Editing Daimon (section)

{{short description|Lesser divinity or personified abstract concept in classical Greek mythology}}
{{Hatnote|This article is about the semi-divine beings of Classical Greek mythology. For the evil spirits, see [[Demon]]. For other uses, see [[Demon (disambiguation)]] (includes daemon disambiguation)<!-- [[Daemon (disambiguation)]] redirect there, and [[Daemon]] redirects to this [[Daemon (classical mythology)]]. --> or [[Daimon (disambiguation)]].}}
[[File:Gold ring with relief sitting goddess and genii Mycenaean, NAMA 6208 080858.jpg|thumb|Gold ring with Sitting goddess and row of [[Minoan Genius]] figures bearing offerings, found in context from [[Mycenaean Greece]], but probably made in [[Minoan seal|Minoan Crete]]]]
The '''daimon''' ({{lang|grc|δαίμων}}), also spelled '''daemon''' (meaning "god", "godlike", "power", "fate"),<ref>A. Delahunty, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Nvu17oLIQNgC&dq=daemon+daimon&pg=PA90 ''From Bonbon to Cha-cha: Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases'' (p. 90)], Oxford University Press, 2008 {{ISBN|0199543690}}</ref><ref>J. Cresswell, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LGGCBAAAQBAJ&dq=daim%C5%8Dn+word+etymology&pg=PA146 ''Little Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins'' (p. 146)], Oxford University Press, 2014.</ref> denotes an "unknown superfactor", which can be either good or hostile.<ref>Wiebe, G.  (2020, June 30). demons in Christian thought. Oxford Classical Dictionary. Retrieved 12 Dec. 2024, from https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-8290.</ref>

In [[ancient Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]] a daimon was imagined to be a lesser [[deity]] or guiding spirit.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Ddai%2Fmwn ''daimōn'' "δαίμων"]. ''[[A Greek–English Lexicon]]''.</ref> The word is derived from [[Proto-Indo-European]] ''daimon'' "provider, divider (of fortunes or destinies)," from the root ''*da-'' "to divide".<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=demon "Demon"], ''Etymology Online''</ref> Daimons were possibly seen as the [[Ensoulment#Ancient Greeks|souls of men]] of the [[golden age]], [[Tutelary deity|tutelary deities]], or the forces of fate.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2323243 2323243] [[Perseus Digital Library]] Consulted 2017-05-05</ref>