''Hail Satan'', sometimes
Latinized as ''Ave Satanas'' or ''Ave Satana'', is an exclamation used by some
Satanists
Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few h ...
to invoke the name of
Satan in contexts ranging from sincere expression to comedy or satire.
The
Satanic Temple uses the phrase as a sincere expression of rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions.
Believers in
backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward. It is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through phonetic reversal may be unintentional.
Artists have ...
think they can hear "Hail Satan" and other similar messages in some songs played in reverse, such as "
Walk This Way
"Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...
" by
Aerosmith. The grammatically questionable variation ''
Ave Satani
"Ave Satani" is the theme song to the film ''The Omen'' (1976) composed by Jerry Goldsmith. ''The Omen'' won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, with ''Ave Satani'' nominated for Best Original Song.
History
The Latinized title translate ...
'' is sometimes used, based on the title by
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franch ...
in his theme music to ''
The Omen
''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spen ...
''.
Some adherents to a traditional pagan faith (such as the musician
Gaahl) have been known to use the phrase to mock Christians or Christianity, using the similarities between Satan as phallic and passionate and pagan fertility-gods such as
Freyr
Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden an ...
in this rhetoric as a disambiguation.
Cultural history
The phrase "Hail Satan" is documented as early as 1808, where it is said in the poem ''The Monk of Cambray'' by an evil
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
who uses his pact with Satan to advance in the ranks of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(and finally become Pope).
The Latin version ''Ave Satanas'' (in its variant spelling ''Ave Sathanas''), often appears in literature at least from the 1800s, notably in the popular 1895
faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
ian novel ''
The Sorrows of Satan
''The Sorrows of Satan'' is an 1895 Faustian novel by Marie Corelli. It is widely regarded as one of the world's first best-sellers – partly due to an upheaval in the system British libraries used to purchase their books, and partly due to its ...
'', and earlier in an 1862 play ''
St. Clement's Eve'' (in reference to satanic undertakings supposed to take place at midnight in a district of Paris). After the phrase "Hail Satan" appeared in the
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
book ''
Rosemary's Baby'' by
Ira Levin
Ira Marvin Levin (August 27, 1929 – November 12, 2007) was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter. His works include the novels '' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1953), '' Rosemary's Baby'' (1967), '' The Stepford Wives'' (1972), ''This Perfe ...
and the 1968
film adaptation of it, where it is said by Satanists when they believe Satan's will has been accomplished, and had also appeared in other films and in stock footage, the phrase became part of the common conception of what Satanists say.
Some film actors were reluctant to say it, and of those who did some felt they experienced negative life events afterwards, such as divorce.
Coinciding with its appearance in ''Rosemary's Baby'', the phrase became a common greeting and ritual term in the
Church of Satan
The Church of Satan is a religious organization dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in '' The Satanic Bible''. The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco, California, on Walpurgisnacht, A ...
(founded in 1966), both in its English form, ''Hail Satan'', as well as in the Latin version of it, ''Ave Satanas''. When ''Ave Satanas'' was used, it was often preceded by the term ''Rege Satanas'' ("Reign, Satan"). (''Rege Satanas'' can be heard in the video of a widely publicized Church of Satan wedding performed by LaVey on February 1, 1967.) The combination "''Rege Satanas, Ave Satanas, Hail Satan!''" is found as a greeting in early Church of Satan correspondence, as well as in their 1968 recording ''The Satanic Mass'', and ultimately in their 1969 book ''
The Satanic Bible
''The Satanic Bible'' is a collection of essays, observations, and rituals published by Anton LaVey in 1969. It is the central religious text of LaVeyan Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. It has been descri ...
''. The same combination also appeared in 1969 in the non-Church of Satan record album by the rock band
Coven, in a 13 minute long "Satanic Mass" of their own. The use of "Hail Satan" by Coven (as well as their use of the
sign of the horns
The sign of the horns is a hand gesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb.
