# Abyzou > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Abyzou > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Abyzou.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyzou > Source revision: 1352746317 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Name of a female demon}} In the [myth](/source/myth) and [folklore](/source/folklore) of the [Near East](/source/Near_East) and [Europe](/source/Europe), '''Abyzou''' is the name of a female [demon](/source/demon). Abyzou was blamed for [miscarriage](/source/miscarriage)s and [infant mortality](/source/infant_mortality) and was said to be motivated by [envy](/source/envy), as she herself was infertile. In [Copt](/source/Copt)ic Egypt, she is identified with Alabasandria, and in [Byzantine culture](/source/Byzantine_Empire) with [Gylou](/source/Gello). In various texts surviving from the [syncretic](/source/syncretism) magical practice of antiquity and the [Early Middle Ages](/source/Early_Middle_Ages), she is said to have many or virtually innumerable names.Mary Margaret Fulgum, "Coins Used as Amulets in Late Antiquity", in ''Between Magic and Religion: Interdisciplinary Studies in Ancient Mediterranean Religion and Society'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001), p. 142 Abyzou (also spelled '''Abizou''', '''Obizu''', '''Obizuth''', '''Obyzouth''', '''Byzou''' etc.) is pictured on [amulet](/source/amulet)s with fish- or serpent-like attributes. Her fullest literary depiction is from the [compendium](/source/compendium) of [demonology](/source/demonology) known as the ''[Testament of Solomon](/source/Testament_of_Solomon)'', dated variously by scholars from as early as the 1st century CE to as late as the 4th.A.A. Barb, "Antaura. The Mermaid and the Devil's Grandmother: A Lecture", ''[Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes](/source/Journal_of_the_Warburg_and_Courtauld_Institutes)'' 29 (1966), p. 5; "at least to the 2nd century", Sara Iles Johnston, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=uvtebmqZZDYC&dq=%22to+at+least+the+2nd%22+inauthor:Sarah+inauthor:Iles+inauthor:Johnston&pg=PA122 Religions of the Ancient World]'' (Harvard University Press, 2004), p. 122; "probably dates to the third century", James H. Charlesworth, "[https://books.google.com/books?id=W98sGP3j1GQC&dq=%22Testament+of+Solomon%22&pg=PA935 Jewish Interest in Astrology]", '' Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'' II 20.2 (1987) pp. 935–936 ''et al.'' ==Origins== [A.A. Barb](/source/Alphons_Barb) connected Abyzou and similar female demons to the story of the [primeval sea](/source/chaos_(cosmogony)), [Abzu](/source/Abzu), in [ancient Mesopotamian religion](/source/ancient_Mesopotamian_religion). Barb argued that although the name "Abyzou" appears to be a corrupted form of the Greek {{lang|grc|ἄβυσσος}} {{Transliteration|grc|ábyssos}} {{gloss|abyss}},Based on a popular etymology that saw in the word Greek ''[bythos](/source/bythos)'' ("depth") with an [alpha privative](/source/alpha_privative) to mean "without depth" or "bottomless"; Liddell and Scott, ''[A Greek–English Lexicon](/source/A_Greek%E2%80%93English_Lexicon)'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1843, 1985 printing), p. 4, gives no etymology for ἄβυσσος. The primeval sea was originally an [androgyne](/source/androgyne) or asexual, later dividing into the male Abzu ([fresh water](/source/fresh_water)) and the female [Tiamat](/source/Tiamat) ([seawater](/source/seawater), appearing as the [Tehom](/source/Tehom) in the [Book of Genesis](/source/Book_of_Genesis)). The female demons, among whom [Lilith](/source/Lilith) is the best-known, are often said to have come from the primeval sea. In [ancient Greek religion](/source/ancient_Greek_religion), female sea monsters that combine allure and deadliness may also derive from this tradition, including the [Gorgon](/source/Gorgon)s (who were daughters of the old sea god [Phorcys](/source/Phorcys)), [sirens](/source/Siren_(mythology)), [harpies](/source/harpy), and even water [nymph](/source/nymph)s and [Nereid](/source/Nereid)s.A.A. Barb, "Antaura. The Mermaid and the Devil's Grandmother: A Lecture", ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes'' 