Ozzy Osbourne and Satanic Fears

Ella Plummer

Ozzy Osbourne and Satanic Fears

Ozzy Osbourne recognized societal fears of Satan and "sin" and continued to live a wild, "sinful" life and continued use of demonic imagery. He was and still is often noted as an embodiment of sin among Christian communities. Many of his fans saw him as "a symbol of rebellion against societal norms" (Sutton 1). This image allowed him to stay true to his beliefs and stand out during the launch of his career in the 1960s. He believed organized religion was ridiculous, too confining, and he used imagery, costumes, and his music to highlight these opinions. He wore dark clothing, dark cross necklaces, and symbols of the devil, like bats. In one of his first songs, he refers to himself as Lucifer. He sings, "My name is Lucifer". He continued releasing music amidst growing societal Satanic fears during the 70's and 80's. Movies like "The Exorcist"were released in the 70's, which contributed to growing fears of Satan possessing human bodies. During the 1980's, there were heightened fears of satanic rituals.

History of the Devil in American Music- Ella Plummer

I found it very interesting that jazz in the 1920's in the United States was labeled as demonic. Jazz was played in various places including, "sporting houses", and this terrified parents. They were worried the music itself was influencing their children to dance inappropriately. The Pope Pius X in 1903 banned saxophones, as he thought of them as a "scandalous" instrument. Jazz was banned for a while during the 1920's in public dance halls as well. I found this very interesting, as Jazz is now played in elevators, hotel lobbies, and restaurants, and is considered family friendly and generally, non-controversial in today's world. Tritones, a musical interval that goes across three entire tones, was and is commonly used in Jazz and metal music and was referred to as the “The Devil’s Interval". There are also rumors that blues and pop musicians transformed into successful musicians by selling their soul to the devil. There was no proof of this interaction. These rumors were all spread by word of mouth, which shows how fears in society can be made entirely by society. Perhaps, many instances of Satan are used to explain the unexplainable evil that exists in the world.

Satan in the Modern World Devan Donnelly

 

Mention of Jeffrey Epstein Warning:

After last Wednesday’s class we discussed Satan in history, and we discussed heavily how he reappears and deceives mass groups of people and does harm to the greater good. This made me think about Satan in the modern world, and the current character I believe that most accurately represents this idea is no other than the New York financier himself Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein deceived elite officials while committing atrocious acts, and he manipulated his way to gain power over some of the most powerful people in the world.

This idea was reinforced to me when I viewed an interview clip by the BBC, where Epstein is directly asked if he believes he is “the devil himself.” Instead of giving a clear or remorseful answer, he responds in a strange and almost detached way “I have a good mirror”. This response is crazy to me, and it reflects a lack of accountability and deeper moral awareness. But what does he mean by this… could he be the reincarnation of the devil? Did he really kill himself? Will he return??

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina- Ella Plummer

 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

The main character in this show is Lilith, also called Madame Satan. After leaving Adam, she is banished from the Garden of Eden, and Lucifer saves her. She becomes Lucifers servant here, which is interesting as she is often depicted as a symbol of feminine power. She does later kill a woman named Mary Wardwell and takes over her appearance and life. Lilith was a mentor to Sabrina Spellman then after. They don't get along at first, but then they bond by both having an interest in taking down the "Dark Lord". They end up locking Lucifer away, and Lilith is able to finally become the queen of Hell. The people of Hell did not accept Lilith as their queen, but they did accept Sabrina as their queen. Sabrina is Lucifer's daughter, so they deemed this more appropriate. Sabrina made Lilith her Regent and left her to handle daily activities. Lilith does whatever it takes to ultimately become the queen of Hell. She goes through a few more obstacles before becoming queen and along the way she does kill her own child. Lucifer tries to take his and Lilith's child, Adam, away from Lilith, and Lilith is so angered by Lucifer trying to leave her and take their child that she ends up killing the child. She doesn't want Lucifer to get what he wants, his child in solidarity. It is interesting to see how Lilith prioritizes her "career" over all else. She also is against Lucifer throughout the entire series, which is interesting and supports ideas that Lilith is a representation of feminine power. Lilith prioritizes getting what she wants over all else. I think this series is about her disobedience to men, but even more so about eliminating those who stand in way of her goal. I think men and women that stand in her way are treated equally. Moreover, this does support gender equality ideas surrounding Lilith by treating both genders alike.

are people ever really fully good or evil? - ally c

I've been having hard time trying to think of something to post on the blog all year honestly, but then the other day I was sitting in bed and watching some random episodes of The Vampire Diaries and it made me think about class actually and I figured it'd be a decent blog post. I started thinking differently about what “evil” actually means. In the show, no character is completely good or completely bad all the time. Someone like Damon can do something really harmful, but you still understand his motivations or see moments where he tries to be better. That makes it hard to label anyone as purely evil.

This made me connect to what we’ve been talking about in class because evil doesn’t feel like something separate from people. Instead, it feels tied to emotions and choices. A lot of the characters make bad decisions because of things like love, jealousy, anger, or wanting to protect someone. Those reasons feel very human, even though the characters themselves are supernatural.

