Despite the fact that the name of Faust was overgrown with a huge number of legends and myths, both oral and literary, such a person existed in real life. Was Faust a powerful sorcerer who sold his soul to the devil, or just a charlatan? Data on the life of the historical Faust are extremely scarce.
He was born, apparently, around 1480 in the city of Knittlingen. Subsequently, through Franz von Sickingen, he received a teaching position in Kreuznach, but was forced to flee from there due to the persecution of his fellow citizens.
As a warlock and astrologer, he traveled around Europe, posing as a great scientist. In 1507, the alchemist and philosopher Trithemius, in his letter to Johann Wyrdung, the court astrologer of the Elector of the Palatinate, wrote:
They say that Master George Sabellikus, Faust the Younger, a storehouse of necromancy, astrologer, successful magician, palmist, aeromancer, pyromancer and successful hydromancer, argued that the miracles that Christ performed were not so amazing, and that he himself was able to repeat everything this is. In the meantime, a teaching position was vacated, and he was appointed to the post under the patronage of Franz von Sickingen.
The letter of Trithemius is interesting not only by the mention of Faust and the comparison of his deeds with those of Christ, but also by the fact that one of the most powerful personalities of that time, the leader of the Free Knights, who raised an uprising against the pope and the bishops, was named his patron.
It is also striking that Franz von Sickingen will become one of the main characters in the dramatic poem "Getz von Berlichingen", written by the main literary father of Faust, Johann Wolfgang Goethe. In addition, the letter also contains the full name of Faust - George Sabellikus.
Promotional video:
If you delve into the documents of that period, then you can find the mention of George more than once, moreover, again in the same combination with the name Faust. Someone Konrad Muzian Ruf claimed to have met him, heard him "rant at the inn," and that he seemed to him "just a braggart and a fool."
In the ledger of the bishop of the city of Bamberg there is a record of the payment of the horoscope fee to "the philosopher Dr. Faust." Further, the census in Ingolstat recorded the presence of “Dr. Jörg (Georg) Faust von Heideleberg”, who was expelled from the city. The record says that the aforementioned doctor Faust, before his expulsion, allegedly claimed that he was a knight of the Order of St. John and the head of one of the branches of the order from Carinthia, the Slavic province of Austria.
In addition, there is evidence from the townspeople that he made astrological predictions and predicted the birth of prophets. Moreover, in their memoirs, he is named Georgy Faust of Helmstedt, that is, from the town of Helmstedt. Looking through the records of the University of Heidelberg, you can easily find a student who received a master's degree who came to study from a specified location and bore the same name.
Further, the path of Faust is not lost in the wilds of history and does not disappear in the desert of time, as is the case with almost all the characters of the Middle Ages. Four years after his predictions about the prophets, he resurfaces in Nuremberg. In the municipal book, with the firm hand of the burgomaster, it is written:
Doctor Faust, a well-known sodomite and expert in black magic, should be refused a security letter.
A very revealing record. Quite calmly, it is mentioned, along with the fact that he sodomizes, that he is also a black magician. Not with shrieks and shouts "To the fire!"
Two years later, new documents appear on the investigation of the uprising in Münster, when the city was captured by sectarians, who declared this city the New Jerusalem and their leader - the King of Zion. Local princes suppressed the uprising and recorded the entire investigation process in this case. This is where the ubiquitous Doctor Faustus emerges again, but without any connection with the uprising or with any otherworldly forces. Just one phrase: "The philosopher Faust hit the mark because we had a bad year."
Obviously, the real Faust had an amazing ability to survive and adapt, since every time, having experienced shame and defeat, he again surfaced to the surface. With blissful carelessness, he handed out business cards to the right and left as follows:
The great medium, second among magicians, astrologer and palmist, divines by fire, water and air.
In 1536, at least two famous clients tried to look into the future with his help. A senator from Würzburg wished to receive an astrological prediction about the outcome of Charles V's war with the French king, and a German adventurer, who went to South America in search of Eldorado, tried to find out the chances of success for his expedition.
