ABAHIN
Abahin (also Ahabhon)
Abahin is a demon whose name appears in The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, as translated by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers in 1898. In this influential grimoire, Abahin is listed among the infernal servants of the arch-fiends Astaroth and Asmodeus, both of whom preside over vast legions of demonic intelligences associated with desire, wrath, and illusion.
Mathers interprets the name Abahin as deriving from a Hebrew root meaning “the Terrible One.” This etymology reflects the fearsome nature of the entity and situates him within the linguistic framework that links many Abramelinic spirits to corrupted or inverted divine names. In this sense, Abahin may symbolise not merely terror as an emotion, but the embodiment of awe — the dreadful aspect of sacred power when divorced from harmony or balance.
An alternate spelling of his name, Ahabhon, appears in a coded version of the Abramelin manuscripts held in the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. This variant text predates Mathers’s English translation and is one of several manuscripts in which the names of spirits were intentionally obscured to prevent uninitiated readers from calling upon them directly. The difference in spelling between Abahin and Ahabhon may hint at phonetic variations or regional scribal traditions in the transmission of the grimoire.
As a servant of Astaroth and Asmodeus, Abahin may occupy a position concerned with the manifestation of destructive emotion, particularly fear that paralyzes the will or distorts perception. While Astaroth governs knowledge and the seductions of pride, and Asmodeus rules over passion and rage, Abahin’s title — “the Terrible One” — suggests he functions as an executor of their collective influence, enforcing chaos and subjugation through psychological terror.
In esoteric interpretation, Abahin can be viewed as an archetype of dread, representing the forces that arise when the seeker confronts their own inner abyss. Encountering Abahin symbolically in meditation or ritual may therefore signify the threshold of self-confrontation, where the initiate must endure the weight of fear to attain mastery over the shadow self.
Revised Edition — Occult World
This article was reviewed and refined by Occult World, blending verified historical insight with esoteric understanding. All texts follow British English spelling. – Updated: 8th of October 2025
