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Obyzouth Faced Solomon and Named Raphael as the Angel Who Stops Her

She was a woman's head with no body, hair hanging wild. She told Solomon to wash his hands before he asked her name. He got up and washed.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Boy Who Was Losing His Thumb
  2. The Demon Who Gave the King an Order
  3. What She Did at Night
  4. The Name She Gave Away
  5. Hung Up Where the Country Could See
Obyzouth Faced Solomon and Named Raphael as the Angel Who Stops Her Click for full size

The Boy Who Was Losing His Thumb

The child who ran errands for the master workman on the Temple site was getting thinner every week, and Solomon had grown fond of him.

He called the boy over and asked him straight. "Do I not love you more than any craftsman working on the house of God? Do I not pay you double wages and give you a double ration of food? Why are you thinner by the day and by the hour?"

The boy told him. Every evening after the workers went home and he lay down to sleep, one of the evil spirits came and took half his pay and half his food, then took hold of his right hand and sucked his thumb. "My soul is being pressed out of me," he said. "That is why my body keeps shrinking."

Solomon went into the Temple and prayed night and day for the demon to be handed over. The archangel Michael came with a small ring. Its seal was a cut stone. "Take it," he said. "With this you will lock up every demon on the earth, male and female, and with their labor you will build Jerusalem."

In the morning Solomon gave the ring to the boy. "When the thing comes," he said, "throw this at its chest and say, In the name of God, King Solomon summons you here. Then run to me, and do not be afraid of anything you hear behind you."

The child stood in the dark and waited. The demon Ornias came at him like a fire walking. The boy threw the ring, said the words, and ran. Behind him the demon was shouting after a child. "Take it off me, boy. Take this off me and I will give you the gold of the earth. Only do not lead me to Solomon."

The Demon Who Gave the King an Order

After that they came in one at a time, and the king asked each of them the same three questions. Who are you. What harm do you do. What name stops you.

Then a spirit came in that was a woman's head with no body attached, and her hair hung loose and wild around it.

Solomon asked her who she was.

"Who are you," she said. "And why do you want to hear about me? You can see me. I am standing bound in front of your face. Go into your royal storehouses and wash your hands. Then come back and sit down at your tribunal and ask me your questions, and you will learn who I am."

The king of Israel got up. He went to the storehouses. He washed his hands. He came back and sat down.

What She Did at Night

"I am called among men Obyzouth," she said, and faced him. "By night I do not sleep. I go around the whole world and visit women in childbirth. I work out the hour and take my position, and if I am lucky I strangle the child. If I am not, I go on to another house. I cannot let a single night end without success."

The rest of the confession came out flat, the way a workman lists his trade. Ears made deaf. Eyes ruined. Mouths tied shut. Minds broken. Small bodies kept in pain. She had no other occupation and wanted none.

Solomon looked at her while she talked. Her whole body was in darkness and her limbs could not be seen at all. Her stare was bright and green. Her hair moved like a dragon's. Her voice came across the floor to him perfectly clear.

"You have sealed me around with the ring of God," she said, "and you have done nothing at all. I am not standing in front of you. You will not be able to command me."

The Name She Gave Away

So he asked her the third question sideways, the way he had learned to ask it. "By what angel are you frustrated, spirit?"

She answered before she could stop herself.

"By the angel of God called Afarot," she said, "which is to say Raphael. He frustrates me now and he will frustrate me for all time. And if any man knows that name, I cannot get into the room where a woman is in labor."

She had just told the king of Israel the name that keeps her out.

Hung Up Where the Country Could See

Solomon had her hair bound together and had her hung up by it in front of the Temple of God, in the open, where every man and woman going up to the house would walk past her and look.

Then he went back to work. A demon came in that had every limb of a man and a stump where the head should be, and spoke out of nowhere in particular, and said its name was Envy, and that it went about taking heads off men because it wanted one of its own and had never managed to keep one. A great hound came in and turned out to be a scholar who had once held the stars back, and was sent off to show a servant where a green stone lay in the mountains for the ornament of the house. A winged thing with a man's face and hands and the body of a dragon boasted that men had once worshipped it, and was put to sawing marble. Thirty-six spirits came in together with the faces of asses and oxen and birds, and each one named a disease it caused in the human body and the angel whose name puts an end to it.

Every one of them was sealed and set to work on the building.

Obyzouth hung by her hair in the sun in front of the house, and the name she had given away stayed in the king's mouth.