29 (1966), p. 6 In the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint), the Greek version of the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible), the word ''Abyssos'' is treated as a [noun](/source/noun) of feminine [grammatical gender](/source/grammatical_gender), even though Greek nouns ending in ''-os'' are typically masculine. ''Abyssos'' is equivalent in meaning to Abzu as the dark chaotic sea before [Creation](/source/Creation_myth). The word also appears in the Christian [New Testament](/source/New_Testament), occurring six times in the [Book of Revelation](/source/Book_of_Revelation), where it is conventionally translated not as "the deep" but as "the bottomless pit" of [Hell](/source/Hell). Barb argues that in essence the Sumerian Abzu is the "grandmother" of the Christian [Devil](/source/Devil).Barb, "Antaura", pp. 10–12. ==In the ''Testament of Solomon''== In the [late antique](/source/late_antique) ''Testament of Solomon'',''Testament of Solomon'' 58–59, translation and introduction by F.C. Conybeare, ''Jewish Quarterly Review'' 11 (1898), p. 30 [https://books.google.com/books?id=dw4ZAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22I+am+called+among+men+Obizuth%22&pg=PA30 online.] Abyzou (as Obizuth) is described as having a "greenish gleaming face with dishevelled serpent-like hair"; the rest of her body is covered by darkness.Barb, "Antaura", p. 9. The speaker ("[King Solomon](/source/King_Solomon)") encounters a series of demons, binds and tortures each in turn, and inquires into their activities; then he metes out punishment or controls them as he sees fit. Put to the test, Abyzou says that she does not sleep, but rather wanders the world looking for women about to give birth; given the opportunity, she will strangle newborns. She claims also to be the source of many other afflictions, including deafness, eye trouble, obstructions of the throat, madness, and bodily pain.Barb, "Antaura", p. 5; for online texts of the ''Testament'', see "Selected bibliography" below. Solomon orders that she be chained by her own hair and hung up in front of the [Temple](/source/Temple_in_Jerusalem) in public view. The writer of the ''Testament'' appears to have been thinking of the ''[gorgoneion](/source/Apotropaic_magic)'', or the icon of the [Medusa](/source/Medusa)'s head, which often adorned [Greek temple](/source/Greek_temple)s and occasionally Jewish [synagogue](/source/synagogue)s in late antiquity. Envy is a theme in the ''Testament'',Fr. George R.A. Aquaro, ''Death by Envy: The Evil Eye and Envy in the Christian Tradition'' (iUniverse, 2004), p. 99 [https://books.google.com/books?id=kO1s6RFN6R4C&dq=Gyllou+OR+Gylou&pg=PA99 online.] and during his interrogation by the king, [Beelzebub](/source/Beelzebub) himself asserts that he inspires envy among humans.''Testament of Solomon'' 27, p. 22 in Conybeare. Among the succession of demons bound and questioned, the [personification](/source/personification) of Envy is described as headless, and motivated by the need to steal another's head: "I grasp in an instant a man's head ... and put it on myself."''Testament of Solomon'' 43–44, p. 26 in Conybeare. As with Envy's [Sisyphean](/source/Sisyphean) efforts to replace his head, Abyzou (Obizuth) cannot rest until she steals a child each night. ==On medical amulets== thumb|Amulet depicting Abyzou whipped by Arlaph On the inscribed healing [amulet](/source/amulet)s of the Near Eastern and [Graeco-Roman](/source/Magic_in_the_Graeco-Roman_world) [magico-medical](/source/magico-medical) tradition, illness or affliction is often [personified](/source/personification) and addressed directly; the practitioner may be instructed to inscribe or chant a phrase that orders the ailment to depart: for example, "Flee, Fever!"For an example of a course of treatment employing a "flee" charm, see article on [Medicina Plinii](/source/Medicina_Plinii). The ailment may also be conceived of as caused by a demon, who must be identified correctly by name and commanded to depart. In this mode, [magico-healing](/source/magico-healing) practice bears comparison to [exorcism](/source/exorcism).Roy Kotansky, "Incantations and Prayers on Inscribed Greek Amulets", in ''Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion'', edited by Christopher A. Faraone and Dirk Obbink (Oxford University Press, 1991), pp. 113–114 and 119; on exorcism of the childbirth demon, {{cite book|last=Vasilakē|first=Maria|title=Images of the Mother of God: Perceptions of the Theotokos in Byzantium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qw9zUeRLJ1QC&pg=PA256|year=2005|publisher=Ashgate Pub.