| Main Information on Incubae and Succubae |
Succubae and Incubae are said to be sexual demons, feeding on the sexual desires of sleeping people. The Incubus may have also been the Ghostly Lovers of Western European mythology, and it is said that the original model for the Succubus was Lilith. As far as we can tell, these beings only use sex as a means to lure their enticed victims to self-damnation. They use their wiles to charm men, and then have them murder their wives or loved ones.
It was mostly the Christian church of the Middle Ages that put out these particular viewpoints regarding the Succubae and Incubae. Making people feel 'sinful' for normal sexual drives and desires made them much easier to control. Other cultures recognised beings that were usually non-incarnate that had tendencies similar to the Succubae, but did not choose to attach an unpleasant stigmata to them. The devas who attend the Hindu Goddess Lalita Tripurasundari are all said to be very sexually active, and to play a part in the enlightenment of a yogi/yogini who wishes to approach that Goddess. Perhaps, like most other beings, some were helpful and some were harmful. As I mentioned, cultural and political forces may have affected the perception of them as much as it did for the vampires, were-folk, dragons and the rest of the otherkin. It is interesting to note that historically, when a new religion comes to power, the deities and powers of the previous faith tend to be either 'absorbed' or turned into 'devils'. Medieval lists of demonic names frequently included 'Diana', 'Ishtar', 'Persephone' and even 'Apollo' (to name only a few) in either their original or altered forms.
Some angellic names were adopted in a similar fashion such as the archangel Michael, who can be traced back to a Cananite God of war called Mikayah. In both cases, the name can be broken down to 'The Strength of God'.
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| Succubae |
It is said that the Succubae would sneak into a man's dreams at night, arouse him, and then keep him aroused and active until he died. It is also said that Succubae used the man's ejaculate to create other Succubae in their own realm. Succubae were reputed to be seducers who gave fantasies or dreams of a sexual nature, perhaps to feed upon either the orgasmic energies or the sexual desire itself.
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| Incubae |
Incubae are generally spoken of as rapists, and as such probably fed upon the emotions that the act caused upon the victim. Incubae are said to not arouse the female so much as feed on her fear. To rape her as she sleeps helplessly, and feed from her terror and fear during the act. The Incubae are nasty lovers, they are sometimes said to be extremely long, double pronged, extremely cold, and/or made of steel. During his rape of the female person, he would impregnate her with his unholy seed. The woman would usually have a month or so where she would miss her menstrual cycle, and would then have a very harsh cycle, almost as if she were miscarrying. The 'spirit child' (for lack of a better term) from that union is said to be a newly formed Incubus. The Incubae would lure young mourning widows to commit suicide and entice virgins to break vows of chastity... Different spectrum of food suggests a different creature.
