Doctor Faustus, a warlock and astrologer, lived in the late Middle Ages - this is confirmed by historical documents. However, in numerous legends and works of art dedicated to his personality, he appears as a truly demonic and supernatural figure, which greatly distorts the real state of affairs. The most famous of these works is the tragedy of Goethe's Faust. But there was also the so-called People's Book (it served as a source for Goethe and other authors to create their own creations) - "The Story of Doctor Faust, the famous wizard and warlock", and its countless translations.
The most reliable information
Faust was born around 1480 in Germany, in a town called Knittlingen, which still exists today and is part of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The Warlock lived for only 60 years. Death overtook Faust in 1540 in another tiny German town - Staufen im Breisgau.
Faust led a hectic life, managed to play around, was persecuted by the authorities for his adherence to black magic, and for the same reason was expelled from the cities where he tried to settle. The astrologer was prone to mystification and exaltation of his own person, posing as a great scientist, then as a powerful magician. Apparently, he not only liked it, but also allowed him to earn extra money in the field of occult sciences. Faust studied at the University of Heidelberg, the oldest university in Germany, which to this day welcomes students to its walls. A dilapidated castle on the outskirts of Wittenberg, which is now called the House of Faust, has also survived. The archives contain information that Faust, without a twinge of conscience, not only called himself an outstanding philosopher, but also entered into the confidence of the famous knight Franz von Sickingen,the leader of the chivalrous uprising, and the prince-bishop of Bamberg, considered the beacon of medieval knowledge.
Under the rule of Mephistopheles
Faust enthusiastically grasped theological sciences, but for the sake of completeness of ideas about being, he set out to understand the meaning of the teachings of the opponents of Christ, the Warlock was dissatisfied with the limitations of the then sciences. Faust's peculiar “spiritual extremism”, his idea of the “neutrality” of knowledge, that is, the possibility of obtaining it from anyone, including evil spirits, also played a role here. That is why Faust in the work of Goethe says about himself: “I mastered theology, / I worked hard on philosophy, / I hammered out jurisprudence / And I studied medicine. / However, I am at the same time / Was and remained a fool. " Mephistopheles has a different opinion of him: “He is eager to fight and loves to take obstacles, / And he sees a goal that beckons in the distance, / And demands the stars from the sky as a reward / And the best pleasures from the earth, / And his life will not be sweet with his soul, / Wherever the search may lead."
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Obsessed with the idea of this search, Faust decides to summon the devil himself with the help of spells, in order to then subdue him to his will. However, the astrologer approached this issue arrogantly and did not calculate his strength. Moreover, Faust did not take into account the main thing. A person who, at least once, made contact with an evil spirit, subsequently inevitably becomes its hostage and conductor of this force into our reality. And so it happened. If the first time the devil - Mephistopheles - appeared at the call of Faust, then later he came to him when he wanted. However, Faust did not seem to care much, because he achieved the most important thing from the devil - that he fulfilled all his desires and whims for 24 years. After this period, Mephistopheles was supposed to take away the body and soul of Faust, but the warlock for the time being tried not to think about this.
The contract between man and the devil was signed in blood, and therefore, according to the beliefs of that time, it had absolute power. Since then, a dog has always followed Faust's heels, many suspected that this is the devil. The astrologer then more than once tried to free himself from the tutelage of Mephistopheles, but nothing came of it, since the agreement had no retroactive effect. At the same time, it was not entirely clear why Faust himself, not without reason called by his contemporaries "a fetid repository of all kinds of demons," was first promoted to a master's degree, and then to a doctor of theology? …
Miracles and exaggerations
Faust called himself very splendidly: Master George Sabellikus, Faust the Younger, a storehouse of necromancy, astrologer, successful magician, palmist, aeromancer, pyromancer and outstanding hydromancer. All these titles, both real and imaginary, aroused irony and skepticism among those around him during the warlock's lifetime. But this did not bother Faust at all. He so believed in his strengths and capabilities that he began to boast, claiming that if the works of the great Greeks Plato and Aristotle were suddenly lost, he would restore them word for word thanks to his memory. Moreover, Faust dared to declare that he was ready at any time to repeat all the miracles that Jesus Christ performed.
Having returned youth with the help of Mephistopheles, Faust began to spend time in debauchery and drunkenness, completely forgetting about his previous desire to comprehend the truth. He gave himself up to insignificant passions: he seduced women, drank deeply with his friends. Of course, he also performed miracles, but only with the help of the devil, and therefore almost all of them were of a corresponding nature. So, for example, once, succumbing to the persuasion of a drunken company of friends, Faust created a vine with green leaves, dotted with bunches of ripe grapes. Since the vine appeared in the middle of winter, it couldn't be a simple trick. But when the spell dissipated, the drunks saw that instead of grapes, they were going to cut … their own noses and ears.
And one day, during a night feast, Faust drove into the beer hall riding on a barrel, bucking like a restive horse - that's what all the occult powers of the "great philosopher" were spent on.
The terrible end of the sorcerer
There are separate records of the gruesome death of the warlock. On that autumn night in 1540, the hotel in the town of Staufen im Breisgau was shaken by a roar, accompanied by inhuman screams. Locals later claimed that a terrible thunderstorm had broken out at night with absolutely clear skies. Bluish flames shot out from the chimney of the hotel building, and the gates and shutters slammed on their own. Heartbreaking screams and moans were heard from the room, which was filmed by Dr. Faust for at least two hours. Only when it began to dawn did the owner and the servant venture into it. A terrible picture appeared to their eyes. In the middle of the room, in an unnatural position, lay the crippled body of a man, covered with terrible wounds: one eye had leaked out, his head was cocked to one side, ribs in many places protrude outward. The owner hardly recognized his guest. This is what Mephistopheles did to him, with whom Faust entered into an agreement for a quarter of a century - "for the sake of acquiring great knowledge and power." After the expiration of the period that had come several hours ago, the devil severely mutilated Faust so that his soul could not return to his body, and he took his soul with him to hell.
Arkady Vyatkin. Magazine "Secrets of the XX century" № 32 2011