Belphegor

"I would rather sit here and invent, finding solitude and peace in my work, than to meddle in affairs which clearly are not suited for my abilities. Why bathe in the blood of your enemies when you could create a machine that could bathe in your enemies' blood for you?"

- Belphegor to Mephistopheles about a military position in Hell.

Belphegor is a fallen angel, now demon lord that presides over the sin of Sloth and is one of the Seven Princes that rules Hell and assists people to make discoveries.

Overview
Belphegor seduces people by suggesting to them ingenious ideas for inventions that will make them rich and thus greedy and selfish. Belphegor is a lieutenant from Hell, who had been dispatched to Earth on a mission by Satan. In doing so, he found a particular affinity for Paris, France.

As one of the fallen angels, Belphegor was originally a member of the order of Principalities, and after his fall he became a demonic counterpart to one of the ten Sephiroth that oversee the Tree of Life. He is the Biblical enemy of the 6th Sephiroth, the patron angel of beauty. As the Patron demon of dispute, perhaps their adversarial relationship exists because beauty should never be disputed, as it is in the eye of the beholder and some can find the beauty in everything. If Belphegor were to become too influential in the world, then the beauty of it all would become tainted, causing ruination.

Belphegor was the patron of the Moab, a kingdom known to have been along the shore of the Dead Sea, on the eastern side, in what is now Jordan. He was a phallic deity, associated with sex, orgies, and all forms of debauchery in general. According to De Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal, he was Hell's ambassador to France. Consequently, his adversary is St Mary Magdalene, one of the patron saints of France.

Appearance
Belphegor is sometimes portrayed as a beautiful woman, naked in all her glory, to seduce those who would fall for his wiles, but other times Belphegor is portrayed as a monstrous male demon with leathery flesh, huge horns, long sharp teeth and fingernails and a gaping mouth.

When he met Wright's mom, he appeared as one of the French soldier, dressed in their uniform with "evilness in his eyes". His skin was abnormally pale with running black veins beneath seemingly stretch and taut over his skull, long locks of golden hair fallen touching his shoulders, and sharp pointed teeth. Many of the demon nobilities stated that Wright inherited his demonic eyes: glowing blood-red irises with the scleras the color of tar.

In Belphegor's female form, she has a semi-animalistic appearance, with goat ears, light-tan skin, short white hair with a butt-length rat-tail, two green-and-yellow horns going straight up on her forehead, and a huge black-and-yellow striped tail ending in a three-fingered purple claw at the end. Her claw is prehensile and can be used as well as her hands. True to her name, she casually wears a big white long-sleeved shirt buttoned only at the navel, white thong panties, white slouch-socks, and a pair of white earrings. Belphegor has a white rose shaped tattoo between the top of her breasts. Belphegor also has a black or grey bow-ribbon tied around her neck along with a little bell. She has three black straps around the uppermost portion of her thighs and a single black strap around the uppermost portion of her arms. She always carries with her a stone jug of sake on a blue string.

Personality
Inventions created by followers of Belphegor will possess alien geometries and illogical structures, allowing them to serve as perpetual motion machines. But despite their functionality, any who succeed in creating these devices will progressively grow to be to slothful to make use of their invention, invariably promoting the further decadence of the human species. As the mental and physical state of the inventor deteriorates, so too will the invention until both are destroyed.

Belphegor spends the day and night almost without moving one inch, and almost all the business he takes care of is within his range. He especially likes drinking, reading literature, watching shows, playing video games, browsing the internet, and generally spending time with his electronic devices. It is only when enjoying these that he spares no efforts, or rather exerts all efforts.

Despite his sin, Belphegor is surprisingly a good listener. He responds to Lucifer's orders, while still paying attention to his hobbies.

Power and Abilities
Belphegor is invoked by mortals who wish to find fame and wealth through invention, often with as little effort as possible. These wishes, as with almost any demonic invocation, are doomed to fail, because Belphegor’s true mission is to draw the lazy into the sin of Sloth. Through the failure of whatever Belphegor provided to the invoker, he draws them into procrastination and idle dreaming rather than producing, thus damning them. He is also a shapeshifter, delighting in using this ability to deceive mortals. His most common forms are polarized in their appearances.

Belphegor also possesses the ability to create and alter digital realities such as video games. This unique ability hosts other humans or "fans" to play along in an RPG environment, and forget the rest of their lives in doing so; however, it irks him when players complete his games, thus making his have to create more add-ons to further entice his audience. This clever ploy both fuels him and Mammon's collective power.

Origins
Belphegor was once part of the choir of Principalities. During his time in Heaven, Belphegor was a friend of Asmodel, a certain cherub and a fellow principality, an angel of the forests,, though he did not exactly enjoy his angelic duties and prefer to laze around in the luxury of heaven, foreshadowing his slothful tendencies. Moreover, Belphegor enjoyed crafting strange and intricate objects from all manner of material he could find which, according to him, was his outside hobby.

Fallen from Grace
However, his slothful attributes were finally starting to overtake the angel when during a conflict against Hell, the demon lord Merihem had struck and slain his principality friend which to even this day, Belphegor has not forgiven him. After her death, Belphegor experienced the five stages of grief until he had accepted it and started to fall into the sin of Sloth.

