Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles - The name, originally Hebrew, is derived from "mephiz" meaning destroyer, and "tophel" meaning liar.  Mephistopheles is a fallen archangel, one of the 7 great princes of Hell (one of the maskim, q.v.).  According to Cornelius Agrippa, Mephistopheles "stands under the planet Jupiter, his regent is name Zadkiel, who is an enthroned angel of the holy Jehovah." [Rf. Dr. Faust's Hollenzwang, a book of magic.]  In Seligmann, The History of Magic, Mephistopheles is "a subordinate demon, a fallen angel too, and sometimes admitted to the presence of God, but his is not the devil."  In secular literature Mephistopheles is either a minion of Satan or a stand-in for Satan.  In Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, he is a leading character, along with Lucifer, Beelzebub, and other devils (the angels in the play, good or evil, are not named).  In Goethe's Faust it is Mephistopheles who, acting for his overlord Satan, seals the pact with Faust.  Mephistopheles is also a character in Busoni's uncompleted opera Doktor Faust, which was heard for the 1st time in America in 1964.  Hegel the philosopher saw in Mephistopheles the symbol of "the negative principle." (a)

MEPHISTOPHELES:  Mephistopheles is one of the DEMONS of hell according to Christian literature and legend.  He is mentioned in virtually every version of the FAUST story as the infernal agent who entices the scholar to sell his soul to the DEVIL.  Mephistopheles is a shape-shifter who assumes many forms to tempt Faust and who can grant many supernatural powers.  The fiend also takes Faust on a tour of hell to show the damned man what awaits him in the afterlife.  In Christopher Marlowe's version of the Faust tragedy, the demon goes even further, stating that he is the very embodiment of hell.  When Faust asks how it is that the demon can leave the underworld, Mephistopheles responds, "Why, this is Hell, nor am I out of it."

Mephistopheles has since become synonymous with the devil.  Popular music icon Sting mentions the demon in his 1983 hit "Wrapped Around Your Finger," likening the evil spirit to a beautiful - but forbidden - lover who can bring only sorrow and angst to her obsessed admirer.  The host of hell has also inspired numerous plays, paintings, and works of music such as Arrigo Boito's 1868 opera MEFISTOFELE. (o)

Resource List - all entries are taken verbatim from the original source:

(a) "The Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, © 1967

(o) "The Encyclopedia of Hell."  Miriam Van Scott.  St. Martin's Press.  ©1998