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Eidolon

Supernatural
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A ghostly image, phantom, or idealized likeness of a person. It may suggest a presence made from memory rather than flesh.

Detailed Definition
Eidolon comes from a Greek word for an image, phantom, or shade of the dead. In poetry, it often names a figure preserved in memory, art, or longing after the actual person has vanished. Unlike a plainly frightening ghost, an eidolon may be beautiful, distant, and almost abstract. The term is useful when a poem considers whether a beloved image is a true spirit, a mental projection, or an ideal that cannot survive contact with reality.
Example
Example in poetry:
An eidolon is an image, phantom, or idealized likeness, making it useful for poems about memory and loss.; Walt Whitman uses “eidolons” in “Eidolons” to consider enduring forms behind changing earthly appearances.; A poet might call a photograph an eidolon: “In the silver frame, my father is an eidolon smiling through dust.”; Unlike a fully active ghost, an eidolon can remain still and image-like, emphasizing distance between the living speaker and the remembered dead.
Additional Notes
An eidolon is usually less physical than a ghost: it may be an image shaped by memory, art, longing, or idealization. Use it when the distinction between person and likeness matters.
Also Known As
Phantom Specter Spirit Image
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