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I love deals with the Devil. What's your favorite Deal with the Devil tale? Tell me one off the beaten path. My favorite is the Brazillian "Grande Sertão: Vere

by neves 2y ago

I love deals with the Devil. What's your favorite Deal with the Devil tale? Tell me one off the beaten path. My favorite is the Brazillian "Grande Sertão: Veredas"

paxys 2y ago
Stingy Jack (namesake for the Jack O'Lantern) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingy_Jack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingy_Jack
jononor 2y ago
Here is a Norwegian tale of the Devil, in form of a traditional fiddle song. Music at the bottom, recommend playing it through once before reading the post. https://www.norskkornolfestival.no/2019/06/18/fanitullen/ https://www.norskkornolfestival.no/2019/06/18/fanitullen/
mac3n 2y ago
https://kasmana.people.charleston.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?callnumber=mf97 https://kasmana.people.charleston.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?ca... “The Devil and Simon Flagg” in which Flagg sells his soul in exchange for the proof of Fermat’s last theorem. No proof is found, but the Devil becomes consumed with mathematics.
- mihaic 2y ago
  Cool, someone should update the story now with the Collatz conjecture.
- bee_rider 2y ago
  I love any story about ancient super powerful creatures being defeated by modern people. Humanity kicks ass. These things are often scaled to be something extremely powerful but possible for the hero to struggle against, at the time, which often puts them far below the capabilities of modern society. This is usually missing the point (the ancient God or gods probably set up an adversary that like that on purpose, or whatever, to show something to the mortals), but just taking that on face value and trouncing the thing will never not be funny to me.
jkaptur 2y ago
It's on the beaten path, but how can you resist (and how did the New Yorker resist?) "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_Went_Down_to_Georgia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_Went_Down_to_Georgia Most of the deals in the article do not end well for the human, but here there's no lesson about hubris, nor the curse of knowledge, or anything else. No, Johnny's just a better fiddle player, he beats the devil, and he wins a golden fiddle fair and square. (The article might allude to this story: "Satan is not the real God, because there is only one God; the Devil doesn’t have the best tunes.")
- krapp 2y ago
  There is a lesson about hubris, but most people miss it. The Devil's deal is false, he doesn't play "fair and square." Johnny wins the bet but still loses his soul to the sin of pride. It's even in the lyrics: "My name's Johnny and it might be a sin, but I'll take your bet and you're gonna regret 'cause I'm the best that's ever been!" At least that's how I've always interpreted it.
  - jkaptur 2y ago
    Very interesting interpretation! I see your point.
- buildsjets 2y ago
  Which always seemed to me just a retelling of the Robert Johnson “crossroads” legend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson#Devil_legend https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson#Devil_legend
- robbiep 2y ago
  Maybe shifting further but ’the silver tongued devil’ by Kris Kristofferson is a beautiful song with a beautiful message in my opinion
  - bbreier 2y ago
    funny enough, "To Beat the Devil" of his is my pick for the best riff on the trope of country songs about musicians taking on the devil
082349872349872 2y ago
In "The Master and Margarita", Pilate makes a hard-boiled metaphorical, not literal, deal with the devil.
- grue4 2y ago
  I also love "The Master and Margarita"! Woland is a very compelling devil.
pelagicAustral 2y ago
Crossroads! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_(folklore) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_(folklore)
microtherion 2y ago
My favorite is the legend of the Devil's Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schöllenen_Gorge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schöllenen_Gorge where some Swiss hired the devil to build a bridge over a seemingly unbridgeable gorge, and then tricked him out of his payment. I've referred to the devil as the Patron Unholy of Swiss engineering.
syarb 2y ago
I love "The Grand Inquisitor" from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. It's not exactly a deal with the devil, but it does have some interesting parallels. Full chapter: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8578/8578-h/8578-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8578/8578-h/8578-h.htm Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor
syntheticnature 2y ago
Been fond of "La Chasse-galerie" for a while: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasse-galerie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasse-galerie
kderbyma 2y ago
Bob Dylan. Said he sold his soul to the Devil and promised to play til the end of his days
gambiting 2y ago
Poland has a tale of "Pan Twardowski"(Mr Twardowski) about a man who made a pact with the devil for all kinds of powers, in exchange the devil said he will take Twardowski's soul if he ever sets his foot in Rome - since he didn't intend to visit Rome, he assumed this was the perfect deal. However the devil outwitted him, by coming for his soul in an inn called Rzym(Rome in Polish). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Twardowski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Twardowski
darepublic 2y ago
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ydqkBG22Tk8&pp=ygUYaG9tZXIgc2ltcHNvbiBkb251dCBoZWxs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ydqkBG22Tk8&pp=ygUYaG9tZXIgc2l... Homers deal with Flanders as Satan, for a donut of course
- cratermoon 2y ago
  "But I'm so sweet and tasty"
devilthrow 2y ago
The Devil & Billy Markham Shel Silverstein Playboy January 1979 https://crazcowboy.tripod.com/Silverstein/markham.htm https://crazcowboy.tripod.com/Silverstein/markham.htm
xoxxala 2y ago
The Twilight Zone episode, “I of Newton 666”, from 1985. Great ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ZRKSoN7Vg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ZRKSoN7Vg
charonn0 2y ago
Phantom of the Paradise is a rock opera inspired by Faust.

