Listen to ““DIABOLICAL DEALINGS WITH THE DEVIL” 10 True Encounters With Satan Himself! #WeirdDarkness” on Spreaker.
INTRODUCTION=====
Lucifer, Satan, Iblīs, Beelzebub – these are but some of the many names used to describe the arch-demonic enemy of mankind. A diabolical Devil-figure appears in history all across the globe. Whether you believe in his existence or not, the hellish mark which the Devil has left on the legends and folklores of mankind is indisputable. Many tales describe encounters with the beast – and here are a few historic encounters with the devil.
I’m Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness.
SHOW OPEN=====
Welcome, Weirdos – I’m Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Here you’ll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained.
Coming up in this episode…
Many tales describe encounters with the devil himself. Yet not all are the same. Sometimes Satan approaches his prey… other times, the lost soul goes seeking Lucifer to make a deal. Either way, the results are never favorable. (Diabolical Dealings With The Devil)
If you’re new here, welcome to the show! And if you’re already a member of this Weirdo family, please take a moment and invite someone else to listen. Recommending Weird Darkness to others helps make it possible for me to keep doing the show! And while you’re listening, be sure to check out WeirdDarkness.com where you can find the show on Facebook and Twitter, and you can also join the Weird Darkness Weirdos Facebook group.
Now.. bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness!
STORY:
DIABOLICAL DEALINGS WITH THE DEVIL=====
Richard Cabell lived during the 1600s and was the local Squire of Brook Manor, in Devon England. He was regarded as a monstrously evil man: a figure of darkness who local legend records as having beaten and abused his wife, until one night she escaped, fleeing across the moors with her husband in hot pursuit. It is said that he eventually caught up with the unfortunate woman, murdering her and her faithful dog. The ghost of this loyal canine haunted Cabell for the rest of his life.
The reason for the squire’s darkness, it was said, lay in a deal he had made with the devil.
Granted immortality by the Beast, Cabell did as he pleased, creating such an infamous legacy that he would later go on to provide the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles.
However, eternal life was not to be his. Cabell died on the 5th July 1677 – with some saying that he was hunted to death by a pack of phantom hounds, bent on revenge. 2 On the night of his interment into the family tomb, it is said that this same pack of phantom hounds came baying across the moor to howl at his grave. From then on, on the anniversary of his death, the hellish phantom of Richard Cabell could be seen stalking the moors and the area around his final resting place.
Terrified of the dark figure and his diabolical connection, local people built iron bars around the squire’s tomb and placed a huge slab of stone on top of the grave. However, even after taking such precautions, some still report a strange red glow emanating through the iron bars. Some even claim that, on certain nights, a whole host of demonic creatures gather at his grave, trying to retrieved the promised soul of for their master… 3
St. Dunstan: In the tenth century, the religious fate of England was safeguarded by Dunstan, a pious and charitable clergyman who held many important ecclesiastic positions throughout his life. By the time of his death in 988, Dunstan had served as the Archbishop of Canterbury and had reformed monastic life in England, as well as being a skilled artist, harpist and metalsmith. Not only that, it was said that Dunstan had protected England from the Devil himself.
According to legend, Dunstan encountered the devil numerous times. The most famous of these encounters occurred whilst he was living as a hermit in a cell at Glastonbury. A talented metalsmith as he was, Dunstan occasionally accepted commissions. One such commission came from an old man, who appeared at his window asking if Dunstan would make a chalice for him. Agreeing, Dunstan began working on the piece. However, when he looked up from his work, he noticed that his visitor had changed: one moment he was the old man, the next a young boy, then a woman.
It was then that Dunstan realised his visitor was the devil.
Concealing his distress, Dunstan continued to craft the chalice. He picked up his blacksmith’s tongs and moved them to fire. Once they were red-hot, he pulled them from the flames, turned on his heel and seized the devil by the nose with the tongs. Despite the struggling and screams of the devil, Dunstan calmly cast the beast from his cell.
