Deal with the Devil 1
Deal with the Devil"Pact with the Devil" redirects here. For the
1950 Italian film, see Pact with the Devil (film).For the album by
the rock band Lizzy Borden, see Deal with the Devil (album). For
other uses, see Deal with theDevil (disambiguation).
Written deal
A deal with the Devil or pact with the Devil is a cultural
motif, bestexemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of
Mephistopheles,but elemental to many Christian folktales. The
"Bargain with the devil"constitutes motif number M210 and "Man
sells soul to devil" motifnumber M211 in Stith Thompson's
Motif-Index of Folk-Literature.[1]
According to traditional Christian belief in witchcraft, the
pact isbetween a person and Satan or a demon. The person offers his
or hersoul in exchange for diabolical favours. Those favours vary
by the tale,but tend to include youth, knowledge, wealth, or
power.
It was also believed that some persons made this type of pact
just as asign of recognizing the Devil as their master, in exchange
for nothing.The bargain is considered a dangerous one, as the price
of the Fiend's service is the wagerer's soul. The tale mayhave a
moralizing end, with eternal damnation for the foolhardy venturer.
Conversely, it may have a comic twist, inwhich a wily peasant
outwits the Devil, characteristically on a technical point. The
person making the pactsometimes tries to outwit the devil, but
loses in the end (e.g., man sells his soul for eternal life because
he will neverdie to pay his end of the bargain. Immune to the death
penalty, he commits murder, but is sentenced to life in
prison).
Great achievements might be credited to a pact with the Devil,
from the numerous European Devil's Bridges to theviolin virtuosity
of Niccol Paganini to the "crossroad" myth associated with Robert
Johnson.
Overview
Saint Wolfgang and the Devil, by Michael Pacher.
It was usually thought that the person who had made a pactalso
promised the demon to kill children or consecrate themto the Devil
at the moment of birth (many midwives wereaccused of this, due to
the number of children who died atbirth in the Middle Ages and
Renaissance), take part inSabbaths, have sexual relations with
demons, and sometimesengender children from a succubus, or an
incubus in the caseof women.
The pact can be oral or written. An oral pact is made bymeans of
invocations, conjurations, or rituals to attract thedemon; once the
conjurer thinks the demon is present, he/sheasks for the wanted
favour and offers his/her soul inexchange, and no evidence is left
of the pact; but accordingto some witch trials and inquisitions
that were performed,even the oral pact left evidence, namely the
diabolical mark,an indelible mark where the marked person had been
touchedby the Devil to seal the pact. The mark could be used as
a
Deal with the Devil 2
proof to determine that the pact was made. It was also believed
that on the spot where the mark was left, the markedperson could
feel no pain. A written pact consists in the same forms of
attracting the demon, but includes a writtenact, usually signed
with the conjurer's blood (although sometimes was also alleged that
the whole act had to bewritten with blood, meanwhile some
demonologists defended the idea of using red ink instead of blood
and otherssuggested the use of animal blood instead of human
blood). Forms of these include contracts or simply signing yourname
into Satan's Red Book.These acts were presented often as a proof of
diabolical pacts, though critics claim there is no proof of whether
theywere authentic, written by insane persons believing they were
actually dealing with a demon, or just were fake actspresented by
the tribunals of the Inquisition. Usually the acts included strange
characters that were said to be thesignature of a demon, and each
one had his own signature or seal. Books like The Lesser Key of
Solomon (alsoknown as Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis) give a
detailed list of these signs, known as diabolical signatures.The
Malleus Maleficarum discusses several alleged instances of pacts
with the Devil, especially concerning women.It was considered that
all witches and warlocks had made a pact with some demon,
especially with Satan.According to demonology, there is a specific
month, day of the week, and hour to call each demon, so the
invocationfor a pact has to be done at the right time. Also, as
each demon has a specific function, a certain demon is
invokeddepending on what the conjurer is going to ask.In the
narrative of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus is offered a series of
bargains by the devil, in which he is promisedworldly riches and
glory in exchange for serving the devil rather than God. After
Jesus rejects the devil's offers, heembarks on his travels as the
Messiah[2] (see Temptations of Christ).