by neves 2y ago

I love deals with the Devil. What's your favorite Deal with the Devil tale? Tell me one off the beaten path. My favorite is the Brazillian "Grande Sertão: Veredas"

paxys 2y ago

Stingy Jack (namesake for the Jack O'Lantern) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingy_Jack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingy_Jack

jononor 2y ago

Here is a Norwegian tale of the Devil, in form of a traditional fiddle song. Music at the bottom, recommend playing it through once before reading the post. https://www.norskkornolfestival.no/2019/06/18/fanitullen/ https://www.norskkornolfestival.no/2019/06/18/fanitullen/

mac3n 2y ago

https://kasmana.people.charleston.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?callnumber=mf97 https://kasmana.people.charleston.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?ca... “The Devil and Simon Flagg” in which Flagg sells his soul in exchange for the proof of Fermat’s last theorem. No proof is found, but the Devil becomes consumed with mathematics.

mihaic 2y ago
Cool, someone should update the story now with the Collatz conjecture.
bee_rider 2y ago
I love any story about ancient super powerful creatures being defeated by modern people. Humanity kicks ass. These things are often scaled to be something extremely powerful but possible for the hero to struggle against, at the time, which often puts them far below the capabilities of modern society. This is usually missing the point (the ancient God or gods probably set up an adversary that like that on purpose, or whatever, to show something to the mortals), but just taking that on face value and trouncing the thing will never not be funny to me.

jkaptur 2y ago

It's on the beaten path, but how can you resist (and how did the New Yorker resist?) "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_Went_Down_to_Georgia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_Went_Down_to_Georgia Most of the deals in the article do not end well for the human, but here there's no lesson about hubris, nor the curse of knowledge, or anything else. No, Johnny's just a better fiddle player, he beats the devil, and he wins a golden fiddle fair and square. (The article might allude to this story: "Satan is not the real God, because there is only one God; the Devil doesn’t have the best tunes.")

krapp 2y ago
There is a lesson about hubris, but most people miss it. The Devil's deal is false, he doesn't play "fair and square." Johnny wins the bet but still loses his soul to the sin of pride. It's even in the lyrics: "My name's Johnny and it might be a sin, but I'll take your bet and you're gonna regret 'cause I'm the best that's ever been!" At least that's how I've always interpreted it.
- jkaptur 2y ago
  Very interesting interpretation! I see your point.
buildsjets 2y ago
Which always seemed to me just a retelling of the Robert Johnson “crossroads” legend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson#Devil_legend https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson#Devil_legend
robbiep 2y ago
Maybe shifting further but ’the silver tongued devil’ by Kris Kristofferson is a beautiful song with a beautiful message in my opinion
- bbreier 2y ago
  funny enough, "To Beat the Devil" of his is my pick for the best riff on the trope of country songs about musicians taking on the devil

082349872349872 2y ago

In "The Master and Margarita", Pilate makes a hard-boiled metaphorical, not literal, deal with the devil.

grue4 2y ago
I also love "The Master and Margarita"! Woland is a very compelling devil.

pelagicAustral 2y ago

Crossroads! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_(folklore) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_(folklore)

microtherion 2y ago

My favorite is the legend of the Devil's Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schöllenen_Gorge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schöllenen_Gorge where some Swiss hired the devil to build a bridge over a seemingly unbridgeable gorge, and then tricked him out of his payment. I've referred to the devil as the Patron Unholy of Swiss engineering.

syarb 2y ago

I love "The Grand Inquisitor" from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. It's not exactly a deal with the devil, but it does have some interesting parallels. Full chapter: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8578/8578-h/8578-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8578/8578-h/8578-h.htm Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor

syntheticnature 2y ago

Been fond of "La Chasse-galerie" for a while: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasse-galerie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasse-galerie

kderbyma 2y ago

Bob Dylan. Said he sold his soul to the Devil and promised to play til the end of his days

gambiting 2y ago

Poland has a tale of "Pan Twardowski"(Mr Twardowski) about a man who made a pact with the devil for all kinds of powers, in exchange the devil said he will take Twardowski's soul if he ever sets his foot in Rome - since he didn't intend to visit Rome, he assumed this was the perfect deal. However the devil outwitted him, by coming for his soul in an inn called Rzym(Rome in Polish). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Twardowski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Twardowski

darepublic 2y ago

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ydqkBG22Tk8&pp=ygUYaG9tZXIgc2ltcHNvbiBkb251dCBoZWxs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ydqkBG22Tk8&pp=ygUYaG9tZXIgc2l... Homers deal with Flanders as Satan, for a donut of course

cratermoon 2y ago
"But I'm so sweet and tasty"

devilthrow 2y ago

The Devil & Billy Markham Shel Silverstein Playboy January 1979 https://crazcowboy.tripod.com/Silverstein/markham.htm https://crazcowboy.tripod.com/Silverstein/markham.htm

xoxxala 2y ago

The Twilight Zone episode, “I of Newton 666”, from 1985. Great ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ZRKSoN7Vg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ZRKSoN7Vg

charonn0 2y ago

Phantom of the Paradise is a rock opera inspired by Faust.