![Dreifacher Höllenzwang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Dreifacher_H%C3%B6llenzwang.jpg)
Johann Georg Faust (; c. 1480 or 1466 – c. 1541), also known in English as John Faustus , was a German itinerant
alchemist
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...
,
astrologer
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...
, and
magician of the
German Renaissance
The German Renaissance, part of the Northern Renaissance, was a cultural and artistic movement that spread among Germany, German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which developed from the Italian Renaissance. Many areas of the arts and ...
.
''Doctor Faust'' became the subject of
folk legend
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...
in the decades after his death, transmitted in
chapbook
A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch.
In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...
s beginning in the 1580s, and was notably adapted by
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...
in his play ''
The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus'' (1604). The ''
Faustbuch
Historia von D. Johann Fausten, the first "Faust book", is a chapbook of stories concerning the life of Johann Georg Faust, written by an anonymous German author. It was published by Johann Spies (1540–1623) in Frankfurt am Main in 1587, a ...
'' tradition survived throughout the
early modern period, and the legend was again adapted in
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...
's
closet drama
A closet drama is a play that is not intended to be performed onstage, but read by a solitary reader or sometimes out loud in a large group. The contrast between closet drama and classic "stage" dramas dates back to the late eighteenth century. Al ...
''
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 crossroads ...
'' (1808),
Hector Berlioz
In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
's musical composition ''
La damnation de Faust
''La damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a "''légende dramatique'' ...
'' (premiered 1846), and
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
's ''
Faust Symphony
''A Faust Symphony in three character pictures'' (german: Eine Faust-Symphonie in drei Charakterbildern), S.108, or simply the "''Faust Symphony''", is a choral symphony written by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Go ...
'' of 1857.
Historical Faust
Because of his early treatment as a figure in legend and literature, it is difficult to establish historical facts about his life with any certainty. In the 17th century, it was even doubted that there ever had been a historical Faust, and the legendary character was identified with a printer of Mainz called ''
Johann Fust
Johann Fust or Faust (c. 1400 – October 30, 1466) was an early German printer.
Family background
Fust was born to burgher family of Mainz, traceable back to the early thirteenth century. Members of the family held many civil and religiou ...
''.
Johann Georg Neumann in 1683 addressed the question in his ''Disquisitio historica de Fausto praestigiatore'', establishing Faust's historical existence based on contemporary references.
In the light of records of an activity spanning more than 30 years, the two suggested birth years (1466 vs. 1480/1), the two recorded first names (Georg vs. Johann) and the two recorded places of origin (Knittlingen vs. Heidelberg/Helmstett), it has been suggested that there were two itinerant magicians calling themselves ''Faustus'', one Georg, active ca. 1505 to 1515, and another Johann, active in the 1530s.
Possible places of origin of the historical Johann Faust are
Knittlingen
Knittlingen is a town in the Enz district in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.
It lies at the eastern edge of the Kraichgau in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, and Stuttgart.
The centre of Kn ...
(Manlius 1562),
Helmstadt
Helmstadt is a municipality in the Lower Franconian district of Würzburg in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
Municipal structure
Helmstadt consists of two districts:
* Helmstadt
* Holzkirchhausen
Neighboring municipalities
* Holzkirchen ...
near
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
, or
Roda
Roda may refer to:
Places
*Stadtroda (called Roda until 1925), a town in Thuringia, Germany
*Roda, Greece, a village in Corfu, Greece
* Roda, Punjab, a town and Union Council of Punjab, Pakistan
*Roda, Portugal, a village in Viseu district, Portu ...
. Knittlingen today has an archive and a museum dedicated to Faust. Baron (1978)
and
Ruickbie (2009)
argue for Helmstadt as his place of birth.
Faust's year of birth is given either as 1480/1 or as 1466. Baron (1992) and Ruickbie
prefer the latter. The city archive of
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt (, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area. Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Bav ...
has a letter dated 27 June 1528 which mentions a ''Doctor Jörg Faustus von Haidlberg''. Other sources have ''Georgius Faustus Helmstet(ensis)''. Baron, searching for students from Helmstet in the archives of
Heidelberg University
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
, found records of a ''Georgius Helmstetter'' inscribed from 1483 to 1487, stating that he was promoted to
baccalaureus
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
on 12 July 1484 and to
magister artium
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
on 1 March 1487.
