Eurynomos, or Eurynomus (Ancient Greek Εὐρύνομος), is a demon in ancient Greek mythology who dwelled in the underworld and consumed the bodies of the deceased. The artist Polygnotos depicted him in Delphi as a monster, sitting on a spread-out vulture’s skin, with a skin color ranging between dark blue and black, and with bared teeth. He can also be a monster in human form with white skin, yellow eyes, and long black hair.
Eurynomos in antiquity
Eurynomos, a daimon (spirit) of decomposing corpses, is either a minor figure whose associated literature is lost to time or perhaps an invention of the painter Polygnotos. He is mentioned by Pausanias, who saw his painting in a temple in Delphi, depicting him with a dark complexion, sitting on a vulture’s skin, and showing his large teeth:
“Eurynomos, said by the Delphic guides to be one of the daimons of Hades, who eats all the flesh of the corpses, leaving only their bones. But Homer’s Odyssey, the poem called the Minyad, and the Returns, though they recount Hades and its horrors, know of no daimon named Eurynomos. However, I will describe what he looks like and his demeanor in the painting. He is of a color between blue and black, like that of flesh flies; he shows his teeth and is seated, and beneath him is spread a vulture’s skin.”
We know nothing more about him other than what Pausanias says. It is the representation of death, to which its name alludes “the one who commands widely”. Vulture skin is reminiscent of the well-known role of this animal.
Eurynomos, like Ceutonimo or Charon, are beings linked to the chthonic world, and they are never associated with any lineage, only a specific function. Compare this with Demogorgon, another mysterious entity linked to the underworld.
Eurynomos in modern times
Eurynomos is described in Collin de Plancy’s Infernal Dictionary (1853): he is a superior demon, a prince of death, who takes control of certain individuals and “sends them out” at night to kill. He makes the eyes of his victims green. He has large and long teeth, a frightful body, all filled with wounds, and wears the skin of a fox or a wolf. He is also mentioned by Pau-Païns in his famous “Little Breviary of Monsters and Other Demonic Creatures” (1850).
Eurynomos is also mentioned in the chapter “The Infernal Names” of Anton LaVey’s “The Satanic Bible” as one of the devilish names, where it is asserted that this demon is the “Greek prince of death.” However, this thesis is a fantasy of LaVey’s, as according to surviving records, this demon in ancient Greek mythology is simply a minor corpse-eater. Additionally, LaVey made a mistake in the name, writing it as “Euronymous” instead of “Eurynomos.”
Interestingly, the musician Øystein Aarseth (Euronymous) took an erroneous spelling as a creative pseudonym.