Both of those titles contained hierarchical descriptions of Hell’s many denizens, versions of which de Plancy included in his text. Associated with lust, Asmodeus is presented as a fearsome three-headed monstrosity, though not one above doing the bidding of King Solomon (regarded by the occult tradition as having had a special ability to control demons), who “loaded him with irons and forced him to help build the temple of Jerusalem. Among the spirits presented in de Plancy’s book are well-known evils such as Lucifer and greedy Mammon, but also more obscure devils such as the lower demon Ukobach, who tends to fireworks and oils, and the bellows-bearing fallen angel Xaphan.

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Many of the demonic descriptions in the Dictionnaire Infernal have their roots in earlier demonological texts, such as the 16th century Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, or the 17th century Lesser Key of Solomon. Collin de Plancy did not just convince himself that demons were real, but indeed he developed a wish to control them through language, a desire as fervent as that of his Enlightenment forebears to categorize and define words and ideas in dictionaries and encyclopedias. Not an entirely inappropriate connection, for the Dominican inquisitor Sebastian Michaelis, who classified the demons he encountered as an exorcist at the infamous monastery of Loudun in the seventeenth century, associated Astaroth with the new rationalist philosophies that were just being born in France.

There were several editions of the book; perhaps the most famous is the 1863 edition, which included sixty-nine illustrations by Louis Le Breton depicting the appearances of several of the demons. Written by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy, and illustrated by Louis Le Breton, this classic work was printed in 6 editions, with the final edition of 1863 containing the famous demon images.By the sixth edition of the Dictionnaire Infernal, published in 1863, whether influenced by his conversion or simply thanks to extra resources, de Plancy included illustrations. citation needed] In later years, De Plancy rejected and modified his past works, thoroughly revising his Dictionnaire Infernal to conform with Roman Catholic theology. For example, the book reassures its contemporaries as to the torments of Hell: "To deny that there are sorrows and rewards after death is to deny the existence of God; since God exists, it must be necessarily so.

It was written by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy and first published in 1818[citation needed]. He became an ardent defender of the faith and denounced his previous writings as erroneous and dangerous. It is one of the most comprehensive and influential works on the subject, containing entries on demons, occult phenomena, and superstitions.If there is any consolation to be found, it’s that controlling our demons is possible if we’re able to name them, whether they are of the supernatural or of the rationalist variety — and in either case, a dictionary is what we shall need.