Among the literary characters, he is undoubtedly one of the most colorful, mysterious and attractive. The legend of the tireless seeker of truth, who gave his soul to the Devil, fed the work of Marlowe, Goethe, Thomas Mann and many other playwrights, artists, and writers. But, like any legend, it had very real roots. It is reliably known that Doctor Faust actually lived in Germany in the first half of the 16th century. More precisely, he was a resident of Württemberg, since at that time there was no single German state on the political map of the world.
Historical Faust was born in Knittlingen near Maulbronn. He came from a good noble family. In the armorial of the XVI century. there is the coat of arms of the lawyer Faust: on a blue background - a clenched fist, and on the shield - an eagle in a crown, spreading its wings. In Maulbronn itself, many years later, the "tower of Faust" remained safe and sound, where he studied science and magic and which the locals loved to show visiting tourists.
In his youth, Faust became an itinerant student. This was a very large category of young people who dropped out of university classes voluntarily or failed the exam. In different countries they were called vagants, scholastics, scholars, erratics. They traveled, had fun, played music, made fun of (far from always harmless) the townsfolk, made a living by selling miraculous elixirs and treating diseases. Itinerant students loved to show off and exaggerated their education in every possible way. They boasted that they had learned a special science called "the magic of salutaris". It was allegedly taught by Satan himself in the bowels of Venusberg, that is, the mountains of Venus. One of the writers of that time even claimed that Mount Venus is in France, only he will not say near which city so that students do not go there. On this mountain there was supposedly a wonderful stone, standing on which a person became invisible and sank into the ground, right into the audience, where the Devil himself sat at the professorship. He read here medicine, jurisprudence and theology, but did not allow listeners to record his lectures.
The wandering student Faustus, like his fellows, treated with herbs, powders, roots and tinctures. He proved to be a very skilled physician. And everywhere he was accompanied by a funny black poodle. Rumor claimed that Satan himself was hiding under the guise of a dog, and it was thanks to his advice that Faust's activities were so successful. They also said that a wandering student worked miracles, and while in Venice, he made himself wings and tried to fly through the sky, but the Devil got angry with him for such insolence and almost ruined him. The reputation of a warlock was also entrenched in Faust, for they often found him reading old books with incomprehensible symbols and formulas.
Judging by the fact that our hero eventually received his doctorate, he obviously got rid of the frivolity of youth over time. But the end of historical Faust is sad. One day he came to a village hotel in a very gloomy mood. After sitting all evening in the tavern, he said to the owner: "Do not be alarmed if there is noise at night." Indeed, at night strange noises and something like cries for help were heard from his room. No one left the room the next morning. When they broke down the door, they found Faust with a coiled neck. Even with him, a life story written with his own hand was allegedly found, where only the end was lacking. This end was later added by the doctor's students. What really happened, we are unlikely to ever know. One thing is clear: Doctor Faustus died a violent death.
That, in fact, is all that is known about the real Faust. But the legend about the scientist began to be passed from mouth to mouth, overgrown with the details added. And in 1587, a certain Spies published in the city of Frankfurt am Main a book entitled, according to the custom of that time, very long: “The story of Dr. Johann Faust, the notorious sorcerer and warlock, how he wrote down his soul to the Devil for a certain time, that he he saw time and did it himself, until he received a well-deserved bribe. Compiled on the basis of the writings left after him for a terrifying and disgusting example to all arrogant, cunning and godless people."
According to this version, Faust was the son of a peasant and was born in the town of Rode near Weimar. In Württemberg he had a wealthy relative who took him to him and sent him to school to study theology. Young Faust showed himself to be a very capable and diligent student: he passed the final exam and was recognized as the best of 17 classmates. Faust soon became proud and abandoned the Bible out of arrogance. He fell into a bad society, became interested in the occult sciences and went to the University of Krakow, where he began to study magic (at that time, the University of Krakow was considered the center of the occult sciences). Faust became an astrologer, mathematician, theologian. But the more he learned, the more new secrets arose before him that no one could help him reveal. Day and night Faust sat over books, pondered intently, but the truths of the universe did not want to open up to him. And then he was overcome by the temptation to resort to the help of the Devil.
