Astaroth spent centuries worshipped as a goddess of the ancient Phoenicians known as Astarte. In fact mention of her can be found in ancient Sumarian and Hebrew texts that were later translated into Greek and Latin. It wasn’t until the medieval period when she was transitioned from a female goddess into a male demon.
Astaroth the male demon, also known as Ashtaroth, Astarot, and Asteroth is the ‘chaos god’ of time and space and a crowned prince of Jinnestan. Astaroth is a fallen angel that feels he has been unfairly judged by God and believes that there will come a time when he is restored to his rightful place in heaven; as one of the angels he is believed to have been fairly high ranking as one of the Seraphimor or a Prince of Thrones. Where the goddess was always a creature of beauty, Astaroth the demon is often seen as a hideous multi-breasted angel righting a dragon and holding a viper. He is believed to command 40 legions of demons and is most powerful between the tenth and eleventh hours of the night. If he is summoned the summoner to take care to stand back before he appears as he gives off a stench that is deadly.
Astaroth as a male demon is first mentioned in the 1458 Hebrew Book of Abrameli and is in other occult grimoires of the same period as well as other Kabbalistic texts in which he is seen as an Archdemon. He can also be found in both The Lesser Key of Solomon and the Psudomonarchia Daemonum as well as the Dictionnaire Infernal. He is believed to have been a part of the possession of the Loudun nuns in 16th century France and is listed among other demons, by name, in the written confession of instigator Father Urbain Grandier.
If you find yourself in conflict with Astaroth then reach out to St. Bartholomew for help. Bartholomew has resisted Astaroth’s temptations and can help others do the same.
Astaroth has had some popularity in pop culture like many others of his kind. He features prominently in the film Doctor Faustus as one of three demons summoned to attack Benvolio and the ‘Star of Astaroth’ is even mentioned in the vintage Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The Astaroth symbol is seen in the film Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made more than 170 different times and is fairly easy to recognize as it features his name in an outer band circling a pentagram with other markings similar to stars. He is even used in a film from as far back as 1920 called The Golem: How He Came Into the World when he is summoned to help animate a golem that causes death and destruction.
Always be cautious when thinking of summoning demons and make sure that you take steps to protect yourself and your family. Never summon them as a joke or on a whim as the consequences can be both deadly and damning.
