The Medieval Origins of Satan in Literature & Art: Part 5

When he initially appeared in early Medieval art (roughly the 6th through 11th centuries), the Devil was pictured as human or humanoid. In Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, Russell writes that this type of image “dominated the period from the ninth through the eleventh” centuries. The Devil could appear as a regular person such “as an old man or woman, an attractive youth or girl, a servant, pauper, fisherman, merchant, student, shoemaker, or peasant. He frequently made his appearance as a holy man – a priest, monk, or pilgrim.” Russell further explains that some of the characteristics of the humanoid Devil “were glowing eyes, spewing mouths, spindly arms and legs, bloated torsos, and long, hooked noses.” While never officially reported, the latter could have possibly served as a method of demonizing Judaism and people from an ethnic Jewish background. The purpose behind making Satan look human or humanoid was to posit him as being everywhere and, therefore, inescapable. Satan needed to appear in various unsuspected forms in order to be a more compelling charmer. God had given the Devil power over humanity in the form of temptation. What good would it do to tantalize humans if they knew they were being tempted by Satan? Satan had to, at the very least, be granted a chance to succeed.  

Satan is also credited with being the serpent of Genesis. He successfully tempted Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil), and, by doing so, opened human eyes from blindness; however, in The Biography of Satan, Kersey Graves writes that “a serpent is not a Devil.” The Catholic Church disagrees with Graves and holds to the conviction that the serpent in Genesis is most definitely the Devil. Cristiani affirms, “there is no doubt that the Serpent that tempted Eve was Satan in person. The Serpent is the Dragon of the Apocalypse. And the Dragon is either Satan or Lucifer.”

Russell writes that Satan’s “most common animal characteristic . . . was horns, which . . . carried the ancient connotation of power.” In later Medieval art, around the turn of the eleventh century, Satan became a monster and was symbolized by the color red. The most common animalistic characteristics assigned to the Devil were horns, a tail, and wings, and, according to Russell, the most recurrent creature forms were “serpent (dragon), goat, and dog.”

In Lucifer, Russell writes,

Animal and monstrous demons tended to follow the forms suggested by Scripture, theology, and folklore, such as snakes, dragons, lions, goats, and bats. Often, however, artists seemed to select forms according to their fancy: demons with human feet and hands, wild hair, and animal faces and ears; demons with monstrous, hideous bodies, lizard skin, apelike heads, and paws. The symbolism was intended to show the Devil as deprived of beauty, harmony, reality, and structure, shifting his shapes chaotically, and as a twisted, ugly distortion of what angelic or even human nature ought to be. The didactic purpose was to frighten sinners with threats of torment and hell.

The color red was used to indicate the fiery depths of hell and to signify the blood of humanity. The Devil’s skin was sometimes red, or he was dressed in red, or his hair was flaming like fire. He was always thought of, written about, or pictured as having money and being able to shape shift. During the High Middle Ages, Satan-as-human and Satan-as-beast were the most common artistic and literary representations of the Devil. Russell writes that, according to biblical literature, angels were composed of “ethereal fire and thus were colored red.”

Although humanoid and beast-like representations were the most common throughout the High Middle Ages, some theologians and scholars believed that the Devil was a spirit who could possess humans and other creatures. During the Medieval Period, some Christians, theologians, and scholars believed that the Devil was not tangible, and, therefore, he was illustrated as a spirit or angel. In Witchcraft in the Middle Ages, Russell writes that, between the years of 1140-1230, Satan was often thought of as a spirit. He further explains, “the eternal Principal of Evil walked in solid, if invisible, substance at one’s side and crouched when one was quiet in the dark recesses of room and mind.”

The idea of Satan entering a human body or being an invisible presence is intrinsically more frightening than a Devil who is personified. After all, a Devil who manifests himself in human form, or even as a beast-like figure, can be killed and disposed. In her book The Origin of Satan, Elaine Pagels writes that “thousands of years of tradition have characterized Satan…as a spirit.” This would make the Devil a malfeasant being able to physically possess humans. Kersey Graves explains that at one time “the Devil, it was thought, could not influence the actions of men unless [he was] bodily present within them.”

Stay Tuned for The Medieval Origins of Satan in Literature & Art: Part 6

The Medieval Origins of Satan in Literature & Art: Part 4

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