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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 perspectives, as Dimitri Meeks has shown, such
minor deities were subordinate to the major Egyptian god 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, behavior and location.
These beings were often associated with cave, 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. These latter
demons were also capable, of course, of aggressive behavior in
order to fulfill their protectives roles. Such demons may be
depicted zoomographically 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 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
beevolent demons were often called upon to give protection from
these. Interestingly, ancient 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.
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The
Complete Gods and
Goddesses of Ancient Egypt
Book
Since you are interested in
the Egyptian gods and
goddesses, you will certainly
find this book interesting and
very informative. As a matter
of fact, most of the articles
here are inspired by, or even
directly taken from, this
book.
What makes this book so
special? I find this book so
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it is something that both
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learn from. It introduces you
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goddesses, but it also gets you
deep inside the ancient
Egyptian religious life and
mysterious practices, even it
has a few pages dedicated to
the demons of ancient Egypt. I
strongly recommend this book
for you if you want to get
closer insight of the ancient
Egyptian religious doctrines.
The
book is available on
Amazon.
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