Date of Discovery
In progress…
Name
The demon Beelzebub’s name has a variety of different spellings, he is alternatively known as Beelzebul, Beelzebuth, Belzebuth, Baalzebub, Baal-zebub Beelzeboul, Baalsebul, Belzaboul, Belzebud, Beezelbub, Beelzebus, Ba’al Zevuv, and Ba’al-zebub.
By the Ancient Cyrenians, Beelzebub was referenced as Achor, which translated loosely to “Lord of the High House,” in correlation to the Canaanite chief god “Baal the Prince.” It was changed though, due to the fact that “Lord of the High House,” could only be used to reference Solomon in his temple, at which time he was then known as Beelzebub (and it’s many variations), which all mean, “Lord of the Flies.”
Physical Description
In progress…
Origin
Originally worshipped as a deity by the Philistines, with an ancient suggested association between this Philistine God and cults of flies. Every account of his name is derived from a different culture during biblical times, which has caused determinable differences to be references for this particular demon.
Mythology and Lore
One of the seven demon lords, the moniker of, “Lord of the Flies,” was highly accurate, due to Beelzebub’s powers to control the outbreak of disease; as one of the most infamous demonic figures, he would cause flies to swarm upon corpses, so they may spread the diseases of the dead to the living. in Solomon’s Testament, Beelzebub is synonymous with Lucifer and claims to cause destruction through the creation tyrants, causing demons to be worshipped among men, exciting priests to lust, causing jealousy and murders within cities, as well as bringing war. Beelzebub is mentioned several times in the New Testament, often referenced as the Chief of the Demons:
Matthew 12:24-27 NIV
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
Mark 3:22 NIV
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”
Luke 11:15-18 NIV
15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”
16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.
18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
Within the current lore of demonology, when Satan was cast down from Heaven after rebelling, he brought along with him many indomitable seraphim–keeping in mind that Satan and all demons were originally angelic beings–who fought on his side. Beelzebub did not possess the power to tempt men with pride until he was cast down to Hell. By the Pharisees, he was called the “Prince of Devils,” perhaps referring to his dominion over Hell which was granted to him by Jesus for his assistance in releasing the unbaptized saints from Hell so they may ascend to Heaven, despite the objections of Satan. Prior to him doing this favor for Jesus, Satan outranked Beelzebub as the master of Hell, but by the sixteenth century, Johann Wierus a Christian demonologist listed him as the Supreme Chieftain of Hell, with Satan as a subordinate.
Modern Pop-Culture References
Books & Literature
- The Bible (During the second or third century)
- Paradise Lost (1667)
- Dictionnaire Infernal (1863)
- Lord of the Flies (1954)
- The Salvation War (2008)
Movies
- Lord of the Flies (1990)
- Summer of Sam (1999)
- The Omega Code (1999)
- Belzebuth (2019)
Television Series
- Lucifer (2015 – )
- Good Omens (2019)
Is there anything we missed about Beelzebub? Let us know in the comments section below!
Georgia-based author and artist, Mary has been a horror aficionado since the mid-2000s. Originally a hobby artist and writer, she found her niche in the horror industry in late 2019 and hasn’t looked back since. Mary’s evolution into a horror expert allowed her to express herself truly for the first time in her life. Now, she prides herself on indulging in the stuff of nightmares.
Mary also moonlights as a content creator across multiple social media platforms—breaking down horror tropes on YouTube, as well as playing horror games and broadcasting live digital art sessions on Twitch.
