1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Agathodaemon (spirit)

AGATHODAEMON, in Greek mythology, the "good spirit" of cornfields and vineyards. It was the custom of the Greeks to drink a cup of pure wine in his honour at the end of each meal (Aristophanes, Equites, 106). He was also regarded as the protecting spirit of the state and of individuals. He was often accompanied by Ἀγαθὴ Τύχη (good fortune), and in this aspect may be compared with the Roman Bonus Eventus (Pliny, Nat Hist. xxxvi. 23), and Genius. He is represented in works of art in the form of a serpent, or of a young man with a cornucopia and a bowl in one hand, and a poppy and ears of corn in the other.

See Gerhard, Über Agathodämon und Bona Dea (Berlin, 1849).