Chris Snead - Oyéresu and Daemons

Lewis' works are absolutely laden with Alchemical themes – the Oyéresu of the Space Trilogy being a prime example. The extra-terrestrial Eldila are clearly references to Angels, the Oyéresu being effectively Archangels. Their power and description as primarily nonphysical beings which can manifest physical bodies at will is straight out of the Asclepius, a Hermetic supplementary text roughly two thousand years old. Not only are the vast majority of the Eldila 'good', but the wicked Archangel Satan's analogue, the Bent One, and his minions hold dominion over Earth – and indeed, the forces of darkness are confined on the planet. This seems a very Gnostic idea, with the Bent One being the self-gratifying, separatist and egoistic Demiurge – a daemon who, trapped within the terrestrial realm, traps others with him and prevents them from returning to Spirit.