# Mephistopheles

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Demon in German folklore

For other uses, see [Mephistopheles (disambiguation)](/source/Mephistopheles_(disambiguation)).

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*Mephistopheles* by [Paul Mathey](/source/Paul_Mathey), 1888

**Mephistopheles**[a] ([/ˌmɛfɪˈstɒfɪliːz/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) [*MEF-ist-OF-il-eez*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key), German: [\[mefɪˈstoːfəlɛs\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German) [ⓘ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De-Mephistopheles.ogg)), also known as **Mephostophilis**[1] or **Mephisto**,[2] is a [demon](/source/Demon) featured in [German folklore](/source/German_folklore), originating as the chief devil in the [Faust](/source/Faust) legend.[3] He has since become a [stock character](/source/Stock_character) appearing in [other works of arts and popular culture](/source/Mephistopheles_in_the_arts_and_popular_culture). Mephistopheles never became an integral part of traditional magic.[4]

## Origins

Mephistopheles flying over [Wittenberg](/source/Wittenberg), in a [lithograph](/source/Lithography) by [Eugène Delacroix](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_Delacroix)

Around the 15th to 17th centuries in [Europe](/source/Europe), the age of witchcraft waned, and the [Devil](/source/Devil) became more of a fixture in literature until the later 18th century. Once the idea of [Satan](/source/Satan)'s "metaphysical existence" seemed less pressing, he became a symbol in literature representing evil characters, evil meanings, corruption, etc.[5] Sometimes, authors had a more sympathetic depiction of Satan, which would later be called the Romantic Devil. Those who believed in pantheistic mysticism[6]— the belief that an individual experiences a mystical union with the divine, believing that [God](/source/God) and the universe are one—often held that the angels fell from [Heaven](/source/Heaven) because they loved beauty and wanted to have Heaven for themselves.[7] This idea led to the work *[Faust](/source/Goethe's_Faust)* by [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](/source/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe) (1749–1832), in which Goethe created his version of the Devil, Mephistopheles. Goethe's Mephistopheles has been highly influential.[5]

*MEPHISTO_PHILES* in the 1527 *Praxis Magia Faustiana*, attributed to Faust

### Devil vs. Mephistopheles

The Enlightenment and Romantic eras in Europe increased the variety of views of the Devil.[8] The Devil, also known as Satan or [Lucifer](/source/Lucifer), is understood to be the chief adversary of God. He is the leader of the fallen angels and the chief source of evil and temptation. The Devil is the ruler of [Hell](/source/Hell) and is the prince of evil spirits. In the [Christian](/source/Christian) tradition, the Devil is a creation who was subject to the divine will and who misused the divine nature.[9]

Mephistopheles is seen as Hell's messenger, making him the servant of the Devil. In the Faust legend, he plays the roles of trickster, liar, cheater, and negotiator, making deals for souls, although he can also be intelligent, ironic, and charming. Mephistopheles can [shapeshift](/source/Shapeshift) into any animal, person, knight, etc., through magic and illusion.[10] He is the opponent of beauty and freedom, and he causes the death of the individuals and works to ruin lives.[11]

#### Etymology and name meaning

The name *Mephistopheles* is a corrupted [Greek](/source/Greek_language) [compound](/source/Compound_(linguistics)).[12] The Greek [particle](/source/Particle_(linguistics)) of [negation](/source/Affirmation_and_negation#Negation) (μή, *mē*) and the Greek word for "[love](/source/Philia)" or "loving" (φίλος, *philos*) are the first and last terms of the compound, but the middle term is more doubtful.

Three possible meanings have been proposed, and three different etymologies have been offered:

- "not loving light" or "not a friend of light"[1](φῶς, *phōs*; the old form of the name being *Mephostopheles*)

- "not loving Faust" or "not a friend of Faust"[1]

- *[mephitic](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mephitic),* pertaining to poisonous vapors arising from pools, caverns, and springs.[12]