ObyzouthSolomonRaphaelDemonsProtectionTemple
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From the tradition

Sources

4 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Testament of Solomon 1-7Testament of Solomon

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.F. C. Conybeare public-domain English translation (1898) · Public Domain

A demon was feeding on a child. Every evening, after the workers building the Temple in Jerusalem finished their labor, a spirit called Ornias descended upon the boy who served the master craftsman. The demon stole half his wages. Half his food. And then it sucked the thumb of his right hand, draining his life force night after night until the child wasted away to skin and bone.

King Solomon loved this boy more than all the other artisans. He noticed the child growing thinner by the day and summoned him. "Do I not pay you double wages?" he asked. "Do I not give you double portions of food? Why do you grow weaker with each passing hour?"

The boy fell to his knees. "O king, after we are released from our work on the Temple of God, a demon comes to me at sunset. He takes half my pay and half my food. Then he seizes my right hand and sucks my thumb. My soul is crushed, and my body wastes away."

Solomon entered the Temple and prayed with all his soul, night and day, begging the Almighty for authority over the demon. And his prayer was answered.

The archangel Michael descended from heaven bearing a gift from the Lord of Hosts. A small ring. On it was engraved a seal, a pentagram, the sign of God's dominion over all spirits. Michael spoke: "Take this, O Solomon, son of David. The Lord God, the Most High, has sent you this gift. With it you shall bind every demon on earth, male and female. And with their forced labor, you shall build Jerusalem."

Solomon took the ring and gave it to the boy the next morning. "When the demon comes tonight," he said, "throw this ring at his chest and say: In the name of God, King Solomon calls you. Then run to me. Do not be afraid of anything you hear."

That evening, at the customary hour, Ornias came like a burning fire to steal from the child. But this time the boy hurled the ring at the demon's chest and shouted the words. The seal struck Ornias and bound him. The demon shrieked: "Child, what have you done to me? Take this ring off and I will give you all the gold of the earth! Only do not lead me to Solomon!"

But the boy ran. He ran straight to the king, rejoicing. And behind him, bound by the seal of the living God, the demon Ornias followed, howling, begging, dragging himself toward the throne of the wisest king who ever lived (1 Kings 6:1).

This was the beginning. The first demon had been caught. And through that single ring, Solomon would enslave every dark spirit under heaven and force them to build the house of God.

Full source
Testament of Solomon 61-80Testament of Solomon

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.F. C. Conybeare public-domain English translation (1898) · Public Domain

A winged dragon with the face and hands of a man rolled into Solomon's court. Its body was scaled like a serpent, but its limbs were human, and great wings folded against its back. Solomon stared. "Who are you?"

"I am the Winged Dragon," the spirit said. "Once I was worshipped as a god among men, but now your ring and the wisdom of God have brought me to nothing." Solomon condemned it to saw marble for the Temple, invoking the angel Bazazeth, who sits in the second heaven.

Then came Enepsigos, a female demon with two extra heads sprouting from her shoulders, each with its own pair of hands. Three faces, six hands, one malevolent will.

"I have my dwelling in the moon," she said, "and for that reason I possess three forms. At times I am invoked as Kronos. At times I descend in another shape entirely. The measure of my celestial body is beyond your comprehension." She was defeated by the angel Rathanael, who sits in the third heaven. Solomon sealed her with a triple chain.

But Enepsigos prophesied before she was silenced: "After a time, your kingdom shall be broken, O king. This Temple shall be torn apart. Jerusalem shall be undone by the kings of Persia and Media and Chaldea. The vessels of this Temple will be profaned. The jars in which you imprison us will be shattered by the hands of men. And then we shall pour forth in great power across the earth, and lead the world astray for ages."

Solomon heard this prophecy and marveled. He did not believe it, not yet. But he wrote it down in his testament for the children of Israel, recording the powers of the demons, their shapes, and the names of the angels who defeat them. Only later, when every word came true, did he understand.

Next a sea-demon appeared, half horse in front, half fish behind, with a voice like thunder. "I am a fierce spirit of the sea," it roared. "I am greedy for gold and silver. I become a wave and throw myself upon ships, capsizing them and hurling sailors into the deep. I do not covet their bodies, I hurl them back onto shore. I want their treasure." This demon served Beelzeboul and had come up from the sea at his command. It was defeated by the angel Iameth. Solomon sealed it in a flask with ten jugs of seawater, sealed the mouth with marble, asphalt, and pitch, and deposited the vessel in the Temple.

Then came a spirit with gleaming eyes, bearing a blade, a demon born from one of the giants who perished in the great destruction. "I dwell in graveyards," it said. "I sit beside those who walk among the tombs. I take the form of the dead. If I catch a living man, I destroy him with my sword. If I fail, I cause him to be possessed, to devour his own flesh, and his beard falls away." Solomon sealed this spirit too.

