Demon

Archetype

“There must be something your little heart desires.”

—The Evil Queen

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Demon Characters

Archetypal demons are malevolent figures. Some are aggressive and confrontational. They use intimidation, coercion, and violence to achieve their sinister goals. Others present themselves as polite and friendly, obscuring their nefarious intentions. Demons are always paired with characters who see themselves as fundamentally righteous. They symbolize immorality and the capacity of their counterparts to stray from their own moral convictions.

The demon archetype sometimes manifests in literal demons, devils, and other archvillains. In more grounded narratives, demons take the form of corrupt politicians, criminal masterminds, and mundane varieties of predators and psychopaths.

Prominent Examples

Mephistopheles (with Faust) in Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Evil Queen (with Snow White) in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Darth Vader (with Luke Skywalker) in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
Lord Voldemort (with Harry Potter) in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling
John Milton (with Kevin Lomax) in The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
Xerxes (with Leonidas) in 300 (2006)
Jim Moriarty (with Sherlock Holmes) in Sherlock (2010–2017)

Definition

The demon archetype corresponds to the wicked desires and compulsions that humans wrestle with as moral agents. It reflects the struggle between good and evil in the hearts of all people, to paraphrase Solzhenitsyn.

Dramatic Dimensions

Archetypes are fluid orientations, not rigid types. These are common tendencies and associations—they may or may not apply in any particular case.

Narrative Roles

Villain
Symbol of evil or sin
Corrupting figure who tempts (or tries to tempt) a virtuous protagonist

Motivations

Avarice
Vengeance
Resentment and malice
Self-aggrandizement

Virtues

Intellect and cleverness
Determination and resilience

Vices

Lust for power
Greed and self-indulgence
Narcissism
Vanity
Envy and jealousy
Anger, hatred, and malevolence
Cruelty and sadism

Perceptual Frames

Desire vs obstacles
Self vs others

Growth Opportunities

Letting go of grievances
Atoning for harm caused to others

Taxonomy

Shadow Variants

The demon archetype is a variant of the broader shadow archetype.

Other variants of the shadow archetype:

Pairing

Father: Demons often symbolize the evil that archetypal fathers condemn and fight against.
Hero: Demons can make great villains for grand archetypal heroes.
Maiden: Demons are good foils for archetypal maidens struggling with ethical issues.

See the whole taxonomy on the archetypes overview page.