The Demons of Ancient Greece

Unlike today, the Ancient Greeks had a different definition for the word demon (δαίμων), also spelled as ‘daemon’. As a matter of fact it had several meanings, the main one being “he who dispenses fate, a spirit that gives a person his or her personality traits.”

The word is derived from Proto-Indo-European daimon, which means “provider, divider (of fortunes or destinies),” from the root da- “to divide.”

A demon was something like a guiding spirit, a semi-divine entity, a kind of an intermediate between man and god.

In essence, in Ancient Greece, demons were spiritual beings mediating between the mortals and the gods. These were elaborate personifications of abstract concepts.

In ancient Greek mythology, some demons were the souls of men who had inhabited the Golden Age, a time of peace and innocence, the Christian equivalent of the Garden of Eden.

A Greek tradition to which Plato agreed was that each person born has a demon watching over them, a concept similar to that of the guardian angel.

Δαίμων εαυτού, roughly translated as ‘self demon,’ was the guiding spirit that shapes the character of a person.

However, not all demons were the same. In Hellenistic Greece, there were good demons (agathodaimones, or ‘good spirits’) and evil demons called kakodaimones, meaning ‘malevolent spirits.’

Agathodaimones encouraged wisdom and “divine” behavior while kakodaimones pushed men to commit malevolent acts.

In Homer’s epics, the term demon is used for θεός (theos-god). The difference is that god is the personality and demon is the activity, and supernatural intervention is the work of the demon.

Greek philosophers and their demons

Some ancient Greek philosophers had their own theories and interpretations of demons, and a few  even recognized who was their personal Demon-δαίμων.

In Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Socrates claimed to have a daimonion (a “divine something”), a kind of a “voice” that warned him against mistakes but never told him what to do.

However, Plato wrote that Socrates never referred to a daimonion as a demon, but as an impersonal “something” or “sign.”

Plato wrote of his teacher, Socrates, that he had encounters with demons. In Symposium, a priestess tells Socrates that “love is a great demon.”

In another part, Plato wrote that Socrates was sentenced to death and executed in part because of his teachings about demons, disregarding the gods city residents believed in.

Xenocrates, a Greek philosopher of the Platonic Academy, believed that god is above all, and there are demonical powers intermediate between the divine and the mortal world which consist in conditions of the soul.

According to the philosopher, a physical demonical power dwells in the elements, and these demonical natures, midway between gods and men, are related to them.

Empedocles was a pre-Socratic philosopher who pushed the cosmogonic theory of the four classical elements. The concepts of gods and demons, he held, were strongly related to his theories about the nature of the universe.

For him, the gods and demons were in charge of the operations of the natural world. The gods were in charge of the stars and planets, and the demons were in charge of chaos and
natural calamities.

Overall, what the Greek philosophers sought was eudaimonia, a state or condition of good spirits. This is simply translated as happiness or well-being.

Female demons in Ancient Greece

Demons had no shape or form, so artists portrayed them according to their purpose and actions. In many cases, they were depicted as winged creatures, appearing and fleeing at whim.

The majority of Greek demons bore female names. Some suggest the main reason was that men feared the destructive power of women, as they considered them stone-cold and ruthless. On the other hand, there were many female demons with creative, virtuous, and righteous qualities, such as Dike and Nike, the demons of justice and victory, so the above explanation may not be entirely accurate.

The artistic depiction of most of the female demons include hair composed of tangled snakes, dragon-like wings, scaled limbs, and sharp tails among other features.

Lamia was a child-devouring demon who also seduced men. It could be another example of man’s fear of women. She was half woman-half snake and was feared by men not only for their own lives but also for the lives of their offspring.

Chimera was another ferocious female creature in Ancient Greece. She had the head of a lion spewing fire, the body of a goat, a snake-like tail, and she could fly.

Furthermore, other mythological monsters in Ancient Greece were given female characteristics and names, such as Chimera, the Harpies, or Medusa.

Malevolent Demons

Adikia (Aδικία) was the demon of injustice, often depicted as a barbarian woman covered in tatoos. She was the opposite of Dike (Δίκη), the demon of justice and fairness.

Dysnomia (Δυσνομία) was the demon of civil disorder. She was a companion of Adikia. Her opposite, Eumonia (Ευνομία) was the spirit of civil order and peace.

Apate (Απάτη) was the spirit of deceit, deception, fraud. Her male counterpart was Dolos (Δόλος). Her opposite was Aletheia (Αλήθεια), who stands for truth.

Anaideia (Αναίδεια) evoked the unforgiveness in men. She was the demon of ruthless kings and generals.

Phonoi (Φόνοι), plural of phonos, were the Ancient Greek spirits of murder and mayhem, often presiding over battlefields.

Keres (plural, Κήρεs in Greek) were the female demons of violent or cruel death and revenge. Thanatos (Θάνατος), male, on the other hand, was the demon of non-violent death.

Lethe (Λήθη) literally means oblivion, and it also describes forgetfullness. It is connected with the underworld river of the same name. There, all memories are washed away and erased when someone dies.

Lyssa (Λύσσα) was the spirit of wild rage and fury. She was an agent of Dionysus, who sent her to drive the maenades mad.

Limos (Λιμός), male,  was the demon of hunger, who personified starvation. He symbolized the aftermath of battle or war.

Penia (Πενία) was the spirit of poverty and need, often leading people to become beggars. The opposite is Ploutos (male), the demon of wealth.

Eris (Έρις) was the personified demon of strife, discord, contention, and rivalry.

Machai, or Machaei (Μάχαι), were the demons of battle or combat. They were the sons and daughters of Eris.

Ancient Greek benevolent and neutral demons

Benevolent demons were fewer than malevolent ones. Eudaemon, or eudaimon (ευδαίμων), was a kind type of demon, regarded as a good spirit or angel.

Aidos or Aedos (Αιδώς) was the demon of modesty. It was associated with shame, respect, reverence. Aidos would restrain man for acting improperly.

Agon (Αγών) was the Greek demon personification of solemn contests, possessing the altar at Olympia where the Olympic Games were held.

Agon was often associated with Zelos (Ζήλος), the spirit of dedication, enthusiasm, and eagerness.

Nike (Νίκη) was the demon of victory, both in war and athletic competition. She was often personified as a winged spirit.

Eros (Έρως) was the mischievous demon of love, a minion and companion of the goddess of love, Aphrodite.

Hygeia (Υγεία) was the spirit of good health. She was a daughter and attendant of the medicine-god Asklepios (Asclepius).

Hebe (Ήβη) was the demon of youth and the cupbearer of the gods who served ambrosia at the heavenly feast.