A Succubus is a female demon or supernatural entity in folklore (traced back to Lilith of Genius, who was herself adapted form of a Syrian Wind Goddess) that appears in dreams and takes the form of a woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. The male counterpart is the incubus.
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According to the Kabbalah and the school of Rashba, the original three queens of the demons, Agrat Bat Mahlat, Naamah, Eisheth Zenunim, and all their cohorts give birth to children, except Lilith. According to other legends, the children of Lilith are called Lilin.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Witches' Hammer", written by Heinrich Kramer (Institoris) in 1486, a succubus collects semen from the men she seduces. The incubi or male demons then use the semen to impregnate human females, thus explaining how demons could apparently sire children despite the traditional belief that they were incapable of reproduction. Children so begotten – cambions – were supposed to be those that were born deformed, or more susceptible to supernatural influences. The book does not address why a human female impregnated with the semen of a human male would not produce a regular human offspring, although after transferring the male semen to the Incubi it is believed the semen is altered to match the genetic material of the Succubus and the incubi before being transferred to a human female host. But in some lore the child is born deformed because the conception was unnatural.
Throughout history, succubi have been popular characters in music, literature, film, television, and especially as video game and anime characters. In the manga/anime Rosario + Vampire the character Kurumu Kurono is a succubus. In the game Darkstalkers, Morrigan Aensland and Lilith Aensland are succubi. In the Digimon fiction, there is a character named Lilithmon based on a succubus, which represents the sin of lust.
A succubus also appears in Catherine (video game) where the protagonist experiences night terrors and is seduced by the woman of his dreams, despite having a real life girlfriend. In a season 5 episode 23 of Barney Miller, an irate man believes that he has been frequented by a succubus and an incubus, thus causing his crime.
In the Canadian television series Lost Girl, the main character Bo is a succubus. In The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, the Raith clan of White Court vampires are succubii and incubii who feed on sexual energy. In the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, the three original sisters of the Denali coven (Tanya, Kate, and Irina) were revealed to be the originators of the myth of the succubus, as they would seduce men and drain them of blood following intercourse.
Richelle Mead (author of Vampire Academy) wrote a series about a succubus named Georgina Kincaid. She appears as a human working in a bookstore located in Seattle. Georgina seduces men for their life energy in order to stay alive. One of the characters in the webcomic Pibgorn, Drusilla, is a succubus. In the novel Once... by James Herbert, the main character Thom Kindred is visited by a succubus which leads to a great battle between the two with the help of a pixie elf to reclaim his lost property. In the video game World of Warcraft, the Warlock player class can summon a succubus as a demonic companion, while in the Overlord videogame, the succubus is a relatively common and strong enemy, especially if in group.
In the horror anthology film V/H/S, the segment "Amateur Night" features three friends who run afoul of a succubus-inspired creature.
In the video game series Castlevania, the succubus is a popular enemy, one of the most notable being the succubus in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. There is also an array of cards inspired by the succubus in the card game Cardfight!! Vanguard. The computer role-play game NetHack also features Succubi and Incubi. A succubus also appears in The Secrets Witch Falls by Vitaly Grigorowski. In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, a succubus character named Eriola captures the Eye of Vecna.
Lillith is depicted and referred to in several episodes of the TV series Supernatural. In the movie, Jennifer's Body, a non-virgin girl is mistakenly sacrificed to Satan, resulting in her seducing boys, then feeding on their bodies.
In a season 2 episode 8 of Sleepy Hollow, a succubus has been conjured to collect the life energy needed to raise Moloch.