And then, thirty-six spirits appeared at once. Their heads were shapeless, like those of dogs. But their bodies were human, with faces of donkeys, oxen, and birds. They spoke with one voice: "We are the thirty-six rulers of this darkness. We present ourselves before you from ram and bull, from twin and crab, lion and maiden, scales and scorpion, archer, goat-horn, water-pourer, and fish, all twelve signs of the zodiac, three spirits to each."

Solomon invoked the name of the Lord of Hosts and questioned them one by one. Each confessed its disease, its affliction, and the angel that defeats it:

Ruax causes headaches. Defeated by Michael.

Barsafael causes migraines. Defeated by Gabriel.

Arotosael harms the eyes. Defeated by Uriel.

Iudal causes deafness. Defeated by Uruel.

Sphendonael causes tumors and lockjaw. Defeated by Sabrael.

Sphandor paralyzes the shoulders and sucks marrow from the bones. Defeated by Arael.

Belbel distorts hearts and minds. Defeated by Arael.

Kurtael sends bowel cramps. Defeated by Iaoth.

One by one they confessed. One by one they were sealed. The ancient war between angels and demons was being waged not with swords but with names. And Solomon held the seal that compelled every dark spirit to reveal its weakness.

Full source
Testament of Solomon 81-105Testament of Solomon

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.F. C. Conybeare public-domain English translation (1898) · Public Domain

The parade of demons continued. One by one the thirty-six spirits of the zodiac stepped forward before Solomon's throne, each confessing the disease it inflicts and the angel whose name can banish it. This was not merely an interrogation. It was the creation of a manual of spiritual warfare, a catalog of every affliction and its cure.

Metathiax, the tenth, causes kidney pain. Banished by the angel Adonael.

Katanikotael, the eleventh, creates strife in homes and sends hard temper. To defeat him: write the name of his opposing angel on seven laurel leaves, wash the leaves in water, and sprinkle the house from inside to out.

Saphathorael, the twelfth, inspires partisanship and drunkenness. Write the names of the angels Iaco, Iealo, Ioelet, Sabaoth, Ithoth, and Bae on paper, fold it, and wear it around the neck.

Bobel, the thirteenth, causes nervous illness. Banished by calling out: "Adonael, imprison Bobel."

Kumeatel, the fourteenth, sends shivering fits and torpor. Banished by Zoroel.

Roeled, the fifteenth, causes stomach pain and bitter cold. Banished by the words: "Iax, be still, for Solomon is greater than eleven fathers."

Atrax, the sixteenth, inflicts incurable fevers. To defeat him: chop coriander, smear it on the lips, and recite: "I exorcise thee by the throne of the Most High God, retreat from the creature fashioned by God."

Ieropael, the seventeenth, causes convulsions. Whisper three times into the afflicted person's right ear: "Iudarize, Sabune, Denoee."

Buldumech, the eighteenth, separates wife from husband. To defeat him: write "The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob commands thee, retire from this house in peace" and place the paper in the entrance of the home.

Naoth, the nineteenth, settles upon men's knees. Banished by writing: "Depart, Naoth, and touch not the neck."

Mardero, the twentieth, sends incurable fever. Write the name of the angel Raphael on a leaf and tie it around the sufferer's neck.

Alath, the twenty-first, causes coughing and labored breathing in children. Banished by writing: "Rorex, pursue Alath."

Nefthada, the twenty-third, causes painful urination. Write the names "Iathoth, Uriel, Nephthada" on a plate of tin and fasten it around the waist.

Akton, the twenty-fourth, causes rib and muscle pain. Engrave on copper taken from a lost ship: "Marmaraoth, Sabaoth, pursue Akton."

Anatreth, the twenty-fifth, sends burning fevers into the entrails. Defeated by the words: "Arara, Charara."

Enenuth, the twenty-sixth, steals men's minds, changes their hearts, and makes them lose their teeth. Write: "Allazool, pursue Enenuth."

Pheth, the twenty-seventh, causes consumption and hemorrhage. Exorcise in wine and give the patient to drink.

Harpax, the twenty-eighth, sends sleeplessness. Write "Kokphnedismos" and bind it around the temples.

Anoster, the twenty-ninth, causes bladder pain. Grind three laurel seeds into pure oil and anoint the afflicted.

Alleborith, the thirtieth, if a man has swallowed a fish bone, take a bone from the same fish and cough, and the demon retreats.

Hephesimireth, the thirty-first, causes lingering disease. Throw salt rubbed in the hand into oil, anoint the patient, and cry: "Seraphim, Cherubim, help me!"

