The eudaemon, eudaimon, or eudemon ( grc-gre, εὐδαίμων) in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

was a type of

daemon Daimon or Daemon (Ancient Greek: , "god", "godlike", "power", "fate") originally referred to a lesser deity or guiding spirit such as the daimons of ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology and of later Hellenistic religion and Hell ...

genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...

(deity), which in turn was a kind of spirit.Russell, Michael; W, J. T. (1865); Vol I, p 157. A eudaemon was regarded as a good spirit or

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

, and the evil

cacodaemon A cacodemon (or cacodaemon) is an evil spirit or (in the modern sense of the word) a demon. The opposite of a cacodemon is an ''agathodaemon'' or ''eudaemon'', a good spirit or angel. The word ''cacodemon'' comes through Latin from the Ancient ...

was its opposing spirit.Merriam-Webster (1995); p 392.

Etymology

The word ''eudaimon'' in Greek means having a good attendant spirit, and consequently being happy. It is composed of the words εὖ ''eu'', which means "well" or "good" and δαίμων ''daimon'', which means "divinity, spirit, divine power, fate, or god."Prior, William J. (1990); p 150.Guiley, Rosemary E. (2008); p 94. Sometimes ''eudaimon'' is taken to mean literally "good spirit". Also ''daimon'' is the Greek derivative for the term demon, in which case "demon" means "replete with knowledge".Wilhelm, Robert (1995); p 22. Moreover, ''Eudaimon'' is as well an ancient proper noun, in particular it was the Greek name of a priest of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

and father of P. Aelius Aristeides, a notorious rhetorician of the second century AD.Smith, William (1844); p 295.

Characteristics

Eudaemons in Greek mythology included deified heroes. They were regarded intermediary spirits between gods and the men. Eudaemons, the good daemons, were understood as guardian spirits, bestowing protection and guidance to ones they watched over. As a counselor, the eudaemon whispered advice and opinions in one's ear. Such person escorted by the eudaemon was considered fortunate. It was said that

Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

during his lifetime had a daemon that always warned him of threats and bad judgment, but never directed his actions. According to Socrates, his daemon was more accurate than the respected forms of divination at that time, such as either reading the entrails or watching the flights of birds. Pompei - House of Iulius Polybius - Lararium

Pompei - House of Iulius Polybius - Lararium

A worshiped good daemon was

Agathodaemon An agathodaemon ( grc, ἀγαθοδαίμων, ) or agathos daemon (, , ) was a spirit (''daemon'') of ancient Greek religion. They were personal or supernatural companion spirits, comparable to the Roman '' genii'', who ensured good luck, fert ...

in whose honor the first

libation A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Various substanc ...

to the god

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roma ...

was dedicated.Cooksey, Thomas L. ( 2010); pp 69-71.

Other definitions

The philosopher

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

believed that a happy person is one who is eudaemon, but still in a literal manner one possessing a good or fortunate daemon.

Heraclitus Heraclitus of Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἡράκλειτος , "Glory of Hera"; ) was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire. Little is known of Heraclitus's life. He wrot ...

believed that a person’s character is his guardian daemon. Once in a while the good daemon may also stand for the souls of the deceased. For example, the heroine

Alcestis Alcestis (; Ancient Greek: Ἄλκηστις, ') or Alceste, was a princess in Greek mythology, known for her love of her husband. Her life story was told by pseudo-Apollodorus in his '' Bibliotheca'', and a version of her death and return from t ...

in 438 BCE Athenian tragedy by the Greek

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

, is reported as a "blessed daemon" subsequent to her death. According to psychologist

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, phi ...

there is not eudaemon or else cacodaemon but only the daemon, which is a unique independent spirit neither good nor bad, living in everyone. In mystical approaches eudaemon is sometimes defined as a symbol of " higher self", or the individual in the "

causal body The Causal body - originally ''Karana-Sarira'' - is a Yoga, Yogic and Vedanta, Vedantic concept that was adopted and modified by Theosophy (Blavatskian), Theosophy and from the latter made its way into the general New Age movement and contemporary ...

." As well it is a symbol of intelligence on the "

buddhic plane In esoteric cosmology, a plane is conceived as a subtle state, level, or region of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being. The concept may be found in religious and esotericism, esoteric teachings—''e.g.'' ...

" and higher esoteric planes, which assists evolution and is related to the higher thoughts and emotions.

Notes

References

* * * * * * *{{cite book , author=Smith, William , year=1844, title=Dictionary of greek and roman biography and mythology. 1, Abaeus-Dysponteus, url=https://archive.org/details/dictionarygreek15smitgoog , publisher= Taylor and Walton John Murray, location=London, oclc=492553013 Greek legendary creatures Angels Daimons

Etymology

Characteristics

Other definitions

See also

Notes

References