DEVIL WORSHIP
A Glossary For Devil Worshipers
by Geifodd ap Pwyll

This article is copyright © 2006 Geifodd ap Pwyll.

A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T W X Y Z

- A -

Abrahamic: adjective used to describe either of the three primary cults of Yahweh (i.e., Christianity, Judaism and Islam).

Ahriman: the chief Devil of Persian Zoroastrianism. Depicted as a dragon, he supposedly created ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine diseases to plague the Earth. He is blamed for all the maladies and physical ailments of life.

Amam: another name for Apep, which means "Devourer" in Egyptian.

Ambivalent design: a belief that the universe may indeed have a teleological purpose, but that said purpose does not revolve around mortals in any humanly benevolent way.

Angel: an attendant spirit that serves as a messenger for a deity or deities.

Anpu: a psychopomp who is associated with jackals in ancient Egyptian religion and Neopagan reconstructions thereof; was worshiped as a god of healing and protection.

Antichrist: a person who teaches that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah or the "Son of God," and that Christianity is not the one true religion.

Anubis: the Greek spelling of Anpu.

Apep: the Egyptian name for the Devil. Viewed as a giant snake demon who lived in the underworld and attempted to swallow the sun each night. A personification of nighttime, darkness, and chaos.

Apocalypticism: a branch of eschatology in which it is believed that endtime prophecies are somehow imminent.

Apophis: the Greek spelling of Apep.

Apostate: a person who once worshiped Yahweh, but who later rejects him and turns against him. Many Satanists and Neopagans, for instance, are apostates.

Ashtoreth: the Phoenician name for the goddess worshiped as Inanna in ancient Sumer and Ishtar in Babylon.

Astaroth: a Hebrew bastardization of the name Ashtoreth, which is given to her in Christian demonology. This name is used to refer to the goddess in her demonic aspect.

Atheistic Satanist: a Satanist who does not believe in any gods, and who interprets Satan as either an impersonal force of nature or as a symbol. The term is often used synonymously with symbolic or LaVeyan Satanists.

Azazel: a name used to identify the Prince of Darkness in both Second Temple era Jewish literature and in Islam. I use it to refer to Him in His form as an "angel of light" who brings forth civilization. Can also be called Lucifer in this aspect.

- B -

Baal: a pre-Christian Canaanite deity who became demonized in Jewish scriptures as Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies.

Back-masking: a term used for when heavy metal musicians supposedly record subliminal backwards messages into their music. The subliminal messages supposedly drive teenagers to Devil worship and suicide. Bands like Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest were put on trial for supposedly murdering children through back-masking, but the cases were both dismissed, and the idea of murder through back-masking is largely discredited today as an urban myth.

Baphomet: an idol that the Knights Templar were accused of worshiping. Eliphas Levi drew a famous picture of it, as a goat-headed hermaphrodite creature. Later adopted as a term for the goat's head pentagram by Anton Szandor LaVey.

Beelzebub: "Lord of the Flies," a demonized title of the Semitic storm god Baal.

Belial: a name used to identify the Prince of Darkness in the apocryphal Dead Sea Scrolls. It means either "without a yoke" or "without worth." I use it to refer to the Prince in His aspect as the God of the Earth.

Black: the color which is most associated with the Powers of Darkness in occult tradition.

Black mass: a ritual communion with the Powers of Darkness, usually performed in honor of the Prince of Darkness specifically. Numerous forms of the black mass exist. It is often thought to be a strict inversion of the Catholic mass, but for my purposes, a black mass is literally any sort of ritual communion with Devils or demonic spirits.

Black metal: a variety of heavy metal music developed in the 1970's and early 1980's, the lyrical content of which centers around an often serious enthusiasm for Devils, demons, and the occult. Originated in Great Britain.

Black sabbath: an alternate term for the black mass. Later became the name for one of the first and most influential heavy metal bands, Black Sabbath.

- C -

Church of Azazel: a denomination of Satanism founded in 2003 by Diane Vera, which stresses the importance of philosophy and intellectual-thinking among theistic Satanists. Teaches polytheistic Devil worship that adheres to both the Post-Copernican and here-and-now principles of theology.

Church of Satan: the very first above-ground public Satanic organization ever. Founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey. Teaches that Satan is not a being, but just a symbol, and stresses the importance of Self worship over any kind of deity worship. Teachings are based upon LaVey's Satanic Bible.

