Notes on the personification of evil in fact and fiction
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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This article is on the personification of evil.
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In real people
Adolf Hitler remains a powerful and dark figure even 64 years after his death. His legacy as a personification of evil in the 20th century is rivalled only by Joseph Stalin's. Both were possessed by the Devil, Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist, asserted in 2006.
In fictional characters
Randall Flagg’s representation of evil has its detractors. In his essay "The Glass-Eyed Dragon", author L. Sprague de Camp criticized Flagg's appearance in Eyes of the Dragon, saying that Flagg was one of the least believable characters in the book and that he was too evil to be credible. According to de Camp, absolute evil is hard to believe in, and where evil men like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin believed that they were actually bettering the world by their actions; Flagg only enjoys causing destruction and chaos. The author goes on to say that Flagg fails to see that there are no advantages in his actions.
Dark Lord
The forces of evil often are personified in a Dark Lord. He is often depicted as a diabolical force, and may, indeed, be more a force than a personality. The effects of his rule often assert malign effects on the land as well as his subjects. Besides his usual magical abilities, he often controls great armies. A Dark Lord is usually depicted as the ultimate personification of evil, and often commits atrocities that make common people afraid to speak their very names (as with Sauron of The Lord of the Rings, Shai'tan of The Wheel of Time, and Lord Voldemort of Harry Potter). Other notable Dark Lords include the Sith Lords Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine (a.k.a. Darth Sidious) from Star Wars, Lord Dracula of the Castlevania series, Skeletor from Masters of the Universe, Brona the Warlock Lord from The Sword of Shannara, Morgoth from The Silmarillion, Darkseid from the DC Universe, Torak from The Belgariad and Ganon from The Legend of Zelda. The villain of the game Demon Sword is also literally called 'Dark Lord'.
Freddy Krueger
As the Nightmare on Elm Street series progressed, Craven's original vision of Freddy Krueger as a true personification of evil was altered several times. Due to the enormous popularity of the films, the succeeding writers/directors chose to develop Freddy into a sardonic, wisecracking and flamboyant demon. Initially, Craven did not intend any sequels and even wanted the original to be a standalone film. When the original became a hit, New Line insisted on following it up, in spite of both Craven and original Nightmare heroine Langenkamp declining involvement. The second entry, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge was released to box office success — topping the profits of the original.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors continued the series' financial success. Craven wanted Dream Warriors to be the end of the series, but the studio refused. Craven and New Line's relationship ended for a number of years as a result of their conflicting visions for the Nightmare enterprise.
Religion
Devil
In the Western Christian tradition, the Devil has entered popular folklore, particularly in his role as a trickster figure. As such, he is found as a character in a wide number of traditional folktales and legends where he often attempts to trick or outwit other characters. In some of these tales, the Devil is portrayed as more of a folk villain than as the personification of evil. The Devil also features prominently in a number of hagiographical tales, or tales of the saints such as the popular tale of St. Dunstan, many of which may fall outside the authorized religious canon. The Devil is also a recurring feature in tales explaining the etymology of geographical names, lending his name to natural formations such as The Devil's Chimney.
Rangda
While Rangda is seen as fearsome and by many as the personification of evil, she is also nevertheless considered a protective force in certain parts of Bali, much like Kali is seen as a benevolent mother goddess in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. The colors associated with her - white, black and red - are identical with those associated with Kali. Her iconography is similar to that of both Kali and Chamunda, who are closely related.
See also
