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Is there such a thing as a succubus or an incubus? What is a succubus? What is an incubus?

From medieval legend, a succubus is a demon that manifests in a female form and has sex with a man in his dreams. The succubus was also thought to kill infants at birth. An incubus is a demon that manifests in male form to have sex with a woman. The incubus was thought to be capable of impregnating women. The word succubus comes from the Latin word meaning "to lie under" and the word incubus comes from the Latin word incubo, or "nightmare." Many times, the presence of a succubus or incubus was used to explain night terrors, sexual dreams, and nightmares or sleep paralysis. Other times, these spirits were blamed for actual attacks on women that occurred during the night. Rapes—especially those resulting in pregnancy, or done by a family member or member of the clergy—could be explained away by saying the woman had been the subject of a demonic attack.

This is not to say that demonic sexual attack is without biblical basis. There is precedent biblically for the existence of the incubus, especially. Before the flood, demons, or the "sons of God" came to human women and impregnated them, resulting in giant, exceedingly strong offspring called Nephilim (Genesis 6:4). These may be the same beings who are referred to in Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4, who "did not stay within their own position of authority," and are being kept in a gloomy dungeon until the last judgment. There is speculation that the Noahic flood was God's way of ridding the earth of these tainted bloodlines. Noah was said to have been "blameless in his generation" (Genesis 6:9). Since we know that no man is sinless (Romans 3), this could be referring to the purity of Noah's bloodline. After the flood, there are still instances of mighty men and / or groups of men who had Nephilim-like qualities, including Og, King of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:11), Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-9), and the Canaanites, who were actually referred to as "Nephilim" (Numbers 13:33). Merlin from the Arthurian legends was said to have been fathered by an incubus. Even modern mythology, science fiction and comics, include stories about the incubus, most notably the character of Peter Quill, or Star Lord, who was the product of a human mother and a demon father—a powerful, otherworldly being of pure light. The existence of a succubus is difficult to prove biblically, but there are many cultures whose folklore reports the reality of the succubus as well.

Christians are warned to stay away from demons and the worship of demons, which is idolatry (Leviticus 17:7). Even the names of these false gods will be forgotten (Zechariah 13:2). Instead of worrying about these beings, or trying to fight them, Christians are to focus on Christ, who has "delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14 NKJV). He provides us everything we need to be protected from spiritual attack (Ephesians 6:10-18).

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