Demon

In ancient Egypt demons were minor divinities, associated with caves, pits, tombs, and bodies of water - all of which were considered to be entrances to the underworld. Shown defined by their actions, behavior, and location, demons hunted sinners as they traveled to the afterlife.

The underworld was thought to be guarded by 1,000 demons of many kinds and many forms, some winged, others standing up on human legs, with the heads of various animals, like the gods. Most demons spat fire and were armed with knives.

These demons were some of the many hazards that the deceased had to face on their journey to the afterlife, warding them off with magical amulets and spells from their Book of the Dead.

Texts tell that demons sought to "tear away the mummy wrappings and uncover the bodies," which were left to decompose. Demons threatened to "sever limbs and heads from bodies and flesh from bones," as well as "steal the heart and leave the soul separated from the body, forever unable to return."

Not just a hazard to the deceased, demons were thought to bring illnesses to the living, and incense was burned to repel them. Magical wands banished them from pregnant mothers and children. Beer was thought to exorcise demons, and over one hundred Egyptian recipes for medicines included beer.

However, demons were thought to be under the command of the gods - the goddess Sekhmet was thought to send demons to those that displeased her, and to protect people from them. Osiris had 42 assistant demons that the deceased had to address when they recited the 42 Commandments of Ma’at in the afterlife, to prove their good character.

Sometimes statues of demons were placed into the tombs of the deceased, in order gain their aid in the underworld. Demons were sometimes addressed as netjer, a general term for "gods."

Interestingly, Egyptian texts show that it was possible for a demon to be freed from its subordinate role and responsibilities and become a "greater god" through a process of promotion, showing that the difference between demons and gods was primarily one of degree rather than type.

In some instances, the names of demons seem to have been the titles of the gods - "Long Nose (Beaky)" (Thoth), "Blood Eater" (Sekhmet), "White of Teeth" (Sobek), "Beheader of Rebels" (Mafdet), “Serpent with Raised Head” (Wadjet), “Dog-faced” (Anubis), “Companion of Death” (Nephthys), “Cave-dweller” (Sokar), “Repulsive of Face” (Bes), and "Voice of Thunder" (Set.)

This indicates that in some instances demons were not in fact separate entities but rather the forms that the gods took when angered.