Angels & Demons in the Roman Times
What we think of today as Roman times encompassed a range of religious beliefs that may be broadly categorized as Pagan and Christian. In fact, both Paganism and Christianity took many forms and the distinctions between them weren't always clear cut. Angels and demons have long been a popular feature of Christian belief but before Christianity took hold across the Roman Empire the Pagan religions had their own versions.
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Guardian Angels
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In the 21st century most people have a fixed understanding of what an angel is. A hheavenly being, often called upon to act as an intermediary between humans and God. Sometimes people believe they also have a guardian angel watching out for them. In the Pagan religion, many Roman families believed they had spiritual guardians, known as Dii Familiaris. Amulets with their image or symbol would be worn for protection, or small statues would be kept at the family shrine to be worshiped and called upon for help.
Heavenly Intermediaries
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The other angelic function, of spreading God's word and making predictions about the future also appeared in the Pagan Roman society. Women, known as sibyls, acted as intermediaries between the people and the Gods. This included making predictions and answering questions, often in the form of riddles which could be misinterpreted. Their predictions were far from reliable but people still believed they were channeling the voices of powerful Gods.
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Demons
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For Pagan Romans, demons were actually Gods and were not necessarily evil. Mars, the God of War, could be very useful if you were seeking a win in battle. A beneficent God, such as Zeus, the father of all Gods, could be very dangerous if you didn't keep him happy with enough worship and sacrifice. All Gods and Goddesses have a purpose and although their powers were much greater than humans, their personalities were similar. Jealousy, anger, fear and other negative emotions all played their part and could cause some Gods to behave demonically without being demons.
Monsters and Other Creatures
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The other Roman Pagan equivalent of demons are the monsters that appear in their mythology. Often sent to test heroes by angry Gods, creatures such as griffins and the Cyclops can wreak havoc for Roman adventurers, warriors and demi-gods such as Hercules. There were also nymphs, human-like creatures that occupied a space between the human and divine. These could provide inspiration or punishment and had elemental powers.
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References
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