Demons

The Ranks of Hell

Just as archangels and angels, Dominions, Principalities, and Powers are in heaven, so it is said demons and devils are in hierarchy of hell, Princes, Ministers, Ambassadors, Justices, The House of Princes, and the Trivial Spirits, Alphonsus de Spina (who brought into Christianity a lot of Jewish lore) says there are ten orders of demons. Some other authorities say there are nine orders of devils, some six, some four.

This was an idea that was especially appealing to the hierarchical mind-set of the Middle Ages. At the top is God's Adversary himself, Satan. At various times he is confused with Lucifer, The Angel of Light, The Prince of Darkness, The Dark Angel, and others but it is Satan we usually mean when we speak of The Devil. All others are demons, not devils, though our language tends to regard devils and demons as synonymous.

Here are the principal personages in the infernal kingdom, in alphabetical order, because there is some disagreement about their exact placement.

What is more interesting than that, however, is how it is imagined that the kingdom of hell mirrors other kingdoms. It is also interesting how and why students of demonology hit upon the very specific numbers of infernal legions commanded by this or that power.

Mark V:7 says Christ was attacked by a legion of demons in the form of pigs. They were drowned.

But to our hierarchy: Here, collected from a number of sources, is probably the most complete - I do not claim 'the most accurate' - list to be found anywhere:

Abaddon	King of Demons. Better known by his Greek name Apollyon.
Abigor	A horseman with a lance and scepter, commanding 60 legions of devils.
Adramelech	Chancellor of Hell and President of The High Council of Devils.
Aguares	Grand Duke of Eastern Hell, commanding 30 legions of devils.
Alocer	Grand Duke of Hell, commanding 36 legions of devils.
Amduscias	Grand Duke of Hell, commanding 29 legions, popular with black magicians.
Andras	Marquis of Hell, commanding 30 legions of devils.
Asmodeus	Head of the Casinos of Hell, banished to the desert by Raphael.
Astaroth	Grand Duke of Western Hell, Lord Treasurer of Hell.
Astarte	One of a number of heathen gods and goddesses sometimes consigned to Hell.
Aym	Grand Duke of Hell, commanding 26 legions of demons. Also Haborym.
Ayperos	Prince of Hell, commanding 36 legions of devils.
Azazel	Standard Bearer of the armies of Hell. Also Satanael.
Baal	Commanding General of the Infernal Armies.
Baalberith	Chief Secretary and Archivist of Hell, a second-order demon. Also Berith.
Balan	Prince of Hell.
Bearded Demon, the	His name cannot be given lest people deal with him in search of the Philosopher's Stone (as King Solomon and Paracelsus are said to have done).
Beelzebub	Prince of Demons, Lord of the Flies, second only to Satan.
Belial	Prince of Trickery, Demon of Sodomy, sometimes called The Antichrist. It is likely he is also the one called Zephar by the German demonologist Weir.
Belphegor	Demon of Ingenious Discoveries and Wealth.
Buer	Second-order demon but commanding 50 legions of devils.
Caym	Grand President of Hell
Charon	Boatman of Hell who ferries souls across the Styx or Archeron
Chax	Grand Duke of Hell. Also Scox.
Cresil	Demon of impurity and slovenliness (according to Sebastien Michaelis, 1613).
Dagon	Baker of Hell, member of the House of Princes.
Eurynomus	Prince of Hell who feeds on corpses.
Furfur	Count of Hell, commanding 26 legions of demons.
Geryon	Giant centaur who (Dante said) guards Hell. Others say the guardian is a dragon.
Hecate	Queen of the witches.
Jezebeth	Demon of Falsehoods.
Kasdeya	According to The Book of Enoch (LXIX:12) 'the fifth Satan.'
Kobal	Entertainment Director of Hell, patron of comedians
Leonard	Inspector-General of Black Magic and Sorcery, The Great Negro of the witches' sabbats as a giant black goat. In Germany, Urian.
Leviathan	Grand Admiral of Hell; androgynous, he is said to have seduced both Adam and Eve.
Lilith	Princess of Hell, first wife of Adam.
Malphas	Grand President of Hell, commanding 40 legions of devils. Same as Caym?
Mammon	A word misunderstood was personified as the Demon of Avarice.
Mastema	Leader of the offspring of fallen angels by human beings.
Melchom	Treasurer of the House of the Princes of Hell.
Mephistopheles	In some versions, servant of Lucifer, in others, The Devil himself.
Merihim	Prince of Pestilence.
Moloch	Another demon inherited from Jewish belief.
Mullin	Servant of the House of Princes, lieutenant to Leonard.
Murmur	Count of Hell, Demon of Music.
Naburus	Marquis of Hell, connected with Cerberus.
Nergal	Chief of Secret Police of Hell, a second-order demon, married to Allotu.
Nybras	Grand Publicist of the Pleasures of Hell, an inferior demon.
Nysrogh	Chief of the House of Princes of Hell, a second order demon.
Orias	Marquis of Hell, Demon of Diabolic Astrologers and Diviners.
Orthon	A minor demon familiar to the Comte de Corasse and the Comte de Foix. Another personal demon known by name is Sybacco, rather unreliably said to have attended Adriano Lemmi, connected with the alleged Satanic-Masonic cult of Palladinism in 19th century Italy and then there are all sorts of demons (usually with French names) that possessed French nuns, etc.
Paymon	Master of Ceremonies of Hell.
Philotanus	Demon assisting Belial in furthering pederasty and sodomy.
Proserpine	In some accounts, Princess of Hell.
Pyro	Prince of Falsehood.
Raum	Count of Hell, commanding 30 legions of demons.
Rimmon	Ambassador from Hell to (Czarist) Russia, Chief Physician of Hell. Also Damas.
Ronwe	Minor demon commanding 19 legions of devils.
Samael	Angel of Death, Prince of the Air, perhaps the one who tempted Eve.
Semiazas	Chief of the Fallen Angels.
Shabriri	Demon who struck people blind. The Jews also had goat demons (Schirim, Seirim), demon monsters (Behemoth, Leviathan), and Lilim, Nazzikim, Ruchoth, and many more.
Sonneillon	Demon of Hate (Michaelis).
Succorbenoth	Chief Eunuch of the House of Princes, Demon of Gates and Jealousy.
Thamuz	Ambassador of Hell, Creator of The Holy Inquisition, Investor of Artillery.
Ukobach	Stationary Engineer of Hell, Inventor of Fireworks, maybe Cooking Out.
Uphir	Head of the HMO of Hell, Demon physician and apothecary.
Valafar	Grand Duke of Hell 'in charge' say Tondriau and Villeneuve (1972) 'of good relations among brigands.'
Verdelet	Master of Ceremonies of the House of the Princes of Hell.
Verin	Demon of Impatience.
Vetis	A devil who specializes in tempting and corrupting the holy.
Xaphan	Stokes the furnaces of Hell, a second-order demon.
Zaebos	One of the many animal-human combinations in Hebrew imitation of the Sumerians. This one is part crocodile, part human.
Zagam	Demon of Deceit and Counterfeiting. He can do Christ's first miracle, changing water into wine.