Succubus

In medieval European tradition, a female demon who enters into intimate relationships with people. Succubus, from Latin succubare — "to lie under".

For early demonologists, succubi were a kind of dream demons, real beings of the non-human world. In the middle Ages, their reality was not questioned, only the interpretation changed. Now they were either messengers of the devil, or he himself in female form. Later, when it will be noticed that the phenomenon of such mysterious lovers often occurs in a special "borderline" state of consciousness-between sleep and wakefulness.

The idea of the Strangler demon goes back to the image of a nocturnal creature present in the mythology of many peoples, sitting on the chest and causing suffocation and immobilization.

Often outwardly, the succubus is drawn as an ugly witch or demoness, slowly drinking the life forces of her lovers-victims, which is why they are sometimes inaccurately identified with vampires. Or Vice versa: a young attractive woman, however, with clawed feet and, sometimes, webbed wings.

Interestingly, in early reports, the succubus appears to be a desirable creature, not a terrible one. The most interesting of these stories is the legend told by Walter Mapes in De Nugis Curialium (circa 1185) about Pope Sylvester II (C. 950-may 12, 1003). According to this legend, the future Pope once met a girl of amazing beauty named Meridiana, who promised the young man wealth and help if he agreed to be with her. The young man agreed. Every night he spent with a mysterious mistress, while his career took off: the young man became Archbishop of Reims, cardinal, Archbishop Ravenna and finally the Pope.