On another occasion, Dunstan was sat in his cell playing his harp. As the saint sang his melodious tune, a “tramping vagrant” approached. This was the devil, once again intent on deceiving the holy man. However, Dunstan was a man of cunning. He once again seized the devil, this time grabbing his diabolic hoof. The saint proceeded to shoe the beast, furiously nailing a metal horseshoe to the devil’s hoof. The devil pleaded and cried in pain as Dunstan hammered nail after long nail into him. When he was done, Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and free the devil after he promised he would never pass through a door over which a horseshoe hangs.
From then on, the hanging of a horseshoe outside one’s home has been associated with good luck and protection. ***“Over your threshold, on your mast, Be sure the horse-shoe’s well nailed fast”
The Devil’s Bridge: Almost every country possesses a legend of a “Devil’s Bridge”. In this respect, the Tyrol region of Austria is no different.
Legend reports that, one day, a village in the valley of Montafon had their bridge swept away by an overwhelming torrent. The villagers were justifiably concerned, for they depended upon that passage to pass to and from Schruns, on the other side of the river, from where they traded and purchased their supplies. Banding together, the villagers applied to the local carpenter, offering him a large sum of money if he would rebuild the vital bridge in three days’ time.
The carpenter was in disbelief. The money being offered would make his large family rich. However, he saw that completing such a great amount of work in just three days was an impossibility. Before making a decision, he begged the villagers for one day of reflection.
All that day, up to midnight, the carpenter studied and pondered, frantically searching of a way to rebuild the bridge in the specified time. Angry and annoyed, he could find no solution. Just when he was about to give up and go to bed, a little man wearing a green hat entered the room. The strange man claimed that he could help the carpenter complete the task in the three days. He did, however, have one condition: once the bridge was finished, the first soul out of the carpenter’s house to pass over the bridge would belong to him.
So enticed by the large sum of money was he, the carpenter agreed to the devil’s terms, believing that, when the time came, he could cheat the devil.
Three days afterwards the bridge was complete, and the devil stood in the middle, awaiting his prey. After having remained there for many days, the carpenter at last appeared. Sensing his payment was close at hand, the devil jumped with joy. However, the carpenter was driving one of his goats, and as he approached the bridge, he pushed her on before him, and called out: “There you have the first soul out of my house!”
In a fit of rage at having being so deceived and humiliated, the devil seized the goat by the tail and dragged her across the bridge. So hard did the devil handle the creature that her tail came out. Laughed at and mocked by all who saw him with the goat, the devil took off.
It is said that since the day the carpenter outsmarted the devil, all goats have had short tails.
Robert Johnson: We’ve actually touched on this story in the past. Robert Johnson was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician. It was his guitar-playing ability for which he is most remembered, and is still considered to be amongst the greatest guitarists of all-time.
Strangely, playing the guitar was not a skill which he was ever known for as a child. The story goes that, although he played it avidly in high school, he was not reported as having any real talent for it. However, at the age of 18, Johnson displayed a mastery of guitar that seemed to come from nowhere. His rapid knowledge of the instrument was inexplicable: he played it with such intimate finesse that the only explanation for it was devilry.
According to legend, as a young man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi, Johnson greatly desired to become a great blues musician. This desire was so great, he took his guitar to a nearby crossroads. There he was met by the devil, who took his guitar and retuned it. Upon handing it back, Johnson was given mastery of the instrument – for the small price of his soul.
In the years that followed, Johnson became an itinerant musician, moving from place to place playing his guitar for tips on street corners. He later went on to record several songs.
Some say that allusions to Johnson’s diabolical pact can be found in several of his own songs, including Cross Road Blues, and Me and the Devil.
Somewhat ominously, Johnson died under mysterious circumstances in 1938 at the young age of 27. One theory suggests that he was poisoned by the jealous husband of a woman he had flirted with. Another theorises that he died of syphilis. Ultimately, no one knows. Not only that, Johnson’s gravesite is a mystery – with at least three different locations having been marked out as possible sites.
With Johnson’s music now enshrined in the Blues’ hall of fame, one can only wonder if the devil came and collected his fee as agreed. After all, Johnson died at the legendary, and possibly cursed, age of 27, meaning that he joins other great musicians in the infamous 27 club, including Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison.
The Possession of George Lukins: On Saturday 31st May, 1788, the Reverend Joseph Easterbrook was alerted to the strange case of George Lukins, a man who claimed to be possessed by the devil.
It was one of the Reverend’s parishioners, Mrs. Sarah Barber, who told him of Lukins’ affliction.
Upon visiting the village of Yatton in Somerset, a place where she used to live, Mrs. Barber had been disturbed to find a man she once knew in a state of extraordinary illness. George Lukins, a tailor and common carrier by profession, had been a child of “good character”, who “constantly attended the church and sacrament”. However, for the last eighteen years, his demeanor had shifted – his nature changed.
During her stay in the village, she told the Reverend, she witnessed the unfortunate man have fits multiple times a day, during which he “he sang and screamed in various sounds, some of which did not resemble a human voice”.
George had been placed under the care of Mr. Smith, an eminent surgeon. Many other medical gentlemen had also lent their help to Mr. Smith and his patient. All was in vain. No cure could be found for the mysterious malady, with George himself declaring – in the middle of his fits – that no doctor could do him service.
Many of the people of the village were convinced the man was “bewitched”. George himself “declared that he was possessed of seven devils”.
Upon hearing Mrs. Barber’s recollections, Rev. Easterbrook requested George Lukins visit him.
In the Reverend’s notes, he described how George made “the most horrible noises” as his body convulsed. Experiencing as many as nine fits a day, the man was weak and emaciated. He was also unable to hear religious expressions without writhing in pain.
Another witness, who published a letter in the local newspaper at the time, described how George would declare “in a roaring voice that he is the devil”, before singing a hunting song, in a “hoarse” and “frightful” voice. They even detailed how, “At certain periods of the fit, he is so violent, that an assistant is always obliged to be at hand, to restrain him from committing some injury on himself.”
On 13th June, Rev. Easterbrook and several of his friends and colleagues met with George in the vestry-room of the church. They began by singing hymns, which immediately caused George to convulse in agitation. His fit became more violent, until he spoke in “deep, hoarse, hollow voice”. The voice declared that it would “never quit” its hold of George, and that any attempt to help the man would cause him to suffer torment “a thousand times worse”. The voice then starting singing in its usual manner, boasting of its power, blaspheming and vowing vengeance on both the unfortunate George and all those who dared to oppose him.
As the session continued, other voices manifested, all refusing to release George and warning against any and all attempts to help him. At one point, a voice possessed the man and declared: “I am the great Devil”, before causing George to have such violent convulsions that two men had to restrain him.
When the voice thought to be the devil was asked why he tormented George, it answered: “That I may show my power amongst men.” All the while, George continued to suffer violent convulsions, despite his small size and weakened body.
As the session reached its climax, one of the clergymen commanded, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the evil spirit to depart from the man. Prayers for his deliverance were offered, and the clergyman’s command repeated. George’s convulsions and agonies grew stronger. He was, by now, crying out – howling – in miserable pain.
Then, he was delivered. The convulsions stopped – the devil, seemingly, departed. George Lukins, previously declared by medical men as incurable, was cured.
BREAK=====
Up next…
I’ve already shared five stories of those who’ve had dealings with the devil. Up next, I’ll share a few cases for his existence.
STORY: DEVIL EXISTENCE=====
Whatever religion you follow, or do not follow, the existence of an arch-demonic being in folklore across time, space and culture is undeniable.
The Devil’s Bible: Made from more than 160 animal skins and needing two people to lift it, Codex Gigas, also known as the Devil’s Bible, was allegedly written in just one night.
Herman the Recluse was a 12th century Bohemian monk. Legend has it that he was walled up inside of his cell, condemned to atone for his sins by inscribing holy texts for the rest of his days. To complete the great task more quickly and release himself from an early grave, the monk made a pact with the Devil.
With the Devil’s aid, the monk supposedly wrote the book in a single night. The first half of the tome comprises the entire Latin Vulgate Bible. The remainder is a bizarre mixture of Ancient medical treatises, encyclopedias, chronicles and magical formulae. The colossal Codex even contains a portrait of Lucifer, purportedly drawn by the fallen angel himself.
In experiments conducted to recreate the work, it has been estimated that reproducing the calligraphy alone, without the illustrations or embellishments, would have taken 5 years of non-stop writing. Most scholars believe that, working at a regular pace, it should have taken the monk around 30 years. However, academics have remarked at the stability of the handwriting found throughout the book. The suggestion being that the Devil’s Bible must have been written over a very short period of time.
The Possession of Elizabeth Knapp: Born in Massachusetts around 1655, Elizabeth Knapp worked as a household servant for the local Reverend. To all who met her, Elizabeth was nothing more than an ordinary young woman. That was until the Devil came calling.
It was when she was 16 years old that Elizabeth began to show signs of demonic possession. Samuel Willard, the Reverend whom she served, documented the case in great detail. First the girl experienced pains throughout her body. She would yell out, grabbing her leg, her breast, her neck. Often she would exclaim that she was being strangled. Elizabeth would suffer nighttime fits, reporting to have witnessed ‘two persons’ walking around her as her body convulsed unnaturally.
One day, Elizabeth confessed to the Reverend that it was the Devil himself who was stalking her. She claimed that he had promised her money, youth, ease from labor, and the ability to see the world. He had presented her with a book of blood covenants, which were signed by other women who had been unfortunate enough as to sign away their souls. However, Elizabeth exclaimed that she had been unable to do all that Satan had asked of her: namely to kill the Reverend Willard and his family.
As Winter approached, the possession escalated. During one of her violent fits, Elizabeth began talking in a strange, deep voice. Willard wrote in his journal how the girl’s mouth remained closed as her throat swelled up. In his mind, the Devil, ‘talked through her body’.
What makes this case particularly interesting is the detailed and scientific approach which the Reverend employed. He called in medical doctors and learned men on several occasions in order to try to find a cure for Elizabeth’s symptoms. Possession by the Devil was a conclusion only reached after all other options were exhausted.
In one of his concluding journal entries, Willard stated that Knapp’s temperament was unnatural and therefore diabolic.
The Devil’s Footprints: In February 1855, the people of the Exe Estuary in Devon, England awoke to discover the Devil’s hoofprints trodden into the snow.
The cloven-shaped marks covered a distance of some 40 to 100 miles. Houses, rivers, haystacks and other obstacles were traversed straight over. The diabolic footprints even appeared on the tops of snow-ladened roofs and high walls, as well as leading up to and exiting drain pipes. News of the unexplainable event reached as far as Australia. An extract from a newspaper there exclaimed in confusion that: ‘the footprints were to be seen in all kinds of unaccountable places’.
Investigators have commented that if the tracks really extended for close to one hundred miles, no human being would have been able to follow their entire course in a single night.
According to Trewman’s Exeter Flying Post, the case was ‘An excitement worthy of the dark ages’ and they published a piece on the ‘foot-tracks of a most strange and mysterious description’. Others, however, thought little of the story’s excitement, and more of its infernal meaning. In the town of Dawlish a group of tradesmen were so distressed that they armed themselves with ‘guns and bludgeons’. On the morning of the 9th of February, they took off in pursuit of the mysterious footprints.
