Buzz
While casting spells to enchant someone or summon storms is fascinating, it’s an entirely different matter to be personally acquainted with the Devil or his high-ranking minions. History tells us that certain individuals allegedly achieved this dark feat, whether by summoning him or simply being unfortunate enough to catch his attention. These stories suggest they indeed encountered the ultimate evil.
10. Christoph Haizmann
Christoph Haizmann, a painter active in Bavaria and Austria during the late 17th century, found himself at the heart of a strange witch hunt and a notorious Devil’s pact. On August 29, 1677, he collapsed, displaying symptoms akin to a witch’s torment. Under interrogation, Haizmann confessed that his suffering was self-inflicted, revealing he had signed a pact with the Devil nine years prior to escape a life plagued by poverty and despair. He agreed to become the Devil’s earthly son but claimed to have resisted offers of wealth and forbidden knowledge.
When Leopold Braun, a local Catholic priest, learned of the painter’s tale, he enlisted exorcists from the Abbey of Mariazell to intervene. Following several exorcism sessions, Haizmann experienced a vision of the Devil, who manifested as a colossal dragon. The creature held the contract Haizmann had signed, and the painter asserted that he managed to seize and destroy the document.
Subsequently, Haizmann’s afflictions appeared to vanish. He resumed his painting career, with the Devil becoming a recurring theme in his artwork. Over time, his portrayals of the Devil grew increasingly grotesque and monstrous. However, after moving in with his sister and her husband, his symptoms of possession resurfaced. He also became a member of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross.
Haizmann documented harrowing accounts of the struggle for his soul in his journals. According to his writings, the Devil frequently visited him, offering every conceivable earthly temptation. Angels also appeared, urging him to embrace a life of repentance. After undergoing another series of exorcisms at Mariazell, his symptoms subsided once more. Haizmann adopted the name Brother Chrysostom and devoted the remainder of his life to religious pursuits.
Haizmann’s story might have faded into obscurity had it not been examined by Sigmund Freud. Freud, in his characteristic manner, suggested that the Devil symbolized Haizmann’s recently deceased father. The painter was grappling with grief and resentment toward his father, and the Devil represented a desire for a protective figure. Modern interpretations suggest Haizmann may have been suffering from schizophrenia.
9. Paulo Gil
In colonial Brazil, the Devil’s presence was undeniable, as documented in the journals of Joao Batista, a freedman. His writings detail the exploits of a local sorcerer named Paulo Gil, whose dark deeds became legendary.
Batista described Gil as a notorious sorcerer who had bartered his soul to the Devil in exchange for lethal abilities. One of his earliest victims was a slave Gil had grown fond of. The slave’s owner opposed any connection between them, keeping the enslaved person beyond Gil’s grasp. Soon, both the slave and the owner required exorcisms due to the malevolent forces Gil had unleashed.
Batista recalled how Gil approached him, offering a “mandinga pouch” for protection. Despite knowing of Gil’s ties to demons, Batista initially refused. However, Gil’s persistence paid off, and Batista reluctantly joined him on a nocturnal journey. They arrived at a crossroads, where Gil briefly disappeared and returned with seven shadowy figures. Terrified, Batista fled. Days later, he experienced excruciating pain and confronted Gil, who admitted to injuring him, stealing his blood, and offering it to his demonic allies.
When Batista once more rejected Gil’s invitation to join his dark practices, a supernatural storm ravaged the village. The tempest only subsided after Batista prayed to St. Anne, renouncing Gil and the demons’ claim on his blood.
The tale incorporates elements typical of traditional Brazilian folklore, particularly stories of Devil worship among the colony’s enslaved population. Gil epitomized the archetypal sorcerer, performing rituals at crossroads under the cover of night, extracting blood, and draining life from a person’s hip. His dark patrons would unleash storms when their demands were refused. St. Anne, a saint whose popularity was growing among the devout, also played a traditional role in such narratives.
8. Antoine Rose
In 1477, Antoine Rose, known as the Witch of Savoy, faced trial. Her detailed testimony helped solidify one of the most enduring symbols associated with witchcraft: the broom.
