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Audiobook edition · 31 h 10 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What turns a storm into a demon, an old god into an enemy, and fear into a witch hunt?
In Demonology and Devil-Lore, Moncure Daniel Conway follows the devil through myths, customs and religious traditions. His study moves from gods of storm and darkness to evil spirits in Persia, India, Egypt and Hebrew tradition. Serpents, goats and demons of disease reveal how people give fear a shape.
Conway writes as a freethinker with firm opinions, asking where the devil comes from and why cultures need him. He explores Ahriman in the religion of Zoroaster, the Christian story of Satan and hell, and the trials of accused witches. His central argument links these beliefs to human experience.
What you’ll discover
- Fear takes a shape Explore Conway's argument that storms, famine, night and disease help shape images of demons.
- Old gods become enemies Follow his account of how defeated faiths leave their gods behind as feared spirits.
- A single face of evil Trace Conway's reading of Persia and Israel in the development of the figure of Satan.
- The cost of belief Confront his argument that belief in devilish pacts feeds the persecution of accused witches.
- Knowledge challenges the darkness Consider his claim that explanations of nature leave less room for demons to act.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy comparative mythology, folklore and the history of religion will find rich material here. So will anyone curious about dragons, vampires, witches and Faust.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Evil began when a united heaven split
- Every demon carries the trace of a god
- Rival religions turn each other's gods into devils
- Hunger gave the world its first demons
- Fire, ice and storm shaped the afterlife
- Water, beasts and rivers all grew demons
- Night, sickness and death received faces
- The dragon gathers every pain into one body
- Conscience and priestcraft created the true Devil
- The Devil softens as his old enemies fade
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Demonology and Devil-Lore
by Moncure Daniel Conway · 1879
Conway tracks demons from India to Persia and finds that most of them begin as fallen gods.
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In short
A legend tells of three friars who hide near a Witches' Sabbath to count the devils. The chief devil finds them and says that if all the Alps were shared out among his army, each devil would get less than a pound's weight.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Evil began when a united heaven split
Conway opens with a piece of advice, orient thyself. To read old myths, he says, we must picture a world without scientific eyes, where the sun is a chariot and a spirit lives in every tree. Worship began with wonder at the sky, not with logs and stones.
The oldest hymns of the Rig-Veda are cheerful. Storm gods are praised beside the sun god, and one verse says no real foe is known in heaven. Conway calls this early pantheism the counterpart of ignorance. It is a mind that has not yet learned to tell good from evil.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 8 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1879
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Conway, Moncure Daniel. Demonology and Devil-Lore. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/demonology-and-devil-lore.
Conway, M. D. (2026). Demonology and devil-lore. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/demonology-and-devil-lore (Original work published 1879)
Conway, Moncure Daniel. Demonology and Devil-Lore. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/demonology-and-devil-lore.
@book{conway2026demonology,
author = {Conway, Moncure Daniel},
title = {Demonology and Devil-Lore},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/demonology-and-devil-lore},
note = {First published 1879}
}
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What is Demonology and Devil-Lore about?
It traces how demons, dragons, witches and the Devil arose from fear, nature and religious rivalry. Conway draws on myths from India, Persia, Egypt, Scandinavia, Palestine and Christian Europe, and argues that most demons began as gods.
What is the difference between a demon and a devil?
For Conway, a demon harms for a reason, like hunger or desire, and has no moral purpose. A devil loves evil for its own sake, an idea that needs a developed moral sense and appears much later.
What does Conway mean by saying demons were once gods?
He shows through names and stories that many demons carry traces of divine origin. Deva means god in India and devil in Persia, Lucifer means light-bearing, and Beelzebub began as Baal-zebub, a fly-god of the Philistines.
The author
Moncure Daniel Conway
1832–1907 · American abolitionist and religious writer
Moncure Daniel Conway (1832–1907) was an American minister, abolitionist, and writer. He was born in Stafford County, Virginia, and later lived in London, where he led South Place Chapel. He published Demonology and Devil-Lore in 1879 and an autobiography in 1904. He died in Paris, France.
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