Demogorgon | Underworld Creature
Demogorgon is a deity or demon associated with the underworld. Although it is often attributed to Greek mythology, the name probably arises from a mistake in the process of transcription of a commentary on Lactantius Placidus by an unknown copyist. The concept goes back to the original term demiurge.
Etymology
The origin of the word Demogorgon is not entirely clear, although most scholars consider it a mistaken transcription of the Greek word δημιουργόν (dēmiourgón, accusative form of δημιουργός, 'demiurge') based on variations in a manuscript, in the earliest explicit reference found in Lactantius Placidus (Jahnke 1898, Sweeney 1997, Solomon 2012). Boccaccio, in his influential text Genealogia Deorum Gentilium, cites a work, now lost, by Theodontius and Pronapides as an authority for the assertion of the idea that the Demogorgon is the antecedent of all the gods. The art historian Jean Seznec concludes that "Demogorgon is a grammatical error, become a god."[1]
Latin variations of the name cited by Ricardus Jahnke include "demoirgon", "emoirgon", "demogorgona", "demogorgon", with the first critical editor Friedrich Lindenbrog (Fridericus Tiliobroga) conjuring "δημιουργόν" as the prototype in 1600. Several other theories suggest that the name is derived from the combination of the Greek words δαίμων daimon ('spirit' given the connotations of 'demon' in high-middle-age Christianity)-or, less likely δῆμος dêmos ('people')-and γοργός gorgós ('quick') or Γοργών Gorgṓn, monsters from ancient Greek mythology present in Hesiod's Theogony.
Etymology
The origin of the word Demogorgon is not entirely clear, although most scholars consider it a mistaken transcription of the Greek word δημιουργόν (dēmiourgón, accusative form of δημιουργός, 'demiurge') based on variations in a manuscript, in the earliest explicit reference found in Lactantius Placidus (Jahnke 1898, Sweeney 1997, Solomon 2012). Boccaccio, in his influential text Genealogia Deorum Gentilium, cites a work, now lost, by Theodontius and Pronapides as an authority for the assertion of the idea that the Demogorgon is the antecedent of all the gods. The art historian Jean Seznec concludes that "Demogorgon is a grammatical error, become a god."[1]
Latin variations of the name cited by Ricardus Jahnke include "demoirgon", "emoirgon", "demogorgona", "demogorgon", with the first critical editor Friedrich Lindenbrog (Fridericus Tiliobroga) conjuring "δημιουργόν" as the prototype in 1600. Several other theories suggest that the name is derived from the combination of the Greek words δαίμων daimon ('spirit' given the connotations of 'demon' in high-middle-age Christianity)-or, less likely δῆμος dêmos ('people')-and γοργός gorgós ('quick') or Γοργών Gorgṓn, monsters from ancient Greek mythology present in Hesiod's Theogony.