Rose testified that, desperate for money, she confided in her neighbor about her struggles. The neighbor, in turn, introduced her to a group who convinced her to seek the Devil’s assistance.
The Devil manifested as a man named Robinet, offering her all the wealth she desired in exchange for renouncing God and pledging allegiance to him. She agreed to his terms, including giving him a portion of her annual income. In return, he provided her with a pouch of gold and silver, a stick, and a jar of ointment, along with instructions on how to use them to revisit their meeting place. She was to anoint the stick, mount it, and chant, “Go, in the Devil’s name, go!”
Rose recounted that their homage to the Devil included activities like dancing and feasting, desecrating the consecrated host, and kissing the Devil’s hindquarters when he transformed into a black dog. She admitted being terrified during her first encounter with the Devil in human form, describing his voice as so raspy it was nearly incomprehensible. Her testimony became the second recorded instance of a witch confirming the Devil’s gift of flight on broomsticks, following Guillaume Edelin’s confession in 1453 under torture.
7. Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell’s numerous misdeeds are extensively chronicled. Even after his death, his body was dug up and publicly hanged when the monarchy regained power. Contemporary media often depicted Cromwell with the Devil’s horns, symbolizing his perceived malevolence.
Another tale suggests Cromwell struck a pact with the Devil to secure his success. He passed away on September 3, 1658, and that very night, a violent storm ravaged the nation. Legend has it that the storm was the Devil’s doing, arriving to collect Cromwell’s soul.
This was a fitting conclusion to the narrative Royalists had crafted for nearly a decade. By the early 1650s, they propagated the idea that Charles I was a champion of Christ, while Cromwell was aligned with the Devil. His rapid rise to power and military triumphs were attributed to this diabolical pact. Even nature seemed to protest his death, as the storm, dubbed Oliver’s Wind, was believed to have been caused by the Devil dragging Cromwell to hell, with trees in Brampton Bryan Park reportedly uprooted in the process.
The imagery persisted long after Cromwell’s death. Children were warned that misbehavior would result in Cromwell dragging them to hell, just as he had been taken. His ghost became synonymous with the ruins scattered across the countryside, with many claiming to see his apparition—fierce, wrathful, and condemned to endless suffering.
Numerous natural and man-made landmarks bear Cromwell’s name, though not necessarily as a tribute. Many of these were originally named for the Devil, and replacing Satan’s name with Cromwell’s reflected public sentiment toward the Lord Protector.
6. St. Basil And The Slave
St. Basil was born in Turkey in AD 329 to a devout Christian family that steadfastly held onto their faith during a period of widespread Christian persecution. He authored an extensive collection of works, including approximately 300 letters that survive to this day. Revered by many, he passed away at the age of 50 due to failing health. Legend has it that he once engaged in a direct confrontation with the Devil.
The tale recounts how St. Basil was approached by a young woman whose husband had bartered his soul to the Devil. The man, a former slave, had sought the Devil’s aid to gain freedom and marry his master’s daughter. The Devil fulfilled his promise, allowing the marriage to proceed. However, the man’s inability to attend church, pray, or make the sign of the cross eventually forced him to confess his dark pact.
St. Basil prayed fervently for the man, and eventually, the contract he had signed with the Devil was carried to the saint by the wind. St. Basil tore up the document, freeing the man from his diabolical obligations.
In the story, the Devil raises a compelling argument when confronting the slave. He accuses humanity of willingly making deals with him to achieve their desires, only to abandon him once their goals are met. He criticizes the hypocrisy of Christians, claiming they exploit the belief that Christ will always forgive them, no matter their transgressions.
5. Margery Jourdemayne And Roger Bolingbroke
In 1441, England was shaken by a major scandal. While most of the accused were prominent figures, Margery Jourdemayne stood out as an exception. She had previously served time in Windsor for witchcraft-related crimes. After two years in prison, she was interrogated and released on the condition that she abandon her dark practices and stay out of trouble.
Margery failed to uphold her promise. Reports suggest she resumed casting spells almost immediately after her release, assisting those who sought her for purposes like fertility and love potions. This led to her involvement in a scandal far beyond her control. She was accused of supplying magical concoctions to Eleanor, who used them on the Duke of Gloucester. Eleanor, once a lady-in-waiting to the Duke’s wife, had risen to become his spouse—a significant leap for the daughter of a knight.