Conductor of Souls: a cult title for the Egyptian spirit Anpu, who guides the souls of the deceased to their appropriate places in the Netherworld.

Coven: an assembly of dark mystics, Devil worshipers, Demonolators and/or Satanists. Corresponds to the church congregations of other spiritual paths.

Cult: a controversial term that has a number of meanings. It is sociologically used to describe a system or community of religious worship and ritual, and/or the formal means of expressing religious reverence, ceremony and ritual. By this definition, all religions, including Christianity, are cults. The more popular definition used by the media today is "an extremist religious sect, the followers of which live in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader."

Czernobog: a Slavic name that means "Black God," and which is sometimes used as an alternate name for the Prince of Darkness.

- D -

Dark creationism: a belief that the universe was or is indeed created by a powerful spiritual being or beings, but that said being or beings are not in any way personal or benevolent toward human beings.

Dark Doctrines, the: a denomination of atheistic Satanism founded in the 1990's, which teaches that Satan is an impersonal "dark force in nature" that works through entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics to create and destroy all things.

Dark mystic: a person who interprets mystical realities in terms of dark imagery, and whose experiences literally "feel" dark. Often misunderstood as a "black magician."

Death metal: a form of heavy metal music that started in the 1980's, and which features a fascination with horror films and images of violence and death.

Deity: a spirit that is given god-status by mortals.

Demon: a genius spirit that is replete with wisdom, and that roams the dark bowers of the Earth.

Demoniac: a person who is possessed or indwelt by a demonic spirit.

Demonolator: a person who worships a demon or demons.

Demonolatry: the worship of a demon or demons.

Demonology: the study of demons. Not to be confused with Demonolatry. Just because a person is a demonologist does not mean that they worship demons; many demonologists are actually Christian, for instance.

Devil: a spirit that is maligned and feared as a cultural scapegoat figure by mortals. Devils are often given god-status indirectly. The term is most often used to describe one deity in particular, i.e. the Satan of the New Testament.

Devil worship: the expression of ardent love, devotion, and reverence toward a cultural scapegoat figure, and the reclamation of said figure as a wrongfully slandered deity.

Diabolator: a person who worships a Devil or Devils.

Diabolatry: from the Greek diabolus ("Devil") and latreia ("worship"); a synonym for Devil worship.

Djinn: desert-dwelling fire spirits in Islamic mythology that serve Iblis, the Prince of Darkness. I consider the djinn to be the same thing as demons.

Dragon: a giant serpent or lizard, often depicted with wings, but not always. When I speak of "the Dragon," I am referring specifically to the Prince of Darkness, who is described as a dragon in the New Testament and in Egyptian mythology.

- E -

Eschatology: the teachings within a religion concerning events that will supposedly come to pass at the end of the world.

Esoteric: something which is intended to be confined and understandable to only a particular inner circle of people, as in an "esoteric cult" or an "esoteric doctrine."

Exoteric: something which is comprehensible or suited to the general public.

- F -

Futurist: a term usually used for Christians who believe that the events of the apocalypse, as described in the book of Revelation, have yet to occur.

- G -

Genius: a spirit that is particular to a specific person or geographical area; a guardian spirit.

Goat's head pentagram: a five-pointed star drawn with one point down, and with a picture of a goat's head inside. Also popularly called a Baphomet.

God: a spirit that is worshiped by mortals.

- H -

Hades: a Greek synonym for Hell, which means "that which is out of sight."

Heavy metal: a variety of rock and roll music that was born in the late 1960's, and which is often more extreme than regular rock. Lyrical content usually focuses on sex and youthful rebellion. There are also quite a few heavy metal bands that flirt with the occult; those that are serious are termed "black metal."

Hell: "the Concealed Place," the hidden spirit realm that exists as an unseen dimension of the carnal world in which we live. Also called the Netherworld and the Abyss.

Hemhemti: another name for Apep, which means "Roarer" in Egyptian.

Here-and-now principle of theology: a principle of theology taught by the Church of Azazel, which maintains that personal spirits ("gods") are best understood in terms of their immediate influences upon humankind in the present, rather than in terms of their alleged histories or futures (e.g., "creation myths" or eschatology).

Heretic: a member of an Abrahamic faith who differentiates from the traditional doctrines of that particular faith.

