Childkingofhell - Punk Imp Here To Cause Chaos - Tumblr Blog

A Prince in Exile Here in Hell

The band Ghost BC has many songs in direct praise of the Lord of Darkness Lucifer, but their song “Majesty” is directly an infernal hymn. The song describes the beauty and power that Lucifer has, the fact he has descended from Heaven, and also describes the sinners that flock to the throne of the Devil as his subjects and worshippers. It is a solemn celebration of the Dark Prince, stating “Old one, Master. All beauty lies within you, your infernal Majesty.” It is a sinister and ethereal psalm to Lucifer, and a generally great song.

 Ghost BC. “Majesty.” Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/track/30ZhfyAmOmF6GN2i5fpVen

Pleased to meet you, Hope you guess my name

”Sympathy For The Devil” by the Rolling Stones is a banger of a song, but actually goes deeper in its lyrics which most people notice on their listen-throughs of the hit. The band makes both biblical and historical references in their verses, citing Lucifer as the cause for these events taking place. So I thought it would be fun to break down the lyrics and their references. Enjoy!

“I was round when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain.”: This is a reference to the story of Christ’s Agony in the garden of Gethsemane before the last supper, where he prays to his father about his upcoming fate of death.

“Made Damn sure the Pilate washed his hands and sealed his fate.”: This is a reference to Matthew 27:24 when Pontious Pilate refused to execute Jesus himself, and literally washed his hands in front of the crowd and left it to the mob.

“Killed Tsar and his ministers, Anastasia screamed in vain”: This references the murder of Tsar Nicholas Romanov II and his family during the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. The lyrics specifically name Anastasia Romanov, the Tsar’s youngest daughter.

“Held a general’s rank, when the blitzkrieg raged.”: This is a reference to the German bombing of London and other areas of England during WWII. The Germans used a technique known as blitzkrieg, directly translated to “lightning war”, which was quick hard attacks to disable an enemy over a short period of time.

“I watched with glee as your Kings and Queens fought for ten decades.”: This is undoubtedly referring to the 100 Years War that raged between England and France from 1337 to 1453.

“I shouted ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’ when after all it was you and me”: This was about the assassination of 35th US President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald.

The Rolling Stones. "Sympathy for the Devil.” Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/track/1Ud6moTC0KyXMq1Oxfien0

The Blood Is White And Spouting Steam

Have you ever heard the shrill whistle of a train? Like a scream, cutting through the night and making your blood run cold. Ever since their inception, trains and train tracks have been seen as haunted things. Train tracks in particular have the nature of a post-industrial crossroad, in the way it is considered a man-made gateway to the other side or even Hell. And trains themselves have their myths and ghosts, but what about devils? Throughout modern American mythology, the Devil has been said to drive a long black train or a funeral train. In “The Devil’s Train” by Hank Williams the train is a thing of beauty waiting on a crowd of people to get on the cars, but it leads to only misery and is headed by drunken engineers driving it to doom. The whistle in particular is pointed out as a mechanism of temptation, calling and screaming to those who would listen. It is the whistle that calls also in a song that 2010’s animation geeks know and can sing like it’s part of a sleeper agent code. “Devil’s Train” by The Lab Rats tells the story of the narrator’s grandfather who rode the train, and his own encounter with the Devil at the train tracks while tripping on acid. The whistle originally lures his grandfather in by screaming at night, “Follow me, follow me, I have something to show you.” While we don’t see the actual train, we see the Devil convince our narrator to “roll down these train tracks tonight.” The idea of the Devil’s train is such an interesting concept and a uniquely post-industrial and American idea. As we transition into a new industrial area, what will be the new mode of transportation and temptation for the Prince of Evil? My money’s on Facebook.

Williams, Hank. “The Devil's Train.” Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh-_KzLNELk

The Lab Rats. “Devil's Train.” Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JtpHtuWnwQ

“You will wear your independence like a crown.”

In Ghost’s 2015 “From the Pinnacle to the Pit”, the singer describes the falling of Satan from heaven and his accursed rule of Hell. In the song it is depicted as an act of a hero and a king, as the devil does become. It also emphasises the idea of the fallen angel as a rebellious figure looking for independence from a tyrannical God. The whole song is a melancholy celebration of the Devil’s freedom and the start of his rule of the Pit.

