Satan frozen at the center of Cocytus, the ninth circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Cocytus or Kokytos, meaning "the river of wailing" (from the Greek κωκυτός, "lamentation" is a river in the underworld in The Divine Comedy

The Devil is the title given to the supernatural being, who, in mainstream Christianity, Islam, and some other religions, is believed to be a powerful, evil entity and the tempter of humankind. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Evil, in many cultures is used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to some particular religion The Devil is commonly associated with heretics, infidels, and other unbelievers. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Infidel (literally "one without faith" is an English word meaning "one who doubts or rejects central tenets of a Religion or

The name "Devil" derives from the Greek word diabolos, which means "slanderer" or "accuser". ^[1] In mainstream Christianity, God and the Devil are usually portrayed as fighting over the souls of humans, with the Devil seeking to lure people away from God and into Sheol. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Sheol (pronounced "Sheh-ole" in Hebrew שאול (Sh'ol is the "abode of the dead" the " Underworld " "the common The Devil commands a force of lesser evil spirits, commonly known as demons. The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) does not assign this level of personification to the devil; there, the Adversary (Ha-satan) is a servant of God whose job it is to test humankind. The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally

This entity is commonly referred to by a variety of names, including Abbadon, Angra Mainyu, Satan, Asmodai, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Belial, and Iblis. Abaddon ( Hebrew אבדון Avaddon, meaning "destruction" "Ahriman" redirects here For other uses see Ahriman (disambiguation. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Asmodai or Asmodeus (see below for other variations is a Demon mostly known from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit. Ba‘al Zebûb, Ba‘al Zəbûb or Ba‘al Zəvûv ( Hebrew בעל זבוב, with numerous variants appears as the Lucifer is a name frequently given to Satan in Christian belief Belial (also Belhor, Baalial, Beliar, Belias, Beliall, Beliel, Bilael, Belu; from Hebrew בְּלִיַּ֫עַל Many other religions have a trickster or tempter figure that is similar to the Devil. Modern conceptions of the Devil include the concept that it symbolizes humans' own lower nature or sinfulness. Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation

People put the concept of the Devil to use in social and political conflicts, claiming that their opponents are influenced by the Devil or even willingly supporting the Devil. The Devil has also been used to explain why others hold beliefs that are considered to be false and ungodly.

The Devil in different religions

Judaism

Main article: Satan

In Judaism there is no concept of a devil like in mainstream Christianity or Islam. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut In Hebrew, the biblical word ha-satan (שָׂטָן) means "the adversary"^[2] or the obstacle, or even "the prosecutor" (recognizing that God is viewed as the ultimate Judge). The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the Common law Adversarial system, or the civil law A judge, or justice, is an Official who presides over a Court of law

In the book of Job (Iyov), ha-satan is the title, not the proper name, of an angel submitted to God; he is the divine court's chief prosecutor. The Book of Job ( איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition In Judaism ha-satan does not make evil, rather points out to God the evil inclinations and actions of humankind. In essence ha-satan has no power unless humans do evil things. After God points out Job's piety, ha-satan asks for permission to test the faith of Job. Jobe (/'dʒoʊb/; Arabic: أَيُّوبٌ,) is a character in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, as well as a prophet The righteous man is afflicted with loss of family, property, and later, health, but he still stays faithful to God. At the conclusion of this book God appears as a whirlwind, explaining to all that divine justice is inscrutable. A whirlwind is a weather phenomenon in which a Vortex of Wind, a vertically oriented rotating column of air forms due to instabilities and Turbulence In the epilogue Job's possessions are restored and he has a second family to "replace" the one that died.

