ColossiansOne

Across cultures

One culture’s god is another’s demon.

Most of the major demons in the Western tradition are deposed gods of neighbouring peoples. The mechanism is usually visible in the name itself: Baal-Zebul, ‘prince Baal’, becomes Baal-Zebub, ‘lord of the flies’; the goddess Ashtart is given the vowels of bosheth, ‘shame’, and ends up as a male duke of hell.

The sharpest case involves no polemic at all. Sanskrit asura and Avestan ahura are the same inherited word; so are deva and daeva. In Iran the ahuras are divine and the daevas are demons. In India it is exactly the other way round. Two branches of one religion inherited the same two categories and assigned them opposite values. Whatever else that shows, it is hard to read it as anything but evidence that ‘god’ and ‘demon’ are positions in a structure rather than properties of the beings who occupy them.

Two different claims, kept apart

Descent

One figure demonstrably came from another, usually traceable through the name itself. Baal Hadad to Beelzebub to the Goetic Bael is a line of descent.

Equivalence

Two figures fill the same office — by ancient equation, by shared inheritance, or by coincidence. Shango and Thor both throw thunder; neither produced the other.

Collapsing the two makes every figure look related to every other. They are recorded and displayed separately here for that reason.

11 lines

Lines of descent

Each row runs oldest to newest, and every arrow is a claim that the later figure came from the earlier one, with the evidence stated beneath it. These are the strong claims in the compendium.

PersianSlavic3 figures

  1. Angra Mainyu

    Persian · c. 1000 BCE

  2. →

    Satan

    c. 400 BCE

  3. →

    Veles

    Slavic · c. 1113 CE

  • satanderives fromangra-mainyu — Structural rather than lexical: the organised adversary with an army and a final judgment.
  • satanderives fromveles — The Slavic devil absorbs Veles: his name and attributes pass directly onto the devil in folk usage after Christianisation. One of the best-documented conversions anywhere.
VedicChinese3 figures

  1. Yama

    Vedic · c. 1400 BCE

  2. →

    Yanluo Wang

    Chinese · c. 200 BCE

  3. The Ten Kings

    Chinese · c. 700 CE

  • yanluo-wangderives fromyama — The Indian Yama entered China with Buddhism and was reorganised as a magistrate of the celestial bureaucracy.
  • ten-kingsderives fromyama — The Chinese court of the dead is built out of the Indian Yama, reorganised into a bureaucracy with intervals, clerks and an appeal.
Canaanite6 figures

  1. Baal Hadad

    Canaanite · c. 1400 BCE

  2. →

    Adramelech

    c. 400 BCE

  3. Baalberith

    c. 400 BCE

  4. Bael

    c. 400 BCE

  5. Beelzebub

    c. 400 BCE

  6. Rimmon

    c. 400 BCE

  • beelzebubderives frombaal-hadad — Baal-Zebul, 'prince Baal', deliberately misvocalised in Hebrew as Baal-Zebub, 'lord of the flies'.
  • baelderives frombaal-hadad — The first spirit of the Goetia carries the bare title 'lord' as a personal name, three thousand years downstream.
  • adramelechderives frombaal-hadad — A Sepharvite god of the Baal type, made chancellor of hell by early-modern demonology.
  • baalberithderives frombaal-hadad — Baal-berith, 'lord of the covenant', a god of Shechem before he was made hell's notary.
  • rimmonderives frombaal-hadad — The Aramean storm god of Damascus, later given a diplomatic posting by de Plancy.
Canaanite3 figures

  1. Lotan

    Canaanite · c. 1400 BCE

  2. →

    Leviathan

    c. 400 BCE

  3. →

    The Leviathan Spirit

    c. 400 BCE

  • leviathanderives fromlotan — Isaiah 27:1 reuses the Ugaritic epithets for Lotan almost verbatim.
  • leviathan-spiritderives fromleviathan — Job's creature read as a spirit of pride and twisted speech.
Canaanite2 figures

  1. Astarte

    Canaanite · c. 1400 BCE

  2. →

    Astaroth

    c. 1300 BCE

  • astarothderives fromastarte — Ashtoreth — the goddess's consonants with the vowels of bosheth, 'shame' — becomes a male duke of hell.
Persian2 figures