 Ghost BC. “From the Pinnacle to the Pit.” Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/track/2J5aJp4HQxcMuxZ6HVM4GC

Lux: Latin (n), Light

Lucifer Morningstar’s later appearance in the Sandman series is in Sandman #60, where one of the angels that took over Hell visits Lucifer. They find him in Los Angeles running a nightclub called Lux with his wife Mazikeen. Remiel, the angel, asks if he will ever return and Lucifer laughs in his face. For most of the interaction he is cordial and a bit sarcastic, only digging in when Remiel keeps going. To that he says that the other angel Duma has more of a backbone before being spat on by Remiel. Lucifer is obviously angry but keeps his cool as he reminds Remiel that while he gave up Hell, he did not give up his vast power, saying.

With that, Remiel leaves in despair.

Gaiman, Neil, et al. The Sandman Omnibus. DC Comics, 2013.

“The fruit of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste brought death into the world.”

In Book IX of Paradise Lost, Satan finally overcomes his internal conflict and struggle in seducing Eve to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge. The fact that the Devil struggles with this seduction is interesting but either way it occurs. The way Satan seduces Eve is by presenting the tree as a gateway to knowledge and truth. This is so interesting especially in the modern day with the theme of the perversion of knowledge. The devil says to her, “Why then was this forbid? Why but to awe; Why but to keep you low and ignorant, His worshippers; he knows that in the day Ye eat thereof, your eyes that seem so clear, Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then Open’d and clear’d, and ye shall be as gods.” Humanity has always found our power to be on par with God, but that’s probably never for the best. Satan appeals to that part of humanity, and in that Eve takes a bite. And so Paradise is lost.

Leonard, John 1940-, and John Milton. Paradise Lost (Book IX). Penguin Books, 2000.

”…the loss thereupon Paradise wherein he was placed.”

Book one of Paradise Lost sets the scene of all the hosts of hell immediately after they have been thrown from heaven, dazed in a fiery lake. This is where we meet the protagonist of the novel, Satan and sees his first definable character traits: courage, confidence, and determination. The devil instead of exploding with rage at his forces instead rallies them in saying, “All is not lost; the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield; (And what is else not to be overcome?) That glory never shall his wrath or might Extort from me, to bow and sue for grace With suppliant knee and deify his power, Who from the terror of his arm so late Doubted his empire.” Despite his falling in conquering Heaven, he is still confident in his cause and command. He also talks to his troops much like a heroic leader would encouraging them to stand strong and with pride. It is really interesting for Lucifer to be framed in this light, especially right after his failed rebellion against the almighty. One would expect anger, fear, frustration, cowardice. Instead Milton’s Satan who despises weakness and is set in his goals. This heroic leader set up frames Lucifer as the hero for the rest of the poem, and down he line in history as a sympathetic figure.

Leonard, John 1940-, and John Milton. Paradise Lost (Book I). Penguin Books, 2000.

Sitting, Smiling On Your Shoulder

It is well known that in medieval art, Satan is often depicted as butt ugly and grotesque. But where do we see him in this art? According to one journal, we mostly often see him in relation to two biblical figures: The Betrayer Judas and The Believer Mary Madelene. While Mary Madelene is interesting in her own right, I particularly want to look at the art of the devil and Judas. The first way we see the devil with Judas is perched over his solider as he makes a pact with the roman guards to betray Jesus at the last supper.

In this 1302 painting we see the devil as a shadowing and canine-like. He is shown committing the sin of greed with Satan guiding his hand. The next way we see Judas is with the devil on his back during the last supper, often with Judas seeming remorseful even though he is about to betray the Son of Man with a kiss. But the one I find the most interesting is Judas’s death by suicide. In his guilt over betraying Jesus, he hangs himself. The exact way the demons are shown vary, from pulling the rope and hanging him to embracing him. But my favourite interpretation is the devil pulling Judas’s soul from his body to be sent to Hell. There is such a sense of remorse and panic in these paintings that illustrates how much Hell and the Devil was feared. Or to some people how the traitor Judas was despised. It also has the most colourful devils, both in pallet and design. Green, frog-like, butterfly-winged, and bird feet seem to be a common theme with these interpretations like in this 1476 painting.

