Wikipedia
In demonology, Balam (also Balaam, Balan) is a great and powerful king (to some authors a duke or a prince) of Hell who commands over forty legions of demons. He gives perfect answers on things past, present, and to come, and can also make men invisible and witty.
Balam is depicted as being three-headed. One head is the head of a bull, the second of a man, and the third of a ram. He has flaming eyes and the tail of a serpent. He carries a hawk on his fist and rides a strong bear. At other times he is represented as a naked man riding a bear.
His name seems to have been taken from Balaam, the Biblical magician.
B'alam, Balam, Balaam, B'ahlam, Bahlam, Bahlum or Bolom are variant spellings which may refer to:
- Asteroid 3749 Balam
- A Mayan language name for " jaguar", see also Jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures
A number of pre-Columbian Maya civilization rulers bore the name B'alam:
- Itzamnaaj B'alam (r. ca. 697), ruler of Dos Pilas (aka "Shield Jaguar")
- Itzamnaaj B'alam I (r. ca. 4thC ?), ruler of Yaxchilan (aka "Shield Jaguar I")
- Itzamnaaj B'alam II (r. 681—742), ruler of Yaxchilan (aka "Shield Jaguar II (the Great)")
- Itzamnaaj B'alam III (r. 769—800?), ruler of Yaxchilan (aka "Shield Jaguar III")
- Kan B'alam I (r. 572—583), ruler of Palenque
- Kaloomte' B'alam (r. ca. 511—527), 19th dynastic ruler of Tikal (aka "Curl Head")
- Kayb'il B'alam (r. early 16thC), Postclassic ruler of the Mam Maya people of the northern Guatemalan highland region at the time of the Spanish conquest
- K'inich Kan B'alam II (r. 683—702), ruler of Palenque, son of K'inich Janaab' Pakal ("Pacal the Great")
- K'inich K'uk B'alam II, (fl. ca. 765), ruler of Palenque
- K'uk' B'alam I (r. 431—435), ruler of Palenque and founder of the state's dynastic line
- Unen B'alam (r. ca. 317), Early Classic ruler of Tikal (aka "Baby Jaguar")
- Yopaat B'alam I (r. 359—?), ruler of Yaxchilan, founder of the state's dynastic line
- Yopaat B'alam II (r. ca. 749), ruler of Yaxchilan
Maya polities and archaeological sites:
- B'alam (Maya polity), a Classic-era Maya state, known from inscriptions but whose location is not determined
- Balamdzay, archaeological site in the Puuc region.
- Balamku, archaeological site in central Yucatán Peninsula
- Balamtun, archaeological site in the Petén Basin region
Other meanings:
- Balam, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran
- David D. Balam, a Canadian astronomer
- Richard Balam, mathematician
- Balam (demon), a demon in Judeo-Christian tradition
- Balaam, a prophet in the Torah
- Na Bolom, a non-profit foundation for the advancement of the indigenous Maya peoples of Chiapas, Mexico
- Balam (1949 film), a 1949 Hindi film
- Balam (1969 film), a 1969 South Korean film
Balam (Beloved) is a 1949 Hindi romantic action film directed by Homi Wadia. Credited as A Hila Wadia Production by Wadia Brothers the film starred Suraiya, Wasti, Nigar Sultana, Jayant, Gulnar and Agha. The music directors were Husnlal Bhagatram.
Usage examples of "balam".
Thus we have still preserved to us, in whole or in fragments, the Book of Chilan Balam of Chumayel, of Kaua, of Nabula, etc.
Books of Chilan Balam, where this expression occurs, and which is an interesting example of these strange songs.
Book of Chilan Balam which was found there was a redaction made by an Indian, Don Juan Josef Hoil, in 1782.
Book of Chilan Balam of Chumayel, and is inserted without explanation or introduction, copied, no doubt, from some ancient writing.
Book of Chilan Balam of Chumayel, as the name of one of the towns which furnished a katun stone.
This latter occurs as a name applied to the peninsula, or a portion of it, in a number of passages of the Book of Chilan Balam of Chumayel.
The only so-called Archon on Earth was Balam, the last of an extinct race that had once shared the planet with humankind.
Kane had often wondered over the past few months if Balam had indeed created that appellation as a cryptic code to warn future generations.
Erica van Sloan watched their faces as they gazed at Balam, reminding her of babies trying to reason out the intricacies of a mirror.
Now, dealing with the appearance of Balam, their minds were in utter turmoil, fears, desires and thoughts all crashing into one another.
Sam, with Balam at his side, smiled disarmingly into the faces of the barons.
He did not mention their destination, nor why Balam stayed behind, and she was not inclined to ask.
Instead Balam became a trophy, a sentient conversation piece, like a one-item freak show.
When it came to Balam, the only thing he could be certain of was that he could be certain of nothing.
That bit of news was surprising enough, but it quickly turned shocking when they found out that Balam, who they had thought was gone forever, was the power behind the imperator.