In 1540, on a late autumn night, a small hotel in Württemberg was shaken by the crash of falling furniture and the clatter of feet, replaced by heartbreaking screams. Later, local residents claimed that on this terrible night a storm broke out with a clear sky, a blue flame burst out of the chimney of the hotel several times, and the shutters and doors in it began to slam by themselves.
Screams, groans, incomprehensible sounds lasted for at least two hours. Only in the morning did the frightened owner and servants dare to enter the room from where it was all heard. The crumpled body of a man lay on the floor of the room among the rubble of furniture. It was covered with monstrous bruises, abrasions, one eye was gouged out, and its neck and ribs were broken. It was the disfigured corpse of Dr. Johann Faust. The townspeople claimed that the doctor's neck was broken by the demon Mephistopheles, with whom he entered into a contract for 24 years. At the end of the term, the demon killed Faust and doomed his soul to eternal damnation.
From Germany, the fame of Faust began to spread like wildfire, partly thanks to the publication of a collection of rather primitive legends entitled The Story of Doctor Faust (1587). Several artless humorous scenes were added to the legends, in which people who were fooled by Faust were the targets of ridicule.
Nevertheless, certain passages, such as the description of eternal torment in hell, possessed the power of true conviction, and the image of Mephistopheles as the worst enemy of the human race and Faust as a mortally frightened sinner unmistakably acted on the public, touching the sensitive strings of readers.
Over the next century, two new, revised editions of the book appeared, which were equally successful. Meanwhile, the oral tradition of stories about the amazing abilities of the sorcerer has not lost its strength. His union with Satan, judging by these stories, manifested itself even in everyday life. So, as soon as Faust knocked on a simple wooden table, and from there a fountain of wine began to beat, or on his order, fresh strawberries appeared at the height of winter.
In one legend, a very hungry sorcerer swallowed a whole horse with a cart and hay. When he got bored of the hot summer, the dark forces poured snow so that he could ride a sleigh. It was also said that one night in a tavern, during a drunken binge, Faust noticed four stalwart men trying to roll a heavy barrel out of the cellar.
“What fools! he cried. - Yes, I alone can do it! In front of the astonished visitors and the innkeeper, the sorcerer descended the stairs, sat astride a barrel and in triumph rode up the steps straight into the hall.
The English playwright Christopher Marlowe was the first to use the legend of Doctor Faust in literary work. In 1592, he wrote The Tragic Story of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, where his character is presented as a powerful epic hero, overwhelmed by a thirst for knowledge and wanting to bring their light to people.
Christopher Marlowe
Marlowe's drama combined the funny and the serious, and modern British society was harshly criticized in it. Faust Marlowe is not just a jester or a tool of the devil, he uses Satan to explore the boundaries of human experience. Faust himself perished, unable to withstand the condemnation of fellow citizens who did not accept his daring impulses to master universal knowledge.
The most famous work of the 20th century, dedicated to the legendary character, was the novel by German writer Thomas Mann "Doctor Faustus". This is the name the novelist gave to the genius composer Adrian Leverkühn, who made a deal with the devil in order to create music that could leave an outstanding mark on the national culture.
So where did the well-known parable about the connection between Faust and Satan come from? Rumors of a treaty between the doctor and the devil come mainly from Martin Luther. Even when the real Georgy Faust was still alive, Luther made statements in which the doctor and warlock was declared an accomplice of otherworldly forces. It was on the basis of this accusation that the writers roamed.
Martin Luther
However, why did the great reformer Martin Luther suddenly turn his attention to the inconspicuous and ordinary petty charlatan and sorcerer? For Luther, such alchemists and apologists of magic as Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Reuchlin, Agrippa were peaks, which he could not even imagine.
Moreover, among the people and the highest circles there was a stubborn opinion that their possession of natural magic allows them to freely remove any obstacle, and even more so any person standing in the way. And then Luther attacked Faust with all the fervor of his propaganda skill:
Simon Magus tried to fly into heaven, but Peter's prayer made him fall … Faust tried to do the same in Venice. But he was thrown to the ground with force.
