Woland (russian: Воланд) is a fictional character in the novel '' The Master and Margarita'' by the Russian ( Soviet) author

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...

, written between 1928 and 1940. Woland is the mysterious foreigner and professor whose visit to Moscow sets the plot rolling and turns the world upside-down. His demonic retinue, which includes witches, vampires, and a gigantic talking cat, his role in the plot, and the fact that ''Voland'' is a (now outdated) German word for a devil or evil spirit, all imply that he is, in fact, the Devil. More controversial interpretations see him as the Apostle Peter (based on Jesus’ remark to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan") or even the

Second Coming of Christ The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

. Edward Ericson argues that Woland is essentially "the Satan of orthodox (specifically Russian Orthodox) Christian theology ..He is both a tempter of men and an unwitting instrument of divine justice, a being who owes his existence and power to the very one he opposes." In conceiving of Woland, Bulgakov draws heavily from the figure of Mephistopheles in Goethe's '' Faust'', a connection made explicit by the use of an epigraph from the poem at the beginning of the novel. Additionally, the name Woland itself is derived from a name by which Mephistopheles refers to himself during the

Walpurgisnacht 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 ...

scene: squire Voland (german: Junker Voland). Other allusions to Goethe's Mephistopheles include Woland's cane with the head of a poodle and his limp. Another influence on Woland is Charles Gounod's opera '' Faust''.

In adaptations

Veniamin Smekhov Veniamin Borisovich Smekhov (russian: Вениами́н Бори́сович Сме́хов; born August 10, 1940 in Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor and director. He was the winner of the Petropol Award (2000) as well as the ...

played him in a Moscow stage adaptation. *In the 1972 Italian-Yugoslavian adaptation, ''Il maestro e Margherita'', Woland was played by French actor

Alain Cuny René Xavier Marie Alain Cuny (12 July 1908 – 16 May 1994) was a French actor of stage and screen. He was closely linked with the works of Paul Claudel and Antonin Artaud, and for his performances for the Théâtre national populaire and Od ...

. *In the 1990 Polish TV series, ''Mistrz i Malgorzata'', Woland was played by Gustaw Holoubek. *In the 1994 Russian adaptation, ''Master i Margarita'', Woland was played by Valentin Gaft. *In the 2005 miniseries adaptation, Woland was played by Oleg Basilashvili. *In the upcoming 2022 Russian film Woland, the eponymous part will be played by

August Diehl August Diehl (; born 4 January 1976) is a German actor, primarily known to international audiences for playing Gestapo major Dieter Hellstrom in Quentin Tarantino's ''Inglourious Basterds'' and Michael "Mike" Krause, Evelyn Salt's husband, in the ...

Quotations

: "Forgive me, but I don't believe you. That cannot be: manuscripts don't burn." - To the Master

: "Yes, man is mortal, but that would be only half the trouble. The worst of it is that he's sometimes unexpectedly mortal—there's the trick!" - To Berlioz

References

Notes

Works Cited

* * * * * * * Characters in fantasy literature Characters in Russian novels of the 20th century Mikhail Bulgakov characters Fictional demons and devils Male literary villains Literary characters introduced in 1966 Devils Comedy literature characters {{fantasy-char-stub