demonology
Study of devils
Demonology is the study of demons—their nature, hierarchy, and methods of interaction with humans.
The term appears in religious and occult contexts, covering beliefs about evil spirits across traditions.
Someone versed in demonology might catalog demonic names and powers or advise on exorcism: The priest consulted medieval demonology texts.
The word sometimes describes any systematic account of malevolent forces: the demonology of conspiracy theories.
Accessible to few
- arcaneUnderstood by few
- mysticismPursuit of divine union
- necromancyCommunicating with the deceased
- sorceryPractice of dark magic
witchcraft · cabala · hermeticism · theurgy · black magic · dark arts · occultism · left-hand path
Defense of divine goodness
- angelologyStudy of celestial beings
- eschatologyStudy of ultimate destiny
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
- dogmaUnchallengeable official beliefs
doctrine · apologetics · divinity · fallen angel · spiritual warfare · evil · sin · temptation
Ritual to expel demons
- summoningCalling forth deliberately
- conjurationMagical act of summoning
- banishmentForced removal from place
- evocationCalling forth to mind
invocation · possession · binding · warding · pentagram · incantation · séance · circle
Textbook of sorcery
- bestiaryMedieval animal treatise
- codexAncient bound manuscript
- compendiumCondensed reference collection
- treatiseFormal scholarly composition
Female demon seducing sleepers
Body of traditional tales
- legendsTraditional stories or icons
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- talesSpoken or written narratives
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
narratives · accounts · superstition · haunting · apparition · nightmare · sleep paralysis · djinn
esoteric
Accessible to few
- arcaneUnderstood by few
- mysticismPursuit of divine union
- necromancyCommunicating with the deceased
sorcery · witchcraft · cabala · hermeticism · theurgy · black magic · dark arts · occultism · left-hand path · diabolism
theodicy
Defense of divine goodness
- angelologyStudy of celestial beings
- eschatologyStudy of ultimate destiny
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
dogma · doctrine · apologetics · divinity · fallen angel · spiritual warfare · evil · sin · temptation · diabolism
exorcism
Ritual to expel demons
- summoningCalling forth deliberately
- conjurationMagical act of summoning
- banishmentForced removal from place
evocation · invocation · possession · binding · warding · pentagram · incantation · séance · circle · sigil
grimoire
Textbook of sorcery
- bestiaryMedieval animal treatise
- codexAncient bound manuscript
- compendiumCondensed reference collection
treatise · manuscript · catalogue · hierarchy · classification
succubus
Female demon seducing sleepers
mythology
Body of traditional tales
- legendsTraditional stories or icons
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- talesSpoken or written narratives
traditions · narratives · accounts · superstition · haunting · apparition · nightmare · sleep paralysis · djinn · oni
- supernaturalghosts, ghost, witches, spirits, vampire
- witchcraftwitch, spell, spellwork, witches, spells
- Gothic horrorghost story, haunted houses, Dracula, vampires, Frankenstein
- occultwitchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, black magic, tarot
- Devil imagerySatan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, hellfire, pitchfork
- occult horrorsupernatural horror, black magic, dark magic, occult rituals, evil spirits
demonologyskepticism
Disposition toward doubt
rationalism · secular humanism · atheism · naturalism · empiricism
demonologynatural science
Empirical study of nature
biology · physics · naturalism · materialism · rationalism