Folk & Demonological · French · 1818; illustrated ed. 1863
Dictionnaire Infernal
Jacques Collin de Plancy
An alphabetical encyclopedia of demons, best known for Louis Le Breton's engravings and for popularising the infernal court as a parody of a European monarchy.
Read Dictionnaire Infernal in full at the linked edition →Hierarchies from this text
What this text attests · 21
| Name here | Rank given | # | Powers described |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chancellor of hell | — | Given the office of president of the high council and superintendent of the wardrobe — de Plancy's own bureaucratic invention. | |
| Executioner of the infernal court | — | Given the office of chief executioner by de Plancy, drawing on the Greek sense. | |
 Asmodée = Asmoday | Superintendent of the gaming houses | — | Assigned a court office alongside his older role as demon of lust. |
| Grand Duke of Hell | — | Third in the infernal court after Lucifer and Beelzebub. | |
| Secretary and keeper of the archives | — | Made the notary of hell, who countersigns pacts — the office is early-modern invention built on the name's meaning, 'lord of the covenant'. | |
 Baël = Bael | First king of the infernal court | — | Given command of the eastern regions of hell. |
 Belphégor = Belphegor | Demon of discoveries and inventions | — | Tempts by ingenious invention and the promise of riches; ambassador of hell to France. |
 Belzébuth = Beelzebub | Prince | — | Second in the infernal court after Lucifer; chief of the order of flies. |
 Béhémoth = Behemoth | Demon of gluttony | — | Recast as the grand cupbearer and demon of the belly. |
 Bélial = Belial | Ambassador to Turkey | — | Given a diplomatic post in de Plancy's infernal court. |
| Baker of hell | — | Reassigned as a demon, with the fish-tailed iconography now standard. | |
 Hécate = Hecate | Queen of the witches | — | Recast as the presiding power of the sabbath. |
| Princess of succubi | — | Made an enemy of newborn children and the chief of the succubi. | |
| Emperor | — | Named emperor of hell, ranked above Beelzebub as prince and Astaroth as grand duke. | |
 Léviathan = Leviathan | Grand admiral of hell | — | Given command of the infernal naval forces and the sin of envy. |
| Demon of avarice | — | ||
| Prince of the land of tears | — | ||
| Chief of the secret police of hell | — | Reassigned a bureaucratic office in the infernal court. | |
| Ambassador of hell to Russia | — | One of de Plancy's diplomatic appointments — an Aramean storm god reduced to a posting on a comic organogram. | |
 Samaël = Samael | Demon | — | Listed among the demons of the infernal court, the ambiguity of the Jewish material stripped away. |
| Second-rank demon | — | Keeps the furnaces of hell alight. No attestation earlier than the nineteenth century — a literary invention, not an inherited tradition. |
What does it actually say?
The passages themselves, as this text gives them. Read them against what the other texts here say about the same figures — that comparison is the point.
“Adramelech, grand chancelier des enfers, intendant de la garde-robe du souverain des démons, Adramelech président du haut conseil des diables.”Adramelech, grand chancellor of the underworld, keeper of the wardrobe of the sovereign of the demons, president of the high council of devils. — translated for ColossiansOne
AlastorExecutioner of the infernal court
“Alastor, démon sévère, exécuteur suprême des sentences du monarque infernal. Il fait les fonctions de Némésis.”Alastor, a stern demon, supreme executor of the sentences of the infernal monarch. He performs the office of Nemesis. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Asmodée, démon destructeur, le même que Samaël, suivant quelques rabbins. Il est surintendant des maisons de jeu.”Asmodeus, the destroying demon, the same as Samael according to some rabbis. He is superintendent of the gaming houses. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Astaroth, grand-duc très-puissant aux enfers. Il a la figure d’un ange fort laid, et se montre chevauchant sur un dragon infernal ; il tient à la Astaroth main gauche une vipère.”Astaroth, a most powerful grand duke in the underworld. He has the face of a very ugly angel, and shows himself riding upon an infernal dragon; in his left hand he holds a viper. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Baël, démon cité dans le Grand Grimoire, en tête des puissances infernales. C’est aussi par lui que Wiérus commence l’inventaire de sa fameuse Pseudomonarchia dœmonum.”Bael, a demon cited in the Grand Grimoire, at the head of the infernal powers. It is with him too that Wier begins the inventory of his famous Pseudomonarchia daemonum. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Belphégor, démon des découvertes et des inventions ingénieuses. Il prend souvent un corps de jeune femme.”Belphegor, demon of discoveries and of ingenious inventions. He often takes the body of a young woman. