The spelling is not nearly asrevealing, as the accent which trully tell the tale. I refer you to the authoritative Jamacain beach guide: De mon. An authoritative figure Usage: Hey mon. I gots to see de mon about a yob. W > -----Original Message----- > From: David Silberstein [mailto:davids at kithrup.com] > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 1:37 PM > To: Dragaera List > Subject: Re: A Brustian quote > > > On Thu, 16 Oct 2003, Johne Cook wrote: > > >I do, too, because it refers to a concept and not a literal fallen > >angel, a spirit being of the same name. > > > > "fallen angel", bah. > > And for that matter, there's also this: > > "That's true, Mr.--Mr.--Demon," said the boy. "Excuse me if I > don't get your name right, but I understood you to say you are a > demon." > > "Certainly. The Demon of Electricity." > > "But electricity is a good thing, you know, and--and--" > > "Well?" > > "I've always understood that demons were bad things," added Rob, > boldly. > > "Not necessarily," returned his visitor. "If you will take the > trouble to consult your dictionary, you will find that demons may > be either good or bad, like any other class of beings. Originally > all demons were good, yet of late years people have come to > consider all demons evil. I do not know why. Should you read > Hesiod you will find he says: > > > 'Soon was a world of holy demons made, > Aerial spirits, by great Jove designed > To be on earth the guardians of mankind.'" > > > "But Jove was himself a myth," objected Rob, who had been > studying mythology. > > The Demon shrugged his shoulders. > > "Then take the words of Mr. Shakespeare, to whom you all defer," he > replied. "Do you not remember that he says: > > > 'Thy demon (that's thy spirit which keeps thee) is > Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable.'" > > > "Oh, if Shakespeare says it, that's all right," answered the boy. > "But it seems you're more like a genius, for you answer the summons > of the Master Key of Electricity in the same way Aladdin's genius > answered the rubbing of the lamp." > > "To be sure. A demon is also a genius; and a genius is a demon," > said the Being. "What matters a name? I am here to do your bidding." > -- The Master Key, by L. Frank Baum > > > And as for spelling it one way or the other, I note that the OED says: > > Socrates himself claimed to be guided, not by a /daimon/ > [delta-alpha-iota_accent-mu-omega-nu] or dæmon, but by a /daimonion/ > [delta-alpha-iota-mu-omicron_accent-nu-iota-omicron-nu], divinum > quiddam (Cicero), a certain divine principle or agency, an inward > monitor or oracle. It was his accusers who represented this as a > personal dæmon, and the same was done by the Christian Fathers > (under the influence of sense 2), whence the English use of the > word, as in the quotations. > > The OED has the Shakespeare quote as well, and it's from /Antony and > Cleopatra/, just in case anyone is interested. > > >