The Devil’s Bible: Written by Satan Himself?

Author: Skylar Thompson

Well, probably not. But when a mysterious manuscript with no known origin turned up and contained a full-page illustration of the devil, people were eager to create a legend that has stuck around with the book for hundreds of years.

The Codex Gigas, a.k.a. the Devil’s Bible, stands at nearly three feet tall and is over a foot and a half wide, which makes sense for a manuscript whose name directly translates to “giant book.” (Clearly whoever named it was very creative.) The book contains 310 parchment leaves, with 212 lines of writing on each page, save for two fully illustrated pages which bore the legend of the Devil’s Bible. The first illustration is a depiction of heaven, not uncommon in the time period the book is from, but across from that page is an illustration unlike any other during that time.

On the page opposite of the illustration of heaven is a full-page depiction of the devil, which just so happens to be followed by a short text on exorcising demons. The book also contains the Christian Bible, an encyclopedia, and four other long texts, as well as a few more short texts.

While no one knows the true origin of the Codex Gigas, the earliest records of this mysterious manuscript date back to 1295, where it was pawned to a monastery in what is now the Czech Republic. The book was taken to Prague in 1594 by Rudolph II, where it stayed until the Thirty Years War. During the war, it was looted by the Swedes with many other valuables and moved to the National Library of Sweden, where it remains today.

There are many theories as to who created the Devil’s Bible and why, but the most popular theory by far is the legend that gave the book its Satanic nickname. The legend states that a monk was forced to write the book in one night, perhaps to atone for his sins, so he sold his soul to the devil to finish the impossible task. As interesting as this theory may be, it is estimated that the Devil’s Bible would have actually taken twenty to thirty years to complete, if it is taken into account the sheer amount of words, which were likely written using ruled guidelines, plus the illustrations, plus decorations adorning the manuscript.

Works Cited

Adolphson, Per B. Photograph of Codex Gigas. National Library of Sweden. Eriksson, Ola. 5 October 2015. http://www.kb.se/bilder/Codex/BigTopRight/290r.jpg

Gullick, Michael. “Codex Gigas.” National Library of Sweden. Eriksson, Ola. 5 October 2015. http://www.kb.se/codex-gigas/eng/

Links for further research

National Library of Sweden
http://www.kb.se/codex-gigas/eng/
This page has official information on the Codex Gigas, directly from the source.

National Geographic
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2008/12/17/devils-bible-darkest-secrets-explained/
This source contains insight on a documentary about the Codex Gigas.

Mysteries of the Bible
https://web.archive.org/web/20110210124457/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/mysteries-of-the-bible/3619/Overview15
This source has a video and more information about the Devil’s Bible.

Stull Cemetery

Mason Mauldin

After all my research on Stull Cemetery, I have learned that you do not want to go to Stull, Kansas. There’s more to this story, but I want to get that out here in the beginning. For over a century, Stull Cemetery has been linked to countless legends involving witchcraft, and satanic cults. Blake Smith explains that the people of “Stull has suffered enough from the drunken idiots who were disappointed at the lack of supernatural activity”. The vandalism by visitors of Stull Cemetery has taken a toll over the last one hundred years. Erwin Seba said “Any little damage to a headstone could cost up to $25,000”. The people of Stull are fed up with the disrespect of the visitors and journalists that disrespect Stull and the Cemetery, and are not afraid to prosecute them, or to get the law involved. Stull is such a tiny town, and not even really a town based on the population, just a collection of a few houses, a church, and a graveyard. However, the small population of residents is not all that encounters Stull, Kansas. The place is believed to contain a number of residents that are from beyond this earth. In addition, the town is also home to a number of legends, and strange tales that are linked to the run down church and Stull Cemetery itself. Taylor explains there have been devil sighting since the 1850’s, and explains how the people buried here at Stull Cemetery had died from painful deaths, and that that’s why this location is so haunted. People have heard all the horrific and mysterious things that has happened at Stull Cemetery, like sprits appearing at midnight, and the noises heard over the years. According to the legend, the gate to Hell was either under or next to the little church in the cemetery. Taylor, and urban legends have tied the place, and have said that when the Pope flew over the US he had his plane divert around Kansas to avoid flying over unhallowed ground which, is Stull Cemetery. Some people have even told stories of seeing Satan himself on Halloween night, at midnight. Matthews said that even with all the hate, and horror towards the cemetery. The front gate is still wide open for visitors of family and friends, still putting fresh flowers that are propped up against the shiny new graves from the new burials. Overall this research has really opened my eyes not to step foot in Stull, but will you be brave enough to go check out Stull, and Its haunted cemetery for yourself?