In the Torah, ha-satan is mentioned several times. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to The main time is during the incident of the golden calf. As the source of people's evil inclination, or yetser harah, he is responsible for the Israelites building the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah from God. Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to In the book of 1 Chronicles 21:1, ha-satan incites David to an unlawful census. The Books of Chronicles ( Hebrew Divrei Hayyamim, דברי הימים Greek Paraleipomêna) are part of the Hebrew Bible (Jewish David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible

In fact, the Book of Isaiah, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Deuteronomy all have passages in which God is credited for exercising sovereign control over both good and evil. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived Ecclesiastes (often abbreviated Ecc) (קֹהֶלֶת Kohelet, variously transliterated as Qoheleth, Göhalath, Koheles, Koheleth Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomion, Δευτερονόμιον "second law" is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament

Christianity

Main article: Devil in Christianity

Saint Wolfgang and the Devil by Michael Pacher). mainstream Christianity, the Devil is named Satan, sometimes Lucifer. Michael Pacher (c 1435—August 1498 was an Austrian Tyrolean painter and sculptor active during the last quarter of the 15th century

In mainstream Christianity the Devil is also known as Satan and sometimes as Lucifer, although most scholars recognize the reference in Isaiah 14:12 to Lucifer, or the Morning Star, to be a reference to the Babylonian king (see, for example, the entries in Nave's Topical Bible, the Holman Bible Dictionary and the Adam Clarke Commentary). Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Lucifer is a name frequently given to Satan in Christian belief Some consider the Devil to be an angel who rebelled against God and has consequently been condemned to the Lake of Fire. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. A lake of fire appears in both Ancient Egyptian and Christian religion as a place where after death the wicked are punished or destroyed He is described as hating all humanity, or more accurately creation, opposing God, spreading lies and wreaking havoc on the souls of mankind. Other Christians consider the devil in the Bible to refer figuratively to human sin and temptation and to any human system in opposition to God. In the Bible, the devil is identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the dragon in the Book of Revelation (e. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Not to be confused with Eden Gardens.The Garden of Eden ( Hebrew "pleasure" גַּן עֵדֶן Arabic: جنات عدن, The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου g. Rev. 12:9), and the tempter of the Gospels (e. This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament g. Mat. 4:1).

Islam

Main article: Iblis

In Islam the Devil is referred to as Iblis (Arabic: Shaitan, a word referring to evil devil-like beings). In Islam, Shayṭān (شيطان is an entity analogous to Satan. According to the Qur'an, God created Iblis out of "smokeless fire" (along with all of the other jinn) and created man out of clay. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange was an online service The primary characteristic of the Devil, besides hubris, is that he has no power other than the power to cast evil suggestions into the heart of men and women. Hubris, sometimes spelled hybris ( Ancient Greek ὕβρις is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening Pride, self-confidence

According to Muslim theology, Iblis was expelled from the grace of God when he disobeyed God by choosing not to pay homage to Adam, the father of all mankind. Kalām (علم الكلام is the Islamic philosophy of seeking Islamic theological principles through Dialectic. He claimed to be superior to Adam, on the grounds that man was created of earth unlike himself. As for the angels, they prostrated before Adam to show their homage and obedience to God. However, Iblis, adamant in his view that man is inferior, and unlike angels was given the ability to choose, made a choice of not obeying God. This caused him to be expelled by God, a fact that Iblis blamed on humanity. Initially, the Devil was successful in deceiving Adam, but once his intentions became clear, Adam and Eve repented to God and were freed from their misdeeds and forgiven. Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living God gave them a strong warning about Iblis and the fires of Hell and asked them and their children (humankind) to stay away from the deceptions of their senses caused by the Devil.

According to the verses of the Qur’an, the Devil's mission until the Qiyamah or Resurrection Day (yaum-ul-qiyama) is to deceive Adam's children (mankind). The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran In Islam, Yawm al-Qiyāmah "the Day of Resurrection" (يوم القيامة or Yawm ad-Din "the Day of Faith" (يوم الدين is God's final After that, he will be put into the fires of Hell along with those whom he has deceived. The Devil is also referred to as one of the jinns, as they are all created from the smokeless fire. GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange was an online service The Qur'an does not depict Iblis as the enemy of God, as God is supreme over all his creations and Iblis is just one of his creations. Iblis's single enemy is humanity. He intends to discourage humans from obeying God. Thus, humankind is warned to struggle (jihad) against the mischiefs of the Satan and temptations he puts them in. Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. The ones who succeed in this are rewarded with Paradise (jannath ul firdaus), attainable only by righteous conduct.

