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Demonology is the study ofdemons withinreligiousbelief andmyth. Depending on context, it can refer to studies withintheology, religiousdoctrine, oroccultism. In many faiths, it concerns the study of ahierarchy of demons. Demons may be nonhuman separablesouls, or discarnate spirits which have never inhabited a body. A sharp distinction is often drawn between these two classes, notably by theMelanesians, several African groups, and others. Thejinns, for example, are not reducible to modified human souls. At the same time these classes are frequently conceived as producing identical results, e.g. diseases.[1][2][3]
According to some religions, all the affairs of the universe are supposed to be under the control of spirits, each ruling a certain "element" or even object, and themselves in subjection to a greater spirit.[4] For example, theInuit are said to believe in spirits of the sea, earth and sky, the winds, the clouds, and everything in nature. Every cove of the seashore, every point, every island and prominent rock has its guardian spirit.[1] Some are potentially of the malignant type, to be propitiated by an appeal to knowledge of the supernatural.[5] TraditionalKorean belief posits that countless demons inhabit the natural world; they fill household objects and are present in all locations. By the thousands, they accompany travellers, seeking them out from their places in the elements.[1]
Greek philosophers such asPorphyry of Tyre (who claimed influence fromPlatonism),[6] as well as thefathers of the Christian Church, held that the world was pervaded with spirits,[1] the latter of whom advanced the belief that demons received the worship directed at pagan gods.[7]
Not all spirits across all cultures are considered malevolent. InCentral Africa, theMpongwe believe in local spirits, just as the Inuit do; but they are regarded as inoffensive in the main. Passers-by must make some nominal offering as they near the spirits' residence. The occasional mischievous act, such as the throwing down of a tree on a passer-by, is believed by the natives to be perpetuated by the class of spirits known asOmbuiri.[1][8]
Many spirits, especially those regarding natural processes, are often considered neutral or benevolent; ancient European peasant fears of thecorn-spirit would crop up during irritation, as a result of the farmer infringing on the domain of said spirit, and taking his property by cutting the corn;[9] similarly, there is no reason why the less significantpantheon should be regarded as malevolent, and historical evidence has shown that the Petara of theDyaks are viewed as invisible guardians of mankind rather than hostile malefactors.[10]
Demons are generally classified as spirits which are believed to enter into relations with the human race. As such the term includes:
Excluded are souls conceived as inhabiting another world. Yet just as gods are not necessarily spiritual, demons may also be regarded as corporeal;vampires for example are sometimes described as human heads with appended entrails, which issue from the tomb to attack the living during the night watches. Theincubi andsuccubi of theMiddle Ages are sometimes regarded as spiritual beings; but they were held to give proof of their bodily existence,[1] such as offspring (though often deformed).[13] Belief in demons goes back many millennia.
Theancient Mesopotamians believed that the underworld (Kur) was home to manydemons,[14] which are sometimes referred to as "offspring ofarali".[14] These demons could sometimes leavethe underworld and terrorize mortals on earth.[14] One class of demons that were believed to reside in the underworld were known asgalla;[15] their primary purpose appears to have been to drag unfortunate mortals back to Kur.[15] They are frequently referenced in magical texts,[16] and some texts describe them as being seven in number.[16] Several extant poems describe thegalla dragging the godDumuzid into the underworld.[17] Like other demons, however,galla could also be benevolent[17] and, in a hymn from KingGudea ofLagash (c. 2144 – 2124 BC), a minor god named Ig-alima is described as "the greatgalla ofGirsu".[17] Demons had nocult inMesopotamian religious practice since demons "know no food, know no drink, eat no flour offering and drink nolibation."[18]
Judaism does not have a demonology or any set of doctrines about demons.[19]Use of the name "Lucifer" stems fromIsaiah 14:3–20, a passage which does speak of the defeat of a particularBabylonian King, to whom it gives a title which refers to what in English is called the Day Star or Morning Star (in Latin,lucifer, meaning "light-bearer", from the wordslucem ferre).[20]
There is more than one instance in Jewish medieval myth and lore where demons are said to have come to be, as seen by the Grigori angels, ofLilith leaving Adam, of demons such asvampires, unrest spirits inJewish folklore such as thedybbuk.[21][22]
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Christian demonology is the study ofdemons from aChristian point of view. It is primarily based on theBible (Old Testament andNew Testament), theexegesis of scriptures, the writings of early Christianphilosophers andhermits,tradition, andlegends incorporated from other beliefs.
