A number of traditions, including Neopaganism, revere genii loci, the indwelling spirits of trees, mountains, crossroads, and other sacred places. Similarly, Islamic jinn are inherently neither good nor bad, and African diasporic religions such as Vodun (Voodoo) and SanterĂa are centered on mercurial, morally ambiguous spirits who mete loving protection and stern justice in equal measure. But these are less common than such numinous powers as the Algonquin manitou, which can either plague or protect. There are some evil Native American spirits-monstrous entities such as the Windigo among the Algonquins or the Uktena among the Cherokee. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shinto feature both compassionate and malicious demons. In other traditions, however, the moral character of demons and spirits is much more complex. In the Greek versions of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the term "daimon" is used as a synonym for "devil," and in subsequent Jewish and Christian traditions demons serve as minions of Satan. The early monotheistic sects tended to regard such spirits in a negative light. When Socrates spoke of his daimon, he was referring to what might now be termed a guardian angel. The term is from the Greek word daimon, which in its earliest usage connoted a divine spirit. "Demon," however, is subject to a wider range of interpretation. "Devil" is the narrowest term, always referring to malevolent spirits, the evil analogues to angels. "Spirit" is the most inclusive term, referring to any entity inhabiting an intermediary plane of existence between the mundane and the divine realms. No formal lines of distinction exist among demons, devils, and spirits, supernatural beings possessed of extrahuman powers and capable of impinging on human affairs.
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