unsolved code devil's writing
Devil’s Writing

In the preface of the book, The Devil in Britain and America (1896) by John Ashton, there is shown a copy of the assumedly only known example of the Devil’s Writing.  Ashton explains that during his research for his book about the Devil, he came across this mysterious message included in an earlier book from 1532.  That book was written by Teseo Ambrogio Degli Albonesi.

Albonesi lived from 1469-1540 and studied ancient languages with a keen interest in the Christian Kabbalah.  It is within his book, Introduction to Chaldean, Syriac, and Armenian (Introductio ad Chaldaicm linguam, Syriacam, atque Armenicam, et decem alias linguas), in the Appendix section dealing with unusual alphabets and languages, that this lone specimen of the Devil’s Writing appears. What the Devil wrote, however, remains an enigma.

devil's writing unsolved code
Albonesi’s copy of the Devil’s Writing

According to these two book accounts, the Devil was conjured by a gentleman named Ludovico Spoletano and told to write an answer to a question.  After such it is said, “some invisible power took the pen, which seemed suspended in the air, and rapidly wrote….”   Albonesi was given this Devil’s Writing, while discussing languages with his friend Postel.  He carefully reproduced it and included it then in his book written in Pavia, Italy (shown above (in Latin).

Ashton includes in his commentary that some experts believe a trace of Amharic is found within the characters of the message. He goes on to say, “Amharic is a language spoken in its purity in the province of Amhara (Ethiopia), and which, according to a legend, was the primeval language spoken in Eden.”

devils writings
A copy of the Devil’s Writing in John Ashton’s book

Interestingly, when looking at the script, what is noticed most are the pitchfork like characters; both long and short forms.  Reading more into Ashton’s book, we discover the Devil’s accessory of a trident (3-pronged instrument) was a common classical and artistic addition when illustrating the Devil during the Medieval age.

The trident (or bident) is often associated with the Lightning Bolt, which in past times was known as a way for the powerful god-like beings to communicate to those on Earth.  For this reason, I find it curious then that trident seems to be used in the Devil’s Writing.  It makes me wonder if ‘whoever’ wrote it, either as a code or primary language, was expecting someone to decipher and understand it using such as a clue for decipherment.

Will the message ever be discovered or will the message forever go unknown?  Can someone break the code of the Devil’s Writing and reveal his answer after almost 500 years?   Time will tell.

 

 

9 Comments

    1. My comment was for you, JC. Your video was an answer to a prayer. Weird answer, but funny! Laughing is my second favorite thing to do. Sometimes I even laugh while doing my first FAVORITE thing to do.

      I hope you are well and made it home safely. Looks like I won’t be able to see my Papa one last time. Most Joes on the planet have no money. And that wood bee me two. So….
      I’m headed to the desert and shutting my computer off and only listening to Mama from now on. Thank you, thank you very much. – Love, Moondove

      lifesablaze

      1. Hello, Moondove.

        I’m happy you liked it. I’ve laughed at that sketch ever since I saw it live…and remember it…quite a while ago. 🙂

        Sorry about your Papa. My wife’s dad is doing okay. He’s home and not needing to go back to the hospital at present. We hope that his infection and other maladies are gone which is an answer to prayers.

        We are not back yet…not until the 1st. We just returned from the coffee farm in the country and are headed to the beach tomorrow. Another chance to soak in the minerals of the Atlantic.

        Believe it or not…I am jealous of your venture into the desert. I love that place. You can really feel the stillness.

        It’s easy to talk to Friends in that place.

        Take care, my Friend.

        JC1117

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.