The sages say no devil from The Realm Beneath is born with a name. A name is an imposition of language and will, but it is also a gift that grants the same. Giving a name to a child is the end of the forging process that creates a person.
(Note: some cultures do not give their children names, leaving them as unruly and animalistic. The process of choosing a name for oneself requires an extreme act of cunning and will, and therefore nameless children are the most likely to become wizards. It is said that the Prince of Skies chose all of his names so that none would hold any power over him).
Devils are not born with names, but unlike all others they have nobody to give them one, and no culture to infer their own names from. Even the lowest of beasts have siblings, parents, kin - even a raven name or bear name is still better than none at all.
Artist unknown, please let me know if you know the source
(Note: wolves steal the names of those they eat, but they are a rare exception)
Therefore, each devil is weak and helpless when born in hell, and will remain such for eternity.
Unless it is summoned.
To call something requires a name. This is an immutable rule. Dogs may be called because we give them names, but cats are given secret names by their mothers and so must accept the ones we give them before they work. Demons are no different. To summon a demon to do one’s bidding, that demon must have a name crafted and forced upon it.
insaneisane.deviantart.com, although account appears to be deactivated, I believe they are now insaneisane on Instagram
Were one to summon a demon and give it the name of a person, such as Mary, or Goose, or Puram, and summon it for no other reason than to grant it a name, then that demon would be a person. But no wizard would do that. The cost of summoning is too great, and demons are too strong when named with dangerous names, and so they are given Cage-Names. Names of life-enders and perfect companions and fountains of knowledge. They match themselves to their names and enact their roles with ruthless and creative efficiency.
This is what a person-demon would look like. Source is @wormudon on twitter
Before the Last Days, it was thought that demons were the evilest beings in existence. Scholars now understand that the wizards who summoned them were far, far worse, for no demon would have ever left the Realms Below were it not for the wizards who gave them their names.
(I'll probably do a demon-namer class soon, if so will link it)
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