Halloween Special - Legend of Faust and Other Deals With the Devil (ASMR Bedtime Story)

The "pact with the devil" is a cultural motif that keeps coming back in stories. The legend of Faust is a good example, but not the oldest: it took inspiration from other stories, such as the legend of Theophilus. In this episode, I tell you some of these stories. We will also discover the real, historical figures that inspired them (Theophilus, Johann Faust, Pope Sylvester II, Saemundr Sigfússon...), and the firm belief in the existence of such pacts, that were often invoked in witchcraft trials from the Middle Ages to the Seventeenth Century. As an example, I tell you the story of the Loudun Possessions, one of the last and most spectacular witchcraft trials in France.

Credits: Script and narration by the French Whisperer, visuals by the French Whisperer, under Wikipedia Commons, or under license from Panthermedia, Canstock, Shutterstock and Freepik. Sound effects and music from the YouTube Audio Library for Creators.

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Timestamps:
0:00 The Legend of Faust
13:20 Theophilus
22:14 The Historical Johann Faust
29:35 Elaboration of the Faustian Myth
37:07 Sylvester II and Saemundr Sigfússon
48:21 Loudun Possessions
1:05:15 Investigation and Trial