The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

Michel, Anneliese 171
incubi and succubi and swore fidelity to the Devil. Candidates
for initiation worshipped the Devil as if he were
God. They were assigned a familiar demon, called Martinetto,
disguised as a ram, who trained them and always
accompanied them. The witches killed and ate babies,
especially those who were unbaptized. They used their
Devil-given magical powers to predict the future and persuade
others to follow the Devil. They caused abortions
and killed with the EVIL EYE.
Demonic Possession and Exorcism
Menghi called possession victims fetoni, or “stinkers.”
Even the most holy persons could become possessed.
When demons possess a person, they put on great shows
of magical tricks. Menghi lamented the lack of skilled exorcists
in his time. Exorcisms were essential to the mission
of the church, he said, and had to be carried out with
great pity.
Exorcists must be aware of their own unworthiness
and have great humility. They must have great purity of
heart and be morally sound. The playing of sacred music
is especially effective against demons. Exorcists must use
harsh words and CURSEs in their attacks against the demons.
Great care should be taken in the use of saints’ relics
and crucifixes, for if they are not genuine, the demons
will mock them and render them useless.
Anything touched by a DEMONIAC must be blessed.
Sometimes it may be necessary for a demoniac to abandon
his or her house, if the demons have thoroughly contaminated
everything in it. Menghi said it is best to perform
exorcisms in a sacred place, such as a church, and before
an audience, after the acts of Jesus, who performed exorcisms
before crowds.
FURTHER READING:
Menghi, Giolamo. The Devil’s Scourge: Exorcism during the Italian
Renaissance. York Beach, Me.: Samuel Weiser, 2002.
Mephistopheles (Mephistophilis, Mephistophilus, Mepho
s to philes) DEMON and representative of the DEVIL
who is a principal figure in the legend of FAUST. Mephistopheles
is more of a literary figure than one belonging
to mythology and demonology. He is usually described
as a tall man wearing black clothing.
The origin of the name Mephistophiles is uncertain.
The name was known to the German occultist Johannes
Trithemius (1442–1516), who described him as “a mysterious
kind of demon, dark through and through, malicious,
restless, stormy.” “Mephistophiles” appears in 1527
in a Renaissance magical text, Praxis Magia Faustiana,
and later as “Mephostophiles” in the Faust chapbook Historia
von D. Johann Fausten, first published in 1587 by an
anonymous author.
The chapbook tells the story of Dr. Johann Georg
Faust, who bargains his soul to the Devil. Mephistophiles
is invisible to others but can be seen by Faust in various
shape-shifted guises, including as a grey friar monk. Dr
Mephistopheles, right, with Faust and Margaret. (AUTHOR’S
COLLECTION)
Fausts Hollenzwang describes “Mephistophiel” as one of
the seven great princes of HELL, who “stands under the
planet Jupiter, his regent is named Zadkiel, an enthroned
angel of the holy Jehovah . . . his form is firstly that of a
fiery bear, the other and fairer appearance is as of a little
man with a black cape and a bald head.” The demon also
manifests as an invisible ringing bell.
Mephistopheles is a trickster and practical joker, who
serves the lusts and desires of Faust. In the end, he is
a shrewd negotiator who has the last laugh by trapping
Faust into damnation. In some accounts, however, Faust
manages to redeem himself and escape eternal punishment
in hell.
The chapbooks inspired Christopher Marlowe’s play
The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus and Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe’s drama Faust. Shakespeare mentioned Mephistophilus
in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
mezuzah
See AMULET.
Michel, Anneliese (1952–1976) German woman who
died during prolonged EXORCISMs for demonic POSSES-
SION. In a sensational trial, the parents of Anneliese
Michel and the two priests who conducted the exorcisms
were convicted of negligent homicide. The case was the
basis for a film, The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005).