Unlike the majority of rebel angels, Belphegor did not join Lucifer's side after he declared war against Heaven, nor was he fighting against the rebellion at God's side either. Despite not being part of Lucifer's rebellion, the fact that he refused to join God's side and instead stood idly earned him his Father's punishment by being cast down to Hell alongside all the other rebel-angels, no longer as an angel of God but instead transforming into the Archdemon of Sloth.

Demonic Ascension
Belphegor, along with Asmodeus and Mammon, were soon awakened by the sound of Lucifer's voice calling out to them from his cage in a large crater in the depths of Hell as result of their impact from the fall. Belphegor would then join Lilith and Beelzebub in searching for the cage in which Lucifer became imprisoned in. After that, they had taken over Hell and made every demon kneel to them, including Merihem which Belphegor enjoyed seeing.

Belphegor took part in the construction of Pandemonium given his talent and interest in machinery. He participated by crafting of the many inner workings of the capital whilst Mulciber and Mammon worked on both the exterior and interior. He was then present at Pandemonium during Lucifer's Rally, officially declaring himself as an enemy of God forever for doing nothing to Merihem.

During the rally, Belphegor became anointed as one of the Seven Princes of Hell along with Beelzebub, Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Satan and Lucifer. This rise in rank for Belphegor resulted in much confusion and disruption amongst the crowd of demons, who largely viewed Belphegor as the laziest and least threatening among them. However, Lucifer recognized the tremendous potential for evil within Belphegor, and defended his nomination, silencing all those who questioned his placement.

Belphegor in Earth
During this, the pagan god Baal Peor who ruled over the Moabites as their patron was killed by the True Archangel Merkabah. Afterwards, his essence and soul had joined with Belphegor to be united as one. Despite his desire to remain in Hell and avoid hard work, Belphegor had several exploits during his time on Earth, with the most notable is him posing as the now absorbed pagan deity and leading the Moabites astray from the path of God as their patron deity.

Belphegor is known for giving people wild ideas that ultimately result in their destruction. He seduces people by inspiring them with ideas for ingenious inventions that will make them rich and famous, but in the process he will corrupt them, causing them to grow selfish and paranoid of someone stealing their invention and success.

During Exodus, as Baal Peor, some factions of Israelites started making sacrifices to Belphegor. The reason for this is because they began having relations with the women of Moab, who seduced them to their local god. Regardless of the reason, these sacrifices enraged Moses so much that he began to condemn those who were worshiping Belphegor to death. By the time the sacrifices to Belphegor were eliminated, 24,000 people had been killed. The only thing disputed in this was whether they were actually slain, or whether Moses called down a plague upon them that caused their deaths.

Modern Day
Belphegor was sent from Hell by Pluto and Satan to find out if there really was such a thing on Earth as married happiness. Rumor of such had reached the demons but they knew that people were not designed to live in harmony. Belphegor's experiences in the human world would soon convinced him that the rumor of married happiness was groundless.

During 2010, Samael gathered most archdemons, Belphegor included, to convince them to team up and work together to accomplish their ultimate goal.

Myth and Legends
"Demonic governor of the deadly sin of sloth. He also excels at invention and discovery. May derive from Ba'al Pe'or, Syrian god of abundant crops."

- The Demonic Compendium.

Belphegor originated as Baal-Peor, the Moabite the father of god to whom the Israelites became attached in Shittim, which was associated with licentiousness and orgies. It was worshipped in the form of a phallus. His name is a corruption of Baal-Peor, the name for the god of the Moabites which he disguised himself as in order to rule over humanity as a False God in antiquity.

As a demon, he is described in Kabbalistic writings as the "disputer", an enemy of the sixth Sephiroth "beauty". When summoned, he can grant riches, the power of discovery and ingenious invention. His role as a demon was to sow discord among men and seduce them to evil through the apportionment of wealth.

According to some 16th century demonologists, his power is stronger in April. Bishop and Witch-hunter Peter Binsfeld believed that Belphegor tempts by means of laziness. Also, according to Peter Binsfeld's Binsfeld's Classification of Demons, Belphegor is the chief demon of one of the Seven Deadly Sins known as Sloth in Christian tradition. Belphegor also figures in John Milton's Paradise Lost and in Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea.

Some rabbis claim that he must be worshipped on a toilet, with offerings being the residue of ones' digestion. This has led some to conclude that Belphegor is the god Pet (Fart) or "Crepitus," while others believe that he is Praipus. Selden is cited by Bainier as reporting that human victims are to be offered to him, and that his priests partake of the flesh. Wierus wrote that he always has an open mouth, attributing it to the name Phegor, which according to Leloyer means "crevice" or "split," and refers to when he was worshipped in caves and people threw him offerings through an air hole.

Quotes

 * "My name is Belphegor... the seeker of harmony on Earth, and Duke of Hell presiding over indolence... The harmony that I want is unity through surveillance. Keep an eye on the population while I simply push buttons and flip levers." - Belphegor.


