A Psychological and Sociological Look at Demonology Throughout History

When humans think of demons, they envision horrific monsters and fallen angels, but the actual definition of the word demon is vague, the extent of its malevolence determined mostly by cultural or theological bias. The classical definition of a demon is a guide or guardian spirit similar to the Greek genius, a non corporeal entity neither good nor evil whose purpose is the governing of natural processes.¹ The Christian demon is a creature of Hell under the control of Satan or Lucifer whose purpose is to cause the downfall of humanity through subliminal suggestion, trickery, and deceit.² Though all ideas are valid, it is the Christian idea that has gained the most attention throughout recorded history, and it arose during the Medieval Period because of public response to social stigma, political upheaval, and catastrophic natural events. Famine, pestilence, and plague were common in the Middle Ages among a largely poor population that lived in relative misery under the feudal system. Atmospheric anomalies such as meteor showers and natural disasters like earthquakes and floods were prevalent, further adding to the feeling of gloom and destruction. Repressed medieval authors built on the already established lore of the demon, further expanding the idea that our world is overrun by the agents of evil.Paleontologists have theorized that as early as the Neolithic Era, primitive doctors used a surgical procedure called trephining to make an opening in the skull, a practice believed to release any evil spirits that may be trapped in a person's body.⁴ Early doctors were also religious figures who specialized in the expulsion of evil spirits from their patients using a combination of folk medicine and magic, a practice that is still evident among the primitive tribes of Nairobi, Africa and the Navajo of the Americas.⁵