- I -

Iblis: an Islamic name for Azazel which is sometimes translated to mean "Doubt" and sometimes translated to mean "Despair." As Iblis, the Prince of Darkness is regarded as the Lord of the Djinn in Islamic mythology. Also spelled Eblis.

Immortal: a spirit that does not have a body, and which is not born and does not die as a carnal being.

Inanna: an ancient Sumerian lion goddess of love and war, who was associated with the morning star, Venus, and who was believed to have power over the heavens, the Earth, and the dead. She is also called Ishtar, Astarte, Ashtoreth and Astaroth.

Incubus: a male demon that enjoys exchanging sexual energy with mortals.

Initiation: a ceremony, ritual, test, or period of instruction through which a new member is admitted into a coven, cult, or level of esoteric knowledge.

Invocation: a prayer or formula that is recited in order to gain the attention of a particular spirit or spirits. Often recited at the opening of a religious ritual.

Ishtar: the Babylonian name for the goddess Inanna, who would later be demonized in Christian demonology as Astaroth.

- J -

Jehovah: another name for Yahweh, the god of Abraham.

Joy of Satan ministry: a denomination of theistic Satanism founded by Maxine Dietrich which teaches that Satan and Jehovah are aliens on a distant planet who are engaged in a telepathic mind-war over the souls of human beings. Combines the archaeological "theories" of Zachariah Sitchin with a dose of David Icke-style conspiracy mongering and a dose of Neo-Nazism.

- L -

LaVeyan: a Satanist who adheres strictly to the teachings and principles of Anton Szandor LaVey's Satanic Bible. Often used to mean Church of Satan members, but not all LaVeyans are actually members of LaVey's church.

Left hand path: a confusing term that is often used to mean different things. It is sometimes used to mean either dark mysticism, "black magic," Self worship, Devil worship, Satan worship, or demon worship. Not a particularly useful term in the contemporary occult scene.

Leviathan: a name given to the ancient Serpent in Old Testament scriptures such as Job, Isaiah, and the Psalms.

Light mystic: a person who interprets mystical realities in terms of bright imagery, and whose experiences literally "feel" bright. Often misunderstood as a "white magician."

Lilith: the Queen of the succubi and goddess of this age. The spirit of a mortal woman who was made into a demoness by the Prince of Darkness, and who is now His bride and consort.

Lucifer: a Latin title meaning "Light-bearer," which can be used to describe virtually anyone or anything that acts as a bringer of light. Usually used by Christians in reference to the Prince of Darkness, but it is sometimes used in reference to other spirits as well.

Luciferian: either a variety of Satanist who chooses to identify their Satan by the name of Lucifer, or a type of Neopagan who worships a pre-Christian deity of light.

- M -

Melek Ta'us: a Kurdish name for Azazel, which is correctly translated to mean "Angel King" or "King of the Lesser Spirits." It is incorrectly translated "Peacock Angel." Used by the Yezidi to refer to Azazel in His role as God and custodian of the Earth.

Mortal: a spirit that has a body, and which is born and dies as a carnal being.

Mysticism: a belief in the existence of realities beyond perceptual or intellectual apprehension that are central to being and that are directly accessible by subjective experience. Often misunderstood as "magic."

- N -

Neopagan: a person who practices a modern reconstruction of a pre-Christian religion. Not all Neopagans are "pagan" by the original definition of that term, for many Neopagans are actually apostates (i.e., former Abrahamics).

- O -

Occult: a term that literally means "hidden." Anything that pertains to the supernatural or spiritual is really occult in nature.

Occultism: a system of belief and/or practices that involve personal investigation of the occult.

Opener of the Ways: a cult title for the Egyptian spirit Anpu.

Order of the Nine Angles: a mysterious and highly controversial sect of Satanists in Great Britain who believe in Satan as a literal entity, but who believe in Self worship and working to aid the "Sinister dialectic." Perhaps the only Satanist group that has been known to publically endorse human sacrifice, although it is unknown if any members have ever actually practiced it. They were the first Satanists to call themselves "Traditional Satanists."

- P -

Pagan: a scapegoat term used for people who have never worshiped Yahweh and who have never been members of either of his cults. Used to describe various non-Abrahamic persons, such as polytheists, atheists and agnostics.

Paganism: the practice of being anything other than a member of one of the three Abrahamic religions (i.e., Christianity, Judaism or Islam).

