Devil in the arts and popular culture

A man dressed as the Devil at New York City's West Indian Day Parade.

The Devil (Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles, Iblis) appears frequently as a character in literature and other media. In Abrahamic religions, the figure of the Devil or Satan personifies evil.[1] Depictions of the devil first became prominent in Christianity in the 6th century when the Council of Constantinople officially recognized Satan as part of the Christian belief system.[2]

When Satan is depicted in movies and television, he is often associated with various symbols, whether as a motif or in his physical design or costume. These include horns, tails, and wings. Satan is also associated with or may take the form of snakes, dragons, goats, or dogs. The color red is another common symbol, and may be incorporated by showing Satan with red skin, hair, or clothing.[3] When trying to blend in or deceive someone, he is often represented as an ordinary human being, and sometimes only his voice is heard.

Although in medieval art Satan appears in forms of various genders, stations, or ages, in cinema of the United States he is most often male.[2]

## See also

[edit]

* Deal with the Devil
* Genies in popular culture
* List of fictional Antichrists
* List of fictional demons
* Satan (disambiguation)
* Trigon
* Works based on Faust

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kurtz, Lester R., 2007, Gods in the Global Village: The World's Religions in Sociological Perspective, Pine Forge Press, ISBN 1-4129-2715-3, p. 153.
2. ^ a b Wyman, Kelly J. (2004) "The Devil We Already Know: Medieval Representations of a Powerless Satan in Modern American Cinema," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 8: Iss. 3, Article 7.
3. ^ Wyman, Kelly J. (October 2004). "The Devil We Already Know: Medieval Representations of a Powerless Satan in Modern American CinemaPowerless Satan in Modern American Cinema". Journal of Religion & Film. 8 (3). Retrieved 4 July 2024.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Boulware, Jack (June 17, 1998). "Thirty-two years of Satan in popular culture". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30.
* Christianson, Eric S.; Patridge, Christopher (2008). The Lure of the Dark Side: Satan & Western Demonology in Popular Culture. Equinox Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84553-310-6.
* Stromberg, Fredrik (2005). The Comics Go to Hell: A Visual History of the Devil in Comics. Fantagraphics Books. ISBN 1-56097-616-0.

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