Zoroastrianism

Main article: Angra Mainyu

In the Gathas, the oldest texts of the Zoroastrian Avesta, believed to have been composed by Zoroaster himself, the poet does not mention a manifest adversary. "Ahriman" redirects here For other uses see Ahriman (disambiguation. The word "Gātha" means a "hymn of praise" in the earliest Indo-Iranian poetry The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. Zoroaster ( Latinized from Greek variants) or Zarathushtra (from Avestan Zaraθuštra) also referred to as Zartosht (زرتشت Ahura Mazda's Creation is "truth", asha. Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator Asha ( aša) or arta is the Avestan language term for a concept of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine The "lie" (druj) is manifest only as decay or chaos, not an entity.

Later, in Zurvanism (Zurvanite Zoroastrianism), Ahura Mazda and the principle of evil, Angra Mainyu, are the "twin" offspring of Zurvan, 'Time'. Zurvanism is a now-extinct branch of Zoroastrianism that had the divinity Zurvan as its First "Ahriman" redirects here For other uses see Ahriman (disambiguation. No trace of Zurvanism exists after the 10th century.

Today, the Parsis of India largely accept the 19th century interpretation that Angra Mainyu is the 'Destructive Emanation' of Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator Instead of struggling against Mazda himself, Angra Mainyu battles Spenta Mainyu, Mazda's 'Creative Emanation. '

Bahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Writings, "devil" or "satanic" can have a number of meanings. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind Sometimes it is used to refer to the Bahá'í interpretation of Satan. Other times it refers to people who are ruled by their own lower nature. In this sense, the Bahá'í consider certain evil people to be devils incarnate, not in the sense of being ruled by an external evil force, but by their own selfish desires. The Báb referred to His persecutors as "the followers of the devil". ^[3] Demonic possession mentioned in the Bible is considered to be another example of individuals who are ruled by their own lower natures. Shoghi Effendi wrote:

"Regarding your question relative to the condition of those people who are described in the Gospel as being possessed of devils; this should be interpreted figuratively; devil or Satan is symbolic of evil and dark forces yielding to temptation. "[1]

In the context of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, the devil is interpreted as the human nature of Jesus. His human nature showed Him what He could attain with His great powers, if He were to follow the ways of the world. However, the Holy Spirit within Christ refused to submit to the lower nature, choosing to do the Will of God instead.

The Bahá'í Faith teaches that Satan is also a metaphor for the "insistent self" or "lower self" which is a self-serving inclination within each individual. This tendency is often referred to in the Bahá'í Writings as "the Evil One". Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Bahá'u'lláh ( ba-haa-ol-laa "Glory of God" ( November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892) born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Nuri Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that surroundeth you. "[2]

"This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan - the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside. "[3]

Neopaganism

Christian tradition has frequently identified pagan religions and witchcraft with the influence of Satan. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers In the Middle Ages, the Church accused alleged witches of consorting and conspiring with Satan. Several modern conservative Christian writers, such as Jack Chick and James Dobson, have depicted today's neopagan and witchcraft religions as explicitly Satanic. Jack Thomas Chick (born April 13, 1924) is an American Publisher, writer and comic book artist, and has been called the most published WikipediaPersondata --> James Clayton "Jim" Dobson (born April 21, 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical

Few neopagan reconstructionist traditions recognize Satan or the Devil outright. However, many neopagan groups worship some sort of Horned God, for example as a consort of the Great Goddess in Wicca. Horned gods, with Horns or Antlers appear in various cultures These gods usually reflect mythological figures such as Cernunnos or Pan, and any similarity they may have to the Christian Devil seems to date back only to the 19th century, when a Christian reaction to Pan's growing importance in literature and art resulted in his image being translated to that of the Devil. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" Cernunnos is a Celtic god whose representations were widespread in the ancient Celtic world Pan ( Greek, Genitive) is the Greek god of shepherds and flocks of mountain wilds hunting and rustic music paein means to pasture ^[4]

New Age movement

Participants in the New Age movement have widely varied views about Satan, the Devil, and so forth. New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature In some forms of Esoteric Christianity Satan remains as a being of evil, or at least a metaphor for sin and materialism, but the most widespread tendency is to deny his existence altogether. Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a Mystery religion, and profess the existence Lucifer, on the other hand, in the original Roman sense of "light-bringer", occasionally appears in the literature of certain groups as a metaphorical figure quite distinct from Satan, and without any implications of evil. Lucifer is a name frequently given to Satan in Christian belief Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its For example, Theosophy founder Madame Blavatsky named her journal Lucifer since she intended it to be a "bringer of light". This article is about the philosophy introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Elena Petrovna Gan (Елена Петровна Ган also Hélène, Yekaterinoslav, Ukraine, Russian Empire — May 8 1891 London) better Many New Age schools of thought follow a nondualistic philosophy that does not recognize a primal force for evil. Nondualism implies that things appear distinct while not being separate Even when a dualistic model is followed, this is more often akin to the Chinese system of yin and yang, in which good and evil are explicitly not a complementary duality. Chinese philosophy is Philosophy written in the Chinese tradition of thought In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin and yang ( is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together intertwined and interdependent in the Schools of thought that do stress a spiritual war between good and evil or light and darkness include the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, Agni Yoga, and the Church Universal and Triumphant. Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright Agni Yoga is a spiritual teaching transmitted by the artist Nicholas Roerich (Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh in Russian and his wife Helena Roerich (Yelena Ivanovna The Church Universal and Triumphant is a New Age New religious movement and organization founded by Mark L

Satanism

Main articles: Satanism, LaVeyan Satanism, Setianism, and Theistic Satanism

Some religions worship the Devil. For other uses of the word see Satanism (disambiguation. Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and context For other uses of the word see Satanism and Satanism (disambiguation. The Temple of Set is an initiatory Occult society claiming to be the world's leading left-hand path religious organization Theistic Satanism also known as Traditional Satanism, is the belief that Satan is an actual Deity or force worthy of reverence or worship This can be in a polytheistic sense where "God", Satan, and others are all deities with Satan as the preferred patron; or it can be from a more monotheistic viewpoint, where God is regarded as a true god, but is nevertheless defied.

Some variants deny the existence of God and the Devil altogether, but still call themselves Satanists, such as Anton LaVey's Church Of Satan which sees Satan as a representation of the primal and natural state of mankind. For other uses of the word see Satanism (disambiguation. Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and context Anton Szandor LaVey, (April 11 1930 &ndash October 24 1997 born Howard Stanton Levey, was the American Founder and High Priest of the LaVeyan

Similar concepts in other religions

Hinduism

In contrast to Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism, Hinduism does not recognize any central evil force or entity such as the Devil opposing God. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism does recognize that different beings (e. g. , asuras) and entities can perform evil acts, under the temporary dominance of the guna of tamas, and cause wordly sufferings. In Hinduism In Hinduism, the Asura ( Sanskrit: असुर are a group of power-seeking deities sometimes referred to as Demons or sinful The Sanskrit word guṇa has the basic meaning of "string" or "a single thread or strand of a cord or twine" In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism Tamas, or tamo-guna, is the lowest of the three Gunas It is a force which promotes one or The Rajasic and Tamasic Gunas of Maya are considered especially close to the Abrahamic concept , the hellish parts of the Ultimate Delusion called "Prakriti". An embodiment of this is the concept of Advaita (non-dualism) where there is no good or evil but simply different levels of realization.

On the other hand in Hinduism, which provides plenty of room for counterpoint, there is also the notion of dvaita (dualism) where there is interplay between good and evil tendencies. ^[5] A prominent asura is Rahu whose characteristics are similar to those of the Devil. In Hindu mythology, Rahu is a Snake that swallows the Sun or the Moon causing Eclipses He is depicted in art as a dragon with no body However, Hindus, and Vaishnavites in particular, believe that an avatar of Vishnu incarnates to defeat evil when evil reaches its greatest strength. Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific The concept of Guna and Karma also explain evil to a degree, rather than the influence of a devil. The Sanskrit word guṇa has the basic meaning of "string" or "a single thread or strand of a cord or twine" Karma is a concept in Hinduism which explains Causality through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions

To be more specific, Hindu philosophy defines that the only existing thing (Truth) is the Almighty God. So, all the asuric tendencies are inferior and mostly exist as illusions in the mind. In Hinduism In Hinduism, the Asura ( Sanskrit: असुर are a group of power-seeking deities sometimes referred to as Demons or sinful Asuras are also different people in whom bad motivations and intentions (tamas) have temporarily outweighed the good ones (Sattva). In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism Tamas, or tamo-guna, is the lowest of the three Gunas It is a force which promotes one or In Hindu philosophy, sattva ( Sanskrit sattva "purity" literally "existence reality" adjectival sāttvika "pure" Different beings like siddha, gandharva, yaksha etc. In Hinduism In Hinduism, the Gandharvas ( Sanskrit: गंधर्व gandharva) are male nature spirits husbands of the Apsaras Yaksha ( Sanskrit यक्ष yakṣa, yakkha in Pāli) is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits usually benevolent who are are considered beings unlike mankind, and in some ways superior to men.

