Who created all demons?

Whether as agents of chaos, tempters, or cosmic adversaries, demons appear in folklore, religion, and literature, raising a perennial question: Who created all demons? This post will explore the origins of demons from various cultural, religious, and mythological perspectives.

The Ancient Roots: Demons Before Religion

Long before organized religion codified the concept of demons, ancient peoples personified evil and misfortune as supernatural entities. In Mesopotamian mythology, for instance, beings like the Lamashtu and Pazuzu emerged as explanations for disease, nightmares, and disaster. These early demons were not always purely evil; some, like Pazuzu, had protective qualities despite their fearful appearance.

Demons in these traditions were often created by the gods themselves or emerged from the chaotic primordial forces predating creation. Rather than being the product of a single creator, demons in ancient myth were manifestations of the unknown, sometimes acting as a necessary counterbalance to the forces of order.

Demons in Abrahamic Religions: Fallen Angels and Rebellion

The Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—offer some of the most influential narratives on the origins of demons. In these faiths, demons are often depicted as the result of rebellion against the divine order.

In Christian tradition, the most famous origin story is that of Lucifer, an angel who, along with his followers, rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven. These fallen angels became demons, led by Lucifer, now known as Satan. The Book of Revelation and other apocryphal texts elaborate on this celestial war, framing demons as corrupted beings who chose pride and defiance over obedience.

Judaism presents a more nuanced view. While the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) contains references to evil spirits, such as the shedim and lilin, later Jewish folklore expands on their origins. Some stories claim that demons are the offspring of the fallen angels and human women—echoing the Nephilim narrative in Genesis 6—while others suggest they are the result of God’s unfinished creations during the six days of creation.

In Islam, demons are known as jinn, beings made from smokeless fire. They exist alongside humans and angels, with free will to do good or evil. The Qur’an recounts how Iblis (Satan) refused to bow to Adam and was cast out, becoming the chief of the evil jinn, known as shayatin. Here, the creation of demons is not a mistake or corruption but the result of purposeful creation, with the capacity for moral choice.

Eastern Perspectives: Demons as Spirits and Karma

Eastern religions and philosophies have their own complex demonologies. In Hinduism and Buddhism, demons (asuras, rakshasas, and mara) are not always purely evil but represent obstacles to enlightenment or agents of chaos and desire.

Hindu mythology describes a cosmic struggle between devas (gods) and asuras (demons), both created by Brahma, the creator god. The asuras are not inherently wicked; their rivalry with the gods is part of the cosmic balance. Similarly, in Buddhism, Mara is a tempter figure who tries to thwart the Buddha’s enlightenment. Demons in these traditions are products of karma, ignorance, and desire, rather than the deliberate creation of evil for its own sake.

Folk Beliefs and Local Traditions

Beyond major world religions, countless folk beliefs have shaped the idea of demons. In Japanese folklore, for example, the oni are ogre-like demons who punish the wicked and are said to be created from the souls of the dead who were evil in life. African, Native American, and indigenous Pacific Islander traditions feature their own spirits, tricksters, and malevolent beings that sometimes play the role of demons, often arising from the interaction between the natural and supernatural worlds.

In these traditions, demons are less about cosmic rebellion and more about explaining natural disasters, illness, and psychological afflictions. Their creation is tied to human behavior, ancestral spirits, or the balance between nature and civilization.

Modern Reinterpretations and Psychological Demons

In contemporary culture, the question of who created all demons often shifts from the supernatural to the psychological. Modern literature, film, and psychology frequently use demons as metaphors for inner struggles, addiction, and trauma. Carl Jung, for example, spoke of the “shadow”—the hidden, repressed side of the self—as the source of our personal demons.

These modern interpretations suggest that demons are, in some sense, created by us: projections of our fears, guilt, and inner conflicts. While ancient and religious traditions externalized evil as demons, today we often internalize and psychologize these forces.