Many myths and accounts about demons begin with dreams. The victim is usually haunted by nightmares of being sexually pursued and assaulted by a shadowy figure in their dreams. The dreams can vary from pleasant to horrific, depending on how willing the victim is to copulate with the shadowy figure, who is a demon. There is variance on whether or not the victim has to willingly submit to the demon or if rape is possible. The stronger the demon or the weaker the victim the less likely they will be able to defend themselves against the demon. The demon will use seduction and trickery to try to enter the body of the victim.
Encounters with demons are not strictly confined to dreams, reports also exist of victims describing a trance-like state where they are approached by a demon that enters their body their their mouth, vagina, or anus. Accounts from the middle ages and beyond are pretty clear that demon possession is very similar to a sexual act. The demons enters the victim through a body cavity,. There are also other sexual demon accounts, like a succubus, that doesn't enter the victims body but instead steals life energy and semen through nocturnal emissions, and in some traditions they use these emissions to make demon children that will haunt a victim and after he passes away the demon spawn will haunt his children and taunt them for their share of the family inheritance.
Whether or not a possession victim has to be a virgin varies, but some stories specifically relate to women losing their virginity. Victims of possession are mostly female, although cases of male victims also exist. The most common demon possession victim is a young woman that has recently been married. From reading accounts I get the impression that the demon possessions were a social vehicle that young recently married women used to outlet their displeasure, desires, or emotions about transitioning from childhood into a new role of wife and eventual mother.
Most accounts I've read specify that the demon entered into the woman through the vagina. Some accounts describe the demon entering through the mouth. A few describe the demon entering through a shameful or unmentionable place. And I've seen two that specifically reference entering through the anus. This is just my experience as a casually interested reader, most of what I've read can be found in collections specifically related to demon possessions and there are actually a decent amount available for free reading on Google books, even if the whole book isn't available the "preview" sections for these kind of books tends to be fairly large.
Of accounts of men that have been possessed I've seen they are more likely to have a higher than normal religious literacy; you see more monks, religious scholars, young men studying to become rabbis, and others interested in religion. This may be because being attacked by a demon could serve as a symbol to others in the community of your true rigorousness because demons are constantly attacking you because you are so good. Also it could also be seen as the exact opposite, a lack of rigorousness that make one vulnerable to demon possession.
Who and why somebody gets possessed varies in the literature. As mentioned previously both righteousness and immorality can attract demons. The victim doesn't have to the immoral one that attracted the demon; somebody else in the household or the victims master may be the immoral one. Recent sexual conduct is another factor related to possession. And least popular of methods of attracting a demon is visiting an unholy or demon possessed area.
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| A mediæval illustration of Jesus healing the Gerasene |
The reported symptoms experienced by the possession victim include poor nutrition, vomiting, diarrhea, self mutilation, and psychosis.
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