Everything Totally Explained


Ask & we'll explain, totally!
Belial
Totally Explained


  NEW! All the latest news in the worlds of computer gaming, entertainment, the environment,  
finance, health, politics, science, stocks & shares, technology and much, much, more.  


View this entry using RSS

Everything about Belial totally explained

Belial (also Belhor, Baalial, Beliar, Belias, Beliall, Beliel, Bilael; from Hebrew בְּלִיַּ֫עַל Bəliyyáʻal; also named Matanbuchus, Mechembuchus, Meterbuchus in older scripts) is an evil being in Jewish apocrypha, and also a term used to characterize the wicked or worthless.
   The etymology of the word is uncertain but is most commonly translated as "without worth". Some scholars translate it from Hebrew as "worthless" (Beli yo'il), while others translate it as "yokeless" (Beli ol), "may have no rising" (Belial) or "never to rise" (Beli ya'al). Only a few etymologists have assumed it to be a proper name from the start. In the Book of Jubilees, uncircumcised heathens are called "sons of Belial".
   In the Goetia, Belial is said to be very respectful. Belial is also the demon of lies and guilt. As a Prince of Hell, he commands 80 Legions of Demons and is specifically the Prince reigning over the Northern Reaches of Hell. He controls the element of earth and reigns over the Earth demons. The other princes of Hell include Olias, Asmoday, and Vassago.

In Judaism

In the Hebrew Bible the term appears in several places to indicate the wicked or worthless, such as :
  • idolaters (Deut. 13:14)
  • the men of Gibeah (Judg. 19:22, 20:13)
  • the sons of Eli (1 Sam. 2:12), Nabal (1 Sam. 25:17), and Shimei (2 Sam. 20:1). Belial represents the earth element, is the Master of Mankind and the Champion of Humanity, and represents the carnal and base urges of mankind.

    In fiction

    Belial (or a likeness thereof) figures in many works of fiction, both medieval and modern. An early work focusing on Belial was Jacobus de Teramo's Buche Belial (1473). In it, Belial was depicted with a man's body with talons instead of feet, and having a man's head with the horns and ears of a bull and the tusks of a boar. In it, Belial keeps the door of Hell. Belial also figures in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667). There, he's the Fallen Angel responsible for making "atheists" of priests, including the sons of Eli. In Book II of Paradise Lost, Milton depicts Belial as handsome and smooth-tongued, but one who realizes that the war against Heaven is dangerous and hopeless of success. Thus, he counsels sloth and ease. His hope is that if Hell doesn't provoke Heaven further, that the fallen angels may grow accustomed to the pains and fires of the underworld, and live in comfort. Belial doesn't advise seeking forgiveness or pleading for mercy from the heavenly victor.
       More recent adaptations have taken Belial in many ways, sometimes only using the name. The classic 1922 film Nosferatu says that the titular vampire originated from "Belial's seed," implying Belial's hand in the creation of vampires. One of the possessing demons in the later film The Exorcism of Emily Rose claims to be Belial, in this case possessing a small child.
       The role-playing game In Nomine, based around angels and fallen angels, has Belial as Hell's Demon prince of Fire and the enemy of Gabriel, Archangel of Fire, something of a change from other versions of Belial which identify him more with earth of the four classical elements. In Aldous Huxley's Ape and Essence, the post-apocalyptic civilization of Los Angeles worships Belial.
       Novels have done many interpretations of Belial as well. In Philip K. Dick's The Divine Invasion, Belial is The Adversary, whose influence around Earth obfuscates reality and interferes with Yah's powers. Steven Brust's To Reign in Hell features Belial as one of the Firstborn, an angel of the highest order that takes the form of a dragon.
       In the video games Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, Belial appears as one of the games Lucavi and Espers respectively, entitled "Belias the Gigas". In Final Fantasy Tactics, the character Weigraf turns into the Lucavi Belias once he's defeated. However in Final Fantasy XII, the player must collect him in order to progress through the Feywood. In both cases Belial must be defeated as a boss to progress the game.
       The video game Odin Sphere, which is heavily based on Norse mythology, features a dragon named Belial as a boss character that regurgitates the armor of fallen soldiers to harm the player. For most of the game he's enslaved by magicians or elves.
       In the video game Devil May Cry 4, one of the early bosses is "Berial" ('R's are interchangeable for 'L's when translating from Japanese). He appears as a flaming centaur and introduces himself as the "conqueror of the Fire Hell."
       It isn't uncommon to use variants of the name as well; one example might be Be'lal in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series. In it, Be'lal is a member of the thirteen Forsaken, a rough analogue to demons in the world of the novels.
       Belial was also in the manga and anime Angel Sanctuary as the Mad Hatter, a fallen angel and one of the Satans. She was in love with Lucifer and because of such, she'd taken drugs to change her gender. (She once was male, thus fitting into the demon of confusion). She is also called a butterfly.
       In the anime Kaze no Stigma (Stigma of the Wind) during the last episode the Character Lapis is trying to summon Belial, she says that she's attempting to become "human" through others' pain.

    Further Information

    Get more info on 'Belial'.


    External Link Exchanges

    Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

      <a href="http://belial.totallyexplained.com">Belial Totally Explained</a>

    Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
       As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.



Copyright © 2007-8 totallyexplained.com | Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License | Site Map
This article contains text from the Wikipedia article Belial (History) and is released under the GFDL | RSS Version