For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
Once you read this article, the next time you find your character wrestling against a multitude of any of these demonic beings, you will know what to call them. Who knows? This article may even help you decide which demonic beings, if any, you would like to use in your story.
A demon is an evil spirit. If you turn to Luke 8:30 in your Bible, you will see that the demons themselves named what a group of them is to be called. A legion of demons had possessed a man. When Jesus asked, “What is your name?”, the demons possessing the man replied, “Legion”.
Bombast is defined as padding or pretentious words. Devils are evil spirits, adversaries of God. A bombast of devils would be a group of more than one devil; they would speak as though they knew everything, would make it sound so very important, and make what they offered so tempting. A bombast of devils could so easily deceive your character.
According to Muslim legend, a djinn is a spirit that is capable of assuming human or animal form. This spirit is capable of exerting supernatural influence over people. If these spirits had assumed human form, how would your character know if they had encountered a chimney of djinns?
An ifrit (also known as an efreet, an ifreet, an afrit, or an afreet), is a type of djinn mentioned in the Qur'an. Ifrits are known for their strength, trickery, and cunning. A storm of ifrits led the travelers deeper and deeper into the arid desert and lessened their chances of reaching civilization.
An incubus is a male demon who is believed to have intimate relations with sleeping women. As if being pounced by one of these creatures wouldn't be bad enough, they could come in groups. A group of them is known as a party of incubi.
A kobold is an often mischievous spirit or goblin that haunts houses. It also haunts mines or other underground places. A ruin of kobolds could easily bring ruin to a house or mining operation with their mischievous pranks.
A mandrake is a plant that grows in Europe and North Africa. Its flowers are purple and its fruit is yellow. At one time, it was thought to possess magical powers. Its forked root resembles a human form so strongly that it is said to shriek when pulled from the ground. Because of this, it was considered to be half-demon. Even though this is not technically a demon, it was considered to be demonic. More than one of these magical plants is called an honor of mandrakes.
One who has been taken over by an evil spirit is said to be possessed. Remember Regan in The Exorcist? She was definitely not acting normally. If there is a gathering together of more than one person in the same state she was in, you would have a murmur of the possessed.
A succubus is the female version of an incubus; it is a female demon believed to have intimate relations with sleeping men. More than one of these female demons would be called an opulence of succubi. An opulence of succubi appeared in the movie Dracula.
I am sure you all have heard of the Grim Reaper, a portrayal of death as an old man or skeleton carrying a scythe. He comes to claim souls for the hereafter. More than one of these grim creatures would be called a rustle of reapers. If your character is being chased by a rustle of reapers, he must have succeeded in escaping the reaper many, many times!
