The devil has nine hearts, one to represent each of his nine weaknesses. And he keeps each of these hearts bound into an object. Perhaps a ring he wears, a drop of blood, a strand of hair. Or perhaps the objects are his hearts in themselves. On this I am not clear.

I apologize but my devil comes from christian mythology. That he was an angel, the most beloved of the Archangels of god and that he has looked upon the face of god and will never do so again. that he has fallen from great light into deep shadow and he suffers for his loss. lucifer is a noble creature; beautiful beyond beauty, talented beyond talent; Lucifer is goodness. Except for pride and aspiration, and it really is difficult, coming from our society of individualistic ideals to look on pride or desire or aspiration as any great sin. Lucifer is the model american. (and i'm afraid of americans. god is an american.) I mean, do you think that Lucifer and jesus played together as children? or maybe Lucifer just babysat for little baby jesus. And jesus remember from his early childhoodness, his pre-child childhood a being of great light and beauty and deep calm. And then having that wrenched from him and shoved through a dark wet place screaming into the world. Maybe this was the planting of that seed of doubt, that falter at the last step. And maybe it was also the source of ultimate strength that was needed in the end to bear it in silence and peace, the remembrance of Lucifer's face, bright and beautiful and twisted with hate at the tiny little child who was not yet even a child who usurped his place. maybe this is brotherly jealousy and sibling rivalry of a sort, vying for the supreme love of the supreme being. god creating his Archangels and looking upon his work and knowing his perfection and yet striving for something more human, something to fill his purpose, for in their perfection was the Archangel's one weakness.

christian mythology is oddly compelling to me.

i'm going to go do research on norse mythology now. poetic edda, here i come.