Living in the bowels of the earth, demons, of course, more earthly matters than the good angels, with concerns about the spiritual rather than material issues. The devil is a skilled craftsman and hard worker, but when it comes to pay, he can't take care of himself and often left with his nose. If the services of the devil is a righteous man, the evil often turns into a blessing.


Bishop Olaf Magnussen, signed his treatise "peoples of the North" Latinized name "Olaus Magnus", States that in Scandinavia devils work at night in the stables: they cleaned the stables and feed the horses, which all the same, who care of them - hell or people. Demons work and mines, apparently feeling at home in the dark underground labyrinths. As a rule, the harder they work, the louder noise. These mountain devils completely harmless - if, of course, miners do not scoff at them. Some miner who worked on the silver mines near the Swiss village Davos, decided to mock rodnikovye devils, and it is bad ended: the poor guy broke her neck and up to the end of his days he walked in the back of his head forward.

Olaus Magnus says that demons are skilled navigators. They dominate the elements and can cause the winds at their discretion. Rough engraving from the Basel publications "peoples of the North" depicts a demon behind the wheel of the ship: in his left hand he holds a cloud from which blows the wind. At the same engraving people sit in a heavy wagon, which pulls air another demon. Such helpfulness from the infernal forces makes suspicious: we cannot help wondering whether it was possible to pay hell for such blessings less valuable coin than the immortal soul. Witness first hand calms us on this account. We learn that the famous monastery in the Sieve was crammed full of cheerful and good-natured dogs.

One of them was a bit mischievous and appeared to some novice in the form of veal tail; Stepnov the young man's face, he immediately disappeared. Later, he appeared again in the form of huge eyes. And in 1221 hell guest has rendered a service to one serf boy. The monastery was famous for its wine and vineyard ought to guard against unwanted visitors day and night. The boy standing on guard, wanted to sleep, and he called for help feature, promising unclean basket of ripe grapes, if the submenu him on the post. Good devil could not resist such ingenuity and watched the vineyard all night for this modest fee.

In 1130 a damn visited the Saxon town of Hildesheim. He would remain there to this day, if not for the wickedness of men, awakened in him verily the anger of the devil. This devil has got access to the Palace of the Bishop and soon its useful tips and culinary art gained the full confidence of the Prelate. In those times could be found Bishop, indifferent to juicy steaks; and the devil rode as cheese in oil between the kitchen and conference room, while some evil-the student has not offended and not beat him. Damn complained caused him hurt, but no one took my part. Then he went back to the kitchen, smothered a dozen chefs and was gone.

In the typical role of the protector of travelers, the devil once has been no scientist, marching from Guadalupe in Granada. In the form of a rider dressed in a black suit, the devil caught up with this scientist and seated him astride a black horse. All night they ran like the wind, and at dawn reached Granada, though usually such a journey would have taken several days. Hell rider disappeared without causing her any harm and even leaving a characteristic smell, write about all demonology. And from "acts of" Bolland we learn that the devil can sometimes move purity and innocence. One day a young maiden named Agnes through ignorance wanted to enter into a house, had a bad name. But she came to the open door, as Satan, with his friends in the form of ravens flew to the door and pushed the Agnes away. The bad residents of the house were very surprised, as Agnes. However, she had interpreted what happened... as the heavenly sign. Later, she bought this house, opened it a monastery and became its first occupant.

The devil "doeth good, wishing evil", when it has to deal Holy or righteous. How many bridges he built in his lifetime, receiving a reward instead of a person, any cat, a dog or a goat, - and all because, not learning from their mistakes, stubbornly claimed the first who will go over the bridge. Popular picture of the last century, depicts a majestic St. KADO handing cat razocharovannogo the devil. They both stand on the bridge, excellent masonry which indicates that it had a hand skilled master. "The devil's bridge" are found throughout Europe. In many places people had almost forgotten who owe their bridge. Actually tend to forget about performed services and to attribute other people's talents. People often deal with the devil just exactly like other artists with their colleagues: shamelessly steal his ideas, but still bargain and flinging mud.

