Devil inside: Identifying the Demonic Archetype

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Devil inside: Identifying the Demonic Archetype
June 29, 2009
Ryan Omega
Examiner.com

Unlike entities in fairy tales and other stories, demons do not think of themselves as “evil.” In fact, you would be very hard pressed to find anyone on Earth who thought of themselves as a bad person; even Adolf Hitler in his extermination of Jewish people thought he was doing Germany a service. So demons and the demonic archetype do not operate from the standpoint of being a villain. Like angels, demons are surprisingly service oriented as well; but the reasoning behind the service is very different.


In determining the demonic archetype, do you or someone you know exhibit the following traits:
~Someone who likes to debate to the point of being argumentative?
~When taking charge, rules the area with near domination?
~An unusual addiction to games or mental challenges?
~Can spend long amounts of time justifying excuses and reasons?
~Discomfort, pain, or a strong urge to flee upon entering hallowed grounds like churches or mosques?

Someone who matches these traits falls under the demonic archetype. Importantly, this does not connote a penchant for criminality or predisposition to be cruel or evil, despite the name. This archetype only describes a certain way of thinking and personality that such an entity traditionally has.

If the demons or the demonic archetype are known for anything, they are known to be extremely cerebral. There are always running jokes about how there are a surplus of lawyers in Hell, but the analogy is not far off. Demons think very legally; if demons know they can act within the confines of a structure, then they would be the first to find loopholes and exploit them. After all, an agreement with a demon is called a “demonic pact” or “demonic contract.” Demons expect that as long as they are obeying the rules, then no one has the right to be upset at them. Emotion is disregarded as a consideration in any argument, sore-sportsmanship is considered a sign of weakness. If someone wants a demon's respect, they must out-think them with pure reason. “Spirit of the law”does not exist for any demon.


If there is anything demons cannot resist, it's games and challenges. Head games are like drugs for demons and they can easily find themselves playing games, possibly for hours. Playing excessive games sometimes sounds as if the demonic archetypes are lazy, however, the head is constantly overtime at work when the game requires thinking in constant strategy and imagination. The work may not be productive, but it is far from idle.


If there is any caution that needs to be given to the demonic archetype, it's that they need to work on their compassion in their connections to people. Older demons used to be angels at one point, so compassion is not impossible, but they are not universal with their love. They save their hearts for their friends and family and they show their care by giving them advantages and gifts that others cannot have. Also, the demon archetypes are sometimes used to situations with chaos and believe they can save others from it by themselves. Demons find it difficult to rely on others because to do so is a sign of weakness which almost seems similar to the angelic archetype that feels it needs to be strong for the sake of others. The main difference is while the angelic archetype will blame itself for being unable to take the responsibility, at some point, the demonic archetype will mentally find an excuse for not wasting his energy on others, leading to the “blame the victim” mentality: it was the victim's fault for not being smart or cautious enough.


What may be the most surprising about a demon that most people would not expect is that a demon is generally unable to outright lie, but they are known to misrepresent the truth (which to them, is not lying). The typical demon is portrayed as dishonest and unreliable, but a demon cannot be effective even in Hell if it cannot uphold an oath. Like the term “honor among thieves”, a demon is only as good as his word. If he cannot be trusted to some extent, no one will want to work with him. Even if it is inconvenient, he will keep his word because his reputation is important. But anything that he does not promise in his own words is completely fair game.