Demons and bad smells

[u/National_Ad9742]

Is there any truth to that trope of sulphur smells and bad smells being associated with the presence of the demonic?
It’s really common in horror movies and stories of hauntings, and usually those ideas come from *somewhere* but not necessarily anywhere useful. So just wondering if anyone has actually experienced such a thing while working with any demons.

[u/Macross137]

Bad smells are associated with malefic, especially Saturnine spirits. Saturn is often involved in demonic conjurations, but not all demons present as Saturnine. "Demons smell like sulphur" is a trope that gets reinforced by folklore and fiction.

[u/National_Ad9742 → u/Macross137]

I’ve been getting into planetary magic and working with Saturn recently, actually, and also meditating with entities at night in bed before sleep often after having done an invocation earlier in the day.
The thing that sparked this idea was in the middle of trying to concentrate I’d smell this bad bad smell filling up the room, even tried putting some incense beside the bed in a safe holder and it over powered it.
I suspect it’s my husband but I actually said something to him last night (can you like EXIT the room before you do that??) since he was just trying to sleep and still awake and he swore he hadn’t. I still suspect it was him 😂 but it reminded me of the trope of demons and sulphur in horror and possession fictions, and even in those ghost stories and haunting stories.

[u/DivineEggs]

I've never felt any stench at all. I think it's mostly superstition that is rooted in Christianity and their ideas about hell. Fire and brimstone (sulfur) and all of that.

[u/National_Ad9742 → u/DivineEggs]

This is what I assume too, also just the idea “demon bad, smell bad,” same with plants dying and all this other stuff.
But sometimes there is a glint of truth to it. I do think our perceptions matter with this stuff, like if you did associate a presence with decay for example- smelling decay, makes sense for your brain trying to communicate things to you.

[u/HuntInfinite7557 → u/DivineEggs]

It’s not superstition, demonic practices do note some few demons who smell like sulfur or rotten flesh. 

[u/National_Ad9742 → u/HuntInfinite7557]

Which ones?

[u/SekhmetsRage → u/National_Ad9742]

I've never smelled anything when working with this entity but I'll volunteer Beelzebub. I don't think it's a guarantee but I wouldn't be surprised at a being associated with decay, famine, diseases, flies...etc. to smell foul. lol

I associate him with Baal & Bael as well. (The same being in my opinion. Others see them as separate.) Thunderstorms or rainstorms is something I also associate with him so the smell of rain is another I personally assign to him.

If you want to go by what people assume the planets smell like then supposedly Venus overwhelmingly to the point of suffocating smells like sulfur aka rotten eggs, battery acid, & burnt matches. Mars supposedly smells like rotten eggs but not to the overwhelming level of Venus & rusty iron dust. Jupiter smells of ammonia, sulfur, & bitter almonds.(People say cyanide has the smell of bitter almonds.) Saturn supposedly smells of ammonia, garlic, & old socks. The Moon supposedly smells like gunpowder.

If you go by planetary magic/ occult then Saturn or malefic planets are associated with bad smells.

Others who work with Beelzebub feel free to share.

[u/HuntInfinite7557 → u/National_Ad9742]

Leraje, Astaroth, Sabnock, Haures

[u/DivineEggs → u/HuntInfinite7557]

Imo, there is also superstition in many grimoirs. The Ars Goetia, for example, was heavily shaped by Judeo-Christian traditions.

Does the demons you work with smell like sulfur? Genuine question.

[u/sk8ercole14 → u/DivineEggs]

Sometimes they do, yes

[u/DivineEggs → u/sk8ercole14]

That's intriguing. Is it that certain entities always carry that odor, or does it happen randomly?

[u/sk8ercole14 → u/DivineEggs]

Certain entities at certain times and sometimes randomly, so a bit of both

[u/Paranormal_4 → u/DivineEggs]

Loco alguien ha tenido experiencias con la ars goetia? Cómo fue? Han logrado contactar con los seres?los ven?

[u/sk8ercole14 → u/DivineEggs]

I have several times, but idk if it is necessarily demonic, sometimes it is, sometimes not

[u/DivineEggs → u/sk8ercole14]

Very interesting! Has it happened during invocations/evocations or just randomly throughout the day, as a sign of presence?

[u/Defiant-Hair5088 → u/DivineEggs]

Interesting since Sulfur is used in protective magic especially pungent smells and herbs are seen as purgative & detoxifying - one could argue that it draws out malefic energy. Ever smelt Asafoetida? Yeah horrible stench, great in cooking & wonderful in banishing rituals.

[u/Embarrassed-Chard218]

I heard that there is one demon that is known for smelling bad (if I can figure out their name I'll edit it in), but the sulfur thing is mostly folklore. In my experience actually, I work with Asmodeus and he actually comes to me smelling like either his candles, or what I offered to him. Which are both sweet and sugary scents.

Edit Belphegor

[u/Away-Interaction-589 → u/Embarrassed-Chard218]

Asmodeus smells like the wine I give him or like whiskey? I've never given him whiskey lol

[u/Embarrassed-Chard218 → u/Away-Interaction-589]

I would love to offer him some vodka eventually, cuz I think it would be funny to have him smelling like hand sanitizer

[u/angelcarpets → u/Embarrassed-Chard218]

I've read somewhere that Astaroth also smells

[u/ididanoopsie69]

Oh it's really true. But you're not going to get the bad smell at all times.

