Firlefanz
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Demons
What do you think of when you read that word?
I'm just curious, because I'm looking for a way to name creatures that have come up in a story. Could you help me out by describing your take of the typical demon?
--- - Firlefanz
Reading: "Tabula Rasa", SF Anthology
Writing: "Kiera und der Gauklerjunge" - novel
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3/31/2007, 8:31 am
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Loud G
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Re: Demons
Generally demons tend to fall into two broad categories.
Fire (or Hell) - creatures that thrive in a very hot environment, these tend to be cannon fodder, big hulking brutes, reptilian with red scales, or fiery, elementalish....
and
Darkness - creatures that are never fully seen but are fiendishly evil, shadows, clever, sneaky...
They tend to be grotesque either way, although the smarter the demon the more human looking they tend to be for some reason.
I prefer the Darkness type, they are scarier.
--- Reading: Mistborn
Writing: Eriadhin
"Life is like a book, except it takes longer to get to the climax."
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3/31/2007, 10:38 pm
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David Meadows
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Re: Demons
I'm afraid I go for the big, hulking, non-human brute with lots of power and generally comitting mayhem for no reason (or not for its own reasons).
I think I've been influenced too much by Buffy the Vampire Slayer 
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4/3/2007, 8:44 am
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Firlefanz
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Re: Demons
Hmm.
It seems that doing evil is part of being a demon, is that right?
--- - Firlefanz
Writing: "Kiera und der Gauklerjunge" - novel
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4/3/2007, 12:09 pm
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David Meadows
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Re: Demons
Definitely. That's the only essential element, really. A good demon is out of the question...
...unless you want to explore something specific by making *one* of your demons good. But it should be made obvious (and important) that he's an exception to his "racial" type.
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4/3/2007, 2:35 pm
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Firlefanz
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Re: Demons
Ah, I see.
I probably should go with a different name, then. The creatures are both good and bad - some of them are allies of humans, and other wage war on humans (and those of their kind who work with the humans).
--- - Firlefanz
Writing: "Kiera und der Gauklerjunge" - novel
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4/3/2007, 2:50 pm
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David Meadows
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Re: Demons
Well, as in all things, you don't have to follow convention. But in English (at least), the word "demon" has quite strong negative connotations, going right back to early Bible translations. So you'll be setting a certain expectation by using the word. You can buck the trend but first make that the result will be worth the trouble. (See "Elves", "Dwarves", etc.  )
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4/3/2007, 3:18 pm
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mspatric
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Re: Demons
To me there is no such thing as a typical demon.
A demon is a creature, particularly one spiritual in nature, distinct from humans and capable of affecting the world. Often in service to the gods or some other force. Now in English the word "demon" clearly has negative connotations as it usually implies a servant of the Devil or a malevolent spirit of some kind.
That doesn't have to be so of course.
I don't particularly think that demon means EVIL. In many cultures (including the ones I studied in college, so I'm probably a little biased), the races and other beings translated as "demon" in English are often neutral by nature (just like some of the gods). Some are tied to nature. Others have free will like humans. Many, however, are simply the creations/servants of the darker forces.
So being a demon doesn't automatically make you the embodiment of all that is evil. But that's just how I have come to view the concept over years of study.
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4/6/2007, 1:33 am
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Ray Oceanweaver
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Re: Demons
Demon for me conjures images of small, grey, skulking underlings to a Big Bad. Not necessarily evil, but most definitely not good.
--- Rachel
~The optimist fails as badly as the pessimist, just has a better time of it~
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4/10/2007, 6:27 pm
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hadaad
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Re: Demons
I think of red skin, huge hulkiness, leather bracelets and straps across the chest, loincloth and sandals. But then, words like that generally form a very specific picture (usually pretty cartoony) in my head.
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Reading: Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes
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4/11/2007, 5:37 pm
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Reythia
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Re: Demons
I tend to go along with LoudG's dual definitions of the classic "demon". That's not to say I would be offended if your demon didn't meet those characteristics, but you'd definitely have to make sure and describe YOUR demons so that I get the picture of MY demons out of my head right away.
I also agree that my instinctive thought upon hearing the word "demon" is "evil" -- or at least mischievious in a bad way. If you don't want to imply this, Firle, you may be better off choosing another word that means basically the same thing but doesn't have the connotation "evil". Here are a few suggestions (thanks to dictionary.com):
--fiend
--hellion (honestly, I've never heard of this word, but it made me smile)
--imp (I think this would be my personal choice, based solely off the information you've given)
--daemon (which is pronounced the same way as "demon" and comes from exactly the same roots, but since it's an archaic form of the word, doesn't have the same strength of connotation)
--devilkin
--scamp
There are probably a whole lot of others, but these are a few to start thinking about. Or else, of course, you can just stick to "demon" and convince your readers to abandon their prejudices as they make their way through your story.
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4/25/2007, 8:21 pm
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Firlefanz
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Re: Demons
Thanks, guys.
You see, when my hero first encounters this creature, they fight, and he believes it's an evil thing. Only after a while does he find out that it's not what he thought, but of course, by then, he has already called it a demon.
Hmmm. Still, very good suggestions. *ponders*
--- - Firlefanz
Writing: "Kiera und der Gauklerjunge" - novel
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4/25/2007, 8:46 pm
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Reythia
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Re: Demons
Oh, well if THAT's the situation, then you definitely can call them demons! I mean, if they appear to be evil at first, then it makes sense to call them that. And if the main character later realizes they're not all evil, then just have him comment on it at some point, but have him keep the habit of calling them by the same name. I think that's reasonable.
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4/26/2007, 3:54 am
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Firlefanz
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Re: Demons
I might still have to use some of the other names, because those "demon" creatures actually have split into two factions, one that works with humans, and one that hates and hunts them.
Still, that's in the future. Thanks again! 
--- - Firlefanz
Writing: "Kiera und der Gauklerjunge" - novel
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4/26/2007, 6:12 am
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