Cacodemon
 |
 Louis Le Breton's illustration of a cacodemon from the Dictionnaire Infernal (1863) | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Cacodaemon |
| Grouping | Evil spirit |
| Sub grouping | Demon |
A cacodemon (or cacodaemon) is an evil spirit or (in the modern sense of the word) a demon. The opposite of a cacodemon is an agathodaemon or eudaemon, a good spirit or angel. The word cacodemon comes through Latin from the Ancient Greek κακοδαίμων kakodaimōn, meaning an "evil spirit", whereas daimon would be a neutral spirit in Greek. It is believed to be capable of shapeshifting.[1] A cacodemon is also said to be a malevolent person.
In psychology, cacodemonia (or cacodemonomania) is a form of insanity in which the patient believes that they are possessed by an evil spirit. The first known occurrence of the word cacodemon dates to 1593.
See also
References
- ^ Spence, Lewis (2003) [1920]. An Encyclopædia of Occultism. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. p. 84. ISBN 0-486-42613-0.
Further reading
- Sinistrari, Ludovico Maria (1879). Demoniality: Or, Incubi and Succubi. Paris: Isidore Liseux. OCLC 263027215.