devil's pact
Soul for power
A devil's pact is an agreement in which someone trades their soul or moral integrity for worldly gain—wealth, power, knowledge, or talent.
The archetype comes from the Faust legend, where a scholar bargains with the devil.
Used figuratively for any exchange where short-term benefit comes at a grave cost: Signing with that label felt like a devil's pact.
- Faustian bargainRuinous exchange for power
- FaustLegendary deal-with-devil maker
- black magicEvil supernatural practice
- Paradise LostEpic of humanity's expulsion
- MephistophelesSoul-bargaining demon
temptation · forbidden fruit · corruption · damnation · eternal damnation · damned soul · demons · ethical dilemma · Satan · Robert Johnson · crossroads · moral hazard · forbidden knowledge · Doctor Faustus · The Picture of Dorian Gray · ambition · witchcraft · black mass
- witch huntswitch trials, witch hunt, witch hunts, Salem witch trials, Salem trials
devil's pactdivine blessing
Sacred favor from deity
blessing · divine covenant · sacred vow · divine grace · salvation
devil's pactredemption
Recovery or moral restoration
salvation · deliverance · eternal life · heavenly reward · liberation
devil's pactsacred oath
Spiritually binding promise
noble sacrifice · holy vow · marriage vow · Hippocratic oath · solemn promise