World Of Demons Research Articles

Assyrian's Concerns of Fear and Anxiety Regarding Demons and Evil Spirits.

Since ancient times, the Assyrians believed that there are occult powers and a world of evil spirits and demons represented by evil gods that cause concern and spread fear and dread in the souls of the population by sending tribulations and diseases to people. All of this was made clear by many texts and monuments that were discovered, therefore, they followed many methods and ways that were reflected in their behaviors, to get rid of their harm, this was represented in following several religious rituals, including prayers, advancement, and casting religious spells, in addition to the expiation rituals of Namburbe NAMBÚR-BI that have a religious and magical nature to keep away the evil, and as they came up with the idea of sheltering spirits, Shido and Mason, represented by the winged bulls that were placed at the city gates, entrances to palaces and small statues that were placed in the foundations of the walls and floors of rooms.

Le désert des moines latins

The desert of Latin monks The Latin literature of early Christianity approached the desert according to the description given by the Scriptures and the Lives of the Eastern fathers, who had perceived it less as a particular landscape than as a supernatural space, inhabited by both demons and angels. The Latin monks thus appropriated the Oriental concept of (h)eremus, to designate first of all the islands colonised by the western anchorites, and then the forests and all the rural spaces in which they settled. By describing their monastic places as desert, the Latin monks were led to think of them as a demonic world transformed into a Garden of Eden, according to a stereotyped model that allowed them to affirm the separation and therefore the sacredness of the spaces they had appropriated. [Author]

Role and Functions of Folklore and Mythological Elements in the Work of M. A. Sabir

The folklore and mythological traditions in the works of the outstanding poet-satirist of the late XIX — early XX centuries M. A. Sabir are considered in the article. It is noted that modern Sabirovology unites scientists from Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries who turn to the study of the poet’s works. The results of the analysis of a number of poetic works of Sabir, in which the author uses folklore and mythological elements as a technique that enhances the satirical sound of his texts are presented in the article. The author believes that Sabir, thanks to the inclusion of representatives of the demonic world (hortdan, damdabadzha, djinn, djann, Baba Yaga) among the characters, emphasizes the power of influence on people of belief in otherworldly forces, thus ridiculing inertness of thinking, unwillingness to develop, to keep up with progress. It is shown that Sabir creates realistic negative social types: money-grubbing, ignorant, etc. Special attention is paid to small folklore and mythological genres (curse, blessing, omen), which emphasize a person’s faith in the magical power of the word. It is noted that the study of folklore and mythological elements in the satirical works of Sabir has a perspective.

Motyw ofiary w bajkach z wątkiem T 651 „Diabeł parobkiem”

The article argued for the thesis that, in the fairy tales with the theme T 651 "The Devil as a Farm-hand", there is an agreement between the otherworld, represented by the devil, and the host human. Simultaneously, the motif of stealing bread is actually a veiled motif of sacrifice for a demonic world of archaic provenance. The author analyses selected narratives with the T 651 theme although stealing bread, that is the victim, and the service is present in practically all of its realizations.

Osłabiona granica – ekspresje świata demonicznego w przestrzeni domu na podstawie przekazów folklorystycznych i etnograficznych z XIX i XX wieku

Weakened Border – Expressions of Demonic World in the House Space in the Folklore and Ethnographic Materials from the 19th and the 20th Century
 The article focuses on three issues: folk beliefs related to the house, magic protecting the house against demonic creatures, and the so‑called “weak boundaries”. “Weak boundaries” are places through which demonic figures enter the human world. These are mostly slits – slots in the walls, a chimney, a keyhole or a window. Small holes can be interpreted as symbols of inversion and amorphousness of the underworld.

: , (((((((( ) (Tales of Gesar: Plots Originating in the Mongolian Tradition (Book and Oral Versions))

