What was the reason for the Demon/Devil split?
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DragonLancer
Hero
I don't know any official reason but I always assumed it was because everything in the Outer Planes seems divided by alignment.
Shemeska
Adventurer
Different types of, and conflicting groups of fiends isn't anything new really. Making that split and calling the two sides demons and devils is pretty unique to D&D though. As for why he chose that, who knows. I figure he wanted LE and CE fiends matched to alignment, and those two type names were the most obvious.
wingsandsword
Legend
I also always presumed it was since there were Lawful and Chaotic planes, including Evil planes, then making the inhabitants different was only rational to fit with the cosmology.
As for why Devils are Lawful and Demons are chaotic, ever hear the expression "deal with the devil"? Devils are typically depicted in literature as being about rules and contracts and technicalities and legalities, very lawful, but very evil.
Demons are usually treated as more incarnate forces of evil destruction and torment, more chaos and evil.
As for why Devils are Lawful and Demons are chaotic, ever hear the expression "deal with the devil"? Devils are typically depicted in literature as being about rules and contracts and technicalities and legalities, very lawful, but very evil.
Demons are usually treated as more incarnate forces of evil destruction and torment, more chaos and evil.
trancejeremy
Adventurer
Why do we have two words? Demon and Devil?
But interestingly, re-reading the very early issues of Dragon and TSR, the split seems to have been before the 2 axis alignment system, though the intent was to make one Chaotic and the other Lawful.
Though I'm not sure sure when Demons or Devils first entered D&D. The original one I think just had Balrogs...
But interestingly, re-reading the very early issues of Dragon and TSR, the split seems to have been before the 2 axis alignment system, though the intent was to make one Chaotic and the other Lawful.
Though I'm not sure sure when Demons or Devils first entered D&D. The original one I think just had Balrogs...
Well. From what I understand, "Demon" is just "Fallen angel", "evil spirit" or basically "Inhabitant of Hell" and "Devil" has only been used to refer to the individual in charge of hell: Satan, Lucifer, etc.
D&D is the only place I've ever seen "Devil" used to refer to anything outside of Satan.
But I guess they exist because if you call one Demons, you gotta call the other group something, and Devil was just chosen.
They're based off of Tolkien elves, as opposed to purely folklore faeries. Tolkien was quite popular at the time.
Because they were based off of the popular TV show "Kung Fu", and other such media influences, because that was popular in the 70s when D&D was being created.
The same thing with Psionics. At the time, the line between Sci Fi and Fantasy was very blurry in the various Pulp magazines and S&S novels; there was little difference between "Guy with a sword slays a demon who has a captive maiden" and "Guy with a sword slays an alien who has a captive maiden". Psionics were featured in these, were just reflavored magic for the sciency pulp stories. Also there was popular media at the time that dealt with psionics - like the movie "Firestarter" and "Carrie".
D&D lore is the way it is because Gygax (or other designers) chose to make it that way. They had a reason, not "Just because". I'm wondering about the story/context of that choice.
Gygax has written extensively on the Hows and Whys of where D&D came from, so I assume that he said something about it.
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Aeolius
Adventurer
Don't forget about the daemons and demodands, to further muddy the mix. In my 1e game I even added daimons, incorporeal creatures responsible for "demonic possession".
I always envisioned my elven characters as Pini elves:
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That's actually an interesting question. So, I just went digging a bit to find the etymologies of those words. Back in the Greek roots, the two a really quite separate.
"Daemon" refers to a "deity, divine power; lesser god; guiding spirit, tutelary deity". Not at all (or at least not necessarily) an evil thing.
"Diabolos" apparently comes from a construction of "dia" (across) and "ballein" (to throw), that means "slanderer, to attack, or accuse".
When they got borrowed into English and Germanic languages by way of the Bible, the meanings got merged. One can probably see how that happened, but discussion of such is perhaps not appropriate there.