And Parisians would probably forgot that the Pont Saint-Claude built by none other than the devil, is not remind them about this undeniable fact of Grijo de Givre. "Who would believe, - he writes, - that the bridge leading to the famous Park and fun to Paris fair, bridge, which is now riding an electric trolley, nice bridge St. Claude, are the work of Satan?" But for this wonderful bridge the devil got no more than for all other works: he had to settle for a poor, black cat, which would soon died. About the same rewarded and hell, who built the famous bridge over the gorge Sallinen in Switzerland, which is still proudly emblazoned above the river RES. For today's engineers to block this gorge bridge would work, but in those days, the task seemed incredibly complex. On one side of the divide rises almost sheer rock, and the road leading to the bridge, had to be carved out of granite and strengthen stone masonry. Legend has it that a shepherd had promised to give the devil the first living creature that crosses the bridge, so necessary at this pass connecting South and North of Europe. When it was done, the shepherd drove to the bridge chamois - and the devil had to accept it in payment.
As expected, the unclean equally skilled in the construction of walls and fortifications. One day he was caught in their nets French nobleman, the constable Ledger. Constable ordered the devil to surround entrusted to him the castle wall. Under the agreement, the Prince of darkness was to receive his soul, if constable will not have time to get out of the castle before the construction of the wall will be closed down. But at the last moment he managed to shoot on a horse in the non-pledged stone hole and had to leap out. However, the gap remained so narrow, that the horse's tail stuck in the wall. But constable chop off his sword, then terror rode another hundred miles, not looking back. This time the devil has not received even a cat! And the hairs of the cauda equina still stick out of the castle wall.

England and Scotland were once divided by a huge wall, remains of which have survived until now. Cement, holding her stones, was so strong, and joints so precise that since time immemorial, this structure is called "devil's wall". And all this is only a small fraction of the many, many examples that show that the devil really is not so terrible as he is painted: from time to time he did good, and allowed ordinary people to escape from it unharmed.
Faces of demons

Demons can take any shape, which only wish. Such opinion was expressed by many demonology; but some of them preferred to cut all the demons with the same brush and tried to standardize the devil, claiming that he and all his henchmen horned, tailed and have the hoof. Finally, there were specialists who attributed the individual inhabitants of hell is quite certain bodily shape, that was their true form, and not a mask, hiding under a "nothing". This was the opinion of Johann Weyer. He traveled extensively and, going into another country, first inquired about which there are devils. So he managed to assemble an impressive collection of infernal creatures, from which we will mention only a few, represented by master engraver Louis Breton "in accordance with official documents".

Wael is a hell of a great king, controlling the East. It is about three heads: frogs, humans and cats. Wael said in a hoarse voice. He is a scholar of law and a big fan of the discussions. He give men wisdom, and it can also make it invisible. Subordinated to it are sixty-six legions of demons. Forras, or Forces, great infernal patron. He looks strong, stout man. His wisdom is great: the best of the demons he understands the miraculous properties of herbs and stones. Forces, too, can make a man invisible. But that's not all: he teaches rhetoric, logic, and mathematics. With its help the magician can find treasures and lost property. Forces makes a person cheerful and resourceful. Buer - another great one hell of a patron and a specialist on ethics and logic; the main area of interests is the healthy juices of plants. Buer provides human spirits-helpers, and therefore very useful for the caster. Under him is the fifty-legions the demons. Weir writes that Buer is the mark of a five-pointed star, and Louis Breton interprets this indication is very original.

Marchesi great infernal Marquis. It is with wings of a Griffin and a snake's tail. "From his mouth, he spit anything, " says Weir. - What it is, I don't know". Taking human form, Marchesi becomes like a good soldier. He truly answers the questions put to him. Before the fall of Satan Marchesi belonged to the angelic orders of the authorities. Now subordinated to him thirty legions of devils. Marchesi hopes that after twelve hundred years, he will rise again on the seventh heavenly throne, but calms us Weir, is a vain hope. Astaroth - mighty Prince, which is ugly in the appearance of an angel. He sits on a hellish dragon and keeps the claw vipers. Astaroth knows all about the past, present and future, he knows all the secrets. He willingly speaks about the creation and the fall of spirits, how they sinned and were cast down to hell. This Astaroth declares that he himself fell not in good faith, and therefore he is still grieving about the past bliss. Astaroth - the patron of liberal arts. In conclusion, let us mention lumbering Behemoth, so effectively depicted Breton. In the "Pseudomusaria demons" Weir Behemoth does not include, but mentions it in another section of his voluminous treatise "About the tricks of the demons", citing the words spoken by God to Satan: "Now Behemoth, which I created, like you; he eats grass like an ox. Here is his strength is in his loins, and its strength in the muscles of his belly..."(. In addition to this monster, which Weyer wisely eliminated from the composition of the infernal government, and all the princes of hell endowed with great wisdom and skill in crafts, according to an ancient tradition, which Weyer certainly was well acquainted. His demons are scholastics, demagogues and the sophists, wholly owned by the city culture.

