MEPHISTOPHELES, the name of one of the personifications of the principle of evil. In old popular books and puppet-plays the word appears in various forms,— as Mephistopheles, Mephistophiles, Mephistophilis, and Mephostophilis. In the Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Marlowe writes “Mephistophilis”; in the Merry Wives of Windsor we find “Mephistophilus.” The etymology of the word is uncertain. According to one theory, it may be taken to represent ∣ aηφωστoφiλης ; in which case the meaning would be “one who loves not light.” Another theory is that the word is a combination of the Latin “mephitis” and the Greek φίλος, signifying “one who loves noxious exhalations.” Probably it is of Hebrew origin,—from ">BP, a destroyer, and Sξjθ, taken to mean a liar. This view is supported by the fact that almost all the names of devils in the magic-books of the 16th century spring from the Hebrew. In the old Faust legends the character of Mephistopheles is simply that of a powerful and wicked being who fulfils Faust’s commands in order to obtain possession of his soul. Marlowe attributes to him a certain dignity and sadness, and there can be little doubt that the Mephistophilis of the Tragical History suggested some important traits of Milton’s Satan. The name has been made famous chiefly by Goethe, whose conception of the character varied at different periods of his career. In the fragment of Faust published in 1790, but written many years before, Mephistopheles has a clearly marked individuality; he is cynical and materialistic, but has a man’s delight in activity and adventure, and his magical feats alone remind us that he is preternatural. In revising and extending this fragment, which forms the chief portion of the first part of ...