In Ayyavazhi, officially an offshoot of Hinduism prominent in Tamil Nadu (a southern state in India with Dravidian heritage), followers, unlike most other branches of Hinduism, believes in a Satan-like figure, Kroni. Ayyavazhi (aiavəɻɪ( Tamil:அய்யாவழி Ayyavali - "Path of the father") is a dharmic belief system that originated Tamil Nadu ( Tamil:, Country of the Tamils, t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ is one of the 28 states of India. Dravidian peoples refers to the peoples that natively speak languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Kroni ( Tamil:குறோணி is a figure in Ayyavazhi mythology. Kroni, according to Ayyavazhi is the primordial manifestation of evil and manifests in various forms of evil, i. e. , Ravana, Duryodhana, etc. For the South Indian film see Ravana (film. Ravanaa, also transliterated as Raavana, Ravan or In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana (दुर्योधन is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari , in different ages or yugas. A Yuga ( Devanāgari: युग in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages In response to such manifestation of evil, believers, in Ayya-Vazhi religion believe that God, as Vishnu manifests in His avatars such as Rama and Krishna to defeat evil. For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation Rama ( IAST: rāma Devanāgarī: राम Khmer: Phreah Ream Thai: Phra Ram Lao: Phra Lam Tagalog: Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism Eventually, the Ekam with the spirit (the spirit taken by Narayana only for incarnating in the world) of Narayana incarnates in the world as Ayya Vaikundar to destroy the final manifestaion of Kroni, Kaliyan. Ekam Tamil: ஏகம் - "the supreme oneness" is the term used in Akilattirattu Ammanai, the holy book of Ayyavazhi, to represent The Narayana ( Sanskrit: नारायण nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of the primordial manifestation of Kroni (evil according to Akilam, the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book

Kroni, the spirit of Kali Yuga is said to be omnipresent in this age and that is one of the reasons why followers of Ayya Vazhi, like most Hindus, believe that the current yuga, Kali Yuga is so degraded. Kali Yuga ( Devanāgarī: sa कलियुग lit "Age of Kali " "age of vice" is one of the four stages of development that the world goes

Buddhism

A devil-like figure in Buddhism is Mara. In Buddhism, Māra is the Demon who tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who in various legends He is a tempter, who also tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara's daughters. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Mara personifies unskillfulness, the "death" of the spiritual life. He tries to distract humans from practicing the spiritual life by making the mundane alluring or the negative seem positive. Another interpretation of Mara is that he is the desires that are present in ones own mind preventing the person from seeing the truth. So in a sense Mara is not an independent being but a part of one's own being that has to be defeated. In daily life of the Buddha the role of devil has been given to Devadatta. Devadatta (देवदत्‍त was a Buddhist monk as well as the cousin of Gautama Buddha, who was recorded as having created a schism in the Sangha

Ancient Egypt

Main articles: Set (mythology) and Apep

In the Ausarian drama we find that Ausar (Greek: Osiris) is chopped into 13 pieces by Set. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, Set (also spelled Seth, Sutekh or Seteh) is an ancient god who was originally the god of the Desert Auset (Isis) collects all of his pieces save his phallus. Horus, son of Ausar and Auset sets out to avenge the death and dismemberment of his father by confronting Set. Horus is victorious over Set and Ausar, being brought back from the dead becomes lord of the underworld. It is this drama that gives us the cosmic conflict between good and evil, evil being embodied by Set. This is not to say that Set was always seen as an evil character in Ancient Egyptian theology. There are many times in Ancient Egyptian history where conflicts between different "houses" lead to the depreciation of one god relative to another.

