By Jovan Stipić

Few names in history evoke a feeling or an image as strong and resonant as Faust. He was a learned, godly man who sold his soul to the devil before turning arrogant and reckless. It's an endearing story with unconventional characters, filled to the brim with warnings of what we should and should not do.

But did you know that Faust was based on a real person? Or did you think Goethe's Faust was only a folk tale retelling and is by no means the original?

Our story begins in Germany during the early years of the renaissance, with a certain man called Johan Georg Faust, of whom we know very little. People thought that Faust was an entirely mythical figure for the longest time, and very little research was done on him. We know that he was an alchemist and a physician in the early 16th century before the church excommunicated him because of his dealings with the devil and sodomy.

Yet other historical records mention his incredible prowess in medicine and anatomy. Many professors, including those in Worms and Tubingen, called on his knowledge numerous times. But we also find places in Germany, mainly Ingolstadt, from which he was banished as a necromancer.

Even his death and birth are shrouded in mystery as we don't know the exact dates. He allegedly died in 1541 in an alchemic experiment while visiting the "Hotel zum Löwen." Yet even after his death, we found historical records of his achievements. However, how accurate those are, is up for debate.

Aside from Johan Georg, other tales are closely tied to Faust from all parts of Europe. All tied together because of one simple theme: dealings with the devil.

One such story written by Gutier de Coincy some 200 years prior is about a character called Theophilus of Adana who enters a similar pact with the devil as our titular character.

In Polish folklore, we also have the story of Pan Twartowski. The Polish story seems to have originated at roughly the same time as its German counterpart. Yet, it is unclear whether the two tales have a common origin or if they influenced each other. The historical Johann Georg Faust had studied in Kraków for a time and may have served as the inspiration for the character in the Polish legend.

The Faust we know of today appeared first in print in 1587 in the form of a chapbook (a cheap book or pamphlet), Historia & Tale of Doctor Johannes Faustus. Although the earlier tales may be sources of inspiration for the Faust tale, this chapbook is the first known printing of the traditional Faust legend, which Goethe then modified.

The chapbook was translated into English by a "P. F., Gent" 3 before 1592 as The Historie of the Damnable Life and Deserved Death of Doctor Iohn Faustus. Christopher Marlowe used this work for his play, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (published around 1600 but performed before then). It is probably no coincidence that Marlowe wrote the play as he was known to have a rebellious streak. He was even accused, several times, of being a heretic and a devil worshiper.

Marlowe's work was later read by Goethe, who had also seen puppet plays on the Faust theme performed in the streets as a youth. Inspired by these and other stories, he would then go on to write his great work, Faust. He would be accused of sodomy several times in the years that followed. People cited that only those who do not condemn the deeds depicted in the book could write of them.

Yet Goethe embodied many of the contending strands in art through the 19th century: his work could be lushly emotional and rigorously formal, yet still provocative and mind churning. He argued against Classicism and Romanticism, claiming that both were a hindrance to art, yet at the same time, he would pen works that followed the rules of both.

From Mozart to Mahler, almost every prominent Austrian and German composer set his poetry to music. His influence would spread to French drama and opera, as well. Even Beethoven declared that a "Faust" Symphony would be the greatest thing for art. Liszt and Mahler both created symphonies in whole or largely inspired by this seminal work. This gave the 19th century one of its most paradigmatic figures: Doctor Faustus.

It is no wonder that half of the people I mentioned here were considered heretics or enemies to the conventional thinking of the period they lived in. It seemed that the tale of Faust always attracted the most rebellious of artists and philosophers of the time. It might be of no surprise then, or maybe to some, it would be very surprising that the story of Faust has survived to this day. It has remained almost untouched because it always attracts the most rebellious who praise it and the most zealous who condemn it.