- "There's a hierarchy of demons. They try to work their way up by destroying good, promoting evil."
- —Leo Wyatt to Piper and Phoebe Halliwell.[src]
The Demonic Hierarchy was set out in the Underworld presumably by the oldest of demons.
Rulers of the Underworld[]
The Source of All Evil[]
The most notable of all Source's: the Half-faced Source.
An essence of pure evil with a tremendous amount of power and a strong will, the Source of All Evil is arguably the most powerful demon in existence, as well as the putative ruler of demonkind and the Underworld. His most formidable minions include his personal assassin, Shax (who permanently killed Prue Halliwell, the oldest Charmed One), the Oracle (who sacrificed herself to save him), and the Seer (who, despite initially serving him faithfully and well for centuries, later betrayed him to save the world and for her own nefarious plans).
Part of what made the Source such a powerful foe was the fact that it was extremely difficult to permanently vanquish him: each time the Source's physical form was vanquished, the essence would survive and take a new host, merging with that host's spirit, personality, and consciousness until it utterly becomes one with them. Hence, the Charmed Ones had to vanquish the Source three times in a row to seemingly permanently get rid of him (first two times through their To Call Upon Our Ancestors spell, and the third time through their the Power of Three Spell). When he returned for the umpteenth time in the comics, they managed to truly permanently get rid of him through a combination of Excalibur, a potion brewed from the combined magic of the Magical Community, and a new version of the Power of Three spell.
In order for the essence to access all of its powers, a ceremony must take place to crown the new demon as the ruler of demonkind and the Underworld. The coronation must be conducted by a Dark Priest, and required the Source touching the Grimoire.
The Triad[]
The second Triad.
Second in line to rule the Underworld is the Triad, a trio of demons who are the most feared and powerful collective of the demonic hierarchy. They have been responsible for a great amount of attacks on the Charmed Ones.
They first became known to the Charmed Ones in 2000, but were killed by Cole Turner, soon after. They then returned five years later as the demons Asmodeus, Baliel, and Candor who were vanquished by the Charmed Ones twice.
Upper-level Demons[]
Also referred to as High-Level demons, these demons possess a great amount of power and have a high status in the Underworld. They are respected and feared by lower beings who usually offer their help in return for more power.
Most upper-level demons have an entry in the Halliwell's Book of Shadows, including information on their origin, Modus Operandi, powers, and method of vanquishing. The latter usually requires a potion made from their own flesh or the Power of Three spell.
Many upper-level demons owe allegiance to themselves and try to take over Underworld. The most notable demon for doing so would be Zankou. A demon so feared that even the Source of All Evil had imprisoned him into a magical barrier.
The Brotherhood of the Thorn[]
Four members of the Brotherhood; Cole (Belthazor), Vornac, Klea and Tarkin.
An elite society of powerful upper-level demons. An exclusive order of demonic mercenaries, the Brotherhood of the Thorn was formed by the Source of All Evil to gain a foothold in the mortal world by killing paragons of good and taking over businesses.
The Brotherhood answered directly to the Source, who in turn personally selected its members. Each member of the Brotherhood was given a unique athame, which could be recognized by other demons as belonging to a member of the Brotherhood. The members take a blood oath, a lifelong pledge of loyalty.
The group was led by Raynor (member of the Source's inner circle) and included members such as Vornac, Klea, Belthazor and Tarkin.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse[]
Empowered directly by the Source of All Evil himself, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are responsible for starting the apocalypse. No spell or potion can destroy them, only the Source is able to kill them and does so when they fail their mission. They are then replaced by another set of horsemen. Their symbol is the Omega.
The Ordo Malorum[]
The entry on the Ordo Malorum
Upper-level demonic generals who lead the war against the forces of good. Members of the Ordo Malorum were once in the possession of a genie, handing them over to each other after they had gotten their three wishes.
The Charmed Ones have come across only one of the members, a demon named Litvack. He and his servants used a special kind of demonic weapon referred to as the Level Two Demon Weapon.
Half-Human Demons[]
Upper-level demons who were born with a human half, usually so they could be incorporated into the mortal world as business men. These demons possess a soul and are more susceptible to becoming good. Notable examples are: Belthazor/Cole Turner, Sykes, Sirk, and the Manticore Baby.
Their human parent is usually killed by its demonic parent once the baby is born.
Lower-level Demons[]
Low-level demons gathered in the Underworld.
Also referred to as Base-Level demons, these demons are on the penultimate rank of the Demonic Hierarchy. Their small amount of power and often little intelligence makes them easy prey for the Charmed Ones and upper-level demons.
They are often hired to do the dirty work of upper-level demons in return for more power. Though some of them prefer to act alone, such as the Water Demon.
Only a select few of low-level demons have earned an entry in the Halliwell's Book of Shadows, mostly because they were large pests instead of serious threats.
The Bottom of the Demonic Hierarchy[]
At the bottom of the Demonic Hierarchy are those demons banished by the Source of All Evil or the Triad and warlocks. Although they are not demonic, Warlocks are listed on the lowest rank of the Demonic Hierarchy. They are considered to be such a weak form of evil that they are even forbidden to kill (or even try to kill) a demon and absorb their powers by demonic law.
Demons who were banished by the Source had betrayed him by either trying to kill him or take over the Underworld. They were banished into the mortal world and were not allowed to enter the Underworld again. Such demons were: vampires, Kurzon, and Xar (who was banished by the Triad). They are considered to be the vermin of all demonic beings.
Neutral Parties[]
Thrask, one of the demonic Tribunal members.
The following beings have do not have any particular rank and are seen as a neutral party.
The Tribunal[]
A council made up of two Elders and two demons, the Tribunal were created to monitor magic. They act as a neutral party to anyone, good or evil, and stand above anyone else. They are believed to be powerful beyond comprehension but do not act unless they need to.
Advisors[]
Demons who stand by and advise the most powerful demons, usually those who rule the Underworld. They are often Seers, Oracles or Dark Priestesses and keep themselves in the background, acting only when needed. They are far more powerful than they let seem.