Dante says that Judas is being chewed on in Hell by the Devil. Based on these paintings, I think it’s a double punishment with how bad his breath probably is.

Source: Monzón Pertejo, Elena, and Victoria Bernad López. “The demons of judas and Mary Magdalene in medieval art.” Religions, vol. 13, no. 11, 2022, p. 1048, https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111048

How We See Old Scratch

While John Milton's classic Paradise Lost isn't as read as it used to be, its humanization of the Devil as a character lasts to the modern day and shapes him as a cultural symbol. One example of the modern form of Satan comes from one of the most popular media producers, DC Comics. In making Satan the main character of the poem, Milton gives him humanity and agency that was not before seen. This still is true today with most stories about the Devil being about free will, self direction, and personal power. Satan is also depicted a beautiful and shining, a radically different approach to his appearance that stays in most modern retellings, espicalloy DC. Finally Milton brought sympathy to the devil, opening the door for further developments of the character as a sympathic and likable man. In the modern day, the Devil is more human ad closer to us than the idea of a perfect god, making him a meaningful and dynamic character in modern media. 

Sources: 

Dohal, Gassim H. “Humanizing satan of Milton’s Paradise Lost.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 12, no. 5, 2022, pp. 996–1000, https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1205.22.

“Lucifer.” DC, 2023, www.dc.com/characters/lucifer 

It will likely give you nothing but trouble

The second time we see Lucifer in the Sandman comics comes in Sandman #23 when Dream ventures to Hell armed to make right an ancient wrong. After his initial troubles in hell, Dream expects a fight to the point that he warns his kingdom and his only friend Hob Gadling that he may not come back from the fight. But Hell is empty and silent, Lucifer coming to Dream with a bored expression when he is called out for. Lucifer has thrown the souls and demons out of his realm, bored of his place in the universe and wishing to wash his hands of it all. He and Dream walk through the burning landscape, talking and kicking out the few stragglers that remain in the Morningstar’s realm. Morningstar asks Dream to cut off his wings at the end and gives the King of the Dreaming “the key to an empty hell.” Our last shot of Lucifer in this comic is him sitting peacefully on a beach looking at the sunset, giving a sense of hope for the dark lord’s future.

Gaiman, Neil, et al. The Sandman Omnibus. DC Comics, 2013.

gaslight 

gatekeep

goncharov

full spread - suptober day 6

more grace! more angel! heheehhhehhehe i used one of my favourite quotes 0:) i wasn't feeling too good so i did smth a little simpler but i still think it turned out great and kind of keeps the "series" going hehe

[👉prints & stickers👈] [give me a tip]

I have catholic trauma but I still love Mary so much. She’s just a beautiful figure and her suffering is not talked about enough. My OG mother figure.

Virgin Mary tears

reblog if you’re NOT tumblr famous, but you ARE tired and kinda gay

shhh everybody listen to what he has to say

I'm just saying, if Gene Roddenberry didn't want us to think his universe was so gay, there's a LOT of things he could've written very differently

Various little things I did to thank a few of those who donated to help me pay for my rooster’s vet bills awhile back. ❤️

(in the style of a mosh call) I NEED ALL YOU FUCKING MCR BLOGS TO GET BACK ON HERE AND START BLOGGING RIGHT NOW. THE TIME TO REST IS OVER, THE COUNTDOWN IS IMMINENT. MCR5 IS FUCKING UPON US AND I WANNA SEE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS MOVE! OPEN THIS SHIT UP RIGHT NOW!!!!!! I WANNA SEE YOU CIRCLE PIT OPEN UP THIS FUCKING PIT GO GO GO GO GOOOOO

”Where Are You Going Now?” “To Hell.” “Aren’t We All Mate?”

