Demons

There is no Egyptian word which corresponds to the English word ‘demon’, but Egyptological literature often uses this term to describe what are also called ‘minor divinities’. From the ancient Egyptian perspective, as Dimitri Meeks has shown, such minor deities were subordinate to the major gods and goddesses and performed specified tasks upon demand; and while the major gods tended to be more universal in nature, ‘demons’ were often defined by specific actions, behaviour and location. These beings were often associated with caves, pits and tombs and also with bodies of water - all of which were considered entrances into the underworld - and the greatest number of demons were, in fact, denizens of the beyond. These netherworld demi-gods constituted different categories. While some were clearly portrayed as frightening instruments of punishment for the damned, many were not inimical and may often better be classed as minor guardian deities such as the keepers of the various gates of the underworld. Some were creatures specifically tasked with the protection of the king or the deceased in the journey through the netherworld. I'hese latter demons were also capable, of course, of aggressive behaviour in order to fulfill their protective roles. Such demons may be depicted zoomorphically but usually take human form or are portrayed semi-anthropomorphically with human bodies and the heads of creatures such as turtles, which were considered malevolent but whose power could be used for protection. A number of images of such demons appear in vignettes of the afterlife books and in some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

Demons could also be associated with the world of the living, however, and once again we find benevolent and malevolent types. The latter type included demons associated with Sekhmet and other great deities in their aggressive aspects, while more benevolent demons were often called upon to give protection from these. Interestingly, Egyptian texts show that it was possible for a demon to be freed from its subordinate role and responsibilities and to become a ‘greater god’ through a process of promotion, showing once again the difference between ‘demons’ and ‘gods’ was primarily one of degree rather than type.