In European medieval legend, an Incubus, also called a Nightmare, is a male demon supposed to lie upon sleeping women in order to have sexual intercourse with them. They are also believed to do this in order to spawn other Incubi. The male counterpart of the Succubus.
Overview[]
They possess many of the abilities of the succubus, including their ability to take vessels and their supernatural ability to seduce. However, whereas Succubi target men (and often have an easier job), Incubi target women.
The origins of the incubus are unknown, though it is more than likely that they originated from Lilith or one of her sisters. It is said that the incubi were also known as Asmodai which are considered a second horde of demons that were birthed from Lilith after mating with Asmodeus. Moreover, the Asmodai consisted of both incubi and succubi, the latter of which were a lesser species of the Lilim, the first and strongest of the succubi that came into existence when Lilith mated with Samael.
Description[]
Incubi are often incredibly handsome, slim, and athletic men, cultured and highly intelligent. They appear to know a myriad of information on topics of politics, theology of various religious, and demonology of the Judeo-Christian faiths. When a human has intercourse with a succubi/incubi over long amounts of time (say a month) they will start feeling a need for more sex with the incubi/succubi or go insane from how much life force they have lost.
Incubi, unlike Succubi, are able to reproduce with females. These births always result in either a pureblood Succubus or Incubus being born, and always kill the mother. The child is taken to Hell to be trained and raised as a member of their race. When they do, they will obtain supernatural abilities and can become extremely persuasive. These human/incubi or succubi hybrid is called a Cambion. Unless the Incubus slept with a succubus then the succubi would give birth to a new incubi or succubi.
It is also generally believed that incubus and succubus are actually the same demon, able to swap genders at specific points. For example, they would become succubi whenever they required semen, their life source. They would then become incubi and use that semen to impregnate women. Many believe that incubi are bisexual but that would strictly contradict their purpose of impregnation. But some people believe that when the Incubi slept with another male he would absorb his seed and use it as his own.
Appearances[]
Their true forms consist of a large and serpentine demonic creature with skeletal phantom limbs that possess qualities of a bird, and their underbellies are constantly bathed in the blood of the victims they have taken over the ages, with their backs bearing striped fur
Powers & Abilities[]
Like their children, the Cambions, an Incubus always seems supernaturally attractive and charming. However, Incubi are to Cambions what Cambions are to the socially inept. Due to adept perception of what a being finds attractive and charming, few beings can resist their charms, fewer still would want to. In addition, the older Incubi are capable of transforming into Succubi to reproduce, through a process very different from that of a human.
- Dreamwalking - Throughout lore, they will often visit the same victim repeatedly. A victim of an incubus will experience the visits as dreams.
- Soul Consumption - The root of a incubi’s power is their dependence on consuming human souls. This is typically achieved during some form of intercourse; either via ejaculation through oral sex, penetrative sex, or outright cannibalism as incubi derive pleasure from tasting raw flesh as well.
- Immortality - Like all Hellspawn, incubi have no earthly lifespan and may live potentially indefinitely so long as Hell remains intact and they can maintain a periodic consumption of victims to keep themselves young and strong. Vessels infused with incubi spirits cease to age once inhabited.
- Superhuman Strength - Although incubi are not the strongest of the Infernal Host, they are still substantially physically powerful once they incarnate on Earth; enough to seamlessly out-muscle their prey - and can also dismember them in a similarly brutal fashion.
- Superhuman Speed - They can move faster than a speeding bullet, faster than the eye can see, able to appear and disappear in an instant.
- Kiss of Death - A incubu has the ability to steal life force energy from victims via a kiss. This action usually results in the death of normal humans if the incubus is a novice, but overtime, it can be controlled.
- Superhuman Stamina - They can fight and make love vigorously without tire.
- Demonic Possession - Incubi take possession of young mens.
- Lust Empowerment - By having sexual intercourse, a incubi is able to grow stronger and heal faster due to stealing life force energy.
- Shapeshifting - Unlike most demon, Incubus do not need to possess a human to become physical or to be active on Earth. Since they are seducers, they can change shape to match an individual's view of beauty, making it easier to tempt.
- Telepathy - Incubi can read people's minds so that they can transform into the type of men their prey desires the most.
- Supernatural Beauty - The incubi will be beyond the beauty of a normal human men and is completely irresistible to individual's.
- Sexual Inducement - Incubi have the ability to elicit sexual arousal within victim's to make them instantly crave sexual interaction, most likely through touch.
- Seduction - Incubi have power to seduce their prey and compel them to love them, similar to Sirens.
- Flight - Depending on which medium they use to incarnate into the living world, incubi may defy gravity either through sheer force of will by levitating their vessel in the air or by manifesting a pair of large and often bat-like wings from their backs to fly into the air at high speeds.
- Healing Factor - They fully heal from most wounds, including stabs and gunshots.
Weaknesses[]
- Blessed Objects - Objects which have been blessed through prayer by either a priest or a man of true faith have the power to cause demons excruciating pain upon contact. When bestowed unto a blade, this can cause a demon to recoil into its vessel; giving the victim momentary control of their body.
- Holy Water - As spirits born of unearthly anguish as well as blasphemous torture and violation, water which has been endowed with the word of Jehovah through sacred prayer will be like liquid fire to them. While this will not harm their vessel in any capacity, it will cause them immense pain.
- Holy Ground - Similar to consecrated water, consecrated ground or holy soul which has been endowed with the sacred words of Jehovah will cause any demon intense agony upon contact. Even when they are not actually on the premises, any proximity to these grounds will cause them great discomfort.
- Heavenly Weapons - Weapons forged of empyrean steel - the arcane metal of Heaven itself, and thus endowed with the word of Jehovah - will completely extinguish a demon's essence upon contact. As these weapons are only effective if a demon is inhabiting a host, the unfortunate victim will be killed.
- Exorcism -
- Devil's Trap - The Key of Solomon - inscribed with the sacred word of Jehovah as well as various magick spells to bind dark spirits - will hold a demon in place only so long as it is sanding either on or beneath one. While confined, demons cannot use their powers of levitation or teleportation.
- Celestial Light - As corrupted spirits of the void of Hell, demons are innately vulnerable to the radiance of angels. No demon may enter Heaven without being immediately vanquished by the ambient power. A single angel may vanquish a common demon with easily; demon princes require a whole garrison.
- Magic - Demons are susceptible to the powers of magic.
History[]
One of the earliest mentions of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerian King List, 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. Two other corresponding demons appear as well: Ardat lili, who visits men by night and begets ghostly children from them, and Idlu lili, who is known as a male counterpart to Ardat lili and visits women by night and begets from them.
Myths and Legends[]
Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health or even death. In medieval times, the church would use incubi and succubi to explain sexual functions, which were taboo subjects.
Though many tales claim that the incubus is bisexual, others indicate that it is strictly heterosexual and finds attacking a male victim either unpleasant or detrimental. Incubi are also sometimes said to be able to conceive children. The half-human offspring of such a union is sometimes referred to as a cambion. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of Merlin.
In Islam and Arabian folklore incubus is known as Hadun الحضون Al-Hadun lit. incubator) and Kaboos (Arabic: الكابوس Al-Kabūs, lit. incubus "colloquial for bad-dreams") only difference with Judeo-Christian incubi is being a type or a class of the jinn.
Trivia[]
- An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of Merlin.
- Incubus and Succubus are both sometimes depicted as wearing anklets, with a bolt for Incubus and a nut for Succubus, attached as an innuendo reference.
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