Paimon: the true story of the demon from “Hereditary”.

In the excellent 2018 horror film Hereditary, we see a family slowly driven mad by the influence of a satanic cult that worships a particularly mysterious demon: Paimon. Who exactly is the demonic entity behind the film’s grim events?

Paimon is a demon that lives in one of the most hidden corners of Christian myths, although in fact it comes from Mesopotamian mythology, not as a demon, but as a goddess who was progressively seen as a djinn, beings that are often hermaphrodites. , and therefore portrayed with both masculine and feminine attributes. Originally, Paimon presided over arts and science; which is why the purpose of invoking him was to acquire knowledge in these fields, something very different from what we see in the film.

Now, most of the information we have about the demon Paimon comes from later grimoires and occult books, which progressively obscured his mythological figure. These demonological treatises often stretch and distort the mythological characteristics of demons, but it is still possible to collect some common traits to reconstruct something of the original figure. So we’ll start with these references and then try to dig deeper.

According to these forbidden books, Paimon is often summoned to grant familiar spirits and reveal the location of hidden treasures. He should be allowed to ask any question and the answer should be honest and direct. The Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis adds a seemingly trivial attribute by stating that Paimon has the power to control fish. In Pseudomonarchia Daemonum it is stated that Paimon is the most “obedient” servant of Lucifer, who in this particular grimoire is extremely arrogant. When he is compelled by divine virtue, through an exorcist, Paimon is revealed as a man with “an effeminate countenance”, wearing a crown with a star in the middle and riding a dromedary. Behind him marches a multitude of reprobates with trumpets and cymbals.

When Paimon is summoned by a necromancer, his manifestation is preceded by a great roar. The summoner must possess extraordinary firmness to force Paimon to observe his desire and ask him to respond clearly. If the demon is subdued, he can answer any question related to philosophy, science, and reveal any secret. However, if the summoner is weak, he will be bound by Paimon’s lies:

According to the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, it is not clear whether Paimon, before falling among the angels, belonged to the order of the Dominions or the Cherubim. In any case, the grimoire maintains that two hundred legions follow him and, if the summoner does not make the corresponding sacrifices, Paimon can manifest with his two servants: Beball and Abalam, making it almost impossible to control him.

In both Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal and the Livre des Esperitz, he is mentioned as Paymon. In The Book of Abramelin and the Grimoire of Pope Honorius he appears as Bayemon. All these works coincide in Paimon’s obedience to Lucifer, in the trust that the Prince of Darkness has in him, in his residence in the northwest, and in his greatest enemy, the angel Haziel.

In the Ars Goetia, again, Paimon is described as a man riding a camel, preceded by troops playing trumpets and cymbals. The earlier grimoires insist that Paimon has a beautiful face, but the Ars Goetia is not as specific, although it still refers to him as a man. This book also adds a couple of interesting facts: Paimon’s “hoarse voice”, and his tendency to speak in his native language until he is ordered to respond in the summoner’s language.

If we take all the grimoires mentioned up to this point, we will find that Paimon is generally described as teaching science and answering questions, which doesn’t seem particularly diabolical. The Ars Goetia and the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum specify that knowledge of him includes “all arts” and “secret things.” The Livre des Esperitz expands on this and states that Paimon usually responds sincerely and is capable of granting “dignities and lordships.” Another coincidence is the merit of granting familiars and dominion over fish. There are also absurd attributes, such as the mention in the Ars Goetia that Paimon can “make a thief return and return what was stolen.” In The Book of Abramelin these powers are expanded a bit with knowledge of past and future events, making spirits appear, creating visions, acquiring and dismissing servant spirits, reanimating the dead for several years, flying, staying underwater indefinitely, and abilities. general instructions to “do all kinds of things” at the magician’s behest.

Now, it is likely that the origin of Paimón dates back to Mesopotamian myths. Some even claim that there is a direct relationship between Paimon and the Egyptian goddess Isis, but based on purely cosmetic issues. Paimon is usually represented riding a camel, the same as Isis. But that’s where the similarities end, so we won’t go down this route.

