5 Of Paramount Plus’s Evil Demonic Sigils Decoded

Evil is best described as a horror procedural within a puzzle box. It stars Katja Herbers plays Kristin, a psychologist who is helping the Catholic Church vet exorcism requests. Mike Colter as a priest in training David, Aasif Mandavi as Ben their technical expert and all-around skeptic, and the always fabulous Michael Emerson as Leland, a fellow psychologist, foe to our trio, and potential evil incarnate. Fans of the show know there is a lot to unpack about the show created by Michelle and Robert King. There are literally hidden puzzle pieces, an ARG game, number and letter codes, and ambiguous moralities that all play out each week. One of Evil’s scariest and most exciting aspects is the demon sigil map that Leland Townsend keeps. The map was seen several times as Season 1 concluded, and we know some of what Leland has planned but very little about the end game he has designed.

The manipulative little man could be just a malignant narcissist that revels in controlling others and living with the mother of all grandiose delusions, or he could be an actual agent of Hell. We don’t know enough yet. That’s one of the best aspects of the show. Everything is shaded grey, and nothing is certain. Even our good guys aren’t as moral as they first present. The demon map is one of the few things that is most decidedly bad. Although the symbols on the map don’t align perfectly with actual demon sigils recognized today, some similarities can’t be a coincidence. Here are 5 things to know about the demon sigils in Evil.

The Demonic Sigils of Evil

There are 60 sigils in Evil presented, but there are 72 Demon Sigils in the Seals and Symbols of the Lesser Key of Solomon. Each sigil in both the fictional and real-world represent one of the known demons. Sigils could be used to summon demons or angels, and they act as their true names. These sigils are found in the Lesser Key of Solomon, the Dictionaire Infernal, and  Pseudomonarchia Daemonum.

Agares

Agares is listed as the second spirit only under Oriens. He controls languages and has the power to grant titles. The larger black and white symbols on the outside of the map make his place of importance obvious. He is commonly depicted riding a crocodile with a hawk on his shoulder.

Orias

Orias is a Great Marquis of Hell. His job is to teach the virtues of planets, stars, and their alignment. His duties extend to detailing how the zodiac affects moods and behaviors. He rules over 30 legions of demons. As manipulative as Leland is, it would be reasonable he would use every controlling device at his disposal to influence and trick others.

Vepar

A strong Great Duke of Hell, he rules over 29 legions of demons. He has the power to create worm-infested sores that kill people in three days and controls water and ships with ammunition. If Leland ever summoned this fella, it would be big trouble for anyone who wrongs Leland as they would have only three days to figure it out but would have to do it with disgusting oozing sores all over their body filled with disgusting worms.

Paimon

The big bad who found his way into Ari Aster’s Hereditary may be one of the 60 sigils Leland worships as well. In the top right-hand corner, a sigil only slightly shown looks like an interpretation of the evil King himself. He is just a spirit and is loyal to Lucifer. When occasionally he forgets this, the angel Chamuel shows up to remind him. This is interesting considering the Archangel Michael is just as terrifying, if not more so, than Kristin’s George, who is actually a pretty mellow dude, all things considered.

There are so many sigils that have yet to be deciphered as well as countless other mysteries we haven’t even touched on yet. Evil Season 2 looks to continue the fantastic world-building that the Kings have started. Who is good and who is evil is a matter of perspective, and even our heroes are capable of horrific things. Find all our Evil coverage here, and be sure to follow this conversation and others on our discord channel.