Why are horns considered a symbol of evil??

[Animelover93]

I never understood why movies and other forms of entertainment/art portrays the devil as a horned monster with a tail. The bible says he portrays an angel of light and says nothing about him having horns. So where did we even get the idea that horns are evil?? Can a horned creature with a tail be considered a good character if the creator makes him/her that way?? Or is it automatically considered an evil form of art because horns are evil??

 

[JackRT]

Excellent question. I don't know either but I can speculate. I suspect that it may date to medieval times when the Church was trying to suppress the last vestiges of paganism in the form of witchcraft which honoured a "horned god" frequently portrayed as a goat. Medieval artists and writers delighted in very lurid and highly speculative descriptions of hell and the devil.

 

[timothyu]

: "Stand not in the way of an ox when coming from the pasture, for Satan dances between his horns" .. Pesachim 112b

... and artistic expression takes over.

 

[Sabertooth]

I never understood why movies and other forms of entertainment/art portrays the devil as a horned monster with a tail.

That is a carry-over from Greco-Roman mythology. That image of Satan/the Devil is based on their "god" of the Underworld, Pluto, a.k.a. Dis (Lat.) & Hades (Gr.)

That is also why Satan is often shown as being in charge of Hell, when he is, in fact, its primary prisoner.

“Then [Jesus] will also say to those on the left hand,

‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:...!" Matthew 25:41 NKJV​

 

[Athanasius377]

Horns can also be a symbol of power. If you see older stained glass or illustrations of Moses you will see him with horns mostly because the artists may not have realized they were reading an idiom in Hebrew.

 

[splish- splash]

Here's a little something from psalms 75:10> " I will cut off the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up"

 

[timothyu]

because the artists

Exactly. Artistic interpretation. Funny how so many will follow interpretation over scripture.

 

[Athanasius377]

Exactly. Artistic interpretation. Funny how so many will follow interpretation over scripture.

Well, Exodus is a tough passage to translate and from what I’ve read the Hebrew word can mean horn but also shine. I’m no Hebrew expert so someone with more knowledge can elaborate. Jerome who translated what would become the Vulgate made judgement call that turned out wrong. Now if the only translation around was the vulgate and followed Jerome’s lead can hardly be faulted in interpretation because the interpretation was done on a translation level.

 

[Athanasius377]

Excellent question. I don't know either but I can speculate. I suspect that it may date to medieval times when the Church was trying to suppress the last vestiges of paganism in the form of witchcraft which honoured a "horned god" frequently portrayed as a goat. Medieval artists and writers delighted in very lurid and highly speculative descriptions of hell and the devil.

while we rarely agree I suspect you may be on to something here. If memory serves depictions of the demonic differ in the East as a result.

 

[dqhall]

I never understood why movies and other forms of entertainment/art portrays the devil as a horned monster with a tail. The bible says he portrays an angel of light and says nothing about him having horns. So where did we even get the idea that horns are evil?? Can a horned creature with a tail be considered a good character if the creator makes him/her that way?? Or is it automatically considered an evil form of art because horns are evil??

Animals used their horns as weapons.

Matthew 10:16-20

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.“