Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles, also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend and has since become a stock character appearing in other works of arts and popular culture.

During the Renaissance, he was known by the name Mephostophiles, from which one of his possible etymologies is derived, according to which the name comes from the combination of the Greek negative particle μὴ (not), φῶς (light), φιλής (he who loves), or what is the same: he who does not love the light. However, the meaning of the word has not been fully established. Butler mentions that the name suggests conjectures in Greek, Persian or Hebrew languages. Among the suggested names, there are Mephophiles (enemy of light), Mefaustophiles (enemy of Faust), or Mefiz-Tofel (destroyer-liar).

Extended by Romanticism and universalized by Faust, it symbolizes the process of loss of faith and concretization to the practical according to a moral system typical of advanced societies as a consequence of the Scientific and Industrial Revolution.

Mephistopheles is often portrayed as a tragicomic figure, caught between his victory in getting the masses to stop considering God the center of all things, and his defeat in losing relevance himself for the same reason. Graphically, Mephistopheles has been shown as the most refined representation of evil, being characterized with lavish clothing typical of nobility and with a cold, rational mind with a high level of logic, the same one he would use to mentally trap people and make them follow his designs.

Category:Legendary people
Category:Faust
Category:Demons