{"id":4763,"date":"2026-04-21T09:29:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T09:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/empusa\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:29:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:29:02","slug":"empusa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/empusa\/","title":{"rendered":"Empusa"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"4763\" class=\"elementor elementor-4763 elementor-840\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Empusa, Demoness of the Greek Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Shape-shifting night demoness in the retinue of Hecate.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Demon \/ demoness: Supernatural being with a mostly harmful or ambivalent effect. Stands between gods and humans, causes illness, temptation or misfortune, and is warded off through conjuration, apotropaia and rituals.\">Demoness<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/greece\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Religion and mythology of ancient Greece from the Mycenaean period to late antiquity.\">Greece<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_empusa-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4764\" alt=\"Empusa - Demons from the Greek tradition, historical-illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_empusa-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_empusa-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_empusa-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_empusa.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Empusa<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Empusa is one of the most distinctive night figures of the Greek <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>: a shape-shifting being that appears to travellers, takes the form of a beautiful woman, and seduces, drains and kills its <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">victims<\/span>. She belongs to the retinue of Hecate and appears especially at crossroads and remote places during the night.<\/p><p>In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BC to 600 AD.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> literature she first appears in Aristophanes, later prominently in Philostratus&#8217; <em>Vita Apollonii<\/em>, where she passes herself off as a charming woman and is unmasked only through the wisdom of Apollonius. Her best-known peculiarity: one leg of bronze, the other like that of a donkey.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Quick Overview: Empusa<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Shape-shifting and night demoness<br>Origin: Retinue of Hecate<br>Texts: Aristophanes, Philostratus, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of events through special actions or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magical<\/span> papyri, Byzantine <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">popular belief<\/span><br>Period: <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">Classical<\/span> era to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Transitional epoch between antiquity and the Middle Ages, roughly the 3rd to 7th century.\" tabindex=\"0\">late antiquity<\/span> and the Byzantine era<br>Distribution: Greco-Roman cultural sphere<br>Defence: Insult (drives her away according to Aristophanes), conjurations, crossroads <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Classification<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Earliest evidence in Aristophanes (5th century BCE, <em>The Frogs<\/em>). The full narrative figure appears in Philostratus (2nd\/3rd century CE). The magical papyri name her in the context of nocturnal conjurations. In Byzantine popular belief she remains present into the Middle Ages.<\/p><p><strong>Mythological classification<\/strong><\/p><p>In Greek <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of a culture's transmitted tales of the gods.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span> Empusa is a demonic being, a servant of Hecate, who seduces and devours wanderers at night. She is a shape-shifter, often with abnormal legs. Empusae are related to the Lamiae, but less interested in blood than in flesh. They embody the danger of the night.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Distribution<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The core region is the Greek world: the mainland, the islands, the coast of Asia Minor. Mentions of Empusa are found especially in Attic comedies (Aristophanes, <em>The Frogs<\/em> 285, 293) and in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Transitional epoch between antiquity and the Middle Ages, roughly the 3rd to 7th century.\" tabindex=\"0\">late-antique<\/span> writings on the cults of Hecate.<\/p><p>In the Roman <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Transitional epoch between antiquity and the Middle Ages, roughly the 3rd to 7th century.\" tabindex=\"0\">late antiquity<\/span> the profile of Empusa partly merges into Lamia and into the Strix complex.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the Sources<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Individual literary references, magical papyri, Byzantine popular literature. No pictorial tradition of its own; the description lives on literary detail, especially on Philostratus&#8217; narrative.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Greek:<\/strong> \u1f1c\u03bc\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b1 (<em>Empousa<\/em>), etymology uncertain. A possible derivation from <em>en-pous<\/em> (&#8220;one-footed&#8221;) on account of her characteristic single donkey leg. Other scholars see a pre-Greek background. Plural: Empusae, Empousai. Related to the Mormolykeiai (figures of terror), the Lamiai and to Hecate as nocturnal leader.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Appearance<\/strong><\/p><p>Basic form: a female figure, often beautiful and seductive. Distinctive feature: one leg of bronze, the other like that of a donkey. Transformations between woman, hound, cow and other animals are described.<\/p><p><strong>Behaviour<\/strong><\/p><p>Empusa confronts travellers, especially those wandering alone, at night at crossroads or in remote places. She presents herself as a travelling companion or lover, then reveals herself as an animal. Her aim is to drain and kill the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity, to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">victim<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>Sphere of effect<\/strong><\/p><p>Night, crossroads, remote paths, meals with strangers. She acts where the protective space of society is absent.