Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles (pronounced MEF-ist-OF-il-eez, or in German [mefɪˈstoːfəlɛs]), also called Mephostophilis or simply Mephisto, is a demon from German folklore. He originated as the chief devil in the Faust legend and later became a recurring stock character in art and popular culture. He never became an integral part of traditional magic. The name first appeared in the late 1500s.

Devil vs. Mephistopheles

It was coined for the historical alchemist Johann Georg Faust by the anonymous author of the first Faustbuch, published in 1587. In that book, he was called Mephostophiles. The name Mephistopheles was coined and popularised by Goethe. Shakespeare used the name in The Merry Wives of Windsor as a comparison to a demon, not as an insult; the First Folio spells it “Mephostophilus.” The name is a corrupted Greek compound: the Greek particle mē (not) and philos (love or loving) form the first and last parts, but the middle term is uncertain.

Three possible meanings have been proposed: “not loving light” (from phōs), “not loving Faust,” or a reference to mephitic, poisonous vapors from pools and caverns. Mephistopheles entered magical and demonological lore through Renaissance humanist interpretations of Greek and Latin texts. In Christopher Marlowe’s play Doctor Faustus (1604), he was written more as a fallen angel than a familiar demon.

In the Faust legend

In Goethe’s two-part drama Faust, he appears as cold-hearted, humorous, and ironic. In the Faust legend, based on the historical Johann Georg Faust, an ambitious scholar makes a deal with the Devil at the price of his soul. Mephistopheles acts as the Devil’s agent. The legend symbolizes the consequences when the quest for power and realization escapes the intellectual and moral limits of the Christian medieval order.

In Marlowe’s version, Mephistopheles is not completely evil: he laments his lost happiness and being shunned from God. He is introspective, clever, and aware of his role, regretting that he perceives only illusions instead of God. This contrasts with the comical medieval depictions of devils. In the 1725 chapbook that Goethe read, Mephostophiles appears as a devil in the form of a greyfriar, summoned by Faust in a wood outside Wittenberg.