Take a moment to realize that this is truly funny. Mostly because the concept and almost all we know and is “cannon” about Stan comes largely from entertainment media and translation errors.
Satan as a trickster and as a collector of souls is literally from the equivalent of a popular show.
Hell is spoken of even less and until mostly Dante, he’ll was usually portrayed as cold, not hot. In fact due to vagaries and translation challenges and errors it is likely that where we use the singular word or concept for the “devil” and “hell” in English and many other languages in biblical context, that there are actually several different and distinct words and concepts for each.
Let me explain that more topically- you know when they make a film or show of the book or comic etc. you love but they cut out like 1-5 characters and then clothed make a new character that takes over all the plot from the others they deleted or they just give all the important actions and story from those characters to another existing character? That’s what was done with “the devil” and “hell.”
Then the equivalent of a bunch of “shows” riding a fad put out images of the devil as a sinister (often suave) trickster and seducer who bargains or yearns to collect souls and hell as a pit of fire full of demons and such. Sometimes previous mythology was sprinkled in like the idea of a “hell hound” and often elements of Zoroastrianism and other belief systems and myths or superstitions. It gets very chicken and egg from there but the church caught on and society caught on and they sort of fed into each others perceptions and create these entirely new mythos and perceptions of hell and the “devil” without basis or very thin basis in actual scripture.
And so through pop culture we got a skinny guy in red and or black with a pitch fork (various symbolism is attributed to how that came about but pitchforks aren’t mentioned in the abrahamic holy books with the devil) and usually a twirly mustache was given to him. A “buff” devil started to become popular with fantasy and heavy metal and such imagery, and in more recent times the idea of the devil as a more benign or AKC or misunderstood figure, often less traditionally masculine or even with feminine leanings, charisma, wit, cleverness, and often either portrayed as not evil in a sense that they have very specific motivations and a system of honor and even kindness- or portrayed as not inherently evil in a sense they provide some necessary or even beneficial function dictated by the workings of the world or politics of the divine etc. even sometimes as an anti hero who goes against a rigid and often uncaring deity and/or their “systems” to offer humans choices and autonomy- again…
Akin to older belief systems. Specifically Greek and Norse related systems. Some say the pitchfork is a loan of The sea kings trident, that the idea of hell hound(s) is an obvious allusion to hades Cerberus, that many portrayals of the devil in modern media reference various myths- often the devil in modern media may carry aspects of Prometheus or such- having brought some knowledge or ability to humans to expand their abilities or freedoms and in doing angered a higher power and was punished.
There are many other possible borrowings and influences. But undeniably the books known as the Old Testament especially and even the New Testament te surprisingly sparse in detail on hell or the devil. Most of the historical concepts of “the devil” come from the imaginations of people and word of mouth folk tale. Even common connections such as the devil being Satan and Satan being Lucifer and the snake in the garden as the devil etc. are often not directly supported in the source materials
and are inferences made or concepts created by people looking to create their own narrative or searching for meaning beyond what is written. They are subject to debate and have little justification in physical evidence within the holy writings of these religions. Often these concepts and mysticisms draw evidence from across faiths mixing writings or concepts and such from different faiths to create an image of validity. What is odd is how often people will reach across faiths to borrow a reference that reinforces their idea but will quickly dismiss the rest of that faiths evidence which contradicts or doesn’t suit their narrative.
So by and large what we know about the devil or the many entities which are all
Given that one name or balled up together commonly- is that the holy books mostly say they aren’t good. In fact several books in several places stop short of calling the devil or one of the entities under that identity bad or evil exactly and do go as far to either call them prudent or essentially a minor figure. So I mean.. if we take the stance the devil is real for the sake of this discussion, most of the time when people are talking about or picturing Satan and hell they are playing make believe or going off of pop culture depictions of the devil.
Understand a few things. Firstly the Bible clearly states in several places and implies through its assertions of god as creator that god made “hell” and only god can cast someone to hell. Satan cannot, in the Bible, cast you into hell and you cannot put yourself into hell. Your conduct may or may not warrant going to hell and god is who would send you there by the word of the Bible.
Secondly- one of the few times “hell” is described at all it is said it is dark. God will chain the devil and his angels in darkness.
Thirdly- there are some translations that use terms like “the hell of fire.” Note it is the hell OF fire not that hell is fiery.
This one… ok.
As spoken earlier- in the Old Testament especially it isn’t uncommon for several specific and different places, some of them actual historical locations in earth, to be mentioned by name and then translated in English and other bibles as “hell.” It’s like taking a conversation where someone mentions the dentists office and a conversation about the DMV and one about the afterlife and calling all three of those “hell.” That’s what they did. For many the dentist or DMV are not pleasant but they are distinctly different places and generally different experiences.
The old and new testaments actually specify several places for where humans and angels or spirits go after death that aren’t quite paradise (heaven) or some “bad place” like “hell” but can be for people meeting specific conditions or are not inherently a punishment or reward etc. these other places often aren’t well described either.
next- the Bible states that for most of these places people go until “judgment.” Meaning they aren’t inherently an eternal resting place so much as where you go until a time of judgment- possibly referring to the events to take place at Armageddon or the “end of days” etc. in the events of the end of days as described in scripture, what happens after is curiously missing or vague. It doesn’t actually say what becomes of hell or so many other loose ends. It basically says things get real crazy and everything ends up where it is meant to be and the world we know is destroyed. So I mean- yeah man. It’s a lot of speculation and make believe and pop culture.
Satan as a trickster and as a collector of souls is literally from the equivalent of a popular show.
Hell is spoken of even less and until mostly Dante, he’ll was usually portrayed as cold, not hot. In fact due to vagaries and translation challenges and errors it is likely that where we use the singular word or concept for the “devil” and “hell” in English and many other languages in biblical context, that there are actually several different and distinct words and concepts for each.
There are many other possible borrowings and influences. But undeniably the books known as the Old Testament especially and even the New Testament te surprisingly sparse in detail on hell or the devil. Most of the historical concepts of “the devil” come from the imaginations of people and word of mouth folk tale. Even common connections such as the devil being Satan and Satan being Lucifer and the snake in the garden as the devil etc. are often not directly supported in the source materials
Given that one name or balled up together commonly- is that the holy books mostly say they aren’t good. In fact several books in several places stop short of calling the devil or one of the entities under that identity bad or evil exactly and do go as far to either call them prudent or essentially a minor figure. So I mean.. if we take the stance the devil is real for the sake of this discussion, most of the time when people are talking about or picturing Satan and hell they are playing make believe or going off of pop culture depictions of the devil.
Secondly- one of the few times “hell” is described at all it is said it is dark. God will chain the devil and his angels in darkness.
Thirdly- there are some translations that use terms like “the hell of fire.” Note it is the hell OF fire not that hell is fiery.
This one… ok.
next- the Bible states that for most of these places people go until “judgment.” Meaning they aren’t inherently an eternal resting place so much as where you go until a time of judgment- possibly referring to the events to take place at Armageddon or the “end of days” etc. in the events of the end of days as described in scripture, what happens after is curiously missing or vague. It doesn’t actually say what becomes of hell or so many other loose ends. It basically says things get real crazy and everything ends up where it is meant to be and the world we know is destroyed. So I mean- yeah man. It’s a lot of speculation and make believe and pop culture.