Duke Amduscias - [Demon]

Duke Amduscias. - [Demonology] - (aka: Amduscias, Amdukias or Ambduscias.)

• About this Demon: Amuduscias is a Great and Strong Duke, Fallen Angel and the 67th of 72 spirits as listed in the Lemegeton. (Ars Goetia.) and other such grimoires. - Amduscias is said to command between twenty-nine and thirty legions of the infernal army. (each legion containing 6,666 soilders.) - He is often regarded as the conductor in charge of the chaotic symphony of music which is played in inferno & as such is often depicted with at least 3 trumpets or horns nearby, he appears as a unicorn-headed-man with a plain, twelve-pointed crown sitting atop his curly locks.

• [Summoning and Sealing]•

When summoned in an evocation circle, Amduscias comes forth as a dark unicorn with a thick-pointed-horn spiralling from his forehead, When asked by the exorcist, Amduscias will instead take on a more human shape, after which, the Infernal horns of hell (among all other manner of infernal instruments.) can be heard blaring at top volume from seemingly nowhere. - Amduscias’s entries in early Grimoirs usually promise that if summoned, he will cause trees to sway, bend and fall to the exorcist's will, he can also grant "Excellent Familiars." - Amduscias is classified under the title of "Duke" and as such, his Mark or Sigil [pictured below] is best sealed with Copper, It is advised that the summoner wear his sigil, otherwise else he will not do you any homage, favours, etc. - Astrologically he is most often attributed to the planet Venus. Sandalwood is the recommended incense for related spells and offerings.

 [The seal of Amduscias (note: It also looks like a bit like a trumpet.)]

• [ A Note of Caution: Many Grimoirs (and other such spell books) caution that those in the infernal monarchy are powerful, but also complete scoundrels, tricksters, frauds & liars. [Among other more colourful derogatory descriptors.]  to put it bluntly, the supposed power they offer is usually a lie, and deals made are almost always for their own interest or weighted in their own benefit. - Furthermore, Earlier books on the subject (such as  Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, 1577.) also mention that the included summoning instructions were very much incomplete or incorrect: "Lest a fool gets their hands on them." (Essentially the included rituals were likely written incorrectly to begin with as 'fail-safe') thus, its quite unlikely they will work proper even if attempted. - (Most practitioners caution that you should be careful with this sort of magick as it can seriously disrespect the demon you're attempting to communicate with.) - Details also change between whichever Grimoire or spell book you decide to read. These "instructions" have also frequently been translated & re-translated over the decades (with additions and omissions happening fairly regularly (usually on the authors whim.) so, it's doubtful that the included instructions are in any sense accurate or would be of much use if attempted regardless! - Today, such controversial books & grimoirs on demonology and spells are widely considered fiction, not sacred texts. - Of course, i'm not saying this to discredit believers or discourage those who do practice or decide to attempt to invoke these spirits; no offence or blasphemy is intended: Believe & do what you will! ] •

• History, Early Appearances: Amduscias like many of the others made his earliest & most famous illustrated appearance in the 1863 edition of "Dictionnaire Infernal." - The book was originally written by Jacques Collin de Plancy & earliest published (without illustrations) in 1818. - [De Plancy would have only been 25 at the time of writing.] - It has been said that De Plancy likely wrote said dictionary with his 'tongue firmly in cheek' with the capricious intent to reveal that religion & churches where overly superstitious. - (However: ironically, the man would grow to believe his own writings and later in life became an enthusiastic devout catholic. (much to the surprise & bemusement of his fans.) - Later in 1863, 69 fantastic Illustrations where added by french painter, Louis le Breton, their inclusion skyrocketed the book into popularity, and it become Plancy's most well known. - Several Years later in Britan, Some of Breton's images were then added to a 1904 Reprint of The Goetia by occultist, Samuel L. Macgregor Mathers & Aliester Crowly - Amduscias along side his sigil was listed as the sixty-seventh of seventy-two demons in the infernal monarchy; (who where allegedly summoned & banished by the wise King Solomon.) - Breton's depictions of the demons in these books; more or less cemented as to how these particular demons 'looked' in the general public's mind & today still ring true as an influence in modern popculture and related media today.

• Pop culture: A few pop culture famous depictions of Amduscias include the Shin megami tensei (persona) & castlevania series. Amdusias is also present by name in the gegege kitaro series, though he does not appear as a unicorn but rather as a fiddleplaying devil.

Entry in Dictionarie infernal [6th edition 1863 illustration by Louis le Breton.]

[A Higher resolution image via wikipedia.]

• Speculation: Why a Unicorn? - It’s difficult to give an exact reason as to why exactly? (I suppose demons dont need explanations as to why they look the way they do) - But sadly, I cannot find any articles discussing this topic at all! – its fun to speculate, So I will: my best guess (as a religious outsider) would be that perhaps its poking fun at early versions of the English Translation of the King James Version of the bible? The one which infamously mentions "unicorns" by name (at least nine times in fact.) - [However, notably This is due to an early miss-translation which was present in earlier versions, which mention a "Mighty one horned creature" intended to mean something closer to a rhino or a bull. (see also: Re'em.)] - The English translation of King James Bible was published in 1611, the Amudiscias illustration was drawn in 1864. – So, the 'unicorn error' would have been realized and well known back then for a couple hundred years too! – (As an aside, Similar to Nephilim (giants) existing in the bible (a fairly popular topic on YouTube.) this error has been used as a gotcha/talking point against religious beliefs for a long time. [One other somewhat funny/historic example is the Cardiff giant hoax.] - My best guess is that this demons appearance could be poking fun at that fact? - Who can really say for certain? 🦄 (aside from that I can think of a couple other horn related musical puns too, toot-toot!)

art sticker by samkalensky part of my demonology series of stickers, follow and support for many more :)