When you explore the fairy tales about the Devil’s bride, you inadvertently come across another motif in the folklore, the Devil’s disciple.
In one tale, the Devil who has been outwitted and is now burdened by married to the lustful widow roams the Earth in fury, looking for any force to free him from his Karen. He comes across a witty Joe Shmoe, who helps him get rid of her, and whom the Devil makes his personal disciple as a token of gratefulness. Supernatural force actually makes friends with humans, sometimes, in mutually beneficial relationships and this is well attested in fairy tales.
Interestingly, it is nearly always human wits and cunning ways that makes the Devil take liking to us. Much less often it is an act of bravery or compassion that a human does.
So in one such story, the Devil takes a liking to this young man who comes from humble background and makes him His Disciple. He teaches him glamours that make the young lad be seen as an important person and a gives him little bag of magic tricks, that does the get rich quick part.
There’s, of course, always something a little imperfect about this magic the Devil gives, like the money soon turns into dust or the coat that gives the glamour must be worn inside out. But it’s good for what it’s worth, and it helps to get the bluff going.
So when the Devil’s Disciple accidentally falls in love with a Duchess, he is actually able to get into the proximity of his love interest and woo her.
Little does he know that the whole reason the Devil came to this place is that the whole royal family has lost the Infernal’s favor with their cruelty and greed, and mismanaging of the land and empoverishing the people by endless wars. They are sentenced to be swallowed up by hell for abusing ther Royal Right, something that Lucifer does to His people when they fail H.I.M.
The blossoming new love presents Lucifer with a curious dilemma, for he has taken a liking to this young man, and doesn’t want to ruin his newly found happiness. But the Infernal Order must be upheld. So what is He gonna do?
His Infernal Majesty chooses to embody H.I.M.self fully among the humans, and takes on the form of a dashing tall dark handsome aristocrat who joins the royal company at their ball.
There, he tests the whole family in disguise by promising them the secret desires of their heart, for he knows the human hearts and minds. He tests them, and they all answer his riddles truthfully, not recognizing who they speak to. He has their word and has them sign contracts promising what they desire`; riches, marriage, winning war, and then takes them one by one by their promises, by the terrible oaths they made which they spoke when they thought they could never be forced to make good on them.
Everybody gets what they asked for, and what they deserve. Only the young couple is spared the Devil’s wrath, for they are willing to turn down his favors, and will not sell out one another for anything he promises them. They are protected by their love, and the purity of their heart.
Lucifer takes the other royals to hell, crowning the new rulers of the land, and he either gives them a wedding gift, a magic trinket that will make them prosperous forever, or he takes all of his trinkets away and leaves his Disciple with one last warning – that true riches can only come from honest labor…
This is deep
Thank you. Glad you appreciate my writing!
Full of wisdom – as always – and in a new light. I laughed out aloud at the thought of the Devil being shackled to his Karen. (With apologies to those so named, but there are many of them, male and female, and we will do almost anything to be rid of them!) But the clincher comes at the end: “everybody gets . . . what they deserve”. Even their personal “Karen”.
Splendid piece of work.
Yup. They absolutely do, even the devils.