Demonology:
Demonology of night terrors come from the Medieval legends that demons prayed on humans, mainly at night.
Origin-
Early Christian and Medieval society and cultures attributed dark dreams to demon possession, attack, and other demonic influence. In other cultures, a person suffering through a night terror and exhibiting frightening behaviors was said to be also related to demonic possession.
Demons-
The demons, Incubi and Succubi were said to lay with men and women. The proof of these demons began with nightmares leading to nocturnal emissions for men and unexpected pregnancies for women. Incubus was a male demon who would seek out women to have relations with in their sleep in order to father children. Legends say that a visit from this demon was a terrorizing experience that filled the mind with terror such as modern day 'night terrors'. Succubus was a female version of Incubus, who would seduce men in their sleep. Nightmares along with nocturnal emissions were said to be the result of seduction by this demon.
The Mara-
The Mara was an evil spirit who inflicted sleepers with suffocation. It was also associated with Goblins or Incubus, whom caused nightmares.
The Phobetor-
In Greek Mythology, Phobetor is the god of nightmares and the son of Hypnos (god of sleep). As a nightmare figue, he would walk into dreams and visited the fears of those who truly deserved it. He created fearsome monsters to keep the dream world safe and protect it from invasion.
Now-
Now that we live in the 21st century the theory of nightmares and night terrors being demonic events is not a valid theory based on all of the research that has been done on sleep disorders, etc. However, specific causes of nightmares and night terrors still remain unknown. Researchers continue to explore other cultural beliefs such as demonology, in order to get a better understanding of the cause and effects of sleep conditions.
Origin-
Early Christian and Medieval society and cultures attributed dark dreams to demon possession, attack, and other demonic influence. In other cultures, a person suffering through a night terror and exhibiting frightening behaviors was said to be also related to demonic possession.
Demons-
The demons, Incubi and Succubi were said to lay with men and women. The proof of these demons began with nightmares leading to nocturnal emissions for men and unexpected pregnancies for women. Incubus was a male demon who would seek out women to have relations with in their sleep in order to father children. Legends say that a visit from this demon was a terrorizing experience that filled the mind with terror such as modern day 'night terrors'. Succubus was a female version of Incubus, who would seduce men in their sleep. Nightmares along with nocturnal emissions were said to be the result of seduction by this demon.
The Mara-
The Mara was an evil spirit who inflicted sleepers with suffocation. It was also associated with Goblins or Incubus, whom caused nightmares.
The Phobetor-
In Greek Mythology, Phobetor is the god of nightmares and the son of Hypnos (god of sleep). As a nightmare figue, he would walk into dreams and visited the fears of those who truly deserved it. He created fearsome monsters to keep the dream world safe and protect it from invasion.
Now-
Now that we live in the 21st century the theory of nightmares and night terrors being demonic events is not a valid theory based on all of the research that has been done on sleep disorders, etc. However, specific causes of nightmares and night terrors still remain unknown. Researchers continue to explore other cultural beliefs such as demonology, in order to get a better understanding of the cause and effects of sleep conditions.