Belphegor

views updated Jun 11 2018

Belphegor the Septuagint and Vulgate form of the Moabitish ‘Baal-peor’ mentioned in Numbers 25. Machiavelli in his Novella di Belfagor (c.1518) gives the name to a devil sent into the world by Pluto to discover if it is true, as many of those arriving in hell assert, that they have been sent there by their wives, and the name Belphegor is sometimes used generally for a devil or demon.

Belphegor

views updated May 29 2018

Belphegor

The demon of discoveries and ingenious inventions. He was said to appear in the shape of a young woman. The ancient Moabites, who called him Baalphegor, adored him on Mount Phegor. He was believed to bestow riches.