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I'm not sure what the basis of this question is, so just some clarifications:
It's very common for people to say, 'Satan's real name is Lucifer,' meaning to suggest that the Bible says this. It does not.
Lucifer is a Latin word that means "morning star" (literally "light-bearer"). The Vulgate (Jerome's 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible) uses the word Lucifer (to mean "morning star") in Isaiah 14:12. Because of that, the King James Bible chose to use the word Lucifer in English in that passage too. Modern Bibles just say "morning star". The original Hebrew word here is Hêlēl (הֵילֵל), "morning star". The actual passage says: "How you have fallen from heaven, Morning Star, son of the dawn!" Christians have long understood this passage to be, in part, a reference to Satan, based on Jesus's words in Luke 10:18, which use the imagery of this passage to describe Satan; the passage is also an allusion to an old Canaanite myth and a reference to a Babylonian king in opposition to Judah. Biblical prophecies often have multiple layered meanings or referents.
The idea of Lucifer being Satan's given name, and of thinking of 'Lucifer' (rather than Satan or the Devil) as a specific sort of figure, does not come from the Bible, but from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), where a romantic and highly fictionalized depiction of Satan as Lucifer is found.
Edit: So I guess it depends on what you mean by 'Lucifer', but my submission is Isaiah 14! Here's an abridgment of it:
On the day the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury has ended!
The realm of the dead below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you.
They will all respond, they will say to you,
"You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us."
How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star [=Lucifer], son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.
All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.
But you are cast out of your tomb
like a rejected branch,
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
I love how the lowest part of Dante's hell is frozen over. And for some reason in another part of hell there are centaurs, to connect to Greek myth I get that, but they're just hanging out.
They were a very war-like race that were often tied to the untamed and wild aspects of nature. They had a whole war because some of them got drunk at a wedding and tried kidnapping the bride lol
Historically? Pythagoras was the first to realize that the morning and evening "stars" were the same celestial object, Venus. Galileo Galilei was the first to observe Venus through a telescope in 1610, discovering it goes through phases like the Moon.
Wayne Barlowe’s - God’s Demon - is one of my favourite books of all time (and go check out his paintings of Hell). However a big part of the plot is that Lucifer is missing. So if you specifically want only Lucifer that won’t be a good fit for what you’re looking for. I just wanted to give that book a shoutout lol.
You're being down voted, but this was my first thought. How do you perfectly describe something that doesn't exist? Unless the question means most faithful to how he's described in the bible.
"Lucifer is a thought, a perfection, a form of beauty whom no one can describe. How ever he is a sin who will bring you away from God with his perfection of being. the god you should see or hear instead does not exist only lucifer remains." -insanity
I believe that after the numerous interpretations and takes on Lucifer, only a few manage to portray his essence though I have yet to meet a work that regards all of his sides and aspects without flaw, which is extremely difficult and highly improbable, nearing the impossible, as his being is more than words on paper and countless aspects have continuously been portrayed in various ways across time and cultures. But I cannot help myself but wish to break down a few of the works other commenters have mentioned.
I will start by mentioning that mike carrey did a pretty good job (lucifer DC comic)and so did holly black(cold heaven trilogy) and neil gaiman (sandman seasons of mist) with their portrayals of Lucifer therefore leading to the good portrayals in the sandman and lucifer show which was made after mike carrey s comic made after the sandman. it is flawed but regardless it's still one of the best modern portrayals I've seen yet.
I also agree with Milton's Paradise Lost! A truly beautiful work, worthy of its appreciation. It portrays the sides of Lucifer as the fallen angel, prideful rebellious son and the adversary quite well in my opinion.
Mihail Bulgakov is one of my favorite writers and Master i Margarita is definitely my favorite book from the thousands I've read.
bulgakov provides a really good portrayal and truly does the devil justice, however i must say that it focuses more on the devil aspect than anything else, not lucifer in his entirety as it was never intended to, focusing purely on the general concept of the devil that it portrays very well.
Goethe's Faust is again one of my favorite works, however same as the aforementioned novel it focuses more on the devil,demon aspect and the primordial desire of knowledge and vitality, unsatisfied humanity and the reach to the infernal and the divine for a power.
Dante's Inferno, amazing work, wonderful self insert fanfic, does not offer much on Lucifer at all, but is one of my favorite points of reference and an undeniably culturally impactful story.
someone said isaiah 14 and I'm neutral about that regarding that it's neither good nor bad writing it's just... writing.
seems more spoken and treated like fact than interpretation although it is indeed interpretation and it does not offer much at all in terms of a full portrayal. It should be used more as an old source and reference point than a characterization, though there are many other better and newer sources excluding the bible that point to various detailed aspects of lucifer s being, a favorite of mine being The rites of Lucifer, it is more of a work and practice guide than a source but it does offer some information and factual aspects that i thoroughly agree with.
