Have you ever heard the term “The Deal With The Devil”? If you didn’t, then no problem. In this list, we are going to talk about it. The Deal with The Devil is also called Faustian Bargain or Mephistophelian Bargain. According to traditional Christian belief about witchcraft, the pact is between a person and Satan or a lesser demon. The person offers their soul in exchange for favors from Satan. Those favors vary by the tale but tend to include fame, power, youth, knowledge, or wealth.
It was usually thought that the person who had made a deal with Devil also promised the Devil to kill children or consecrate them to the Devil at the moment of birth. The contract can be either oral or written.
So far, we know that people love to sell their soul to the Devil to be rich and famous. But which ones were the best. In today’s list, we will talk about the top 10 people who sold their soul to the devil.
10 Famous People Who Sold Their Soul to Satan
10. Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues guitarist, songwriter, and singer. Rumors say that Johnson was horrible at the guitar before he made his deal with the Devil. Back then, when Johnson played kinds of music, it was so bad that people would throw stuff at him. Then he left for a while, went to the mysterious crossroads, and returned as a god of the guitar. Many people believed that no one could gain such mastery in such a short time. He is now recognized as a master of blues. He might have found a teacher who was willing to show him how to play music in such a short time, or maybe he did go down the easy road and got a deal with Devil that he will be a master at playing music.
If I were him, I would have played into the rumor because it would draw so much attention to people that everyone would want to see the man who sold his soul to the Devil to play the guitar like a god. They would want to know what the Devil could give you.
Another mystery about him was how he died. It has a rumor that after a gig in August 1938, he was given a bottle of whisky by a woman, drinking which he collapsed as it was poisoned by the woman’s hand. The story cannot be confirmed, and no one knows where his body is buried.
9. Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, guitarist, and composer. He was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1782. It is considered to this day that he is one of the greatest violinists to have ever lived. He left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. When it comes to the violin, he was such a genius. Some of his violin techniques and skills are considered to be impossible.
From his early age, his mother always wanted him to be a great violin player, and there is speculation that it was her who made a deal with the Devil of his soul for greatness. Paganini was so genius that he could play violin from the age of 7 and was performing in public when he was just 11 years old. When he turned 13, he was sent to a famous violinist called Alessandro Rolla. But Paganini was so talented that Alessandro sent him to his teacher. Again, After few months, his teacher sent him to his own teacher because Paganini was too talented for him.
When Paganini turned 15 years old, he started to tour solo, but he had a breakdown. He soon turned out to be a womanizer, alcoholic, and gambler. But he recovered and became one of the first violinists to perform in public without sheets. He could memorize everything and was so skilled.
His ability soon popularized the rumor that he made a deal with the Devil. Many people even claimed that they saw Paganini’s look-alike during his performance with horns and tails hovering around him. When Paganini died on May 27, 1840, everyone refused to bury him in Genoa.
8. Pope Sylvester II
Pope Sylvester, also known as Gerbert of Aurillac was a French-born scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death. He was one of the most learned men of his time. He was well-versed in mathematics, astronomy, and mechanics. Also he is credited with inventing the hydraulic organ, pendulum clock and introducing Arabic numerals to Western Europe.
He also wrote books on music, theology, philosophy, and mathematics. After his death, rumors began to start that his great intelligence resulted from a pact with the Devil. This was most likely due to his regular contact with great scientific minds in the Arab world and his brave attempt to root out simony in the Church.
7. Giuseppe Tartini
This is how you reach legendary status. Just like Robert Johnson, you want to be a person so good at your craft that the only way people can justify it is by saying that you made a deal with the Devil, that you’re so unreal at ripping down what you do that you must have done some dirty work to get that good. This is what happened with Giuseppe. This guy was ripping through the violin so good that people were like the Devil must have hooked him up with some good skill.
The story goes by that Giuseppe woke up, and the Devil was sitting on the edge of his bed and playing his violin. After some time, it vanished, and Giuseppe soon wrote down everything he could remember from the song. And that became Devil’s trill sonata. It was so legendary that everyone breaking down to that song. But Giuseppe said that the Devil played was even more legendary.
6. General Jonathan Moulton
Jonathan Moulton was born in July 1726. He was not always extraordinarily wealthy. Jonathan Moulton started as an apprentice to a cabinet maker, but in 1745 Jonathan left and started his career in the Army. While serving in the Army, he fought three major wars. He married in 1749 and sired 11 children. He became one of the wealthiest men in no time, which led to later tales of his deal with the Devil.