<\/p><p><strong>Mythological origin<\/strong><\/p><p>Retinue of Hecate, without a family history of her own. Empusa is not a former goddess like Lamia, but a demonic servant of a night <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> from the very beginning.<\/p><p><strong>Appearance and symbolism<\/strong><\/p><p>Empusa is depicted with a human upper body and abnormal legs, one foot of bronze, the other a donkey&#8217;s hoof. She sometimes wears an animal head or a mask. Fire radiates from her. A sense of anomaly and danger emanates from her. The symbolism of Hecate is associated with her.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Empusa<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Empusa at a glance. The detailed treatment of name, description, defence and parallels can be found in chapters 2, 3, 5 and 6.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cultural Context<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Retinue of Hecate. No divine genealogy, no origin story of her own; Empusa is a pure creature of the night.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Directed At<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Solitary travellers, especially young men. People in foreign places, at crossroads, during nocturnal meals with strangers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Depiction<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A woman, often beautiful; one leg of bronze, one like that of a donkey. She transforms into a hound, a cow, and finally into her &#8220;true&#8221; terrible form.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sphere of Effect<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Seduction, draining, death. Her effect is slow, not a sudden attack but a staged deception.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>According to Aristophanes: insult drives her away. Philostratus: she yields before a spoken truth. The magical papyri name protective formulas with the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The supplicating or conjuring address of a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> of Hecate.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Empusa's Parallels<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Lil\u012btu, Lamia, Strix (Roman), Vrykolakas (Byzantine), incubus\/succubus (medieval Christian), nightmare.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protective Practice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Rituals of defence<\/strong><\/p><p>At crossroads, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> were made to Hecate: flat cakes, eggs, black animals. These <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> were intended both to appease the servants of Hecate, among them Empusa, and to keep them at a distance.<\/p><p><strong>Conjurations<\/strong><\/p><p>The Greek magical papyri contain formulas against nocturnal attackers that invoke Hecate and send her servants back. The structure: <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The supplicating or conjuring address of a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> of the mistress, identification of the threat, command of defence.<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Amulets<\/span> and protective symbols<\/strong><\/p><p>Hekataia, small statues of Hecate at house entrances, also protect against Empusa. The Gorgoneion as an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Warding off evil: of signs and objects intended to keep harmful influences away.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaic<\/span> image. Name amulets in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Transitional epoch between antiquity and the Middle Ages, roughly the 3rd to 7th century.\" tabindex=\"0\">late antiquity<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">Cult<\/span> and veneration<\/strong><\/p><p>Empusa is not venerated, but feared with respect as a servant of Hecate. Nocturnal travellers carried protective amulets. The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of things through particular acts or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magic<\/span> of Hecate could invoke or banish her. In mystery traditions the Empusae are understood as aspects of Hecate&#8217;s power. Calm when passing through her domains.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Empusa, Parallels in Other Cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Mesopotamia:<\/strong> The Akkadian ardat-lil\u00ee shares the profile of the nocturnal-sexual female demoness and forms a typological predecessor; a direct cultural contact cannot be demonstrated.<\/p><p><strong>Rome<\/strong><\/p><p>Strix and Striga take over the function of nocturnal shape-shifting; the <a href=\"\/en\/lamiae\/\">Lamiae<\/a> form the collectivised form of the Lamia-Empusa complex. Lucian of Samosata attests in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Transitional epoch between antiquity and the Middle Ages, roughly the 3rd to 7th century.\" tabindex=\"0\">late antiquity<\/span> to the popular equation of the two terms.<\/p><p><strong>Middle Ages and the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch roughly from the 15th to the 18th century.\" tabindex=\"0\">early modern period<\/span>:<\/strong> In scholastic-<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic study of God and the doctrines of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theological<\/span> writings Empusa merges with the concept of the succubus. In the witch persecutions the one-legged element (the donkey&#8217;s or goat&#8217;s foot) becomes the standard marker of a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Christian-medieval tradition, a formal contract between a human and a demon, often signed in blood.\" tabindex=\"0\">pact<\/span> with the devil.<\/p><p><strong>Modern reception<\/strong><\/p><p>Charles Kingsley uses Empusa as a character in <em>Hypatia<\/em> (1853). In modern fantasy and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> reception (for example in Rick Riordan&#8217;s Percy Jackson series) she appears as a companion of Hecate and a shape-shifting seductress. In psychoanalytic literature (Robert Graves) she is read as an archetype of nocturnal, threatening femininity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp6a5a612 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp6a5a612\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp00eb0b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp00eb0b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Appearance in the Comedies of Aristophanes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp097f7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp097f7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp98c1db7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp98c1db7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The earliest detailed literary trace of Empusa is found in the Attic comedy of the 5th century before the common era.