Memnoch the devil by Anne Rice, known for her weird and bad writing, is simply not good. his reasoning and goals are wrong in the sense that he wants to make people suffer before going to heaven? but the entire point is that he questioned god to why must people suffer before going to heaven? and also hell is hell that's where bad people go they shouldn't be able to go to heaven after what's the reasoning behind that also he's way too adamant to manipulate lestat and forcing the universe shit onto him. An image of a purgatory portrayed as an unbalanced hell? This work offers nothing and nothing at all. Irrelevant in its entirety.
someone said I, Lucifer by glen duncan and that is horrifying.I am absolutely repulsed by that mockery of a book with a devious description and the writing style of an amateur and its vile portrayal of Lucifer lowering him to the state of the very things he stands against. absolutely disgusting.
also the person with the "kitler" comment should undoubtedly be locked up in an asylum because again that is a contradiction, a mockery of his divine being and of history itself, a failed demonization written by a person of no intellectual capacity.
I'm not even gonna mention how Vivziepop did him so dirty in hazbin hotel, rendering the king of hell powerless and a joke in such an uncreative way, completely botching his personality in the second season, not only with her self created hierarchy that she herself fails to respect, but also with weakness of mind and psyche and surface level characteristics that just contribute to the running joke that her show is because of her terrible writing. I say this as one who had excitedly waited for the second season and was completely disappointed, as a fan since 2018.
Additionally, among other modern takes, Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato offers an interesting view of Lucifer in her own universe starting from the premise of king of light and is a more unusual and unconventional portrayal in the series' universe that is interesting and quite fun to read, though I would not consider it relevant to his being or portrait as a deity. More of a fun read.
The Golden Hour comic on Tapas hasn't given us much on Lucifer yet but feels like a very promising interpretation, same for The devil made me do it by Casian Cavàl on storygraph, though i expect us to receive more content in the near future and make it a worthwhile portrayal.
Angels before man by Rafel Nicolas has also pointed out interesting aspects, however the direction sort of changed mid-way and turned the well-written book into quite an uncomfortable read for me with a twist on Lucifer s portrayal to something unexpected and disrespectful.
That being said, there are many, many more interpretations and views on Lucifer and it is important to strive to find a balance in portraying his antithetical sides as light bringer and lord of darkness, and to properly research different texts and specialty works while writing your own. Keep in mind that Lucifer is an infernal deity with many aspects and many stories behind. Strive for enlightenment and righteousness, and then you will find out what Lucifer means and what his true being is like. I hope to see more of it in future literary works.
it is needless to say but yet I must, that Lucifer,the personality,the god, the being, the concept is above human portrayal, but much needed it is indeed to praise the works who beautifully encompass his divine essence and call out on those that ridicule it.
How the hell is this being downvoted?? I was scrolling down wondering why no one is even considering that we simply cannot know what the perfect depiction of Lucifer is, just to scratch the surface of the complications of OP’s question.
Smart people getting downvoted on Reddit cause normal people can’t understand basic logical thinking. This is typical. Do not let them bring you down, you know your reasoning is right and some of us do too.
My book, A Batch Of Twisted Tales To Stick To Your Ribs will be for sale in a week or two. In the story "Essence of Evil" there's a description of him that I worked pretty hard on. Check it out.
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Milton
Yes
Nil gotta admit Milton kinda slaps bro like not even joking right now
First thought as well
Yehi likhne aya tha 😄
Goethe
Underrated truth.
I'm not sure what the basis of this question is, so just some clarifications:
It's very common for people to say, 'Satan's real name is Lucifer,' meaning to suggest that the Bible says this. It does not.
Lucifer is a Latin word that means "morning star" (literally "light-bearer"). The Vulgate (Jerome's 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible) uses the word Lucifer (to mean "morning star") in Isaiah 14:12. Because of that, the King James Bible chose to use the word Lucifer in English in that passage too. Modern Bibles just say "morning star". The original Hebrew word here is Hêlēl (הֵילֵל), "morning star". The actual passage says: "How you have fallen from heaven, Morning Star, son of the dawn!" Christians have long understood this passage to be, in part, a reference to Satan, based on Jesus's words in Luke 10:18, which use the imagery of this passage to describe Satan; the passage is also an allusion to an old Canaanite myth and a reference to a Babylonian king in opposition to Judah. Biblical prophecies often have multiple layered meanings or referents.
The idea of Lucifer being Satan's given name, and of thinking of 'Lucifer' (rather than Satan or the Devil) as a specific sort of figure, does not come from the Bible, but from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), where a romantic and highly fictionalized depiction of Satan as Lucifer is found.