  1. Aeshma

    Persian · c. 1000 BCE

  2. →

    Asmoday

    c. 700 BCE

  • asmodayderives fromaeshma — Aeshma-daeva to Ashmedai to Asmodeus — the strongest name-level link between the two traditions.
Mesopotamian2 figures

  1. Lamashtu

    Mesopotamian · c. 1800 BCE

  2. →

    Lilith

    c. 400 BCE

  • lilithderives fromlamashtu — The child-threatening demoness of the incantation bowls, inherited through the Mesopotamian lilitu.
Greek2 figures

  1. The Erinyes

    Greek · c. 700 BCE

  2. →

    Alastor

    c. 458 BCE

  • alastorderives fromerinyes — The Greek avenging spirit of blood-guilt, taken up as a personal name for hell's executioner.
Egyptian2 figures

  1. Atum

    Egyptian · c. 2600 BCE

  2. →

    Nun

    Egyptian · c. 2600 BCE

  • atumderives fromnun — Rises out of the primeval waters on the first mound.
Canaanite2 figures

  1. El

    Canaanite · c. 1400 BCE

  2. →

    The Sons of God

    c. 900 BCE

  • sons-of-godderives fromel — The assembly of El in Ugaritic literature has the same vocabulary and the same shape three centuries earlier; the Hebrew council keeps the structure and changes who presides.
Canaanite2 figures

  1. Jezebel

    Canaanite · c. 850 BCE

  2. →

    The Jezebel Spirit

    c. 80 CE

  • jezebel-spiritderives fromjezebel — The category is built from the queen of 1 Kings by way of the label in Revelation 2:20.

7 fields

Fields of equivalence

Clusters of figures that sources or scholarship equate with one another. These are weaker claims than descent and they form large groups by nature, so each is drawn as a graph — the cords show which specific pairs are equated, rather than implying that everyone in a cluster is the same figure.

