Introduction

The character of man is his fate (ἦθος ἀνθρώπῳ δαίμων) according to Heraclitus1. The word ἦθος derives from ἔθος (habit). Cumulatively, the habits of a person make up his character, thus highlighting the typical Greek inductive method of reasoning through which a multitude of past acts serves to attest to a human’s true nature. In apparent contradistinction to ‘human’ nature, the word δαίμων indicates a god, a deity or divine power.2 Its root meaning denotes ‘one who distributes or assigns a portion’.3 Destiny and fate are perfectly suitable words to convey the symbolic meaning of this word in its Heraclitean use. Character, as designated by a person’s past acts, is responsible for his fate. Man himself, not any deity, controls his destiny. If this interplay of the divergent meanings of the word δαίμων is pushed to the extreme, man through his character and actions creates or controls his personal δαίμων. So strong is the sense of individual responsibility; so decisive is human control over life.