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Egyptian Demonology 101

An Introduction to the Occult in Ancient Egypt.

By Katie AlafdalPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Egyptian Demonology 101
Photo by Riddy . on Unsplash

What do we mean by demons?

In contemporary Western society, the word demon encompasses a mess of malevolent connotations. Its invocation evokes half-baked images from "The Exorcist" or at the very least a sense of profound unease. But in Ancient Egypt, the demonic was considered in an entirely different light. So whether you're an aspiring occultist, or someone genuinely interested in the ancient cosmologies and cultures of the Near East, buckle in for a brief description of Egyptian demonology.

In Ancient Greece, the word daimon was used to describe those beings which straddled the tenuous line between divine and human. It was not so much an indication of evil or danger, but rather a hint towards something supernatural and liminal, not entirely confined to one select category of being. Towards the East in Ancient Egypt, much the same could be said. Demons, as we understand them now, did not exist in Libyan Egypt, but we can apply the term retroactively to beings which did not have the same cult associations as Gods or deities, but still existed beyond the human realm. However, unlike in Ancient Greece, Egyptian demons often had ambiguous, but visceral physical bodies.

Some examples of demons include Ammut the Destroyer of Souls who would devour your heart if when it was weighed in the netherworld, it was heavier than the feather of truth. Another is Bess, who is characterized by a largely protective orientation.

Like most entities, some Ancient Egyptian demons were considered good and some were considered dangerous. Ancient Egyptian Demons came in two forms: Guardian demons, and Wandering demons. Guardian Demons were frequently associated with protecting certain areas of the Netherworld, or protecting important sites. For the most part, they were considered benevolent, unless their charge was threatened. Wandering Demons were more likely to cause misfortune on Earth and in the afterlife.

Where are descriptions of demonic iconography derived from?

It was important for the deceased to be able to identify and name any potential demons or deities in the afterlife in order to effectively vanquish them. Subsequently, contemporary scholarship mostly revolves around descriptions of guardian demons that might be encountered in the netherworld. Depictions of ancient Egyptian demons are characterized by hybrid or theriomorphic appearance (having both animal and human qualities). Frequently, there would be composites of multiple, distinct animal features in a single body. One example of this might be Ammut, the destroyer of souls in the underworld who is essentially a synthesis of a crocodile, feline and hippo. Various animal features might include but were not limited to birds, insects, reptiles (such as a crocodile or serpent), and various mammals (felines, canines, etc.). Demons were usually male, although female demons do exist to a less ubiquitous extent.

The presence of theriomorphic manifestations of demons and gods is one of the most visceral, conspicuous, or striking elements of Egyptian myth and religion. Most guardian demons seem to be characterized by a hybrid appearance (wherein that which is bestial or animalistic is combined with more recognizable anthropomorphic forms). Other representations might include composites of multiple animals (such as Ammut the destroyer of souls), or of animals with apparent physiological mutations. Even beyond the highly complicated interface between human civilization and the natural environment many of these representations contain, hybrid demons encompass a further element of eeriness, which speaks to the impossibilities of inhabiting liminal zones between the human and nether worlds, by way of the uncanny.

Are there many other cultures with similar approaches to demon iconography?

Resorting to hybrid formulations of physicality in order to express the supernatural is not isolated to Egyptian cosmologies—a variety of different cultures and beliefs have some variations of theriomorphic forms in their mythologies.

For example, other near eastern ancient societies, specifically Ancient Mesopotamia, are characterized by striking iconography. One example is Mesopotamian sages or Apkallū, “with the faces of birds and wings” or another set of sages, “cloaked in the skins of fishes”.

Scandinavian folklore describes creatures like the “skogsra” a mythical being who from the front resembles an attractive maiden, and from the back is unmistakably nothing more than a hollowed out tree trunk.

Greek mythology creates the space for a plethora of hybrid beings, many of them being supernatural creatures other than gods (satyrs, sirens, centaurs, pegausus, hippocampi, etc).

In scottish mythology, there are creatures called the selkie capable of therianthropy, or changing from seal form to an anthropomorphic one by the shedding of a seal skin.

These are just a couple of examples of how various cultures at different times have relied on incredibly diverse supernatural hybrid beings to convey some element of mythological or spiritual practice. Which is more than human and liminal in some way.

Why do we think that demons might have been portrayed in such a way in Ancient Egypt?

For one, the synthesis of animal and human features may speak to Egyptian cultural attitudes towards the natural world. It could further be a representation of the complexity of the human psyche and its potential to sustain complicated religious dynamics.Composite physicality may also be a way of materially representing liminality.

Stories about guardian demons are generally consistent in regards to their liminality; from the outset the synthesis of animal and human features seems to mediate a precarious boundary between the human world, with its emphasis on a civilization, and the natural one, which is conversely cast as wild, untamed, chaotic and uncontrollable. In this sense the figure of the demon emerges out of impossibility and incomprehensibility, hence its role as a figment of the supernatural.

Even beyond the highly complicated interface between human civilization and the environment many of these representations contain, hybrid demons encompass a further element of eeriness, which speaks to an even more complex human relationship with the natural world by way of the uncanny. Certain descriptions of the demons come across as disarming or indeed familiar, specifically those that convey their human qualities or discernable animal ones. In some western scholarship, such composite beings might also seem to encompass something foreign, so that that the overall effect is disturbing or disorienting. A lot of this is an effect of orientalism, a term essentially coined by Edward Said , which encompasses the representation of Asia, especially the Middle East, in a stereotyped way that is regarded as embodying a colonialist attitude.

In any case, the hybrid shape— is fitting given demonic characterizations of liminality between the human and divine world. The severity of this stark distinction between human features and animals ones might, speak to the strength of the perceived dichotomy between nature and humanity, and perhaps indicates the difficulty of holding two seemingly distinct ideas together. In this way, demon iconography becomes not only a point of analysis for human conceptualizations of nature, but also for the human psyche itself, as it navigates complexity and selfhood in a dynamic religious andscape.

What does the demonic tell us about ourselves?

In conclusion, within the demonic form there’s a kind of intersectionality at play, where the divide between what is considered natural or unnatural, organic or manmade, even human or nonhuman, is elegantly blurred in the person of the demon itself, because the demon is frequently composed of various parts and cannot be cleanly divided into these animals or this human form. The demon subsequently emerges as a canvas upon which human projections of nature may be cast, and the complicated dynamic between humanity and the wild may be observed in the abstraction of the supernatural.

Historical
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About the Creator

Katie Alafdal

queer poet and visual artist. @leromanovs on insta

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