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{{infobox demon
|name=Mephistopheles,Mephistophilus,Mephostopheles,Mephistophilis,Mephisto,Mephastophilis
|title=Lord of the Host
|symbol=Mephistoph.svg,Seal of Mephistopheles.jpg
|gender=Male
}}

'''Mephistopheles''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɛ|f|ɪ|ˈ|s|t|ɒ|f|ɪ|ˌ|l|iː|z}}, {{IPA-de|mefɪˈstɔfɛlɛs}}; also ''Mephistophilus, Mephostopheles, Mephistophilis, Mephisto, Mephastophilis,'' and other variants) is a [[demon]] featured in [[German folklore]]. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the [[Faust]] legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: [[Mephistopheles in popular culture]]).

==Etymology==
The word may derive from the Hebrew מֵפִיץ (''mêp̄îṣ'') which means "scatterer, disperser", and ''tophel'', short for ט֫פֶל שֶׁ֫קֶר (''tōp̄el šeqer'') which means "plasterer of lies".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mephistopheles |title=Mephistopheles |author=Online Etymology Dictionary |date= |work= |publisher=Dictionary.com |accessdate=December 11, 2015}}</ref> The name can also be a combination of three Greek words: μή (''mḗ'') as a negation, φῶς (''phō̃s'') meaning "light", and φιλις "philis" meaning "loving", making it mean "not-light-loving", possibly parodying the Latin "[[Lucifer]]" or "light-bearer".<ref>The Broadview Anthology of British Literature Volume 2: The Renaissance and Early Seventeenth Century, Second Edition, ''The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus''pg. 423 (see footnote 11) {{ISBN|978-1-55481-028-4}}</ref>{{Disputed inline|date=May 2018}}

==Inside the Faust legend==
{{Further|Faust}}
[[Image:Mephistophiles Passau 1527.jpg|thumb|right|''MEPHISTO_PHILES'' in the 1527 ''Praxis Magia Faustiana'', attributed to Faust.]]

The name ''Mephistopheles'' is associated with the Faust legend of a scholar, based on the historical [[Johann Georg Faust]]. In the legend, Faust makes a [[deal with the Devil]] at the price of his soul, Mephistopheles acting as the Devil's agent.

The name appears in the late 16th century [[Faust chapbooks]]. In the 1725 version, which [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]] read, ''Mephostophiles'' is a [[devil]] in the form of a [[greyfriar]] summoned by Faust in a wood outside [[Wittenberg]].

From the chapbooks, the name entered Faustian literature. Many authors have used it, from [[Christopher Marlowe]] to Goethe. In the 1616 edition of ''[[The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus]]'', ''Mephostophiles'' became ''Mephistophilis''.

Mephistopheles in later treatments of the Faust material frequently figures as a title character: in [[Meyer Lutz]]' ''[[Faust and Marguerite (opera)|Mephistopheles, or Faust and Marguerite]]'' (1855), [[Arrigo Boito]]'s ''[[Mefistofele]]'' (1868), [[Klaus Mann]]'s ''[[Mephisto (novel)|Mephisto]]'', and [[Franz Liszt]]'s [[Mephisto Waltzes]].

==Interpretations==
Although Mephistopheles appears to Faustus as a [[demon]] – a worker for [[Lucifer]] – critics claim that he does not search for men to corrupt, but comes to serve and ultimately collect the souls of those who are already damned. Farnham explains, "Nor does Mephistophiles first appear to Faustus as a devil who walks up and down on earth to tempt and corrupt any man encountered. He appears because he senses in Faustus' magical summons that Faustus is already corrupt, that indeed he is already 'in danger to be damned'."<ref>Farnham, Willard. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Doctor Faustus. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,1969: 6.</ref>

Mephistopheles is already trapped in his own [[hell]] by serving the Devil. He warns Faustus of the choice he is making by "selling his soul" to the Devil: "Mephistophilis, an agent of Lucifer, appears and at first advises Faust not to forgo the promise of [[heaven]] to pursue his goals".<ref>Krstovic, J. O. and Lazzardi, Marie. "Plot and Major Themes". Rpt. in ''Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800''. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic and Marie Lazzardi. Vol. 47. Farming Mills, MI: The Gale Group, 1999: 202</ref> Farnham adds to his theory, "...[Faustus] enters an ever-present private hell like that of Mephistophiles".<ref>Krstovic & Lazzardi 1999, p. 8</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Russell| first= Jeffrey Burton | title=Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World| location= Ithaca, New York| publisher= Cornell |year=1986| edition=1990 reprint| isbn= 978-0-8014-9718-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| editor-last=Hamlin| editor-first= Cyrus| first= Johann Wolfgang Von |last= Goethe|title= Faust: A Tragedy ; Interpretive Notes, Contexts, Modern Criticism| edition= Norton critical | location=New York, New York| publisher= W. W. Norton & Company| year= 2001| isbn= 978-0-393-97282-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| authorlink=Leo Ruickbie| last= Ruickbie| first= Leo| title= Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance Magician| publisher= History Press| location= Stroud, UK| year= 2009| isbn= 978-0-7509-5090-9}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Beelzebub]]
*[[Lucifer]]
*[[Satan]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Demons]]