The Lord of Spirits Podcast: "Monster Manual (Halloween Special)"

Episode Date: October 29, 2021
Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young

Episode Overview

In this Halloween Special, Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen take listeners on a fascinating exploration of "monsters" in the Bible and adjacent traditions, examining figures like Lilith, vampires, werewolves, Lamia, and even unicorns. The episode weaves ancient myth, scriptural exegesis, Orthodox tradition, and folklore from East and West into a lively and sometimes chilling discussion. Throughout, the priests focus on the Orthodox Christian perspective on spiritual reality, the seen and unseen, and how these "monstrous" phenomena are both metaphor and manifestation of deeper truths about spiritual warfare, demonic power, and human transformation for good or ill.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: Monsters in Scripture and Tradition

• The Halloween season generates interest in demons and monsters, which are deeply embedded in both biblical texts and the lived Orthodox tradition ([01:07]-[02:00]).
• Some content may be disturbing for children; parental discretion is advised.

2. Lilith: The Ancient Night Demon

Origins and Etymology

• Lilith is one of humanity's oldest "scary things," with Sumerian (lil), Akkadian (lilitu), and Hebrew (lilit) roots ([04:05]-[06:45]).
• Not related to the Hebrew word for "night" (lilah/layla), though her demonic deeds occur at night.

First Appearance: Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld ([06:45]-[13:17])

• Lilith (as "Kisikililu") squats in the hulupu tree alongside a serpent and the bird Anzu, thwarting the goddess Inanna.
• Gilgamesh drives away the serpent, Lilith, and Anzu, highlighting that not even gods could easily handle these monsters.
  • Quote: "[In pagan mythology], no god…could command anything and it has to obey…only the God of Israel says that." – Fr. Andrew ([13:30])
  • "That's why when Christ comes and starts doing exorcisms, everybody freaks out…he could just tell a demon to split and the demon splits." – Fr. Stephen ([14:34])

Evolution in Near Eastern and Classical Literature ([15:09]-[26:43])

• Lilith evolves into a demonic archetype, associated with seducing/consuming men and poisoning babies.
• Closely related to Lamashtu (Babylon): a donkey-eared demoness, leading to Lilith's title of "donkey rider."
  • "Lamashtu is said to have the ears and teeth of a donkey. Or would be riding on a donkey. And so one of Lilith's titles comes to be the donkey rider. This is going to be important in a minute." – Fr. Stephen ([20:00])
• Greeks assimilate Lilith as Lamia: a woman transformed by Hera into a serpentine, child-eating demon.

Lilith in the Bible: Isaiah 34:14 ([27:00]-[36:39])

• Hebrew: lilit; Greek: onokentauros ("donkey centaur"); Latin: lamia.
• English Bible translations vary wildly:
  • ESV: "night bird"
  • KJV: "screech owl"
  • RSV: "night hag"
  • The Message (honored for accuracy): "night demon Lilith" ([28:10]-[28:49])
• Lilith is among the demons haunting the ruins in the prophetic oracle against Edom.
  • "In the ruins of Edom, there would be a donkey centaur wandering around…this is Lamashtu, the donkey rider." – Fr. Stephen ([31:02])

Lilith’s Christian and Jewish Afterlives ([36:39]-[40:33])

• Jerome calls Lilith one of the Furies, agents of vengeance against the wicked.
• In Rabbinic Judaism, Lilith is feared as a succubus and danger to men who sleep alone. Later legends paint her as Adam's first wife, a jilted female demon, even "the devil's grandmother" ([39:49]-[40:08]).

3. Unicorns: Misunderstood Monsters ([40:33]-[46:57])

• The KJV’s “unicorn” is the Hebrew reem, an aurochs (wild bull), NOT the horsey myth!
• Greek: monokeros ("one horn"), Latin: unicornis; KJV carried this mistake forward.
  • "The word unicorn is the result of biblical translation." – Fr. Stephen ([44:55])
• The bull motif is linked to demonic imagery of wild power, fertility, and chaos—such as Baal and the bulls of Bashan.

4. Ruins as Haunts of Demons ([47:23]-[49:37])

• Ancient belief: the ruins of fallen cities are inhabited by the gods, kings’ spirits, and demons of those places—a motif common to global folklore.

5. Folkloric Monsters: Local Legends & Cross-Cultural Parallels

Call from Alexander in Transylvania ([55:05]-[64:09]):

• Shares tales of the pricolici (werewolf-like), wind spirits causing madness, and Big Tuesday (Marzolia), a demoness who punishes those who work on her day.
• Fr. Stephen links day-demons and air-spirits to pagan cosmology: "There are demons who used to be associated with days of the week in the pagan past…there are aerial spirits…the answer is to trust in Christ and be faithful to him." ([61:10]-[62:42])

6. Monsters, Identity, and Pop Culture

Call from James, North Dakota ([64:57]-[74:33]):

• Observes the shift in media: monsters now portrayed as species or "born that way" (e.g., Harry Potter, X-Men), not as evil acts or choices.
  • Fr. Andrew: "There's a materialism…at the same time, there's a societal desire to interact with the unseen. So that gets psychologized and internalized." ([68:27])
  • Fr. Stephen: "When you tell people what's important about you is how you're different from everyone else…that creates a certain idea of what identity is, where identity…was where you fit, not where you didn’t." ([71:22])

7. Werewolves: Demonic Transformation and Cannibalism ([74:33]-[99:50])

Greco-Roman, Indo-European, and Cross-Cultural Roots

• Etymology: "werewolf" = man-wolf; Greek: lycanthrope.
• Origin story: King Lycaon, through cannibalistic sacrifice, is transformed into a wolf creature as either curse or "dark communion" (Arcadian, Greek myth, Ovid, and St. Augustine).
  • "You would engage, you would do something to become like a wolf…right before they become 'wolves', there's references to eating and drinking human blood." – Fr. Andrew ([94:40])
• The phenomenon is linked to ritual communion with demons seeking power, particularly in warfare or crossing into manhood.