<\/p><p>In Aristophanes&#8217; play <em>The Frogs<\/em> (performed in 405 BCE), the god Dionysus, on his way to the underworld, encounters an Empusa who transforms rapidly: first a cow, then a mule, then a beautiful woman, then a dog.<\/p><p>The slave Xanthias additionally describes her with one leg of bronze and a second of donkey dung. The scene is conceived as a moment of terror that is at the same time broken comically, for Dionysus falls into a panic while Xanthias comments on the apparition half mockingly.<\/p><p>This passage is important for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span> for several reasons. It shows, first, that Empusa must already have been familiar to the Athenian audience as a figure of terror, otherwise the allusion would not have worked.<\/p><p>Second, it documents the core of the image of Empusa: the rapid shape-shifting and the combination of seduction and threat. Third, the location at the entrance to the underworld points to her belonging to the circle of Hecate, the goddess of crossroads and thresholds.<\/p><p>A scholion, that is an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> explanatory note on this passage of Aristophanes, adds that Empusa frightened travellers in lonely places and that she could be driven away by insults, whereupon she fled shrieking.<\/p><p>This detail is telling: Empusa here appears not as an all-powerful force, but as a being that depends on fear and loses its effect through mockery. The comedy thus uses a genuinely widespread popular notion and at the same time makes it the object of laughter.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3732fb6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp3732fb6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe16d753 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpe16d753\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Empusa, Lamia and the Narrative in Philostratus<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe5a86fe e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpe5a86fe\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp00e1d27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp00e1d27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In later <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">antiquity<\/span> the boundaries between Empusa, Lamia and the figures of terror known as <em>mormolykeia<\/em> become blurred. Several authors treat them as related or interchangeable beings, all assigned to the sphere of Hecate and dangerous above all to young men.<\/p><p>The most detailed narrative elaboration is offered by Philostratus in his <em>Life of Apollonius of Tyana<\/em> (Book 4), composed around 220 CE. There the young student Menippus falls in love with a beautiful, wealthy woman whom he wishes to marry.<\/p><p>Apollonius of Tyana sees through the apparition and unmasks her at the wedding feast as an <em>empousa<\/em>, elsewhere in the text also called a <em>lamia<\/em>.<\/p><p>The being confesses that it had wanted to fatten the youth in order to feed on his blood and flesh, because it nourishes itself on beautiful, young bodies. Before the words of Apollonius the seemingly magnificent buildings and servants dissolve into nothing.<\/p><p><span data-nosnippet>This episode later became extraordinarily influential. John Keats took it up in 1820 in his poem <em>Lamia<\/em>, and by this route it helped to shape the romantic and modern notion of the beautiful, dangerous seductress, who is sometimes read as an early vampire figure.<\/span><\/p><p>From the standpoint of religious studies it must be stressed that Philostratus here provides no popular testimony of belief, but a literarily crafted didactic tale: it serves to demonstrate the superhuman perceptiveness of the wise Apollonius. In this text Empusa is a means, not an end.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9303adf e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp9303adf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp4ea35c3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp4ea35c3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Etymology and the Dispute over the Meaning of the Name<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp4b86d37 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp4b86d37\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8c435d0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp8c435d0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The origin of the name <em>Empousa<\/em> has been disputed since <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">antiquity<\/span> and remains to this day not conclusively settled. Even <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> grammarians offered interpretations, but these followed the sound of the word rather than its actual linguistic history.<\/p><p>A widespread <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> explanation linked the name with limping on one foot, that is with the conspicuous feature of the one bronze or one animal leg. This interpretation remains uncertain.<\/p><p>Modern linguistic proposals partly assume a connection to words for foot or movement, partly see a formation that expresses pushing in or intruding. None of these explanations has gained general acceptance.<\/p><p>A further difficulty is that the name may not originally be Greek at all, but could derive from a pre-Greek or foreign substrate, as is suspected for numerous names of lesser figures of terror.<\/p><p>More illuminating than the uncertain root is the use of the word. <em>Empousa<\/em> could in Greek be both a proper name and a generic designation; <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> texts speak of Empusa as of a single figure, yet also know a plural. The same dual nature appears in the related words <em>lamia<\/em> and <em>mormo<\/em>.<\/p><p>From this it may be concluded that we are dealing less with a clearly defined mythological individual than with a category of frightening beings that lived in household upbringing and in the popular imagination.<\/p><p>Scholarship therefore assigns Empusa to the so-called <em>bogey-figures<\/em>, figures of terror used to intimidate children and to make lonely paths unsettling.