EgyptianCanaaniteMesopotamianVedicPersianGreekRomanBuddhist97 figures · 117 equivalences
NeithNeith — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceSetSet — Egyptian · 2 recorded equivalencesAtumAtum — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceBastetBastet — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceHathorHathor — Egyptian · 2 recorded equivalencesIsisIsis — Egyptian · 2 recorded equivalencesKhepriKhepri — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceNunNun — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceNutNut — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceRaRa — Egyptian · 6 recorded equivalencesSerqetSerqet — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceSobekSobek — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceDagonDagon — Canaanite · 1 recorded equivalenceEnlilEnlil — Mesopotamian · 1 recorded equivalenceIshtarIshtar — Mesopotamian · 5 recorded equivalencesShamashShamash — Mesopotamian · 2 recorded equivalencesSekhmetSekhmet — Egyptian · 5 recorded equivalencesAmunAmun — Egyptian · 3 recorded equivalencesApepApep — Egyptian · 4 recorded equivalencesBesBes — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceEreshkigalEreshkigal — Mesopotamian · 3 recorded equivalencesNergalNergal — Mesopotamian · 3 recorded equivalencesTaweretTaweret — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceLamashtuLamashtu — Mesopotamian · 1 recorded equivalenceThe Ardat LiliThe Ardat Lili — Mesopotamian · 1 recorded equivalenceAmmitAmmit — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceAnatAnat — Canaanite · 3 recorded equivalencesAstarteAstarte — Canaanite · 5 recorded equivalencesBaal HadadBaal Hadad — Canaanite · 3 recorded equivalencesElEl — Canaanite · 6 recorded equivalencesIndraIndra — Vedic · 4 recorded equivalencesLotanLotan — Canaanite · 6 recorded equivalencesMotMot — Canaanite · 2 recorded equivalencesReshephResheph — Canaanite · 5 recorded equivalencesRudraRudra — Vedic · 2 recorded equivalencesVarunaVaruna — Vedic · 2 recorded equivalencesVritraVritra — Vedic · 2 recorded equivalencesYamYam — Canaanite · 3 recorded equivalencesAtenAten — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceAsherahAsherah · 2 recorded equivalencesMardukMarduk — Mesopotamian · 2 recorded equivalencesTiamatTiamat — Mesopotamian · 5 recorded equivalencesAhura MazdaAhura Mazda — Persian · 4 recorded equivalencesMithraMithra — Persian · 2 recorded equivalencesSraoshaSraosha — Persian · 1 recorded equivalenceZahhakZahhak — Persian · 1 recorded equivalenceSheolSheol · 1 recorded equivalenceJezebelJezebel — Canaanite · 1 recorded equivalenceChemoshChemosh — Canaanite · 1 recorded equivalencePazuzuPazuzu — Mesopotamian · 3 recorded equivalencesApolloApollo — Greek · 2 recorded equivalencesAthenaAthena — Greek · 2 recorded equivalencesHadesHades — Greek · 8 recorded equivalencesHecateHecate — Greek · 2 recorded equivalencesPersephonePersephone — Greek · 1 recorded equivalencePoseidonPoseidon — Greek · 1 recorded equivalenceThe ErinyesThe Erinyes — Greek · 2 recorded equivalencesTyphonTyphon — Greek · 3 recorded equivalencesZeusZeus — Greek · 8 recorded equivalencesJupiterJupiter — Roman · 5 recorded equivalencesSaturnSaturn — Roman · 1 recorded equivalenceAbaddonAbaddon · 2 recorded equivalencesBelialBelial · 1 recorded equivalenceKaliKali — Vedic · 1 recorded equivalenceLilithLilith · 6 recorded equivalencesLuciferLucifer · 2 recorded equivalencesMichaelMichael · 3 recorded equivalencesMolochMoloch · 2 recorded equivalencesNehushtanNehushtan · 1 recorded equivalencePlutoPluto — Roman · 3 recorded equivalencesSatanSatan · 10 recorded equivalencesThe Familiar SpiritThe Familiar Spirit · 1 recorded equivalenceThe Lying SpiritThe Lying Spirit · 1 recorded equivalenceThe Queen of HeavenThe Queen of Heaven · 3 recorded equivalencesThe Spirits of AfflictionThe Spirits of Affliction · 1 recorded equivalenceMaraMara — Buddhist · 2 recorded equivalencesThe Prince of the Power of the AirThe Prince of the Power of the Air · 1 recorded equivalenceThe Python SpiritThe Python Spirit · 2 recorded equivalencesIblisIblis · 3 recorded equivalencesThe GhulThe Ghul · 2 recorded equivalencesThe IfritThe Ifrit · 2 recorded equivalencesAmaterasuAmaterasu — Japanese · 1 recorded equivalenceSusanooSusanoo — Japanese · 1 recorded equivalenceYamata-no-OrochiYamata-no-Orochi — Japanese · 1 recorded equivalenceThe DagdaThe Dagda — Celtic · 1 recorded equivalenceThe MorríganThe Morrígan — Celtic · 2 recorded equivalencesPerunPerun — Slavic · 4 recorded equivalencesSamaelSamael · 3 recorded equivalencesFreyjaFreyja — Norse · 2 recorded equivalencesHelHel — Norse · 2 recorded equivalencesJormungandrJormungandr — Norse · 2 recorded equivalencesLokiLoki — Norse · 1 recorded equivalenceThorThor — Norse · 5 recorded equivalencesCamaelCamael · 1 recorded equivalenceMictlantecuhtliMictlantecuhtli — Mesoamerican · 2 recorded equivalencesThe Lords of XibalbaThe Lords of Xibalba — Mesoamerican · 2 recorded equivalencesShangoShango — Yoruba · 1 recorded equivalence

Reading this diagram

Each dot is a figure, placed clockwise from the oldest. A cord means a source or a scholarly consensus equates that pair. Dot size is the number of equivalences recorded for that figure, so the largest dots are the ones everyone else gets compared to.

Hover any dot to isolate its links and read the reason for each. Colour is alignment, not culture.

Busiest node: Satan with 10 recorded equivalences.

An equivalence is not a claim of descent. Some of these pairs are historical equations made in antiquity, some are shared Indo-European inheritance, and some are pure functional parallels between traditions that never met. The note on each link says which.