Later, Roger Bolingbroke was accused of creating a horoscope predicting King Henry’s death. With Henry unmarried and childless, the Duke of Gloucester stood to gain immense power. Eleanor, his wife, had every motive to resort to dark magic to secure her position. Bolingbroke, along with two others, Home and Southwell, faced charges of conspiring against the king using black magic and necromancy. Bolingbroke soon confessed publicly, admitting he had collaborated with the Devil at Eleanor’s behest to advance their schemes.
Margery Jourdemayne, often called the “Witch of Eye,” was arrested for crafting a wax figure of the king, believed to be the target of their sinister spells. A fierce storm on the night of her arrest only reinforced suspicions of her alliance with the Devil. Margery insisted the wax figure was intended as a fertility talisman.
Margery was executed by burning at the stake for her dealings with the Devil and practicing witchcraft. Around the same time, Southwell died under mysterious circumstances in prison, Bolingbroke was hanged, drawn, and quartered, and Home received a pardon. Eleanor was sentenced to burn by a court presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
4. Benvenuto Cellini And The Sicilian Priest
Benvenuto Cellini, one of history’s greatest sculptors, thrived during the 16th century, a period that produced some of the world’s most iconic artworks. Beyond his contributions to Italy’s cultural heritage, Cellini also authored an autobiography, leaving behind a personal account of his life.
Cellini recounts his friendship with a Sicilian priest, with whom he often discussed art, culture, literature, and other intellectual topics. One day, their conversation turned to necromancy, as such discussions often do. Cellini confessed his long-standing desire to witness a necromantic ritual, and the priest revealed that he could make it happen.
The priest instructed Cellini to bring a friend and meet him at the Colosseum. Upon arrival, Cellini and his companion, Vincenzio Romili, found the priest dressed in necromancer’s robes, standing within drawn circles on the ground. Tasked with managing the fires, perfumes, and incense, Cellini and Romili watched as the priest performed incantations for an hour and a half. Only when the priest looked up did he notice the Colosseum teeming with demons. The priest-necromancer urged Cellini to make a request, and he asked to reunite with a woman he referred to as his Sicilian Angelica.
They were instructed to return with a virgin boy.
They complied, bringing along Cellini’s 12-year-old apprentice and another friend, Agnolino Gaddi. This time, Gaddi and Romili tended the fires while Cellini placed the boy inside a pentacle. As the boy screamed about thousands of demons, millions of men, and four massive giants attempting to breach the circle, Cellini noticed the necromancer’s terror. He took charge, urging everyone to remain calm and strong to repel the demons. Their efforts seemed futile until Gaddi, overcome with fear, relieved himself, causing the group to burst into laughter.
Apparently, nothing frightens demons like humor, as the laughter drove most of them away, though a few were seen fleeing across the rooftops. The priest then proposed collaborating with Cellini to harness the power of the demons they had summoned, aiming to write a book that would reveal the secrets of summoning these beings and uncovering the world’s hidden treasures.
Cellini was deeply engrossed in a commission for the Pope, writing, “I became so consumed and captivated by my work that thoughts of Angelica or anything similar faded entirely from my mind.”
3. Michael Scot
Michael Scot was so outspoken in his denunciation of the dark arts that people began to suspect he was hiding something. Born around 1175 in Fife, Scot studied at Oxford and traveled extensively across the royal courts of Britain and Europe. He eventually settled in Sicily, serving as the court astrologer to Frederick II.
He authored numerous works on necromancy and black magic, despite his public condemnation of such practices. Rumors spread that he secretly engaged in the very arts he denounced, under the pretense of “science.” By 1230, he returned to England, where he became the focus of increasingly sensational accusations.
Rumors claimed Scot led a group of demonic familiars, sending them nightly to courts he had visited during his travels. These demons would retrieve the finest international delicacies and deliver them to him. His mode of transportation was equally infernal, riding a demon-horse through the night sky and traversing oceans on a sea creature that emerged from hell’s depths—or aboard an equally demonic ship.
