Infernal creatures of green color in France were represented primarily by the “green monster (devil)” from the castle of Vauvert, as well as theatrical green devils. The image of the green monster from Vauvert probably arose as a result of combining the image of the devil with the folklore image of a “wild (forest) man”. A satirical version of this legend was given by J. de Nerval in the story “The Green Monster” (1849). Theater spectators remembered most of all the green monsters and green devils in the melodrama-fairy tale “The Monster and the Sorcerer” (1826, based on the novel “Frankenstein”) and the ballet-opera “Temptation” (1832). The green color of theatrical devils, possibly, goes back to the tradition of medieval diableries, the popular-square part of the mysteries. Under the influence of French theatrical extravaganzas, the green devil became a permanent character in folk theater and circus performances throughout continental Europe. Often, he acted not in a demonic guise but as a magical assistant. In the 1900s, the green devil appeared on the cinema screen. In anti-alcohol propaganda, absinthe was associated with various kinds of green evil spirits.
Infernal creatures; the diable of Vauvert; literary legends; melodrama-fairy tale; absinthe; Robert II the Pious; G.-F. de Saint-Foix; J. de Nerval