"Les Litanies de Satan" ("The Litanies of Satan") is a poem by
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited ...
, published as part of ''
Les Fleurs du mal
''Les Fleurs du mal'' (; en, The Flowers of Evil, italic=yes) is a volume of French poetry by Charles Baudelaire.
''Les Fleurs du mal'' includes nearly all Baudelaire's poetry, written from 1840 until his death in August 1867. First publish ...
''. The date of composition is unknown, but there is no evidence that it was composed at a different time to the other poems of the volume.
The poem is a renunciation of religion, and Catholicism in particular. It includes a
blasphemous
Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religio ...
inversion of the
Kyrie Eleison
Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of (''Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; ).
In the Bible
The prayer, "Kyrie, eleison," "Lord, have mercy" derives f ...
and the
Glory Be
The Gloria Patri, also known as the Glory Be to the Father or, colloquially, the Glory Be, is a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God in various Christian liturgies. It is also referred to as the Minor Doxology ''(Doxologia Minor)'' or Lesser ...
, parts of the Catholic Mass, or it substitutes Satan for
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
and liturgy directed towards her.Swinburne called it the key to ''Les Fleurs du mal''. The poet empathises with Satan, who has also experienced injustice and can have pity for those who are outcasts. But for political reasons, Baudelaire had to preface the poem with a note explaining he had no personal allegiance with Satan. Even so, ''Les Fleurs du mal'' led to him and his publishers being fined for "insult to public decency".
The poem is an inspiration to
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 this day.
Recordings
* American composer and electronic music pioneer, Ruth White, recorded an English translation for her 1969 release ''Flowers of Evil.''
* In 1982, it was recorded in the original French by
Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás (born August 29, 1955) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, visual artist, and soprano. She has campaigned for AIDS education and the rights of the infected.
Galás's commitment to addressing social issues and her involve ...
with electronic effects and released as a 12" single as '' The Litanies of Satan''. It was later released as a CD.
* The Czech band
Root (band)
Root is a Czech black metal band.
Biography
Root were formed by vocalist Big Boss and guitarist Blackie in late 1987.Necromantia recorded an English translation for their début album ''
Crossing the Fiery Path
Crossing may refer to:
* ''Crossing'' (2008 film), a South Korean film
* ''Crossing'' (album), a 1985 album by world music/jazz group Oregon
* Crossing (architecture), the junction of the four arms of a cruciform church
* Crossing (knot theory) ...
'' released in 1993.
* The Mexican thrash/death metal band Transmetal recorded a Spanish translation for their album Tristeza de Lucifer called "Las letanias de satan" ("Satan's litanies" in English).
* The Norwegian black metal act
Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. It was formed in 1992 by guitarist Infernus, who is also the only original member remaining, and the band have since released nine studio albums. Gorgoroth are a Satanic band and have ...
performed "Litani til Satan", with Baudelaire's lyrics translated to
Nynorsk
Nynorsk () () is one of the two written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language ( no, Landsmål) parallel to the Dano-N ...
, on their ''
Incipit Satan
''Incipit Satan'' is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released on 7 February 2000 by Nuclear Blast, and reissued in 2006 by Back on Black Records. ''Incipit Satan'' was the first album with King ov Hel ...
'' album.
* The Polish band Sunrise Black recorded a Polish translation for their album '' Omnia pro Patria'' released in 2013.
* The Italian band
Theatres des Vampires
Theatres des Vampires is an Italian gothic metal band, mostly noted for the predominant theme of vampirism within their lyrics. The band's early material was credited as melodic black metal or symphonic black metal, but the group completely aba ...
recorded a French version for their album '' Bloody Lunatic Asylum'' released in 2001.
* The Greek band
Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene. They are also responsible for creat ...
recorded a French version for their album ''
Rituals
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...
'' released in 2016.
* Theater Oobleck recorded a version as part of their "Baudelaire In A Box" series.
* In 2018, Anakarsis a French group whose musical work is based around the book ''The Flowers of Evil'' recorded a rock version of The Litanies of Satan.