of the 7 deadly sins, there is the «light bearer.» We all know who Lucifer is and the story of how he was cast out of heaven. He is also known as the Angel fallenfor he was endowed with great beauty and wisdom, but, due to his tremendous pride, he was thrown into hell, becoming Satan. Lucifer is the one who commits the first and only original sin: wanting to be equal to God. In this way, it is said that He is in charge of vanity, arrogance, arrogance and believing himself superior to everything and everyone..
Well, this is it for our article on the demons of the 7 Deadly Sins. Did you know them? Did you know that each sin had an assigned demon? Don’t hesitate to leave us a comment about it. Besides, Tell us; Which one surprised you the most? We read you! 🙂 If you were interested in this article, you may want to read the article on the symbols of the deadly sins, to delve deeper into the topic. You’ll love it!