Demons in the Ancient Near East

In the ancient Near East, the belief in demons was an important aspect of the world view. Spirits and demons influenced people’s daily lives.

Spirits belonged to the world of the divine, but they were inferior to the gods. The gods ensured that there was a certain order in the world. They could intervene by rewarding or punishing people, and it was the spirits that would deliver this reward or punishment on their behalf. Spirits could bring someone good fortune (blessing) or misfortune (curse), depending on the gods’ decision. So it was not just protective spirits bringing blessings and happiness, but also tormenting spirits, who brought misfortune, sickness and death, who had a place within the divine order.

Outside of the divine order, chaos reigned. This was the realm of the demons, evil spirits. They could invade the world of order and attack people. Sometimes the result was sickness, such as a headache, depression, epilepsy, disability and madness.
In order to fight off the evil spirits, their identity needed to be established first. Counterforces had to be summoned as well: gods or good spirits who could chase away the evil spirits. If the evil spirits had been called up by the wrath of a god, that god would need to be appeased. This could be done through incantations and rituals.