Mephistopheles' name was possibly taken from the [Hebrew](/source/Hebrew) words "mephiz", or destroyer, and "tophel", or slander. The name was invented for the historical [alchemist](/source/Alchemist) [Johann Georg Faust](/source/Johann_Georg_Faust) by the anonymous author of the first *[Faustbuch](/source/Faustbuch)* (published 1587).[2][13] However, in the Faustbuch he was called *Mephostophiles*, the name Mephistopheles was coined and popularised by Goethe.[13] [Shakespeare](/source/Shakespeare) used the name in the form of *Mephistophilus*, using the [Latin](/source/Latin_language) version *philus* instead of the Greek *philês*.[13] Mephistopheles was not previously part of the traditional magical or demonological lore, but is a new coinage by a Rennaissance humanist drawing upon Greek and Latin.[13] In the play, *[Doctor Faustus](/source/Doctor_Faustus_(play))* (1604), created by Christopher Marlowe, Mephistopheles was written more as a fallen angel than as familiar demon. In the drama [Faust](/source/Faust), written in two parts by J.W. von Goethe, Mephistopheles appears as cold-hearted, humorous, and ironic.[14]

## In the Faust legend

Further information: [Faust](/source/Faust)

Engraving of [Faust](/source/Faust)'s pact with Mephisto, by Adolf Gnauth (circa 1840)

Mephistopheles is associated with the Faust legend, based on the historical [Johann Georg Faust](/source/Johann_Georg_Faust). In the legend, Faust, an ambitious scholar, makes a [deal with the Devil](/source/Deal_with_the_Devil) at the price of his soul, with Mephistopheles acting as the devil's agent. The legend has come to symbolize the consequences of what happens when the quest for empowerment and realization escape the "intellectual and moral restrictions of the Christian medieval order."[15][16]

In the Faust legend written by [Christopher Marlowe](/source/Christopher_Marlowe) a psychological depth to the traditional view of the devil is added. Mephisto is not completely evil, because he laments the loss of his happiness, being shunned from God. He is introspective and clever and in this depiction very different from the comical ones in medieval times. He is aware of his role and regrets it, because he only perceives illusions instead of God.[17]

The name appears in the late-sixteenth-century [Faust chapbooks](/source/Faust_chapbooks) – stories concerning the life of Johann Georg Faust, written by an anonymous German author. The first of these chapbooks, *Historia von D. Johann Fausten* (1587) is believed to be the first literary appearance of the Faust and Mephistopheles character.[15] In the 1725 version, which [Goethe](/source/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe) read, *Mephostophiles* is a [devil](/source/Devil) in the form of a [greyfriar](/source/Franciscans) summoned by Faust in a wood outside [Wittenberg](/source/Wittenberg).

From the chapbooks, the name Mephistophilis entered Faustian literature. Many authors have used it, from Goethe to [Christopher Marlowe](/source/Christopher_Marlowe). In the 1616 edition of Marlowe's *[The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus](/source/The_Tragical_History_of_Doctor_Faustus)*, *Mephostophiles* became *Mephistophilis*.

In later adaptations of the Faust material, Mephistopheles frequently figures as a title character: in [Meyer Lutz](/source/Meyer_Lutz)'s *[Mephistopheles, or Faust and Marguerite](/source/Faust_and_Marguerite_(opera))* (1855), [Arrigo Boito](/source/Arrigo_Boito)'s *[Mefistofele](/source/Mefistofele)* (1868), [Klaus Mann](/source/Klaus_Mann)'s *[Mephisto](/source/Mephisto_(novel))*, and [Franz Liszt](/source/Franz_Liszt)'s *[Mephisto Waltzes](/source/Mephisto_Waltzes)*. There are also many parallels with the character of Mephistopheles and the character Lord Henry Wotton in *[The Picture of Dorian Gray](/source/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray)* by [Oscar Wilde](/source/Oscar_Wilde).[18]

## Mephistopheles in performance

### Goethe's *Faust*

[Lewis Morrison](/source/Lewis_Morrison) as Mephistopheles in his own production of Goethe's *Faust*

In [Goethe's Faust](/source/Goethe's_Faust), the role of Mephistopheles is quite complex, and [Josef Kainz](/source/Josef_Kainz) describes the role as one of the most significant challenges for an actor in world theater. The character constantly changes in tone throughout the play, giving the character a feeling of minor to no consistency in performance on stage. When Mephisto first meets Faust, he describes how his spirit being “Nothing” conflicts with the world’s spirit of “Something” (Part I Scene III, 1362–1366). The devil is in constant conflict with the world he is placed into, which explains the fluctuation of roles Mephisto portrays on the stage or screen. For an actor to play Goethe's Mephisto, they are called upon to embody this “Nothing” and disconnect themselves from the “Something” that makes them earthly. To achieve this characterization, actors are encouraged to be dramatic and rough in tone and gestures, contradicting traditional elements of [classical theater](/source/Classicism).[19]