It also shows how much perspective matters. One character’s “wrong” decision can seem justified from their point of view, which makes the idea of evil less clear. It’s not always just right versus wrong.

The show kinda suggests that evil isn’t something fixed. It’s more about the choices people make and how they respond to different situations. That makes the idea of the devil feel less like a single villain and more like a reflection of human flaws.

Twin Peaks and The Devil // Noelle Vaught, Post 4

 

BOB, the primary antagonist of Twin Peaks.

If you've ever seen Twin Peaks by David Lynch, then you will recognize the face of this man. Twin Peaks is a mystery show with supernatural elements produced in the 1990s (at least the first two seasons and the movie) featuring the small, titular town of Twin Peaks. The narrative centers around the murder of a local girl named Laura Palmer, which leads to the arrival of outsiders and upheaval in the local community. The show is about the "evil that mean do," the dark urge it believes to lurk within us. 

BOB is a sort of demiurge-- he is of an evil place, and does evil in turn. He appeals to human, hedonistic desires such as sex, violence, and drug abuse. Those who can see him are described as doomed. To exist in our plane, however, BOB requires a vessel. In this case, he makes use of Laura's father, Leland Palmer. It is revealed that in this way, he killed Laura Palmer, seeking to become her and make use of her young body and energy to further spread his evil. He connects deeply with Christian ideas about possession and the dark urge of sin lurking within us all; exploiting and condemning those who "fly too close to the sun" to a terrible death. 

That being said, interestingly, the show does not necessarily blame those who fall victim to his possessions. Laura Palmer was simply a troubled youth who sought respite from the high expectations placed upon her in hedonism- as many do. Even for Leland, it is open to debate how much of his actions towards Laura (murder and other unspeakable things) were truly him. The show deliberately creates an uncomfortable ambiguity in this. 

Signalis and Hell // Noelle Vaught - Post 3

 

Cover art for Signalis (2022)

    

Signalis is a 2022 survival horror computer game developed by the German developer known as Rose Engine. It is in the same vein and styled after other games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill 2, though it also openly wears influences from authors such as H.P. Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers. It is set in a dystopian future of an alternate, but similar solar system which is locked in conflict between the Eusan Nation and the Eusan Empire. It is one of my favorite video games of all time for its exploration of personal autonomy, life under the machinery of an oppressive state, and ultimately, love and letting go. The plot centers on two characters: LSTR, or "Elster," a Replika (essentially and android) and Ariane, a bioresonant (psychic) human that are in a forbidden relationship. It is worth noting that both characters are women-identifying. 

    As one plays the game, it becomes increasingly clear that the reality with which we are first presented is mostly a 'lie.' Initially, we are led to believe that we are in a prison camp that has been overrun by a mysterious plague known as Sierpinski-23 to look for a woman named Alina Seo. With the progression of the story, this initial narrative becomes far less certain, with the eventual revelation that our character is stuck in a seemingly endless cycle. She must go through hell, time and time again, in hopes that she will have the strength to end it the only way she knows how. This being: "Remembering our promise." Remembering Ariane. 

    As it turns out, both Elster and Ariane are dying. This is because, in reality, both are a part of the Penrose program. Essentially, a propaganda effort wherein the Nation fires shuttles off into the void in hopes of finding habitable worlds. In reality, the program is a suicide mission, the shuttle only meant to last for 3,000 days before degradation. Ariane and Elster pushed it to 5,400, resulting in radiation poisoning and other nasty things. In an attempt to save their lives, Ariane utilized her extremely powerful psychic abilities to construct a different reality- only it went wrong. Horribly so. Now, the only immediately obvious way out is to fulfill the promise you made to Ariane: To end her suffering. To let go of her. Easier said than done. 

    What is interesting, and more directly related to our class, is the landscape which you navigate throughout the game. It is defined as a descent into the earth, followed by a strange, inverted ascent. You begin in a snowy wasteland, climbing down a black stone staircase cylindrically carved into the earth. As you go deeper into the facility, you eventually reach the mines below, and from there? Another, decayed, rusted facility- a landscape of blood and torment and meat. Not unlike hell- a comparison which the game itself heavily draws upon. Particularly, when you finally reach the first, false ending of the game: You re-emerge into an inversion of the staircase you first entered the space of the game through, climbing up into a red wasteland dotted by black stone pillars. Here, you encounter several hallucinatory experiences, as well as the line: 

    "Perhaps, this is Hell." 

    Furthermore, the space of Sierpinski is inhabited by the demonic distortions of other Replikas, who are very clearly suffering from both physical and mental ailments. They act as obstacles for your character just the same as the twisting, changing landscape of the facility. In hindsight, I cannot help be reminded of the "ha Satan," the accuser and obstructor. Elster's conviction is tested the deeper she goes, the presence of these distortions growing heavier and taking on more dangerous forms, and she must experience it again and again to try and remember the promise she made. This, in my opinion, is a whole lot like Hell and/or purgatory.