Murder

Murder
Headless Demon who sees through his breasts and speaks with the voice taken over from his victims. In the Testament of Solomon, Murder is summoned to appear before King Solomon. He says that he has no head and he tries to get one by devouring the heads of his victims. Murder grabs hold of heads, cuts them off, and attaches them to himself. A fire (heat) that continually burns within him consumes the heads through his neck. He longs for a head to do what the king does. He takes the voices of the dumb by “closing up” their heads.
Murder is like one of the hordes of Lilith, in that he attacks infants at night. He harms premature infants, and if one 10 days old cries at night, he rushes in and attacks it through its voice. Murder causes quartan fever and inflames limbs, inflicts feet, and creates festering sores. He is thwarted by fiery flashes of lightning.
See Scepter.

FURTHER READING:

– The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vols. 1 & 2. Edited by James H. Charlesworth. 1983. Reprint, New York: Doubleday, 1985.

The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 2009 by Visionary Living, Inc.