10 Of The Most Terrifying Demonic Representations

It doesn’t matter whether you are religious or not (or even slightly religious), demons and other similar evil creatures have always terrified us, via religious texts (for those who are religious), in mythology, films, TV shows and books. Many of the most terrifying horror films of all time have featured demons as the central antagonists, and it is largely these types of demons that have lived on in our imaginations. Maybe during the day, when we are goofing off with friends, the thought of demons don’t even lightly scare us. But it’s when we are alone, and specifically at night, that we start to get shivers sent down our spine at the mere thought of them.

The reality is that no matter how well made these movies are, or how well written books are, they will never come close to the demons that inhabit religious texts and mythology. When people do think of demons in terms of religion and mythology, we tend to think of the demons from the Bible and of Christian theology. There is no doubt that some of the most terrifying demons that we will look at on this list, do come from the Christian and Judaic religions. But there are many other demons from other mythologies across the world, that are almost, if not equally, as terrifying as the demons of Christian theology. As we shall see, many different cultures and mythologies have demons that are terrifying in their own right. That said, here are the top ten most terrifying demons that will cause you to pee your pants.

10. Agares

Agares is a demon from the Christian theology, and is believed to be the demon that controls the earthquakes. He also influences people to swear and slur other people (so if you’ve sworn just recently, you never know…). But the most terrifying thing about Agares is the power that he has, with over thirty legions of demons under his command and control of the entire eastern side of hell. His physical appearance is either laughable or terrifying, depending on the way you look at it: he is usually depicted as an old man riding a crocodile.

9. Dullahan

Dullahan originates from the Irish theology, and has found exposure through video games. He is depicted as being a headless figure, riding a black horse that has red eyes, with a head in his arm (either his or someone else’s, we are not entirely sure). We do know that whenever he stops riding his horse, another person dies.

8. Djinn

Djinn aren’t known as demons by most people, but are rather known as genies.  Nonetheless, they are scary in their own right and can either be good or evil…so the evil ones are commonly placed in the same category of demons. The scariest aspect of the djinn is that they are given the choice to begin with, to be good or evil…but they live in a world that runs parallel to our own world, and they can transport themselves between the two worlds at will. In terms of physical appearance, the bodies of Djinn are made out of smoke.

7. Abyzou

Abyzou is another demon that originates from the Judeo-Christian theology. A female demon, she is said to terrorize pregnant women by giving them miscarriages or killing their infants after they are born. The physical appearance of Abyzou is very difficult to describe, but she has been depicted as being part snake and part fish.

6. Raiju

Raiju is a demon that originates from Japanese mythology. He comes in the physical form of many different creatures, having been depicted as a small cat, to a monkey, to a big, blue wolf. But his trademark is that he is always accompanied by fire and lightning, and is said to be the cause of much of the lightning storms in the world as well. He is said to leap between the trees and buildings at night and then watch people in their beds as they sleep, sometimes even turning into a very tiny creature to sleep right next to people, without being noticed.

5. Ala

Originating from Slovic mythology, Ala is actually a class of demons, rather than a specific one. Nonetheless, this is not what makes them unique. What makes them unique is that they can be persuaded to do either good or evil things, depending entirely on their mood.  They commonly like to cause bad weather that damages homes, property and even people. They are also bloodthirsty for little children, and regularly possess people at will. Nonetheless, they also like to be respected, and those who do respect them will be blessed with wealth and long life. Ale commonly come in the form of flying creatures such as ravens, crows or even dragons, and are believed to inhabit large and thick trees in the mountains.

4. Jikininki

Another demon who originates from Japanese mythology, the Jikininki are the spirits of evil people who have since died. They have a strong taste for the corpses of dead people, but unlike most demons, they hate themselves. As a result, they are always utterly disgusted with themselves and with one another. They can also alternate between the physical forms of normal human beings, or of disgusting creatures that cannot be described with words. Allegedly, looking at a Jikininki in their evil form can cause anyone to literally, die of fear. But what’s really creepy about the Jikininki is that, since they have the ability to take the forms of normal human beings, they can appear to be human beings living their everyday lives. So if you’re in a public place, take a look around you…

3. Banshee

The banshee is a demon that originates from Irish mythology. The term banshee has actually become world renowned for referring to a vehicle that can be played in the popular video games, Halo. Nonetheless, many aren’t aware of where the term banshee really originates from. The banshee refers to a female demon that traverses the woodland at night, and lets out a low scream or moan that can be heard for miles. Many people mistake this moan for an animal scream or a dying animal. But what’s creepy about these screams is that they are the pre-warning for the death of someone to come, usually of a woman.  The Banshee also takes the form of being a beautiful woman during the day, but at night, when she lets out her screams, she takes on the form of an old hag.

2. Abaddon

A demon from the Christian tradition, Abaddon is a male demon that features most prominently in the Book of Revelations, the last book in the Bible. In the book, Abaddon is depicted as dragging unbelievers and other sinful people into a bottomless pit, and then torturing the people of the Earth with various plagues. He is referred to as the angel of destruction, and is one of the highest ranking demons in hell. As a result, he has scores of legions of demons at his command. So when the apocalypse rolls around, who knows if Abaddon will be the demon orchestrating the whole thing.

1. Aka Manah

Aka Manah is a very terrifying demon, in that he is the most manipulative out of all of the demons on this list. In other words, he has the ability to use people’s good deeds to actually perform evil. In that regard, not even the fully righteous are free of the temptations of Aka Manah. You might think that you could be doing good deeds right now, only to find that it may have devastating consequences for you and others, that you would never see coming.