Reality is far more complicated; not to mention more
colorful. Reading the lore on demons tells us that, yes, some of them will
appear the way most people tend to expect them to. Stereotypes exist for
reasons, right? Some demons are said to manifest as serpents—sometimes with
human heads, and features. Others are said to appear as armored knights riding
giant wolves, dragons, or other beasts. Some appear armed with huge
broadswords. Some manifest looking a great deal like the devils of stories.
Some will only appear at night.
Many, though, simply can't—or won't—take on a physical form
at all. These are said to come to people as beings of pure spirit, often
requiring the assistance of a scrying glass, or crystal to actually see them.
Others appear looking very much human. Some refuse to appear at night at all,
manifesting only during daylight hours.
Other so-called "demons" would appear to be
anything but. Some of them are said to appear as beings of pure light—most
typically white or yellow illumination. Most of those falling into this
category are spoken of in the lore as kind, peaceful, helpful beings. Ancient
texts, written when belief in such beings as solid parts of reality was much
more widespread, tell us that these individuals are capable of bestowing many
gifts upon those who summon, or work with them. These gifts can include
knowledge of the past, present, or future, great material wealth, help with
keeping thieves from stealing the person's current material holdings, warding
off violent threats, and other such assistance. Typically, these
"demons" sound as if they wouldn't be bad to work with.
Also present through demonic lore are a scattering of names
which don't even seem to belong to a real being—despite the fear and hype of
centuries surrounding these names. Chief among this category is the dreaded
Beelzebub.
"Baal" is the Canaanite term for "lord".
It also means "god" and "master" in that language. Baal
isn't a proper name in this instance. The word was used to signify that the
name following it was the name of a god—Baal Hadad, the storm god, for example.
The lore tells us of a demon with the proper name of Baal, also; one of several
examples of such confusion in demonic lore. But, back to Beelzebub...
The name of one of the Baals worshiped by the ancient
Canaanites was Baal Zebub. This was translated as the unpleasant-sounding
"Lord of the Dunghill", which became "Lords of Flies".
When Christianity barged into a new territory, typically
unwanted, and with violent zeal, one of the first things the Christians would
do in this new—to them—area would be to demonize the gods being worshiped by
whomever already occupied this land. Thus, the deities worshiped by the
peoples already living there became "demons". That happened to Baal
Zebub. He, along with the other Baals worshiped by the Canaanites, were
abruptly "demons".
Over time, "Baal Zebub" began being translated as
"Beelzebub". His true name and origins were lost—or at the very least
set aside, or misplaced—and Beelzebub became known far and wide as a Supreme
Chief of Hell. This supposedly fierce, terrifying demon never even truly existed
to begin with! Beelzebub is nothing more than a rival god, cast as a villain by
invaders, and a mistranslation!
That said, it is entirely possible, however, that Beelzebub
does, indeed, exist today as the demon people have come to think of him as being.
Thoughts are real, tangible things. They have weight. They have power.
Centuries of peoples' thoughts and fears focusing on the demonic Beelzebub of
nightmares could, truly, have given rise to such a being. This goes for any
being—god, demon, spirit, faerie, etc.—that began as nothing more than human
imagining.
Given that possibility, the author must warn extreme caution
when attempting dealings of any sort with such beings. Even a halfhearted
attempt at making contact with such an individual could easily attract their
attention. Depending upon the personality, mood, and general disposition of any
given being at any given time, that attention might well be very detrimental.
Regardless, they're sure to be far more powerful than a mere human. Accidents
and misunderstandings can result in consequences as catastrophic as deliberate
malice. In any dealings with such beings, stay alert, and use caution and
common sense. If you aren't comfortable in the presence of whatever being
you're communicating with, send it away from you.
Still, just because a being has been labeled
"demonic" doesn't necessarily mean that the being in question is
evil. Not all
"demons" are demonic.
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