Theophilus of Adana, servant of two mastersThe predecessor of
Faustus in Christian mythology is Theophilus ("Friend of God" or
"Beloved of god") theunhappy and despairing cleric, disappointed in
his worldly career by his bishop, who sells his soul to the Devil
but isredeemed by the Virgin Mary. His story appears in a Greek
version of the sixth century written by a "Eutychianus"who claims
to have been a member of the household in question.A ninth-century
Miraculum Sancte Marie de Theophilo penitente inserts a Virgin as
intermediary with diabolus, his"patron", providing the prototype of
a closely linked series in the Latin literature of the West.[3]
In the tenth century, the poet nun Hroswitha of Gandersheim
adapted the text of Paulus Diaconus for a narrativepoem that
elaborates Theophilus' essential goodness and internalizes the
seduction of Good and Evil, in which thedevil is magus, a
necromancer. As in her model, Theophilus receives back his contract
from the devil, displays it tothe congregation, and soon dies.A
long poem on the subject by Gautier de Coincy (1177/81236),
entitled blindfold Theophilus vine a pnitenceprovided material for
a thirteenth-century play by Rutebeuf, Le Miracle de Thophile,
where Theophilus is thecentral pivot in a frieze of five
characters, the Virgin and the Bishop flanking him on the side of
Good, the Jew andthe Devil on the side of Evil.
Deal with the Devil 3
Alleged diabolical pacts in history
Urbain Grandier's alleged diabolical pact
Non-musicians
Johann Georg Faust, whose life was the origin of the
Faustlegend.[4]
Urbain Grandier, seventeenth-century French priest, whowas tried
and burned at the stake for witchcraft. One ofthe documents
presented at his trial was a diabolical pacthe supposedly signed,
which also bears what are supposedto be the seals of several
demons, including that of Satanhimself.
Jonathan Moulton, eighteenth-century brigadier general ofthe New
Hampshire Militia, alleged to have sold his soulto the Devil to
have his boots filled with gold coins whenhung by the fireplace
every month.
Musicians
The idea of "selling your soul for instrumental mastery/fame"has
occurred several times: Niccol Paganini, Italian violinist, who may
not have
started the rumour but played along with it. Giuseppe Tartini,
Venetian violinist and composer, who
believed that his Devil's Trill Sonata was inspired by the
Devil's appearance before him in a dream. Tommy Johnson, blues
musician Robert Johnson, blues musician, whom legend claims to have
met Satan at a crossroads and signed over his soul
to play the blues and gain mastery of the guitar. Infernus,
black metal musician; according to the Gorgoroth site, he founded
the band "[a]fter making a pact with
the Devil in 1992".
Metaphorical use of the termThe term "a pact with the Devil" is
also used metaphorically to condemn a person or persons perceived
as havingcollaborated with an evil person or regime. An example of
this is the still-controversial case of Rudolf Kastner inIsrael, in
which the term was used in reference to Kastner's collaboration
with Adolf Eichmann during the Holocaustin 1944 Hungary. According
to some, the term served to inflame public hatred against Kastner,
culminating in hisassassination.
Notes[1][1] Stith Thompson, Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, 2nd
ed. (Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1955-58), vol. 5, pp. 39-40.[2][2]
Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13[3] Representative
examples of the Latin tradition were analysed by Moshe Lazar,
"Theophilus: Servant of Two Masters. The Pre-Faustian
Theme of Despair and Revolt" in Modern Language Notes 87.6,
(Nathan Edelman Memorial Issue November 1972) pp. 3150.[4]
Ruickbie, Leo (2009). Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance
Magician. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5090-9.
Article Sources and Contributors 5
Article Sources and ContributorsDeal with the Devil Source:
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edits
Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Haitzmann pakt.jpg
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Haitzmann_pakt.jpg
License: Public Domain Contributors: ChristophFile:Michael Pacher
004.jpg Source:
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License: Public Domain Contributors: AnRo0002, AndreasPraefcke,
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editsFile:UrbainPact2.jpg Source:
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License: Public Domain Contributors: Urbain Grandier
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Deal with the DevilOverviewTheophilus of Adana, servant of two
mastersAlleged diabolical pacts in history
Non-musiciansMusicians
Metaphorical use of the termNotesExternal links
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