Can Necromancy deal with the souls of demons?

[Darkphoenix747]

The antagonist in my story removed his soul from his body in order to replace it with that of a demon. By doing so, he gained the demon's power for his own. The downside to bearing the soul of a demon in his body is he must constantly maintain control. Failure to do so would result in the demon taking command of the host (his physical body) to use for its own purposes. My question is this: what kind of an art uses such tactics as this? My first thought was necromancy. As an avid gamer I see such characters depicted as anyone who deals with the dead; be they demons, devils, the damned, or otherwise. Research has lead me to learn that Necromancy was a form of divination and that modern media is to blame for naming all who deal with the dead as necromancers. Does my antagonist fit into this new stereotypical role or should I rename his art? I feel "sorcerer" and "wizard" wouldn't be the correct term for the antagonist. What are your ideas on this?

It should be noted that the demons in my tale are not conjured beasts, but the souls of the wicked in Hell. Most suffer for eternity for their misdeeds, but those who sold themselves to the King of Hell become his servants and, in time, demons. The older the soul, the more powerful the demon.

[FatCat]

I don't see why you have to use an already defined class of magic-user for this, is the antagonist a 'learned wizard' as in did he perform some spell to bind the demon to his soul that took time and knowledge to master, or is it simply a disease or spiritual affliction brought on by his lifestyle? I guess what I'm getting at is why bother with the conventional term necromancer when you could invent your own magic-practice that deals specifically in this kind of demonic possession.

[Asheiel]

I see no reason why necromancy wouldn't work just fine to describe what you are doing with this character. As long as you're dealing with the souls of the dead it seems pretty straight forward as necromancy to me. What your character does with such souls is a secondary concern I think. The original definition may be more specific but the cultural understanding of the term is solid enough for what you are doing to be called necromancy. The only reason I would suggest using a different word is just to make it more unique and add some flavor to you story.

[ShortHair]

You could use a word that means the same thing as necromancer, but that wouldn't exactly match what you've described, would it? Summoning a demon, for whatever reason, is evocation, while calling a spirit into oneself is theurgy or invocation. You could use almost any word associated with using magic or make something up.

[Chime85]

Well like above, I agree that you have a great opportunity to think up your own term with this art. Necromancer is, like you suspected, a suitable term for that kind of magic. That said, why not consider a few alternatives? If his arts are well known, why not create a few common names for his abilities? Some could call him a Vessel perhaps, someone who has the ability to take on a soul and wield it to his will. The word Vessel typically brings to mind great ships and grand designs.
If you have people in your story who do not favor such practices, they could call him by another name, such as carrier. That word brings to mind plagues and the infectious, a good word to turn people against him.

[Queshire]

You could go with necromancer, but I think it clashes with the flavor of demons in most reader's minds. I suggest maybe going the WoW route and calling him a Warlock. Hmmm..... ultimately though, I suppose deciding on the best term depends on what OTHER abilities he possesses.

[Anders Ämting]

The antagonist in my story removed his soul from his body in order to replace it with that of a demon. By doing so, he gained the demon's power for his own. The downside to bearing the soul of a demon in his body is he must constantly maintain control. Failure to do so would result in the demon taking command of the host (his physical body) to use for its own purposes.

I generally don't do this, but I feel I need to ask: If you can remove your own soul with no ill effects, what is the significance of the demonic soul "taking over"?

If the mind and will of a person is tied to his soul, then removing your own soul and replacing it with a demon soul would be kinda pointless. On the other hand, if the body can retain its mind and will without the original soul, why is this wizard in danger of being corrupted by the demon?

[Graylorne]

Isn't someone like that called a demonologist?

[Anders Ämting]

Isn't someone like that called a demonologist?

Demonology is generally defined as "the study of demons or beliefs about demons." In other words, it's a theoretical field that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with conjuring infernal forces.

Though, I guess if you're the type of person who'd attempt to summon a demon, you'll probably have studied a bit of demonology.

[Graylorne]

I'm not really in demons, so I wasn't quite sure. Thanks.