Russian Abstract: На примере генезиса и эволюции монгольской Гесериады можно проследить, как знакомство с тибетским эпическим сказанием и переработка его сюжетно-тематического ядра дают исходный импульс для создания общемонгольской эпопеи, обусловливают возникновение книжноэпической формы. Войдя в монгольские традиции как герой, очищающий землю от чудовищ, сын божества, посланник неба, восстановитель гармонического миропорядка, Гесер противостоит хаосу, демоническим и хтоническим силам, и это мифологическое амплуа у него сохраняется, в какие бы сюжетные контексты он ни попадал. В некоторых эпизодах тема очищения земли от чудовищ трактуется как борьба с демоническими правителями реальных и мифических государств, а в позднейших главах книжной версии она осмысливается как уничтожение по небесному предначертанию врагов буддийской религии, которые начинают восприниматься не как чудовища, властвующие в своем демоническом мире, а как демоны-насильники, чье вторжение в человеческий мир вынуждает Гесера наносить по ним превентивные удары. Сам же Гесер оказывается правителем идеального буддийского государства, чуть ли не вселенским монархом, «единственным сыном Будды Шакьямуни». Однако при всех интерпретациях исходный смысл (герой — сын небесного бога, очищающий землю от чудовищ и устанавливающий гармонический миропорядок) остается прежним. English Abstract: On example of genesis and evolution of Mongolian Geseriada, one can see how familiarity with Tibetan epic legend and processing of its subject-themed core give initial impetus for creation of a pan-Mongol epic, which cause emergence of a book-epic form. Entering Mongolian tradition as a hero, cleansing land from monsters, son of deity, messenger of heaven, restorer of harmonious world order, Gesar confronts chaos, demonic and chthonic forces, and this mythological role remains in him, no matter what plot contexts he falls into. In some episodes, theme of cleansing land from monsters is treated as a struggle against demonic rulers of real and mythical states, and in later chapters of book version it is interpreted as destroying enemies of Buddhist religion according to heavenly predestination. These enemies are perceived not as monsters ruling in their demonic world, but as demon-rapists, whose invasion of human world forces Gesar to deliver preventive strikes on them. Gesar himself turns out to be ruler of an ideal Buddhist state, almost a universal monarch, the only son of Buddha Shakyamuni. However, with all interpretations, original meaning (the hero is son of heavenly god, purifying earth of monsters and establishing a harmonious world order) remains same.

«Гардероб» лешего (на материале русских мифологических текстов Пермского края)

The article deals with folk ideas about leshy’s clothes. The material included mythological texts from the archives of the Perm State National Research University and folklore and ethnographic collections of the Perm region. The authors proceed from the position that clothing within the traditional culture is perceived as a semiotic system that provides a variety of information about a person: indicates gender, age, family status. The paper shows that the interpretation of clothing as a cultural code is projected on the inhuman, demonic world. It is proved that leshy’s clothing is also semiotically significant: firstly, it helps to emphasize the sex of the character and some of “social” characteristics (for example, “married” female leshy wears a handkerchief), and secondly, it marks the character’s belonging to the demonic world (at the same time certain items of clothing (sheepskin coat, coats in summer, elements of a military wardrobe, high hat), the color of suit (red, black or white), as well as the lack of necessary items of clothing, for example shoes can be considered as a sign of the “inhuman” nature of leshy. Particular attention is paid to the nominative combinations that describe leshy, which include the names of garments. The analysis shows that the elements of such combinations are usually the designations of such items of clothing, which are “standard” for men’s and women’s clothing. It is established that on the territory of the Perm region there is a tendency to “modernization” of the “wardrobe” minimum of leshy.

