Diabolism: Ideologies of Domination

This subject is intense, but it's important in these times to understand that these demonizing mythologies are still active, and even on the rise. We'll start with animal spirits in Europe getting redefined as demons; witches' familiars, shapeshifting and spirit flight. Both pagans and heretics got accused of idolatry, while demonologist theologians became increasingly obsessed with witches having sex with devils.

Black devils loom very large in diabolist imagery from early Christian times. They figure heavily in exorcism and temptation scenes, and are often counterposed to white angels or saints. We look at how the pornified witch and the racialized devil combine in demonological imagery.

There is also anti-Semitic iconography of devils, paired with the Blood Libel, which charged Jews with human sacrifice. We'll look at parallel charges against witches, heretics, Indigenous peoples, and Diasporic Africans. We'll look at colonial demonization of Indigenous religions in the Caribbean, Mexico. Virginia, New England, and Peru.

Female devils are also rife, sometimes connected to old goddesses, but more often pure misogyny, usually bestialized old women. Also gay, intersex or trans devils. The visual talk looks mainly at European diabolism, but will also touch on depictions of demons as black in India, SE Asia, Indonesia, and in Muslim, especially Iranian, art. And the persistence of diabolism in modern culture.

I. Persecution of pagans and goddess veneration in late Roman empire and medieval Europe. "Diana, goddess of the pagans" as the witches' goddess; "women who go by night with the Goddess." Demonization of peasant festival dances; animal devils and masks; flying to the Blocksberg, sacred to Holle. Witches with animal familiars (in Germany, dragons!). Heretics as worshippers of animal devil, priestly slurs of the "shameful kiss." Misogynist doctrine of female inferiority, more susceptible to the devil; witch as reversing the "natural order" of patriarchy.

II. Black devils ("in the form of a black man," a "dark Ethiopian") from early medieval times. Sexist and racist images of exorcism. Black devils, white angels and saints: Inquisitorial humiliation gear (sanbenito garment and peaked dunce cap painted with devils, which was picked up by the KKK, as also Crusader imagery. Black devils in the era of European slave-trafficking. Demonization of folk healers. Sex as devilish, devils who incite sex, the pornified witch (sex with devils, often painful), black devil as rapist, as abuser; witches as "whores." Devils torture people in hell.

III. Devil as Jew, scriptural and patristic anti-Semitism, the blood libel painting Jews as child-sacrificers and sorcerers. Concept of a Jewish cabal.
Templars accused of homosexuality and idolatry.
Blood libel as applied to witches (killing and eating babies), to Indigenous Caribbean and Brazilians ("cannibalism" as rationale for conquest, enslavement, land theft).
Colonial demonization of Native religions as "devil worship," and comparison to witches. Demonization of "wild countries" in Europe. Witch hunts in English colonies, persecution of medicine people, destruction of sacred bundles, images, regalia, drums.
Spanish Inquisition applies European witch stereotypes in Peru
Demonization of Vodou in Haiti and U.S.

IV. Female devils (often old, bestialized, or black) in Europe, Iran, Vietnam, and Japan. Sexually ambiguous devils, representing gay, trans, or "intersex" (people with DSDs). Accusing witches and heretics of homosexual orgies; burning sodomites.
Demonization of Africa religions: concepts of "fetish," "witch doctor," missionaries persecute nganga, destruction of "idols" in Pacific and Americas.
Racialized diabolism in India, Indonesia, SE Asia, Tibet, Japan, Iran. The Kurdish Yazidi accused of "devil-worship." Devil as rebellious fallen angel: Iblis in Islam, Lucifer in Christendom. Black batwinged devil in media from Finland to Mexico; wicked witch in Wizard of Oz. "Illuminati" and Qanon conspiracy theories revive the blood libel around elite secret societies.

Discussion of the Diabolism presentation: