Latin word for evil deity before diabolus

[Przibram]

Hello. The Latin word diabolus comes from Greek διάβολος. Is there any Latin word for an evil deity, which was used before the Latin imported diabolus from Greek?

any advice is welcome.

 

[Pacifica]

The Roman religion didn't have a deity that represented pure evil the way the Devil does.

Pluto, Dis, Orcus are names for the god of the underworld, but though he was a sinister deity as per his association with death, he wasn't exactly evil. It should also be noted that the Roman underworld wasn't only what we would call hell. Almost all the dead went there (except the deified or particularly blessed) and it wasn't necessarily a place of torment.

Now if you're looking for unpleasant deities I guess the Furies (Furiae) would be somewhere at the top of the list. They were vengeful deities in charge of tormenting people for their (serious) sins.

 

[Pacifica]

It's also worth noting that the god Pan and the satyrs in general are speculated to have inspired the traditional depiction of the Devil with horns and goat's feet.

 

[Przibram]

Thank you very much!

 

[Iacobinus]

Hello. The Latin word diabolus comes from Greek διάβολος. Is there any Latin word for an evil deity, which was used before the Latin imported diabolus from Greek?

any advice is welcome.

It doesn't really answer to your question, but the Thesaurus gives these syn[onyma diaboli] : adversarius (dei, Christi, noster), apostata angelus, dei æmulus, pravus antitheus, caput malorum, cosmocrator, criminator, dæmoniarches, hujus ævi deus, dominator terræ, draco, dux damnatus, fur, furcifer, homicida, hostis noster, inimicus divini nominis vel humani generis, inquus (subst.), malus (subst.), nequissimus (subst.), princeps dæmonum (vel mundi), satanas, serpens, spiritus immundus al.

 

[Przibram]

It's also worth noting that the god Pan and the satyrs in general are speculated to have inspired the traditional depiction of the Devil with horns and goat's feet.

I believe this supports your previous post, because the Greek Pan, which was quite similar, but not the same as the Roman Faunus, they were not diabolical. They could be evil but at the same time they were related to the wild, herding and nature.

 

[Przibram]

It doesn't really answer to your question, but the Thesaurus gives these syn[onyma diaboli] : adversarius (dei, Christi, noster), apostata angelus, dei æmulus, pravus antitheus, caput malorum, cosmocrator, criminator, dæmoniarches, hujus ævi deus, dominator terræ, draco, dux damnatus, fur, furcifer, homicida, hostis noster, inimicus divini nominis vel humani generis, inquus (subst.), malus (subst.), nequissimus (subst.), princeps dæmonum (vel mundi), satanas, serpens, spiritus immundus al.

Thank you. Most of these synonyms, with a few eventual exceptions, sound from the Christian doctrine. That is they are (relatively) recent in historical terms.

 

[Pacifica]

Most of these synonyms, with a few eventual exceptions, sound from the Christian doctrine.

They all are. They're various names and epithets for the Christian Devil, Diabolus.

 

[Iacobinus]

For a pagan evil deity, the closest which came to my mind is Tўphōeūs, -ĕī vel -ĕos, c., but that Latin noun is also borrowed from Greek: Τυφωεύς, -έως (ὁ) [ῠ], so I don't know if it is the sort of things you seek for.

Typhon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Przibram]

For a pagan evil deity, the closest which came to my mind is Tўphōeūs, -ĕī vel -ĕos, c., but that Latin noun is also borrowed from Greek: Τυφωεύς, -έως (ὁ) [ῠ], so I don't know if it is the sort of things you seek for.

Typhon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

After checking the characteristics of the Greek deity Tўphōeūs, I find them very interesting. I will investigate further. Thank you for pointing this up to me.