The Lovely and the Lost by P. Morgan

Morgan, Page. The Lovely and the Lost. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2014. Print.This young adult fantasy novel is the second in a trilogy, the first of which is The Beautiful and the Cursed. This story follows three siblings: Grayson, Gabby, and Ingrid Waverly, and their roles in a supernatural world of angels, demons, and gargoyles hidden within the streets of Paris in 1900. In the events of the first novel, sisters Ingrid and Gabby rescued their brother Grayson from kidnap and torture at the hands of the fallen angel Axia. At the same time, they became involved with the Alliance, a secret order that seeks to destroy demons. They also learned about Luc and other Dispossessed, better known as gargoyles, who are duty bound by angels to guard old buildings and the people who live in them. Luc was the gargoyle watching over the Waverly family when they moved to an old abbey in Paris.Although Grayson has been rescued, the Waverly’s are not safe yet. Ingrid is special. She has both demonic and angelic blood, giving her unique powers. Her blood can be used to command gargoyles and Axia still seeks this ability. Others may also wish to use Ingrid for their own ends, including the Alliance, and the Daicrypta, a group of humans who capture demons and attempt to control them. These events are complicated by the emergence of Dusters, or human children with demon blood.The Waverly’s have the protection of both the Alliance and the Dispossessed, but they must prepare themselves for dealing with Axia. Ingrid is trying to master her lightning demon powers. She also has growing feelings for the gargoyle Luc - a love forbidden by the angels. Gabby wishes to join the Alliance and learn how to fight, but she is also dealing with a disfigurement she suffered in the first book. Suitors from the Alliance also court both the girls. Grayson tries to process how his torture changed him, and fights with the part of himself that is a hellhound. All of this is made more difficult when the Waverly’s narrow-minded and controlling father comes to town, and by the presence of a new gargoyle in the abbey named Marco, assigned to help Luc protect the siblings.The Lovely and the Lost is a sequel that stands well on its own, and that will appeal to female demographics. It further explores the story’s mythology involving angels, the Dispossessed, and the Alliance. As in the first book, this mythology is influenced by both the Mortal Instruments book series and the 1990s Gargoyles television show, although it is still original. The story is told in multiple viewpoints, which may deter some readers. It also ends with many open-ended and urgent questions. As in the first book, mythology is well explained in approachable language. Themes explored include repercussions of trauma, beauty, madness, forbidden love, love triangles, and a fantastical twist on angels and demons.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Colette LeungColette Leung is a graduate student at the University of Alberta, working in the fields of Library and Information science and Humanities Computing who loves reading, cats, and tea. Her research interests focus around how digital tools can be used to explore fields such as literature, language, and history in new and innovative ways.

Witchcraft, Demonology, and Confession in Early Modern France. By Virginia Krause.

This brief, compelling study provides non-specialists with a welcome critical introduction to the complex, contested field of early modern demonology. Its four chapters adopt different perspectives concerning ‘the audible invisibility of the demonic world’ (p. 4), but the result is a survey that is anything but anodyne. Virginia Krause, co-editor of a forthcoming critical edition of one of European demonology’s foundational texts, Jean Bodin’s De la démonomanie des sorciers (Paris: Du Puys, 1580), and a much-respected contemporary expert in the field, begins by asserting the distinctiveness of her own study. Arguing that a key aspect of demonology has thus far been overlooked, she makes of it her primary, innovative focus: spoken confession. With the testimony of the accused at the centre of collective attention, demonology reveals the nature of its distinctiveness from other early modern discourses of singularity and deviation from the norm: its commitment to a powerful, oppressive, and constraining ‘auricular regime’ (p. 44 and passim). Yet this insistence on confession is also the regime’s downfall, for with the growing promotion of ocular proof, ‘demonology faltered, crippled by its dependence on audible truths’ (p. 101). Adding to the growing body of work at the intersection of law and literature, Krause brings a cogent account of the legal history of the period (drawn principally from John Langbein’s Torture and the Law of Proof (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1977)) together with close and often fine analysis of the written record. Particularly good are her last two chapters, as discussion of Montaigne’s ‘Des boyteux’ in relation to arguments about Roman canon law prepares for the final chapter’s detailed exploration of the differing subject positions of the accused in records of the trial of the Marlou witches in 1582–83. Underwritten by a Foucauldian concern with assujettissement , itself further conjugated by engagement with Judith Butler on how modern subjects ‘give account’ of themselves, this book represents a timely intervention into a range of contemporary debates. The ‘Conclusion: Lessons from the Demonological Night’, for instance, makes briefly explicit the parallel between demonology and counter-terrorism that runs implicitly throughout, even as it settles differences between Foucault’s early critical assessment of confession and his late praise for parrhesia. Krause perhaps overstates her case at times; and the picture she paints is arguably distorted by three factors. The first is her almost exclusive reliance on legally inflected source material. The second is an over-enthusiastic endorsement of the distinction between ‘realist’ and ‘illusionist’ hypotheses concerning the Sabbat. (Thibaut Maus de Rolley’s Élévations: l’écriture du voyage aérien à la Renaissance (Geneva: Droz, 2011), an odd gap in Krause’s otherwise rich bibliography, offers a more nuanced account of the stakes of transvection, and of its rich philosophical and poetic pre-history.) Lastly, Krause’s passing claim that demonologists, initiated into the arts of humanist textual scholarship as part of their legal training, were also in effect committed to literature, seems contentious. Narrative, certainly, but ‘literature’? These, though, are quibbles. This engaged and powerful study will, quite properly, provoke questions, arguments, and productive counter-claims, alongside further investigation of its richly elaborated and carefully argued themes.