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp6b0f885 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp6b0f885\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7861cd5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp7861cd5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Empusa as a Bogey for Children and Popular Notion<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp4e7304b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp4e7304b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9847e8f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp9847e8f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Unlike the great gods of the Greek <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">pantheon<\/span>, Empusa was not the object of an organised cult with <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span>, priests or festivals. She belonged to the sphere of household and everyday belief, which has left its mark only in incidental mentions in literary sources.<\/p><p>This state of the sources explains why our knowledge remains fragmentary: what mothers and nurses told their children about Empusa was not systematically recorded.<\/p><p>Nonetheless, a picture can be gained from scattered indications. Empusa belonged to a group of figures grouped together as <em>mormolykeia<\/em>, used to frighten naughty or restless children.<\/p><p>She was counted among the retinue of Hecate and was held to be active at crossroads, thresholds and lonely places, that is precisely at those locations regarded in the Greek imagination as dangerous and permeable to the sphere of the dead. Her appearance favours the midday hour or the night.<\/p><p>Remarkable is the weakness ascribed to her. Several sources stress that Empusa flees when one insults or mocks her. This notion points to an important function of such figures: they made fear manageable by supplying at the same time a remedy.<\/p><p>The child or the traveller was not helplessly delivered up to Empusa, but could break her power through a particular form of conduct.<\/p><p>From the standpoint of religious studies, Empusa thus belongs to the lesser figures of the Greek imaginative world, which served the need to give diffuse fears of darkness, solitude and sexual threat a tangible, combatable form. Comparable functions were fulfilled in other cultures by figures such as the <a href=\"\/en\/lamia\/\">Lamia<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Recommended internal links:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/greece\/\">Greece<\/a> (parent culture page)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/hecate\/\">Hecate<\/a> (mistress of Empusa)<\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/lamia\/\">Lamia<\/a> (structurally related)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/lilu-and-lilitu\/\">Lil\u00fb and Lil\u012btu<\/a> (Mesopotamian parallel)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/night-beings-and-sleep-paralysis\/\">Night beings<\/a> and <a class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/sleep-paralysis\/\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"A state of perception in which consciousness awakens but the body is still paralysed by REM atonia; often accompanied by hallucinations.\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:none\">sleep paralysis<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sources and Literature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p>A selection of central works on Empusa and the nocturnal figures of the Greek tradition:<\/p><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Graf, Fritz: <em>Magic in the Ancient World<\/em>. Cambridge, MA 1997.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Greenfield, Richard P. H.: <em>Traditions of Belief in Late Byzantine Demonology<\/em>. Amsterdam 1988.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Luck, Georg: <em>Arcana Mundi. Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds<\/em>. Baltimore 1985.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\n<p class=\"iwg-bib-more\"><span data-nosnippet>Further standard works in the <a href=\"\/en\/literature\/\">literature index<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-empusa-sec e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgca-empusa-sec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" id=\"iwg-ca-empusa\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-empusa-te iwg-ca-textwrap elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgca-empusa-te\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p class=\"iwg-ca-bridge\">The protective practice described here is a religious-studies classification of historical traditions. iWell Guard ties in with this cultural-historical line of portable protective objects and represents a contemporary form of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/about-iwell-guard-the-protective-pendant-in-detail\/?utm_source=iwell-guard.com&#038;utm_medium=text-link&#038;utm_campaign=schadwesen-tradition\">More about the iWell Guard \u2192<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgkw2-add-empusa e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgkw2-add-empusa\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgkw2-add-empusa-t elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgkw2-add-empusa-t\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the ancient sources Empusa appears as a shifting <em><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which a harmful or ambivalent effect is ascribed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span><\/em> of Hecate, who besets solitary wanderers and especially young men and is described in the comedies of Aristophanes as well as in Philostratus as a formless figure of terror.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Empusa, Demoness of the Greek Tradition Shape-shifting night demoness in the retinue of Hecate. DemonessGreece Table of Contents Empusa Empusa is one of the most distinctive night figures of the Greek tradition: a shape-shifting being that appears to travellers, takes the form of a beautiful woman, and seduces, drains and kills its victims. She belongs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4764,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Empusa","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Empusa: Demon of the Greek Tradition","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Empusa is one of the most distinctive night figures of the Greek tradition: a shape-shifting being that appears to travellers","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81,79,80,88,98,82,83],"class_list":["post-4763","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-child-demons","category-cultures","category-demons","category-greece","category-hell-beings","category-night-beings","category-seduction-demons"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - 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