polydaemonism

or pol·y·de·mon·ism

[ pol-ee-dee-muh-niz-uhm ]

noun

1. the belief in many evil spirits.

Other Words From

• poly·daemon·ist noun adjective
• poly·daemon·istic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polydaemonism¹

First recorded in 1705–15; poly- + daemon + -ism

Example Sentences

The ancient religion of the Arabs rises little higher than animistic polydaemonism.

From Project Gutenberg

Perhaps, however, we should rather use the word 'polydaemonism' than 'polytheism.'

From Project Gutenberg

And the difference between the two stages of polydaemonism and polytheism is not merely limited to the fact that the beings worshipped have proper names in the later stage, and had none in the earlier.

From Project Gutenberg

It is then as polydaemonism passes into polytheism, as the beings of the one come to acquire personal names and personal history, and so to become the gods of the other, that mythology arises.

From Project Gutenberg

Indeed, the process which constitutes the change from polydaemonism to polytheism consists in the process, or rather is the process, by which the spirits, the personal beings, worshipped in tree, or sky, or cloud, or wind, or fire came gradually to be anthropomorphised—to be invested with human parts and passions and to be addressed like human beings with proper names.

From Project Gutenberg