For the year 1506, there is a record of Faust appearing as performer of magical tricks and horoscopes in
Gelnhausen
Gelnhausen () is a town, and the capital of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approximately 40 kilometers east of Frankfurt am Main, between the Vogelsberg mountains and the Spessart range at the river Kinzig. It is one of ...
. Over the following 30 years, there are numerous similar records spread over southern Germany. Faust appeared as physician, doctor of philosophy, alchemist, magician and astrologer, and was often accused as a fraud. The church denounced him as a blasphemer in league with the devil. Faust had also supposedly joined Protestantism.
Johannes Trithemius in a letter to
Johannes Virdung dated 20 August 1507 warns the latter of a certain ''Georgius Sabellicus'', a trickster and fraud styling himself ''Georgius Sabellicus, Faustus junior, fons necromanticorum, astrologus, magus secundus etc.'' According to Trithemius, in Gelnhausen and Würzburg, Sabellicus boasted blasphemously of his powers, even claiming that he could easily reproduce all the miracles of Christ. Trithemius alleges that Sabellicus received a teaching position in
Sickingen in 1507, which he abused by indulging in sodomy with his male students, evading punishment by a timely escape.
Conrad
Mutianus Rufus in 1513 recounts a meeting with a ''chiromanticus'' called ''Georgius Faustus, Helmitheus Heidelbergensis'' (likely for ''hemitheus'', "demigod of Heidelberg"), overhearing his vain and foolish boasts in an
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
inn.
On 23 February 1520, Faust was in
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...
, doing a horoscope for the bishop and the town, for which he received the sum of 10
gulden.
In 1528, Faust visited
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt (, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area. Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Bav ...
, whence he was banished shortly after. In 1532 he seems to have tried to enter Nürnberg, according to an unflattering note made by the junior mayor of the city to "deny free passage to the great
nigromancer and sodomite Doctor Faustus" (''Doctor Faustus, dem großen Sodomiten und Nigromantico in furt glait ablainen''). Later records give a more positive verdict; thus the
Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
professor
Joachim Camerarius
Joachim Camerarius (12 April 150017 April 1574), the Elder, was a Germans, German classical scholar.
Life
He was born in Bamberg, in the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. His family name was Liebhard, but he was generally called Kammermeister, previo ...
in 1536 recognises Faust as a respectable astrologer, and physician Philipp Begardi of
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany, a city
**Worms (electoral district)
*Worms, Nebraska, U.S.
*Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy
Arts and entertainme ...
in 1539 praises his medical knowledge. The last direct attestation of Faust dates to 25 June 1535, when his presence was recorded in
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
during the
Anabaptist rebellion.
Faust's death is dated to 1540 or 1541. He allegedly died in an explosion of an alchemical experiment in the "Hotel zum Löwen" in
Staufen im Breisgau. His body is reported to have been found in a "grievously mutilated" state which was interpreted to the effect that the devil had come to collect him in person by his clerical and scholarly enemies. In 1548, the theologian Johann Gast in his ''sermones conviviales'' states that Faust had suffered a dreadful death, and would keep turning his face to the earth in spite of the body being turned on its back several times. In his 1548 account, Gast also mentions a personal meeting with Faust in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
during which Faust provided the cook with poultry of a strange kind. According to Gast, Faust travelled with a dog and a horse, and there were rumours that the dog would sometimes transform into a servant.
Another posthumous account is that of Johannes Manlius, drawing on notes by
Melanchthon
Philip Melanchthon. (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lu ...
, in his ''Locorum communium collectanea'' dating to 1562. According to Manlius, ''Johannes Faustus'' was a personal acquaintance of Melanchthon's and had studied in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. Manlius' account is already suffused with legendary elements, and cannot be taken at face value as a historical source. Manlius recounts that Faust had boasted that the victories of the German emperor in Italy were due to his magical intervention. In Venice, he allegedly attempted to fly, but was thrown to the ground by the devil.