Some scholars[who?] suggest that the origins of earlyGreek Old Testament demonology can be traced to two distinctive and often competing mythologies of evil— Adamic and Enochic.
The first tradition — the Adamic tradition — ties demons to thefall of man caused bythe serpent who beguiledAdam and Eve in theGarden of Eden. Thus, the Adamic story traces the source of evil to Satan's transgression and the fall of man, a trend reflected in the Books of Adam and Eve which explains the reason for Satan's demotion by his refusal to worship and submit to God.[23]
The other tradition — the early Enochic tradition — ties demons to the fall of angels in theantediluvian period.[23] This tradition bases its understanding of the origin of demons on the story of the fallenWatchers led byAzazel.[23] Scholars[who?] believe these two enigmatic figures—Azazel andSatan—exercised formative influence on early Jewish demonology. While in the beginning of their conceptual journeys Azazel and Satan are posited as representatives of two distinctive and often rival trends tied to the distinctive etiologies of corruption, in later Jewish and Christian demonological lore both antagonists are able to enter each other's respective stories in new conceptual capacities. In these later traditions Satanael is often depicted as the leader of the fallen angels while his conceptual rival Azazel is portrayed as a seducer of Adam and Eve.[23] While historicalJudaism never recognized any set of doctrines about demons,[19] scholars[who?] believe itspost-exilic concepts ofeschatology, angelology, and demonology were influenced byZoroastrianism.[24][25] Some, however, believe these concepts were received as part of theKabbalistic tradition.[26] While many people believe todayLucifer and Satan are different names for the same being, not all scholars subscribe to this view.[20]
A number of authors throughout Christian history have written about demons for a variety of purposes. Theologians likeThomas Aquinas wrote concerning the behaviors of which Christians should be aware,[27] while witch hunters likeHeinrich Kramer wrote about how to find and what to do withpeople they believed were involved with demons.[28] Some texts such as theLesser Key of Solomon[29] orThe Grimoire of Pope Honorius (although these, the earliest manuscripts, were from well after these individuals had died) are written withinstructions on how to summon demons in the name of God and often were claimed to have been written by individuals respected within the Church.[30] These latter texts were usually more detailed, giving names, ranks, and descriptions of demons individually and categorically.[31] Most Christians commonly reject these texts as either diabolical or fictitious.[31] Catholics accused Lutherans of believing in diabolatry or that the devil had unlimited powers.[32][33][34]
In modern times, some demonological texts have been written by Christians, usually in a similar vein of Thomas Aquinas, explaining their effects in the world and how faith may lessen or eliminate damage by them.[35] A few Christian authors, such asJack Chick andJohn Todd, write with intentions similar to Kramer, proclaiming that demons and their human agents are active in the world.[36] These claims can stray from mainstream ideology, and may include such beliefs as thatChristian rock is a means through which demons influence people.