However, farmers are not willing to part with their usual images of demons. Rural never teaches philosophy. He gives much more practical advice and the treasures of wisdom prefer money. The farmer the devil was and still is in an old-fashioned mammal-like shape with horns, hoofs, tail. So it was depicted in "black books" of the last century; the only tribute to the progress sometimes became jacket with fringe. Three horns, crowning his head, like a stupid hat and goat hooves remind of its distant ancestor, Sir. In his hands he's got the money bag, which explains why Satan often had a special affection. But damn money unreliable: pretty soon they turn into a horse manure or coals. Therefore wizards always try as soon as possible to get rid of this ephemeral wealth. If money devil was cast down, they flashed a bright flame. Sometimes the devil took the shape of an ox, as we learn from the book of spells "the Black hen"where the devil, by the way, is depicted in the guise of an old-fashioned dandy embroidered coat with bridami. But don't be deceived: and in velvet and lace it remains all the same Enemy, "evil" and "evil".

The difference between rural and urban devil noticed Francis Barrett, London Professor of chemistry, natural philosophy and the occult philosophy, published in 1801 his famous book Mage". In this work Barrett attempted to return to the lords of hell their true appearance, which was very typical of the era acute awareness of change created by history. Barrett deprives demons all of jewelry, which they have acquired over the past century. For the sake of this reform tasks Barrett takes the trouble to describe the true appearance separate daemons, which attracted his interest. Of Asmodeus he depicts with a short nose and long teeth, and Titus is only as good Saxon, hiding the weak-willed chin under bushy beard. But voluptuous Incubus acquired a sarcastic grin, which must have made a considerable impression on the students Barrett, listening to his lecture on the Kabbalah and ceremonial magic. In the book Barrett is a hell of a lot of portraits, the inspiration for which, it seems, was the fountains or architectural ornaments good old London.

Collin de Plancy, which the devil personally appeared in the first quarter of the nineteenth century, largely confirms the peasant version. The adversary actually was Horny and tailed, but hoofs had. In height it reached eight feet, but was very complicated. Unfortunately, once he met with Saint Dunstan, who pinched the devil nose red-hot tongs and released only after the nose has grown a foot! St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, lived in the X century, but the memory of such an unusual act not faded from memory English farmers to this day. Collin de Plancy explains that all malformations of the devil guilty people - at least, so says himself the Lord of darkness. By nature he was not so ugly as now; but God has all the features that people will attribute the devil, will be saved in his appearance. "For example, in the beginning of my exile I had no tail, " says the devil, " but then popular rumor has awarded me". Horns head of the devil decorated nurses, "who wanted to bully his young wards". So unclean and gained what was not by nature. His ears forever swollen because he gets each slap in the face, which exorcist tries to bring to life the possessed. The end of his deplorable state of the devil brings this: "I'm so disfigured that I do not recognize myself. What words I don't call! What only ugliness I do not ascribe!" The idea that the devil supposedly faceless, is wrong. From conclusive (we know that Satan has quite some original form in which he appeared to de Plancy, adding, however, that at times it for fun accept and other shapes. But he corporeal, material and feel exactly as claimed Psellos in the XI century. Consequently, he is able to walk, to write, to sleep, to talk and to strangle his victim; on the contract with the mortal selling her soul, the devil puts a seal from this wax, which personally stamps its mark not less real than the seal of the mayor. He leaves a trifle fancy on the title pages of the Grimoire, to show that he fully endorses the content of these devilish books. In short, the devil is concrete and real, and trying to deny it are only those, who do not tolerate any images. These iconoclasts can't look at myself in the mirror out of fear that will see the glass Satan. But anyone who has the attitude to artistic creation, one way or another connected with Hell.

Victor Hugo Satan appeared in the form of a thinker-athlete, embodying the elusive dream of the poet that the power of his intellect was combined with physical perfection. Even in old age Hugo did not get rid of these youthful dreams. Adalbert von Chamisso portrayed the devil in the guise neat and sad citizen in the cylinder and gently fully buttoned jacket. However, such a mediocre-looking person could perform amazing miracles. Chamisso tried to turn bourgeois mediocrity in the artist, torn between the desire for independence and their desire to secure a permanent income. This dilemma it has not resolved, because ended his days as a Professor at the Berlin University. View Collina de Plancy about the devil also becomes clearer if we take into account the biography of the author. De Plancy suppressed their attraction to religion; he wrote about the devil so much only because secretly longed to get to heaven through the back door. He often quoted sources that highlight the harmlessness of the devil: Jean Bodin, who believed that demons can do good, and the angels of evil; St. Augustine, who said that "the devil is a dog on a leash: he barks but doesn't bite"; St. Bernard, confident that "even bear the devil's power to do evil, he would not want". In addition, de Plancy was afraid. Publishing a book called "Damn mallet himself", he soon turned to Catholicism.