A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits

by Carol K. Mack, Dinah Mack

Watch your back! . . . How to spot and identify demons and other subversive spirits . . . And what to do next.

Demons, fairies, and fallen angels are everywhere. They lurk at crossroads, crouch behind doors, hide in trees, slip into beds, wait in caves, hover at weddings and childbirths, disguise themselves as friends, relatives-even disguise themselves as you. They are powerful; they are protean; they are enchanting. And, to the uninformed, they are often invisible. This illustrated guide-the first of its kind-reveals the remarkable permutations of the demon and fairy species worldwide. Packed with lore about each demon, detailing its origins, the culture surrounding it, and its reputed antics and exploits, A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits is a fascinating exploration of global mythologies. Perfect for the armchair traveler and the intrepid, seasoned demon-spotter alike, this complete guide to subversive spirits offers a behind-the-scenes look at the devilish mishaps, impish irritations, and demonic devastations that punctuate our lives.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Mythology, Occult, Paranormal, Religion, Demons

296 pages, Library Binding

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Brett C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and interesting read. It is basic and isn't a scholarly work by any means. It focused on demons, fairies, fallen angels, and other malevolent entities from around the world. The chapters are categorized by locations of where these subversive beings are found: bodies of water, forests, deserts, and mountains. More interestingly there were two distinct chapters that discussed demons found in the home and demons that terrorize people's psyches. All the demonic spirits come from various occult texts, epic legends, myths, folklore, and superstitions throughout various cultures. Each entry discussed the basics of the creature/demon/spirit and explained the lore surrounding them.

Some demonic entities and spirits that intrigued me were:
1. Nixie, a freshwater femme fatale amphibian from Teutonic lore. She is also the logo used by Starbucks coffee.
2. Windigo, from Native American Algonquian-speaking peoples, demonic creatures that stalk the forests in search of human flesh, lurking silently in the shadows of the trees.
3. Pazuzu, the Babylonian hybrid creature, with the feet of an eagle, the paws of a lion, the head of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and four wings. He was the demon of pestilence and disease in ancient times. This was also seen in the movie The Exorcist.
3. Iblis, Djinn, Shaitan, all three from Islamic culture. Iblis being the chief fallen angel and king of the djinn. The djinn are invisible beings created from smokeless fire that do good or evil. Shaitan are bad and mischievous devils with the job to lead mankind into temptation.
4. Lilith, Azazel, Dybbuk, all three from Judaic culture. Lilith is the Jewish femme fatale night demon who engaged in erotic activities with male human while they sleep. Azazael was the powerful supernatural evil adversary to the Lord of the Old Testament found in Leviticus 16:8. Dybbuk is any spirit of a dead person that possesses a person to either do evil or good.

Overall this was a pretty quick read that was fun. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. Thanks!

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish this book.

A motley crew from demons all over the world are jumbled together in this "Field Guide", with instructions on how to recognise them and possible protective measures. While the idea is interesting, I had several problems with this book.

1. It is too haphazard. Supernatural entities that the author categorises as "demons" are hauled in from all cultures, without any criteria for the choices made.

2. The descriptions are too simplistic. The author tries to strike a mock serious tone, in keeping with the title of the book, but it does not come across humourously as intended.

3. Fairies, demons and characters from mythology are mixed up without any rhyme or reason.

This book will be interesting to the novice in the field of myth and fairy lore: seasoned veterans will feel disappointed.

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!}]

DNF on page 30. This book is poorly researched and over-simplifies everything. Reading some reviews on here told me to stop wasting my time, not literally but still. Also I'm convinced this is satire but not well done or particularly funny. Actually it's grating.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice collection of entries on demons and other supernatural beings. It reminded me of reading the old D&D Monster Manual.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little gem I found in my used book store. This "Field Guide" acts an an encyclopedia of demons. The preface has some sections such as "How to Spot a Demon" or "How to Spot a Fairie" that rehashes common folklore about how to identify them. But it is the rest of the book which is so cool. Divided into sections- Water, Mountain, Forest, Desert, Domicile and Psyche. Each section then has a list of entities you might encounter in their given medium. Thus we run into Tiamat of Mesopotamia (Water) or Huldrefolk of Norway (Mountain) or Wood-Wives and Skoggra of Germany (Forest).

Each individual entry in each of the main sections has a picture of the entity and then the founding country/region of the entity. Then there follows a brief section on the lore and a brief disarming and dispelling techniques. It is an amusing read, though I am unlikely to worry overly much about demonic infestation. I enjoyed the collection of lore and the pictures. The mix of demons goes around the world and all cultures from India to Ancient Mesopotamia.