EgyptianVedicGreekNorseMesoamericanYoruba18 figures · 18 equivalences
AnubisAnubis — Egyptian · 5 recorded equivalencesWepwawetWepwawet — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceMa'atMa'at — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceOsirisOsiris — Egyptian · 2 recorded equivalencesThothThoth — Egyptian · 5 recorded equivalencesKhonsuKhonsu — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalenceAgniAgni — Vedic · 1 recorded equivalenceYamaYama — Vedic · 2 recorded equivalencesTammuzTammuz · 1 recorded equivalenceCharonCharon — Greek · 1 recorded equivalenceHermesHermes — Greek · 6 recorded equivalencesGabrielGabriel · 1 recorded equivalenceAzraelAzrael · 2 recorded equivalencesMunkar and NakirMunkar and Nakir · 1 recorded equivalenceMetatronMetatron · 2 recorded equivalencesOdinOdin — Norse · 2 recorded equivalencesQuetzalcoatlQuetzalcoatl — Mesoamerican · 1 recorded equivalenceEshuEshu — Yoruba · 1 recorded equivalence

Reading this diagram

Each dot is a figure, placed clockwise from the oldest. A cord means a source or a scholarly consensus equates that pair. Dot size is the number of equivalences recorded for that figure, so the largest dots are the ones everyone else gets compared to.

Hover any dot to isolate its links and read the reason for each. Colour is alignment, not culture.

Busiest node: Hermes with 6 recorded equivalences.

An equivalence is not a claim of descent. Some of these pairs are historical equations made in antiquity, some are shared Indo-European inheritance, and some are pure functional parallels between traditions that never met. The note on each link says which.

EgyptianMesopotamianGreekRomanChineseYoruba7 figures · 6 equivalences
KhnumKhnum — Egyptian · 1 recorded equivalencePtahPtah — Egyptian · 2 recorded equivalencesEnkiEnki — Mesopotamian · 3 recorded equivalencesAresAres — Greek · 1 recorded equivalenceMarsMars — Roman · 2 recorded equivalencesNüwaNüwa — Chinese · 1 recorded equivalenceOgunOgun — Yoruba · 2 recorded equivalences

Reading this diagram

Each dot is a figure, placed clockwise from the oldest. A cord means a source or a scholarly consensus equates that pair. Dot size is the number of equivalences recorded for that figure, so the largest dots are the ones everyone else gets compared to.

Hover any dot to isolate its links and read the reason for each. Colour is alignment, not culture.

Busiest node: Enki with 3 recorded equivalences.

An equivalence is not a claim of descent. Some of these pairs are historical equations made in antiquity, some are shared Indo-European inheritance, and some are pure functional parallels between traditions that never met. The note on each link says which.

MesopotamianGreek6 figures · 5 equivalences
AnzuAnzu — Mesopotamian · 1 recorded equivalenceThe Sons of GodThe Sons of God · 2 recorded equivalencesThe DaimonesThe Daimones — Greek · 1 recorded equivalenceAzazelAzazel · 3 recorded equivalencesAngelsAngels · 2 recorded equivalencesHarut and MarutHarut and Marut · 1 recorded equivalence

Reading this diagram

Each dot is a figure, placed clockwise from the oldest. A cord means a source or a scholarly consensus equates that pair. Dot size is the number of equivalences recorded for that figure, so the largest dots are the ones everyone else gets compared to.

Hover any dot to isolate its links and read the reason for each. Colour is alignment, not culture.

Busiest node: Azazel with 3 recorded equivalences.

An equivalence is not a claim of descent. Some of these pairs are historical equations made in antiquity, some are shared Indo-European inheritance, and some are pure functional parallels between traditions that never met. The note on each link says which.

VedicPersian3 figures · 2 equivalences
The AsurasThe Asuras — Vedic · 2 recorded equivalencesAngra MainyuAngra Mainyu — Persian · 1 recorded equivalenceRavanaRavana — Vedic · 1 recorded equivalence

Reading this diagram

Each dot is a figure, placed clockwise from the oldest. A cord means a source or a scholarly consensus equates that pair. Dot size is the number of equivalences recorded for that figure, so the largest dots are the ones everyone else gets compared to.

Hover any dot to isolate its links and read the reason for each. Colour is alignment, not culture.

Busiest node: The Asuras with 2 recorded equivalences.

An equivalence is not a claim of descent. Some of these pairs are historical equations made in antiquity, some are shared Indo-European inheritance, and some are pure functional parallels between traditions that never met. The note on each link says which.

Greek3 figures · 2 equivalences
The GigantesThe Gigantes — Greek · 1 recorded equivalenceThe AnakimThe Anakim · 1 recorded equivalenceThe NephilimThe Nephilim · 2 recorded equivalences

Reading this diagram

Each dot is a figure, placed clockwise from the oldest. A cord means a source or a scholarly consensus equates that pair. Dot size is the number of equivalences recorded for that figure, so the largest dots are the ones everyone else gets compared to.

