Posted by Incubi and succubi are the demons of sleep. They can haunt both men and women, but while succubi take, incubi give. Traces of them can be found throughout history, and in the past they were used to explain nocturnal emissions, especially among monks.
Characteristics
Succubi were considered female demons. They took the form of a woman to lie with a man, stealing his energy and his seed. Because of this they were used to explain nocturnal emissions, the involuntary ejaculations that happen during sleep.
Incubi, on the other hand, were considered male demons, the cause of the bad dreams that took their name from them (in Italian, a nightmare is an “incubo”). According to legend, incubi used the seed taken by succubi to impregnate women, giving life to beings more easily influenced by the devil. They were also used to explain unwanted pregnancies.
This insemination happened because incubi and succubi are sterile, and this would be the only way they could have offspring. It was from one of these unions, for example, that Merlin the wizard was said to have been born.
While for men being attacked by a succubus was not so bad, since it meant having relations with a young, beautiful and sensual girl, women faced a different fate. Incubi committed real violence against their victims, inflicting pain with huge, thorn-covered members.
According to the belief, incubi wore pointed hats on their trips into the mortal world, which they sometimes lost. Any man who found one of these hats would also find great treasures.
How to protect yourself from incubi and succubi
In ancient times people were very afraid of these sleep demons and, as a result, there were also remedies to avoid being attacked by them. Pliny the Elder recommended a massage, morning and evening, with a special decoction. Its ingredients were the tongue, eyes, gall and entrails of a snake. Once boiled, it had to be cooled in wine and oil for 24 hours.
Sleep demons and sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis (which I have written about in another article) is a sleep disorder in which a person can wake up but be completely paralysed. This state can last a few seconds or a few minutes and causes great distress to those who experience it.
Some people also feel heaviness and pressure on their chest, and it is probably this symptom that led people in the past to blame it on incubi and succubi. According to legend, these demons sat on the chest of the man or woman they had decided to attack before possessing them.
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