Glossary
Twenty terms, from the character's world and the tradition it draws on. Fiction and tradition are marked per entry.
Adversary
From Hebrew ha-satan, “the adversary” or “the accuser” — in the Hebrew Bible, a title for a prosecuting figure in the divine court (notably Job 1–2), not yet a proper name. Tradition.
Avernus
A crater lake in Italy treated by Roman writers as an entrance to the underworld; by extension, the underworld itself. Tradition (classical).
Beelzebub
A name appearing in the Gospels (e.g., Mark 3:22) for a prince of demons; in later demonology, a high-ranking fallen figure, often the character’s second-in-command. From Hebrew ba’al zevuv, “lord of the flies” (possibly a hostile pun on a Philistine deity). Tradition.
Brimstone
Sulfur — the traditional substance of infernal fire and punishment (“fire and brimstone”). Also this site’s design accent. Tradition.
Crossroads
In folk legend, the place to meet the devil at midnight and strike a bargain — a liminal space, neither here nor there. Tradition (folklore).
Demon
From Greek daimon, originally a neutral term for a spirit or guiding intelligence; in later Christian usage, a fallen angel in the adversary’s service. Tradition.
Diabolos
Greek for “slanderer” or “accuser” — the New Testament’s usual term, source of English “devil.” Tradition.
Exorcism
A rite of expelling possessing spirits, present in many traditions. In fiction, the dramatic counter-move to the bargain. Tradition.
Familiar
In early-modern witchcraft lore, a spirit attendant to a witch — and, in stories, sometimes the devil in a convenient shape. Tradition (folklore).
Gehenna
A valley outside Jerusalem associated in the Hebrew Bible with abhorrent rites; in later Jewish and Christian writing, an image of postmortem punishment. Tradition.
Grimoire
A book of supposed magical instruction — the prop in a thousand bargain stories. Tradition (folklore).
Hellmouth
In medieval art and mystery plays, the gaping jaws of a beast representing the entrance to hell. Tradition.
Iblis
The figure in the Qur’an who refuses the command to bow to Adam and becomes the archetypal tempter; al-Shaytan (“the Satan”) is the related title. Surveyed neutrally on the Mythology page. Tradition (Islamic).
Infernal
Of or relating to hell — the court’s preferred adjective for everything from architecture to etiquette. Character usage + tradition.
Lucifer
Latin for “light-bringer,” the morning star; applied to the fallen figure via the Latin Vulgate’s rendering of Isaiah 14:12. In the character’s lore, a former title it still answers to. Tradition.
Mephistopheles
The devil’s negotiator in the Faust legend (Marlowe, Goethe) — the literary ancestor of the character’s bargain scenes. See Bargains & Temptations. Tradition (literary).
Pandemonium
Milton’s name for the infernal capital in Paradise Lost (1667) — “the high capital of Satan and his peers.” Adopted as the name of the character’s capital in the Pit. Tradition (literary) + character usage.
Purgatory
In some Christian traditions, an intermediate state of purification — pointedly not part of the character’s jurisdiction, a fact it mentions with professional courtesy. Tradition.
Sabbath
In early-modern witchcraft lore, the nocturnal assembly of witches presided over by the devil — a hostile fantasy of the persecutors, treated here as folklore, not fact. Tradition (folklore).
Theomachy
“War against god” — the literary theme of the Fall as cosmic rebellion, central to Milton and to the character’s backstory. Tradition (literary).
Source notes
- Definitions summarize standard reference usage (biblical, classical, and literary). Fuller discussion per tradition: Satan Across Traditions.
- Character-specific usages (Infernal, Pandemonium-as-capital) are invented for the Vizlings character and marked above.
- This page is descriptive, not devotional; see the Methodology for the neutrality policy.