Lamiae: The Child-Eating Monster

Lamia is a monstrous demoness mentioned in Greek folklore. She was named after a very lethal deity in Babylon and Assyrian lore. This Lamia god is said to be Zeus’ mistress. Lamiae was King Belus of Libya’s beautiful daughter who stole Zeus’ heart. Zeus became so fond of her that he gave her the ability to destroy people by plucking out their eyes and replacing them at her discretion. As a mistress, Lamiae had many children for Zeus and this infuriated Zeus’ wife Hera and made her kill all of Lamia’s children.  She went ahead to cast a spell on Lamia to procreate stillborn babies only. Lamia became very furious and this turned her into a monstrous demoness who went all out to kill other people’s children. She joined forces with Empousai a dreaded female demon.

Johann Weyer described lamia as female witches that got into an imaginary or deceptive pact with the devil just to cause evil. They kill and feed on newborns by eating their flesh and drinking their blood. Even in Hebrew lore, the Lamiae are referred to as Lilin.

Lamiae Demonic Pacts

The works of Menghi described the demonic pacts entered into by Lamiae witches. These witches had sex with about 170 demons including Mazziqin, Succubi, Incubi, etc. They also got into covenants of fidelity with the devil. Following the initiation, candidates reverend the devil as though he was their God. The devil, in turn, blessed them with familiar demons like Martinetto, who fondly disguises as a ram to accompany them.

Lamiae Special Abilities

Lamiae as a Child killer

Babies who weren’t baptized were the major prey of these witches. They also became so powerful and could correctly predict the future and convince others to become followers of the Devil. They were responsible for cases of abortions and took lives with their evil eye.

She is a Shapeshifter

She is able to shed off her snakeskin and roam from place to place looking like a flawless beautiful lady in her youthful years. She uses her hourglass body to seduce men and destroy them.

As a Powerful Prophetess:

The spirits of Lamia are able to see future events either through dreams or by shapeshifting into different forms and moving around in search of secrets.

As a Sorceress:

Lamia is a minor sorceress who can perform love spells. She places a veil over a man’s mind such that he has no doubt while being with her.

Lamiae Stench:

This is a common foul-smelling odor associated with Lamia, Aristophanes referenced Lamia’s testicles and the monster scents they have that makes it easy for humans to track them.

Her Children:

According to the Greek Lore, Lamia has survived many years. Her offsprings have deformed lower limbs and are often regarded as Serpents. Their breasts and face are that of beautiful women. In summary, her major characteristics include: being bloodthirsty, unclean, insatiable and stupid. She is associated with damp places and caves.