![Winged daemon in Corinthian plate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Winged_daemon_in_Corinthian_plate.jpg)
The eudaemon, eudaimon, or eudemon ( grc-gre, εὐδαίμων) in
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
was a type of
daemon
Daimon or Daemon (Ancient Greek: , "god", "godlike", "power", "fate") originally referred to a lesser deity or guiding spirit such as the daimons of ancient Greek religion and mythology and of later Hellenistic religion and philosophy.
The word ...
or
genius
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
(deity), which in turn was a kind of spirit.
[Russell, Michael; W, J. T. (1865); Vol I, p 157.] A eudaemon was regarded as a good spirit or
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
, and the evil
cacodaemon
A cacodemon (or cacodaemon) is an evil spirit or (in the modern sense of the word) a demon. The opposite of a cacodemon is an ''agathodaemon'' or ''eudaemon'', a good spirit or angel. The word ''cacodemon'' comes through Latin from the Ancient ...
was its opposing spirit.
[Merriam-Webster (1995); p 392.]
Etymology
The word ''eudaimon'' in Greek means having a good attendant spirit, and consequently being happy. It is composed of the words εὖ ''eu'', which means "well" or "good" and δαίμων ''daimon'', which means "divinity, spirit, divine power, fate, or god."
[Prior, William J. (1990); p 150.][Guiley, Rosemary E. (2008); p 94.] Sometimes ''eudaimon'' is taken to mean literally "good spirit".
Also ''daimon'' is the Greek derivative for the term demon, in which case "demon" means "replete with knowledge".
[Wilhelm, Robert (1995); p 22.]
Moreover, ''Eudaimon'' is as well an ancient proper noun, in particular it was the Greek name of a priest of
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
and father of
P. Aelius Aristeides, a notorious rhetorician of the second century AD.
[Smith, William (1844); p 295.]
Characteristics
Eudaemons in Greek mythology included deified heroes. They were regarded intermediary spirits between gods and the men. Eudaemons, the good daemons, were understood as guardian spirits, bestowing protection and guidance to ones they watched over.
As a counselor, the eudaemon whispered advice and opinions in one's ear. Such person escorted by the eudaemon was considered fortunate. It was said that
Socrates
Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
during his lifetime had a daemon that always warned him of threats and bad judgment, but never directed his actions. According to Socrates, his daemon was more accurate than the respected forms of divination at that time, such as either
reading the entrails or
watching the flights of birds.
![Pompei - House of Iulius Polybius - Lararium](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Pompei_-_House_of_Iulius_Polybius_-_Lararium.jpg)
A worshiped good daemon was
Agathodaemon
An agathodaemon ( grc, ἀγαθοδαίμων, ) or agathos daemon (, , ) was a spirit (''daemon'') of ancient Greek religion. They were personal or supernatural companion spirits, comparable to the Roman '' genii'', who ensured good luck, fer ...
in whose honor the first
libation
A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today.
Various substa ...
to the god
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
was dedicated.
[Cooksey, Thomas L. ( 2010); pp 69-71.]
Other definitions
The philosopher
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
believed that a happy person is one who is eudaemon, but still in a literal manner one possessing a good or fortunate daemon.
Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἡράκλειτος , "Glory of Hera"; ) was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire.
Little is known of Heraclitus's life. He wrote ...
believed that a person’s character is his guardian daemon.
Once in a while the good daemon may also stand for the souls of the deceased. For example, the heroine
Alcestis
Alcestis (; Ancient Greek: Ἄλκηστις, ') or Alceste, was a princess in Greek mythology, known for her love of her husband. Her life story was told by pseudo-Apollodorus in his '' Bibliotheca'', and a version of her death and return from ...
in 438 BCE
Athenian tragedy by the Greek
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...
, is reported as a "blessed daemon" subsequent to her death.
According to psychologist
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...
there is not eudaemon or else cacodaemon but only the daemon, which is a unique independent spirit neither good nor bad, living in everyone.
In mystical approaches eudaemon is sometimes defined as a symbol of "
higher self
Higher self is a term associated with multiple belief systems, but its basic premise describes an eternal, omnipotent, conscious, and intelligent being, who is one's real self. Blavatsky formally defined the higher self as " Atma the inseparable ra ...
", or the individual in the "
causal body
The Causal body - originally ''Karana-Sarira'' - is a Yogic and Vedantic concept that was adopted and modified by Theosophy and from the latter made its way into the general New Age movement and contemporary western esotericism. It generally refer ...
." As well it is a symbol of intelligence on the "
buddhic plane
In esoteric cosmology, a plane is conceived as a subtle state, level, or region of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being.
The concept may be found in religious and esoteric teachings—''e.g.'' Vedanta (Ad ...
" and higher esoteric planes, which assists evolution and is related to the higher thoughts and emotions.
See also
*
Eudaemons
The Eudaemons were a small group headed by graduate physics students J. Doyne Farmer and Norman Packard at the University of California Santa Cruz in the late 1970s. The group's immediate objective was to find a way to beat roulette using a conc ...
*
Eudaimonia
Eudaimonia (Greek: εὐδαιμονία ; sometimes anglicized as eudaemonia or eudemonia, ) is a Greek word literally translating to the state or condition of 'good spirit', and which is commonly translated as 'happiness' or 'welfare'.
In wor ...
*
Lares Familiares
Lares Familiares are guardian household deities and tutelary deities in ancient Roman religion. The singular form is ''Lar Familiaris''. Lares were thought to influence all that occurred within their sphere of influence or location. In well-regul ...
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Penates
In ancient Roman religion, the Di Penates () or Penates ( ) were among the ''dii familiares'', or household deities, invoked most often in domestic rituals. When the family had a meal, they threw a bit into the fire on the hearth for the Penates. ...
*
Shoulder angel
A shoulder angel is a plot device used for dramatic and/or humorous effect in fiction, mainly in animation and comic books/ strips. The angel represents conscience and is often accompanied by a shoulder devil representing temptation. They a ...
*
Tutelary deity
A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...
Notes
References
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*{{cite book , author=Smith, William , year=1844, title=Dictionary of greek and roman biography and mythology. 1, Abaeus-Dysponteus, url=https://archive.org/details/dictionarygreek15smitgoog , publisher= Taylor and Walton John Murray, location=London, oclc=492553013
Greek legendary creatures
Angels
Daimons