Agrat bat Mahlat
Demon in Jewish mythology, daughter of Mahlat; sometimes listed among Samael's consorts in later traditions.
Agrat bat Mahlat (also spelled Agrath, Igrat, Iggereth, and other variants) is a demon in Jewish mythology. Her name means “Agrat, daughter of Mahlat.” She is sometimes listed among the consorts of Samael in later Kabbalistic traditions, alongside Lilith and Naamah, though Mahlat is typically her mother, not a co-wife. (The epithet “Eisheth Zenunim,” meaning woman of harlotry, is associated with Lilith but is sometimes treated as a separate demon.)
Agrat appears in three Aramaic incantation bowls (JBA 102, 103, and 104), sometimes alongside lilis and liliths. A separate set of bowls tells a story about Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa encountering a female demon, which shares motifs with a Talmudic account of Agrat but is not based on it.
In the Talmud (Pesachim 112b), Agrat is described as a demon who, along with 180,000 angels of destruction, travels on Tuesday nights and Friday nights. She once met Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa and, after acknowledging his heavenly protection, agreed to his decree that she never pass through inhabited places—except she begged for a small exception, which he granted for Tuesday nights and Friday nights. She later met Abaye and made a similar agreement. The Talmud notes that demons still appear in inhabited areas despite this.
In the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 12:3), Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai cites Psalm 91:5 as protection from “Agrat bat Mahlat and her chariot” and all night-ruling demons.
In Kabbalistic sources (such as Tuv haAretz and Bahya ben Asher on Genesis), Agrat is listed among Samael’s mates. The Zohar mentions her alongside Lilith and Naamah, stating that all three will live until God eradicates the spirit of uncleanness. In another Zohar passage, the “evil beast” of Leviticus is identified as Agrat, and the “sword” as her destructive retinue. The Zohar Chadash notes that Agrat’s chief minion is a demon named Joseph.
In Emeq haMelekh (1648), a demon named Asimon rides on Naamah, who rides on Agrat, who in turn rides on various spirits and midday demons. Nathan Spira (1655) writes that Samael has a concubine in each of his four kingdoms: Lilith rules Damascus, Naamah rules Tyre, Even Maskith rules Malta (formerly Rhodus), and Agrat rules Granata (sometimes identified with the Kingdom of Ishmael).
Rabbi Bahya, commenting on Genesis 4:22, lists Agrat as one of the four mothers of demons, each commanding entire camps of followers.
- Field
- Jewish mythology, demonology
- Known for
- Demon whose powers were curbed by Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa and Abaye; associated with Tuesday and Friday nights; sometimes listed among Samael's consorts in later traditions
- Nationality
- Jewish mythological figure
- Also known as
- Agrath, Igrat(h), Aggereth, Iggereth, Igereth
Lore & Background
Agrat bat Mahlat appears in three Aramaic incantation bowls (JBA 102, JBA 103, JBA 104), sometimes alongside lilis and liliths. A separate bowl titled 'RABBI ḤANINA BEN DOSA' shares motifs with the Talmudic story of Ḥanina ben Dosa encountering a female demon, but the article notes these are separate versions, not based on one another. In the Talmud (Pesachim 112b:15-17), Agrat meets Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa and Abaye, who decree that she should never travel through inhabited places, though she begs for and is left Tuesday nights and Friday nights. The Gemara notes that despite this decree, demons still pass through inhabited areas. A separate Talmudic story (Pesachim 110b) mentions a 'mistress of the sorceresses' who communicated magic secrets to Amemar, but this figure is not identified as Agrat in the original sources.
Reader's Guide
Agrat bat Mahlat holds a significant place in Jewish demonology as a figure who bridges Talmudic, Midrashic, and Kabbalistic traditions. Her appearance in Aramaic incantation bowls demonstrates her early role in folk magic and protection rituals. The Talmudic story of her encounter with Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa and Abaye illustrates the power of Torah study and divine favor to curb demonic forces, while also acknowledging the persistent danger of demons on specific nights. In the Zohar, she is elevated to a cosmic symbol of impurity that will be eradicated only at the end of days. Her inclusion as one of the four wives of Samael in Kabbalistic texts places her within a structured hierarchy of demonic queens, each ruling over different realms or seasons. The legend of her mating with King David to produce Asmodeus, and her role in the School of the RaShBA, further cements her as a complex figure in Jewish esoteric lore. Her legacy endures as a symbol of the dangerous yet containable forces of the night, and her name appears in protective amulets and invocations well into the early modern period.
Did You Know?
- In the Talmud, Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa decreed that Agrat should never travel through inhabited places, but she was allowed Shabbat nights and Tuesday nights.
- According to the Zohar, Agrat will continue to live until the Holy One eradicates the spirit of uncleanness from the world.
- In the School of the RaShBA legend, Agrat mated with King David and bore him a demonic son, Asmodeus.