Hover any dot to isolate its links and read the reason for each. Colour is alignment, not culture.

Busiest node: The Nephilim with 2 recorded equivalences.

An equivalence is not a claim of descent. Some of these pairs are historical equations made in antiquity, some are shared Indo-European inheritance, and some are pure functional parallels between traditions that never met. The note on each link says which.

4 figures · 3 equivalences
The Absalom SpiritThe Absalom Spirit · 2 recorded equivalencesThe Korah SpiritThe Korah Spirit · 1 recorded equivalenceThe Jezebel SpiritThe Jezebel Spirit · 2 recorded equivalencesThe Religious SpiritThe Religious Spirit · 1 recorded equivalence

Reading this diagram

Each dot is a figure, placed clockwise from the oldest. A cord means a source or a scholarly consensus equates that pair. Dot size is the number of equivalences recorded for that figure, so the largest dots are the ones everyone else gets compared to.

Hover any dot to isolate its links and read the reason for each. Colour is alignment, not culture.

Busiest node: The Jezebel Spirit with 2 recorded equivalences.

An equivalence is not a claim of descent. Some of these pairs are historical equations made in antiquity, some are shared Indo-European inheritance, and some are pure functional parallels between traditions that never met. The note on each link says which.

15 cultures

Pantheons, oldest first

When each pantheon is attested

Bars span the earliest and latest first-attestation dates among the figures recorded here, with the number of figures at the right.

The axis is calendar years, BCE to the left of zero. Bar length reflects how wide a span this compendium covers for that culture, not how long the religion actually lasted — a short bar usually means the surviving sources cluster in a single period.

The Canaanite and Mesopotamian bars sit roughly two thousand years before the texts that turned their gods into demons.

Egyptian

c. 3200 BCE

Canaanite

c. 2500 BCE

Mesopotamian

c. 2500 BCE

Vedic

c. 1400 BCE

Persian

c. 1000 BCE

Greek

c. 700 BCE

Roman

c. 500 BCE

Chinese

c. 300 BCE

Japanese

c. 100 BCE

Celtic

c. 100 BCE

Buddhist

c. 100 BCE

Slavic

c. 980 CE

Norse

c. 1270 CE

Mesoamerican

c. 1400 CE

Yoruba

c. 1500 CE

Shared offices

Which powers recur where

Most widely shared offices

How many of the 19 culture groups attribute each office to at least one of their figures.

A long bar means the job exists nearly everywhere — carrying messages, conducting the dead, governing storms. A short bar means the office belongs to one tradition's particular concerns.

Full office matrix

Every office down the rows, every culture group across the columns, with a count of how many figures in that group are credited with it.

Brighter cells and higher numbers mean more figures. A dense top row is the argument that these traditions are describing the same set of jobs; the sparse lower rows are where they genuinely differ.

PowerAngelicBuddhistCanaaniteCelticChineseDemonicEgyptianGreekHybridJapaneseMesoamericanMesopotamianMortalNorsePersianRomanSlavicVedicYoruba
Grants Victory in War24369511155211133
Causes Tempests2311823215211232
Conducts Souls3112295223311111
Governs Nature81412922352222221
Executes Judgment10423410335122133
Burns & Slays134134412122331
Causes Sickness111111221125111
Guards & Wards1021121952122324
Commands Legions10122801131113
Deceives & Tempts2113412222121
Binds Spirits6195216112
Reveals Past, Present & Future51241211212
Torments13113211162
Changes Shape1311011212
Heals4223112111
Reveals Divine Secrets616811111
Sows Discord1151111111
Teaches Handicrafts22173112
Grants Riches1431112
Raises or Speaks with the Dead1163111
Records Deeds5223111
Teaches the Liberal Sciences71242311
Intercedes413212
Answers Truly11811
Bears Messages51211
Discovers Hidden Things212111
Grants Favour & Dignity116111
Procures Love113321
Declares Thefts4111
Builds & Destroys161
Praises Unceasingly511
Restores Lost Dignities114
Transports Swiftly521
Confers Invisibility51
Grants Languages51
Reveals Treasure113
Teaches Astronomy59
Teaches Herbs & Stones19
Teaches Rhetoric & Logic111
Gives Familiars12
Reconciles Enemies6
Transmutes Metals3