Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto,
is a
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
featured in
German folklore
German folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Germany over a number of centuries. Partially it can be also found in Austria.
Characteristics
It shares many characteristics with Nordic folklore and English folklore due to thei ...
. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in 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 ...
legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a
stock character
A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...
(see:
Mephistopheles in the arts and popular culture
This article lists cultural references to Mephistopheles, the fictional devil from ''Faust'' and '' Doctor Faustus'' who has been used in other pieces of literature, film, comics and music.
Art
* The 19th century ''Mephistopheles and Margaretta'' ...
).
Etymology and name meaning
The name ''Mephistopheles'' is a corrupted
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
compound
Compound may refer to:
Architecture and built environments
* Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall
** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struct ...
.
The Greek particle of negation (μη, ''mē'') and the Greek word for love or loving (φίλος, ''philos'') are the first and last terms of the compound but the middle term is more doubtful. For the middle term, three meanings have been noticed and three different complete etymologies have been established:
*not loving light (φως το, ''phōs to''; the old form of the word being ''Mephostopheles'')
*not loving Faust
*allied to ''
mephitic,'' a term which designates the poisonous vapors arising from the earth in certain places—pools, caverns, springs—destructive of human life.
It is likely that the name was invented for the historical alchemist
Johann Georg Faust
Johann Georg Faust (; c. 1480 or 1466 – c. 1541), also known in English as John Faustus , was a German itinerant alchemist, astrologer, and magician of the German Renaissance.
''Doctor Faust'' became the subject of folk legend in the de ...
by the anonymous author of the first ''
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 ...
''.
Inside the Faust legend
Mephistopheles is associated with the Faust legend of an ambitious scholar, based on the historical
Johann Georg Faust
Johann Georg Faust (; c. 1480 or 1466 – c. 1541), also known in English as John Faustus , was a German itinerant alchemist, astrologer, and magician of the German Renaissance.
''Doctor Faust'' became the subject of folk legend in the de ...
. In the legend, Faust makes a
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 ...
at the price of his soul, Mephistopheles acting as the Devil's agent.
The name appears in the late 16th-century
Faust chapbooks
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, an ...
– stories concerning the life of Johann Georg Faust, written by an anonymous German author.
In the 1725 version, which
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 ...
read, ''Mephostophiles'' is a
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
in the form of a
greyfriar
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
summoned by Faust in a wood outside
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 ...
.
From the chapbooks, the name entered Faustian literature. Many authors have used it, from Goethe to
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 the 1616 edition of 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 ...
'', ''Mephostophiles'' became ''Mephistophilis''.
Mephistopheles in later treatments of the Faust material frequently figures as a title character: in
Meyer Lutz
Wilhelm Meyer Lutz (19 May 1829 – 31 January 1903) was a German-born British composer and conductor who is best known for light music, musical theatre and burlesques of well-known works.
Emigrating to the UK at the age of 19, Lutz started as ...
's ''
Mephistopheles, or Faust and Marguerite'' (1855),
Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito (; 24 February 1842 10 June 1918) (whose original name was Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito and who wrote essays under the anagrammatic pseudonym of Tobia Gorrio) was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, librettist and composer, best ...
's ''
Mefistofele
''Mefistofele'' () is an opera in a prologue and five acts, later reduced to four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera with music by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito (there are several completed operas for which he was libret ...
'' (1868),
Klaus Mann
Klaus Heinrich Thomas Mann (18 November 1906 – 21 May 1949) was a German writer and dissident. He was the son of Thomas Mann, a nephew of Heinrich Mann and brother of Erika Mann, with whom he maintained a lifelong close relationship, and Golo ...
's ''
Mephisto
Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition.
Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film
* Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...
'', 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 ''
Mephisto Waltzes
The ''Mephisto Waltzes'' (german: Mephisto-Walzer, link=no) are four waltzes composed by Franz Liszt from 1859 to 1862, from 1880 to 1881, and in 1883 and 1885. Nos. 1 and 2 were composed for orchestra, and later arranged for piano, piano duet an ...
''. There are also many parallels with the character of Mephistopheles and the character Lord Henry Wotton in ''
The Picture of Dorian Gray
''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...
'' by
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
.
Interpretations
Although Mephistopheles appears to Faustus as a
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
– a worker for
Lucifer
Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...
