incubus

thumb|Depiction of incubi, Vincenz Georg Kininger, 1879 An Incubus () is a male demon who is described in various folklore as appearing in the dreams of female humans in order to seduce them. Repeated interactions between an incubus and a woman will lead to sexual activity, a bond forming between them, and ultimately sexual intercourse, as he requires vaginal ejaculation discharge to survive. The establishment and perpetuation of such a relationship enables the production of a hybrid child known as a cambion, but at the expense of the woman, whose mental and physical health will deteriorate rapidly, eventually resulting in her death if the incubus continues courting her for a protracted period.

In modern representations, an incubus is often depicted as a handsome man seducer or charming, rather than as demonic or frightening, to attract people instead of repulsing them. The female counterpart of the incubus is the succubus. Historically, folkloric belief in incubi was motivated by distressing nighttime phenomena, chiefly wet dreams and sleep paralysis.