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 Greek κακοδαίμων kakodaimōn, meaning an "evil spirit", whereas daimon would be a neutral spirit in Greek. It is believed to be capable of
shapeshifting.[1] A cacodemon is also said to be a malevolent person.
In
psychology, cacodemonia (or
cacodemonomania) 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 dates to 1593.
In
astrology, the 12th
house was once called the Cacodemon for its association with evil.[2][3] Defined as "a noise-making devil", Jane Davidson has noted an illustrated example of a cacodemon in editions of
Ulisse Aldrovandi's Monstrum Historia (Story of Monsters) as late as 1696.[4]
Examples
There is a painting by
Paul Klee called Cacodaemonic (1916).[5]