Hair on End. Demons and Sinners in Old Russian Iconography

The way to depict the enemy in Christian art is a wide sphere of research, comprising a multitude of visual motifs. In the Middle Ages, dealing with the world of demons allowed the painters a certain poetic licence for playing with forms and details; however, there existed some “generic indicators” for demonic figures, such as dark colouring, a mixture of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic features and other less evident visual markers. For Byzantine and Old Russian iconography the most important one was hair standing on end. Upright locks in demons appeared fairly early in Christian art and served for centuries to form the image of the enemy. They marked various characters, from infernal monsters and personifications of sins to heretics and transgressors, solidifying them into the army of Satan. Sometimes this motif was used to add dynamics to a picture and show the transformation of a character who became evil or, on the contrary, turned into a righteous Christian. The article is focused on the origin and semantics of this essential marker, and the way it was used in Old Russian iconography to help form the image of the many-faced enemy.

Svett na demonite v slovo i obraz<br>The World of Demons in Stories and Images</br>

The author analyzes the historical changes of human notions and perceptions about demonic creatures from ancient times till the present days. The world of demons has always been “densly populated”, although one sort of its “inhabitants” could be replaced with another or could be described in another way by different generations in different historical periods. It is stressed that people believe in demons even today, although “modern” demons can have a quite different appearance and different kinds of activities, especially in big cities.

The Image of the Real World and the World Beyond in the Slovene Folk Tradition<br>Podoba sveta in onstranstva v slovenskem ljudskem izročilu</br>

In the Slovene folk tradition descriptions of the “world axis” in the form of the world mountain and the cosmic tree were preserved. This vertical axis linked the spheres of the underworld, the earth and the sky, representing the communicational channel among them. The world of people, deities, demons and souls of the deceased was installed in such “coordinate system”. Christianity gave the vertical axis another meaning, while the concept of human “earthly world” preserved a large number of its old traits.

Aquinas, Enchantment, and the Wonders of Nature

Aquinas, Enchantment, and the Wonders of Nature Robert St. Hilaire (bio) Recently, there has been much discussion about how currents of postmodernism and some contemporary trends in religion are “reenchanting” the world, endowing it with (or recovering already within it) a mystery, a wonder, and even a sense of the divine absent in the impersonal and mechanistic rationalism characteristic of modernity.1 From time to time in this conversation, the name of Thomas Aquinas is mentioned. For instance, Alison Milbank discerns behind both G. K. Chesterton’s and J. R. R. Tolkien’s resistance to the cultural disenchantment of their day the essentially Thomistic themes of the otherness and diversity of created being;2 Alister McGrath draws on Aquinas’s doctrine of creation to restore a view of the natural world that inherently points beyond itself to God;3 and Graham Ward detects in postmodern culture a new opportunity for a Christian analogical worldview, one he constructs by relying in part on Aquinas’s Eucharistic theology.4 Yet there is something ironic about these and similar appeals to Aquinas.5 Although his theology is seen as a viable resource for projects of reenchantment (to the extent that such cultural change can be deliberately orchestrated),6 what is consistently overlooked is that [End Page 113] Aquinas himself, living in thirteenth-century Christian Europe, very much belonged to an “enchanted” age. I use the word enchanted here not in any attenuated or metaphorical sense, but as referring to, as Charles Taylor defines it, “the world of spirits, demons, and moral forces which our ancestors lived in.”7 In other words, Aquinas hailed from an era that took quite seriously a wide range of spiritual beings, otherworldly occurrences, and magical powers.8 Should we not ask, then, whether or not any of these sorts of cultural beliefs and presuppositions ever found their way into his writings? And if so, might his opinions on such matters in any way help articulate or encourage today’s movements toward reenchantment? In this article, I have two immediate goals. The first is to show that Aquinas does indeed speculate about what I will call enchanted phenomena, specifically miracles, the worldly activities of angels and demons, magic, fortune-telling, curses, and ghosts, all of which, as we will see, he takes to be realities of his present day.9 In fact, his ideas about such phenomena are abundant in his works, and so, to limit the scope of this investigation, I will confine myself to the Summa theologiae and Summa contra Gentiles, which treat these issues in considerable detail.10 Second, I will demonstrate how Aquinas’s views on enchanted phenomena, taken collectively, shape his teachings on the created world or nature (natura), particularly in regard to the general plan or order God establishes within it. Aquinas holds that inherent in nature is a certain degree of unpredictability, spontaneity, incomprehensibility, and awe. It is an outlook that stems directly from his larger enchanted worldview. If theologians and other scholars are looking for ways in which Aquinas can contribute to contemporary discourse on reenchantment, then his doctrine of nature, I will propose, is one place to start. Beyond these main points, however, there is also a broader claim I wish to make—or at least start to make. Modern Thomists have tended to brush past or completely ignore most of Aquinas’s reflections on enchanted phenomena. To my knowledge, there has been no [End Page 114] comprehensive study that examines how Aquinas’s enchanted world-view informs his theology.11 Perhaps this lacuna reflects a fear of compromising the rationalistic image of Aquinas that first emerged within neo-Scholasticism in the wake of the Enlightenment and that still holds sway among some interpreters.12 I want to suggest, however, that to overlook Aquinas’s teachings on enchanted phenomena risks misunderstanding other aspects of his thought. Toward making this case, I will conclude this article by indicating two areas of his theology where exploring the impact of his enchanted worldview would very likely yield fruitful results. My intention here is not to alienate us from Aquinas’s doctrines or to imply that they must first be “demythologized,” as Rudolf...

