I've been told there are different types of demons... What might those catagories be? And which one are the safest to summon? And are all demon "bad" or can they be neutral?
The thing is, the original word was daemon , and according to Diotima of Mantinea, the daemons brought prayers from mortals to the Olympian gods. Daemons were, functionally, angelic messengers.
When Christianity spread, anything that was a pagan spirit became known as a daimon or a demon . It's the same word, just different spellings.
Some traditions came to be established that categorized demons, such as the Key of Solomon books. Medieval Christian theologians charted the choires of angels and the circles of hell as part of that developing mythology. Shaitan of the Middle East probably didn't have all that, or one would think that it would bear mentioning. Some Catholic monks struggled with Accedie, which might be an emotion personified as a demon.
Within the traditions of demonaltry that grew from this cultural development, there would be indicators of which demons are best to begin with for a beginner summoner. I believe that summoners wouldn't do such things if they didn't believe that the risk was worth some greater good, so I would say that it's as neutral as rock climbing. You can still get hurt if you make a mistake, of course, but that's life.
Still, anything expressed as contrary to the speaker's values can be considered a demon. Mara from Buddhist mythology is described as a demon, but all you really need to do to banish Mara is to recognize that Mara exists. Without any relation to Greek cosmology or Christianity, can Mara be described as a demon? I don't think so, but that doesn't stop scholars in world mythology from continuing to consider Mara a demon . So, that's another thing. It all depends on the tradition, and of course personal experiences with practicing that tradition.
Re: Types of Demons By: Vanitys_Fire / Knowledgeable
Post # 3 Oct 20, 2015
Even within Greek mythology as well as the definition for the Greek word, daeamon does include the gods as such. Can be from any spirit including deities.
Daemons are about as good or bad as people. All based upon the actions made and the opinion of the individual to say good or bad.
Incubus, sucubus, dibbuk, djinn, goetia, etc.... Every culture, and belief has there on take.
In my opinion there is no safe demon to summon, if you don't know what your doing. You might want to try evoking something more generally neutral to start, and work from there.
Hmm... I think Vatican might have the answer to that, since they are on a major hiring for the position of Exorcist. Maybe the world need John Constantine, a bit unconventional but effective?