This was a fun little read and an excellent addition to any collector of Demonology or just someone who enjoys reading fantasy and would like to know what is what and where the original stories come from.

[Taryn Moreau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, well-researched guide to demons that covers entities from an impressive breadth of cultures, divided by habitat (mountains, water, forest, home, mind, etc.).

I particularly appreciated the introduction and essays separating each group of demons. They give you a solid overview of the nature of demons around the world: their origins as a concept, what functions they served for humanity, and overarching patterns among demons (especially in different cultures).

There were a few infamous entries I missed (succubi/incubi, etc.), and the entries serve as more than a place to start one's research than a comprehensive overview, but what's here is pretty solid.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of folklore gathered from around the world.
I never realized that there are so many types of evil fairies and other creatures that go bump in the night.
Highly recommended to fans of fables & mythology.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the lurid title, this book has a focus beyond things that go bump in the night. The Macks look at pre-Christian ideas about spirits, particularly the Greek daimones and the idea of the genius loci that looked after sacred places. So the reader gets an idea of these spirits as primal forces as well as evil powers. And seeing the similarities in folklore across continents and through a wide span of time gives some keys to the psychological roots of our obsession with these 'subversive spirits.' I think the afterword covers it best, in which the authors talk about the need for mystery in a world that's too often filled with an excess of information but not a lot of wonder.

[Kaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know, I got this book back when I was younger, thinking it would be a cool read. Unfortunately, it seemed like a lot of what was in the book wasn't so well researched; or, if it was, differed greatly with other descriptions of the daemons presented that I've read. The one thing I will give it, is that it is absolutely a multi-cultural book, and for that gives an amazing look at the similarities in mythologies around the world.

[Michael Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have had this for years. Primarily use it as reference material for quick synopses of supernatural entities, although I've read a lot of these entries are very over-simplified and sometimes conflicting. Still a fun little tome for snapshots of the strange and dark entities of the worlds oldest myths.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference for fantasy and horror writers. I picked a subject and wrote a short story about the demon. Great fun

[Tom Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is this? What is this supposed to be? A serious demonology reference guide? A tongue-in-cheek parody?  Feels like something out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

2.5 stars of 5.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always been intrigued by mythoi and fabulous creatures that I won't reject checking out books, especially if they are recommended by a good website. And that is what occurred at this point although I cannot quite remember this particular website anymore unfortunately. As a result of their lists they had included Huwawa while this was a book that had been cited as a source.

First of all for those who are really into demonology and are curious to know about the dark side of Hell this won't be the book for you. Instead the authors' intentions were to make for themselves a demonology guide that would explore a bit of the dark side while focusing more on the spiritual beings or similar sort that may have been demoted with the arrival of new religion(s) and/or those who actively play ambivalent roles in the lives of humans such as any of the fae races. Due to these inclusions there is quite a lot of variety included although it is still the tip of the iceberg when compared to the actual amount of similar types from each culture and religion.

The worse part of the book is the introduction for it is really lengthy and dry. Although it is appreciated that the information was included for those who are just starting into reading this type of material it could most definitely be skipped unless you really are interested into knowing more about the subject. At the same time the reader will also notice that the authors automatically show a preferential treatment for these beings, which will appear continuously throughout later pagers.

What I do enjoy about the book once you get past the dry part is the set-up. Each collection of included beings is tucked into one of the many offered types whether it be part of an environmental collection or the psyche. After the name there are a few pages giving a description about the importance of the environment being discussed and some important points about the demons living there. This is then followed by a Who's Who list that is almost another Table of Contents for that particular section.

Following these introductory pages the rest of the demons and beings are then added in no particular order. What I did notice, though, on this particular read-through the first of the demons mentioned after the introduction and Who's Who is usually a big name and gives a bit more background to the importance such as Huwawa whose death although ordained was a catch-22 since it signified also the destruction of sacred wilderness under man.

The entries followed allow the reader to get to know the name of the being and a few paragraphs of introduction. Most will include a Lore section that provides a few re-tellings of common cultural stories that is then followed by a Disarming & Dispelling methods if there should be any.

All in all it was a pretty okay starter book that was more interesting in the individual entries rather than as a whole. And even though there are a few demons and possible devils, this book is more slanting toward the mythic and folkloric shelves instead of being a religious treatise.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book full of dark history and lore! It was fun to read and I appreciated the diversity in subjects. It was most especially pleasing to me to read of the demons of our psyche - our internal battles! Interesting and accessible reading.