On a dark night, Faust went into a dense forest near Württemberg. He stood at an intersection, from which roads diverged in four directions, and outlined several circles with chalk. Then he uttered a magic spell. The devil heard the challenge, but decided not to appear at the first call. Instead, he put on a small show to make fun of the caster's dismay. Suddenly a storm arose, lightning flashed, and a crowd of laughing devils appeared under the thunderclap. A deafening shot rang out near the chalk circle, a streak of light flashed and magic music began to sound. Invisible singers sang, air creatures whirled in dances, fighters with pikes and sabers appeared from the darkness. Faust felt terrified, but he did not give up on his intention and uttered a second, more powerful spell. Now a dragon appeared from somewhere and began to fly over the circles. And then Faust uttered the third spell. The dragon howled pitifully, at that moment a large star fell to the ground and turned into a ball of fire. Any sane person would have rushed to run so as not to be incinerated by fire, but Faust repeated the spell. A fiery stream descended from the heavens and disappeared somewhere in the depths, six lights shone, which suddenly turned into a fiery man. This man at first silently walked around Faust, then took the form of a gray-haired monk and asked in a deaf voice: "What do you want from me?" "Visit me at my house at twelve o'clock in the morning," answered Faust. The summoned spirit agreed. A fiery stream descended from the heavens and disappeared somewhere in the depths, six lights shone, which suddenly turned into a fiery man. This man at first silently walked around Faust, then took the form of a gray-haired monk and asked in a deaf voice: "What do you want from me?" "Visit me at my house at twelve o'clock in the morning," answered Faust. The summoned spirit agreed. A fiery stream descended from the heavens and disappeared somewhere in the depths, six lights shone, which suddenly turned into a fiery man. This man at first silently walked around Faust, then took the form of a gray-haired monk and asked in a deaf voice: "What do you want from me?" "Visit me at my house at twelve o'clock in the morning," answered Faust. The summoned spirit agreed.
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At midnight he visited Faust in his city apartment and listened to the scientist. Johann proposed after death to give his soul to the Devil for the fact that during his life he would serve him and tell about everything that Faust wants to investigate. The spirit answered that it was not in his power to accept these conditions: he first needed to ask permission from his master.
The next night, the spirit appeared again and announced that Lucifer had given permission to accept Faust's proposal. Faust put forward the following conditions:
1) he, Faust, will receive dexterity, form and the image of the spirit;
2) the spirit will do whatever it wants, Faust;
3) the spirit will obey and obey him, like a servant;
4) at any time, when only Faust wishes, the spirit will appear in his room;
5) in his house the spirit must be invisible to everyone;
6) the spirit must appear when Faust demands it, in the form in which Faust will be pleased.
The spirit, in turn, put forward counter conditions:
1) after 24 years, Faust will surrender himself to the power of the Devil;
2) in confirmation of this, Faust will write a receipt with his own blood;
3) Faust must deny Christ;
4) Faust must become an enemy of Christianity;
5) Faust must avoid godly people and not allow himself to be turned away from the Devil. As a reward for this, Faust will have everything he wants, and will soon feel that he himself has the properties of spirit.
"What is your name?" Faust asked the spirit. And he heard in response: "Mephistopheles."
Accepting the devilish offers, Faust opened his vein with a knife, drained blood into the pot and set it on fire. Then he drew up a commitment, a copy of which after the death of Faust was found next to his tortured body.
The first years after the signing of the contract, Faust devoted himself entirely to science. He lived in Württemberg with his apprentice Wagner, also a magician. The devil revealed to him all the secrets of heaven and earth. Mephistopheles appeared to Faust in the guise of a Franciscan monk with a bell. He supplied Faust with the best food and drink, stealing expensive wines from the cellars of bishops and sovereign princes, and provided the scientist with clothing and money.