Name, Lineage, and Place in the Demonic Pantheon
Agrat bat Mahlat—also rendered Agrath, Igrath, Aggereth, Iggereth, or Igereth—is a demon figure in Jewish mythology whose name is a straightforward Hebrew patronymic meaning "Agrat, daughter of Mahlat." She holds a defined position in the demonic hierarchy as one of four wives of Samael, the others being Lilith, Naamah, and Mahlat, a grouping made explicit in late Kabbalistic texts such as Tuv haAretz and Bahya ben Asher's Genesis commentary. Nathan Spira (1655) expands this framework by assigning each concubine a kingdom: Lilith to Damascus, Naamah to Tyre, Even Maskith to Malta (called Rhodus), and Agrat to Granata, which some identify with the Kingdom of Ishmael. Rabbeinu Bahya's commentary on Genesis 4:22 lists Agrat among four women who became mothers of demons, each commanding entire camps of followers and radiating a spiritually negative aura, with each figure dominant during one of the four seasons of the year and all gathering at a mountain called Nishpeh.
Talmudic Confrontations and the Nightly Restriction
The Talmud (Pesachim 112b) preserves two parallel encounters that define Agrat's most famous narrative arc. In the first, she approaches the sage Hanina ben Dosa, acknowledging that had Heaven not issued a warning to "be careful of Hanina and his Torah," she would have endangered him. He counters by decreeing that she must never travel through inhabited places. She pleads for a concession, and he grants her Shabbat nights and Tuesday nights. The second encounter mirrors this almost verbatim with Abaye, who similarly restricts her to uninhabited areas. The Gemara then poses a puzzle: despite these anecdotes, demons are observed passing through inhabited areas. A baraita cited in the same passage explains the practical wisdom behind the injunction not to walk alone on Tuesday or Friday nights: Agrat and 180,000 angels of destruction go out at those times, and while each holds independent permission to destroy, their collective movement makes them far more dangerous. Agrat is also tentatively identified as "the mistress of the sorceresses" who transmitted magical secrets to the sage Amemar.
Kabbalistic and Zoharic Portrayals
Within the Zohar, Agrat appears in multiple passages that deepen her mythological role. In Bereshit 94:355, she is named alongside Lilith and Na'amah as figures who continue to live until the Holy One eradicates the spirit of uncleanness from the world. In Bechukotai 7:26, Rabbi Yose identifies the "evil beast" of Leviticus 26:52 as Agrat herself, while Rabbi Abba interprets the accompanying "sword" as her destructive retinue. The passage frames this in eschatological terms: when Israel is found innocent, the Holy One joins the Assembly of Israel, eliminates the evil beast from the land, and ensures no sword traverses the territory. In Emeq haMelekh (1648), a layered hierarchy is described: a demon named Asimon rides on Naamah, who rides on Agrat, who in turn rides on various spirits and mid-day demons. Zohar Chadash (Noah 56) briefly names Joseph the demon as Agrat's chief minion, a figure who also appears in the Talmud in an ambiguous capacity as either a human demonologist or a demonic teacher.
Manuscript Evidence and Liturgical Memory
Agrat's presence in the historical record spans centuries and media. Three Aramaic incantation bowls—catalogued as JBA 102 (MS 1929/11), JBA 103 (MS 2053/196), and JBA 104 (MS 2053/238)—invoke her name, sometimes alongside lilis and liliths, within protective or exorcistic formulae. A separate set of bowls bearing the title "RABBI HANINA BEN DOSA" contains a historiola about the sage encountering a female demon; while it shares motifs with the Talmudic Agrat story, scholars note it represents an independent version rather than a derivative. In the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 12:3), Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai links the verse "You will not fear the terror of night" (Psalms 91:5) to protection from Agrat and her chariot. A 15th-century manuscript records a petition asking Agrat's help to obtain a succuba, and an 18th-century manuscript (MS Bill Gross, EE.011.039, f. 88a) also references her, attesting to her continued relevance in folk magical practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Agrat bat Mahlat?
Agrat bat Mahlat is a named demon in Jewish mythology whose title literally means "Agrat, daughter of Mahlat." She surfaces in Aramaic incantation bowls and, in later Kabbalistic literature, is occasionally grouped among the consorts of the archon Samael.
What are Agrat bat Mahlat's powers or role?
She is tied to Tuesday and Friday nights and was regarded as potent enough that the rabbinic authorities Ḥanina ben Dosa and Abaye had to actively restrain her influence. In some Kabbalistic lists she sits alongside Lilith and Naamah as one of Samael's consorts, though Mahlat is her mother rather than a co-wife.
Why is Agrat bat Mahlat important to demonology?
She is one of the few individually named female demons in the surviving Aramaic incantation-bowl corpus (bowls JBA 102–104), making her a cornerstone for studying early Jewish apotropaic magic. Her later reappearance in Kabbalistic consort lists also bridges folk magic and esoteric theology.
Is Agrat bat Mahlat the same figure as Lilith?
No—although the two are sometimes named side by side in the same bowls, they are distinct entities. Agrat is defined by her parentage (daughter of Mahlat), while Lilith carries the separate epithet "Eisheth Zenunim" (woman of harlotry) and a different mythological lineage.
More in Individual angels 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced