Editing Solomon (section)

====Solomon and Asmodeus====

One legend concerning [[Asmodeus]] (see: [[s:Translation:The Story of King Solomon and Ashmedai|The Story of King Solomon and Ashmedai]]) goes on to state that Solomon one day asked Asmodeus what could make demons powerful over man, and Asmodeus asked to be freed and given the ring so that he could demonstrate; Solomon agreed but Asmodeus threw the ring into the sea and it was swallowed by a fish. Asmodeus then swallowed the king, stood up fully with one wing touching heaven and the other earth, and spat out Solomon to a distance of 400 miles. The Rabbis claim this was a divine punishment for Solomon's having failed to follow three divine commands, and Solomon was forced to wander from city to city, until he eventually arrived in an [[Ammonites (people)|Ammonite]] city where he was forced to work in the king's kitchens. Solomon gained a chance to prepare a meal for the Ammonite king, which the king found so impressive that the previous cook was sacked and Solomon put in his place; the king's daughter, [[Naamah (wife of Solomon)|Naamah]], subsequently fell in love with Solomon, but the family (thinking Solomon a commoner) disapproved, so the king decided to kill them both by sending them into the desert. Solomon and the king's daughter wandered the desert until they reached a coastal city, where they bought a fish to eat, which just happened to be the one which had swallowed the magic ring. Solomon was then able to regain his throne and expel Asmodeus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Legends_of_the_Jews.4.5.129?with=all&lang=bi|title= Legends of the Jews|website=[[Sefaria]]}}</ref> The element of a ring thrown into the sea and found back in a fish's belly also appeared in [[Herodotus]]' account of [[Polycrates]], the [[tyrant]] of [[Samos]] (c. 538–522 BCE).

In another familiar version of the legend of the Seal of Solomon, Asmodeus disguises himself. In some myths, he's disguised as King Solomon himself. The concealed Asmodeus tells travelers who have ventured up to King Solomon's grand lofty palace that the Seal of Solomon was thrown into the sea. He then convinces them to plunge in and attempt to retrieve it, for if they do they would take the throne as king.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}