Daimon

The daimon (δαίμων), also spelled daemon (meaning "god", "godlike", "power", "fate"),^[1]^[2] denotes an "unknown superfactor", which can be either good or hostile.^[3]

In ancient Greek religion and mythology a daimon was imagined to be a lesser deity or guiding spirit.^[4] The word is derived from Proto-Indo-European daimon "provider, divider (of fortunes or destinies)," from the root *da- "to divide".^[5] Daimons were possibly seen as the souls of men of the golden age, tutelary deities, or the forces of fate.^[6]

^ A. Delahunty, From Bonbon to Cha-cha: Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (p. 90), Oxford University Press, 2008 ISBN 0199543690
^ J. Cresswell, Little Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins (p. 146), Oxford University Press, 2014.
^ Wiebe, G. (2020, June 30). demons in Christian thought. Oxford Classical Dictionary. Retrieved 12 Dec. 2024, from https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-8290.
^ daimōn "δαίμων". A Greek–English Lexicon.
^ "Demon", Etymology Online
^ 2323243 Perseus Digital Library Consulted 2017-05-05

[1] A. Delahunty, From Bonbon to Cha-cha: Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (p. 90), Oxford University Press, 2008 ISBN 0199543690

[2] J. Cresswell, Little Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins (p. 146), Oxford University Press, 2014.

[3] Wiebe, G. (2020, June 30). demons in Christian thought. Oxford Classical Dictionary. Retrieved 12 Dec. 2024, from https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-8290.

[4] daimōn "δαίμων". A Greek–English Lexicon.

[5] "Demon", Etymology Online

[6] 2323243 Perseus Digital Library Consulted 2017-05-05

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