Diablo contains fictional evils so great, they could only be inspired by the real world.
They analyze every tome and moment of seemingly inane babbling.
In doing so, they have come to know that theDiablogames are rich in story and mythology.
At the heart of that mythology are the Great Evils.
Diablos Great Evils are the beings responsible for every dark cloud that hangs over the games grim landscapes.
Some characters worship them, but nearly all fear them.
These are their origins.
Azmodan
InDiablolore, Azmodan is the Lord of Sin and a renowned commander of demonic hordes.
He has personally staged assaults against the angels as well as the mortal realm.
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His mythological influences are tricky to identify with absolute certainty.
Many religious mythologies hold to the idea of each sin having its own lord and representative.
He too commands an army of demons who are notorious for their ability to persuade men to sin.
TheGrimorium Verum(an 18th-century textbook) also names the demon Agaliarept as the grand general of Hells army.
The demon Buer also had multiple legs, but those were the legs of a goat.
Belial
Belial is cheerfully referred to as the Lord of Lies.
He also has a very clear equivalent in real-world mythology.
This was before Satan was given a proper name.
The Bible also alludes to Beliall being a master of lies.
Belials design inDiabloappears to have been influenced by a different source.
In John MiltonsParadise Lost, Milton noted that Beelzebub was second only to Satan in the demon hierarchy.
Andariel
As the only female member ofDiablos seven Evils, Andariel immediately stands out.
She is commonly referred to as the Maiden of Anguish and specializes in destroying her victims emotionally.
Her heritage is tricky to trace to any one historic demon.
Her physical design is certainly reminiscent of theStarCraftcharacter Sarah Kerrigan, who became the Queen of Blades.
Both were scorned by a former master.
Duriel
Duriel is the twin brother of Andariel and the infamous Lord of Pain.
He rules over Hells Realm of Pain and is a master of torture.
You would think that there would be many mythological demons that would fit such a billing.
The truth is not quite so simple.
There have been many demons that inflict pain, but few famous ones that specifically deal in torture.
Of course, it wasDantes Infernothat helped popularize the concept of a circle of Hell devoted to pain.
Similarly, Duriels maggot-like physical build was clearly an influence for the Zerg inStarCraft.
Duriels name is quite noteworthy, historically speaking.
In Hebrew, it means God is my home.
His desire for widespread carnage certainly has few peers.
This makes him quite beloved among his fellow demons.
The origins of Mephistos name are easy enough to identify.
Its also likely thatDiablos developers came to know Sonneillon from his appearances inD&Dcampaigns.
As for the matter of Mephistos other title (Odium), that word means hatred or disgust.
Its also used in the phrase Odium Theologicum, which refers to hatred derived from theological disagreements.
Baal
The Lord of Destruction Baal is oneDiabloEvil whose origins dont require much investigation.
Baal is a name that has appeared throughout history in several cultures.
However, the title was seemingly most often used to reference Hadad, the Mesopotamian god of storms.
Hadad was known to bring destruction through weather on occasion.
At that time, Baal was described as a Prince of Hell and sometimes its ruler.
Indeed, we see that many of the influences behindDiablos Evils have carried that title.
Over time, he was eventually seen as more of a demonic assistant.
Diablo
Ah, yes.
We finally come to the Lord of Terror himself.
You certainly wont have to search too hard to find the origins of the name Diablo.
As you may guess, it comes from the Spanish word for devil.
One clearly Christian reference the Diablo character does make is his famous proclamation, I am Legion.
Tathamet
Tathamets place inDiablolore is a peculiar one.
The first evil is an idea that many cultures have explored.
It is, in fact, usually more of an idea than a physical presence.
Legend states that Tiamat mated with the god of water so that produce the first line of gods.
Much like Tathamet, Tiamats death also created Hell (or some version of it).
Theres also a striking similarity between the legend of Tathamet and that of Angra Mainyu.
Both Anu and the Zoroastrianism god Ahura cleansed themselves of evil and created a being through their efforts.
Angra and Tathamet are both often described as the precursor to many evils and masters of chaos.
Matthew Byrd is a staff writer forDen of Geek.
You canread more of his work hereor find him on Twitter at@SilverTuna014.
