Abstract
Sex and Satan seem utterly entwined in contemporary culture. Mainstream movies like The Witches of Eastwick (1987), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), and Bedazzled (2000 remake) all depict an intimate link between a sexually charged Prince(ss) of Darkness, carnal prowess, and willing worshippers. Earlier on, some of the most famous 1970s porn films, such as The Devil in Miss Jones (1973), perpetuated the same notion, as did the short-lived men’s magazine Satan (1957).1 The sexy devil and randy witch are perennial favorites at Halloween parties, confirming some unsaid sexual charge of the diabolic. Satanic popular music has also returned to the occult carnality so prevalent in late-1960s rock music after a period of more ascetic violence and blasphemy typified by church-burning Scandinavian black metal activists. Hence the sexuality of The Rolling Stones is not that far from the sexualized representations offered by Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir, extreme expressions notwithstanding.2
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Baddeley, Gavin. 2000. Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship and Rock ‘n’ Roll. London: Plexus.
Barton, Blanche. 1990. The Church of Satan. New York: Hell’s Kitchen Productions.
Cohn, Norman. 2000. Europe’s Inner Demons: The Demonization of Christians in Medieval Christendom, rev. ed. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Crabtree, Vexen. 2002. “Sex and Sexuality in Satanism, the Religion of the Flesh.” The Description, Philosophies and Justification for Satanism, December 6, 2002. http://www.dpjs.co.uk/sex.html (accessed January 23, 2012).
Dawn, Crystal and Stephen E. Flowers. (1995) 2001. Carnal Alchemy: A Sado-Magical Exploration of Pleasure, Pain and Self-Transformation, second revised and expanded ed. Smithville, TX: Rûna-Raven Press.
Dyrendal, Asbjørn. 2009. “Darkness Within: Satanism as a Self-Religion.” In Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology, edited by J. Aa. Petersen, 59–75. Farnham, Surrey, UK: Ashgate.
Drury, Nevill. 2011. Stealing Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western Magic. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ezzy, Douglas and Helen A. Berger. 2007. “Becoming a Witch: Changing Paths of Conversion in Contemporary Witchcraf.” In The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture, edited by H. E. Johnston and P. Aloi, 41–56. Aldershot, Hampshire, UK: Ashgate.
Faxneld, Per. 2013a. “De Facto Satanists and Secret Lineages: Anton LaVey’s Use of Esoteric Tradition.” In Contemporary Esotericism, E. Asprem and K. Granholm, 72–90. London: Equinox.
—. 2013b. “Witches, Anarchism, and Evolutionism: Stanislaw Przybyszewski’s fin-de-siècle Satanism and the Demonic Feminine.” In The Devil’s Party: Satanism in Modernity, edited by P. Faxneld & J. Aa. Petersen, 53–78. New York: Oxford University Press.
—. 2013c. “‘Intuitive, Receptive, Dark’: Negotiations of Femininity in the Contemporary Satanic and Lef-hand Path Milieu.” International Journal for the Study of New Religions 4(2): 201–231.
Flowers, Stephen. 1997. Lords of the Lef-Hand Path. Smithville, TX: Rûna-Raven Press.
—. 2006. The Fraternitas Saturni —or Brotherhood of Saturn: An Introduction to Its History, Philosophy and Rituals. Smithville, TX: Rûna-Raven Press.
Gardell, Mattias. 2003. Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism. Durham, NC, and London: Duke University Press.
Gentilcore, David. 2002. “Witchcraft Narratives and Folklore Motifs in Southern Italy.” In The Witchcraft Reader, edited by D. Oldridge, 97–109. London: Routledge.
Hakl, Hans Tomas. 2008. “The Theory and Practice of Sexual Magic, Exemplified by Four Magical Groups in the Early Twentieth Century.” In Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of Western Esotericism, edited by W. J. Hanegraaf and J. K. Kripal, 445–78. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill.
Holt, Cimminnee. 2013. “Blood, Sweat, and Urine: The Scent of Feminine Fluids in Anton Szandor LaVey’s The Satanic Witch.” International Journal for the Study of New Religions 4(2): 177–201.
June, “M.” n.d. “The Satanic Witch.” Website of The Satanic Kindred Organization. http://www.satanic-kindred.org/witch.htm (accessed January 23, 2012).
