Obyzouth is a female Demon whose principal acts of evil are to kill newborn infants and cause others to be stillborn, making her comparable to the Lamiae and the offspring of Lilith.
In the Testament of Solomon, Obyzouth appears with dishevelled hair and arrogantly refuses to answer questions until King Solomon has purified himself by washing his hands and has sat on his throne. The king complies. Obyzouth describes how she travels about every night, visiting women as they give birth and strangling their newborns. She is successful every night, going to even the remotest parts of Earth. She also injures eyes, condemns mouths, destroys minds, and makes bodies feel pain.
Obyzouth says Solomon cannot give her orders. However, she is thwarted by the archangel Raphael (see THWARTING Angels) and admits that she will flee to the “other world” (the realm of Demons) if women who are in labour write her name on a piece of parchment.
The horrified king has Obyzouth bound by her hair and hung in front of the Temple of Jerusalem, so that everyone who passes through will glorify the God of Israel, who has given Solomon command over the Demons.
FURTHER READING:
- The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vols. 1 & 2. Edited by James H. Charlesworth. 1983. Reprint, New York: Doubleday, 1985.
SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 2009 by Visionary Living, Inc.
Obizuth: An exceptionally unsettling demon, Obizuth is said to appear as a woman without any limbs. According to the Testament of Solomon, Obizuth creeps around at night, visiting women in childbirth. She is said to strangle newborns. In addition to killing infants outright, she is also allegedly responsible for a variety of birth defects.
She can blind babies and deafen them. She can also make them mute. She addles their senses and twists their bodies so that their limbs grow withered and unusable. In her abject hatred of newborns, Obizuth bears qualities in common
with jewish notions of the night-demon Lilith, although there is no indication in the Testament of Solomon that these two demons are one and the same. Despite her limbless state, Obizuth is said to be very beautiful, with bright green eyes and long, flowing hair. Her hair appears to be tossed constantly as in a wind. According to the text, she is frustrated by the angel Afarot, a form of the angel Raphael. Once Solomon gained control over her,
he had her hung up by her hair over the entrance to the temple as a warning to all demonkind.
SEE ALSO:
SOURCE:
The Dictionary of Demons written by Michelle Belanger.
NOTE:
Edited and revised for the Web by Occult Media, the 6th of March 2022. We use British English spelling.