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Belzébuth ou Belzebub ou Beelzebuth, prince des démons, selon les Écritures ; le premier en pouvoir et en crime après Satan, selon Milton ; chef suprême de l’empire infernal, selon la plupart des démonographes.”Beelzebub, or Belzebub, or Beelzebuth, prince of the demons according to the Scriptures; first in power and in crime after Satan according to Milton; supreme head of the infernal empire according to most demonographers. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Béhémoth, démon lourd et stupide, malgré ses dignités. Sa force est dans ses reins ; ses domaines sont la gourmandise et les plaisirs du ventre.”Behemoth, a heavy and stupid demon for all his dignities. His strength is in his loins; his domains are gluttony and the pleasures of the belly. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Bélial, démon adoré des Sidoniens. L’enfer n’a pas reçu d’esprit plus dissolu, plus crapuleux, plus épris du vice pour le vice même.”Belial, a demon worshipped by the Sidonians. Hell has received no spirit more dissolute, more debauched, more in love with vice for its own sake. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Dagon, démon de second ordre, boulanger et grand panetier de la cour infernale. On le trouve figurant dans la possession d’Auxonne.”Dagon, a demon of the second order, baker and chief pantler of the infernal court. He is found figuring in the possession at Auxonne. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Hécate, diablesse qui préside aux rues et aux carrefours. Elle est chargée, aux enfers, de la police des chemins et de la voie publique.”Hecate, a she-devil who presides over streets and crossroads. She is charged, in the underworld, with the policing of the roads and the public way. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Lilith. Wierus et plusieurs autres démonomanes font de le prince ou la princesse des démons succubes.”Lilith. Wier and several other demonomanes make of her the prince, or the princess, of the succubus demons. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Lucifer, nom de l’esprit qui préside à l’orient, selon l’opinion des magiciens. Lucifer était évoqué le lundi, dans un cercle au milieu duquel était son nom.”Lucifer, name of the spirit who presides over the east, in the opinion of the magicians. Lucifer was summoned on a Monday, within a circle in the middle of which stood his name. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Léviathan, grand amiral de l’enfer, selon les démonomanes. Wierus l’appelle le grand menteur.”Leviathan, grand admiral of hell, according to the demonomanes. Wier calls him the great liar. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Mammon, démon de l’avarice : c’est lui, dit Milton, qui, le premier, apprit aux hommes à déchirer le sein de la terre pour en arracher les trésors.”Mammon, demon of avarice: it was he, says Milton, who first taught men to tear open the breast of the earth to wrench the treasures out of it. — translated for ColossiansOne
MolochPrince of the land of tears
“Moloch, prince du pays des larmes, membre du conseil infernal. Il était adoré par les Ammonites sous la figure d’une statue de bronze assise dans un trône de même métal, ayant une tête de veau surmontée d’une couronne royale.”Moloch, prince of the land of tears, member of the infernal council. He was worshipped by the Ammonites in the form of a bronze statue seated on a throne of the same metal, having the head of a calf surmounted by a royal crown. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Nergal, démon du second ordre, chef de la police du ténébreux empire, premier espion de Belzébuth, sous la surveillance du grand justicier Lucifer.”Nergal, a demon of the second order, chief of police of the shadowy empire, first spy of Beelzebub, under the supervision of the great justiciar Lucifer. — translated for ColossiansOne
RimmonAmbassador of hell to Russia
“Rimmon, démon d’un ordre inférieur, peu considéré là-bas, quoique premier médecin de l’empereur infernal.”Rimmon, a demon of a lower order, little regarded down there, though he is first physician to the infernal emperor. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Samaël, prince des démons, selon les rabbins. Ce fut lui qui, monté sur le serpent, séduisit Ève.”Samael, prince of the demons according to the rabbis. It was he who, mounted upon the serpent, seduced Eve. — translated for ColossiansOne
“Xaphan, démon du second ordre. Quand Satan et ses anges se révoltèrent contre Dieu, se joignit aux mécontents, et il en fut bien reçu, car il avait l’esprit inventif.”Xaphan, a demon of the second order. When Satan and his angels revolted against God, he joined the malcontents, and was well received among them, for he had an inventive mind. — translated for ColossiansOne