The Realm of Angels and Demons A Journey into the Mindscapes of Ancient Civilisations

Angels and demons have accompanied the human imagination for thousands of years. They appear as messengers and guardians, adversaries and tempters, benevolent powers and terrifying forces – figures poised between the visible and the invisible, between order and chaos, good and evil.

The Realm of Angels and Demons takes the reader on a journey through the ancient civilizations and cultures that shaped these extraordinary beings. From the world of ancient Iran and the Near East to antiquity, the Middle Ages, and early modern Europe, the book follows their changing forms, names, meanings, and stories across centuries.

Drawing on historical texts, mythology, literature, art, and scholarly sources, Peter Bildge explores how ideas about angels, demons, spirits, and other supernatural beings developed and transformed as cultures encountered and influenced one another.

Richly illustrated and written for the interested general reader, The Realm of Angels and Demons opens a window onto humanity’s enduring fascination with the unseen – and with the forces through which people have sought to understand good and evil, fate and freedom, fear and hope, life and death.