Daniel Conway’s famous treatise on demons and devil-lore

Complete edition – Volume I and II in a single volume with high readability

Moncure Daniel Conway (1832–1907), the son of a Virginian plantation-owner, became a Unitarian minister but his anti-slavery views made him controversial. He later became a freethinker, and following the outbreak of the Civil War, which deeply divided his own family, he left the United States for England in 1863. He gained a reputation for being the ‘least orthodox preacher in London’, and was acquainted with many figures in the literary and scientific world, including Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin.

In this two-volume work, first published in 1879, Conway draws from examples across the world to discuss the origins and decline of beliefs in demons. In Volume 1, he classifies types of demon and argues that the various types are personifications of the main obstacles to ‘primitive man’: he finds in mythology across the world examples of animal demons and demons of hunger, fire and disease. In Volume 2, Conway discusses the role of demons in Christianity and other religions, and he presents the view that such figures are personifications of certain human attributes.

CONTENTS:

Part I: 1. Dualism; 2. The genesis of demons; 3. Degradation; 4. The abgott; 5. Classiciation.

Part II: 1. Hunger; 2. Heat; 3. Cold; 4. Elements; 5. Animals; 6. Enemies; 7. Barrenness; 8. Obstacles; 9. Illusion; 10. Darkness; 11. Diseases; 12. Death.

Part III: 1. Decline of demons; 2. Generalisation of demons; 3. The serpent; 4. The worm; 5. Apophis; 6. The serpent in India; 7. The basilisk; 8. The dragon’s eye; 9. The combat; 10. The dragon-slayer; 11. The dragon’s breath; 12. Fate.

Part IV: 1. Diabolism; 2. The second best; 3. Ahriman, the divine devil; 4. Viswámitra, the theocratic devil; 5. Elohim and Jehovah; 6. The consuming fire; 7. Paradise and the serpent; 8. Eve; 9. Lilith; 10. War in heaven; 11. War on earth; 12. Strife; 13. Barbaric aristocracy; 14. Job and the divider; 15. Satan; 16. Religious despotism; 17. The prince of this world; 18. Trial of the great; 19. The man of sin; 20. The Holy Ghost; 21. Antichrist; 22. The pride of life; 23. The curse of knowledge; 24. Witchcraft; 25. Faust and Mephistopheles; 26. The wild huntsman; 27. Le bon diable; 28. Animalism; 29. Thoughts and interpretations.

Mysteria

A paperback and e-book series published by Intra.

Global readability, Italian charm.

• Publisher: Intra (July 18, 2023)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 649 pages
• ISBN-13: 979-1259915665
• Dimensions: 6 x 1.63 x 9 inches
• Weight: 2.36 pounds
• Price: $ 24,99 € 24,99 (paperback), € 9,99 (ebook Intra)

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