Beelzebub

Enlightenment of Esther from the novel The progress of the pilgrim John Bunyan.

Beelzebub (from Hebrew: בַּעַל זְבוּב‎‎ Ba'al Zəḇūḇ, among other variants) is a name derived from a god worshiped in the Philistine city of Ekron, associated with the god Baal of the Canaanite religion. In later times he was considered by Judaism and Christianity as the name of a demon.

In Christian theological sources, Beelzebub is another name for Satan. According to some demonological texts, he is one of the seven princes of hell. The Infernal Dictionary describes him as a being capable of flight, known as the Lord of Flies.

In satanic cults, it is considered one of the main demons that make up the false demonic trinity along with Lucifer and Leviathan.

Etymology

It is believed that the term Baal-Zebub (pronounced in Hebrew Baal Zevuv), meaning Lord of the Flies, originally referred to Ba'al Zebûl, that is, "lord of the house/dwelling/room", modified by the Masoretes as a way of mocking the idol and its worshippers.

Description

Beelzebub in its allegorical forms sometimes takes on a colossal appearance; with a swollen face, crowned with a ribbon of fire, a black and threatening cuckold, hairy and with bat wings.

In Christian literature it was used to designate the Prince of demons, according to the ancient Hebrew custom of representing foreign deities in an evil way.

In the Testament of Solomon (a pseudepigraphic work of uncertain origin), it is said that Belzebub was enslaved by Solomon; and under his command, Solomon disposed of all the demons that Belzebub had at his command to build the temple of Jerusalem.

The English writer and Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1983, William Golding, wrote an allegorical novel about the condition of man. The novel is titled Lord of the Flies (an epithet for Beelzebub). In the novel he is represented by a boar's head stuck on a pike in a forest clearing and courted by thousands of flies that flutter around him as he rots away.

In the biblical story, the devil assumes different names, which correspond to different manifestations of his wickedness and the temptations of sin that he incessantly offers his victims. However originally, in the Judeo-Christian tradition they exist from the demon of money, Mammon, to the one who produces fetid odors, Belial.

In popular culture

Video Games

• Belcebu appears as a leader in the Castlevania Symphony of the Night video game in the alchemy laboratory of the inverted castle. It is depicted as a horribly gigantic zombie of greenish colour, hanging from a chain of stings and surrounded by large flies that produce poisoning in contact. In the beast the description refers to him as "Lord of flies".
• In The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and The Binding of Isaac: Aftherbirth appears as a transformation of the main character by obtaining 3 objects related to flies.
• In Helltaker it appears as the narrator of the game and in a secret end.
• He's a recurring demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.
• He is a playable character in the video game Granblue Fantasy: Versus.
• In Genshin Impact Beelzebul is a bow (god) that rules over the city-state Inazuma under the title of La Shogun Raiden.

Television

• It appears in the second season of the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as one of the three Kings of Hell.
• It appears in the Amazon prime series "Good Omens".
• It appears in the CW series "Legends of Tomorrow".
• It is mentioned in the seventh episode of the fourth season of the Fox/Netflix series "Vis a Vis".

Manga

• In Beelzebub, Belcebub is represented as in the Kaiser character Beelzebub IV.
• In Beelzebub-jou no Okinimesu mama one of the main characters is Beelzebub.
• Beelzebub is one of the 13 representatives of the side of the gods on the Shuumatsu no Valkyrie sleeve.
• In Digimon, Belzemon is a Demon Digimon based in Belzebu and is a member of the 7 Lords Demon.
• In Black Clover, Beelzebub is the demon of Zenon, a member of the dark triad.

Music

• In the opera section of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody song, we talk about Belcebu.
• It is mentioned in numerous songs by Mägo de Oz, as in "Aquelarre", along with Astaroth, Lucifer and other demons.
• It is also mentioned in the song Paraside Lost Delta Heavy.
• In addition, reference is made to Belcebu in the Tripolar song of the Venezuelan singer Canserbero.
• It is also mentioned in the song "Gran vida del Rapero mexicano Alemán".
• In the song of the band Ghost "Year Zero" he quotes several times to Belcebu.
• In addition, reference is made to Belcebu in the song Luz of the Venezuelan singer Lil Supa.
• Dark Polo Gang, refers to Belcebu in the SKU SKU song.
• Belcebu is a reference character in the album The Hidden and the Pleasure by Yung Lucy, an artist of urban music, who is represented as an entity that manifests itself through a television.

Literature

• It appears in the grotesque horror story of Costa Rican writer Ariel F. Cambronero Zumbado, published in the magazine Palabrerías in 2018. Belcebu is one of the seven leading children, specifically coprophilia.