According to Dictionnaire Infernal Collina de Plancy Adramelech is one of the highest demons in the infernal hierarchy, presiding over the Council of Devils and in charge of the wardrobe of Lucifer himself. It takes the form of a mule or peacock. He was worshiped especially by the inhabitants of the ancient Assyrian city of Sepharvaim, as the sun god, by sacrificing their children.

Adramelech in the Old Testament

The name Adramelech (sometimes also mentioned in the versions Adrammelech, Adramelek or Adar-malik) appears twice in the Old Testament, referring to two different characters. Adramelech is first mentioned as the son of the Assyrian King Sennacherib, whom he and his brother Sarasar were assassinated during a service at the Nizroch Temple in Niviva.

19 Kings 36: 37-XNUMX: “And Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and fled, and returned, and dwelt in Niviva. And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nizroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the edge of the sword, and they fled into the land of Ararat.

It is clear from this that the demon spoken of by de Plancy will certainly not be the son of this king.

Let's look at the second mention of Adramelech in the Old Testament.

The Second Book of the King 17: 31: "The Hebrews did Nibchaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvaimites burned their sons with the fire of Adrammelech and Anamel, the gods of Sepharvaim."

What do we know about Adramelech?

To date, no Hebrew variant of the name Adramelech has been found - scholars and interpreters of the Bible, so they have plenty of room to make assumptions and speculations. Probably the most likely theory is that Adramelech originated in the West Semitic word Addir-Melek, which literally means a breathtaking God, so for the sun god the name is very convenient. There is also a connection between Adramelech and Moloche, namely that they were sacrificed to children who were burned alive.

In the Second Book of Kings, in the nineteenth chapter, we also encounter the name Anamelech, which originated from the Babylonian name for God Anu (m) and the West-Semetian noun melek (king). This naming probably refers to the female counterpart of Adramelech: the goddess Anat.

What do we know about Sepharvai and his deities?

Not much information has been preserved about the ancient city of Sefarvaim and the deities worshiped by its inhabitants. However, archaeologists, theologians, and scholars still have many theories as to where this city might be located:

• Phenicia: Adramelech's connection with the worshiped deities there
• Syria: resemblance to another ancient city of Sibraim
• Babylon Sippar: the sun god Shamas was worshiped here
• Chaldean territory

Adramelech in Lost Paradise                        

Adramelech is also briefly mentioned in Milton's Paradise Lost, when he is banished from heaven by the archangels Uriel and Raphael:

"The same valiantness on the two wings of the army is the infamous assassins, the giant giants in the diamond armor, the valley of Uriel and Rafael, this Adramelech, and the second Asmode, the mighty two princes."

Adramelles in Solomon's Key

The French occultist Eliphas Levi was included in his work Philosophie Occulte the part of Solomon's key in which Adramelech is described in connection with the Kabbalistic expression Sefirot (vessel), which is associated with the Feast, one of the two dualities that affect us the most. Hod semantically coincides with the figure of God.

"The eighth vessel is Hod, eternal order. Her spirits are bene-Elohim, sons of God. Their kingdom is order and inner meaning. Their enemies include Samael and those who deceive (magician, jugger, and so on). Their leader is Adramelech. "

Adramelech as a peacock

Presbyterian clergyman Matthew Henry speaks of Adramelech and his connection to Moloch as follows:

"If we followed Jewish traditions, then Sukkot Benot would be worshiped as a hen or a chicken, Nergal as a rooster, Asima as a goat, Nibchaz as a dog, Tartak as a donkey, Adramelech as a peacock and Anamelech as a pheasant. According to our Christian traditions, we would probably compare Sukkot Benot to Venus, Nergal would represent fire, and Adramelech and his female counterpart Anamelech would be just another variant of Moloch, due to the same type of sacrifice, that is, the burning of children. "

De Plancy would probably agree with this interpretation.