Fantasy Art Demons

From LoveToKnow Sci-Fi

Fantasy art demons appeal to more basic, primal instincts. Like horror films, demon art can often terrify. Demons are taboo in many cultures, but they also represent more than just the seven deadly sins. For many, they represent entities that ward against those evils.

Fantasy demon art utilizes demonic images.

Fantasy Art Demons: Reminders

Fantasy art demons possess many negative connotations. In Christian mythology, demons are depicted as the servants of Lucifer; fallen angels who are twisted, blackened and turned ugly by their association with jealousy, greed and envy. The satanic figures of demons are often shown to be far from their angelic roots, though occasionally more tempting demons are shown as a female succubus; a provocative woman who seduces men.

In many cultures, including Sumerian, Mesopotamian and ancient Greece, demons are another name for elemental spirits such as nymphs, satyrs, djinn and more. These demons were neither divine nor mortal, but semi-divine beings that existed in both worlds. Celtic fairies in Great Britain, for example, would be considered demons under this method of categorizing creatures.

Types of Demons

Incubus

Incubi are demons who take a male shape in order to seduce women and impregnate them. This type of demon appeared in the Sci Fi original series The Dresden Files. Wizard Harry and his PI partner played by Stargate SG-1's Claudia Black had to stop the demon and his incubi offspring.

Succubus

Succubi are demons who take on female characteristics and shapes in order to seduce men. Succubi often kill the men after mating with them. They may also try to steal their souls. Succubi are particularly fond of monks and priests.

Nix

Water demons or spirits, akin to sirens, lure men to their death. Nix are most often associated with women and seek to drown their victims. A fairy demon, similar to the Nix, is featured in the Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series.

Raiju

This Japanese demon is the companion to the Shinto god of thunder. The creature likes to sleep in the belly buttons of people. This causes the Shinto god to send a bolt of lightning at him to wake him up, injuring the human he is sleeping with.

Wendigo

The wendigo is a Native American demon that infests its host and consumes its humanity. The Wendigo then goes on to infect others. Wendigos are often mistaken for werewolves, but they are very different. A wendigo was featured on the series Charmed.

Fallen Angels

Fallen angels are particularly inviting in fantasy demon art. The chance for a fallen angel’s redemption, the seductive nature and their dangerous attitudes are all compelling material. Multiple belief systems suggest that fallen angels are the result of envy. Angels are created without free will, while their human counterparts were given the ability to deny their creator. Man is said to be the favorite of God’s creations.

The angels that resent mans ability to choose, to deny and even to vilify God’s gifts, want to destroy this creation in honor of their own creator. The wars in Heaven resulted in God casting out the angels, who became the "Fallen." These fallen angels are either described as servants of the Lightbringer (Satan), servants in hell or condemned to walk among the very humans they so despise until the end of the world, forever denied the glory of their creator again.