Satan, the Rumplestiltskin of the Devil’s Bible

As far as books go, bibles tend to be bricks. But no version can top the Devil’s Bible, which is no brick. It’s more like two cinder blocks. At three feet by nearly two feet, and almost nine inches thick, it’s the largest known medieval manuscript in existence. Officially, it’s called Codex Gigas.

Written on 300 prepared asses’ skins, and weighing in at 165 pounds, it’s so large that it has a table all to itself in the Royal Palace library of Stockholm, Sweden.

Not only does the manuscript contain a complete Bible, but it also includes historical texts and other medieval-ish notes, like magic formulas and enchantments.

One tradition claims Codex Gigas took 500 years to create, from the 8^th to the 13^th century. 

Another tradition claims that it was created in just one night by a monk, with the assistance of—who else?—the devil. The monk had been condemned to death, but was told the sentence would be lifted if he could write the whole Bible before morning. The monk provided the blank parchment and his soul, and the devil handled the rest. Kind of like a more evil Rumplestiltskin. When the work was completed, Satan added a nice, big portrait of himself.

It’s also been said that it was the monk who added the illustration, as a special thank-you to his new friend, Lucifer (as if his soul wasn’t payment enough).

The image shows the horned devil reaching upward with clawed hands and crouching down, wearing a loincloth that looks a bit like a diaper. A green face with two long red tongues gives him a reptilian appearance.

Whoever created the image, you’ve probably guessed by now that it’s the reason this behemoth of a book is called the Devil’s Bible.

The massive manuscript was shlepped away from a convent in Prague in 1648 by the Swedish army following the Thirty Years’ War—and may have been the biggest booty it scored.

If you’d like to see more of the Devil’s Bible, flip through the pages of the National Library of Sweden.