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Demon: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Demon
Demon is the first word of this story, yet it is also the last word of many ancient prayers. The concept of a demon did not begin as a monster under the bed but as a neutral spirit, a divine power that could be either good or bad. In ancient Greece, the word daimon described the divine inspiration of Socrates, a guiding voice that warned him away from error. It was not until the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity that this neutral term was twisted into a label for pure evil. The shift happened slowly, as pagans and Christians alike began to view old statues not as seats of gods but as infested with malevolent forces. By the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the numinous presence of the Greco-Roman gods was reinterpreted as the presence of demons, creating a theological framework where the old gods were now the minions of Satan. This transformation turned a word meaning divine power into a synonym for the devil, a change that would echo through history for two thousand years.
Chaos And Creation
In the ancient Near East, demons were not merely evil spirits but children of chaos. The Babylonian creation epic Enūma Eliš tells a story where both gods and demons are the children of Tiamat, the goddess of primordial chaos. When the gods slew Tiamat's primordial partner Abzu, she engendered demons as an act of revenge. These entities were not created to serve a higher power but to bring disorder to a world that was constantly changing. In Mesopotamia, the galla were a specific class of demons that resided in the underworld, tasked with dragging mortals back to Kur, the land of the dead. They were not inherently evil in the modern sense but were executioners for the major deities like Ra or Osiris, punishing humans on earth or in the netherworld. The demoness Lamaštu was installed to kill humans after the gods promised to never flood humanity again, ensuring that the population did not grow too large. These spirits were often nature demons causing plagues, headaches, and storms, and they could be warded off only by magic, amulets, or seeking refuge with another deity. The distinction between a god and a demon was often fluid, as both were seen as powerful forces that could be either helpful or destructive depending on the context.
The Persian Shadow
Zoroastrianism introduced a radical new idea to the world of demons: that they were evil by their own volition. The founder Zoroaster elevated Ahura Mazda to the one supreme God and relegated the daevas to the status of demons, creating a dualistic cosmology where the world was a battleground between good and evil. In this tradition, demons became the children of Ahriman, the principle of Evil, and their existence was a test of free will. Humans were obligated to fight the demonic traits within themselves, as the world was a place where the good powers of God and the Devil were in constant conflict. The Younger Avesta described demons as causing diseases and death, but they could be warded off through ritual purification and sacred prayers. This belief system influenced the Abrahamic religions, particularly Christianity and Islam, by introducing the concept that demons were not just forces of nature but moral agents who had chosen to reject truth. The battle between the hosts of deities and evil demons was described in the Bundahishn, a text that detailed the cosmic struggle between light and darkness. In this worldview, humans lived in a world between the good powers of God and the Devil, suffering corruption through their own defection. After death, people had to cross the Chinvat Bridge to enter paradise, but those who had chosen evil would fall into the pit of hell, where they were tormented by demons.
What was the original meaning of the word demon in ancient Greece?
In ancient Greece, the word daimon described the divine inspiration of Socrates, a guiding voice that warned him away from error. It was a neutral spirit, a divine power that could be either good or bad. This concept did not begin as a monster under the bed but as a neutral spirit.
How did the Roman Empire change the definition of a demon?
It was not until the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity that this neutral term was twisted into a label for pure evil. By the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the numinous presence of the Greco-Roman gods was reinterpreted as the presence of demons. This transformation turned a word meaning divine power into a synonym for the devil.
Who created the concept of demons as evil by their own volition in Zoroastrianism?
The founder Zoroaster elevated Ahura Mazda to the one supreme God and relegated the daevas to the status of demons. In this tradition, demons became the children of Ahriman, the principle of Evil, and their existence was a test of free will. This belief system influenced the Abrahamic religions, particularly Christianity and Islam.
When did the idea of fallen angels emerge in Christian theology?
The idea of fallen angels emerged in the second and third centuries, as Christian writers interpreted biblical passages like Revelation chapter 12 and Jude 9. Augustine of Hippo established the position that demons are spirits who turn away from God. This view became the foundation for Western demonology and the Catholic Church.
What are the two types of demons in the Islamic tradition?
In the Islamic tradition, demons are divided into two types: jinn and devils, or shayatin. The jinn derive from pre-Islamic Arabian beliefs and are created from fire and air, sharing attributes with humans such as mortality and the ability to possess people. The devils are malevolent forces akin to the devils of the Judeo-Christian tradition, actively obstructing the execution of God's will.
How does Hinduism and Buddhism view the concept of a demon?
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the concept of the demon is fluid, often representing a state of being rather than an inherent evil. In Hindu cosmology, nothing is either purely evil or good, and even demonic beings could eventually abandon their demonic nature. In Buddhism, ghosts and evil spirits are not inherently evil but are reborn in states of misery as the result of bad karma.