Pravljične pošasti in pošastno v oglasih<br>Fairy Tale Monsters and the Monstrous in Advertising</br>

In folklore, evil has always been represented by monsters in various shapes and sizes. Through cultures, the demonic world has been the fearsome counterpart of the good, the two worlds coexisting in a constant struggle. In folklore, many fairy tales, tales and other narratives speak of this battle between good and bad. It does not come as a surprise that this motif also appears in advertisements, which shape our everyday way of life. This article addresses the issue of how advertisements use monsters to represent various fears, i.e. disease or bacteria, and the advertised product as an instant, magic means to overcome it.

Schizophrenia or possession?

Schizophrenia is typically a life-long condition characterized by acute symptom exacerbations and widely varying degrees of functional disability. Some of its symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, produce great subjective psychological pain. The most common delusion types are as follows: "My feelings and movements are controlled by others in a certain way" and "They put thoughts in my head that are not mine." Hallucinatory experiences are generally voices talking to the patient or among themselves. Hallucinations are a cardinal positive symptom of schizophrenia which deserves careful study in the hope it will give information about the pathophysiology of the disorder. We thought that many so-called hallucinations in schizophrenia are really illusions related to a real environmental stimulus. One approach to this hallucination problem is to consider the possibility of a demonic world. Demons are unseen creatures that are believed to exist in all major religions and have the power to possess humans and control their body. Demonic possession can manifest with a range of bizarre behaviors which could be interpreted as a number of different psychotic disorders with delusions and hallucinations. The hallucination in schizophrenia may therefore be an illusion-a false interpretation of a real sensory image formed by demons. A local faith healer in our region helps the patients with schizophrenia. His method of treatment seems to be successful because his patients become symptom free after 3 months. Therefore, it would be useful for medical professions to work together with faith healers to define better treatment pathways for schizophrenia.