Native American: Wendigo

• The wendigo is a spirit of greed, gluttony, cannibalism, and spiritual possession.
• These stories universally connect monstrous transformation to participation in cannibalism, gluttony, and evil.

8. Vampires, Vrykolakas, and Demonic Corpses ([100:07]-[117:16])

What is a Vampire?

• "A vampire is a demon-possessed corpse." – Fr. Stephen ([100:28])
• Different from werewolves: this is a posthumous possession, especially among those who died in cursed states or excommunicated.

The Vrykolakas: Vampire/Werewolf/Zombie in Orthodox Tradition

• In Greek and Balkan folklore, the vrykolakas straddles types: attacking, predicting the future, sometimes appearing just as an uncorrupted corpse.
• Saints like Kosmas Aitolos and Paisios refer plainly to such phenomena:
  • "It is he who enters into a dead person, causing him to appear living. And we call him a vrykolakas." – St. Kosmas ([105:00])

Orthodox Response: The Nomocanon ([110:49]-[117:16])

• Explicit liturgical instructions are provided for what the community should do if a vrykolakas arises—pray, do exorcisms, and serve liturgies for their soul, NOT burn the corpse.
  • Quote (Read at 111:31):
    • "Those who have burned vrykolakas and were coated in their smoke should not receive communion for at least six years…When this kind of satanic demon is identified…the priests should…serve a divine liturgy…and sprinkle the entire community with holy water…By God’s grace, the demon will flee."
• The response is one of spiritual warfare and repentance, not destruction.

9. Q&A: Bigfoot, Yetis, & More

• Bigfoot/Yeti stories often blur the lines between giants and bestial werewolves but add wisdom or "semi-divine" elements in some traditions ([127:36]-[129:36]).

Why "Wolves"? ([129:50]-[132:11])

• Wolves are archetypal predators, a symbol for bestial savagery and pack violence; their folklore also mirrors human fear of the wild, outcast, and unknown.

10. Demon Possession and Solomon’s Magic Ring ([135:44]-[150:00])

• Antiquity often saw possession as a “positive” supernatural experience. Christianity reinterprets this: possession is always diminishment, not empowerment.
• Testament of Solomon (a non-canonical folk-magical text): Solomon controls demons via a magic ring but loses it through lust, echoing how holiness gives mastery over evil—but sin leads to enslavement ([141:47]-[149:01]).
  • Modern saintly stories echo the inversion: holy people sometimes command demons, not through magic but through their conformity to Christ.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “No God in any ancient pagan mythology even makes the claim to be all powerful…That is something only the God of Israel actually even says about himself.” – Fr. Andrew ([13:30])
• “That's why when Christ comes and starts doing exorcisms, everybody freaks out…he could just tell a demon to split and the demon splits.” – Fr. Stephen ([14:34])
• “The donkey centaur in Isaiah…that’s Lilith, the donkey rider. The Orthodox Study Bible just translated the Greek literally!” – Fr. Stephen ([31:12])
• “When we sin…we are participating in something demonic…everything is on a continuum. When you do good, you are participating in the work God is doing in the world.” – Fr. Stephen ([161:55])
• “We are not called to burn them and to destroy them…we’re called to love [monstrous] people. That’s what Christ says to do with our enemies.” – Fr. Andrew ([158:04])
• “When the demons master you, you become less human and more like a beast…when you become like Christ, you become more human.” – Fr. Stephen ([150:18])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:07] – Introduction and parental advisory
• [04:05] – Lilith: Ancient origins and near eastern demonology
• [13:30] – Christ’s unique authority over demons
• [27:00] – Lilith in scripture and translation oddities
• [40:33] – Unicorns: Translation error and demonic bull imagery
• [47:23] – Ruins as haunts of demons and ancient spirits
• [55:05] – Romanian folklore: live caller shares local legends
• [64:57] – Monsters and modern identity: shift in stories and symbolism
• [74:33] – Werewolves: from Greek myth, Indo-European initiation, to Native American wendigos
• [100:07] – Vampires: demonic corpses and Orthodox responses
• [110:49] – The Nomocanon and liturgical instructions for dealing with vrykolakas
• [127:36] – Bigfoot & yetis: giants or wise beast-men?
• [129:50] – Why wolves? Rooted in predation and archetypal fear
• [133:12] – Demonic incorruptibility as parody of sainthood
• [135:44] – Demon possession, Testament of Solomon, and true spiritual authority

Summary of Takeaways

• Monsters are more than folklore: They represent real spiritual dynamics, either actual demonic presences or metaphors for human openness to evil.
• Translation matters: Many biblical “monsters” arise from translation choices, but behind them are widespread ancient beliefs in haunts, ruins, and untamed places.
• Orthodox tradition is surprisingly practical: From how to handle “vampires” to dealing with daily moral choices, Orthodoxy regards every action as spiritually consequential.
• Monstrosity is a continuum: Human beings become more “monster” or more “saint” by degree, depending on their alignment either with Christ or with demonic disintegration.
• Response to evil is spiritual: The Church’s response to “monsters”—real or figurative—is mercy, prayer, and repentance, not destruction; all are ultimately offered hope in Christ.

For Further Exploration:

• Testament of Solomon (non-canonical)
• Orthodox prayers for the departed and the role of exorcism in community life

Note: All timestamps are approximate and formatted as MM:SS for easy reference.