www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Icons & Iconography Descriptions of Demons

What do the Fathers and Saints say of the appearance of the demons both to the departed soul and the living? How are they portrayed in Iconography?

St. Andrew Fool For Christ recounted the shadows that accompanied the funeral procession and Saint Seraphim said only they were "Foul".

The only icons I have seen demons in are the Divine Ladder and upon the shoulders of heretics. Are there any others?

Just remember that demons are part of the invisible realm, meaning that descriptions of their appearance are, of necessity, subjective and approximate.

Is this considered an Icon proper? The reference is to a Georgian Monastery and it refers to the work as an Icon. But in the picture not a single saint or holy entity is shown. This is neither a "Window into Heaven" or a depiction of transfigured life. The only scenes of hell I have seen are depicted with salvific contrasts in the Resurrection of the Divine Ladder.

What is this?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...on_of_Hell.jpg

Hi! Do you have another URL for this? The one that you cited says..."This page does not currently exist."

Ray

As useful as it may be to know what Fathers of the Church and other saints had to say about the appearances of demons, it's a bit closer to home to be aware that a lot of the members of SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests) conceive of demons as often (not always) attired in roman collars and/or miters.

And much to my regret, so do I. Tant pis.

I realize this has nothing to do with iconography, but I am convinced that demons can and do take many images before men. The Apostle Paul wrote that the Devil can appear as an angel of light. And so I think he has - even in modern times when it has suited his purpose.

Today, I think demons are seen of men; not as mideval gargoyle like creatures, but most often as ordinary "men" and also as apparitions including UFOs, Space Aliens, Bigfoot/Yetti, etc. in order to mislead real men through meaningless controversies and to divert men from believing the Gospel unto the salvation of their souls.

My 2¢ worth anyway,

μιχαηλ της συστρατιωτης

try this link:

Depiction of Hell [commons.wikimedia.org]

This icon seems to be part of a triptych, you can tell by the line down the middle. It would be interesting to see who is depicted above the figure laying down. You can see two feet. Archangel Michael maybe?

This image reminds me of the bottom of a Last Judgment icon with the mouth of hell open. Let's explore this some more and see what everybody can find. A link about the Gelati Monastery can be viewed here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelati_Monastery

Ray

i dont think bigfoots a demon the jersey devil might be one though