Daimon
conceptA daimon was a spirit — neither fully god nor mortal — that guided, protected, or afflicted individuals, and whose meaning shifted from divine power to the Christian "demon."
The Myth
In Homer, daimon simply meant "divine power" or "fate." Hesiod described the men of the Golden Age becoming daimones after death — benevolent guardian spirits. Socrates claimed his personal daimonion (divine sign) warned him against wrong actions. Plato distinguished good daimones (intermediaries between gods and humans) from harmful ones. Early Christians reinterpreted all pagan daimones as evil spirits — demons — transforming a neutral Greek concept into the incarnation of evil.
Symbols
Fun Fact
"Eudaimonia" — Aristotle's highest good, meaning "having a good daimon" — is usually translated as "happiness" but really means "human flourishing."
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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