Limbă, Literatură, Folclor

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52505/llf.2025.2.14

Abstract: The article examines the structure and meanings of funerary demonology within the context of Romanian mythology, delineating the notions of daimon and demon based on key sources from specialized literature (Romulus Vulcănescu, Victor Kernbach, Ivan Evseev, Antoaneta Olteanu, etc.). The study aims to clarify the terminological and conceptual framework of the field, defining funerary demonology as the ensemble of beliefs and mythical representations concerning entities that mediate the passage between the world of the living and that of the dead. The analysis focuses on the origin and functions of these daimonic beings, highlighting their role in the mythology of death and in the traditional imaginary of Romanian communities. The typology of strigoi, moroi, and other liminal spirits is interpreted as an expression of an archaic conception of the human double and of the continuity of existence beyond death. Through the conceptual delimitations proposed, the paper provides a theoretical framework for the specific study of practices and beliefs associated with funerary demons, constituting the first stage of a broader research dedicated to the mechanisms of annihilating their malevolent power.

Keywords: daimon, demon, demonology, mythology, archetypal beings of death.