Related: Devil's Night: The history of pre-halloween pranks. However, while mythical creatures were often associated with the devil during the medieval period, so too were real animals. According to the British Library , many medieval portrayals of the devil have animalistic features, including the iconic cloven hooves, tails, talons and even webbed hands. Illustrations from a 14th-century French manuscript called the Smithfield Decretals show the devil with animal body parts, and depict him as a humongous beast.
The 14th-century poem "Inferno," written by Dante Alighieri as part of his "Divine Comedy," recounts a fictional journey through the seven circles that make up hell before the protagonist comes face to face with Satan himself. Dante describes Satan with "two mighty wings, such as befitting were so great a bird; sails of the sea I never saw so large. No feathers had they, but as of a bat. According to Montesano, Satan's wings may originate in Babylonian mythology, due to the devil's association with the figure of Lilith.
Dante also introduces elements from Greco-Roman mythology into his traditional Christian lore. He refers to the devil as "Dis," which comes from Dis Pater, the Roman god of the underworld.
In "Inferno" Dante writes: "Hence in the smallest circle, where the point is Of the Universe, upon which Dis is seated, Whoe'er betrays for ever is consumed. A clear early link between Satan and goats is found in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo mosaic, constructed in the late 6th century in Italy.
In the mosaic, the blue angel to Jesus ' left stands behind three goats, while the angel to Jesus' right is joined by three sheep. The artwork represents a parable in Matthew "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Some art historians, like Alastair Sooke of the BBC , claim that this is where the devil and his minions got their horns. Related: No sympathy for the devil: Why people fear Satanism. Other experts disagree. Others say it might derive from the pagan god Pan, while British historian Ronald Hutton thinks it has more to do with neo-pagan revival of modern — not Medieval — times.
In his book, " The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity " Cornell University Press, , Jeffrey Burton Russell claims the link between Satan and the goat derives from the devil's association with underworld fertility deities, who Christians rejected as demons.
Along with other pagan gods, these horned idols were particularly feared "because of their association with the wilderness and with sexual frenzy. The Devil make more appearances in the Bible, especially in the New Testament.
Most other religions and cultures teach of an evil being who roams the earth wreaking havoc and fighting against the forces of good.
In Islam , the devil is known as Shaytan and, like the Devil in Christianity, is also thought to have rebelled against God. In Judaism , Satan is a verb and generally refers to a difficulty or temptation to overcome instead of a literal being.
In Buddhism , Maara is the demon that tempted Buddha away from his path of enlightenment. Perhaps the most lasting images of the Devil are associated with Hell, which the Bible refers to as a place of everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. The idea that the Devil governs hell may have come from the poem by Dante Alighieri , The Divine Comedy , published in the early fourteenth century.
In it, God created hell when he threw the Devil and his demons out of Heaven with such power that they created an enormous hole in the center of the earth. And by the end of the Middle Ages , the Devil had taken on the appearance of the horned, trident-wielding figure with a tail that has endured to modern times. Fear of the Devil is at least partially responsible for the witchcraft hysteria of Europe and New England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Protestants and Catholics accused many people of practicing witchcraft and making deals with the Devil. They believed he gave powers to witches to those faithful to him. Religious translations are often controversial. Not all religions shun the Devil, though. Another type of Satanists, theistic Satanists, worship the Devil as a deity. They may practice Satanic rituals or even make Satanic pacts. Devil Worship in the Middle Ages. Loyola University New Orleans.
Jewish Concepts: Demons and Demonology. Jewish Virtual Library. Puritans Beliefs on Satan and Witchcraft. Gettysburg College. Access to Insight. The Independent. Learn More About devil. Time Traveler for devil The first known use of devil was before the 12th century See more words from the same century. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster.
Phrases Related to devil a devil of be a devil better the devil you know than the devil you don't. Style: MLA. More Definitions for devil. English Language Learners Definition of devil. Kids Definition of devil. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Test your vocabulary with our question quiz! Love words? Need even more definitions? Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms The same, but different. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Nov.
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