 * It is indeed true that an idle mind is the devils workshop..." - Lucifer defending Belphegor's nomination.


 * "I am the greatest scientific mind in all of this realm, not Astaroth, not Beelzebub and certainly not ‘him’. There is no one in Hell who can surpass the scientific might of Belphegor." - Belphegor.


 * "Well hello there. You know, I was originally brought here because some idiot sacrificed some other idiot in my name. Don't ask me how human sacrifices bring demons to the mortal realm. I don't know, and I bet not even Lucifer knows. Since you're looking to write a story, allow me to give you an idea. A demon brought to the mortal world finds love. It doesn't have to be about a specific demon. Just a demon. And if I find out when you write the book that the demon in the book is me, I'll come back up here and kick you in the shins." - Belphegor to Niccolò Machiavelli.


 * "You lose if you work." - Belphegor.


 * "Breathing is troubleso~me. Wearing clothes is troubleso~me." - Belphegor in his female form.


 * "Despite being a neglectful father, he's not that much of an asshole, especially based on what I've heard from other warlocks and cambions about their own sire. He acknowledged me, that's first, and his authority alone protects me from all demonic forces. All demons know better than to harm a child of the Lord of Opening, whose hatred of many of his brethren rivals none. All of Hell knows that he hates many of the demonic nobility, to their cores and is waiting for an opportunity to rain hell upon them." - Matt Wright.


 * "More than that! I am probably on of the true believers who is raising their hands in supplication to HIS INFERNAL SPLENDOR. Let us bask his radiant darkness." - A demonic cultist about Belphegor.


 * "The prince of sloth, Belphegor tricks men with inventions that will make their lives much easier, and will take them away from their hard jobs. But this is just a trap, in order for mankind to abandon activity, relaying them on machines, and thus abandoning their bodies, and minds and souls to sloth." - A note about Belphegor.

Trivia

 * He has some connection with the date of March 11.
 * The story of Belphegor's venture to Earth is found in various works of early modern literature, hence the use of the name to apply to a misanthrope or a licentious person.
 * Belfagor arcidiavolo by the Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli was first published in 1549 and regales how the demon comes to earth to find a mate. This story was based on true events in 1540 and Belphegor himself came to him to write the story.
 * Belphegor is known to hate many of his brethren.
 * His name is a corruption of Baal-Peor, the name for the god of the Moabites.
 * He is known as the "Lord of Opening" because he can open passages to Hell, Heaven and anyone else using the void itself.
 * According to some sources, there was no record of him having been seen on Earth for over a century as of 1903.
 * He is one of the only Princes to have ever married a mortal; though it was not a happy marriage and when he returned home he denounced marriage as a whole.
 * It said that He is the enemy of beauty and hates all things beautiful.
 * Belphegor's prime is widely associated with the number of the beast, 666.
 * His favorite phrase "If I get serious, you’ll be amazed!" is controversial among researchers who cannot decide whether or not it’s true.
 * Out of the Seven Princes' female forms, Belphegor is the only one with animal ears, resembling that of a goat, which is the animal that represents the sin of Sloth.
 * Belphegor is also the only demon with a tattoo and earrings.
 * Belphegor is the only one of the princes to give nicknames to his fellow demons.

Image Sources

 * (2 Belphegor.jpg) 2 Belphegor by YENIN
 * (Belphegor.png) Belphegor by ???
 * (Belphegor1.jpg) Belphegor by Louis Le Breton
 * (Ron-faure Belphegor.jpg) Belphegor by Ron-faure
 * (7 princes of hell belphegor by darksilvania-d41ch18.jpg) 7 Princes of Hell: Belphegor by Darksilvania
 * (Belphegor man-eating demon high on pot.jpg) Belphegor by kometani
 * (Belphegor2.jpg) Belphegor by EnferDeHell
 * (CJ Belphegor 01.jpg) Shadowhunters's Belphegor by Cassandra Jean
 * (Von-asis-belphegor.jpg) Belphegor by Vonstrous
 * (Belphegor by hodyfuhrer decoyzf-fullview.jpg) Belphegor by HodyFuhrer
 * (Belphegor by ivantao ddf105x-fullview.jpg) Belphegor by iVANTAO
 * (Belphegor0.jpg) Belphegor by Wen-M
 * (Belphe.jpg) Belphe by Wen-M
 * (Sins Belphegor.jpg) Illustration of Belphegor by Nitroplus
 * (Belphegor pose.jpg) Anime Illustration of Belphegor by Nitroplus
 * (Belphegor Seven Mortal Sins.jpg) Belphegor in sloth by Nitroplus
 * (Belphegor the seven deadly sins drawn by nishii nitroplus.jpg) Belphegor by Nitroplus
 * (Belphegor and astaroth the seven deadly sins drawn by nishii nitroplus.jpg) Astaroth & Belphegor School by Nitroplus
 * (Belphegor and Mammon.jpg) Belphegor and Mammon in their bras by Nitroplus
 * (BelphegorSTM.jpg) Belphegor's design from Shin Megami Tensei II
 * (Phegor.jpg) Belphegor's Artwork from Devil Children White Book