Works Cited:

Matthews, Dana. "Haunted Stull Cemetery Is America's Most Off-Limits Portal to Hell." Week In Weird. 05 Jun 2016.

Smith, Blake “Keep the Hell out of Stull” Atlanta Examiner, 20 Oct 2010. doi:

94738bff678cda206cac3be5eb80f892634db6d4.

Seba, Erwin “Legends linger around Stull Cemetery.” Lawrence Journal- World Kansas. 01

Nov. 1999. doi: 0030003905.

Taylor, Troy. "Stull Cemetery! One of the Seven Gateways to Hell?" Apr. 2002.

Blackwood, Kendrick. “Old Tree Comes Down in Stull Cemetery” Lawrence Journal- World

Kansas. 31 Oct. 1998. doi: 0010095081

Links for further research:
Stull Cemetery Kansas study

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrraaUVvqRg

This video is a study of people around Kansas and what they have heard about Stull Cemetery and the church. It goes into detail about the cemetery and why it is haunted. 

Halloween in Stull

http://www.makingthemovie.info/stull/legend.html

This documentary talks about Stull on Halloween night. It also describes the people of Stull and how upset they are with the vandals of the cemetery.

Describing Stull Cemetery in detail

 http://www.weirdus.com/states/kansas/stories/gateway_to_hell/

This article by Weird U.S. describes the Cemetery and town in detail. It also goes into detail about the hauntings and demonic figures around Stull. 

Enter the Devil’s Gate: Devil’s Gate Dam Pasadena, CA

Samantha Jones

            “Devil’s Gate is named for the appearance of a horned devil face in the narrow canyon of the Arroyo Seco, a natural riverbed flowing from the San Gabriel Mountains into Los Angeles basin” (LAGP). This dam is located beneath Suicide Bridge. It was built around the 1920’s to modify the water flow through the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena, CA. This was the first control flood dam in Los Angeles County. There is an urban legend behind this mysterious dam. Since the Devil’s Gate Dam, Cobb Estate, and Suicide Bridge are all connected by points, they named it the Arroyo Triangle. It is believed to be one of the seven portals to Hell.

People claim that the portal was opened by three occultist scientists. Jack Parsons , Aleister Crowley , and L. Ron Hubbard  all believed that this Devil’s Gate had some sort of magical energy that could give them power. The three performed rituals that were believed to go along with their project. They referred to this as their Babylon Working. “Babylon Working is a summoning of an entity known as Babylon that would aid then in the creation of an ‘anti-christ’, a child who would eventually destroy mankind” (Marie). But, a few years later, Parsons, Crowley and Hubbard’s friendship died down and they went their separate ways studying in their own perspectives. Parsons died in 1957 due to an unexplained explosion in his home laboratory.

A few years later, several children went missing around the Devil’s Gate area. Two of the missing childrens’ mysteries were solved by uncovering their bodies buried from a killer who was discovered around the area. The other missing children were never found. People believe that they were dragged into the portal and can not get out. A special paranormal activist group who especially believes this mystery are the Paranormal EXP. They visited Devil’s Gate Dam back in 2011 and got first hand voice recordings of a little boy stating his name as ‘Tommy’.



There are many people who believe in this paranormal portal to Hell and think it is true. It dates all the way back to the Native Americans believing this dam was haunted and forbade anyone to go there. Along with that, there are also a handful of people who do not believe in any of it. Even with all the evidence. I feel those people do not want to admit that they maybe a little believe in the Devil’s Gate because they are just not sure whether to believe or not. I guess it is up to you, do you believe in ghosts or portals to Hell? I feel you should go visit Devil’s Gate Dam for yourself and then answer that question.

Work Cited and Further Research:
Anderson, Donna. “Is Devil’s Gate Dam in Pasadena a Portal to Hell?” examiner.com. N.p., Aug. 11, 2012. Web. Oct. 12, 2015.