Not all Christians believe that demons exist in the literal sense. Some believe that the New Testament's exorcism language was originally part of curing ceremonies for what are now recognized as epilepsy, mental illness, etc.[37]
Many demonic or demon-like entities are not purely spiritual, but physical in nature and related to animals.Julius Wellhausen states, that Islamicdemonology is alwayszoology as well.[38] One prominent classification is given byal-Jahiz,[39] who classifiesjinn as:[40]
Zakariya al-Qazwini'sAja'ib al-Makhluqat mentions seven types of animals. Thejinn are classified as an animal composed of fire and can appear in many forms. Among them, the angels are created from the light of fire, the jinn from a blaze of fire, and the devils from the smoke of fire. Satan is counted among these animals. They inhabited the earth before mankind.[41]
The GermanorientalistAlmut Wieland-Karimi classified the Jinn in the ten most common categories mentioned in folklore literature:[42]
Traditionally,Buddhism affirms the existence ofhells[43] populated by demons who torment sinners and tempt mortals to sin, or who seek to thwart theirenlightenment, with a demon namedMara as chief tempter, "prince of darkness", or "Evil One" in Sanskrit sources.[44][45]
The followers of Mara were also calledmara, the devils, and are frequently cited as a cause of disease or representations of mental obstructions.[45]Themara became fully assimilated into the Chinese worldview, and were calledmo.
The idea of the imminent decline and collapse of the Buddhist religion amid a "great cacophony of demonic influences" was already a significant component of Buddhism when it reached China in the first century A.D., according to Michel Strickmann.[45] Demonic forces had attained enormous power in the world. For some writers of the time, this state of affairs had been ordained to serve the higher purpose of effecting a "preliminary cleansing" that would purge and purify humanity in preparation for an ultimate, messianic renewal.[45]
Medieval Chinese Buddhist demonology was heavily influenced by Indian Buddhism. Indian demonology is also fully and systematically described in written sources, though during Buddhism's centuries of direct influence in China, "Chinese demonology was whipped into respectable shape," with a number of Indian demons finding permanent niches even inTaoist ritual texts.[45] In theKṣitigarbha Sūtra it states that heaven and hell change as the world changes and that many new hells with different demons can be created to fit the different ways that the human realm changes.
Chinese Buddhism also influenced Taoism withbeliefs of hell and the Taoists eventually came up with their own demonology lore which in turn createdfolk beliefs about spirits in hell which was a combination of beliefs from the two religions. However, the demons in hell are viewed differently thanAbrahamic faiths who instead of being pure evil are more of guards of hell although they are still viewed as malicious beings. They are ruled over by Yama which came from Buddhism's Hindu influences but certain scriptures and beliefs also state that there are 18 different Yamas in hell which have an army of demons and undead at their side.
Also, theŚūraṅgama Sūtra, a major Mahayana Buddhist text, describes fifty demonic states: the so-called fifty skandha maras, which are "negative" mirror-like reflections of or deviations from correct samādhi (meditative absorption) states. In this context demons are considered by Buddhists to be beings possessing some supernatural powers, who, in the past, might have practicedDharma, the Buddha's teaching, but due to practicing it incorrectly failed to developtrue wisdom andtrue compassion, which are inseparable attributes of an enlightened being such as aBuddha or aBodhisattva. In his autobiography, The Blazing Splendor,Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, a prominent Tibetan Buddhist master of the 20th century describes encounters with such beings. Therefore, depending on the context, in Buddhism demons may refer to both disturbed mind states and actual beings.
Vedic scriptures include a range of spirits (Vetalas,Rakshasas, Bhutas, and Pishachas) that might be classified as demons. These spirits are souls of beings that have committed certain specific sins. As a purging punishment, they are condemned to roam without a physical form for a length of time, until a rebirth. Beings that died with unfulfilled desires or anger are also said to "linger" until those issues are resolved. Hindu textAtharvaveda gives an account of nature and habitats of such spirits including how to persuade / control them. There areoccult traditions in Hinduism that seek to control such spirits to do their bidding. The Hindu textGaruda Purana details other kinds of punishments and judgments given out inHell; it also gives an account of how spirits travel to various nether worlds.
In theZoroastrian tradition,Ahura Mazda, as the force of goodSpenta Mainyu, will eventually be victorious in a cosmic battle with an evil force known asAngra Mainyu or Ahriman.[46]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Thomas, Northcote W. (1911). "Demonology n". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 5–8.
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