Daimôn: Modalities of the action of the gods in ancient Greece
College of France / Belles Lettres| N° d'inventaire | 32617 |
| Format | 13.6 x 21 |
| Détails | 337 p., paperback |
| Publication | Paris, 2025 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782251457277 |
Greek myths speak of gods and heroes, and cities were full of shrines where they could be honored. But archaic poetry reveals what appears to be a third type of divine power, namely the daimōn.
What exactly does this notion cover in poetic texts from the archaic and classical periods? Does it also have a cultic significance? This is the subject of this work. More precisely, the author analyzes the occurrences of daimōn—radically different from our modern demon—in epic, tragic, and melic poetry, while also seeking it in ritual practices.
It then appears that while the term daimōn, in the plural, can designate the gods, the word used in the singular refers to a divine action whose source the human being targeted, for good or ill, cannot identify. Poetically, it designates the distribution of goods and evils that characterizes human life. The use of the term daimōn thus underlines the element of uncertainty constituting a polytheistic, plural and abundant system, the complexity of which this study allows us to better understand, both in terms of representations and practices.
Greek myths speak of gods and heroes, and cities were full of shrines where they could be honored. But archaic poetry reveals what appears to be a third type of divine power, namely the daimōn.
What exactly does this notion cover in poetic texts from the archaic and classical periods? Does it also have a cultic significance? This is the subject of this work. More precisely, the author analyzes the occurrences of daimōn—radically different from our modern demon—in epic, tragic, and melic poetry, while also seeking it in ritual practices.
It then appears that while the term daimōn, in the plural, can designate the gods, the word used in the singular refers to a divine action whose source the human being targeted, for good or ill, cannot identify. Poetically, it designates the distribution of goods and evils that characterizes human life. The use of the term daimōn thus underlines the element of uncertainty constituting a polytheistic, plural and abundant system, the complexity of which this study allows us to better understand, both in terms of representations and practices.