From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA night spirit associated with a deceptive sexual encounter.
- In the bookCompare Syphita stricta, a fantastic spirit associated with sleepwalkers, and Somnia, stellar operations during sleep.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 43; facsimile PDF page 371.
Historical definition
Succubus is a nocturnal spirit by which men are deceived into thinking they are coupling with women.
Meaning
The definition describes an experience as deception caused by a spirit. Thinking is important: the sentence attributes the apparent encounter to a mistaken belief, rather than simply describing an ordinary human relationship.
Use in the book
Compare Syphita stricta, a fantastic spirit associated with sleepwalkers, and Somnia, stellar operations during sleep. These entries place nocturnal experiences in different explanatory categories.
Places to read
- SuccubusRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- SomniaDreams explained through stellar operations in the sleeper.
- Syphita strictaA spirit associated with sleepwalking.
In this edition
The description is presented as the dictionary’s account of a spirit. The article does not use it to diagnose the experiences of a modern reader.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 43; facsimile PDF page 371 — Facsimile