Johannes Wier
Johann Weyer or Johannes Wier ( la, Ioannes Wierus or '; 1515 – 24 February 1588) was a Dutch physician, occultist and demonologist, disciple and follower of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa.
He was among the first to publish against t ...
in ''de prestigiis daemonum'' (1568) recounts that Faustus had been arrested in
Batenburg
Batenburg is a city in the municipality of Wijchen, in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located on the Meuse, about 15 km west of Nijmegen. It is well known for the remains of a medieval fort in the center of the town. Batenburg receive ...
because he had recommended that the local chaplain called Dorstenius should use
arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...
to get rid of his stubble. Dorstenius smeared his face with the poison, upon which he lost not only his beard but also much of his skin, an anecdote Wier says he heard from the victim himself. in 1602 still claims to have heard tales of Faust directly from people who had met him in person, but from the publication of the 1587 ''
Faustbuch
Historia von D. Johann Fausten, the first "Faust book", is a chapbook of stories concerning the life of Johann Georg Faust, written by an anonymous German author. It was published by Johann Spies (1540–1623) in Frankfurt am Main in 1587, a ...
'', it becomes impossible to separate historical anecdotes from rumour and legend.
The town of
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in th ...
has a "Faust Haus" restaurant reportedly built in 1492 on the site of "the home of the legendary Magister Johann Georg Sabellicus Faust".
Ascribed works
![Mephistophiles Passau 1527](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Mephistophiles_Passau_1527.jpg)
There are several prints of
grimoire
A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...
s or magical texts attributed to Faust. Some of them are artificially dated to his lifetime, either to "1540", or to "1501", "1510", etc., some even to unreasonably early dates, such as "1405" and "1469". The prints in fact date to the late 16th century, from ca. 1580, i.e. the same period of the development of the ''Volksbuch'' tradition. The ''Höllenzwang'' text is also extant in manuscript versions from the late 16th century. A manuscript of c. 1700 under the title ''Doctoris Johannis Fausti Morenstern practicirter Höllenzwang genant Der schwarze Mohr. Ann(o) MCCCCVII'' (i.e. "1407") includes the text which in print is known as ''Dr. Faustens sogenannter schwartzer Mohren-Stern, gedruckt zu London 1510''. Variants of the ''Höllenzwang'' attributed to Faust continued to be published for the next 200 years, well into the 18th century.
Zisska & Lacher, lot nr. 67, auction of 9–11 November 2016 (sold for EUR 2750)
/ref>
*1501 ''Doctor Faustens dreyfacher Höllenzwang'' (Rome 1501, Engel (1885
no. 335
*1501 ''Geister-Commando'' (''Tabellae Rabellinae Geister Commando id est Magiae Albae et Nigrae Citatio Generalis''), Rome (reprint Scheible 1849, ARW, "Moonchild-Edition" 3, Munich 1977)
*1501 ''D.Faustus vierfacher Höllen-Zwang'' (Rome 1501, Engel (1885
no. 336
reprint Scheible 1849, ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 4, Munich 1976, 1977)
*1505 ''Doctoris Johannis Fausti Cabalae Nigrae'' (Passau 1505, Engel (1885
no. 337
reprin
Scheible 1849
ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 2, Munich 1976, 1977)
*1510 ''The black stair of Doctor John Faust'' London, Engel (1885
no. 343
*1520 ''Fausts dreifacher Höllenzwang'' (''D.Faustus Magus Maximus Kundlingensis Original Dreyfacher Höllenzwang id est Die Ägyptische Schwarzkunst''), "Egyptian Nigromancy, magical seals for the invocation of seven spirits. (reprint ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 3, Munich 1976, 1977)
*1524 ''Johannis Fausti Manual Höllenzwang'' (Wittenberg 1524 reprint Scheible 1849, ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 6, Munich 1976, 1977)
*1527 ''Praxis Magia Faustiana'', (Passau, reprint Scheible 1849, ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 4, Munich 1976, 1977)
*1540, ''Fausti Höllenzwang oder Mirakul-Kunst und Wunder-Buch'' (Wittenberg 1540, reprint Scheible 1849, ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 4, Munich 1976, 1977)
*''Doctor Fausts großer und gewaltiger Höllenzwang'' (Prague, reprint ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 7, Munich 1977)
*1669? Dr. Johann Faustens Miracul-Kunst- und Wunder-Buch oder der schwarze Rabe auch der Dreifache Höllenzwang genannt (Lyon M.C.D.XXXXXXIX, reprint ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 7, Munich 1977)
