IncubusThe Incubus and succubus (plural: incubi and succubi) are demons in the form of male and female humans (respectively) who lie upon sleepers in order to have sexual intercourse with them. They do this to produce incubus/succubus offspring. These half human children are called 'cambion'. Repeated attacks by Incubi and succubi apparently result in extreme fatigue, illness and eventually even death. But are these really supernatural attacks, or do they have a more 'down-to-earth' scientific cause?

There are many sources in medieval history which mention these demons and religious authorities were preoccupied with saving the souls of the unfortunate victims plagued by these entities. Some thought that both incubus and succubus were the same demon, having the ability to change from one gender to the other, according to whether it wanted to rape a man or a woman. The first mention of what seems to be incubus and succubus was in Mesopotamia around 2400 BC, where a male demon called Lilu seduced women, while it's female counterpart, Lilitu appeared in men's erotic dreams. Merlin, the wizard from the King Arthur legend, is said to be a product of an incubus attack.

To overcome an attack by one of these demons  the church recommended making the 'sign of the cross' or reciting a prayer such as the 'Hail Mary', and in extreme cases an exorcism might have to be performed.

The incubus and succubus is sometimes linked to what is termed an 'old hag' episode - apparently waking from sleep with a feeling of a crushing down on one's chest (often with an accompanying sense of evil) and not being able to move to save oneself. Modern skeptics believe these so called 'demon attacks' may just be a form of hypnogoggia.  When a person sleeps, their body is induced into a type of paralysis which is meant to keep the body safe while unconscious.  However, during a hypnogoggia episode, this mechanism becomes faulty and the person is lucid while the body is still paralysed, resulting in the crushing feeling and immobility. Many sufferers dismiss this explanation though, as they feel the episode seems all too real. Whatever the truth, it seems 'incubus' and 'succubus' will continue to terrorize people for years to come.

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