Christianity transformed the concept of the demon into the fallen angel, a being that had once been good but turned evil by joining Lucifer in his rebellion against God. This theology was not present in the Hebrew Bible, where evil spirits were often sent by YHWH to serve a purpose rather than to oppose the deity. The idea of fallen angels emerged in the second and third centuries, as Christian writers interpreted biblical passages like Revelation chapter 12 and Jude 9. Augustine of Hippo established the position that demons are spirits who turn away from God, a view that became the foundation for Western demonology and the Catholic Church. In the New Testament, demons appeared 55 times, often as adversaries of Jesus who caused misery, suffering, and death. Unlike the neutral spirits of pagan beliefs, Christian demons were not intermediary spirits who had to be sacrificed for appeasement but were explicitly ruled by the Devil or Beelzebub. Early Christians like Irenaeus and Justin Martyr assumed that demons were the ghosts of the Nephilim, the fallen angels who had fornicated with women and birthed giants. This belief system created a dualism where angels acted at the service of the high god of the Israelites, while demons represented the powers of foreign deities. The relationship to the God-head became the main difference between angels and demons, not their degree of benevolence, as both might be fierce and terrifying.
The Magic And The Mind
During the Renaissance, the perception of demons shifted again, becoming entities that could be conjured and controlled by magicians. In fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Renaissance magic, the terms demon and devil had two different meanings, with some people fearing demons while others sought to summon them for knowledge, assistance, or power. Paracelsus was the most vocal proponent of demons as ambivalent spirits, asserting that they were spirit-like beings with bodies and flesh, distinct from angels. Robert Kirk integrated fairies into his theories of intermediary spirits, suggesting that these beings were structured similar to human societies and were invisible to most humans. These views were rejected by demonologists and religious orthodoxy, which labeled them as atheistic and denied that spirits could have an autonomous existence. The use of ceremonial magic to call demons was known as goetia, a word derived from the Greek term that originally denoted diviners, magicians, healers, and seers. A ceremonial magician would consult a grimoire, which gave the names and abilities of demons as well as detailed instructions for conjuring and controlling them. This era saw the development of modern sciences, as the idea that demonic forces could be subjugated paved the way for the belief that humans could control their social environment and natural forces. The Age of Enlightenment later rejected the attribution of demons to unknown causes, explaining visions of demons and ghosts as results of superstition or mental phenomena.
The Silent War
In the Islamic tradition, demons are divided into two types: jinn and devils, or shayatin. The jinn derive from pre-Islamic Arabian beliefs and are created from fire and air, sharing attributes with humans such as mortality and the ability to possess people. The devils, on the other hand, are malevolent forces akin to the devils of the Judeo-Christian tradition, actively obstructing the execution of God's will. In the Quran, the jinn are put to the same position as humans, rejecting kinship with God, while the devils are considered to be material beings created from fire. Muslim writers on astrology identified planetary spirits with seven demon-kings, often invoked for the preparation of magic squares. The Book of Wonders describes how each day of the week is assigned to one of the higher spirits and lower spirits. In Islamic culture, demons are believed to be vanquished by sacred symbols, such as the basmalah among Turks or the cross among Armenians. They are mostly active at night, and a bad smell in the air or a sudden change in temperature would announce their presence. Despite their reluctance, even enslaved demons do always the opposite of what has been commanded, and they possess supernatural powers such as causing sickness, mental illnesses, or turning humans to stone. The idea of demons is not limited to Islam alone but appears in various belief systems along the Silk Road, where they are personified ethical qualities like greed, envy, grief, and wrath.
The Eastern Horizon
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the concept of the demon is fluid, often representing a state of being rather than an inherent evil. In Hindu cosmology, nothing is either purely evil or good, and even demonic beings could eventually abandon their demonic nature. The asuras, once gods, were tricked by the deva Śakra and hurled down to the steps of Mount Meru, becoming a race of powerful, possibly evil beings. The rakshasas were often portrayed as vile creatures associated with greed and magical abilities, unleashed through rites considered inappropriate by the Brahmins. However, many people metaphorically interpret the asura as manifestations of the ignoble passions in the human mind. In Buddhism, ghosts and evil spirits are not inherently evil but are reborn in states of misery as the result of bad karma. The asuras belong to one of the four unhappy rebirths, characterized by anger, jealousy, and pride, yet they have both good and bad karma. Demons in hell are merely a projection of the former, as Vasubandhu argues that every being in hell must be suffering and since demons do not suffer in hell, they are not real but only illusions. These entities play no important role in the search for liberation from the circle of life, as the focus is on overcoming the demons of desire and craving within the mind.
The Modern Shadow
Today, the belief in demons has not disappeared but has permeated media, arts, and psychology. In contemporary Western esoteric traditions, demons may be used as metaphors for inner psychological processes, known as inner demons. The rejection of demons as the cause of natural events contributed to the association of demons with delusions and merely mental phenomena. People who believe in demons are often marginalized in the United States, as the American Dream and capitalism imply the belief that everyone is responsible for their own fate and not at the mercy of external forces. However, the concept of demons remains an important part of many modern religions and occult traditions. Belief in demons probably goes back to the Paleolithic age, stemming from humanity's fear of the unknown, the strange, and the horrific. In ancient times, unknown causes of death or illness were anthropomorphized into rational agents with evil intentions, giving rise to the notion of a demon. People outside one's own social group may be blamed for accidents and unexplained causes of harm, leading to the demonization of said people. The imagined cause of said evil is integrated into one's prevailing belief system, filling the gap left by expulsion or death with a ghost or demon. This psychological projection continues to shape how humans understand the unknown, turning fear into a narrative that has survived from the Paleolithic age to the present day.