Religious and superst ...
and
inverted cross
The Cross of Saint Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, but in recent times also used as an anti-Christian and Satanic symbol. In Christianity, it is associated with the martyrdom of Pete ...
es on the same album) was the first time this phrase was used in rock music. The phrase is used in some versions of the
Black Mass, where it often accompanies the phrase "
shemhamforash" and is said at the end of each prayer. This rite was performed by the
Church of Satan
The Church of Satan is a religious organization dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in '' The Satanic Bible''. The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco, California, on Walpurgisnacht, A ...
appearing in the documentary ''
Satanis'' in 1969.
Some
occultists
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism ...
accompany it with similar addresses to other gods or figures they revere. Rituals involving the phrase tend to be more likely to be mentioned in the press at Halloween.
"
Ave Satani
"Ave Satani" is the theme song to the film ''The Omen'' (1976) composed by Jerry Goldsmith. ''The Omen'' won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, with ''Ave Satani'' nominated for Best Original Song.
History
The Latinized title translate ...
", the theme song for ''
The Omen
''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spen ...
'' (1976), written by
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franch ...
, which won him an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, has a title which is intended to mean "Hail Satan" in Latin, in opposition to "Ave Christi". (The song contains other Latin phrases inverting Christ, such as "Ave Versus Christi", meaning "Hail Anti-Christ", and "Corpus Satani", an inversion of "Corpus Christi", the body of Christ). The song has been described as hair-raising and has inspired cover versions such as those by
Fantômas
Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914).
One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...
or
Gregorian. The music is used in comic portrayals of stock "sinister" characters, for instance in the ''
South Park'' episode "
Woodland Critter Christmas", which involves devil-worshiping woodland creatures, a version of the "Ave Satani" is heard in the background when the animals use their demonic powers; also the episode's
commercial bumper
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper, or break-bumper (often shortened to bump) is a brief announcement, usually two to fifteen seconds in length that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercia ...
s involving a squirrel saying "Hail Satan!" The chant is also parodied in the episode "
Damien
Damien is a given name and less frequently a surname.
The name is a variation of Damian (given name), Damian which comes from the Greek ''Damianos''. This form originates from the Greek derived from the Greek word δαμάζω (damazō), "(I) con ...
", where Damien is accompanied by the chant "Rectus Dominus Cheesy Poofs."
In 1985, the phrase received national news coverage in the United States when
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
Richard Ramirez
Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Muñoz Ramirez (; February 29, 1960 – June 7, 2013), dubbed the Night Stalker, the Valley Intruder (as his attacks were first clustered in the San Gabriel Valley), and the Walk-in Killer was an American serial kil ...
, known as the "Night Stalker", shouted "Hail Satan!" as he was led from the courtroom, while raising his hand with a
pentagram
A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle arou ...
drawn onto it.
Members of Ramirez's family denied that he said the phrase, believing that he said "We'll see," but "Hail Satan" was still being used by journalists over twenty years later as being characteristic of Ramirez. In reviewing whether Ramirez was deprived of his
due process and
right to a fair trial by being restrained by leg shackles, the
Supreme Court of California itself highlighted Ramirez's use of "Hail Satan" to support its conclusion that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ordering Ramirez to be physically restrained during trial.
The phrase may be used ironically by heavy metal fans as part of their rebellious ethos.
Heavy metal musicians may use it as part of their act or their songs, such as ''
Hail Satanas We Are the Black Legions'' by
Mütiilation. Heavy metal musicians, for instance
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
, a member of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
, rarely consider themselves to be Satanists, instead using it as part of their stage
persona
A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatr ...
, a
role
A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, moral obligation, obligations, beliefs, and social norm, norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavi ...
they play. ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...
'' Season 4 Winner
Sharon Needles
Sharon Needles (born November 28, 1981) is the stage name of Aaron R. Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. A self-described "stupid genius, reviled sweetheart, and PBR princess", Needles rose to international attention on the ...
has a song called "Hail Satan", in which she cites icons from the satanic culture.
