Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’re going to discuss the nine Kings of Hell. We’re going to examine each king one at a time, but before we dive into these nine malignant, maleficent, and malevolent masters, we’re going to start off with a quick preface that speaks to the source on which this video is based, and to the many conceptualizations that define the demonic hierarchy given by various sources over the centuries.

Let’s get into it.

The video is based on ‘The Lesser Key of Solomon’, which is a grimoire on demonology that was put together in the 17th century. Though the author is unknown and the book seems to be based on information already compiled and circulated in previous centuries, it has remained a seminal work of demonology. In ‘The Lesser Key of Solomon, about half the pages are dedicated to codifying 72 demonic entities of Hell’s hierarchy. There is an individual entry for each of the 72 entities in which their rank, appearance, and power is outlined, as well as how to invoke them through summoning and binding. The hierarchy comprises seven tiers: nine kings, 23 Dukes, seven princes, 15 marquises, 14 presidents, 10 earls, and one knight. Some demonic entities occupy more than one rank, which is why the hierarchy in the aggregate features more than 72 entries, the number of demonic entities discussed in the book.

Concerning the number of demonic kings, you may be familiar with a different number, likely seven, and with different demons. This is because there are many, many sources that define the upper echelons of Hell’s hierarchy. For example, in the ‘Treatise on confessions by Evildoers and Witches’, a classification prepared by Peter Binsfels, a German theologian, near the end of the 16th century, there are seven princes, or kings, of hell, each of them associated with one of the seven deadly sins. They are: Lucifer, pride, Mammon, greed, Asmodeus, lust, Leviathan, envy, Beelzebub, gluttony, Satan, wrath, and Belphegor, sloth.

Watch the video for the rest!

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