A Who's Who of World Mythology : Aesma/ Asmodeus


Aesma is a Zoroastrian demon of wrath. Called "terrible with a spear," he inspires vengeance and the perseverence of evil. In the hierarchy of demons, he is third. His counterpart in the hierarchy of angels is Sraosha, angel of Obedience and Sacrifice who leads the soul of the dead to paradise.

In the book of Tobit, he is known as Asmodeus, son of the human woman Naamah and a fallen angel and husband of Lilith. The name was possibly derived from Aeshmadaeva (Fury-demon). In the Talmud, Asmodeus is the ruler of the Shedim. He has three heads, a bull, a ram, and an ogre, and he has the legs of a rooster. Asmodeus rides either a fire breathing lion or a dragon. As a demon of wrath and revenge, he enjoyed causing animosity between spouses, especially in the bedroom, disrupting their sex lives while encouraging extramarital affairs. He represents one of the seven deadly sins, Lust.

According to the Book of Tobit, Asmodeus wanted Sarah for himself and killed every one of her seven bridegrooms on her wedding night. Tobit sent his son to Sarah's father seeking money he had long ago loaned him as they were in dire straights. As Sarah prayed for help in wedded bliss, Tobit was praying for help with his own problems. The angel Gabriel was sent to assist Tobias, son of Tobit. Leading him in the guise of an old man named Azarias, they camped beside a river where Tobias caught a large fish. Gabriel instructed Tobias to save the heart, liver, and gall of the fish, telling him that the gall could cure blindness and the heart and liver could remove demons. Tobias was then instructed to propose to Sarah, despite her reputation. Burning the organs removed the demon for good, and Sarah and Tobias lived "happily ever after."

Asmodeus also figures in the story of Solomon. When Solomon disregarded the ten commandments and had over a thousand wives, Asmodeus was sent by God to take his place, usurping his throne by stealing Solomon's ring which allowed him to control demons. Everyone believed Solomon a madman as he roamed the streets telling everyone he was the true king until his mother and one of his wives discovered Asmodeus' subterfuge by observing that the tracks he left in the ashes were those of a rooster. In another version however, it was Solomon who caused his usurpation by challenging the demon to a philosophical discussion on the nature of reality and illusion. Asmodeus tricked the king into giving up his ring which he then threw into the sea. At that point, Solomon was plunged into a new life, that of a beggar. After many years of wandering, he became a cook and one day as he cut and cleaned the fish, he found the ring. When he placed it on his finger, he become king again and woke in his bed at the same moment he left it but with new insights from his long life as a beggar.