AKA
Too many to list…The Adversary, Prince of Darkness, The Accuser, Black Shuck, Old Nick, Prince of this World, the Old Serpent…
Title
The Devil; Prince of Wrath
Hierarchy
Any, at the top
Expertise
Seducing humanity to evil, tormenting sinners, testing the righteous
Description
Sometimes an angel, sometimes a monstrous thing with horns, sometimes a little man in a tight red suit and a trident. As the most robust name of “The Devil” he’s been many things for many people.
Story Notes
There are several candidates for “The Devil…” Ba’al, Lucifer, Belial, and a few others. “Satan” historically wasn’t a proper name, it was a job title meaning “the accuser,” and various satans were in charge of being problematic, testing the righteous, and pushing humanity away from god to demonstrate the strength of faith of the remainder.
By the time the New Testament was compiled Satan was more or less a proper name and a single entity, the primary creature that was The Devil. But over time there’ve been several devils, and once one creature takes on the role of Devil, their identity blurs with everyone else who’s been The Devil.
Satan as an entity might be associated with the ancient demons of Israel and early Christianity. In the New Testament he’s one of the principle names of the incarnation of evil. In the Medieval era he’s the devil of folk mythology, sometimes a figure of comedy, blustery and bombastic (Lucifer, the other Medieval devil, is more classy and imperial.)
It seems safe to say that of the named Devils, Satan is the most monstrous, an ancient spirit of the wilderness come home to roost in our collective mythology.
Recent Comments