δαίμονες
demonic earth Greek single tradition · 2
In Alcinous' philosophical synthesis he acknowledges a series of beings called δαίμονες who hold intercourse with men. These entities are presented as intermediaries between the unknowable god and humanity, reflecting a common Platonic and Stoic notion of demonic spirits. The text does not specify their moral character beyond their role as mediators.
↻ synthesized from 2 sources
When
- First attested
- 850 BCE
- Attested period
- -850 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Mentioned by the 1st‑century CE philosopher Alcinous in his synthesis of Platonic thought.
Sources
encyclopedia (2)
- peer reviewed
- peer reviewed
Source passages
“He recognized a god who is unknowable, and a series of beings (δαίμονες) who hold intercourse with men.”
#43905 · extracted by openai/gpt-oss-120b:free
“Hesiod recognizes the existence of δαίμονες—spirits of the departed who haunt the earth as the invisible guardians of justice; and he connects the office of the poet with that of the prophet.”
#44099 · extracted by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b:free