Ichthion, the thirty-second, paralyzes muscles. Banished by: "Adonael, help!"

Agchonion, the thirty-third, lurks among swaddling-clothes. Write the word "Lycurgos" on fig leaves, then write it again removing one letter at a time. Lycurgos, ycurgos, kurgos, yrgos, gos, os. And the demon flees.

Autothith, the thirty-fourth, causes grudges and fighting. Defeated by writing the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Phthenoth, the thirty-fifth, casts the evil eye on every man. Draw an eye that has suffered much, and the demon is defeated.

Thirty-five demons. Thirty-five confessions. Thirty-five angelic names. Solomon recorded them all, building the most detailed demonological catalog the ancient world had ever known.

Full source
Testament of Solomon 43-60Testament of Solomon

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.F. C. Conybeare public-domain English translation (1898) · Public Domain

A demon without a head was brought before Solomon. It had all the limbs of a man, arms, legs, torso. But where the head should have been, there was nothing. Just a stump above the shoulders.

"Who are you?" Solomon asked the empty air above the creature's neck.

"I am called Envy," the headless thing answered, its voice seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. "I delight in devouring heads, because I want one for myself. I am always hungry for a head like yours, O king."

Solomon sealed him with the ring. The demon leapt up, threw itself down, and groaned: "Where have I come to? That traitor Ornias, I cannot see!"

"How do you see without a head?" Solomon pressed.

"By my feelings," the demon said.

"And how do you speak?"

"I am wholly voice. I have inherited the voices of many men, because I am the one who smashes the heads of children on their eighth day. When a child cries in the night, I become a spirit and glide on the sound of his voice. At crossroads I do my worst work. I seize a man's head, cut it off with my hands as with a sword, and place it on my own neck. The fire inside me swallows it up. And I inflict terrible sores on men's feet."

"By what angel are you defeated?"

"By the fiery flash of lightning."

Then a demon in the shape of a massive hound lumbered before the throne and spoke with a booming voice: "Hail, King Solomon!" The king stared. "Who are you, O hound?"

"Before you existed, I was a man, a scholar of surpassing knowledge who could hold back the stars of heaven. Now I am Rabdos, the Staff. I seize frenzied men by the throat and destroy them. But give me one of your servants, and I will lead him to a mountain where a green stone lies, a gem with which you may adorn the Temple of God."

Solomon sent a servant with the seal-ring. The demon showed him the green stone, the servant sealed the spot, and both demon and stone were brought back to Jerusalem. Solomon extracted two hundred shekels' worth of the stone for the supports of the incense table. Then he bound Rabdos and set him to guard a fiery spirit, whose flames lit the worksite day and night so the artisans could labor without ceasing.

Next came a demon in the form of a roaring lion. "I am the Lion-bearer," it said. "I am invisible. I leap upon the sick and make their bodies fail. I command legions of demons beneath me." Solomon adjured it in the name of God Sabaoth to reveal its weakness. The lion-demon was condemned to carry wood from the thicket and saw it into kindling with its own teeth, feeding the unquenchable furnace of the Temple.

Then a three-headed dragon of terrible color appeared. "I am the Crest of Dragons," it hissed. "I blind children in the womb. I twist their ears and make them deaf and mute. I cause men to fall down in fits, foaming and grinding their teeth." Solomon sealed it and set it to making bricks, the creature's human hands shaping clay for God's house.

Finally a spirit drifted in that was more terrifying than all the rest. It had the form of a woman. But only a head. No body. No limbs. Just a floating head with wild, disheveled hair like a serpent's mane.

"Who are you?" Solomon asked.

"Who are you?" she shot back. "Go wash your hands in your royal storehouses. Then sit down and ask me again."

Solomon did as she demanded. When he returned, the spirit spoke: "I am called Obyzouth. I never sleep. Every night I circle the entire world, visiting women in childbirth. I divine the hour, and if I am fortunate, I strangle the child. If not, I move on. But I never retire unsuccessful. I am a fierce spirit of myriad names and many shapes. Even your ring cannot truly hold me. My only work is the destruction of children, deafening their ears, blinding their eyes, binding their mouths, ruining their minds, and wracking their bodies with pain."

Solomon stared at her. Her body was cloaked in darkness, but her eyes glowed bright green, and her hair writhed like a dragon's tail. "By what angel are you defeated?"

"By Raphael. If any man writes his name upon a woman in childbirth, I cannot enter her." Solomon ordered the demon's hair bound and her body hung in front of the Temple. So that every child of Israel passing by would see this monster of the night displayed and powerless, and glorify the God who gave Solomon dominion over her.

Full source