### Marlowe's Dr. Faustus

In [Marlowe's](/source/Christopher_Marlowe) [Doctor Faustus](/source/Doctor_Faustus_(play)), the roles of Dr. Faustus and Mephistopheles alternate between the two actors, Sandy Grierson and Oliver Ryan, in 2016. While playing both roles, the Scottish actor, Sandy Grierson, expressed that Mephistopheles is more humane than what is portrayed in other plays and novels.[20] The character correlates to the idea of humanity when Mephistopheles pleads with Faustus to reconsider his deal. "O Faustus, leave these frivolous demands" (Act II, Scene 1). Mephistopheles portrays a sense of feeling to prevent Dr. Faustus from making the incorrect decision. Concluding that Mephistopheles is portrayed as less condescending and cold-hearted. [Arthur Darvill](/source/Arthur_Darvill), while playing as Mephistopheles in the 2011 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre's production of Doctor Faustus, expressed how thrilling his experience was on Shakespeare's Globe Youtube Channel.[21]

## Interpretations

### Devil, damnation, and Hell

*Mephistopheles* by [Mark Antokolsky](/source/Mark_Antokolsky), 1884

Although Mephistopheles appears to Faustus as a [demon](/source/Demon) – a worker for [Lucifer](/source/Lucifer) – critics claim that he does not search for men to corrupt, but comes to serve and ultimately collect the souls of those who are already damned. Willard Farnham explains, "Nor does Mephistophiles first appear to Faustus as a devil who walks up and down on earth to tempt and corrupt any man encountered. He appears because he senses in Faustus' magical summons that Faustus is already corrupt, that indeed he is already 'in danger to be damned'."[22]

Mephistopheles is already trapped in his own Hell by serving the Devil. He warns Faustus of the choice he is making by "selling his soul" to the devil: "Mephistophilis, an agent of Lucifer, appears and at first advises Faust not to forego the promise of [heaven](/source/Heaven) to pursue his goals".[23] Farnham adds to his theory, "...[Faustus] enters an ever-present private hell like that of Mephistophiles".[24]

*[Mephistopheles and Margaretta](/source/Mephistopheles_and_Margaretta)*, wooden double sculpture, c. 1876

Though Mephistopheles can be interpreted as vile through his actions, he profoundly warns Faustus of God’s wrath if he does not repent. Osman Durrani describes the character as “simultaneously, an example of gross depravity and a morally aware theologian.” [1]

Dorothy L. Sayers' play, *The Devil to Pay*, published in 1939, portrays Mephistopheles as a familiar of the devil as well. Sayers created Mephistopheles to seem mischievous and daunting, while doing the devil's bidding. In this play, it appears as if Mephistopheles' actions were done willingly. Mephistopheles did not necessarily warn Dr. Faustus; rather, he persuaded him to believe that he was to be his servant instead. Once Dr. Faustus was gone, Mephistopheles called into the Hell-Mouth, "Lucifer, Lucifer! The bird is caught..."[Mephistopheles].[25]

This interpretation of Mephistopheles falls in line with the Protestant revisioning of magic, specifically conjuring. In the late 1580s, popular Protestant writers argued that conjurations were "theatrical spectacles", in which Satan allowed demons to appear as if they had been summoned and controlled by humans. This performance further damns the soul of the magician and allows for the demon to collect his soul for Lucifer. These revisions were widely circulated before Marlowe's *Dr. Faustus* premiered and were integrated into his work.[26]

### Nature vs. evil

The nature between God and evil is complex amongst the theological issues. In Abrahamic religions, God is inherently deemed as good and not capable of being evil, though those religions also have to acknowledge the existence of evil in the world. Through the ideals of the Society of Jesuits, the Roman Catholic religious order expressed that nature is undistorted by original sin.[27] Mephistopheles also appears as a nature spirit, a Naturgeist.,[28] though he is still deemed as evil or rather destructive amongst many scholars. However, Jane K. Brown suggests that Mephistopheles is Faust's "mediator to the world," that he is neither evil or destructive.[29] Brown suggests that nature is where God and the devil meet and this is where humans live. Mephistopheles, then, represents one of the two souls that humans naturally possess, Faust's struggle between the "divine principle (mind or spirit) and the world (physical nature)."[29] Mephistopheles is a nature spirit representing the unsegmented world through the human experience.[30]

