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.
In William Shakespeare's Richard III Act 1 Scene 3, Queen Margaret calls Richard a "cacodemon" for his foul deeds and manipulations.[2] In John Fletcher's The Knight of Malta, Norandine calls Mountferrat, the play's villain, a "cacodemon" in the final scene.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Spence, Lewis (2003) [1920]. An Encyclopædia of Occultism. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. p. 84. ISBN 0-486-42613-0.
- ^ Shakespeare, William. "Act 1, Scene 3". The Life and Death of Richard the Third. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via shakespeare.mit.edu.
- ^ Francis, Beaumont; John, Fletcher (1647). Comedies and Tragedies. London: Printed for Humphrey Robinson, at the three Pidgeons, and for Humphrey Moseley at the Princes Armes in St Paul's Church-yard. p. 95.
Further reading
- Sinistrari, Ludovico Maria (1879). Demoniality: Or, Incubi and Succubi. Paris: Isidore Liseux. OCLC 263027215.