Pentagram: a five-pointed star drawn within a circle. When it is drawn with one point up, it is often used as a sign for Wicca; with one point down, it is most often a symbol of Satanism or Devil worship.

Post-Copernican natural theology: a principle of theology taught by the Church of Azazel, which maintains that the Creator(s) and/or other cosmic gods are evidently devoid of any personal interest in human affairs, and that all and any spiritual beings that demonstrate such a personal interest must necessarily be smaller-than-cosmic entities.

Powers of Darkness: a general catch-all term for all Devils and demons.

Preterist: a term usually used to describe Christians who believe that the events of the apocalypse, as described in the book of Revelation, already occured within the first century C.E.

Prince of Darkness: a title for the chief of all Devils and demons, developed during the Middle Ages.

Psychopomp: a spirit that guides the souls of the dead to their appropriate places in Hell. The Egyptian god Anpu and the Greek god Hermes are both psychopomps.

- Q -

Qadishtu: the holy women of Sumer and Babylon; priestesses of the goddess Inanna/Ishtar, who worshiped the goddess by making love with multiple partners. Sometimes called "sacred prostitutes."

- R -

Rahab: another name given to Leviathan in Old Testament scripture.

Reincarnation: the belief that, when a living entity dies, the spirit of that entity will eventually be reborn in a new body.

Right hand path: a confusing term that is often used to mean many different things. It can be used to mean either light mysticism, "white magic," god worship, or virtually any kind of conventional religion. Not a particularly useful term in the contemporary occult scene.

Ritual: a sequence of events and/or practices that an individual repeats regularly. In a religious context, rituals are often used to commune with a spirit or spirits for a particular purpose.

Rock and Roll: a variety of modern popular music that was born in the 1950's from African American blues music. Old school rock music usually focuses on chasing women; the term "rock and roll" itself is an old African American term for the act of lovemaking.

- S -

Saatet-ta: another name for Apep, which means "Darkener of the Earth" in Egyptian.

Sacrifice: "to make sacred"; the offering of a gift to a spirit or spirits.

Satan: a word that is commonly used as a name for the Prince of Darkness, but which can be used for virtually anyone or anything that takes an adversarial role toward something else. There are many spiritual beings that can be described as satans, and not all Satanists and/or Satan worshipers follow the same satan. The word means "adversary" in Hebrew.

Satan worship: the expression of ardent love, devotion, and reverence for a spirit or spirits called Satan.

Satanic: an adjective that is generally used to mean anything that pertains to or is of the Prince of Darkness; in a more general sense, it can mean anything that is adversarial or subversive to authority.

"Satanic Panic," the: an era of paranoia which occured mostly during the 1980's. This panic was marked by a popular belief among the media and law enforcement that an international conspiracy of Satanists was responsible for abducting large numbers of children and sexually abusing them as part of their rituals. The panic died down in the late 1980's and early 1990's after an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation discredited the entire theory. There are still many people involved in law enforcement and the media, as well as conservative Christian leaders, who believe that this "Satanist conspiracy" really exists.

"Satanic Ritual Abuse": a term used to describe the alleged sexual abuse of children as a part of Satanic religious ritual. The FBI has determined such terminology to be problematic; child abuse can occur within any religious ritual trappings, including those of Christianity. But despite the FBI's assessment, as well as the fact that no Satanist or Devil worshiper church even tolerates child abuse, there are many religious fanatics who still believe that "SRA" is a commonly occuring problem that is being "covered up" by a conspiracy.

Satanic Bible, the: A book written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey and published by Avon Books. Basically explains the worldview and ritual practices of Self worshiping Satanists, as formulated and practiced by LaVey's Church of Satan. Was the very first "pro-Satanism" instruction manual ever published.

Satanism: a belief system that is structured around a positive interpretation of a Satan or satans. Can mean either Satan worship or Self worship with Satanic symbolism.

Self worshiper: a person who deifies him or herself.

Set: an ancient Egyptian deity associated with thunderstorms, deserts, war, and the nighttime sky. Originally worshiped as a positive deity who represented part of the Egyptian theocracy, but later became demonized as a partner of and/or replacement for Apep.

Setekh: an alternate version of the name Set.

Setian: a Satanist, Devil worshiper or Temple of Set member who identifies the Prince of Darkness with the Egyptian deity Set. Usually used exclusively for Temple of Set members.

