The Agathos Daimon in Greco Egyptian Religion
The Agathos Daimon, or 'Good Spirit', was a multifaceted deity of
ancient Mediterranean religion, usually depicted as a serpent, having
its origins in the notion of the household god. The Good Spirit was
honoured in both Greek and Roman religions, depicted as a serpent on
Roman shrines and lararia, and revered as a harbinger of luck among the
Greeks. However, his most developed form flourished in Ptolemaic and
Roman Egypt, where the Agathos Daimon became an exalted deity, far
beyond the status of a household god, becoming associated with Shai and
Kematef, the Egyptian creator gods, who were similarly depicted as
serpents in the extant iconography, as well as taking on solar
attributes and becoming conflated with Prê and Helios as a result of
late Egyptian theological innovations. This new syncretistic deity is a
central figure of the Greek Magical Papyri, wherein numerous rituals,
prayers, and theological material directly related to the Agathos Daimon
abound.
The full paper is freely available on my Academia page:
The full paper is freely available on my Academia page:
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