In the spirit of the Halloween season, I was hunting and gathering images of the devil aka Satan aka Lucifer aka Scratch. I don't know that I have any amazing fresh insights on Our Dark Lord.
My main point here is to offer up some interesting images of the dark master as he's been imagined over time for your holiday meditations. Some of these I know a little about; some of them I don't know the background.
Let's start with this Gustave Dore image of Satan at the center of Cocytus, the ninth circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno.
I really dig this hot Satanic tango.
Here's a nice classic representation of red Satan with horns and a pitchfork.
Here's a vintage 1513 metal engraving of the Devil meeting the Knight of Death in the woods, or something like that.
One recurring idea of Satan involves him as representative of our more base low-level animal instincts. The prince of this world is thus often represented as some kind of animal, often goats; my favorite, naturally.
In Biblical lore, Lucifer was beautiful. The devil is often now depicted as suave, good looking, and seductive, "a man of wealth and taste," but historically these images of Satan as an ugly primitive beast were a common theme.
Part of those horrible animal instincts, of course, is sex. Sex is bad, m'kay? Satan is sometimes presented as a horny satyr. That temptation to sin naturally lends itself to representing the evil one as a seductive woman, such as in this Jenna Jameson devil costume.
Is it Dave Nalle? No, it's the ex-carny Anton Lavey. He liked to play on that sexy Satan idea. This seems pretty cheesy to me, but he had movie stars and such throwing themselves at him. It worked for him.
Article comments
1 - Nancy
Another interesting anthology of images of Mr. Big through the ages. Good one, Al. I always did think Satan would have to have a modicum of a friendly & non-lethal air, however, simply in order for potential victims to be snagged. Anything that looks TOO nasty, evil, or beastly would have even the most hard-boiled screaming in the opposite direction, after all.
2 - Iloz Zoc
I just knew the Weekly World News would finally uncover the truth about Iraq.
3 - Al Barger
Nancy, your expectations of The Dark One would probably depend on how you are looking at it. If you're thinking of Satan as a personality, someone who's going to walk up to you on the street and talk you into something, then you're probably looking for a smooth character.
On the other hand, if you're thinking of the devil as more a metaphor, or a symbol of the darker, base impulses of our lower animal nature, "the beast in me" as per the Nick Lowe song, then then enraged animal images make more sense.
4 - Woman sung about
Yes Satan loves to attack, pounce, devour, consume, chase down, seize...
but God loves to chastise, redeem, save, love,
and reward you with Heaven.
Satan...well, he has one thing in mind....
company in hell.
5 - Cam
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6 - alessandro
Sadam and Satan: the greatest love story ever!
cool pics.