Kreuzer, Nikki, “Devil’s Gate Dam”. Photograph. LABeat. LA Beat. 25 Feb. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

Los Angeles Ghost Patrol. “Devil’s Gate: A Portal to Hell?” laghostpatrol.com. Sayontan Sinha, May 18, 2011. Web. Oct. 6, 2015.

Marie, Kelly. “The Story of Devil’s Gate Dam.” Definenormal.org. N.p.,Sep. 22, 2012. Web. Oct. 12, 2015.

Paranormal EXP. “Devil’s Gate Dam-Pasadena, CA.” paranormalexp.com. July 8, 2011. Web. Oct. 12, 2015.

S.I.U. The Supernatural Investigation Unit. “Devil’s Gate Dam Pasadena/LA Canada, CA” hauntedlosangeles.blogspot.com. N.p., Feb. 28, 2014. Web. Oct. 6, 2015.

Mysteries of the Devil’s Gate Dam

Author: Leigh Anne Bloomer

In 1920, a new dam was built in Pasadena, California. The dam was built to control the Arroyo Seco, a seasonal river that often led to serious floods around the area. The Arroyo Seco is a very powerful river when the season is right, but when it’s not, the area seems to be very dried out. During the dry season, as people view the dam and the surrounding area, they start to notice a mysteriously shaped rock formation. Next to the gate that leads to the dam itself, there is what appears to be a devil’s face with horns coming out of the canyon. This is the reason the dam is named the Devil’s Gate Dam. 

Soon after the dam was completed, there started to be a lot of talk about the reasons why the dam was given such a profound name. Many people believed various situations that could have led to the naming of the dam, but one sticks out from all the rest. 

“The rock formation in the shape of a devil’s face located next the dam’s gate.”

In the days of the Native Americans, the area surrounding the dam was considered an evil or haunted place, and was banned from any visitors. The reason as to why the Native Americans believed that there was something going on around the dam is still unclear. Around the 1940s, though, many people came up with a conclusion to the madness of the dam’s mysterious vibe; Devil’s Gate Dam was one of seven portals to Hell on Earth.

 There is one main reason why the dam was considered to be a portal to Hell. That biggest reason being the rituals that occurred at the gate in the 1940s. Jack Parsons and L. Ron Hubbard are two very different, yet alike in thought, men that performed spiritual rituals in the presence of evil.

The men believed that the dam was hiding a magical power that no one else could explain. Parsons and Hubbard continued to perform these rituals and as time went on, their needs began to grow. The two men decided to perform a special ritual that would change their lives completely. This ritual was intended to create a moonchild, a sort of anti-Christ that would overthrow modern society and demolish all religion. No one knows for sure if the ritual ever really turned out to have created such a thing. Soon after the rituals were performed, Parsons died from an experiment he was conducting in his home. The talk of the rituals came to a close after this incident.

It wasn’t long until the mysterious incidents started occurring. In 1956, two young children went missing in the area of the dam. Police were sent out to look for the kids, countless search parties roamed the area for days, and even helicopters were used to find and rescue the children. No hope was found. One year later, a six year old boy was hiking with his family along the paths around the dam. As the family was walking together, the little boy decided he wanted to get ahead of the rest and sprinted in front of them. As he rounded a corner, he was never seen again. Again, search parties were sent out, police were contacted, and even the helicopters, but there was still no luck in finding the little boy. Shortly after, another missing child case appeared, seeming to be just as unusual as the last. A six year old boy was attending camp at a local YMCA. As the little boy was hiking with his group, he told his leader that he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go back. Since the camp site was less than three hundred yards away, the group leader told the boy to walk back as she watched him. This was the last time anyone saw that little boy.

Coming back to present day, only one of these stories has been figured out. The very first incident with the two kids riding their bicycles turned out to have been a kidnapping. A man confessed to burying the bodies and ended up committing suicide in prison many years later. Other than that, all the missing children have never been accounted for. Many people believe that these incidents were all because of the previous activity performed there. The real reason though, which would contain proof, is still a mystery.  

Works Cited:

Antabanez, Wheeler. “Strange Disappearances at the Cursed Devil’s Gate Reservoir.” Weird U.S. Web. 13 October 2013.

Kimbrough, David. “Oak Grove Drive over the Arroyo Seco – Devil’s Gate Dam.” Historic and Notable Bridges of the U.S. Bridge Hunter. Web. 15 October 2013.