The Devil or Lucifer Morningstar is a well-established and enigmatic character in the DC Comics universe, and today I’d particularly like to look at their first appearance in the panels on the page. Before his flings with John Constantine or his ownership of a nightclub in Los Angeles, he was a central character in The Sandman #4 from 1989. Lucifer is in a triumverate running Hell with the demons Beelzbub and Azael as a compromise after a civil war in Lucifer’s realm. In later issues, it is confirmed that the whole civil war and arraignment was orchestrated by the fallen angel to try to cure the boredom he felt ruling Hell, but even at this point, it is clear Lucifer is still the one in charge and the triumvirate is a sham. He is the first to greet our protagonist Dream, he is the one to propose an alliance with the Dreaming, and he is the only demon to call Dream his true name Morpheus.

After their introduction, Beelzebub and Azazel barely speak. It is Lightbringer who holds all the power still, with an iron fist. A polite iron fist but one nonetheless. Lucifer keeps his bargains and deals with Dream with charming suave but still shows his power and threatens the King of the Dreaming, one of the most powerful of the Endless (Beings that control fundamental parts of reality). Lucifer only lets Dream leave after he is asked “What power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven?” which both mocks Lucifer in from of all the host of Hell and jabs at the Angel for his fallen status and his own dream of heaven. The last two panels show even more his status as true leader of Hell and that he has enough power— or hubris— to feel like he can threaten Dream of the Endless.

“I” will destroy him. Not “we”, the triumvirate. Lucifer and him alone. This is such a powerful start to this character and establishes his traits of charm, ego, Power, and hidden pain that stays throughout his run as a DC Comics character.

Gaiman, Neil, et al. The Sandman Omnibus. DC Comics, 2013.

The Image of Ultimate Evil

The Devil and other emissaries of hell have been know by many names throughout the years.

Belial.

Behemoth.

Beelzebub.

Asmodeus.

Satanas.

Lucifer. Okay, I’m done I just wanted to have my Ghost moment because Year Zero is a great song. Old Scratch has as many artistic interpretations throughout history as he has names. Starting around the Middle Ages the devil got a concrete image that wasn’t just copies of pagan deities. From presiding over sinners in Hell to playing monks like instruments in propaganda, this iteration of Satan is often animalistic, grotesque, and overtly sexual in a disgusting way. 

Like this 1260 mural for example. Horrid, weird, and having his junk out in the open. This trend lasted till the Renaissance and the publishing of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. With this poem, the idea of satan shifted into something more sympathetic, human, and handsome. See my previous post for some examples of Renaissance Lucifer. This beauty lasts till the modern era, but we also see the introduction of Satan depicted as a representation of modern indulgences and greed. This is personally my favorite version, a sophisticated and charming devil with a silver tongue and selling fast luxury. Especially in DC Comics, the devil is a suave antihero and an extremely compelling character. 

Source: “The Changing Faces of Satan.” BBC Teach, BBC, 8 Nov. 2019, www.bbc.co.uk/teach/the-changing-faces-of-satan/zk7p7nb

Okay, kids let’s talk about sculpture, specifically Belgium devils.

In 1837, St. Paul’s Cathedral commissioned an art exhibition from sculptor Joseph Geff, and in the collection of Saints, there was to be Lucifer at the front with his back to the holy images. The Lucifer marble statue was named “L’ange du mal” or “The Angel of Evil” and was installed in 1842—just one problem.  The statue was “distracting” and “the devil is too sublime” (Geuzaine 1990). The bottom line is that the statue was too hot to be in a church. 

I mean I get what they’re saying as a MLM. One lucky William II of the Netherlands purchased it after it was taken down. Wonder what he did with it. So no one is lusting over the devil in holy ground anymore. Yay! But now there is no centerpiece in the display. Boo! To replace “L’ange Du Mal”, the cathedral asked the sculptor’s brother Guillaume to create a new one. The resulting statue, “Le Genie Du Mal” or “The Genius of Evil” is arguably hotter than the original. Chained to a rock, little horns poking through wavy hair, a face crying beautifully in anguish, broken crown in hand, and a representation of original sin– highly argued to be the sin of sex– at his feet. St. Paul installed it though, and it stands at the altar to this day. 

Sublime indeed. 

Source: Fairway, Allen. “The Devil Is Too Sublime.” Art History News, 18 Nov. 2020, blogs.kent.ac.uk/artistry/2020/11/18/the-devil-is-too-sublime/ 

not done messing with their shapes yet actually