Adrammelech [Christian Demonology]

Assyrian mythology is very diverse and has seen many demons and angels who have been worshipped by people for many centuries. People have offered them their favorite material for pleasing them.

The Adrammelech is a famous demon present in the Christian demonology who has been mentioned in the famous Book of Kings. He is described as the god of Sepharvaim and is considered a synonym of Magnificent King.

Quick Links

Folklore

Folklore
Folklore

The name of an icon brought into Samaria by the settlers from Sepharvaim. He was adored with customs taking after those of Molech, kids being sung in his honor.

Adrammelech was presumably the male intensity of the sun, and ANAMMELECH, who is referenced with Adrammelech as a friend god, the female intensity of the sun.

The Account of the Bible

The Account of the Bible
The Account of the Bible

2 Kings 17:31 reports: “The Sepharvites consumed their youngsters in the fire as penances to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the lords of Sepharvaim”.

The Sepharvites are given as a people expelled by the Assyrians to Samaria. Adrammelech and the god Anammelech are again apparently suggested in 2 Kings 18:34: “Where are the lords of Hamath and Arpad?

Where are the divine forces of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they safeguarded Samaria from my hand?”. Isaiah 36:19 has a practically indistinguishable entry.

Interpretation

As indicated by A. R. Millard, Saul Olyan, and others, Adrammelech likely speaks to a unique Addîr-meleḵ, “superb ruler” or “the magnificent one is king”. Cognate ʾAddîr-milk, alongside comparable Milk-ʾaddîr and Baʿal-ʾaddîr is recorded in old Semitic sources as an appellation of Baal or a Baal.

Adrammelech is generally perceived as a friend of Anammelech, because of their relationship in 2 Kings 17, the similitude of their names, and the comparability of their love through kid sacrifice.

Before the ID with epigraphic ʾAddîr-milk, different endeavors were made to decipher the starting point of the name Adrammelech.

The reproduced structure Adar-malik was once all around acknowledged as the first Akkadian type of the name. For instance, Eberhard Schrader wrote in 1885:

“Adrammelech means ‘Adar is a prince’. It was pronounced in Assyrian Adar-malik (Assyr. Babylon. Keilinsch., selected proper names no. 33a p. 140). Both Adar and Anu, Anuv (Oannes?) are very frequently mentioned deities of Assyria.

Adar, originally pronounced A-tar, is a word of Akkadian origin and means ‘father of decision’. It resembles Nam-tar (literally ‘decision, destiny, destination’, likewise name of the ‘plague-god’).”

In the Talmud

In the Talmud
In the Talmud

The Talmud instructs (Sanh. 63b) that Adrammelech was a symbol of the Sepharvaim looking like an ass.

This is to be finished up from his name, which is intensified of אדר‎ “to convey” (look at Syriac אדרי‎), and מלך‎ “a lord.”

These rapscallions loved as God a similar creature which worried about their concerns (Sanh. l.c.; see additionally Rashi’s clarification of this entry which deciphers אדר‎ “to recognize,” via “conveying”).

Still another clarification of the name attributes to the god the type of a peacock and gets the name from adar (“eminent”) and Melek (“ruler”); Yer. ‘Stomach muscle.

Must Read: Archangel Uriel: The Angel of Wisdom and Knowledge

Fiction

Fiction
Fiction

An artist’s portrayal of Adrammelech (spelled Adramelech as in Greek) can be found in Robert Silverberg’s short story “Basileus”. He is depicted as “The adversary of God, more noteworthy in desire, cunning, and naughtiness than Satan. A savage more curst—a more profound wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

In Demonology

In Demonology
In Demonology

In the same way as other agnostic divine beings, Adrammelech is viewed as an evil presence in some Judeo-Christian conventions. So he shows up in Milton’s Paradise Lost, where he is a fallen heavenly attendant who, alongside Asmodeus, is vanquished by Uriel and Raphael.

As per Collin de Plancy’s book on demonology, Infernal Dictionary, Adrammelech turned into the President of the Senate of the evil spirits.

He is additionally the Chancellor of Hell and the administrator of Satan’s wardrobe. He is commonly portrayed with a human middle, a donkey’s head, a peacock tail, and the appendages of a donkey or peacock.

Quick Read: How to Recognize Archangel Michael?

Conclusion

The Adrammelech is a very powerful demon present in Christian mythology. This demon has been the major focus in the Book of Kings.

He is the leader and the god of Sepharvaim and has been regarded as one of the magnificent kings the earth and the gods have ever seen. He is also believed to be the one who handles the wardrobe of Satan.