energumen
oddly enough this word has been in my vocabulary since childhood. its meaning clear since the very first moment i heard it used to describe someone in my presence.a quick look round the net returns things like: energumen ~ n. a person possessed by an evil spirit; a demoniac. haha! as if! at least (and, of course...) the compact oxford english dictionary defines the synonym demoniac as a person supposedly possessed by an evil spirit. better. but i'd prefer something along the lines of «a person behaving as if possessed (as we've come to understand this culturally), i.e., out of control, irrational and agitated».
i found myself again in the presence of one such being just last night. what's to be done to help? wonder whether ringing my alma mater, where the exorcist was filmed and just steps away from mr w.p. blatty's own home, would yield some answers... ;-)
