The Devil

Favorite Characters (128 items)
list by Diabolik

The Devil (from Greek: διάβολος diábolos "slanderer, accuser") is the personification and archetype of evil in various cultures. Historically, the Devil can be defined as the personification of whatever is perceived in society as evil and the depiction consist of its cultural traditions. In Christianity, the manifestation of the Devil is the Hebrew Satan; the primary opponent of God. While in Christiany, the Devil was created by God, in Absolute dualism, the Devil is alternatively seen as an independent principle besides the good God. Proponents of such dualism can be found in Zoroastrism, Manichaeism, Albanenses and partly in Catharism. Some other religious and philosophical views, like Thomism, Kabbalah, Bahaism, Sufism and Ahmadiyya, hold that evil has no ontological existence and is regarded as something illusory.

In religions history, often a set of gods having been deposed by a younger generation of deities, then considered evil, like in Christianity, Roman and Greek deities became devils, Titans were replaced by the Olympic gods, Teutonic gods demonized the Giants and in Islam, the pre-Islamic status of Jinn as tutelary deities were reduced to beings subject to the judgment of the Islamic deity and if they do not submit to His law, are regarded as demons.