Hello everyone! This is Casimir with The Skald’s Circle again. Today we’ll be talking about Faustian stories!
Ah, deals with the devil. A personal favorite topic of mine in folklore. Whether it’s the literal devil, as in the tale of Faust, Pan Twardowski, or an evil figure such as with Dutch Michael in Man of Glass, it always makes for great storytelling. The stories are, for the most part, the same regardless of what culture they’re from. A person is bored, depressed, or just wants power. So, they take it upon themselves to seek out Old Scratch. This normally involves seeking ancient knowledge in a book or learning it from a person with the knowledge. They complete the spell, Old Nick shows up and is all ready to purchase some sorry sap’s eternal soul. The mortal, thinking they’re clever, tries to come up with someway to trick Luci with their contract. Twardowski said Satan can only collect his soul in Rome, Faust, on the other hand, didn’t think that through; Stingy Jack either put Satan in a bag with a crucifix or had Morningstar climb up a tree which he then surrounded by Crucifixes. In the end, though, they normally end up getting their whatfore. Stingy Jack ends up dying and not being able to go to heaven or hell. Twardowski well…you’ll just have to listen to the story to find out what happens to him. Faust — as I said he didn’t think that through. The names change, but the general idea remains the same; but as we all know, the devil is certainly in the details sometimes.
These stories are beginning to very clearly make their way into popular culture. My personal favorite example is in CD Projekt Red’s video game: The Witcher 3: The Heart of Stone. The plot of the game expansion takes examples from both Man of Glass and Pan Twardowski in one of the best villains ever done, Gaunter O’Dimm. (see what they did there?) There are uncountable movies, books, and video games that have characters making deals with devils or other evil spirits that only bring them hell in the end. I mean who hasn’t made a deal with an evil being in a tabletop game for power, I know Mynogan has. If you enjoy Faustian stories as much as I do, keep an eye out for the rest of the Man of Glass, and give Pan Twardowski a listen. I ba’alieve you’ll enjoy them!
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