Demons, Devils, Monsters & Evil Spirits

Database of Demons, Evil Spirits, and Monsters

Virtually all religions & cultures have various supernatural spirits that are considered malevolent or even evil.

• In ancient cultures, demons were thought to be the cause of illness, epilepsy, and other diseases.
• A chaos monster might attempt to overthrow the general order of the gods and upset the balance of the cosmos.
• Underworld and fertility deities can be vengeful if certain rites and rituals aren’t followed and may cause the next year’s harvest to be meager.
• In some cultures, demons may be forces of nature like hurricanes that can kill people and livestock and destroy villages and crops.
• And in some belief systems, they are evil spirits that can cause misfortune, destruction, illness, and death because of a chance encounter.

This page was created as a study of how different religions of the world personify “evil.” Throughout this section, you’ll find lists of demon names and descriptions of different demons, devils, monsters, and evil spirits.

Note: What is “evil” is often defined by a specific belief system. One religion’s gods become another religion’s demons – especially as Christianity became dominant and demonized pagan or foreign gods and goddesses.

What Demons and Monsters Are Included?

Below, you will find some criteria I used to decide whether to include a demon or monster on this list: