 Apart from the world soul, the creator God also needs some further mediation with the sensible world if his transcendence is to be maintained—this is already suggested in the distinction between the demiurge and the lesser gods in the Timaeus (42e). Plutarch acknowledges the existence of divine entities inferior to the first God or the One but also to gods, namely the “daimones.” They are said to be “by nature on the boundary between gods and humans” (De def. or. 416C). Placed in the moon, these lesser gods mediate between the first God and human beings, thus extending God's providence to them (Dillon 1977, 216–8). Plutarch explores a tradition going back to Empedocles, to Plato (Symposium 202d–203e, Phaedo 107D, 113D, Republic 427b, 620d, Timaeus 90a-d), and to Xenocrates, by whom he appears to be particularly influenced on this matter (De Iside 360E, De def. or. 416C–D). The precise role of the demons becomes an interesting issue in view of the fact that Plutarch speaks of two kinds of demons, good and bad, and indeed he claims that demons exhibit different degrees of virtue and vice, as is the case with men too (De def. or. 417B, De Iside 360E). Plutarch provides us with evidence according to which the role of demons consists in communicating God's will to humans, bestowing them with prophetic powers and inspiration (Amatorius 758E, De genio Socratis 580C, De facie 944C–D), in taking care of humans when they are needy (Amatorius 758A–B), in taking care of the sanctuaries and the sacred rites (De def. or. 417A–B), but also in punishing humans and avenging human bad acts (ibid.). The latter is the role of the bad demons. For apparently Plutarch maintained that proper punishment is never vengeful. This emerges when Plutarch discusses the question of divine punishment in his work On the Delays of the Divine Vengeance (De sera numinis vindicta).