Key Difference – Incubus vs Succubus
Incubus and Succubus are two words between which a difference can be identified. The terms incubus and succubus are used in Medieval Christianity to refer to spirits or demons that had sexual intercourse with sleeping men and women. They used to lie upon sleeping individuals and had sex with them to beget children. Many people remain confused between incubus and succubus because of the fact that both are demon spirits. Despite similarities, there are differences between incubus and succubus that will be highlighted in this article.
What is Incubus?
Incubus is a male demon or spirit that visits sleeping women at night to have sexual intercourse with them. Both incubus and succubus are demonic spirits that pay visits to their victims during nights. Continued sexual relations with demonic spirits can lead to deterioration of health.
What is Succubus?
Succubus is a female spirit and lies upon sleeping males to have sex with them. The terms succubus is not just there in Christianity but also in psychiatry as disturbed women go to psychiatrists to report their violations during their sleep. There are clergymen who say that demons cannot have sex with sleeping women, but there is mention of these creatures in bible and one cannot refute the claims of a woman that she is sexually abused by spirits during her sleep.
Psychologists have sought to explain the phenomenon of incubus and succubus in terms of sexual taboos in religion, especially Christianity. Women can easily pass on the buck of unwanted pregnancy and incest on these demons to escape the wrath of the elders. Whatever the truth, the fact remains that there are people who strongly believe in these mythical creatures.
What is the Difference Between Incubus and Succubus?
Definitions of Incubus and Succubus:
Incubus:
Characteristics of Incubus and Succubus:
Bible:
Incubus: Incubus is mentioned in the Bible.
Succubus: Succubus is mentioned in the Bible.
Sex:
Incubus: Incubus is male.
Succubus: Succubus is female.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Incubus” by Walker, Charles: The encyclopedia of secret knowledge. [S.I.]: Limited Editions, 1995. [Public Domain] via Commons
2. “Куртейль – Амур и Психея” by I, George Shuklin. [CC BY 2.5] via Commons
Johnny O. says
You got the religion thing right, but from my (limited) research, the difference between the two is the position our relationship that the demon held. Incubō as a Latin root means “(to) lie upon”, as in the top. Similarly, succubare means “to lie under” and sub means “below”, so a succubus could be interpreted to be the bottom during sex.