Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Demonology is the study of demons within religious belief and myth. Depending on context, it can refer to studies within theology , religious doctrine , or occultism . In many faiths, it concerns the study of a hierarchy of demons .
Bronze statue of the Assyro-Babylonian demon king Pazuzu, c. 800–700 BCE, Louvre. A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in media including comics, fiction, film, television, and video games.
The Testament of Solomon is a pseudepigraphical work, purportedly written by King Solomon, in which the author mostly describes particular demons who he enslaved to help build the temple, the questions he put to them about their deeds and how they could be thwarted, and their answers, which provide a kind of self-help manual against demonic activity.
Christian demonology is the study of demons from a Christian point of view. It is primarily based on the Bible ( Old and New Testaments ), the interpretation of these scriptures, the writings of early Christianity philosophers , hermits , and the associated traditions and legends incorporated from other beliefs.
This is a list of demons that appear in religion, theology, demonology, mythology, and folklore. It is not a list of names of demons, although some are listed by more than one name.
In demonology, sigils are pictorial signatures attributed to demons, angels, or other beings. In the ceremonial magic of the Middle Ages , sigils were used in the summoning of these beings and were the pictorial equivalent to their true name .
This is largely due to the fact that, historically, the definition of what an archdemon is and the names of those demons has varied greatly over time. One common medieval classification associate the seven deadly sins with archdemons: [2] Lucifer: Pride; Mammon: Greed; Asmodeus: Lust; Leviathan: Envy; Beelzebub: Gluttony; Satan: Wrath ...
Although theologians usually conflated demons, satans and the devil, medieval demonology fairly consistently distinguished between Lucifer, the fallen angel fixed in hell, and the mobile Satan executing his will. [144] Teutonic gods were often considered demons or even the devil.