Description

So, he’s often shown on the toilet. This is likely because sorcerers sometimes insulted spirits to prove they weren’t worshipping them. Belphegor has many shapes, and often appears as a beautiful woman.

Story Notes

The Kaballah suggests that he helps people make discoveries, ingenius inventions that will make them rich, but that leads to temptation and sloth ultimately. He may have started out as an ancient fertility god (“bel” and “baal” are the same route.)

His name appears to be derived from Ba’al-Peor, The god of  Mount Peor). And several sources suggest that this makes him a MAJOR god, Chemosh, who is one of the Chief Gods (along the lines of Marduk or Bel.)

Some interpretations of him say he can be very sexual. “Peor” means “gap,” but it can also mean “opening,” and specifically, the mouth or anus (thus the association with poop and the toilet). But also, worship of him could involve dropping trouser and showing him what you got, and he was sometimes associated with Praipus/Adonis.

Interestingly, political theorist Machiavelli wrote a book about Belphegor, in which the demon comes to earth to find a bride. Occult World suggests that he returned to Hell and isn’t a fan of relationships now. Occult World also has many references to Belphegor’s career as a fertility demon and sexual spirit, and that he appears often as a young woman to tempt the conjurer.

Links

They Who Dwell in the Cracks – wiki – demonic paradise – grimoire.org – occult world