|isbn=978-0-7546-3603-8|page=256}} Abyzou is depicted and named on several early Byzantine [bronze](/source/bronze) amulets. With her hands tied behind her back, she kneels as she is whipped by a standing figure, identified as Solomon or Arlaph, called Afarof in the ''Testament of Solomon'' and identified with the [archangel Raphael](/source/Raphael_(archangel)). On one amulet, the figure is labeled as Arlaph, but an inscription reads "The Seal of Solomon [is] with the bearer; I am Noskam." The reverse inscription is written within an [ouroboros](/source/ouroboros), the symbol of a snake biting its tail to form a circle: "Flee, flee, Abyzou, [from] Sisinios and Sisinnia; the voracious dog dwells here." ([Saint Sisinnios](/source/Gello){{cite book|last=Walter|first=Christopher|title=The Warrior Saints in Byzantine Art and Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BRju9VQdW3QC&pg=PA241|year=2003|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-1-84014-694-3|pages=241–2}} sometimes takes the Solomon role on Christian amulets.) Although Abyzou is regarded mainly as a threat to child-bearing women and to infants, some of the names of those seeking protection from her on extant amulets are masculine.{{cite journal |url-status=dead |first1=Jeffrey |last1=Spier |title=Medieval Byzantine Magical Amulets and Their Tradition |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=56 |date=1993 |pages=37–38 |doi=10.2307/751363 |jstor=751363 |url=http://www.tc.umn.edu/~cmedst/gmap/uploaded/Medieval%20Byzantine%20Magical%20Amulets%20and%20Their%20Tradition.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824055255/http://www.tc.umn.edu/~cmedst/gmap/uploaded/Medieval%20Byzantine%20Magical%20Amulets%20and%20Their%20Tradition.pdf |archive-date=2009-08-24 }} Medieval amulets show a variation on this [iconography](/source/iconography), with Abyzou trampled underfoot by a horseman. The rider is identified again either as Solomon or Arlaph; one example depicts the rider as Sisinnios, with the demon named as both Abizou and Anabardalea, and an angel named Araph (for Arlaph) standing by with one raised wing. The medieval lead amulets that show the rider subduing the female often have a main image that resembles a gorgoneion and is likely a womb symbol (''hystera'').Fulgum, "Coins Used as Amulets in Late Antiquity", p. 142; Spier, "Medieval Byzantine Magical Amulets", pp. 38–40. ==Names== In one magic-related text, the [archangel Michael](/source/Michael_(archangel)) confronts Abyzou and compels her to tell him the 40 names that can control her.Sergio Giannobile and D.R. Jordan, "A Lead [Phylactery](/source/Amulet) from Colle san Basilio ([Sicily](/source/Sicily))", ''Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies'' 46 (2006), p. 80, citing ''Cod.Marc.gr.app.'' II 163 in F. Pradel, ''Griechische und süditalienische Gebete, Beschwörungen und Rezepte des Mittelalters'', ''RGVV'' 3.3 (1907) 23–24 [https://books.google.com/books?id=RhQYAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA275 online] for the relevant passage in Greek. In [magico-religious](/source/magico-religious) practice, the knowledge of the secret name of a deity, divine force, or demon offers power over that entity.The secrecy surrounding the correct names of gods extended to prayer formularies in general and was characteristic of [Ancient Egyptian religion](/source/Ancient_Egyptian_religion), [mystery religions](/source/Mystery_cult), [early Christianity](/source/early_Christianity) and Judaism, and other religions of antiquity. See Matthias Klinghardt, "Prayer Formularies for Public Recitation: Their Use and Function in Ancient Religion", Numen 46 (1999) 1–52, and for an example of dire consequences attending on the revelation