As how he got so much wealth, locals alleged that he had made a contract with the Devil. Wherein he would fill Moulton’s boots to the brim with gold once a month in return for his soul. But Moulton tore open the boot’s sole, so the boot would never be full of gold. When the Devil found out that he was being tricked, he took revenge on Moulton in the strangest way possible. It is believed that when Moulton died, his body disappeared out of the coffin and was replaced by a box of coins stamped with an image of the Devil. Moulton’s coffin was buried with no grave marker, and its location is still unknown.
5. Christian Bale
Christian Bale is one of the greatest actors of our generation. How does he do it? Well, I’m starting to see a pattern here. Back in the day’s people used to say the best people must have sold their soul to the Devil to become great. Because how else could they do it? Nowadays, if you become rich and famous, you’re part of the Illuminati, which worshipping the Devil. I mean, it’s the only logical answer. It’s not like people work hard and can achieve things that no other person ever could.
There’s no way that these rumors could be coming from people who haven’t accomplish anything of substance looking up at the people above them and then creating confusing dialogue so they can cope with their inadequacies! No, that could never be the case, but in the case of Christian Bale, he did thank the Devil in one of his golden globe speeches. I think he was probably trying to stir the pot because he knows that people will freak out if he says something like that, or maybe the guy does believe in the Devil. I don’t know!
4. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim was born in 14 September 1486. Agrippa was a Magician, German polymath, physician, legal scholar, soldier, theologian, and occult writer. He is one of the most influential occultists of the early modern period.
He was a leader in feminist rights and often defended women accused of witchcraft. In the year 1535, he was sentenced to death. But somehow, he managed to escape, and on his way home, he fell ill and died. After Agrippa’s death, rumours were flying in the sky about his having summoned demons. In the most famous of these, Agrippa, upon his deathbed, released a black dog that had been his familiar. This black dog resurfaced in various legends about Faustus, and in Goethe’s version, became the “Schwarze Pudel” Mephistopheles.
3. Johann Georg Faust
Johann Georg Faust, also known as John Faustus, was an itinerant german alchemist, astrologer, and magician of the German Renaissance. Legend says that Faust always wanted to live a life full of pleasure. For this reason, he learned how to summon the Devil. Having done so, he made a deal with him for his soul in return for 24 years of service from Satan. Unfortunately, after 16 years, he wanted to withdraw his soul and cancel the deal. The consequences of this attempt to cancel the agreement the Devil brutally murdered him.
2. Urbain Grandier
Urbain Grandier was born on 1590 in Loudun, France. He was a French Catholic priest who was burned at stake after being convicted of witchcraft, following the so-called “Loudun Possessions.” Most modern commentators have concluded that Grandier was a victim of politically motivated persecution led by the powerful Cardinal Richelieu. Urbane was ahead of his time when it came to being a horrible person in the Church. He was summoning the Devil all the time. And he had magical power. He would put a curse on people he didn’t like, and there was even a contract found that was said to be signed by the Devil, and it was used against him in court.
1. Antonio Rose
This case of selling your soul to the Devil was so famous that it impacted witchcraft culture. So rose was living back in the 1400s, and she wasn’t doing well. She was trying to take care of her children, but her husband abandoned them. So she had to do whatever she could to try and keep her kids alive.
Apparently, the stress of just trying to stay alive started to wear on her, and she began to indulge in psychedelic drugs that you could rub on your skin. She was seen rubbing it on a broom handle and then riding it like you see witches do in popular culture today; eventually, people started to claim that she was a witch and working with the Devil. When she attacked someone who came close to her home, she was arrested and convicted of being a witch and selling her soul to the Devil.
Conclusion.
This list is just for entertainment. I don’t have any intentions to inspire you to sell your soul to the Devil or involve witchcraft. And this list only contains rumors, no running proofs. So please don’t take it too seriously.
But There’s good, and there’s bad I believe in it. And this kind of black magic or witchcraft is the worst sin. In Islam, Allah will forgive all of your sins but witchcraft. There’s no shortcut. You have to work hard and achieve things. No, I’m not a motivational speaker. But I understand between good and evil. All you have to is to have faith in God and work hard towards your goal. It may be fame or money, or knowledge. This thing will sound bitter, but in the end, we all have to die. In this world, everything is temporary. According to Bible, Quran, or Geeta, this world is not our home. We’re just living here for a while. Just remember one thing that our body is temporary, but our soul is permanent. Don’t run for a momentary pleasure.