You Can Enter a World, and: How to Do Your Job by Doing Something Else

101 LAYNIE BROWNE YOU CAN ENTER A WORLD You can enter a world where you stop to turn off the stove top or you can enter a world where everyone has a cell number with different area codes because nobody lives in one place. You can enter a world of corporate executives. You can enter a world where the complications don’t end and you are waiting for a phone call. You can enter a world where the brain swells and you are told not to walk. You can enter a world of annual incomes , where you become an economist. You can enter a world where the adults follow the children and seem incapable of concentration on anything other than themselves. You can enter a world of environmental concerns. You can enter a world where food becomes daylight. You can enter a world of regional trail running competitions. You can enter a world in which you grow a beard. You can enter a world in which you break through the resolution barriers in light microscopy. You can enter a world where you make a cactus out of a cucumber by inserting toothpicks —for educational purposes. You can enter a world of your weight on other worlds. You can enter a world where you stand on your head and count breaths. You can enter a world of organic web design, textiles, and quilting. You can enter a world of toxic substances difficult to pronounce. You can enter a world of jailbreakers. You can enter a world you already inhabit. You can enter a world of World Series poker events. You can enter a world where attention interlocks with understanding and you can enter a world in which there is no understanding despite the depths of your attention. You can enter a world of data. You can enter a world in which a small cup of tears becomes the end of time. You can enter a world to win big. You can enter a world in which the ocean inhabits your blood chemistry. You can enter a world of a recycled vessel. You can enter a world where you lurk, just below the surface of things. You can enter a world of redefinition. You can enter a world with color and texture where you swim in projections of light. You can enter a world 102 of secret agents. You can enter a world constructed only of fallacies , of confetti, of rain, of indeterminacy. You can enter a world of lucid dreaming, and then you can enter it again in the dark. You can enter a world on steroids quickly and abruptly or you can enter quietly on your fingertips, leaving an invisible trail of skin particles in your wake. You can enter a virtual world which includes bars, clubs, a movie theater, a personal yacht, and a personal penthouse that only you and friends can enter. You can enter a world on a leash or you can be propelled into a world of helicopters. You can enter a world of gourmet coffee. You can enter a world where people speak softly and kindly. You can enter a world of demons. You can enter a world in quotation marks. You can enter a world of mediated cultures. You can enter a world made of felt, obsequiously. You can enter the world’s first flying car—speed over rocks, swampland, fences, or loginfested waterways. You can enter a world like a viscous liquid, like squid ink or curtains. You can enter a world of “welcome to the dark future.” You can crawl into a world of your own making on hands and knees. You can enter a world where the world ends with you. You can enter a world asleep, dormant, a fixture. You can enter a world of warcraft, click and enter. You can enter a world of enchanting Aztec baby names. You can enter a world of the best and worst jobs in the United States. You can enter a world of beach luxury at Puro Beach in Palma de Mallorca. You can enter a world of lectionary texts, elegant earth words, viridian foliage. You can enter a world where all of...

Addiction: A World of Demons and Daimons

The War of the Gods in Addiction by David E. Schoen is reviewed in this article. Jungian analyst Schoen discusses the relevance of the 1961 Bill Wilson-C. G. Jung letters, the psychodynamics of addiction, and explores the archetype of evil as an essential component in addiction. This review explores a Jungian perspective on the Twelve Steps of AA and discusses working with the “using dreams” of recovering and addicted individuals.

Thinking about God in an Age of Technology. By George Pattison

Thinking about God in an Age of Technology. By George Pattison

Demonkeeper (review)

Reviewed by: Demonkeeper Cindy Welch Buckingham, Royce Demonkeeper. Putnam, 2007 [224p] ISBN 0-399-24649-5$15.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-7 Nat's job as a newly minted demonkeeper is to provide a sort of "wildlife preserve for monsters that cause chaos," which he does in a spooky old house in Seattle infested with uneasy and ungrateful demons. When a pair of skateboarders break into the house, one of them is digested by the truly monstrous six-legged furry demon imprisoned in the basement, but the other skater escapes only to find the beast hot on his trail. Nat, meanwhile, has been on an ill-fated date; he returns home to see the blood-spattered basement door still open and to realize, through evidence left at the scene, that the monster is tracking the surviving skater. It appears, in fact, that the second skater has nabbed Nat's monster manual, and when Nat goes after it, he encounters a former demonkeeper apprentice, now turned evil and intending to use Nat's demons to rule the world. This is horror on the mild side, a slapstick monster mash of dripping fangs and wall splatters that comes off as gross rather than menacing; the easygoing, breezy humor adds appeal to an already engaging premise about monster livestock. Buckingham throws in a superfluous romantic subplot, but young readers will probably ignore it in favor of the demonic chases and close calls that keep the story moving at a clip. Kids who aren't ready for the [End Page 405] richly demonic world of Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy (The Amulet of Samarkand, BCCB 3/04, et al.) but who seek a quick monstrous caper will find this an enjoyably gory outing. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

A Typology Of Domestication In Exorcism

In this article the authors develop a typology that maps the way in which contemporary exorcist practices become ‘domesticated’. The typology is based on a comparison of Dutch charismatic Christians and Brazilian Spiritists, two religious contexts in which dealing with evil spirits takes a central place. The typology makes clear that the discourses surrounding demons and exorcism, including the medical discourse, are made up of different practical parameters of diagnosis and treatment, which are intrinsically linked to the use of language. Metaphorical and metonymical language form two extremes of the continuum in this respect, the former representing a ‘domesticated’ demonology and the latter referring to the untamed reality of the demonic world.