Asmodeus
Asmodeus
[Judaic] An evil spirit. He appears in the Apocryphal book of Tobit. Although he is described in later literature as the king of demons, in Jewish folklore he is mischievous and lively, a figure of fun and often a friend to people. He is said to disturb marital happiness, and it was Asmodeus who strangled the seven husbands of Sara during her wedding-night. Asmodeus originated from the ancient Persian demon Aesma Daeva.
Asmodeus
Asmodeus 'ashmedai (Hebrew) [cf Zend aeshma-daeva from daeva ethereal being, cosmic spirit] Covetous; an evil demon in later Jewish tradition, son of Naamah (sister of Tubal-cain) and Shamdon. The spirit of lust and anger, he is king of demons, with Lilith as queen, and is sometimes associated with Beelzebub, Azrael (Angel of Death), and Abbadon. In the Talmud he is connected with the legends of Solomon, where he is the destroyer of matrimonial happiness and is forced to help in building the temple. But his description in the apocryphal book of Tobit (3:8), where he is rendered harmless by Tobias and captured by the angel Raphael, is most likely the basis for modern writers (cf IU 2:482).