As in most polytheistic faiths, the characters involved differentiate themselves from the Western tradition of a devil in that all the gods are closely related. Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals In this case, numerous historic texts suggest that Set is the Uncle or Brother of Horus and in the "defeat" of Set, we see another separation from the norm in the devouring/assimilation of Set into Horus with the result of Horus having depictions of both the falcon head and the (unknown animal) head of Set. This (like Buddhism) represents a dissolution of dichotomy.

The Devil in world folklore

In the Western Christian tradition, the Devil has entered popular folklore, particularly in his role as a trickster figure. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological In Mythology, and in the study of Folklore and Religion, a trickster is a God, Goddess, spirit, man woman or anthropomorphic As such, he is found as a character in a wide number of traditional folktales and legends from Ireland, Newfoundland, Italy and the United Kingdom, where he often attempts to trick or outwit other characters. A legend ( Latin, legenda, "things to be read" is a Narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In some of these tales, the Devil is portrayed as more of a folk villain than as the personification of evil. Personification is an ontological metaphor in which a thing or abstraction is represented as a person The Devil also features prominently in a number of hagiographical tales, or tales of the saints such as the popular tale of St. Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή Dunstan, many of which may fall outside the authorized religious canon. Dunstan (c909&ndash 19 May 988) was an Abbot of Glastonbury, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an The Devil is also a recurring feature in tales explaining the etymology of geographical names, lending his name to natural formations such as The Devil's Chimney. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Toponymy refers to the scientific study of place-names ( toponyms) their origins meanings use and Typology. For the former Sussex coastal rock feature of the same name see Beachy Head.

Other names for the Devil

Demons

In some religions and traditions, these titles are separate demons; others identify these names as guises of The Devil. Even when thought of as individual demons, some are often thought of being under the Devil's direct control. This identifies only those thought of as the Devil; List of demons has a more general listing. This is a list of demons, including both specific Demons (eg Satan) and types of demons (e

Titles

These are all titles that almost always refer to the Devil himself. Abaddon ( Hebrew אבדון Avaddon, meaning "destruction" Biblical Hebrew, also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language in which the Hebrew Bible and various Israelite inscriptions Baphomet is a name of unestablished origin It first appeared in trial transcripts during the Inquisition of the Knights Templar in the early 1300s The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order Ba‘al Zebûb, Ba‘al Zəbûb or Ba‘al Zəvûv ( Hebrew בעל זבוב, with numerous variants appears as the Lord of the Flies is an allegorical Novel by Nobel Prize -winning author William Golding. Belial (also Belhor, Baalial, Beliar, Belias, Beliall, Beliel, Bilael, Belu; from Hebrew בְּלִיַּ֫עַל Mastema is the name of an arch-demon who first appears in the literature of Israel's Second Temple Period, as a personification of the Hebrew word "mastemah" Jubilee The Book of Jubilees (ספר היובלים sometimes called the Lesser Genesis ( Leptogenesis) is an ancient Jewish religious work considered Mephistopheles (also Mephistophilus Mephistophilis Mephostopheles Mephisto and variants is a name often given to one representation of The devil or Satan Samael (סמאל (also Sammael) is an important Archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore as well as Christian tradition and demonology a figure who

Other deities identified with The Devil

Mainstream Christianity and Islam often recognized the existence of other pagan deities, but considered them demons of hell. The Number of the Beast is a concept from the Book of Revelation of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. "Ahriman" redirects here For other uses see Ahriman (disambiguation. For other uses see Antichrist (disambiguation In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist or anti-Christ means a person office In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering Lucifer is a name frequently given to Satan in Christian belief The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University Old Scratch or Mr Scratch is a folk name for the Devilish character in the local legends of New England and pre-Civil War America " The Devil and Tom Walker " is a short story by Washington Irving that first appeared in 1824 collection of stories and sketches Tales of a Traveller In traditional cultures air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens serpentis "something that creeps snake" that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or In Islam, Shayṭān (شيطان is an entity analogous to Satan. Some particularly major deities were considered analogues to The Devil himself in a different form. Deities considered as the Devil include:

See also

Footnotes

References

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia
• Children of the Devil
• The Devil - Unjustly Maligned
• Origin and Fate of Satan