### Sexuality

One interpretation of the character is that Mephistopheles presents himself as a [sexual voyeur](/source/Voyeurism). This voyeurism can represent Faust’s sexual confusion and temptation. An example would be Faust’s interactions with Helen of Troy, in which, given temptation, Mephistopheles loosens his grip on Faust as he falls further from God and Heaven.[19]

Mephistopheles can also be perceived as a homoerotic character. When observing male angels during the burial scene in Goethe's *Faust,* he can be seen as becoming physically aroused. Later on, he becomes consumed by his feelings as he is engulfed in flames. This is believed to be the Lord's plan since the beginning in order to save Faust from damnation. By tempting Mephistopheles's homoerotic nature he is unable to focus on corrupting Faust, subsequently saving him.[1]

## See also

Main article: [Mephistopheles in the arts and popular culture](/source/Mephistopheles_in_the_arts_and_popular_culture)

- [Beelzebub](/source/Beelzebub)

- In [Blue Exorcist](/source/Blue_Exorcist), the character Mephistopheles (also named [Samael](/source/Samael)) is the headmaster of True Cross Academy, is also the legal guardian of the Okumura twins.

- [Devil in Christianity](/source/Devil_in_Christianity)

- [Mephiskapheles](/source/Mephiskapheles), Ska band whose name is a play on Mephistopheles

- [Mephisto](/source/Mephisto_(Marvel_Comics)) a character from Marvel Comics based on the Demon.

- [Mephisto](/source/Mephisto_(tank)), the sole surviving [WW1](/source/World_War_I) German [A7V](/source/A7V) tank

- [Mr. Mistoffelees](/source/Mr._Mistoffelees), a character from the musical Cats

- [Prince of Darkness](/source/Prince_of_Darkness_(Satan))

- [Satan](/source/Satan)

- [*Servant*](/source/Servant_(TV_series)), television series

- [William Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare) mentions "Mephistophilus" in *[The Merry Wives of Windsor](/source/The_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor)* (Act I, Scene I, line 128), and by the 17th century the name became independent of the Faust legend.[31]

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Variants of the name include: **Mephistophilus**, **Mephostopheles**, **Mephistophilis**, **Mephastophilis**, **Mephastophiles** and others

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:3_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:3_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:3_2-4) Bishop, Paul, ed. (2006). *A companion to Goethe's Faust: parts I and II*. Studies in German literature, linguistics, and culture (Repr. in paperback ed.). Rochester, NY: Camden House. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-57113-162-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-57113-162-1).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) ["Mephistopheles"](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mephistopheles). *[Encyclopedia Britannica](/source/Encyclopedia_Britannica)*. 20 July 1998.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Definition of MEPHISTOPHELES"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mephistopheles). *www.merriam-webster.com*. 2025-02-17. Retrieved 2025-03-03.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Mephistopheles | Faust, Demon, Devil | Britannica"](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mephistopheles). *www.britannica.com*. Retrieved 2025-03-03.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Easlea_105–106_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Easlea_105–106_6-1) Easlea, Brian (1989-02-01). ["<scp>jeffrey burton russell</scp>. *Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World*. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1986. Pp. 333. $24.95"](https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/94.1.105). *The American Historical Review*. **94** (1): 105–106. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1086/ahr/94.1.105](https://doi.org/10.1086%2Fahr%2F94.1.105). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1937-5239](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1937-5239).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Starr, Reginald H. (1901). ["Christian Mysticism"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/27528139). *The Sewanee Review*. **9** (1): 30–40. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0037-3052](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0037-3052). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [27528139](https://www.jstor.org/stable/27528139).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus in cage"](https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.9956530.cmp.24). *doi.org*. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3998/mpub.9956530.cmp.24](https://doi.org/10.3998%2Fmpub.9956530.cmp.24). Retrieved 2025-04-29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Russell, Jeffrey Burton (2016-03-10). [*The Prince of Darkness*](https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501703331). Cornell University Press. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.7591/9781501703331](https://doi.org/10.7591%2F9781501703331). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-5017-0333-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-5017-0333-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Easlea, Brian (1989-02-01). ["jeffrey burton russell . Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World . Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1986. Pp. 333. $24.95"](https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/94/1/105/147393). *The American Historical Review*. **94** (1): 105–106. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1086/ahr/94.1.105](https://doi.org/10.1086%2Fahr%2F94.1.105). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1937-5239](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1937-5239).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Russell, Jeffrey Burton (2016). *The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History*. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-5017-0333-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-5017-0333-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Easlea, Brian (1989-02-01). ["jeffrey burton russell . Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World . Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1986. Pp. 333. $24.95"](https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/94/1/105/147393). *The American Historical Review*. **94** (1): 105–106. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1086/ahr/94.1.105](https://doi.org/10.1086%2Fahr%2F94.1.105). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1937-5239](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1937-5239).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_13-1) Snider, Denton Jaques (1886). [*Goethe's Faust: A commentary*](https://books.google.com/books?id=um8oAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA132). Sigma. pp. 132–133.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_14-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_14-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:4_14-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:4_14-3) Russell, J. B. (1986). *Mephistopheles: The devil in the modern world* (1. publ.). Cornell Univ. Pr. p. 61.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Lackland, Caroline Eliot (1882). ["Mephistopheles"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25667926). *The Journal of Speculative Philosophy*. **16** (3): 320–329. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0891-625X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0891-625X). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [25667926](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25667926).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-zapf_16-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-zapf_16-1) Zapf, Hubert (2012). ["The Rewriting of the Faust Myth in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown""](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/nathhawtrevi.38.1.0019). *Nathaniel Hawthorne Review*. **38** (1): 19–40. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0890-4197](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0890-4197). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [10.5325/nathhawtrevi.38.1.0019](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/nathhawtrevi.38.1.0019).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Russell, J. B. (1986). *Mephistopheles: The devil in the modern world* (1. publ.). Cornell Univ. Pr. p. 65.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Russell, J. B. (1986). *Mephistopheles: The devil in the modern world* (1. publ.). Cornell Univ. Pr. p. 65-66.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** {{Cite He is also interpreted as a mysterious figure in the movie Ghostrider. web|url=[https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/fulllist/special/interdisciplinaryandcreativecollaboration/faustbooks/doriangray/%7Ctitle](https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/fulllist/special/interdisciplinaryandcreativecollaboration/faustbooks/doriangray/%7Ctitle) = The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)}}

