Part II of
Allen Ginsberg's 1955 poem "
Howl", "Moloch", is about the state of industrial civilization, Moloch is also the name of an industrial,
demonic figure in
Fritz Lang's Metropolis, a film that Ginsberg credits with influencing "Howl, Part II".[2]
Moloch (Молох) is a 1999 Russian biographical drama film directed by
Alexander Sokurov. It portrays
Adolf Hitler living life in an unassuming manner during an abrupt journey to the
Bavarian Alps.
Moloch, an opera by
Max von Schillings, (premiered December 8, 1906 in Dresden) is about a priest, seeking to teach those oppressed by the Romanas, who becomes frustrated and commits suicide.[3]
Eponymy and other references
Eponym: One who gives, or is supposed to give, his name to a people, place, or institution (OED)
In the dystopian novel The Secret of the League (1907) by
Ernest Bramah, Moloch is the name of a prototype flying-machine that goes off course and is eventually lost.
In
Isaac Asimov's short story "
The Dead Past" (1956), the plot hinges on a historian's obsession with exonerating the Carthaginians of their supposed child sacrifice to Moloch.
In
Wayne Barlowe's novel God's Demon (2007), Moloch appears as an infernal general to the ruling demonic legions, ruling under Beelzebub. His relationship with
Hannibal particularly focuses on his demands for child sacrifice from his followers.
In
Dan Brown's novel The Lost Symbol (2009), the principal villain's backstory reveals that he renamed himself Mal'akh after the angel Moloch in Paradise Lost. The villain also performs a black magic ritual to allow the angel to descend and possess him, as he gains extra powers after the ritual is complete.
In
Ilona Andrews' novella "Blood Heir" (2021), Moloch is the principle antagonist.
In
Patrick Rothfuss' children's book "The Princess and Mr. Wiffle", Moloch is the proposed name for a kitten which is subsequently and symbolically eaten by the Princess.
In the
Slate Star Codex popular post "Meditations on Moloch", Scott Alexander takes inspiration from the Moloch introduced in
Allen Ginsberg's "
Howl", and tags Moloch as the name for abstract, systemic, failures of coordination.[4][5][6]
Comics and anime
Alan Moore's Watchmen features a retired underworld crime boss who once adopted the name
Moloch the Mystic (real name Edgar William Jacobi) and wore the robes of a magician.
Moloch von Zinzer is a supporting character in the webcomic Girl Genius.
The cartoonist
Paul Mavrides depicts a serious/comical Moloch in Anarchy Comics #1, in a piece entitled "Some Straight Talk about ANARCHY".[7]
Also from Marvel, Molek was the name of an Arabic spirit of vengeance in
Jason Aaron's run on Ghost Rider.
In Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san, Moloch is the demon of violence, and is implied to be the strongest demon summoned; however, in all of his incarnations, he is exorcized or killed before he can display any of his power. His appearance is that of a bull plushy.
In "The Chapel of Moloch",
Hellboy travels to
Tavira,
Portugal, to investigate a centuries-old chapel reputedly devoted to the worship of Moloch. In the Hellboy universe, Moloch is also portrayed as a bull-headed creature.
In the popular anime/manga Dragon Ball Super, the main villain of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, named Moro, is depicted as a goat-like, humanoid creature, similar to the Canaanite god Moloch.
Film and TV
In
Giovanni Pastrone's silent epic film Cabiria (1914), substantially based on Flaubert, the heroine is saved from being sacrificed to the idol Molech.[8]
In
Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis (1927), Moloch is a vision of a demonic machine. His face overlays machinery, and the hero, Freder, has a vision of workers being dragged by chains into the fires inside Moloch's mouth.[citation needed][9][10]
Moloch is a character in Stargate SG-1 who demands all female children be burnt alive at birth. He is killed by a missile strike in the episode "Sacrifices", written by Stargate actor
Christopher Judge .
Moloch the Corrupter is the name of a demon in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "
I, Robot... You, Jane" (1997). In this adaptation, Moloch is portrayed as a powerful demon who charms his victims with false promises of power and glory if they devote their love to him.
In the Korean reality game show Agents of Mystery (2024), the evil cult attempts to resurrect Molek in a ritual.
Video games
Moloch is an archdevil in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
In
Total War: Warhammer III the Chaos Dwarfs worship a minor chaos god called Hashut. This god is commonly depicted as a golden bull. Hashut constantly demands slaves and sacrifices in order to be appeased.
^Lives of Victorian political figures: Volume 2, Christine Kinealy, Michael De Nie, Carla King - 2007 "370, L 5: Moloch: in popular mythology, an idol who devours his followers' children".
^In Ginsberg;s annotations for the poem (see especially Howl: Original Draft Facsimile, Transcript & Variant Versions).
^Burbank, Richard (1984). Twentieth Century Music. New York City, USA: Facts on File Publication, New York City, NY. p. 28.
ISBN0-87196-464-3.|
^Foley, Walter.
"ESSAY // Killing Moloch: Early Pandemic Reflections on Sobriety and Transcendence". RQ.
Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020. The rationality blog Slate Star Codex uses the brutal Canaanite god Moloch, depicted in Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl,' as a metaphor for humanity's repeated failure to coordinate toward a better future
^Ord, Toby (2020).
The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
ISBN978-1-5266-0022-6.
OCLC1143365836. A second kind of unrecoverable dystopia is a stable civilization that is desired by few (if any) people. It is easy to see how such an outcome could be dystopian, but not immediately obvious how we could arrive at it, or lock it in, if most (or all) people do not want it... Meditations on Moloch is a powerful exploration of such possibilities...
^Cf. Juan Antonio Ramírez (2004). Architecture for the Screen: A Critical Study of Set Design. p. 115: "The 'Temple of Moloch,' as recreated for Cabiria (1913), an influential Italian 'super' production of the period. The horrific portal to the temple, a gigantic mouth with shark-like fangs, clearly establishes the voracious character of a merciless, pre-Christian god requiring endless human sacrifice." (
online)