John Darnielle
John Darnielle (; born March 16, 1967) is an American musician and novelist best known as the primary, and originally sole, member of the American band the Mountain Goats, for which he is the writer, composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. ...
, discussing the closing refrain of "Hail Satan" in
the Mountain Goats song "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton," asserted that "if you believe in Satan, then you believe in God." In an episode of the podcas
''I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats'' Darnielle described recording this line: "The Hail Satan wasn’t written down; it was a spontaneous eruption
uring recording but it felt like a religious confession. Not obviously the dark principal that people talk about… the Satan, John Milton’s Satan. That’s not what that means. It means a celebration of two people being true to themselves. It’s a celebration of that later satanic principal of self knowledge which isn’t really satanic at all, it’s actually God-like."
The ubiquity of the phrase has led to it being used in
parodic
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
imitation of
evangelism, as with the ''
Mr. Show with Bob and David
''Mr. Show with Bob and David'', also known as ''Mr. Show'', is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995, to December 28, 1998.
Cross and Odenkirk introduced m ...
'' sketch "Hail Satan Network" which includes characters who are Satanic
televangelists
Televangelism ( tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning " ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are ministers, whether official or self-pr ...
.
It received another humorous use when ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' character
Bart Simpson was punished for using it to end the
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...
in the episode "
Burns' Heir" (1994).
"Ave Satanas" is chanted in episode 5 of ''
American Horror Story: Cult''.
Reputation
Some of those who believe in
backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward. It is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through phonetic reversal may be unintentional.
Artists have ...
, along with some
Christian fundamentalists
Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British an ...
, believe messages such as "Hail Satan" may
subliminally inspire people to do evil, a view which may have received some reinforcement when the phrase was used as part of the vandalizing of churches, but its use then might have been the expression of a general anti-religious sentiment, as suggested by its use along with slogans such as "Think, don't Pray". Vandalism accompanying it may include the
anarchy symbol
Anarchists have employed certain symbols for their cause, including most prominently the circle-A and the black flag. Anarchist cultural symbols have been prevalent in popular culture since around the turn of the 21st century, concurrent with ...
or other slogans intended to shock, such as
racial slurs
The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or ot ...
. It can accompany symbols such as a
swastika, inverted pentagram, or inverted cross. Such vandalism is usually by rebellious young people rather than Satanists, whose activities are not often criminal.
Rick Alan Ross
Rick Alan Ross (b. 1952) is an American deprogrammer, cult specialist, and founder and executive director of the nonprofit Cult Education Institute. He frequently appears in the news and other media discussing groups some consider cults. Ross h ...
, an
anti-cultist and
deprogrammer
Deprogramming is a controversial tactic that attempts to help someone who has "strongly held convictions," often coming from cults or New Religious Movements (NRM). Deprogramming aims to assist a person who holds a controversial or restrictive be ...
, referred to the murder trial of
Scott Peterson
Scott Lee Peterson (born October 24, 1972) is an American convicted murderer. In 2004, he was convicted of the first-degree murder of his wife, Laci, who was pregnant at the time, and the second-degree murder of their unborn son, Conner, in Mod ...
, in which the defense made the claim that the killings were by a "Satanic cult" rather than the defendant. Ross called this a ridiculous manifestation of the
Satanic panic
The Satanic panic is a moral panic consisting of over 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA, sometimes known as ritual abuse, ritualistic abuse, organized abuse, or sadistic ritual abuse) starting in the United States in th ...
, referred to it as a "Hail Satan Pass", similar to the
Hail Mary pass in football,
a desperate and unlikely attempt.
See also
*
Satanism
*
Hail Mary
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
*
Ave
''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
*
Shem HaMephorash#In LaVeyan Satanism
*
Foolishness for Christ#Crazy for God
References
Bibliography
* {{cite book , author=Chornyisyn, Mykhailo , title=Hail Satan: a collection of Satanic verse , year=2009 , isbn=978-0-557-06489-2
Religious terminology
Satanism
Left-Hand Path
Heavy metal subculture