Succubus

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Succubus bracket 02.jpgIn medieval legend, a succubus (plural succubi; from Latin succuba; "prostitute") is a female demon which seduces men (especially monks) in dreams to have sexual intercourse. They draw energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhaustion or death. From mythology and fantasy, Lilith and the Lilin (Jewish), Lilitu (Sumerian) and Rusalka (Slavic) were succubi.

According to the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Witches' Hammer", succubi would collect semen from the men they slept with, which incubi would then use to impregnate women. Children so begotten were supposed to be more susceptible to the influence of demons.

Honoré de Balzac wrote a short story The Succubus<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> concerning a 1271 trial of a she-devil succubus in the guise of a woman, who amongst other things could use her hair to entangle victims.

From the 16th century, the carving of a succubus on the outside of an inn indicated that the establishment also operated as a brothel.

1 Appearance
2 In modern times
3 In modern fiction
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit]

Appearance

The appearance of succubi varies just about as much as that of demons in general; there is no single definitive depiction. However, they are almost universally depicted as alluring women with unearthly beauty, often with demonic batlike wings; occasionally, they will be given other demonic features (horns, a tail with a spaded tip, snakelike eyes, hooves, etc).

[edit]

In modern times

To this day the blame of nocturnal emissions and other sexual occurrences or mysteries are, in some cultures and circles, blamed on a demon of sin such as a succubus.

[edit]

In modern fiction

Succubi are often featured in fantasy fiction and role-playing games, and often shown with batlike wings and bikini clad. Succubi are often very prominent in the sexual aspects of fantasy fandoms and paraphilia. Charles Williams's 1937 novel Descent into Hell features an academic who consciously rejects the potential affections of a real woman in favor of a physically identical but perfectly obedient and pliable succubus. In Orson Scott Card's novel Treasure Box a witch conjures a succubus that represents the dreams and desires of the protagonist to convince him to open a mysterious box.

Succubi and incubi are both referenced by the Reverend Hale in Arthur Miller's classic play The Crucible.

[edit]

In Dungeons & Dragons

For succubi in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, see Succubus (Dungeons & Dragons).

[edit]

In video games

They also appear as enemies in many video game series and can be seen in several Blizzard Entertainment games, such as Diablo and World of Warcraft. Drakan features them as well, but the main character is female and thus the emphasis is put on their deceiving qualities. Morrigan Aensland is an individual succubus from the Darkstalkers series, also appearing in many of other Capcom fighting games. Another succubus, Lilith, later made an appearance in Darkstalkers 3 - Jedah's Damnation. Succubus is also a level 37 (rather low level) demon in the game Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne on the Playstation 2, and was a remarkable foe in the Madou Monogatari games series made by COMPILE.

In Planescape: Torment, a PC role playing game, the player can recruit a succubus named Fall-From-Grace, who has grown bored with physical seduction and operates a "brothel" offering a variety of intellectual and emotional experiences, to join you in your quest.

Succubi also appeared in the Starship Titanic game, although not intended as demonic figures - here, they are the 'Succ-U-Bus' (a pun on "Suck-you-bus"), a communications system based on sending messages in containers through a vacuum-powered system. A similar pun was used in Sluggy Freelance to transition to the Torg Potter and the President from Arkansas plot arc.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other games to feature a succubus or succubi as foes include:

Devil May Cry 3 series (Nevan)
The Castlevania series (starting from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
Nippon Ichi's tactical role-playing games La Pucelle Tactics and Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Golden Sun, in the bonus dungeon of Crossbone Isle. They appear as subbosses.

The Doom series also contains the offspring between a succubus, and the male counter part, an incubus. this abomination is known as a mancubus.

[edit]

In MMORPGs

In World of Warcraft, an MMORPG game made by Blizzard Entertainment, succubus is a pet of the warlock class.

In Dark Age of Camelot, an MMORPG game made by Mythic Entertainment, succubus are killable monsters in the dungeon of Darkness Falls, and the expansion of Darkness Rising.

In Everquest II by Sony Online Entertainment, a succubus is one of many warlock pets of the Necromancer class. They also appear as attractive white-skinned females in the Enchanted Lands region until provoked to attack. Once attacked they would often reveal devil-like horns and spikes prodruding across their bodies.

In The Matrix Online by Monilith and later Sony Online Entertainment, the succubus is one of the various exiles based on mythical creatures, appearing in missions around level 30-40. They appear as colour-themed pale-faced women with

In MMORPG Ragnarok Online, Succubus appear as mentioned before with bat like wings and bikini clad (as well as with their trademark curved horns). The succubus also appears in the MMORPG Lineage 2 with bat like wings and bikini clad.

In the MMORPGs City of Heroes and City of Villains (made by Cryptic Studios and NCSoft), Succubi appear as minions for the group of evil mages known as the Circle of Thorns, and even, under strict watch of Arachnos, as the contact for a Strike Force and the greeter for Villains as they enter the Pocket D nightclub.

In the MMORPG Ultima Online the succubus makes an appearance as a white, nude demon with black wings.

Succubi appear to male characters in Kingdom of Loathing in the Dungeons of Doom (a Nethack tribute) as an ampersand (& sign).

[edit]

In comics

Succubi have spread to comics as well, such as the print comic Hellblazer. In Hellblazer, a succubus named Chantinelle falls in love with an angel and bears him a cursed child. Also appearing as one of the main characters in the webcomic Krakow<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a succubus named Kia. She falls in love with her victim, Case, and moves in with him and his roommate, Tom. The comic also deals with Kia's family, whose father is the devil, and sisters are succubi (though her younger sister, Guinness, appears to be more naga than succubus).

In the manga Mark of the Succubus by Ashly Raiti and Irine Flores, a young succubus would rather learn about humans than seduce them.

In the online comic, Lowroad75, there is a character called Lula the Succubus.

Also in another online comic, called DMFA, it has several characters who are either incubi or succubi. DMFA has a spot where they discribe their own view of 'cubi,' as it calls them.

In the manga Lilim Kiss the female lead is a succubus named Lilim who wants to stay with a single human (the protagonist) who unsealed her and "fills her more".

Pibgorn is a webcomic by Brooke McEldowney featuring a succubus named Drusilla.

[edit]

In television

Succubi appear in television as well. In a South Park Season 3 episode called "The Succubus", Chef tries to marry a woman who turns out to be a demon sent from hell. When the boys tried telling Chef that his soon to be wife was really a succubus, Chef didn't listen. In the end, the boys of South Park defeated the succubus by chanting a spell (based on reversing the lyrics to the song 'There's Got To Be A Morning After' from The Poseidon Adventure), that made the succubus disappear beneath the ground for all eternity.

In an episode of X-files, there is a succubus attached to Skinner, murdering all the women he likes.

Fantasy-genre television programs often include demons in their line-up, and successful programs such as Charmed and Sea of Souls have featured succubi as villains.

[edit]