In
medieval legend
?, an
incubus (plural
incubi; from
Latin incubare, "to lie upon") is a
demon in male form supposed to lie upon sleepers, especially on women in order to have
sexual intercourse with them. There several possible explanations for the incubus legends:
- They form part of the well-attested Medieval preoccupation with sin, especially sexual sins of women.
- Actual rapes of sleeping women were attributed to demons by rapists in order to escape punishment.
- The feeling of smothering while sleeping is known to physicians. The modern term for this common disorder is [sleep hypnosis]?.
During the witchhunts, aledged intercourse with demons or with Satan was one of the purported sins for which women were killed.
See also: succubus.
/Talk?
![[Home]](wikipedia.png)