| Introducing demons | |||||||||||||||||
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European vampires and werewolves, though supernatural and evil, were at least partly human. People becamse vampires or werewolves, so it was said, as a result of thier encouraged evil was often more bizarre than the vampires or werewolves themselves. For many years spirits called demons or devils were blamed for many of the misfortunes of life> Demons were not ghosts, as they had never been living human beings. Some people thought they were angels that had been expelled from heaven for rebelling against God. others simply said they were elemental spirits-a form of supernatural life that took pleasure in destroying allthat was good in the world. An illustration shows a medieval demon playing on a trumpet to attract the attention of possible converts to his evil ways. Angels were supposed to protect people from demons, and they too played music, but not alway successfully. Though demons were interested in influencing the world of the living, they were even more keen on gaining control of a person's soul after death. A very grusome illustration shows some demons waiting at the bedside of a dying person. They were supposed to drag the sould down to hell as the last breath was drawn. Though many demons lived in hell, where they were said to thrive in a world of flames and tortured souls, they were seen by ordinary mortals during the hours of darkness. Sometimes demons offered a lifetime free from money worries in return for a person's soul. People who sold their soul to the devil signed a contract using thier own blood as ink. once this was done they could not escape unless a priest was able to release them from the devils's power with a prayer. Some of the more mischievous demons were said to jump into the open mouths of people when they yawned. The only way to get the demon out of someone was to ask a priest to sprink holy water on the poor sufferer. | ||||||||||||||||
| Medieval demons | |||||||||||||||||
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Here are some of the many demons that were believed to haunt Europe throughout the Middle Ages. They ranged from evil old women, said to be witches, to dragons. Red Caps were bloodthirty Scottish elves. they kept their caps red by dipping them in blood, obtained by throwing big boulders at passers-by. A large Scandinavian dragon, by the name of Niohoggr - which translates as Corpse tearer, was 10 to 30 ft long with large wings, two straight horns, razor sharp teeth, a long toung and sharp claws. These sharp claws would be used to devour the dead, which it carried off, to its lair deep beneath the earth. During the plague-ridden Middle Ages, Death was pictured as a grinning human skeleton. He came suddenly to take people from the things they loved most. People also believed the air was inhabited by over seven million demons. The haunted at night, could easily be swalled, and animated corpses as vampires. Demons formed an army of evil under the leadership of the devil. Each regiment had a captain; this one is Eurynome, the prince of death, who fed on human corpses. Witches were thought to have magic powers from the devil. they spread disease, conjured up storms, changed into animal shapes and became vampires. | ||||||||||||||||
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Back to the Beginning What is a vampire? The Undead & The Ways of the Vampire Vlad The Impaler & Elizabeth of Bathory Preventing Vampires, Gaurding the house/coffin from Vampires & Introduction of the Werewolf, European Werewolves & A French wolf-boy Werewolf in Large Depth Werewolf in America, The Nootka wolf cults & The Navaho wolf-men Supernatural Guide | ||||||||||||||||
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