devourer

Devourer is a term used across folklore, fantasy, and science fiction to describe an entity that consumes others—whether their flesh, life energy, or minds. The word derives from the verb devour, from Latin vorare, via Old French devorer, meaning to swallow greedily.

In myth and fiction, devourers are typically depicted as ravenous predators or parasitic beings that prey on living beings. They may feed on physical flesh, drain vitality, or consume souls and memories. The concept is often used to evoke insatiable hunger, cosmic threat, or malevolent influence, and may appear as solitary monsters, cultic antagonists, or overarching dangers threatening communities or worlds.

In popular role-playing and fantasy literature, the term also serves as a proper name for specific creatures. Notably, in the Dungeons & Dragons game setting, a devourer is the name of a type of undead aberration. The creature is presented as a powerful, otherworldly predator with life-draining abilities, contributing to its reputation as a formidable foe in fantasy campaigns.

Outside of games, devourers appear in various novels, video games, and films as archetypal manifestations of uncontrollable hunger or pervasive danger. The label remains a flexible fictional device used to convey overwhelming predation and existential threat, rather than a single, fixed creature.