The Occult

From demons, to witches, to werewolves, this article explores the wickedly wonderful world of the occult; we’re in for one hell of an article!

Demons

1. Asmodeus is the King of the Demons in the Legends of Solomon and widely known to represent the sin of lust

2. Beelzebub is the King of the Devils, who represents the sin of Gluttony, and is depicted as a fly and sometimes called King of the Flies

3. Leviathan is widely known to be the demon that represents Envy and is most often depicted as a sea monster or dragon

4. Abaddon is a demonic being that rules over the abyss

5. Mammon is the demon that represents Greed

6. Succubi are female demons that seduce men in order to steal their souls, though these hellish heart throbs often cause disastrous results. The male versions are called incubi.

Witches

Witches are known as women who were thought to have magical powers and the ability to do spells and make potions. They are often depicted with pointy hats, long cloaks, and broom sticks. The male version is called a wizard, but sadly witchcraft has a very sad and tragic history. All throughout the Middle Ages, there was a huge outbreak of witch hunting that spread across the nation, and women could be accused for the stupidest things:

• Antisocial behavior

• Those skilled in healing, midwifery or other practices that seemed to defy natural explanation were sometimes accused of witchcraft

• Illness, livestock deaths, natural disasters or any other unfavorable events were often blamed on witchcraft since scientific and medical knowledge was very limited back then, so they needed someone or something to blame

• Women were disproportionately accused of witchcraft, particularly those who did not conform to the societal expectations of being submissive and agreeable

  
  

Women accused of witchcraft were often punished by hanging, beheading or even being burned at the stake or drowned.

Some famous witches and wizards in the media include:

• Hermione Granger, as well as other Harry Potter characters. in JK Rowling's book series includes some of the most well-known examples of witchcraft and wizardry in the media

• The wicked witch of the West/Elphaba appears in Frank Baum's original book, as well as both the Wizard of Oz film and the hit film and musical Wicked

• The three witches from Macbeth

• Glinda, who also appears in the Wizard of Oz franchise including both the films, the original book and the musical

• Winifred, Sarah and Mary, the iconic witch trio from the film Hocus Pocus

• Mildred Hubble and her friend Maud Spellbody from the Worst Witch TV series and books

Vampires

These fang-tastic bloodsuckers are one of the most popular monsters of all. They are known for having sharp fangs and sleeping in coffins, they feast on the blood of the living, and are usually depicted as being very pale with dark hair and eyes. They are a very popular choice for a Halloween costume, they have no reflection in mirrors, and are repelled by garlic. They can only be killed via a wooden stake through the heart, they are also sensitive to sunlight and the most famous vampire has to be the one and only Dracula. Bram Stoker published the book Dracula in 1897 and it has been adapted to film many times, the most famous being the 1931 adaptation with Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Overall, Dracula is an icon in the vampire community; here are some other famous vampires:

• Edward Cullen from the extremely popular twilight books and film franchise

• Carmilla from Sheridan la Fanu's short story of the same name

• Mona the vampire from the animated children's series of the same name

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer

• Angel and Spike from Angel

Ghosts

Ghosts are extremely popular in the media and many people claimed to have seen them in real life. Ghosts can be depicted as either good or bad, so here's a list of some famous ghosts in the media from both sides:

• Casper the Friendly Ghost

• The three ghosts from Charles Dickens' book A Christmas Carol - the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

• Beetlejuice is famous for haunting Lydia Beets and her family in the movie and musical of the same name. Say his name three times and he is supposedly meant to appear

• Hogwarts has its fair share of ghosts, such as the Fat Friar of Gryffindor, the Bloody Baron of Slytherin, and Moaning Myrtle, who haunts the 'out of use' girls toilets where Harry, Ron and Hermione brew the forbidden Polyjuice Potion. It also contains the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets where the basilisk dwells in the pipes.

Dragons

These roar-some creatures are depicted as having scales, wings, breathing fire and having sharp teeth. Dragons have extreme cultural significance - especially in China, where they are a big symbol of Chinese New Year, such as the dragon dance, and there is even a year of the dragon. One of the most famous examples is Smaug from The Hobbit.

In the Harry Potter universe, there are 10 known dragon breeds. They consist of the following:

1. Antipodean Opal Eye, known for their beautiful pearly scales and multicolored features

2. Chinese Fireball, also called the Lion Dragon - these dragons have smooth scarlet skin and striking golden spikes

3. Common Welsh Green, the national dragon of Great Britain

4. Hebridean Black, a large intimidating dragon with rough scales, bat-like wings and a spiked tail

5. Hungarian Horntail, considered one of the most dangerous dragon breeds - known for its strong horn and fiery breath

6. Norwegian Ridgeback, famous for its distinctive ridge on its back and powerful but not exceptionally dangerous nature. Hagrid owned and hatched a Norwegian Ridgeback called Norbert in his hut.

7. Peruvian Vipertooth, a venomous dragon small in size but known for its cleverness and destructive nature

8. Romanian Longhorn - large dragons with long golden horns and strong muscles

9. Swedish Short Snout, known for their flatter snouts, blueish grey skin, and ability to breathe blue flames

10. Ukrainian Ironbelly, the largest species ever recorded, known for its immense size and strength