[Andrew Shaffer]

Besides being confusingly organized, it doesn’t work as a reference material for the simple fact that it mixes cultural lore with the likes of Mr. Hyde. Reads more like a parody or satire of these sorts of guidebooks.

[Silas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not ideally suited to the audiobook format. It's a bit older, so I am surprised they even made one, but it is largely list-based, and those rarely work. I suppose I should have been tipped off by the words "field guide," in the title, but this sort of book often has a misleading title. What the audiobook did help with was getting through it. I see a lot of other reviewers just dropped the book, and that might have been a reasonable choice. The entries are categorized but were also clearly previously categorized by geographic region, because each category has the same sort of geographic progression through its entries. I took exception to the book in a number of places. The Babylonian entries were fairly superfluous, since they mostly talked about foundational myths and stories from Gilgamesh, referencing deities who die in the stories that are told, so are not things you might encounter in the field. It ignores goetic demons entirely, and lumps together a lot of stories that are not similar in some places (for instance, a selkie is not a mermaid). Entries are shallow and brief, as well, and the introduction talks about ways you can counter spirits if you encounter them, but that idea isn't carried through more than a few of the entries. It is also from the late '90s, so it is a bit dated in some of its ideas from a modern point of view. This was an okay overview of some cross-cultural supernatural entities from various different sources that is shallow and incomplete, with occasional errors, but might be okay if you are just getting interested in the topic, as long as you don't hold any of the ideas here too dear when you learn more.

[Steve Cran]

The Field Guide to Demons

Carol K. Mack



This nifty little volume is an encyclopedia of minor spirit being that live outside the realm of human life. The authors traverse through the lores of many cultures, defining the beings and then analyzing them. Often times these being are very mischievious cause trouble for the human folk. Sometimes , however these being can be quite helpful.

These demons/fairies come from 6 different realms. The domains are the : water, mountain, forests, deserts, domiciles and psyche. A given entry of demons will start off with first how to identify the demons and then discuss the lore or tale they have been in. The book also tells you how top defend youerself against the fairie's/demon's magic.

In the realm of water TEh book discusses Tiamat the demon of Babylon. Along with her consort Apsu she created a myriad of gods, but these gods made a lot of noise. Apsu soon got tired of trhe noise and conspired to kill the offspring. Tiamat kills him first. Later on Marduk her great gandson challenges her and her new consort Kingu and kills them both in battle. Different parts of Tiamat are used to create diffent parts of the universe/ From Kingu's blood he creates mankind.

From the mountains comes the Mesopoatamian Demon Huwawa. Huwawa is ent by the God Enlil to guard the Cedar forest of Lebanon. The Sun God Shamash sent Gilgamessh and his friend Enkidu to cut down 7 Cedars. The two slay Huwawa and accomplish the mission. Then Ishtar ties to seduce Gilgamesh and fails she send the bull of Heaven to kill them. Gilgamesh and Enkidu prevail. Enlil retaliates by killing Enkidu.

THe Shedim of Judaic Lore are demons that come from the forest.They are small hairy and wild. They have big noses and lolling tongues. Generally they are regarded as unclean spirits. Spitting tend to drive them away. In Russia a hunchback is seduced into dancing with the Shedim. As a pledge for him to return they take the hump off of his back and he is able to walk straight.. His twin brother seeing this decide to do the same thing. When he reutrns they giove him his brother's hump.

Iblis is a demon from the Arabian Desert. He refused to bow tro Adam the first man. For that he was cast down to earth forever a curse to mankind. In another story his dominioon is eraduicated and he is broguht to Allah's realm and educated in matters of holiness. When his djin regroup on the earth he goes to dopwn to rejoing them and be their.

The croucher is a demon that exists in the home. The demon is from Babyon. (You can tell I love Babylon) Thyis demon sits at the threshold of a house and waits to attack people as they walk in. Shutting the dorr helps keep them at bay.

In te realm of the psyche is a demon called Gerasine. It was driven out of a madmen by Christ weho used prayers as the means of exorcism.They were driven into a heard of swine and driven into a lake.

This book is great for anyone studying demonaoly. I bought it because I wantred to write a book.

