Astaroth

Lore

Astaroth — Duke of the Netherworld and Keeper of the Currents of Time. The first mention of Astaroth as a demon appears in “The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin,” 15th century. The demon’s outward form is described as a blend of angelic majesty and demonic hideousness.

Canonically he is an ugly angel, once a celestial warrior warped by the Fall, seated on an infernal beast (usually a dragon) with a live viper in his right hand. In various sources he is often shown wearing a crown, sometimes with a monkey-like face lined with sharp teeth, wings that still bear ragged angelic feathers, arms and legs that can shift between human and draconic form, and a body sheathed in scales. His trademark physiological feature is a lethal, putrid breath—a concentrated essence of decay capable of causing instant death.

Within the demonic hierarchy Astaroth belongs to the “Unholy Trinity” alongside Lucifer and Beelzebub. His role includes high command, stewardship, resource management, and the office of accuser. His titles are: Grand Duke of Hell, Treasurer of Hell, Prince of Inquisitors, Keeper of Time.

Psychologically, the demon can be described as a philosopher, mentor, and intellectual who possesses a cosmic outlook and deep erudition in all the liberal arts: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy. He can rapidly turn a person into an expert in these fields. He is known for lengthy speeches about the fall of the angels, in which he emphasizes his own innocence and the unfairness of his punishment. His demonic trait is sloth, and his methods of temptation are subtle: he operates through instilling idleness, self-deception, insecurity, and the spread of “rationalized philosophies” that justify inaction. He does not force a person to commit evil but rather convinces him of the futility of good or of any effort at all.