Another influence on the development of Hell and Satan during the Middle Ages can be traced to the Church’s desire to demonize Pagan gods. Many early depictions of Satan show him as black, purple, or dark blue. The earliest representations of Satan tempting Christ show Satan as naked and black. Satan’s blackness was used to contrast the whiteness, and therefore holiness, of the Angels. The blackness also represents evil and pollution. Most of all, the Devil’s blackness is connected with Egyptian and Nubian gods.
By the fifth century, Christianity was established in Nubia, and large immigrations of early Egyptian Christians in the seventh century led to systematic destruction of traditional Egyptian and Nubian temples and statues. The Egyptian god Anubis, a model used for the “weighing of souls,” was a black jackal with a bushy tail, or a black man with a jackal’s head. Statues and drawings from this period show Egyptians with dark, African features. The earliest sketches of the Sphinx also strongly suggest an African profile. In many pieces of art, the Devil is depicted wearing Egyptian clothing. Satan was portrayed as black and wearing Egyptian garments in order to suggest that Pagan gods were devils. In effect, this way of portraying the Devil as black was a way for the Church to illustrate the ungodliness of the Nubian deities. The Devil is naked and black because classical Pagan gods were naked, and most Egyptian gods were black.
Although, as mentioned in Part 1 of this series, Art Historian Luther Link and Medieval Historian Jeffrey Burton Russell differ in their opinions of what image is the official “first” representation of the Devil in art, they do agree that the Greek god Pan was one of the major influences on how the iconography of Satan developed throughout history. Pan was the son of Hermes and was a satyr -- a rough, goat-like species with demoniacal features. Pan was the guardian of flocks and shepherds who gave him offerings of milk, honey, and lamb. Satyrs are also associated with the Pagan god Dionysus. It is possible that early Church fathers chose to use Pan as a guideline because of his association with Paganism. He was also thought to have partaken in multitudes of frenzied sexual exploits, and this connects to the early Church belief that Satan and his minions would have sex with human women. In this early time, it was thought that women were weak and could not control their sexual urges. Therefore, they (and their husbands especially) needed to be warned about such beings as Pan and Satan. However, Pan was not the only influence on the artistic and literary definitions of Satan. Humans were also an inspiration for depictions of the Devil.
Stay Tuned for The Medieval Origins of Satan in Literature & Art: Part 5
Stay Tuned for The Medieval Origins of Satan in Literature & Art: Part 5