Lap, Amina. 2013. “Categorizing Modern Satanism: An Analysis of LaVey’s Early Writings.” In The Devil’s Party: Satanism in Modernity, edited by P. Faxneld and J. Aa. Petersen, 83–103. New York: Oxford University Press.
LaVey, Anton S. 1969. The Satanic Bible. New York: Avon Books.
—. 1971. The Satanic Witch. New York: Feral House.
—. 1972. The Satanic Rituals. New York: Avon Books.
Malebranche, Jack. 2007. “Selfsh Hedonism—Hell Yeah! On the Remarkably Accurate Remarks of Dr. Alan Keyes.” In Lust Magazine: The Archives 2003–2006, edited by J. Malebranche, 144–45. lulu.com, n.p.
Mealie, C. 2007. “The Ten Greatest Songs Heard in Adult Movie Shops.” In Lust Magazine: The Archives 2003–2006, edited by J. Malebranche, 26–28. lulu.com, n.p.
Moody, Edward J. 1974. “Magical Therapy: An Anthropological Investigation of Contemporary Satanism.” In Religious Movements in Contemporary America, edited by I. I. Zaretsky and M. P. Leone, 355–382. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Naglowska, Maria de. 2011. The Light of Sex: Initiation, Magic, and Sacrament. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions.
Old Nick. 2010. Vol. 1, issue 2. Las Vegas: Pentagram Productions.
—. 2011. Vol. 1, issue 3. Las Vegas: Pentagram Productions.
Parfrey, Adam ed. 1990. Apocalypse Culture, 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Feral House.
—, ed. 2000, Apocalypse Culture II. Los Angeles: Feral House.
Petersen, Jesper A. 2009. “Satanists and Nuts: Schisms in Modern Satanism.” In Sacred Schisms: How Religions Divide, edited by S. Lewis and J. R. Lewis, 218–47. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.
—. 2011a, “ ‘Smite Him Hip and Thigh’: Satanism, Violence, and Transgression.” In Violence and New Religious Movements, edited by J. R. Lewis, 351–76. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
—. 2011b, Between Darwin and the Devil: Modern Satanism as Discourse, Milieu, and Self. Doctoral thesis, the Faculty of Humanities, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway..
—. 2012. “The Seeds of Satan: Conceptions of Magic in Contemporary Satanism.” Aries 12(1): 91–129.
—. 2013. “The Carnival of Dr. LaVey: Articulations of Transgression in Modern Satanism.” In The Devil’s Party: Satanism in Modernity, edited by P. Faxneld and J. A. Petersen, 167–188. New York: Oxford University Press.
Petros, George. 2007. Art That Kills: A Panoramic Portrait of Aesthetic Terrorism 1984–2001. London: Creation Books.
Rodriguez, Shiva. 2007. “The Folly of Sexual Repression.” In Lust Magazine: The Archives 2003–2006, edited by J. Malebranche, 53–54. lulu.com, n.p.
Satanic Sickes, vol. 1–2, DVD Box Sets, Alpha Blue Archives, n.p.
Schreck, Nikolas. 2001. The Satanic Screen: An Illustrated Guide to the Devil in Cinema. London: Creation Books.
Schreck, Nikolas and Zeena Schreck. 2002. Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Lef-Hand Path Sex Magic. London: Creation Books.
Urban, Hugh B. 2000. “The Cult of Ecstasy: Tantrism, the New Age, and the Spiritual Logic of Late Capitalism.” History of Religions 39(3): 268–304.
—. 2006. Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism. Berkeley: University of California Press.
van Luijk, Ruben. 2013. “Sex, Science, and Liberty: The Resurrection of Satan in Nineteenth-Century (Counter) Culture.” In The Devil’s Party: Satanism in Modernity, edited by P. Faxneld and J. Aa. Petersen, 41–53. New York: Oxford University Press.
Zacharias, Gerhard. 1980. The Satanic Cult. London: George Allen & Unwin.
Editor information
Copyright information
© 2014 Henrik Bogdan and James R. Lewis
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Faxneld, P., Petersen, J.A. (2014). Cult of Carnality: Sexuality, Eroticism, and Gender in Contemporary Satanism. In: Bogdan, H., Lewis, J.R. (eds) Sexuality and New Religious Movements. Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137386434_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137386434_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-68146-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-38643-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave Religion & Philosophy CollectionPhilosophy and Religion (R0)