Demons

thumb|Bronze statue of the Assyro-Babylonian demon king [[Pazuzu, , Louvre]] A demon is an evil or malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in media including fiction, comics, film, television, and video games. Belief in demons probably goes back to the Paleolithic age, stemming from humanity's fear of the unknown, the strange and the horrific. In ancient Near Eastern religions and in the Abrahamic religions, including early Judaism and ancient-medieva

thumb|The Giant with the Flaming Sword (1909) by John Charles Dollman In Norse mythology, Surtr (Old Norse "black" or more narrowly "swart", Surtur in modern Icelandic), also sometimes written Surt in English, is a jötunn; he is the greatest of the fire giants and further serves as the guardian of Muspelheim, which is one of the only two realms to exist before the beginning of time, alongside Niflheim. Surtr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, Surtr i

thumb|The Ghost of Barbara Radziwiłł by [[Wojciech Gerson. Ghosts are a common form of the undead.]]

thumb|right|upright=1.25|French illustration of imps ()

thumb|Goddess Hel (being)|Hel and the hellhound [[Garmr by Johannes Gehrts, 1889]] A hellhound is a mythological hound that embodies a guardian or a servant of hell, the devil, or the underworld. Hellhounds occur in mythologies around the world, with the best-known examples being Cerberus from Greek mythology, Garmr from Norse mythology, the black dogs of English folklore, and the fairy hounds of Celtic mythology. Physical characteristics vary, but they are commonly black, anomalously overgrown, supernaturally strong, and often have red eyes or are accompanied by flames. The behaviors of a He

Supposed paranormal phenomenon

Rangda () is the demon queen of the Leyaks in Bali, according to traditional Balinese mythology. Terrifying to behold, the child-eating Rangda leads an army of evil witches against the leader of the forces of good — Barong. The battle between Barong and Rangda is featured in a Barong dance which represents the eternal battle between good and evil.

legend

The '''''' were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead in Roman religion, sometimes used interchangeably with the term (from Latin , 'mask').

thumb|240px|alt=Tammas flees the nuckelavee|The nuckelavee chasing an islander, painting by James Torrance (1859–1916). The nuckelavee () or nuckalavee is a horse-like demon from Orcadian folklore that combines equine and human elements. If one was looking casually, or under the cover of shadow in the night, it was thought to have the silhouette of a normal horseman. However, upon further inspection, it resembles a fleshless horse which sports one eye and fins on its legs, with a fleshless human head, torso, and arms longer than normal sprouting out the horse's back.

Bolivian mine spirit

thumb|Qazwini's depiction of the anqa in The Wonders of Creation Anqa (), also spelled ''''Anqa', or Anka, or Anqa Mughrib or Anqa al-Mughrib''' (), is a golden mysterious or fabulous female bird in pre-Islamic Arab mythology. She is said to fly far away and only appear once in ages. However, it is also said that she can be found at the place of the setting of the sun.

concept in Cartesian philosophy

classification of demons as defined by Christianity

thumb|Rarog by Marek Hapon In Slavic mythology, the Raróg () or Raróh () is a fire demon, often depicted as a fiery falcon.

thumbnail|250px|Illustration of the devil from a 14th-century Arabic manuscript, the Book of Wonders. Ördög (Ürdüng in Old Hungarian) is a shape-shifting, demonic creature from Hungarian mythology and early Hungarian paganism who controls the dark and evil forces of the world. After Christianization, it was identified with the devil. It is often said in Hungarian mythology that God (Isten in Hungarian) had help from Ördög when creating the world.

A cacodemon (also spelled cacodaemon, cacodaimon, kakodemon, kakodaemon, or kakodaimon) 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 , meaning an "evil spirit", whereas daimon would be a neutral spirit in Greek. It is believed to be capable of shapeshifting. A cacodemon is also said to be a malevolent person. A cacodemon is depicted as a horned (or winged browed) youth with oversized genitalia trailing between his legs in Greek myt

Abrahel is a succubus described by Nicholas Rémy in his work Daemonolatreiae libri tres.

Satanachia is described in the Grand Grimoire as a commander-in-chief of Satan's army, who controls either forty-five or fifty-four legions of demons, including Pruflas, Aamon, Barbatos, and Astaroth. According to the Grand Grimoire, he has the power to subjugate all women and girls, and to do with them whatever he wishes.

thumb|Torngarsuk as depicted in the Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863 edition.

Wikimedia list article

Argentine folk saint and cult image

Lākhey (Nepal Bhasa: लाखे or , lā-khé) (alternative spellings Lākhe, Lākhay, ) is a demon in Nepalese folklore. He is depicted with a ferocious face, protruding fangs and a mane of red, white or black hair. The dance of a demon in the carnival of God. Lakhes figure prominently in the traditional Newar culture of Nepal Mandala. The Lakhe tradition is found in the Kathmandu Valley and other Newar settlements throughout Nepal.

Choronzon is a demon that originated in writing with the 16th-century occultists Edward Kelley and John Dee within the latter's occult system of Enochian magic. In the 20th century he became an important element within the mystical system of Thelema, founded by Aleister Crowley, where he is the "dweller in the abyss", believed to be the last great obstacle between the adept and enlightenment. Thelemites believe that if he is met with proper preparation, then his function is to destroy the ego (causing ego death), which allows the adept to move beyond the abyss of occult cosmology.

Demon in Iranian mythology

doll or stuffed animal that is reported to be cursed or possessed in some way

name given to a supernatural creature, used to explain the phenomenon of sleep paralysis

mythical character

thumb|Illustration of Zaebos from the 1863 edition of Dictionnaire Infernal Zaebos is a demon or spirit mentioned in the Dictionnaire Infernal. It is described as the Grand Count of the infernal realms and is said to appear in the form of a handsome soldier mounted on a crocodile.

In the Grimoirium Verum, Agaliarept is purported to be one of two demons directly under Lucifer, Satanachia being the other. The Grimoirium Verum also states that Agalierept and Tarihimal are the rulers of Elelogap, who in turn governs matters connected with water. The Grand Grimoire holds that Agaliarept is a general with the power to uncover secrets and reveal mysteries, and commands the second legion (including Guer, Gusoyn, and Boris).

The Malay and Indonesian word for spirit or ghost

Kuttichathan () is a kshetrapala, a guardian deity in Malabari Hindu folklore, often depicted as a portly adolescent boy, sometimes described as having a kutumi. Kutti literally means a boy or child, referring to the juvenile depiction of the Chathan.