Demonology is the study of demons or beliefs about demons. They may be human, or nonhuman, separable souls, or discarnate spirits which have never inhabited a body.
An incubus is a demon in male form who, according to mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleeping women in order to engage in sexual activity with them. Its female counterpart is a succubus.
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Because the incubus demon visits it's victim at night, the word "incubus" comes from the Latin word incubowhich literally means "a nightmare induced by such a demon". One study found that as many as will have an experience in their lifetime that may be described similarly to an attack by an incubus demon, though the study characterized the phenomena as a form of sleep paralysis.
The female version of an incubus is a succubus. They are female demons that visit men at night and can become pregnant by them. Some people believe incubus demons and succubus demons are the same entities — possessing the ability to switch between male and female forms.
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Stories of the incubus demon and succubus demon are told in many different cultures around the world:
German folklore: The Alp is a vampire-like creature who visits its victims at night. It wears a cape called a Tarnkappe which is imbued with magical powers.
African folklore: The Popobawa is a shape-shifting evil spirit who stalks victims at night from the shadows. The way to stop a Popobawa from repeatedly attacking you is to tell other people you've been victimized by one.
Chilean folklore: The Trauco is a small, ugly, humanoid creature who attracts and attacks women. These attacks aren't restricted to night time, but the victims often end up pregnant.
Ungarian folklore: The Lidérc is a "Satanic lover". It can have the body of a human, but leaves the footsteps of a horse.
South African folklore: A Tikoloshe is a small, hairy supernatural being who is said to rape women and bite off children's toes while they are sleeping.
Norse folklore: A Mare is a demonic being that sits on a sleeping person's chest and causes them to have nightmares.
Western Christianity: Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas believed in the incubus demon (and, in succubus demons), saying "Still, if some are occasionally begotten from demons, it is not from the seed of such demons, nor from their assumed bodies, but from the seed of men, taken for the purpose; as when the demon assumes first the form of a woman, and afterwards of a man; just so they take the seed of other things for other generating purposes."
Skeptics say that because encounters with incubus demons happen while the victim is asleep (whether or not they wake up during the attack), the incubus demon is actually a product of .
The incubus demon has also been cited as a possible way to explain real rapes or sexual assaults in cultures where women are otherwise unable to talk about it.
Incubus are sometimes said to be able to conceive children. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of .
Questions about the reproductive capabilities of the demons were still present as Thomas Aquinas, ( Italian philosopher and Catholic Priest) argued against the possibility of children being conceived by intercourse with demons: "Still, if some are occasionally begotten from demons, it is not from the seed of such demons, nor from their assumed bodies, but from the seed of men, taken for the purpose; as when the demon assumes first the form of a woman, and afterwards of a man; just so they take the seed of other things for other generating purposes"
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