Devils in the Details Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and some others believe in the concept of duality. Thus, Satan is the adversary of God, standing for everything that is against God's commands. In the current world, the battle for the souls of mankind are fought between good (God) and evil (the Devil). In the Bible, Satan initially takes the form of a serpent and tricks Eve (and consequently Adam) into disobeying God and being banished from the Garden of Eden.

In some Christian traditions, Satan is considered the Fallen Angel, Lucifer, who sinned against God by seeking to become God himself. Sent out from heaven, he is now considered to reign in hell as the Prince of Darkness, the opposite of his original name which meant light. The origins of Satan are not explicitly detailed in the Bible and not all Christian denominations believe in the concept of a fallen angel. However, various versions of the Bible use the term Satan, especially in the New Testament where Jesus rebukes Peter stating, "Get thee behind me, Satan" (Matthew 16:23; King James Version).

In yet another Gospel, this time the Book of John, Jesus refers to the Devil as the "Father of Lies" to contrast with God the Father and Jesus. Jesus calls himself "the way, the truth and the resurrection".

Beelzebub is initially noted in the Old Testament Books of Kings as a god worshipped by the Philistines. The name is sometimes also translated to 'Lord of the Flies'. In the New Testament book of Mark, Jesus is accused by some of driving out demons in the name of Beelzebub and not the God of the Jews. During the Renaissance, the concept of seven princes of hell gained popularity with Beelzebub being associated with gluttony.

Mephistopheles comes from German folklore. In the German legend of Faust, the eponymous character makes a deal with the devil and sells his soul. Mephistopheles acts as agent for the devil, but over time the name has become synonymous with the devil or at least a demon.

The term Old Nick is colloquial and is stated to be related to another name for the devil, Old Scratch (nick and scratch have similar English meanings). There is no consensus on the origin of either of these names. Both appear to be names coined to be used to avoid using the term devil. Old Scratch was used by Washington Irving in his short story "The Devil and Tom Walker" that formed a part of his collection of stories in "Tales of a Traveller", published in 1824. The premise of the story is similar to the German legend of Faust.

Shaitan is the Arabic word for the devil. In Islam, Shaitan or Shaytan is an evil spirit who incites men to commit sins. Iblis is the head-shaytan or Satan himself. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, it is believed that the shaytans are chained in hell and cannot wreck havoc on earth.

Angra Mainyu is the name for the spirit of evil in the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism which is still practiced today. He is the principal adversary of Ahura Mazda, the god or highest being.

Among the incorrect options, Yama, Hades and Pluto are the respective gods of death in Hindu, Greek and Roman mythology. Voltan is an earth god in Mayan myth, while Loki is the trickster god of Norse myth.