Asmodeus
American Heritage Dictionary:
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As·mo·de·us
(ăz'mə-dē'əs, ăs'-) 
n.
A spirit originally viewed as king of the demons in Jewish demonology and later as a mischievous sprite.
n.
A spirit originally viewed as king of the demons in Jewish demonology and later as a mischievous sprite.
[Medieval Latin Asmodaeus, from Mishnaic Hebrew 'ašməday, from Avestan Aēsma-daēva-, spirit of anger : aēšma-, anger + daēva-, spirit, demon.]
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Ancient Persian demon of lust and rage who also appeared in ancient Jewish folklore, where he was believed to cause strife between husband and wife. He is mentioned in the book of Tobit ca. 250 B.C.E., where he attempts to cause trouble between Tobias and his wife, Sarah. Jewish legends claim that Asmodeus was the result of a union between the woman Naamah and a fallen angel. Asmodeus was often represented in magical texts as having three heads—a man, a bull, and a ram, riding a dragon, and carrying a spear. Directions for evoking this demon are contained in the well-known magical textbook The Magus; or, Celestial Intelligencer by Francis Barrett (1801).
Sources:
Barrett, Francis. The Magus. London, 1801. Reprint, New Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1967.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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