*''D. I. Fausti Schwartzer Rabe'' (undated, 16th century, reprint Scheible 1849, ARW, "Moonchild-Edition" 3, Munich 1976, 1977)
*1692 ''Doctor Faust's großer und gewaltiger Meergeist, worinn Lucifer und drey Meergeister um Schätze aus den Gewässern zu holen, beschworen werden'' (Amsterdam, reprint ARW "Moonchild-Edition" 1, Munich 1977)
These works were collected and edited in ''Das Kloster
''Das Kloster'' ("The Cloister"; full title ''Das Kloster. Weltlich und geistlich. Meist aus der ältern deutschen Volks-, Wunder-, Curiositäten-, und vorzugsweise komischen Literatur'' "The Cloister. Profane and sacred. Mostly from older German P ...
'' by J. Scheible (1849), and based on Scheible in 1976 and 1977 by the
Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Religions- und Weltanschauungsfragen
', in the "Moonchild-Edition", and again as facsimile by Poseidon Press and Fourier Verlag.
Faust in legend and literature
The '' Historia von D. Johann Fausten'' printed by Johann Spies
Johann Spies (ca. 1540-1623) was a German printer who published an anonymous book of tales about a legendary Doctor Faust who made a pact with the Devil. The story became the basis for several notable literary works, including Marlowe's ''Tragedy o ...
1587, a German chapbook
A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch.
In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...
about Faust's sins, is at the beginning of the literary tradition of the 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 crossroads ...
character. It was translated into English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
in 1587, where it came to the attention of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...
. Marlowe's ''The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' of 1589 portrays Faust as the archetypical adept of Renaissance magic
Renaissance magic was a resurgence in Hermeticism and Neo-Platonic varieties of the Magic (supernatural), magical arts which arose along with Renaissance humanism in the 15th and 16th centuries CE. These magical arts (called ''#Artes magicae, art ...
. In the 17th century, Marlowe's work was re-introduced to Germany in the form of popular plays, which over time reduced Faust to a merely comical figure for popular amusement. Meanwhile, the chapbook of Spies was edited and excerpted by G. R. Widmann and Nikolaus Pfitzer, and was finally re-published anonymously in modernised form in the early 18th century, as the ''Faustbuch des Christlich Meynenden''. This edition became widely known and was also read by Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
in his youth. As summarized by Richard Stecher, this version is the account of a young man called ''Johann Faust'', son of a peasant, who studies theology in Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...
, besides medicine, astrology and "other magical arts". His boundless desire for knowledge leads him to conjure the devil in a wood near Wittenberg, who appears in the shape of a greyfriar who calls himself ''Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles in t ...
''.
Faust enters a pact with the devil, pledging his soul in exchange for 24 years of service. The devil produces a famulus ''Christoph Wagner'' and a poodle ''Prästigiar'' to accompany Faust in his adventure. Faust goes on to live a life of pleasures. In Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, he rides out of Auerbachs Keller
Auerbachs Keller (, Auerbach's Cellar in English) is the second oldest restaurant in Leipzig, Germany. Already one of the city's most important wine bars by the 16th century, it owes its worldwide reputation to Goethe's play ''Faust'' as the firs ...
on a barrel. In Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
he taps wine from a table. He visits the Pope in Rome, the Sultan in Constantinople and the Kaiser in Innsbruck. After 16 years, he begins to regret his pact and wants to withdraw, but the devil persuades him to renew it, conjuring up Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...
, with whom Faust sires a son called Justus. As the 24 years come to an end, "Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
, chief of devils" appears and announces Faust's death for the coming night. Faust at a "last supper" scene in Rimlich takes leave of his friends and admonishes them to repentance and piety. At midnight, there is a great noise from Faust's room, and in the morning, its walls and floors are found splattered with blood and brains, with Faust's eyes lying on the floor and his dead body in the courtyard.