Edit: So I guess it depends on what you mean by 'Lucifer', but my submission is Isaiah 14! Here's an abridgment of it:
The answer is Milton, but I kind of want to say vivziepop to see the reaction.
Who said Milton?
u/indigoneutrino probably did
Me
Dante
I love how the lowest part of Dante's hell is frozen over. And for some reason in another part of hell there are centaurs, to connect to Greek myth I get that, but they're just hanging out.
They were a very war-like race that were often tied to the untamed and wild aspects of nature. They had a whole war because some of them got drunk at a wedding and tried kidnapping the bride lol
Just read about him
huh?:D
Historically? Pythagoras was the first to realize that the morning and evening "stars" were the same celestial object, Venus. Galileo Galilei was the first to observe Venus through a telescope in 1610, discovering it goes through phases like the Moon.
I just came to see how many people said Milton. Cause that’s what I would’ve said.
Ann Rice has an interesting perspective when Lestast meets him in Memnoch The Devil
Mick Jager with maybe a bit from Freddy Mercury yeah, but definitely Mick Jager
Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name
lol
Wayne Barlowe’s - God’s Demon - is one of my favourite books of all time (and go check out his paintings of Hell). However a big part of the plot is that Lucifer is missing. So if you specifically want only Lucifer that won’t be a good fit for what you’re looking for. I just wanted to give that book a shoutout lol.
No one since he is a mythical being which has different variations depending on culture
You're being down voted, but this was my first thought. How do you perfectly describe something that doesn't exist? Unless the question means most faithful to how he's described in the bible.
What's with all the religion-based questions today?
To answer the question, hard to say. I like how he's presented in the 80s movie "Prophecy".
I think one of the weakest is the newer Sabrina show. A bit over the top, if you ask me.
I recently watched "Dear Santa". That was pretty amusing!
Edit: IDK why some folks are being weird about this. IMO, it's a very interesting question!
Probably because it’s Christmas
Probably.
Lucifer is also an astronomical object (the planet Venus when it precedes the sun in the morning). That is where it got the name "Lucifer."
pic unrelated
Cultists did not know that the Latin for "Morning Star" is "Lucifer," so they made a new god. That is hilarious.
Ah yes, I remember all those lessons in Latin meanings in 9th grade right after lunch and right before Algebra. 🙄🤣
Oh interesting!
"Lucifer is a thought, a perfection, a form of beauty whom no one can describe. How ever he is a sin who will bring you away from God with his perfection of being. the god you should see or hear instead does not exist only lucifer remains." -insanity
Arthur C. Clarke
Why's his hair so curly and skin so pale.
On of his titles is The Deciver. Id say all of them.
I think if Kitler was a writer instead of an Artist, he would have described Lucifer perfectly - as a fellow Race Supremacist😂
Bulgakov!!
Moses
Mike Cary
South Park
I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan was pretty insane
Why does he look like my nephew fake crying while peeking up to see if people will take the bait
Mike Carey.
Glen Duncan
I believe that after the numerous interpretations and takes on Lucifer, only a few manage to portray his essence though I have yet to meet a work that regards all of his sides and aspects without flaw, which is extremely difficult and highly improbable, nearing the impossible, as his being is more than words on paper and countless aspects have continuously been portrayed in various ways across time and cultures. But I cannot help myself but wish to break down a few of the works other commenters have mentioned. I will start by mentioning that mike carrey did a pretty good job (lucifer DC comic)and so did holly black(cold heaven trilogy) and neil gaiman (sandman seasons of mist) with their portrayals of Lucifer therefore leading to the good portrayals in the sandman and lucifer show which was made after mike carrey s comic made after the sandman. it is flawed but regardless it's still one of the best modern portrayals I've seen yet. I also agree with Milton's Paradise Lost! A truly beautiful work, worthy of its appreciation. It portrays the sides of Lucifer as the fallen angel, prideful rebellious son and the adversary quite well in my opinion. Mihail Bulgakov is one of my favorite writers and Master i Margarita is definitely my favorite book from the thousands I've read. bulgakov provides a really good portrayal and truly does the devil justice, however i must say that it focuses more on the devil aspect than anything else, not lucifer in his entirety as it was never intended to, focusing purely on the general concept of the devil that it portrays very well. Goethe's Faust is again one of my favorite works, however same as the aforementioned novel it focuses more on the devil,demon aspect and the primordial desire of knowledge and vitality, unsatisfied humanity and the reach to the infernal and the divine for a power. Dante's Inferno, amazing work, wonderful self insert fanfic, does not offer much on Lucifer at all, but is one of my favorite points of reference and an undeniably culturally impactful story. someone said isaiah 14 and I'm neutral about that regarding that it's neither good nor bad writing it's just... writing. seems more spoken and treated like fact