Obyzouth

Female DEMON whose principal acts of evil are to kill newborn infants and cause others to be stillborn. In the Testament of Solomon, Obyzouth appears with disheveled hair and arrogantly refuses to answer ques- tions until King SOLOMON has purified himself by washing his hands and has sat on his throne. The king complies. Obyzouth describes how she travels about every night, visiting women as they give birth, and strangling their newborns. She is successful every night. She also injures eyes, condemns mouths, destroys minds, and makes bodies feel pain. She is thwarted by the archangel Raphael, and admits that she will flee to the “other world” (the realm of demons) if women who are in labor write her name on a piece of parchment. The horrified king has Obyzouth bound by her hair and hung in front of the Temple of Jerusalem, so that everyone who passes through will glorify the God of Israel, who has given Solomon command over the demons.