Cacodemon
From Free net encyclopedia
A cacodemon (or cacodaemon) is an evil spirit or demon. The opposite of a cacodemon is an agathodaemon or eudemon, a good spirit or angel. Cacodemon comes from the Greek kakodaimon, meaning "bad spirit" or "bad demon" (daimon being a neutral term in Greek).
In psychology, cacodemonia (or cacodemomania) is a form of insanity in which the patient believes that they are possessed by an evil spirit.
The first known occurrence of the word cacodemon is from the 16th century; it possibly originated around the creation of the Enochian constructed language.
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In games
- In the first edition of the fantasy role-playing game Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, "Cacodemon" is a seventh level wizard spell. It was used to summon a type IV, V, or VI demon to the player character's location in the game world. The spell was omitted from the early versions of the second edition of the game, and was later revised in the Planescape product line, in which it could summon a variety of powerful tanar'ri or baatezu. In Baldur's Gate 2 the equivalent spell is called "Cacofiend". The spell was eventually phased out in the third edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game in favor of a more comprehensive creature-summoning spell.
- Cacodemons are also an enemy in the Doom series of computer games developed by id software.
- Main article:List of enemies in Doom
- Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld novels feature cacodemons and eudemons, some of which have produced semi-human offspring; in this context eudemons are not so much "good" as "non-chaotic".