free ebooks ==> www.ebook777.com Akaanga 25 Most likely, this vampiric and demonic goddess (a Jinniya) originated in the ancient citystate of Carthage Her name, Aisha Qandisha, translates to “loving to be watered,” as in to be covered with semen Her name has been connected to Qadesha, the sexually free temple women of Canaan who served ASTARTE She, like the SUCCUBUS she is associated with, is described as being beautiful, but, along the northern coast of present-day Morocco, she is also said to have the feet of a goat Then as now, she is found near wells and waterways, dancing wildly, bare-chested, lustfully enchanting anyone who will let her Soon these unfortunate souls will find themselves her sexual slaves Men whom she has seduced will be rendered impotent and lose interest in all other women She has a constant companion, a DJINN named Hammu Qaiyu As a goddess, she cannot be destroyed, only driven away by plunging an iron knife as hard as one can deep into the ground before becoming entranced by her beauty For a man to break the enchantment he must endure ritual sacrifice and enter into a trance where he must see for himself her cloven goat feet Once he has, he must then stab an iron knife into the ground, breaking her hold over him Sources: Crapanzano, The Hamadsha; Gregg, Culture and Identity, 262; Gulick, The Middle East, 181; Westermarck, Pagan Survivals, 21–31 Aitvaras Variations: Damavikas (“house spirit”), Pukis (“dragon” or a toy kite) In Lithuania, prior to the introduction of Christianity, Aitvaras was a nature spirit that lived in the sky or in the woods It was said of it then that when it flew through the night sky, it looked like a meteorite It was once considered to be a noble and divine being that regulated human wealth and relations However, under the influence of Christianity, it was demonized and used as an antagonist in parables regarding ambition and greed The Aitvaras became a type of demonic creature under the command of the DEVIL himself It would make a nest for itself behind the stove and once it claimed a place as a home, it was very difficult to remove This demonic creature is often made into a FAMILIAR, which is either given to a person by the Devil in exchange for their soul, or it was patiently hatched from a seven-year-old rooster egg If the Aitvaras is given as a Familiar, it will provide the corn, milk, and money that it stole from other people When indoors Aitvaras are described as look- ing like a black cat or black rooster; when outside they are said to take on the appearance of a fiery snake or flying dragon They have the ability to heal themselves by touching earth An infernal, immortal creature, the Aitvaras cannot be destroyed but can be prevented from attack by leaving offerings of food (they are partial to eating omelets) Sources: DePorte, Lithuanaia in the Last 30 Years, 409; Grimal, Larousse World Mythology, 421; Icon, Demons, 136; Larson, Myth in Indo-European Antiquity, 89 Aja-Mukhi Variations: Aja-mukhee, Ajamukhee, Ajamukhi In India, Aja-Mukhi is a DEMONESS In Sanskrit, Aja means “unborn” and mukhi means “beautiful face.” Sources: Benfey, Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 710; Dogra, Thought Provoking Hindu Names, 18, 61; Gupta, Indian Mysticism, 93 Ajatar Variations: Ajattara, “The Devil of the Woods” In Finnish demonology Ajatar is a demonic female dragon said to be the mother of the DEVIL She breastfeeds serpents and spreads disease and pestilence If a person sees her, they will instantly fall ill Sources: Icon, Demons: Webster’s Quotations, 136; Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, 10; Turner, Dictionary of Ancient Deities, 31 Aka Manah Variations: ANGRA MAINYU In Persian mythology Aka Manah (“evil mind”) is a DAEVAS He is the personification of sensual desire Second in command to the host of demons, only his father, Angra Mainyu, is of higher rank In service to AHRIMAN, Aka Manah, the demon of lust and sensual desire, commands a host of demons His personal adversary is Vohu Manah Sources: Breck, Spirit of Truth, 62–3; Dhalla, History of Zoroastrianism, 91–2; Jackson, Zoroastrian Studies, 74, 74, 81 Akaanga Akaanga comes from the demonology of people of the Cook Islands He is said to be the slave of the goddess MIRU Using fishing nets, he catches the souls of those who have died a natural death and then half drowns those souls in a lake He then takes them to the court of Miru where they are given kava root (Piper mythisticum) to drink before being placed in an oven to be cooked and eaten Miru lives exclusively on human souls Sources: Conway, Demonology and Devil-Lore, 42–