16th to 18th century treatments of the Faust legend include:
* Johann Spies: ''Historia von D. Johann Fausten'' (1587)
* ''Das Wagnerbuch'' von (1593)
* ''Das Widmann'sche Faustbuch'' von (1599)
* ''Dr. Fausts großer und gewaltiger Höllenzwang'' (Frankfurt 1609)
* ''Dr. Johannes Faust, Magia naturalis et innaturalis'' (Passau 1612)
* ''Das Pfitzer'sche Faustbuch'' (1674)
* ''Dr. Fausts großer und gewaltiger Meergeist'' (Amsterdam 1692)
* ''Das Wagnerbuch'' (1714)
* ''Faustbuch des Christlich Meynenden'' (1725)
See also
*Deal with the Devil
A deal with the Devil (also called a Faustian bargain or Mephistophelian bargain) is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to t ...
*Pan Twardowski
Sir Twardowski (Polish: ''Pan Twardowski'', ), also known as Master Twardowski (Polish: ''Mistrz Twardowski''), in Polish folklore and literature, is a sorcerer who made a deal with the Devil. Pan Twardowski sold his soul in exchange for special ...
*Works based on Faust
Faust has inspired artistic and cultural works for over four centuries. The following lists cover various media to include items of historic interest, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture. The entries represent ...
References
* Frank Baron, "Who Was the Historical Faustus? Interpreting an Overlooked Source," Daphnis 18 (1989), 297–302.
*Karl Engel, ''Faust-Schriften vom 16. Jahrhundert bis Mitte 1884'' (1885).
Bibliography
* Frank Baron: ''Dr. Faustus: From History to Legend.'' München: Fink 1978.
* Frank Baron: ''Faustus on Trial. The Origin of Johann Spies's Historia in an Age of Witch-hunting.'' Tübingen: Niemeyer 1992.
* Fritz Brukner, Franz Hadamowsky: ''Die Wiener Faust-Dichtungen von Stranitzky bis zu Goethes Tod.'' Vienna 1932.
* : ''Faust in der Geschichte und Tradition''. Berlin 1921
* Günther Mahal: ''Faust: Untersuchungen zu einem zeitlosen Thema''. Neuried: ars una 1998 (Abdruck der Dokumente über Faust mit Erläuterungen).
* Günther Mahal: ''Faust. Die Spuren eines geheimnisvollen Lebens''. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt 1995.
* Frank Möbius (Hrsg.): ''Faust: Annäherung an einen Mythos.'' Ausstellungskatalog. Göttingen: Wallenstein 1995.
*
* Leo Ruickbie
Leo Ruickbie is a British historian and sociologist of religion, specializing in exceptional experiences, paranormal beliefs, magic, witchcraft and Wicca. He is the author of several books, beginning with ''Witchcraft Out of the Shadows'', a ...
: ''Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance Magician''. The History Press 2009.
* Karl Theens: ''Geschichte der Faustgestalt vom 16. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart''. Meisenheim 1948.
External links
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie
Faust-Museum Knittlingen
Faust als Spiegel der Geschichte:
Vortrag im Rahmen der Reihe ''Wissenschaft, Technik und Ethik''
Faust timeline
Grimoires attributed to Faust
(English translation of ''Dr. Johann Faustens Miracul-Kunst- und Wunder-Buch oder der schwarze Rabe auch der Dreifache Höllenzwang genannt'')
''Magia naturalis et innaturalis, oder dreifacher Höllenzwang, letztes Testament und Siegelkunst'' – Part I (Google Books)
''Magia naturalis et innaturalis, oder dreifacher Höllenzwang, letztes Testament und Siegelkunst'' – Part IV (Google Books)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faust, Johann Georg
1480 births
1541 deaths
German alchemists
German astrologers
Christian astrologers
15th-century German people
16th-century German writers
16th-century German male writers
16th-century alchemists
Swedish occultists
Faust
Goethe's Faust
Deal with the Devil