At the time, bizarre theories were circulated in order to distract local parishioners’ concerns about a visit from the devil. The local Reverend Musgrave explained the event away by blaming the footprints on a couple of escaped kangaroos from a private
However, he later recanted in a letter addressed to a London newspaper: ***‘I found a very apt opportunity to mention the name of kangaroo, in allusion to the report then current. I certainly did not pin my faith to that version of the mystery […] but the state of the public mind of the villagers […] dreading to go out after sunset […] under the conviction that this was the Devil’s work […] rendered it very desirable that a turn should be given to such a degraded and vitiated notion […] and I was thankful that a kangaroo [… served] to disperse ideas so derogatory’*****
Until this day, nobody has been able to explain who – or what – visited the people of Exe Estuary that night.
The Gateway to Hell: Houska Castle of the Czech Republic was built with only one purpose: to encase the Gateway to Hell.
Built in the middle of nowhere, this imposing Gothic structure was constructed with no fortifications, no water, and no kitchen. When it was completed in the 13th century, it had no occupants. Instead, the castle is fortified inwards, with its chapel built over a huge, bottomless pit acclaimed to be the entrance to Hell. Its sole purpose is to keep the Devil and his demons at bay.
Historic witness reports attest to demonic half-animal, half man creatures dragging themselves out from its depths. Others reports describe dark, winged creatures pouring out from the endless chasm in order to terrorise the local populace.
According to local legend, when construction on the castle began local prisoners who were sentenced to death were recruited to discover more about the mysterious hole. If they allowed themselves to be lowered by rope into is dark depths they would receive a pardon. However, when the first of the inmates was lowered, he began screaming after just a few moments. Those holding the rope dragged him back to the surface. The man had wrinkles and his hair had turned white. In a few mere seconds, he had aged by over 30 years. The unfortunate man died of unknown causes a few days afterwards.
During the 1930s, the Nazis supposedly occupied the castle so as to conduct occult experiments with dimensional portals. Years later, during renovations, several Nazi officer skeletons were found there.
In the modern day, the castle’s ghostly, as well as demonic, residents are well-known and have attracted many paranormal enthusiasts. Sightings include mysterious beasts, a headless black horse and a distressed spectral woman. Beneath the cellar it is claimed that there are non-human remains of the demons who have managed to claw their way out of Hell.
The Devil’s Handwriting: According to modern knowledge, there is only one specimen of Satanic calligraphy in existence.
This curious extract first appeared in 1523, taken from an Italian text which describes an encounter between Ludovico Spoletano and the Devil. Spoletano allegedly summoned Satan, requesting that he use his body as a vessel to write clear and legible answers to a series of questions asked of him. However, the King of Hell refused to cooperate, and instead snatched the pen into midair so as to rapidly scrawl the answers himself.
What the Devil wrote was indecipherable: a series of diabolic scrawls that seems as though it should read from left to right. After being passed onto several learned men without success of decryption, the text disappeared into abeyance.
As of today, no one has been able to decode the text or make a convincing case for it being a hoax.
However, academics have identified traces of some of the manuscript’s characters in Amharic, a language spoken in its purity in the province of Amhara, Ethiopia. According to legend, this was the primeval language spoken in Eden.
SHOW CLOSE=====
Thanks for listening. If you like the show, please share it with someone you know who loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do! You can email me anytime with your questions or comments at darren@weirddarkness.com – and you can find the show on Facebook and Twitter, including the show’s Weirdos Facebook Group on the CONTACT/SOCIAL page at WeirdDarkness.com. Also on the website, if you have a true paranormal or creepy tale to tell, click on TELL YOUR STORY – or call the DARKLINE toll free at 1-877-277-5944. That’s 1-877-277-5944.
All stories in Weird Darkness are purported to be true (unless stated otherwise) and you can find source links or links to the authors in the show notes.
“Diabolical Dealings With The Devil” by Laura for Paranormal Scholar
Again, you can find link to all of these stories in the show notes.
WeirdDarkness™ – is a production and trademark of Marlar House Productions. Copyright, Weird Darkness.
Now that we’re coming out of the dark, I’ll leave you with a little light… “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” – Mark 12:30
And a final thought… ”Train your mind and heart to see the good in everything. There is always something to be thankful for.”
I’m Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness.
Hits: 5