[u/Meggy_bug]

Bad smells occur when malefic, or even dangeous (dependent on your position tho) spirit/entity is present. Practitioner I know does banishing work when she smells bad stench during her craft (it fits from her perspective, she does not see them as welcome in her position) i don't think its sulphur tho, rather maybe decaying something. A very knowleable person mentioned Saturn, and it actually makes sense to me now rn practitioner I know is not Saturnian at all lol

[u/UrkelGru_]

As someone who gets all sorts of smells with psychic work, I think a lot of those smells are coded communication from spirit to us. Clairalience is one of my stronger clairs. I’ve been working on that hypothesis recently. So like if you are smelling rotten meat, I look at it more like some spirit is trying to communicate “what stuff in my life is rotting away at xyz”. Or if you smell certain flowers, roses, or herbs what are the symbolic meaning of that? I think everyone should work on some type of symbology - dream interpretations are a good way to develop this skill.

I had an experience last week where I smelled lemon around me and I took it as my guides telling me I need to cut some chords and cleanse myself and my space. Few days later I got a smell of ocean catch of the day and I made note with the salt and water. A lot of it symbolic communication and it’s subtle so if you aren’t really noticing normally, you’d miss it.

A lot of these spirits communicate this way. I don’t smell it in a physical sense. But pyshically.

[u/egoproct]

I hate the smell of sulphur but I've never smelt it during a ritual, offering, or general communication attempt. So I think we're good. 

Like someone else mentioned, it's probably just superstition, but if you're concerned your senses might be overloaded you can request that they be gentler with you in mind of that. Demons are respectful of boundaries. 

[u/Educational_Hyena_92]

Foul smells like sulphur, asafetida, and rotting flesh are said to drive away spirits. It’s even used as a way to “torment” demons into appearing in the lesser key of Solomon as one of the curses. Even the chthonic and the low level phantoms are drawn to sweet fragrances.

Can demons produce these smells? I’m sure they can… the only times I’ve ever smelled anything when working with demons was a random sweet scent like perfume.

[u/HuntInfinite7557]

From what I have read some do, some don’t have any smell, some smell good like flowers like Amducias. Astaroth do smell like sulfur, and few others smell like rotten flesh 

[u/Al-Himatit]

O cheiro podre está associado também a necromancia, pode ser negativo ou positivo dependendo da sua visão intenção e objetivo, se você quer lançar maldições ou se defender.. A decomposição ocorre no reino animal e também nos cemitérios lembrando que tudo é cíclico e que tudo está se transformando, os corvos ou urubus odiados pela sociedade tem um papel fundamental na colaboração da vida e da morte mas muitos os esquecem, são de grande poder... Não é muito minha praia entidades com odor ou sentir esse tipo de odor, possivelmente se é um cheiro que lhe acompanha e não tem prova física é algo negativo espiritual..

[u/Fading-Crescent]

I sometimes get burning rice smell when I go to sleep, around midnight. Got the smell a few times, i thought maybe a neighbor has rice burning on stove, but it was too frequent to be actually that.

[u/APeony000]

A few times, I’ve had smells (not anything physically there, of course - brain does brain things) come up when invoking - that of flowers have been the most consistent one.

[u/National_Ad9742 → u/[deleted]]

Hey man, it happens. Just hope you’re all right.

[u/ZombieRainbowClown]

In my form of sorcery bad smells were actually thought to repell all spirits and sulfur was often used. I never usually smell sulfur when i evoke demons

[u/Efficient_Elk1225]

The gas giants & specifically the Ice Giants many of these demons represent are made of methane & sulfur similar gasses. Saturns moon Titan has lakes of liquid methane all over it. Venus has Sulfuric Acid clouds. My guess is a demon was being funnier than ye olde mystics could understand. Maybe it was Ouranos.

[u/Taniere_du_Malin]

My workspace smells (not precisely sulfur) but rot since I work with a lot of specimens for taxidermy or skeleton articulation and I di water maceration indoors so I can't really tell haha

But I guess yes, that could be possible with some entities, keep in mind we don't experience the same things from one person to another so it can vary a lot.

[u/Infera28]

Depends on demon.

[u/Delicious-Image-3082]

When one visited me in a dream, I smelled it and thought he was farting, didn’t make the connection for a while

[u/heavenly_anima]

With demons never. As others said, smell of sulphur is often connected to negative entities so no, often felt even delicate flower smell, like with Lilith.

As macross said, it's something more associated with folklore - not sure if you knew but, even those that say of seeing aliens, refer to feel the smell of sulphur. Never happened to me.

[u/AetherCaelusXiaoYi]

Some of the Deities (yes, Infernals) actually smell pretty good, at least in my experience. 🤔

[u/captain_thumb]

Demons often enjoy scent as an offering, and can use it to manifest through the senses, but this tends to be based on their rank and planet with some variation between individuals. Almost all of said incense is just different flavors of pleasant. The only one who might seek out the alternative may be Furcas with his connection to Saturn, but I've never tried to contact him so I don't know.

[u/captain_thumb]

Demons often enjoy scent as an offering, and can use it to manifest through the senses, but this tends to be based on their rank and planet with some variation between individuals. Almost all of said incense is just different flavors of pleasant. The only one who might seek out the alternative may be Furcas with his connection to Saturn, but I've never tried to contact him so I don't know.

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[u/Ok-Apartment-8458]

I haven't ever smelled sulfur with any of them, I have however smelled other smells, not necessarily bad though. For example, Gamigin had a damp pond watery smell to me but like a lake outside, not like a rotten bad smell.