than interpretation although it is indeed interpretation and it does not offer much at all in terms of a full portrayal. It should be used more as an old source and reference point than a characterization, though there are many other better and newer sources excluding the bible that point to various detailed aspects of lucifer s being, a favorite of mine being The rites of Lucifer, it is more of a work and practice guide than a source but it does offer some information and factual aspects that i thoroughly agree with. Memnoch the devil by Anne Rice, known for her weird and bad writing, is simply not good. his reasoning and goals are wrong in the sense that he wants to make people suffer before going to heaven? but the entire point is that he questioned god to why must people suffer before going to heaven? and also hell is hell that's where bad people go they shouldn't be able to go to heaven after what's the reasoning behind that also he's way too adamant to manipulate lestat and forcing the universe shit onto him. An image of a purgatory portrayed as an unbalanced hell? This work offers nothing and nothing at all. Irrelevant in its entirety. someone said I, Lucifer by glen duncan and that is horrifying.I am absolutely repulsed by that mockery of a book with a devious description and the writing style of an amateur and its vile portrayal of Lucifer lowering him to the state of the very things he stands against. absolutely disgusting. also the person with the "kitler" comment should undoubtedly be locked up in an asylum because again that is a contradiction, a mockery of his divine being and of history itself, a failed demonization written by a person of no intellectual capacity. I'm not even gonna mention how Vivziepop did him so dirty in hazbin hotel, rendering the king of hell powerless and a joke in such an uncreative way, completely botching his personality in the second season, not only with her self created hierarchy that she herself fails to respect, but also with weakness of mind and psyche and surface level characteristics that just contribute to the running joke that her show is because of her terrible writing. I say this as one who had excitedly waited for the second season and was completely disappointed, as a fan since 2018.
Additionally, among other modern takes, Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato offers an interesting view of Lucifer in her own universe starting from the premise of king of light and is a more unusual and unconventional portrayal in the series' universe that is interesting and quite fun to read, though I would not consider it relevant to his being or portrait as a deity. More of a fun read. The Golden Hour comic on Tapas hasn't given us much on Lucifer yet but feels like a very promising interpretation, same for The devil made me do it by Casian Cavàl on storygraph, though i expect us to receive more content in the near future and make it a worthwhile portrayal. Angels before man by Rafel Nicolas has also pointed out interesting aspects, however the direction sort of changed mid-way and turned the well-written book into quite an uncomfortable read for me with a twist on Lucifer s portrayal to something unexpected and disrespectful.
That being said, there are many, many more interpretations and views on Lucifer and it is important to strive to find a balance in portraying his antithetical sides as light bringer and lord of darkness, and to properly research different texts and specialty works while writing your own. Keep in mind that Lucifer is an infernal deity with many aspects and many stories behind. Strive for enlightenment and righteousness, and then you will find out what Lucifer means and what his true being is like. I hope to see more of it in future literary works.
it is needless to say but yet I must, that Lucifer,the personality,the god, the being, the concept is above human portrayal, but much needed it is indeed to praise the works who beautifully encompass his divine essence and call out on those that ridicule it.
What does this question even mean?
Does someone here know him personally to compare the writers' descriptions?
It is impossible to comprehend, much less describe, divine consciousness with an imperfect, human consciousness. There's simply no way. Only fiction.
Okay lil bro
How the hell is this being downvoted?? I was scrolling down wondering why no one is even considering that we simply cannot know what the perfect depiction of Lucifer is, just to scratch the surface of the complications of OP’s question.
Smart people getting downvoted on Reddit cause normal people can’t understand basic logical thinking. This is typical. Do not let them bring you down, you know your reasoning is right and some of us do too.
The writers of the Bible.
They don’t write very much about him
Still, these descriptions are all you need to understand him, I mean, that is were John Milton got his influence when writing Paradise Lost.
Genesis 3:1–15.
Job 1:6–12 & 2:1–7.
Matthew 4:1–11.
Zechariah 3:1–2.
1 Chronicles 21:1.
Isaiah 14:12–15.
Luke 10:18.
1 Peter 5:8.
Revelation 12:7–9.
Revelation 20:10.
Matthew 12:24.
2 Corinthians 6:15.
Revelation 9:11.
This is like 3,5 pages of descriptions.
Imagine giving actual references from the primal source of the discussed object and getting downvoted anyway. This world is fucking crazy.
Ameno
My book, A Batch Of Twisted Tales To Stick To Your Ribs will be for sale in a week or two. In the story "Essence of Evil" there's a description of him that I worked pretty hard on. Check it out.