It is interesting that in The Book of Abramelin, Paimon is frequently spelled “Paymon” and sometimes “Paimonia.” We could probably trace the etymological origin of his name to the Hebrew pomn, which in turn derives from the Hebrew root pom, “to stir”, “to drive”. The word pomn is used six times in Exodus, and it was not uncommon for rabbis to call Paimon by the title ozazl, which is a name used in Leviticus in reference to the scapegoat. There are still heated debates about whether the word ozazl is the scapegoat, or a demon to whom that animal was offered. However, in rabbinic demonology it is always used to refer to one of the main demons.

Azazel, in addition to stemming from the ancient Hebrew practice known as scapegoating, is also one of the Ben-Elohim mentioned in The Book of Enoch; that is, one of the “Watchers” who gave knowledge to humanity against the will of God. Despite this, most demonologists consider Azazel and Paimon to be completely separate entities.

There is an obvious connection in Paimon’s subtler traits: his name means “tinkling,” he often “roars” when he manifests, his troops blow trumpets, and he dwells within the northwest winds. It is clear, then, that Paimon was formerly a deity of the air. In fact, in De sphera by Juan Sacrobosco, there is talk of the “four spirits of great virtue” that govern the four cardinal points and their respective winds: Oriens, Amaymon, Paymon and Egim. But let’s take it a step further into speculative territory: Paimon’s relationship with air is expressed in his devotion to music.

At this point it is not unlawful to assume that Paimon started out as a djinn. Firstly, he is represented riding a dromedary, a clear allusion to the desert; but we also have the association of it with air. Djinn means “hidden”, but in relation to something that cannot be seen although it is audible, such as the wind. In fact, his two main servants, Label and Ablim, are also djinns in Middle Eastern mythology.

Many of the demons mentioned in grimoires and demonological treatises have their origins in the ancient gods of cultures subjugated or absorbed by a new religion. In fact, it was a common practice to demonize the gods of other civilizations, but also smaller-scale beings. In other words, all grimoires and all demonological treatises present gross distortions of the original entity. However, even in this deliberate deformation it is possible to find traces, which are in no way conclusive and should be taken with a grain of salt. Paimon could be linked to djinns, but no link is empirically demonstrable.

That being said, it is significant that Paimon always appears with a “roar” and speaks with a “hoarse voice.” When we find these elements in demonology, we are usually faced with a euphemism. The roar that precedes Paimon’s appearance is analogous to the howl of the banshees in Celtic myths, although probably more horrible, since it is capable of “splitting in two” the summoner if he is unworthy. The introduction of Paimon with roars and threats when summoned is a nice touch. It’s like we wake up at dawn when someone we don’t know knocks on the door. Paimon’s roars are an extreme version of “who is this?” of someone disturbed in the middle of the night, because the grimoires clearly state that Paimon then adopts a cordial tone when the summoner introduces himself.

It is important to note that many of the grimoires contradict each other regarding Paimon, but they all agree in describing him with the attributes of a djinn, and probably an important one, since some legends describe him as one of the leaders of Djinnstan. Paimon’s depictions back all of this up.

Now, Djinnestan is not a region of the Christian hell, much less of the Hebrew Sheol, but the extradimensional plane where the djinn live, according to Arab mythology, beings prior to the creation of human beings. The word djinn, as we have seen, means “hidden”, and whose etymology is an interesting example of the way in which these ancient people conceived the world. Djinn comes from the Arabic jann, which means “to hide”, but not how we usually interpret this word. For example, the same root is present in manjun, “crazy” and janin, “embryo.” This is a wonderful way of thinking about the world.

The djinn are part of pre-Islamic Arab mythology, although they were later absorbed and reinterpreted by the Koran. His kingdom, Djinnestan, where some grimoires place Paimon, was originally considered a distant planet, and later a plane other than the physical one. The djinn are said to have been created from God’s “burning, smokeless fire”, but they are also said to be physical in nature, being able to interact with people and objects in our world, and also possessing free will.

Iblis, one of the chief djinn, exercised his free will to the fullest when he refused to bow to Adam, even when ordered to do so by God himself. For this disobedience, Iblis was expelled from Eden and called “shaytan”. Apparently, Paimon and many others would also have been expelled, becoming renegades, like demons.

Djinn generally cannot be seen by humans, but they are clearly visible to djinn. What we can see is the interaction of the djinn with our physical world, which explains a little the name of Paimon, “tinkling”, which, as we have seen, is associated with the air, the wind, particularly when it makes a little bell This association with the winds also explains why djinn, in folklore, can travel great distances at great speed and inhabit inaccessible areas: on mountains, in…