eidolon

Eidolon is a noun derived from the Greek word eidolon, meaning image, likeness, or idol. In English, it generally refers to a representation or image of a person or deity, and can carry connotations of illusion, phantom, or shadow.

In classical Greek literature, eidola appear as statues or likenesses used in worship, as well as as representations or phantoms associated with the dead or with gods. The term often signals a distinction between the true form or reality and its outward image or copy.

In philosophy, especially within Platonic and Neoplatonic contexts, eidola are the images or copies of the forms that appear to the senses. They are discussed in relation to illusion versus true reality, with eidola sometimes treated as deceptive appearances that veil the more perfect, eternal forms (eide). The term can also function as a synonym for idol in religious discourse.

In modern usage, eidolon frequently appears in occult, fantasy, and science fiction contexts to denote a non-physical copy or astral double of a person, or a projecting image used in rituals, dreamwork, or storytelling. The concept is often linked to ideas of spiritual embodiment, doubles, or doppelgängers, and is sometimes invoked to describe manifestations that resemble a person but are not the person themselves.

See also: idol, image, eidetic, doppelgänger. The plural forms include eidola in classical usage and eidolons in English adaptations.