Some time later, Faust decided to marry. Mephistopheles tried to dissuade him from this venture in every possible way, but Faustus stood his ground. Then Satan himself appeared, and in such a terrible guise that Faust fled in fear. However, overwhelming force knocked him down and threw him back into the house, where the fire was already raging. The frightened Faust gave up his intention to marry, and then the flame went out. However, Satan soon came up with a more pleasant and effective way to turn Faust away from the dream of a "family nest": he began to supply him with beauties and libertines. The scientist liked the love orgies, and he no longer stuttered about marriage.
Having learned the secrets of earth and sky, Faust began to persistently ask Mephistopheles what hell was like. Mephistopheles reluctantly explained: “Hell is an endless winter, flame, trembling of members. People condemned to suffer in it would have drained the sea, carrying it out drop by drop a day, if they received even the slightest hope for an end to the torture. " Faust was not satisfied with Mephistopheles's explanations, and he asked to be allowed to see hell with his own eyes. One night Beelzebub flew up to his window in the form of a huge worm with an armchair on his back. Faust sat on it and went to a large mountain, from the depths of which flames erupt. The worm with Faust flew into the fire-breathing hole, where three more worms joined them to protect the passenger. For some time they successfully coped with their task, but then an angry bull that appeared from nowhere knocked Faust out of the chair,and he, tumbling, flew into the abyss. First, an old monkey caught him. Soon a dragon snatched him from the monkey and carried him into the abyss of water. There he fell out of the chariot, which was harnessed by a flying lizard, and fell on a cliff hanging over an abyss enveloped in flames. Thinking that the spirits have left him, desperate Faust with a cry: "O spirits, accept the deserved sacrifice!" - threw himself into the fire. Suddenly he was on the banks of the river, where kings and princes incessantly ran from fire to water and back. Condemned souls wandered right there.accept a well-deserved sacrifice! " - threw himself into the fire. Suddenly he was on the banks of the river, where kings and princes incessantly ran from fire to water and back. Condemned souls wandered right there.accept a well-deserved sacrifice! " - threw himself into the fire. Suddenly he was on the banks of the river, where kings and princes incessantly ran from fire to water and back. Condemned souls wandered right there.
The next morning Faust woke up at home, in his bed; he could not understand whether he had actually been to hell, or whether he had dreamed the whole journey.
In the sixteenth year of the treaty, Faust decided to travel around the world. Mephistopheles provided him with a magic horse that could fly through the air. Faust visited the pope in Rome, was horrified by the gluttony and debauchery of the highest church hierarchs and flew to the sultan in Turkey, where, in the guise of the prophet Mohammed, he spent six days in a harem with the ruler's wives. Flying over the Causi Island, he saw a special glow and wanted to take a closer look. But Mephistopheles said that here is paradise and the road to Faust is forbidden.
Many other adventures fell to the lot of Doctor Faust. Young pupils and students clung to him, whom the doctor did not teach so much as entertained and treated. For himself, he arranged a whole harem, the pearl of which was the beautiful Elena herself, because of which the Trojan War broke out. She gave birth to a son to Faust.
Everything would be fine if the date of reckoning with the Devil was not approaching. Faust became sad, yearned, earthly joys no longer distracted him from heavy thoughts.
On the eve of the fateful day, he said goodbye to all the students. At night they heard terrible screams in his room: it seemed that a storm was raging in the house. Everyone was seized with such horror that no one dared to come to the aid of the poor doctor. And the next morning those who entered the room saw traces of a fierce struggle: broken furniture, walls splattered with blood and brain, with clumps of hair adhered to them. Faust's body was terribly tortured. And next to him lay a copy of the contract with the Devil and an unfinished life story.
From the book: "100 Great Mysteries of History". Author: Nepomnyashchy Nikolay Nikolaevich