[I'mogén · Rating 3 out of 5]

This American Cover Floppy back was a joy to read! The easy to read chunks flowed quite well and I found myself finding it very easy to keep reading. It took me longer than expected, however, because it obviously is not one continuous story, and so when I did put the book down, I did not find myself compelled to pick it up again in any hurry. It was an interesting, slow read, that could have been read along side a heavier, story-based novel.
I found that it portrayed a lot of religion/cultures beliefs in demons very well, with just enough information to be knowledgeable, but not boring. I think that it would have been better if similar legends were under one category or if it just stated that it goes under different names (with some examples) for different cultures because I found some of the demons too repetitive. The filing of this book was very helpful, I mean there was sub-categories under sub-categories, so the authors really broke the points down neatly for a reader who may be going in blind, though it was not patronizing at all. A very interesting read indeed. :)

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Mariela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something that I like about the review they had for this book was this From the Tommyknockers of North American mountain mines to the South African Mbulu that waits in the river for lone travelers, A Field Guide to Demons classifies these creatures by their domains--water, mountain, forest--rather than in alphabetical or cultural order, dishing out antique and contemporary lore on these most misunderstood of spirits.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a totally fun, fascinating look at demons and malevolent spirits from all over the world. At times it is of necessity disappointingly brief in its descriptions, but the wide-ranging bibliography at the back of the book provides more than enough fodder for those who want to delve deeper into the subject.

[Cary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's an encyclopedia of sorts but is broken down into realms (water, mountain, psyche, etc.). The author gives an overview of each being but the best parts are the "lore" entries which generally give at least one folk tale on each being. The book also does a very good job of casting it's net among a variety of cultures making it a good tool in looking for similarities.

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An encyclopedic approach to a cross-cultural inventory of mythological demons. Reads like a bestiary. Despite their intent on killing humans in gruesome ways, demons turn out to be pretty funny because they are extremely stupid and can be outwitted at their own games. The authors take a Jungian approach to demons as a representation of the Shadow, the dark side of each person.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid primer on a lot of cultures’ folklore. However would be demonologists would be recommended not to use this as their main source as the definition of ‘demon’ here is fuzzy.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collections of mythological creatures and their historical impact.

[Travis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up expecting to be amused by its earnest presentation of demons, etc. as actual beings. It didn't actually do that; for the amount that I read, it relied rather heavily on literary sources or summaries of fairy tales told of the beings. I noticed another reviewer speculate that it might be satire, and I could almost see it, but gave up too soon to really analyze it. The problem for me is that though the book collects descriptions of some interesting entities from myths and legends of various cultures, it has a very lackluster presentation and is absolutely atrocious about citing its sources. There is a decent sized bibliography in the back, but the entries themselves don't have any source. Yet the authors will frequently place quotation marks around statements, and it isn't clear if that is intended to show it was taken from a source (though one without citation), or if they are trying to ape the authority of a citation without going through the hard work of finding a quote that says what they want. I didn't get very far into it, but I got far enough to realize that there wasn't anything really useful or interesting to be gained by slogging through it.

[AttackGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

On lovers day what better than to read about the love of flesh and what keeps it fresh. Anyone care to venture into what the KJV Holy Bible says about vampires, zombies, possession…. If you have no clue and think it’s all just made up fantasy all of the earliest documents and even that KJV discusses such things that make up TERROR movies and tales.

Little kids are told oh it’s only fake only a story, it’s not real, it’s not true but I recommend everyone to read more if that is what you think. Then search your mind and heart and you will find the truth of your Knowing because DNA does not lie.

I’m ordering a hard copy for my real in the house library. A fun reference guide.

[Aaron Bolin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting as a reference book, but some of the content seemed really weak. The authors lead with a description of a mythical being and provide a quick illustrative story. The only real problem is that the stories didn't seem to always match up to the entity. That is, I thought a lot of the linkages and structure that they were trying to build into pantheon of spiritual beings could have been much stronger. They also ignore some of the obvious overlap between stories from different cultures.

I did enjoy the book though.

[Xolok Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent summary of many folk tales about spirits, demons, cryptids, etc. from across the globe. I'm a little puzzled by people taking it as serious guide to dealing with these creatures. Setting aside whether or not such creatures exist, there is only the briefest discussion of what to do with each creature. These tactics and stratagems are clearly present in order to share more of the story. If you have an actual monster on your hands, you might need more research or to call someone trained to handle this (physician, clergy member, eccentric aunt, etc.)

[Justin Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful! I like how it switches from the lore of the creatures and entities lore then breaks down how to defeat or dispel them. Some stories are way out there on the belief component but then, if you actually go and look at a specific culture related to these entities you begin to wonder how is it that we go this far ahead with the seen and unseen forces being around us at all times. This is a good one for quick cultural references.

[blue.iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting, and I especially liked comparing this information and the source material to stories I already know or stuff I have read about in other books (particularly fairies and demons as I am a huge fan of Cassandra Clare and am currently reading the books I didn't get to). It wasn't the same, but I like that Clare actually used some lore behind her own worldbuilding. Overall a good read and part of my reading goal!