One of the most ambitious legends about Scot involves him tricking the Devil into constructing a road. His father had been granted land and built what is now Balwearie Castle, but the estate lacked a proper road. Scot summoned demons and the Devil to build it. Once completed, the Devil demanded more work, so Scot sent him to Kirkcaldy’s beach to create an endless rope from sand. The Devil toiled until he finally collapsed.
Another tale recounts Scot confronting French pirates who were raiding Scottish ships. Riding his demon-horse, he faced the French king and ordered the horse to stomp its foot three times. The first stomp rang all the church bells in Paris, the second caused the palace towers to collapse, and before the third, the king halted French piracy.
The area around Kirkcaldy is rich with stories about Scot, including streams he created to evade devils and hares that were once witches transformed to provide him with hunting quarry. A local cave was said to be the site of his demonic rituals, and as late as the 19th century, it was associated with toxic fumes believed to originate from either heaven or hell.
2. Katharina Kepler And Lena Stublerin
Katharina Kepler, the mother of astronomer Johannes Kepler, was widowed when rumors of her dealings with the Devil began to circulate. Ursula Reinbold, a former friend, accused Katharina of poisoning her, leading to Kepler’s court appearance. She was offered a way out: cure Reinbold, which would prove her witchcraft. Kepler refused, avoiding self-incrimination.
The case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, and Kepler, supported by her son, filed a defamation lawsuit. A year later, several girls accused her of cursing them with paralysis and pain. Kepler fled after a bribery attempt failed. When the first case collapsed after Reinbold’s prostitution was revealed, the second case took precedence.
Kepler faced 49 counts of maleficia, with her alleged pact with the Devil being the most serious. The strangest accusation claimed she sought a villager’s help to exhume her father’s body and turn his skull into a drinking cup, presumably for use in dark rituals.
While awaiting Kepler’s trial, chancellor Ulrich Broll tortured suspected witch Lena Stublerin. Her confessions under torture suggested the Devil was active in the town. Stublerin claimed she first met the Devil under an oak tree, accompanied by a floating dog. He instructed her to call him Barthlen, and after repeated encounters, she agreed to serve him. Over 18 years, she confessed to intercourse with the Devil, multiple murders, and causing storms. She was eventually beheaded, and her body was burned to ashes.
The charges against Kepler mirrored those of other accused witches. She was accused of killing livestock and children by chanting spells over them. Her trial dragged on for six years until Johannes Kepler intervened in 1620. Relocating his family to Germany, he meticulously dismantled the so-called evidence against his mother, leading to her acquittal. Her other two children distanced themselves from the trial, with one son even requesting it be moved to another town to avoid tarnishing his reputation. Katharina Kepler passed away six months after being granted her freedom.
1. John Dee
John Dee, a scientist and occult enthusiast during the Elizabethan era, collaborated with the enigmatic Edward Kelley in the court of Elizabeth I. Dee wielded significant influence, even casting an astrological chart to determine the optimal moment for Elizabeth’s coronation.
Dee and Kelley were rumored to delve into darker practices beyond astronomy. By 1581, they claimed to communicate with angels through crystal balls. These angels allegedly instructed them to travel to the continent, but the partnership dissolved when Dee disagreed with the messages Kelley claimed to receive.
Upon returning to England, Dee discovered that his occult studies were met with widespread disapproval. Despite his claims of communicating with angels, his activities were viewed with suspicion. As public scrutiny intensified, the queen’s only solution was to send him to Manchester, where he might fade into obscurity.
Dee assumed the role of warden at the Manchester Collegiate Church and led a devout life. However, rumors persisted, and he was soon asked to oversee the exorcism of children allegedly possessed by the Devil.
Dee declined the request. (The man who took the case was later executed, using Dee’s writings as a guide.) Speculation about Dee’s ties to the Devil peaked with the discovery of a table bearing a mysterious burn mark, believed to be the Devil’s hoofprint from a summoning. The table remains at Chetham’s School, and the British Museum holds one of Dee’s demonic artifacts, an obsidian mirror used to commune with spirits.
Regardless of the truth behind the Devil’s hoofprint, Dee’s congregation grew weary of him around the time of Elizabeth’s death. He appealed to James I to clear his name, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
