Dictionary of Hell
"Dictionary of Hell"
In 1818, the French journalist Simon Colain wrote this book under the pseudonym of Colain de Blanche. This book did much to revive the interest in demonic superstition at the time. Colan (1794～1881) was not a demonologist and did not have deep attainments in this field. However, he was quite knowledgeable and was influenced by the medieval demonologist Johann Weyer (1515～1588), so he also It cannot be said that he is a complete layman. The "Dictionary of Hell" written by Colan with half-hearted knowledge inherited Will's theory and described an administrative structure for hell similar to that of the human world. Demons perform their own duties, and there are even funny demon ambassadors to various countries. Many scholars accuse the "Dictionary of Hell" of being vulgar, vulgar, and a bad work that disrupts demonology. But if you think about it carefully, which of the so-called orthodox magic books is not a product of random fabrication? laugh. Precisely because the author used his own imagination to integrate the text, although the book has no documentary nature, it is quite interesting to read. It can be called the Western Classic of Mountains and Seas. This book is also interspersed with some of the author's views on the society at that time. For example, the ambassador sent by the Hell Empire to Britain turned out to be the great demon Momon who represented "greed" - this is undoubtedly a satire of British commercialism.
The explanation of demons in "Hell Dictionary" basically follows Will's theory. When the sixth edition was published in 1863, 550 color woodblock illustrations were added. The illustrations were created by the painter M.L. Boulton - a man who knew nothing about demonology and sorcerers' theories. The images of these demons were completely based on some legends. description or his own imagination. These illustrations with strong expressiveness and visual effects have had a profound impact on modern demon legend culture. Even the demon shapes in many gods and demons films come from these illustrations in the "Dictionary of Hell".