Marie, Kelly. “The Story of Devil’s Gate Dam.” The Quest to Find the Land of Normal Define Normal. Web. 9 October 2013.

Media, Magi. “Devil’s Gate.” Photograph. Student Reader. 11 May 2006. Web. 17 October 2013.

Mystery, Man. “Haunted Places: Devil’s Gate Dam.” Religion and Philosophy HubPages. Web. 9 October 2013.

Patrol, LA Ghost. “Devil’s Gate: A Portal to Hell?” Los Angeles Ghost Patrol laghostpatrol. Web. 7 October 2013.

Links for Further Research:

Patrol, LA Ghost. “Haunted Devil’s Gate Dam.” Youtube. 18 May 2011. Web. 17 October 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1V-BA8s9wU

This link takes you to a video that shows the overview of the Devil’s Gate Dam.

Investigation, Supernatural. “Devil’s Gate Dam Pasadena, CA S.I.U.” Youtube. 22 January 2013. Web. 16 October 2013.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PoguMmNPqk

The above link shows a visitor’s reactions from visiting the dam.

“Pasadena’s Suicide Bridge.” Weird California. 9 November 2005. Web. 17 October 2013.

http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=57

This link takes you to a website informing you of the opinions and information about the dam and the bridge it is located by.

Mystery of Stull: Is It Real or Not?

Author: Brianni Foxworth

Image from Ghost Hauntings

           
There are no more than twenty residents in the town of Stull. The cemetery located there is said to be a ground where the devil and his followers join to hold court.  In the small town of Stull Kansas, it is said to hold one of the seven gates of hell. Freaky, yes; the legend is the devil himself comes out on the night of Spring Equinox and on Halloween night. There are also rumors that say  “...glass will not break if  you throw it against the stones of the church,” (Faircloth). They also say, not only is the devil being seen in the cemetery, it is other spirits in the cemetery that have died in horrific ways. In the  1800s there is said to have been a practice of black magic, and other demonic rituals. There used to be a church that sat beside the cemetery; it mysteriously burned to the ground. It is said that if it rains, the rain will never touch the spot where the church was once held. The residents of Stull, say all of the legends are just rumors (Taylor).

           
The people that believe this is indeed true about Stull cemetery are the ones who have encountered strange activities here. After the story of the devil being seen in the cemetery over a hundred people came from all over to witness the devil for themselves. Another rumor that was going around about the cemetery is that all of the bodies that have been buried in the cemetery, the ones who have died a horrific death come out also. All of the people that showed up on the two nights the devil would appear were sadly disappointed because there were not sights of the devil that night. The stories about the hauntings on Stull did not stop because of this( Taylor).      

           
Now after all of the disappointment of not seeing the devil, more people came out and told their encounter with strange events that they claimed to have went on while they were visiting. Years after the first gather of witnessing the devil and his worshipers, two college students went to visit the cemetery and came back and told their encounter of the spirits in Stull. “ ...two young men were visiting Stull Cemetery  one night, and became frightened when a strong wind began blowing out of nowhere. They ran back to their car, only  to find that the vehicle had been moved to the other side of the highway, and was now facing in the opposite direction” (Taylor).

There are  more encounters that people have had and you can go to http://www.prairieghosts.com/stull.html read more about this cemetery. in the end there are two opinions about Stull Kansas, some say it is haunted and it is in fact one of the seven gates to hell. Then there are those who live in Stull, and they say it is nothing supernatural there. Stull Cemetery is it real or not?

Works Cited

Faircloth, Cynthia. “The devil and Stull Kansas” Darkendofthestreet.net.2011.Web. 10 October, 2013

 Taylor, Troy. “ STULL CEMETERY - GATEWAY TO HELL?” Prairieghost.com. 2002. Web. 10 October 

2013.

“The Legend of Stull, Kansas” Ghosthaunting.org. 2013.Web.10 October,2013

links for further research:

http://www.prairieghosts.com/stull.html You will be able to get more information on the legend of the cemetery and more background information of Stull, Kansas.

http://www.ghosthauntings.org/Stull__Kansas.html This is another article on the legend, but it give more detailed stories.

http://darkendofthestreet.net/author/degravelle/ This is an opinion article on the legend of Stull Cemetery.