For being from hell, it is interesting that the Devil was described as cold in bed. Roper stated the Devil took the form of a man the woman was already attracted to and had thought about in a sexual way. Sometimes it would be a man the woman was about to marry in Barbara Hohenberger's case (Roper 83). The woman wouldn't know it wasn't her desired man until it was too late by feeling the unusual coldness of her lover's skin. The lover also would have oddly rough feet that would have been in place of hooves. Throughout the three night process, the partner declared the woman his because she laid with him and ensured the woman that he will take care of her. While the Devil promises to take care of the seduced woman, he didn't say what the quality of such care would be. Such care could be foreshadowed by Ropers description of the blue mist of a brimstone-ridden fart as the devil leaves after sex.
By taking on the appearance of a man the woman desired, whether it was a former affair or a crush, had the woman originally been tricked into having sex with the Devil?
Roper mentioned that in the confessions, the women declared the Devil as being their ideal lover. What factors could have been included aside from his false image and promises?
I think it had depended on the situation whether or not the women were truly tricked. Roper also mentioned how many of the accounts given from the victims suggest how individualistic these accounts were. Though they had common themes, there were subtle little differences that the Devil performed in order to seduce the woman. This could also be a factor in how he seduced the women in that he appealed to their individual desires.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually interested in knowing if these women were always aware that this was in fact that they were dealing with the devil. From what we've read it seems that they were very often deceived, especially in cases were the devil appears as someone they know. What I don't recall is if the devil actually ever says he's the devil.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing, Zach. It seemed like they figured out it was the devil after the deed was done. Could there have been any urban legends about the devil's methods of seducing women?
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on the subject tend to lean toward the belief that the women might have become enthralled by the thought of having a supernatural lover that held them in special regard. Or perhaps they might have cultivated the genuine belief that their lover was the devil just from being interrogated about it. It is possible that after hearing the same line from their interrogators over and over again the women simply accepted it as truth.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify--these are women's confessions after torture. Stories are necessary to relieve them from torture. Also to clarify, they were likely not repeating the interrogator's statements, thus the note above from Sara and the divergent small details that only women could bring to the floor.
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