The Invention of Satanism

Despite the sweeping title, The Invention of Satanism (2016) provides a deep investigation into only a limited area of Satanism. The book by Asbjorn Dyrendal, James R. Lewis, and Jesper AA. Petersen touches briefly upon premodern and early modern beliefs about fallen angels, demons, and witchcraft, but moves rapidly into the 20th century. The best, most rigorous chapters are about Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan, including a history of the development of the Church and a close reading of the Satanic Bible that does not shy away from the misogynistic, dilettantish aspects of the movement. The second half of the book is dominated by surveys of self-reported Satanists, including basic demographic information as well as questions about their introduction to Satanism, moral and social beliefs, conception of Satan, etc. A good deal of the survey data comes from the late 1990s and early 2000s, before the ubiquity of the internet, and should thus be taken with a decent helping of salt. If you’re looking for a quick, honest introduction to Satanism and to LaVey’s brand of it in particular, this book is a good choice. However, if you’re more interested in an in-depth look at the pre-LaVey strains of Satanism, the Satanic Panic, or more modern movements like the Satanic Temple, it might be a good idea to look elsewhere.

The accompanying image is a design for the letter “S” of an alphabet primer, by artist Victor Vincent Adam (1801-1866). The image was made available by Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum, under a Creative Commons 0 or no rights reserved model.

A design for the letter “S” of an alphabet primer by artist Victor Vincent Adam (1801-1866), depicting a winged and horned Satan.