Demon vs. Devil (What's The Difference?)

Table of Contents Hide

Devil and Demon have been used interchangeably, which has resulted in many people confusing the two. This is particularly true as many authors and writers used these two different names interchangeably and translated literature from one language to another. Although both the term Demon and Devil refer to supernatural powers, they are distinct beings, each having its powers, abilities, and flaws. They are both theological names, and each has its unique meaning.

What's the difference between demons and devils?

What is a demon? 

The term demon originates from a Greek word, daimon, which refers to a supernatural being or a spirit similar to the Latin genius. According to the ancient Greek mythologies, a demon doesn't necessarily mean an evil spirit as there are various types of demons. However, many people denote a demon as a supernatural being with some evil powers. Demons are popular characters prevailing in traditional literature, religion, mythology, folklore, and occultism. Today, demons are present in movies, television series, video games, comics, and other media, taking the main character's role or the main antagonist. The term demon has been frequently used in Plato's literature to describe the great inspiration of Socrates by these divine beings.

In Christian mythologies and demonology, a demon is described as an evil spiritual entity that can possess a human being. A person had to seek Exorcism from an experienced spiritual leader to get free from demons. According to Roman magic and Christian demonology, it is believed that a demon can be controlled, summoned, and conjured by an experienced spiritual leader.

What is a devil? 

The term is used in many religions and cultures to represent the evil one. It has been used in objectifying a destructive and hostile supernatural force. Indeed, it's hard to point at a particular definition of what a devil is, mainly due to the complexity covering the various traditions. It is essential to consider what a devil is according to the various religions and cultures that take the devil as part of their beliefs. The word devil is present in various cultures and contexts to represent a particular deity that has been given various names like Lucifer, Satan, Al- Shaytan, and Beelzebub, among others. The deity is portrayed in various colors such as red, blue, or black. It has longhorns on the head in some depictions, while in other depictions, it doesn't have those horns.

So what are some of the similarities between the two? They can both be used in the plural and singular forms. For instance, these demons possess only the firstborn female child; take your elder daughter for an exorcism session to your spiritual leader. In sports, various clubs are calling themselves "the devils." For instance, the "red devils" team mysteriously won the match. 

Although sometimes the tern demon and devil are used to mean the same thing or interchangeably, the devil is used to mean Lucifer or Satan, the evil spirits and demons' leader. 

The devils can be described as lawful evils, while the demons are seen as chaotic evil.

What does that mean? The devils can use their evil powers to seize and take advantage of established power systems to become the rulers by twisting the existing leaders to partake in evil deeds to exchange more power. This could end up as mere deceit since the promised powers may not be handled over. Demons that can be described as chaotic evils are more about ruining others' wellbeing or lives, including theirs.

Origin

In History, a demon/ daemon can be described as a benevolent spirit, while in modern usage, a demon can be used to mean an evil spirit.

A devil can mean an incarnation of the leader of the evil, Satan.

According to Christina theologies, demons represent a group of beings, one-third of fallen angels who defied against God and followed their fallen leader, Lucifer. The devil is a specific angel and the leader of all demons. This means that there quite a lot of demons but only one devil.

The tern "devil" can be used to describe a wicked person. For instance, Jeff is the devil of this company; he betrays his rivals to the seniors.

The demon can sometimes be used to describe a person possessing great energy or intelligence. For instance, Germans fought like demons in WWII while Americans worked like crazy demons to win the war.' 

In metaphor. When a specific person or an entity is equated to evil deeds similar to those of the "devil," For instance, The German leader, "Hitler was a red devil." The statement is comparing Hitler to the Christianity theology of the wicked one, the devil.

Plural and Singular.

In most cases, the term devil is used in singular while demons in the plural. For example, in the old King James Version, the author doesn't talk about "devils," but about the "devil" However, there is the usage of "demons" in the New King James version. Sometimes, both the terms demon and devil can be used to describe a wicked person.

Demon vs. Devil ,the difference in appearance.

A demon can be any evil beings who followed the fallen angel after rebelling against the Supreme God. They are either black, purple, or red.

On the other hand, the devil is a specific entity and often portrayed as a horned humanoid creature and with wings. When used in the plural, devils refer to servants or subordinates of the sole devil. Typically, devils will have a similar appearance to the devil.

Demos have various appearances, i.e., there isn't a special appearance to all demons. Each type of demon has its unique appearance, powers, abilities, and limitations.

Powers, abilities, and weaknesses.

Although both the demons and the devil are immortal beings, the devil can alter or destroy both the existing or new demons. The devil has power over the demons since he is seen as the leader of those demons.

The devil can fight against other powerful super beings that demons can't afford to start a fight with.

The devil is mainly associated with defiance to authority and sin in religion and represents evil deeds. 

The term demon isn't familiar in most religious contexts but rarely in others to mean a supernatural being.