Luxuria Asmodeus

Warning, long description ahead!

A prompt at an online art group I regular had us depict a personification or a scene concerning one of the seven deadly sins. At first, I thought doing Lust would be too obvious and easy, and that maybe Pride or Greed would be interesting, until I researched the seven deadly sins a little (thank you Google and Wiki). In the late 1500s, Peter Binsfield, a Bishop and a theologist, paired each cardinal sin with a chief demon which was believed to be the embodiment of the sin. Lucifer was Pride, Mammon, Greed; Leviathan, Envy; Beelzebub, Gluttony; Satan, Wrath; and Belphegor was Sloth. But the one most interesting to me from a story and history standpoint was Asmodeus, who was the representative for Lust. And it wasn't just sexual lust either, but lust for material possessions and power, which made him (or her in some cases) more interesting.

Despite Asmodeus being titled the chief or "king of all demons", and one of the rulers of hell in some mythology, generally he isn't considered one of the higher chief demons in Demonology. Main accounts concerning the fallen Seraphim Asmodeus tell the story of how he fell in love with a woman named Sarah and killed 7 of her husbands, until her next suitor Tobias was visited by the angel Raphael, who imparted upon him the knowledge of a spell which would turn Asmodeus away. Asmodeus fled to Egypt, where Raphael finally caught him and shackled him hand and foot. The other well known story concerning Asmodeus is of how King Solomon had summoned him, using a ring given to him by the Archangel Michael which was inscribed with a pentacle which could let him control spirits. Solomon then used Asmodeus and other demons to help construct the temple of Jerusalem. When Solomon one day questioned how great could a demon could really be if it could be bound and enslaved like any man, Asmodeus challenged Solomon to remove his shackles, so that he could prove his greatness. Once Solomon did so, Asmodeus turned on King Solomon and threw him out of Jerusalem, taking the position of King.

Generally, Asmodeus is said to inspire lust in all men, causing them to be unfaithful. When summoned, he can hand out rings of virtue, which impart knowledge, and when demanded can point out locations of fortune and wealth. He is also said to incite gambling, and is said to be the overseer of the gambling houses in the courts of hell.

Visually in demonology, Asmodeus is said to have three heads - one of a man, one of a bull and one of a ram, with flames spitting from his mouth; and also to have cocked legs, webbed feet and the tail of a serpent, riding an infernal dragon and armed with a lance with a banner.

In contrast, I wanted to put a modern spin on the character, and to give him 3 heads would be messy and somewhat ugly visually, so I decided to amalgamate the features of each head into one, while keeping primary male human features, topped off with King Solomon's crown upon his head. On one hand he's also wearing King Solomon's pentacle inscribed ring of power, while on the other he wears the 7 wedding bands of the men he killed for Sarah, as he offers rings of virtue and power. On his forehead and hands are eye shaped markings, as a Seraphim is said to have thousands of eyes, as well as 6 wings - one to cover their faces, two to cover their feet, and two to fly with. He still wears the shackles of which Raphael put on him, and carries his bannered lance, which carries his Demonological (if that's a word) marking. Since he's a bit of a punter, I gave him a gambling motif, with playing card suit patterns and markings, and a pair of dice hanging from one ear.

All in all, this came out so well that I might do one for each sin... but we'll see. I'm still wondering if I should give this sucka a wing or two.
Thanks for looking!