Belphegor

This article is about the demon. For the Austrian band, see Belphegor (band). For other uses, see Belphegor (disambiguation).

Belphegor
Sloth
Belphegor illustration from the Dictionnaire Infernal.

Belphegor by Jean Jacques Flipart

In Jewish demonology, Belphegor (Hebrew: בעל־פעור) is the Arch-devil. In qabalah, Belphegor is a demon who helps people make discoveries. He seduces people by suggesting to them ingenious inventions that will make them rich, stagnating that which could not be accredited to itself.

Auxiliary Bishop and witch-hunter Peter Binsfeld believed that Belphegor tempts by means of laziness. Also, according to Peter Binsfeld's Classification of Demons, Belphegor is the chief demon of the deadly sin known as Sloth in Christian tradition.

Literature

The novella Belfagor arcidiavolo by Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli was first published in 1549, and regales how the demon comes to earth to find a mate.

Belphegor figures in Paradise Lost by John Milton, 1667.

Next Chemos, th’ obscene dread of Moab’s sons,

From Aroar to Nebo, and the wild Of southmost Abarim; in Hesebon And Horonaim, Seon’s realm, beyond The flow’ry dale of Sibma clad with vines, And Eleale to th’ Asphaltic Pool. Peor his other name, when he enticed Israel in Sittim on their march from Nile To do him wanton rites, which cost them woe.

According to the 1818 Dictionnaire Infernal by Collin de Plancy, Belphegor was Hell's ambassador to France. The same claim was repeated by Victor Hugo in Toilers of the Sea (1866).

In the grimoire Key of Solomon (translated into English by S.L. Mathers in 1889), Belphegor is listed near the end of the book as an Assyrian idol, now destroyed.

The novella by Machiavelli became the basis for the opera Belfagor by Ottorino Respighi, which premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1923.

A rhyme, by Mr. Fairhurst Yesterday,

I suffered a thousand years of torment
Until body, mind, and soul, were bent

A daemon dared to force my hand
But I do not fear it, understand

Yesterday,

Death would have been kind mercy
So I took pity, don't you see?

And from its body, set the daemons head free
And it laughed and chortled, "You can't kill me!"
...
But I didn't need to, see?

Yesterday,

It yelled and bawled,

"I AM THE DAEMON BELPHAGOR!"

and,
"I HAVE NEVER BEEN DEFIED BEFORE!"
So pitiful.
I was appalled.

Yesterday,

I put its head upon my own
And wore it as a crown of bone
NO DAEMON SHALL ESCAPE MY SIGHT
- I'M JUST ITCHING FOR A FIGHT

So I sent the bastard to the light,
And the daemon Belphagor. Was no more.

Yesterday,

I should have died,
"A death was promised" the Daemon lied

But that's okay, I took his hide
And broke his curse, like i'll break the tide

... its so ugly when a daemon dies
... all that sadness in their eyes

Yesterday,
I drank with a devil, and slew another,
But know still, one calls me brother

And daemon corpses stink to hell
A final hatred, dark and fell
And poison all the air you breathe
Until you cough with bloody heave

...
Yesterday,

The garlic Faeries blessed my soul,
To clear the stink, and make me whole

In popular culture

• The PZL M-15 Belphegor, a 1970s Polish utility aeroplane, was named after the demon, due to its strange look, the noise of its jet engine, and its unsuitability for crop dusting, for which it had been purpose-designed.
• Belphegor appears as a supporting character during the “Ghostpocalypse” story-arc during the final season of the TV show Supernatural played by Alexander Calvert, the same actor for the character, Jack Kline; during his time on the show, he possesses the corpse of Jack, who was smited by Chuck, donning white sunglasses to hide Jack’s burnt out eye sockets.
• Belphegor is a recurring demon/persona in the Megami Tensei and Persona video game series.
• Belphegor is the youngest and seventh sibling among the seven demon brothers in the otome game Obey Me. He appears as the avatar of sloth and the twin brother of Beelzebub.
• Belphegor is a blackened death metal band.
• Belphegor is the Storm Guard of the Varia in the anime and manga series Katekyo Hitman Reborn. He is also known as 'Prince the Ripper'.
• Belphegor is the name one of the heretical gods, more specifically that of yellow luxin and sloth, in the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
• Belphegor is a random demon/monster encounter in the Square Enix games Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy XVI.
• Belphegor is a young female demon in the series As Miss Beelzebub Likes. One of the main characters, and the love interest of Azazel.
• Belphegor is referenced in the television show Elementary season three episode three.
• Belphegor is referenced in the short story Bulldozer by Laird Barron.
• A Digimon named Belphemon, from the Digimon franchise is a member of the Seven Great Demon Lords and appears in the fifth season Digimon Data Squad.
• Gor in the video game Void Stranger is named after Belphegor
• Belphegor is mentioned by Bee in Helluva Boss.
• In One Piece, the warden of Impel Down prison is heavily based on Belphegor; visually with distinctive devil horns, and thematically, as the character sits on the toilet for ten hours a day to relive himself of diarrhea instead of doing his prison duties.