of a secret name, see article on [Quintus Valerius Soranus](/source/Quintus_Valerius_Soranus). In the ''Testament of Solomon,'' the demon herself declares that she has ten-thousands of names and forms, and that Raphael is her antithesis. She says that if her name is written on a scrap of [papyrus](/source/papyrus) when a woman is about to give birth, "I shall flee from them to the other world."Barb, "Antaura", p. 5; Spier, "Medieval Byzantine Magical Amulets and Their Tradition", p. 12. Variants on the name of Abyzou appear frequently in charms in languages such as [ancient Greek](/source/ancient_Greek), [Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language), and [Romanian](/source/Romanian_language).Barb, "Antaura", p. 5. ===Gyllou, Gylou, Gello=== {{main|Gello}} The female childbirth demon appears frequently in magical texts under her Babylonian name Gyllou or Gylou. In one Greek tale set in the time of "[Trajan](/source/Trajan) the King", Gyllou under torture reveals her "twelve and a half names": {{blockquote|My first and special name is called Gyllou; the second Amorphous; the third '''Abyzou'''; the fourth Karkhous; the fifth Brianê; the sixth Bardellous; the seventh Aigyptianê; the eighth Barna; the ninth Kharkhanistrea; the tenth Adikia; ...There is a gap in the original text. the twelfth Myia; the half Petomene.Joseph Naveh and Shaul Shaked, ''Amulets and Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity'' (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1985), pp. 114–115.}} In medieval texts, one of Gylou's twelve and a half names is given as Anabardalea, a name also associated with Abyzou.Spier, "Medieval Byzantine Magical Amulets", p. 38. In the form of [Gello](/source/Gello), the demon appears in a fragment from [Sappho](/source/Sappho)'s poetry.[Sappho](/source/Sappho), frg. 178 in ''Poeta Lesbiorum fragmenta'', edited by Edgar Lobel and Denys Page (Oxford 1955), p. 101; Karen Hartnup, ''On the Beliefs of the Greeks: [Leo Allatios](/source/Leo_Allatius) and Popular Orthodoxy'' (Brill, 2004), pp. 35, 85–86, 149–150, limited preview [https://books.google.com/books?id=xnqI8uSeekwC online.] thumb|360px|Fresco unearthed at Bawit. The mounted figure is identified as Sissinios (only "os" remains to be read); the trampled female is Alabasandria. The winged half-serpent is "daughter of Alabasandria".{{citation|last=Perdrizet |first=Paul |title=Negotium Perambulans in Tenebris, études de démonologie gréco-orientale |publisher=Lib. Istra |year=1922 |url=https://archive.org/stream/negotiumperambul00perd#page/14/mode/2up |pages=14, 25–26}} ===Antaura=== Antaura is a female demon who causes [migraine](/source/migraine) headaches. She is known primarily from a 2nd/3rd century silver ''lamella'' (inscribed metal leaf) found at the [Roman](/source/Roman_Empire) military settlement [Carnuntum](/source/Carnuntum) in present-day [Austria](/source/Austria). Antaura, whose name means something like "Contrary Wind", is said to come out of the sea. In the inscription, she is confronted by the [Ephesian Artemis](/source/Temple_of_Artemis), who plays the role assigned to the male figures Solomon, Arlaph, and Sisinnios in Jewish and Christian texts.Barb, "Antaura", especially pp. 2–5; [Georg Luck](/source/Georg_Luck), ''Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds. A Collection of Ancient Texts'' (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1985, 2nd ed. 2006), p. 281 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ROcBMDUXCMoC&dq=Antaura&pg=PA281 online]; Roy Kotansky, "Jesus and the Lady of the Abyss (Mark 2:25–34): ''Hieros gamos'', Cosmogony, and the Elixir of Life", in ''Antiquity and Humanity: Essays on Ancient Religion and Philosophy Presented to Hans Dieter Betz on His 70th Birthday'' (Mohr Siebeck, 2001), p. 100, note 49 [https://books.google.com/books?id=Dl0k7IMJaNMC&dq=Antaura&pg=PA100 online]; Roy Kotansky, "An [Early Christian](/source/Early_Christian) Gold ''lamella'' for Headache", in ''Magic and Ritual in the Ancient World'' (Brill, 2001), pp. 41–42 [https://books.google.com/books?id=xMDHgzjSU_MC&dq=Antaura&pg=PA41 online]; Vivian Nutton, ''Ancient Medicine'' (Routledge, 2004), p. 274 [https://books.google.com/books?id=oShfkIhduowC&dq=Antaura&pg=PA274 online]. Full discussion of this amulet in Roy Kotansky, ''Greek Magical Amulets: The Inscribed Gold, Silver, Copper, and Bronze'' Lamellae: ''Text and Commentary'' (Opladen : Westdeutscher Verlag, 1994), 1.270–300 (nos. 52.93–95), esp. 279, 295–96. ===Alabasandria=== At the [monastery of St. Apollo in Bawit](/source/Bawit), Egypt, a [wall painting](/source/Roman_art) depicts the childbirth demon under the name Alabasandria (or Alabasdria) as she is trampled under the hooves of a horse. The rider wears a belted tunic and trousers in the [Parthian](/source/Parthian_Empire) manner, and an [inscription](/source/epigraphy), now faded, was read at the time of its discovery as Sisinnios. This central image is surrounded by other figures, including a [centaur](/source/centaur), the piercing of the [evil eye](/source/evil_eye), and the demon's daughter, winged and reptile-tailed, identified by an inscription.Christopher Walter, ''The Warrior Saints in Byzantine Art and Tradition'' (Ashgate Publishing, 2003), p. 241 [https://books.google.com/books?id=BRju9VQdW3QC&dq=demon+Gyllou,+OR+Gylou,+OR+Gello,+OR+Gillo&pg=RA1-PA241 online.] ==In popular culture== * In the 2012 horror film ''[The Possession](/source/The_Possession_(2012_film))'', Abyzou is the name of the ''[dybbuk](/source/dybbuk)'' that haunts one of the main characters, Emily "Em" Brenek. * In "The Sisters Mills", an episode of the [Fox](/source/Fox_Broadcasting_Company) fantasy series ''[Sleepy Hollow](/source/Sleepy_Hollow_(TV_series))'', Abyzou is featured as the primary antagonist. Here she is the origin of the myth of the [Tooth Fairy](/source/Tooth_Fairy). * In the 2023 horror film ''[The Offering](/source/The_Offering_(2023_film))'' (also marketed as ''Abyzou''), Abyzou is the main antagonist.{{Cite news |last=Rapold |first=Nicolas |date=2023-01-12 |title='The Offering' Review: A Demon in the Family |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/movies/the-offering-review.html |access-date=2023-01-15 |issn=0362-4331}} * In the 2026 horror film ''[Undertone](/source/Undertone_(film))'', Abyzou becomes the primary focus of the main character, Evy. Abyzou is first introduced in the film when Evy opens her Wikipedia page. ==See also== For similar or related figures, see: * [Al](/source/Al_(folklore)) * [Empusa](/source/Empusa) * [Estries](/source/Estries) * [Lamashtu](/source/Lamashtu) * [Lamia](/source/Lamia_(mythology)) * [Lilin](/source/Lilin) * [Lilith](/source/Lilith) * [Shedim](/source/Shedim) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Selected bibliography== *Barb, A.A. "Antaura. The Mermaid and the Devil's Grandmother: A Lecture". ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes'' 29 (1966) 1–23. *[Conybeare, F.C.](/source/Frederick_Cornwallis_Conybeare) "The Testament of Solomon", translation and introduction. ''Jewish Quarterly Review'' 11 (1898) 1– 46 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ylkpAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Testament+of+Solomon%22&pg=PA1 online], full text available and downloadable. *Fulgum, Mary Margaret. "Coins Used as Amulets in Late Antiquity". In ''Between Magic and Religion'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001), pp. 139–148 limited preview [https://books.google.com/books?id=NBQe3gS_ys0C&dq=%22Coins+Used+as+Amulets+in+Late+Antiquity%22&pg=PA139 online.] *Spier, Jeffrey. "Medieval Byzantine Magical Amulets and Their Tradition". ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes'' 56 (1993) 25–62, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090824055255/http://www.tc.umn.edu/~cmedst/gmap/uploaded/Medieval%20Byzantine%20Magical%20Amulets%20and%20Their%20Tradition.pdf online]. {{Authority control}} Category:Demons in the Old Testament apocrypha Category:Testament of Solomon Category:Infertility Category:Miscarriage Category:Infant mortality Category:Female legendary creatures --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Abyzou](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyzou) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyzou?action=history)). 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