The concept of daemons and daemonology within Greco-Roman antiquity is extremely complex. Not only are the sources on daemons limited, but the descriptions of these figures is brief and short-lived. Portrayals of daemons are inconsistent across time and cultures and may even vary between individuals. With all the difficulties associated with this topic, I conclude that it is much too challenging to write a broad overarching research paper about daemons and have decided it is much more useful to discuss a single kind of daemon or demon. Doing so, my paper may remain less frustrating and allow it to possibly fall into the domains of how demons and daemons were actually perceived in antiquity.
After countless hours of research on daemons, I have chosen to write about the origins and perceptions of the child-killing demons in Greco-Roman antiquity. My scope of focus remains in the Mediterranean world, including Ancient Rome and Greece, but may also extend to places in the Near East depending on where the origin of the demon takes me. Additionally, now that my essay has a specific subject, I may be able to track the child-killing demon across time. In addition to tracing the origins of the child-killing demons, I aim to find different types of these demons and how they may relate to one another. Lastly, my final objective is to find an explanation as to what the purpose of having the concept of this demon within society. What may be the benefits of possessing knowledge of such a demon and why it exists in the first place?
In my research I have encountered many sources that reference the child-killing demon. One notable source is Theocritus’ Idyll 15. In this passage, Theocritus writes a mime scene in Alexandria about the so-called journey of his companions’, Gorgo and Praxinoa, to the Festival of Adonis. The scene describes Gorgo whos pays a visit to Praxinoa with her two-year old child in order to persuade her to attend the Festival of Adonis with her in the palace of Ptolemy II. Hesitant at first, Praxinoa gives in to an insisting Gorgo and they set out to the festival. After some unexciting encounters in the crowded streets, they arrive at the palace and the scene ends with a dirge that describes the setting of the festival.
Now, there are a few significant problems about this source that may cause problems in supporting my essay. First, there is absolutely no background information as to the origins of Theocritus. The only information that is known about the history of this writer can be implied through from his own writings. He was likely born during the 3rd century BC on the island of Sicily. Interestingly, we know this because he called the cyclops Polyphemus as his countryman. He also may have lived in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II or Syracuse or Cos where he flourished and wrote many of his poems. Additionally, since so little is known about him, we are unsure if Theocritus even wrote every Idyll. Since the very author of this account is disputed, the problem of merit arises. Because so little is known about Theocritus, we are unsure of background and history of the author that may affect how and what he writes about. We are also unsure as to what social group his ideas may refer to, whether it is social class or ethnicity. Because of all these uncertainties, his perception of the demon may not necessarily coincide with the population of the time. Thus for my essay, it is difficult to discuss why the child-killling demon exists if I cannot ground the idea of the demon back to background of the author.
Apart from the fact that the author of the poem is debated, deciphering various translations of the idyll proved a struggle. I had found two translations of Idyll 15, one by J.M. Edmonds and the other by C.S. Calverley. As a scholar during the late 19th century, Edmonds translated the Idyll into very flamboyant Victorian English that is outdated and difficult to decipher. The second translation by Calverly was part of the Gutenberg Project in which many classical texts were translated and shared digitally. Although a much more contemporary translation to that the Edmonds, this translation still contained a few problems. The author attempted to translate the original Greek text into English blank verse which may create inconsistencies in meaning between Greek and English versions.
Furthermore, as one may have noticed, the odd scene described in the Idyll contains no mention of any demons or daemons. The only mention of a daemon can be found in the original Greek text which mentions the word “Mormo”. A Mormo was believed to be a phasma or phantom that preyed on children. This word was used by Praxinoa to quell the protests of her two-year old child when she and Gorgo were leaving for the festival. This single line indication of a potential daemon seems to have been completely missed by the English translations. Originally, “I will not take you with me, child. Mormo, the horse, bites!” (Johnston 1995), Edmonds translates the line to “I’m not going to take you, Baby. Horse bogey bites little boys”. Similarly, Calverly translates this line as “Babe, you’ll bide at home. Horses would bite you”. A third translation from the Loeb Classical Library conveys a more accurate translation, “Boo, the Bogeyman! Horses Bite”. This translation decides to portray Mormo as a Bogeyman which is much more in line with a concept of demon.
Balancing English translations with true Greek meaning has always been a problematic component of researching classical history. Without properly understanding what the ancient author actually wanted to describe in his scene, it is near impossible to properly grasp the meaning and use of the demon in the work. After discovering a reference to the child-killing demon, it is equally as important to find a reliable translation from which I can support my thesis.
Through analysis of Theocritus’ Idyll 15, I believe that there is a cultural reason as to why the mention of the child-killing demon is so brief. The reference to the demon seems secondary to the overall scene of the two women’s adventure to the palace of Ptolemy III. The way in which Theocritus mentions the child-killing demon can give some insight into its perception in 3rd c. BCE culture. Praxinoa calls on the child-killing demon to quell the complaints of her two-year old child, almost like a scare tactic to prevent the child from wandering off. Much like how mothers nowadays would warn children about strangers on the streets, the child-killing demon is used to stop children from getting into trouble. If the child-killing demon is only referenced because of its use as a parenting method, then whether or not Praxinoa and Gorgo actually believe in the demon can be up for debate. What is clear in this passage is that the use of the child-killing demon in this way is not much of a cosmological figure but more of a social tool in controlling a child.
Now this brings us into the broader question of how demons were used in antiquity. Likely, there may have been countless ways in which demons and daemons were used and there may not have been a belief in a single type of demon. The example shown in Theocritus portrays a use in which the demon is briefly mentioned as a social instrument in convincing children to not get into trouble. This portrayal of the demon may not necessarily align with all perceptions in antiquity. Thus, it is more likely that demons and daemons were used fluidly and dynamically, which may differ drastically from person to person, society to society. Much like other magics in antiquity, the use of demons and daemons were tailored to the needs of whoever was undergoing it.
Sarah Iles Johnston, “Defining the Dreadful: Remarks on the Greek Child-Killing Demon”,
In Ancient Magic and Ritual Power, ed. Marvin Meyer and Paul Mirecki (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995), 359-389.
Theocritus, Idyll XV The Women at the Adonis Festival, Trans. J.M. Edmonds (Cambridge: Loeb
Classical Library, 1912).
Theocritus, Idyll XV The Festival of Adonis, Trans. C.S. Calverly (Cambridge: Project
Gutenberg, 2004).
Theocritus, Idyll XV The Festival of Adonis. The Loeb Classical Library.
http://www.loebclassics.com/view/theocritus-poems_i-xxx/2015/pb_LCL028.15.xml?result=5&rskey=EpUXpf
Have you ever heard of a book by Marina Warner called No Go the Bogeyman? It’s about the demons/bogeymen across the world that people scare children with. I wonder if the introduction might give you some ideas about how parents use these figures cross-culturally.