The life and worldview of a modern man is fundamentally different from the world in which a medieval man lived. In the Middle Ages, people lived under the vigilant control of the church, in eternal fear of dark forces and inevitable retribution for all earthly sins and misdeeds. Their world was filled with demons and demons, every moment striving to tempt the weak human spirit, thereby dooming him to the inevitable path to the Underworld.
Now, when scientific research and passion for art are not considered heresy, for red hair and green eyes are not thrown into the fire, and plague and cholera do not claim the lives of millions, the reality in which people lived in the period from the 10th to the 16th century reminds rather a plot from a terrible tale than the harsh reality that took place. Nevertheless, from the Middle Ages to our days, some legends and tales have survived, which are of considerable interest to a modern educated and enlightened person. So, for example, the stories about incubi and succubi are unusual and mysterious.
An incubus (or incubus) is called a dissolute demon, the legends about which arose in the early Middle Ages. As many legends of this period tell, the demon comes to women at night in search of sexual relations with them. It is interesting that the mention of these creatures is found almost throughout Europe. So, for example, in Italy a voluptuous demon is called "foletto", and in Germany - "alb". In Greece, there are legends about a depraved demon raping single women at night, whose name is "Ephialt".
There are many different descriptions of the incubus, who they are, what they look like, and why do they, demons, need intercourse with a person? So, in some legends, an incubus appears to a woman in the form of a handsome man in the prime of life, in other sources, on the contrary, an eerie appearance and a terrible stinking smell are attributed to a voluptuous demon. Many legends say that a demon who comes to a woman at night has the body of a man and the legs of a goat (like the ancient Greek god Satyr). There are also legends that say that the incubus demon does not have his own body, so he either possesses a living person and subordinates his will to himself, or finds the corpse of a recently hanged man and uses his body.
No matter how a depraved demon looks, it remains a mystery why he should come to the earthly world and seek sexual relations with women. According to one version, the Incubus commit violence simply because of their natural cruelty and curiosity, thus humiliating and showing their power in front of the human race. According to another version, the incubus, not having their own bodily shell, want to give birth to offspring that, on the one hand, would have a human body and could be in the earthly world, and on the other hand, being a demonic offspring, would sow evil and hatred among people. To conceive offspring, a demon needs a male seed, which he either collects from corpses, or steals from living men, bringing them to sterility.
The very first mentions of dissolute demons are found in very ancient sources dating back to the early Middle Ages, but they are all quite contradictory. It was possible to describe and classify these demons only in 1486, when the famous book "The Hammer of Witches" was published, which is a handbook for European inquisitors for several centuries. The authors of the book are the Catholic Prior Heinrich Kramer and the dean of the University of Cologne, Inquisitor Jacob Sprenger.
For a long time, their book was the most authoritative manual, in which all types of demons and demons, as well as all types of witchcraft and signs by which a witch can be identified, were described in great detail and clearly. Also, the "Hammer of Witches" contains detailed instructions for interrogation and all types of punishment and torture.
According to this inquisitorial manual, incubi appear in the form of a handsome man only to ordinary women, while they appear to witches in their natural, terrible guise, since witches only for the joy of sinning and laughing at the Law of God, copulating with the demon. The book also indicates a different kind of demons, called "succubi", in contrast to the incubus, they have a female appearance and come into the world of people for sexual relations with men.
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The connection with the succubi and incubi was considered one of the most heinous crimes in medieval Europe, suspected of having connections with demons were immediately subjected to cruel torture and death.
Now, when the fires of the Inquisitions are extinguished, and a person has a different look at the world around him and the nature of things, evidence of a connection with incubi and succubi is rather regarded as signs of some kind of mental illness. Indeed, there are diagnoses in which the patient cannot clearly understand the difference between the surrounding reality and the world of fantasies and dreams. So, for example, in schizophrenia, a person experiences auditory and visual hallucinations in the overwhelming majority of cases. In addition, patients are distinguished by great physical strength and increased sex drive. Experiencing certain hallucinations, a person suffering from schizophrenia can injure himself, bruise, and abrade himself, and when he comes to himself, consider the experienced visions as real events.
Our world is still full of mysteries and phenomena that no one can find a rational explanation for. Whether to consider the connection with the incubus a frightening reality or treat such stories as scary tales, let everyone decide for himself, the main thing is to live in harmony with himself and, paying attention to mystical signs and phenomena in his life, not to lose touch with the surrounding reality …