Sinister Dialectic: a term coined by members of the Order of the Nine Angles. Refers to an esoteric strategy of observing the ways that individuals and their groupings are shaped within societies and civilizations, and of influencing the future patterns thereof in accordance with Satanic philosophy.

Slaytanist: a derogatory term I use for so-called "Satanists" who are really Satanic dabblers, and who base their interpretations of Satanism strictly on pop cultural views of Devil worship, such as those presented in the media by heavy metal bands like Slayer.

Spirit: a bodiless intelligence that exists apart from the realm of matter, yet which can intervene in said realm.

Spiritual Satanist: a synonym for theistic Satanist. Often used to identify adherents of the theistic Satanist denomination developed by the Joy of Satan ministry.

Succubus: a female demon that enjoys exchanging sexual energy with mortals.

Supernatural: someone or something which seems to violate or go beyond natural forces.

Suti: an alternate spelling of the name Set.

Symbolic Satanist: a Satanist who only believes in Satan as a symbol, and not as a real force or being. Those who worship themselves may also be termed Self worshipers.

- T -

Temple of Set: a denomination of Satanism founded in 1975 by Dr. Michael A. Aquino, formerly of the Church of Satan. Teaches that the Prince of Darkness was originally worshiped in Egypt as the god Set before becoming demonized as "Satan" in Christianity. Also teaches Self worship and the idea of Xeper.

Theistic Satanist: a Satanist who actually believes in the literal existence of a Satan or satans. Those who worship said Satan or satans can also be called Devil worshipers or Satan worshipers.

Tiamat: a cosmic dragon of primordial chaos who gave birth to all of the gods in ancient Sumerian mythology. However, her children began to annoy her with all of their noise, so she attempted to eat them. The storm god Marduk killed her in battle, and created the universe from her remains. It is from the symbolism of Tiamat that later Middle Eastern cultures would inherit the theme of the chaos dragon.

Traditional Satanist: a synonym for theistic Satanist, which is used to refer to the "traditional" definition of a Satanist (i.e., a Satan worshiper). Often used by theistic Satanists who wish to claim that their form of Satanism pre-dates the formation of the Church of Satan in 1966; most who make such claims are lying. The term was first used by members of the Order of the Nine Angles, who strangely enough are Self worshipers and not Satan worshipers.

Typhon: an ancient Greek titan, usually depicted as a reptilian giant with multiple serpentine heads. Associated with water and primordial chaos, Typhon battled the god Zeus in order to overthrow the gods of Olympus. Typhon would later be identified by the Greeks with the Egyptian Set, in his demonized role as a partner of/replacement for Apep. In reality, Typhon is probably much more similar to Apep than to Set. It is from the name Typhon that we get our modern day word "typhoon."

- W -

Whore of Babylon: a cult title for the goddess Ishtar, signifying her role as a patroness of prostitutes and unbridled sexuality.

Witches' Sabbath: an annual festival celebrated by witches and Devil worshipers, according to medieval mythology. Usually celebrated on April 30, which is Walpurgisnacht. Supposedly marked by the practice of black masses, "backward dancing," and ritual orgies.

Worship: the expression of ardent love, devotion, and reverence toward someone or something.

- X -

Xeper: an ancient Egyptian word which means "to come into being." Used by members of the Temple of Set as a term for their philosophy of self-transformation and consciousness-worship.

- Y -

Yahweh: the god of the Jews, Christians and Muslims, who falsely claims to be "God" (i.e., the one and only true god). The sworn enemy of the Dragon.

Yezidi: an ancient Kurdish sect that originated from the Near East, which centers around religious worship of Azazel. They refer to Him as Melek Ta'us. However, they are not correctly termed Satanists or Devil worshipers, because they do not accept that Azazel is a Devil or a satan, or that He is the Prince of Darkness. Instead, they view Him as an angel who serves an impersonal Creator god by managing over the Earth in his absence.

- Z -

Zoroastrianism: an ancient Persian religion which was the first truly dualistic belief system. Teaches that the universe is divided between an ultimate spirit of good (identified as Ahura Mazda), and an ultimate spirit of evil (identified as Ahriman). It is from Zoroastrianism that Judaism, Christianity and Islam inherit some of their ideas about the Devil, angels, demonic possession, and apocalypticism.

Devil Worship