31 h 10 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 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
For readers who love folklore, comparative religion and the history of ideas, and anyone curious about where our pictures of evil come from.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The devil began as the dark side of nature
- Gods of defeated faiths become demons
- Persia and Israel shaped the idea of Satan
- The Christian devil grew with the church
- Belief in the devil fed witch hunts
- The devil fades as knowledge and conscience grow
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Demonology and Devil-Lore
by Moncure Daniel Conway · 1879
Conway follows the devil from storm gods to witch trials, tracing how human fears shape a figure of evil.
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In short
Demonology and Devil-Lore is a two-volume study by Moncure Daniel Conway, an American-born minister and writer who spent much of his career in London. He published it in the late 1870s.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The devil began as the dark side of nature
Conway starts from a simple observation. Early peoples lived at the mercy of weather, famine, night and disease. They had no science to explain why a storm flattened a field or why a fever killed a child. So they pictured hidden powers behind these blows, and gave those powers names and faces.
In this view the first demons were not moral beings at all. They were the harmful side of nature, drawn as beasts, monsters and angry spirits. A drought might be a dragon that swallowed the rain. Winter might be a giant who locked up the sun. Conway gathers such tales from many regions to show how alike they are.
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What is Demonology and Devil-Lore about?
It is a study of how the idea of the devil arose and changed. Conway follows evil spirits through myths of many peoples, then through Hebrew and Christian thought, medieval fears and the witch hunts.
Who was Moncure Conway?
Moncure Daniel Conway was an American minister and writer who moved in freethinking circles and lived long in London. He opposed slavery and wrote a well-known life of Thomas Paine as well as this work.
Is Demonology and Devil-Lore a true history or folklore?
It is a work of comparative scholarship from the late 1870s. It gathers real myths, customs and records, but it also reflects its author's Victorian views, so some of its theories have since been revised.
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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