– critics claim that he does not search for men to corrupt, but comes to serve and ultimately collect the souls of those who are already damned. Farnham explains, "Nor does Mephistophiles first appear to Faustus as a devil who walks up and down on earth to tempt and corrupt any man encountered. He appears because he senses in Faustus' magical summons that Faustus is already corrupt, that indeed he is already 'in danger to be damned'."
Mephistopheles is already trapped in his own
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
by serving the Devil. He warns Faustus of the choice he is making by "selling his soul" to the devil: "Mephistophilis, an agent of Lucifer, appears and at first advises Faust not to forego the promise of
heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
to pursue his goals". Farnham adds to his theory, "...
austus
Austus was a variation of Australian rules football which was played in Australia during World War II between Australians and visiting soldiers from the United States. The name comes from the first four letters of Australia (AUST) and the initial ...
enters an ever-present private hell like that of Mephistophiles".
[Krstovic & Lazzardi 1999, p. 8]
Outside the Faust legend
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
mentions "Mephistophilus" in ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
'' (Act I, Scene I, line 128), and by the 17th century the name became independent of the Faust legend.
[Burton Russell 1992, p. 61]
Mephistopheles is also featured as the lead antagonist in Goethe's ''Faust'', and in the unpublished scenarios for ''
die Walpurgis-Nacht'' (German for "the
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in ...
"), he and Satan appear as two separate characters.
Mephistopheles is referenced in the 2022 single by the band
Ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
, "Call Me Little Sunshine", by
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
in the 2007 song “Videotape”, in the 2005 single, "The March of Mephisto" by the band
Kamelot
Kamelot is an American power metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed by Thomas Youngblood, in 1987. The Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album ''Siége Perilous'', and shared songwriting credit with Youngblood until his departure in Apr ...
, in the 1983 single, "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...
, by the band
Glass Beach in the 2019 song "Bedroom Community", by
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...
in the song “Love runs out” in 2014, in the 2015 song "Mephistopheles of Los Angeles" by
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
, and the 2007 song "Down, Down, Down to Mephisto’s Cafe" by
Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto is an American ska punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, formed in 2002. They released their first album, ''Everything Goes Numb'', which was distributed by Victory Records, on August 26, 2003. The band he ...
. It is also referenced by Wyclef of the hip-hop group The Fugees in Zealots. There is also a popular Brass Band March called Mephistopheles by the composer Shipley Douglas, commonly heard at the annual Whit Friday Band Contests throughout Saddleworth and Tameside in Greater Manchester.
Mephistopheles appears as a female NPC in the FromSoftware game Demon's Souls, where she tasks the player with various assassination quests. Her questline can only be accessed if the player's character tendency is pure black, and this can only happen if the player kills NPCs and seeks PVP by invading other players' worlds with the intent of killing them. The already damned player is then contracted by Mephistopheles to find and kill several heroic figures within the game, and the questline culminates with her attempting to kill the player. The subplot somewhat parallels the downward spiral of Faust himself.
Mephistopheles is the inspiration for Dul'Mephistos, the Lord of Hatred, commonly referred to as Mephisto, one of the three Prime Evils, in Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo franchise.
See also
*
Beelzebub
Beelzebub ( ; he, ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ'') or Beelzebul is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name ''Beelzebub'' is associated with the Cana ...
*
Devil in Christianity
In Christianity, the Devil is the personification of evil, who rebelled against God in an attempt to become equal to God himself. He is depicted as a fallen angel, who was expelled from Heaven at the beginning of time, before God created the m ...
*
Prince of Darkness
*
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 ...
*
Mephiskapheles
Mephiskapheles is a ska band based in New York City. Their name is a portmanteau of "ska" and "Mephistopheles", of the Faust legend. As their name suggests, their lyrics are often playfully satanic in nature.
Career 1990–1994: Formation and ea ...
, Ska band whose name is a play on Mephistopheles
*
Mr. Mistoffelees
Mr. Mistoffelees is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' and its 1981 musical adaptation, Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' Cats''. Mistoffelees is a young black-and-white tuxedo cat with magical powers ...
, a character from the musical Cats
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Fictional demons and devils
Theatre characters
Characters in Goethe's Faust
Faust
Fictional tricksters
German folklore
Male literary villains
Supernatural legends
Deal with the Devil
Male characters in literature
Male characters in theatre
Devils
Medieval legends
Fictional characters introduced in the 16th century