It is clear that Faust never flew and was not thrown to the ground, but in the minds of the people he was already ranked among the accomplices of the devil. His name George was forgotten and was replaced by Johann.
The greatest contribution to the creation of the image of Faust as a great disciple of the devil was made by Martin Luther's favorite ally Philip Melanchthon, the main ideologist of the Reformation. He wrote a biography of Johann Faust, which gained such popularity that this bestseller was reprinted nine times at the time. According to the plot, Faust was constantly accompanied by the evil spirit Mephistopheles, but he was not incorporeal, but appeared in the guise of a black dog.
So what is the reason for the hatred of Luther and his entourage? Why is the ordinary black magician Faustus rejected and accused of all mortal sins? Why is the spearhead of propaganda directed at him as a typical representative of the mystical forces and magical societies of the Middle Ages?
The cause of the curse is not a pact with Satan or a desire for power. In any story about Dr. Faust, including the most recent version of Goethe, the main motive of the protagonist is the thirst for knowledge. It is this thirst that marks him as a "sinner" and it is this that is the reason for condemnation. Indeed, from the point of view of the Renaissance, the era of the transition of a mystical civilization into a realistic one, the desire to know, in fact, was sinful.
Philip Melanchthon
This is indeed a diabolical need, since knowledge in the era of rationalism should not be a penetration into the harmony of the cosmos, but a limited set of symbols and concepts that power offers.
What figures of that time posed a real threat to the coming Reformation, carrying with it the mundane philosophy of rationality? First, it is Trithemius, the author of the sensational book "Stenography", which examined in detail the methods and methods of telepathy.
Everyone soon forgot about telepathy, but the book still remained the main basis of cryptography, a kind of manual for spies in terms of secret writing, rapid learning of foreign languages and "many other subjects that are not subject to public discussion." Tritemi's works on magic and alchemy have remained unsurpassed to this day.
Other targets of Protestants were those who, through their practical activities, refuted the rationalism of Martin Luther - Pico de Mirandola, Agrippa and Paracelsus. It was against them that the weapon of the sermons of Luther and Melanchthon was directed in the form of the condemnation of Doctor Faustus.
However, apparently, the devil's accomplice and friend of the black dog, Mephistopheles, turned out to be not so simple, hundreds of pages have been written about his life and fall. And Faust received the highest satisfaction due to the fact that he became the prototype of the immortal work of Goethe, where he is a positive hero.
Disappointed in science and intellectual pursuits, he is ready to give his soul to the devil for just one moment of such an experience that will bring him complete satisfaction. "Low" pleasures are not able to saturate the soul of Faust; he finds the meaning of life in the faithful love of a simple girl whom he seduced and left.
Final salvation, however, is bestowed on Faust because he strives to create a better society for all mankind. Thus, Goethe argues that a person can achieve virtue and spiritual greatness, despite the evil inherent in his nature.
Hector Berlioz composed the dramatic cantata The Condemnation of Faust, which is still performed on the opera stage, and Charles Gounod's Faust (1818-1893) became one of the most beloved opera audiences of all time.
In Russia, Alexander Pushkin paid tribute to the legend of Faust in his wonderful Scene from Faust. Goethe got acquainted with the creation of the Russian genius and sent as a gift to Pushkin his pen, with which he wrote "Faust". Echoes of Goethe's "Faust" are found in "Don Juan" by A. K. Tolstoy and in the story in letters "Faust" by I. S. Turgenev.
Why did the murder of a pathetic charlatan attract the attention of so many brilliant artists? Why do their works remain popular to this day?
Perhaps the answer is contained in the inscription on the memorial plaque of the hotel in Württemberg, which says that Faust, albeit condemned to eternal torment in the end, enjoyed the power and pleasures of the forbidden knowledge of Satan's secrets for 24 years. Forbidden but so seductive.