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Old 09-22-2017, 10:37 AM   #30
demonsbane
 
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Default Re: It would be nice to have some AD&D style demons and devils

Quote:
Originally Posted by b-dog View Post
What about the difference between the fallen angels and the demons that formed from pure evil?
"Fallen angels becoming demons" assume a unique and upper origin for all things, matching with "monotheism", and with the adage corruptio optimi pessima. As you said, we find this in Christianity for instance.

"Demons formed from pure evil", instead, relate to dualistic cosmologies (in the Gnostic/Manichaean/Cathar sense), or even to maltheism (in the sense of darkness as "the only true principle").

Another origin for devils (or demons) is they as the "dark brothers" of angels (or plural divinities), matching with cosmic dualities (not to mistake with dualism, which is irresolvable), again originating from a single extra-cosmic source. This can be found in Hinduism.

Even deep layers of meaning redeeming "the demonic" by linking it with the unmanifest as the upper darkness, have nothing to do with the distinction you're looking for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by b-dog View Post
I do like the AD&D split between demons and devils, maybe the split might be between the fallen who were once angels but were cast into Hell (devils) and those malign beings that arose from the Abyss and sort of were created out of pure evil (demons).
Even if fallen angels turned into demons haven't the same origins than beings native to hell, they are demons/devils in any case: it's just that these angels, now demons, in the first place were the opposite at the dawn of creation.



I don't see how any of these angles matches with the demons & devils distinction enunciated in this thread, and for what it's worth I don't find it very meaningful. As it has been said above, all of it is related to an opposition between lawful and chaotic alignments between the very infernal beings, which is a very specific setting assumpion, the Blood War.

It lacks universality, intrinsic sense, and I can't find anything matching with such a thing in myth, cosmology, folklore or theology.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DemiBenson View Post
And also in Infernum, Book of the Damned (where, IIRC, demons were natives to Hell, and devils were fallen angels), so it's not unique to ADD.
I don't know this OGL RPG, but at first glance, it looks to my mind like a distinction likely inherited from D&D.

Now, the distinction between fallen angels and beings native to hell makes sense in itself, but calling devils the former and the latter demons, or vice versa, still is rather peculiar.
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