daimón

Daimón (plural daimones; Greek δαίμων) is a class of divine or semi-divine beings in ancient Greek religion and philosophy. The daimones act as intermediaries between gods and humans, capable of influencing fate, fortune, or a person’s character. They were not uniformly worshiped as gods; instead they encompassed a range of powers from protective personal spirits to ambiguous forces that might inspire or mislead.

Etymology and sense: The term δαίμων originally signified a spiritual force or power and is related to the idea of a personal patron deity or fate. The word is the root of the Latin genius and later the English daemon or demon. In Greek thought, daimones could be personal or impersonal, benevolent, neutral, or hostile depending on context.

Historical context: In Homer and Hesiod, daimones appear as powerful beings associated with individuals, places, and events. In classical philosophy, daimones could be benevolent, neutral, or malevolent. Socrates famously claimed to be guided by a personal daimon, an inner voice that warned him or directed his actions. Plato and other writers treated daimones as real intelligences operating in the world. Household daimones and local tutelary spirits were common in Greek cult practice, reflecting beliefs about personal and communal fortune.

Later development: With the spread of Christianity, the term began to be equated with demons, especially malevolent beings. Some strands of late antiquity and Neoplatonism retained more nuanced views of daimones as intermediaries between the divine and human realms.

Legacy: The daimón concept influenced later religious and literary notions of personal or cosmic spirits. The word also influenced the Latin daemon and the modern sense of the term in computing, where a daemon denotes a background process.