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_20-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_20-1) Brown, Jane K.; Lee, Meredith; Saine, Thomas P., eds. (1994). *Interpreting Goethe's "Faust" today*. Columbia, SC: Camden House. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-879751-49-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-879751-49-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Sandy Grierson | Blog | Royal Shakespeare Company"](https://www.rsc.org.uk/blogs/pathways-to-shakespeare/sandy-grierson). *www.rsc.org.uk*. Retrieved 2025-04-29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Shakespeare's Globe (2011-06-14). [*Shakespeare's Globe Theatre: Doctor Faustus interview with Arthur Darvill*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=F0HVnjFHvO5Xvfg-&v=29FyeKooCZY&feature=youtu.be). Retrieved 2025-04-29 – via YouTube.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Farnham, Willard (1969). *Twentieth Century Interpretations of Doctor Faustus*. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: [Prentice-Hall](/source/Prentice-Hall). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0132163095](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0132163095).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Krstovic, Jelena; Lazzardi, Marie, eds. (1999). "Plot and Major Themes". *Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800*. **47**. Detroit, Michigan: [The Gale Group](/source/The_Gale_Group): 202.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Krstovic & Lazzardi 1999, p. 8

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** ["Villainy and the Life of the Mind in A.S. Byatt and Dorothy L. Sayers"](https://doi.org/10.5040/9798400639760.0015). *The Devil Himself*: 147–158. 2001. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5040/9798400639760.0015](https://doi.org/10.5040%2F9798400639760.0015). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [979-8-4006-3976-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/979-8-4006-3976-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** Guenther, Genevieve (August 2011). ["Why Devils Came When Faustus Called Them"](https://dx.doi.org/10.1086/662147). *Modern Philology*. **109** (1): 46–70. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1086/662147](https://doi.org/10.1086%2F662147). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0026-8232](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0026-8232).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** Russell, Jeffery (1986). *Mephistopheles* (4th ed.). Cornell University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780801418082](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780801418082).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** Brown, Jane K. (1985). ["Mephistopheles the Nature Spirit"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25600562). *Studies in Romanticism*. **24** (4): 475–490. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/25600562](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F25600562). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [25600562](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25600562).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Brown_1985_475–490_30-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Brown_1985_475–490_30-1) Brown, Jane K. (1985). ["Mephistopheles the Nature Spirit"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25600562). *Studies in Romanticism*. **24** (4): 475–490. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/25600562](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F25600562). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0039-3762](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0039-3762). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [25600562](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25600562).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** Easlea, Brian (1989-02-01). ["jeffrey burton russell . Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1986. Pp. 333. $24.95"](https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/94/1/105/147393). *The American Historical Review*. **94** (1): 105–106. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1086/ahr/94.1.105](https://doi.org/10.1086%2Fahr%2F94.1.105). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1937-5239](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1937-5239).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Russell_1992,_p._61_32-0)** Burton Russell 1992, p. 61 8. "Call Me Little Sunshine" by heavy-metal band Ghost 2022

