The Devil in Mythology, Daily Life, and Medieval Literature

Author's name: Alexander Amfitiarov

The Devil, Beelzebub, Lucifer… The Devil has many faces, as varied as the peoples of the world, their imaginations, and their beliefs. The struggle against him has continued throughout human history. In 1911, the writer Alexander Amfitiarov (1862–1938) made a new attempt to trace the evolution of the image of the Devil, explaining his portrayal in religions and in medieval literature, through figures such as Dante and Milton, and what everyday life and popular culture added to the idea of ​​the Devil throughout history. His book is considered an encyclopedia, and it is said that Bulgakov drew upon it while writing his famous novel "The Master and Margarita," where he drew images of Volland and his entourage. The birth, death, and offspring of the devil, demonic obsessions, temptations, conspiracies, fascination with magic and its consequences, the Church's struggle with the devil, the torments of hell, the incubus and the scopus, sorcerers and the possessed... all these are examples of highly diverse topics, which this work has written about in a lengthy study.