Cheryl Adams Richkoff

According to legend, the succubus is a demon that appears as a beautiful woman, and its history dates back thousands of years. Succubi mythology describes them as approaching men in a variety of ways, usually while they’re sleeping, then seducing them in order to take their souls.

However, stories of the succubus are more than distant folklore. A famous haunting involving a succubus – as well as numerous tales documented on the internet – seems to indicate that succubi may still exist. Although succubi encounters can be attributed to overactive imaginations or even medical issues, their historical background and modern sightings remain a source of fascination and mystery.

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• Photo: John Collier / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Lilith Is Said To Be The First Succubus

Lilith appears in various incarnations throughout ancient history as both a fertility goddess and, in some versions of the Bible, Adam’s first wife. After being cast out of the Garden of Eden, Lilith is said to have become a succubus who had the ability to kill men with a single kiss.

The daughters of Lilith and Adam, known as “the Lilin” were also believed to be succubi. In ancient folklore, Jewish mothers feared that their children would be kidnapped or eaten by Lilith and the Lilin.

• Photo: Adrian Farwell / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0

Succubi Were Blamed For Sleep Paralysis

Some experts argue that what humans perceive as an experience with a succubus is actually part of sleep paralysis; the inability to move and the sensation of being touched often go hand in hand.

Because there was no medical knowledge of sleep paralysis in the 15th century, many Europeans believed that the event was something paranormal.

A bishop of the Catholic Church even wrote about the succubus and its male counterpart, incubus, as being a source of sleep paralysis and erotic dreams. He went so far as to claim that a succubus would have intercourse with a man, then transform into an incubus to impregnate a human woman.

• Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

In One Ancient Story, A Succubus Makes A Pope Prosperous

A medieval chronicler recorded a story about a young man who became involved with a succubus, and who later became Pope Sylvester II. According to the story, when this pope was a young student, he was called Gerbert of Aurillac. He fell in love with a beautiful woman, but she rejected him. Gerbert subsequently met a woman named Meridiana, who promised him intimacy, knowledge, and wealth as long as he stayed faithful to her.

Some say that Gerbert’s devotion to Meridiana eventually made him pope, but she subsequently predicted his passing. Afraid of dying without confessing his sins, Gerbert told the story of Meridiana before his impending death. The legend goes on to claim that the tomb of Pope Sylvester II becomes covered in sweat prior to the passing of a pope.

• One Man Claimed A Succubus Broke Through His Bedroom Door

According to an alleged story from a young man named Ethan, a succubus visited him while he slept. In 2012, Ethan arrived home late one night completely exhausted and collapsed into bed.

However, he awoke suddenly as something broke through his bedroom door.

The entity allegedly flew to the wall behind Ethan’s bed and held his limbs down firmly. His ears began to vibrate, even to the point of pain. The young man cried out for help, but the entity only laughed at him in a frightening voice. Suddenly, the entity (which Ethan later determined may have been a succubus) cried out, “Soon!” and let go of the terrified young man.

Heart pounding, Ethan dashed to turn on the lights, but nothing appeared amiss. Ethan said that only his dogs seemed to understand what had happened, as they barked and scratched at his door.

• Photo: Dante Gabriel Rossetti / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

One Man Described Succubi As Masters Of Disguise

Author Nicholas Remy recorded a purportedly true succubus encounter in the 16th century. When a shepherd was tried and convicted for witchcraft, he told the court that he had been seduced by a succubus and that she had corrupted him.

The shepherd went on to say that after his first encounter with the succubus, he had fallen in love with a milkmaid who rejected him. However, the milkmaid soon began making advances on the young man and made him promise to treat her like a god. After he agreed, the supposed milkmaid transformed into the succubus.

• A Man Initially Thought An Alleged Succubus Was An Angel

In 2007, an anonymous internet user shared his purported encounter with a succubus in the midst of a manic episode that kept him awake for three days.

The man claimed that the experience began with the sensation of a gentle touch to his hand. At this point, he was fully conscious but wondered what was going on. He claimed he could not see the succubus but sensed her speaking to him. He also recalled the smell of perfume, and that she changed her appearance several times throughout the six-hour encounter. Although the man first thought he was being visited by an angel, further research convinced him the entity was a succubus.

Rather than fearing the incident, the man said he sought out treatment for his mental health, and that the event had a profound effect on his life.

• The Infamous Smurl Haunting May Have Involved A Succubus

In the mid-1980s, Jack and Janet Smurl claimed that their family was being tormented by demonic and paranormal phenomena inside their Pennsylvania home. The haunting became so severe that demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in to investigate, and the Catholic Church reportedly performed three exorcisms on the home.

At the height of the demonic activity, Jack Smurl reported that he was attacked by a succubus who first appeared as a young woman before turning into an old hag with red eyes and green gums.

• Photo: Francisco de Zurbaran / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

One Man Allegedly Encountered A Succubus In A Monastery

The 19th-century French author J.K. Huysmans alleged that he became the target of a succubus while sleeping in a monastery. Huysman said he was on a pilgrimage of sorts, rejoining Christianity after spending years exploring the paranormal.

As he slept in the monastic cell, Huysmans awoke suddenly and glimpsed a succubus just as she was vanishing. He was convinced it was no dream since, according ot him, the bed he slept in held evidence the demon had been there.

• One Man Claimed A Succubus Took His Soul

A man named William posted online about experiencing a sort of sleep paralysis that he attributed to a succubus. He claimed that at first, being with the succubus felt like being with an angel, but the encounter took a demonic turn.

The succubus reportedly hovered over William and asked if he knew what it was. The succubus then changed into its demonic form, its face turning red and teeth turning into fangs. It laughingly told him that succubi take their victims’ souls and that he would perish within three days. Then it disappeared.

William claimed that he fell into a deep depression after encountering the succubus and wondered if it had indeed taken his soul.

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