Sunday 13 November 2022

The Succubus - Incubus

A succubus is a demon in female form, or supernatural entity in medieval folklore that appears in dreams and takes the form of a woman in order to seduce men, usually through sex. A succubus may take a form of a beautiful young girl but closer inspection may reveal deformities of her body, such as bird-like claws or serpentine tails. The male counterpart to the succubus is the incubus. When succubus lore was created, sex that was not procreative was considered sinful.
In some stories a succubus collects semen from the men she seduces. The incubi or male demons then use the semen to impregnate human females.
The succubus may have been a device used by men to retain their faith after sexual indiscretions. Salacious tales of incubi and succubi have been told for centuries. Some traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, mental state, or death.

One of the earliest mentions of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerian King List, c. 2400 BC, where the hero Gilgamesh's father is listed as Lilu. It is said that Lilu disturbs and seduces women in their sleep, while Lilitu, a female demon, appears to men in their erotic dreams.