The story of Faust and his infamous deal is one that has survived for hundreds of years. Beginning as whispers in Germany in the 1500s, it grew to plays and, most famously, a play by the German writer Goethe, largely considered to be one of the greatest works of German literature. The story has been done and redone, and the phase Faustian bargain is still in use to this day.
In today's episode, we're getting back to the very beginning - to the legends behind the masterpieces, and the story of a doctor who just wanted every question answered and desire granted. Was that too much to ask?
If you don't mind trading your soul, apparently it's not too much to ask.
The creature this week is the onocentaur...a sad donkey centaur that needs to put down whatever he's carrying in order to run like a weird little bug.
Music:
"Cover Letter" by Blue Dot Sessions
"The 49th Street Galleria" by Chris Zabriskie
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Disclaimer
Faust gets the ability to call any woman he wants to his bedroom and she will have no memory of the night or what happened. But there's a twist: it's not an actual human woman, but a demon in disguise each night.
Another great episode Jason & Carissa!!! I have always heard of Faust and Faustian bargains, but never heard the story. Faust is seriously a Zeus-level creep. Please consider doing “The Devil and Daniel Webster” on Fictional. It is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét based on Faust. Plus the hero of the story is an attorney…so that’s a twist. If you like old movies, there’s a ’41 movie titled “All That Money Can Buy” although TCM uses the title “The Devil and Daniel Webster” (but who is about to correct Robert Osborne?)
Thanks so much to both of you for M&L & Fictional. I listen to both shows during work (as a legal aid attorney) and the shows help make working on even the most heart-breaking cases a little easier.
I love this podcast so much and have been listening regularly for well over a year now, but I have to say that this has been one of my favorites. The music gave me chills and I loved both the humor and drama of the storytelling. Excellent work!