## Bibliography

- Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1986). [*Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World*](https://archive.org/details/mephistophelesde00russ) (1990 reprint ed.). Ithaca, New York: Cornell. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8014-9718-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8014-9718-6).

- Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von (2001). Hamlin, Cyrus (ed.). *Faust: A Tragedy; Interpretive Notes, Contexts, Modern Criticism* (Norton Critical ed.). New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Company. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-393-97282-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-393-97282-5).

- [Ruickbie, Leo](/source/Leo_Ruickbie) (2009). *Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance Magician*. Stroud, UK: History Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7509-5090-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7509-5090-9).

- Andersson, Love. ““The Devil to Pay” : Temptation and Desire in Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus.” *DIVA*, 2021, www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1527786&dswid=197

- Smith, Warren D. “The Nature of Evil in “Doctor Faustus.”” *The Modern Language Review*, vol. 60, no. 2, Apr. 1965, p. 171, https://doi.org/10.2307/3720056

## External links

[Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has the text of the [1911 *Encyclopædia Britannica*](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition) article "[Mephistopheles](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Mephistopheles)".

- Quotations related to [Mephistopheles](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/Mephistopheles) at Wikiquote

- The dictionary definition of [*Mephistophelean*](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Mephistophelean) at Wiktionary

v t e Works based on Faust Folk legend Faust Johann Georg Faust Deal with the Devil in popular culture Simon Magus Theophilus of Adana Erdgeist Mephistopheles Pan Twardowski Stingy Jack Seminal works Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1587 chapbook) Doctor Faustus (1592 play) Cenodoxus (1602, play) Goethe's Faust (1808 play) Faust, Part One Faust, Part Two Prose "Bearskin" "Daniel and the Devil" Melmoth the Wanderer (1820) "The Devil and Tom Walker" (1824) St. John's Eve (1830) Auriol (1844) The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) Chasse-galerie (1892) The Sorrows of Satan (1896) Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician (1898) The Master and Margarita (1929–1940) Mephisto (1936) "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1937) None but Lucifer (1939) Doktor Faustus (1947) The Devil in Velvet (1951) The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (1954) Gimmicks Three (1956) The Devil to Pay in the Backlands (1956) That Hell-Bound Train (1958) For a Breath I Tarry (1966) The Damnation Game (1986) Eric (1990) The Devil's Own Work (1991) Jack Faust (1997) Johannes Cabal the Necromancer (2009) The Last Faust (2019) Plays Gretchen (1879) Damn Yankees (1955) Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1955) The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon (1965) Temptation (1986) Operas Faust (1816, Spohr) La Damnation de Faust (1846, Berlioz) Faust (1859, Gounod) Mefistofele (1868, Boito) Le petit Faust (1869, Hervé) Faust and Marguerite (1855, Lutz) Faust up to Date (1888, Lutz) Doktor Faust (1916–1925, Busoni) Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights (1938) The Rake's Progress (1951, Stravinsky) Reuben, Reuben (1955) Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1994) Faustus, the Last Night (2006) Ballets Faust ballets Classical music Gretchen am Spinnrade (1814, Schubert) Faust Overture (1840, Wagner) Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Âges' 2nd movement "Quasi-Faust" (1847, Alkan) Scenes from Goethe's Faust (1853, Schumann) Part II of Symphony No. 8 (1906–07, Mahler) Faust Symphony (1854–1857, Liszt) Mephisto Waltzes (Liszt) Gothic Symphony (Brian) Bagatelle sans tonalité (Liszt) Other music Albums Epica Saga Epica The Black Halo Beethoven's Last Night The Black Rider Songs "Mephisto Polka" (1859–1885) "Cross Road Blues" (1936) "Friend of the Devil" (1970) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (1979) "Faustian Echoes" (2012) "The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles" (2015) Films The Laboratory of Mephistopheles (1897) Faust and Marguerite (1900) The Damnation of Faust (1903) Faust and Marguerite (1904) The Student of Prague (1913) Rapsodia satanica (1915) The Student of Prague (1926) Faust (1926) The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) Alias Nick Beal (1949) The Legend of Faust (1949) Beauty and the Devil (1950) Marguerite de la nuit (1955) Damn Yankees (1958) Faust (1960) Bedazzled (1967) Doctor Faustus (1967) El extraño caso del doctor Fausto (1969) Mephisto (1981) Doctor Faustus (1982) Oh, God! You Devil (1984) Crossroads (1986) Faust (1994) Bedazzled (2000) Faust: Love of the Damned (2000) Fausto 5.0 (2001) I Was a Teenage Faust (2002) Shortcut to Happiness (2007) Goat Story (2008) Faust (2011) The Last Faust (2019) Doctor Faustus (2021) Television Episodes "Printer's Devil" (1963) "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" (2003) Other The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978) When the Devil Calls Your Name (2019) Musicals Damn Yankees (1955) Randy Newman's Faust (1995) Success! (1993) Faust (2003) Disco Inferno (2004) Comics Gods' Man (1929) Faust (manga) (1950) Doctor Faustus (comics) (1968) Faust (comics) (1987) Frau Faust (2014) Art Mephistopheles and Margaretta Paintings Category

