Waning Moon Publications

The Codex Gigas (Latin for "Giant Book") is interesting enough for being the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world, but the legend behind it makes it all the more intriguing for oddballs like myself!

Created in the early 13th century in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice in Bohemia, the Codex Gigas is now preserved at the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm. It is so large that two librarians are needed to lift it. (See photo at the end of this article for some perspective.)

According to legend the scribe was a monk who breached his monastic code and was sentenced to be walled up alive. In order to forbear this harsh penalty he promised to create - in one single night - a book to glorify the monastery forever, including all human knowledge. Near midnight he became sure that he could not complete this task alone, so he sold his soul to the devil for help. The devil completed the manuscript and the monk added the devil's picture out of gratitude for his aid. It is due to this unique illustration that it the Codex Gigas is also known as the Devil's Bible.

Codex Gigas with infamous illustration of Devil

Codex Gigas in perspective