v t e German folklore Folklore of German-speaking countries Beings Alberich Alp Askafroa Aufhocker Bahkauv Beerwolf Belsnickel Bergmönch Bieresel Bogeyman Buschgroßmutter Changeling Christkind Companions of Saint Nicholas Devil's grandmother Doppelgänger Drak Drude Dwarf Easter Bunny Ekke Nekkepenn Elwetritsch Erdhenne Erlking Ewiger Jäger Fänggen Fasolt Fenixmännlein Feuermann Feldgeister Frau Holle Gütel Heimchen Heinzelmännchen Hemann Hinzelmann Hödekin Irrwurz Jack o' the bowl Klabautermann Klagmuhme King Goldemar King Laurin Knecht Ruprecht Kobold Krampus Lindworm Lorelei Lutzelfrau Mare Mephistopheles Moss people Nachzehrer Night raven Nis Puk Nixie Ork Perchta Petermännchen Poltergeist Rasselbock Rhinemaidens Rübezahl Salige Frau Santa Claus Schießschlange Schrat Tatzelwurm Türst Uhaml Weiße Frauen Wiedergänger Wild Hunt Wild man Will-o'-the-wisp Witte Wiwer Wolpertinger People Albrecht Gessler Arnold von Winkelried Attila Baron Munchausen Brunhild Christman Genipperteinga Dietrich von Bern Eppelein von Gailingen Faust Frederick Barbarossa Friar Rush Genevieve of Brabant Giselher of Burgundy Götz von Berlichingen Gunther Gudrun Gundomar I Hagen Hannikel Hans von Sagan Hans von Trotha Heinrich von Winkelried Hildebrand Johann Peter Petri (Black Peter) Klaus Störtebeker Knight of the Swan Konrad Baumgarten Kunigunde von Orlamünde Lohengrin Matthias Klostermayr Nibelung Ortnit Otto the Younger Peter Klaus Peter Nikoll (Black Peter) Pied Piper of Hamelin Princess Ilse Punker of Rohrbach Rüdiger von Bechelaren Schildbürger Schinderhannes Sigurd Stauffacherin Tannhäuser The Smith of Kochel Till Eulenspiegel Treuer Eckart Volker von Alzey Walram of Thierstein Walter of Aquitaine Werner Stauffacher William Tell Witege Wolfdietrich Xaver Hohenleiter Legends and fairy tales Grimms' Fairy Tales Deutsche Sagen Volksmärchen der Deutschen Gespensterbuch Nibelungenlied Freischütz Hirschsprung Venusberg Vineta Walpurgis Night Traditions Laternelaufen Perchtenlaufen Räbeliechtli Rübengeistern [de] Traulicht [de] Related folklore English Low Countries Nordic Danish Swiss Jewish

Authority control databases International VIAF GND WorldCat National United States Israel Artists FID People DDB Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mephistopheles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mephistopheles) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mephistopheles?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.