Profs & Pints Nashville: The Devil You Know

Profs and Pints Nashville presents: “The Devil You Know,” on demonic figures in folklore, literature, and art, with Cory Thomas Hutcheson, folklorist, lecturer at Middle Tennessee State University, and author of New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic.

Doors open at 6 pm. Talk starts at 7. Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nashville-devil-you-know ]

You don’t have to go down to Georgia to catch the Devil on tour this Spooky Season. Profs and Pints is bringing him to Nashville’s Fait La Force taproom for one hell of a night.

Cory Thomas Hutcheson, who previously has given several excellent Profs and Pints talks, won’t fiddle around as he introduces a figure who shows up in fairy tales, books, television, film, and music.

Hutcheson will show you the religious and mythological roots of demons and the origins of diabolical representation in art and literature.

He’ll tell of a young woman sneaking away for a night of dancing only to be swept off her feet by a mysterious stranger whose cloven hooves she noticed a bit too late. He’ll describe the roles of sooty figures in the tales of the Brothers Grimm and other European fairy tales describing trickery by the Devil and appearances by goblins and imps. He’ll summon the demons who helped King Solomon with remodeling projects, and also the sinister yellow bird that brought suspicion in the Salem witch trials.

You'll learn about the Devil’s origins, disguises, and favorite haunts, as well as the best way to beat him at his own games. You’ll leave with newfound understanding of this ageless source of fear and fascination. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID.)

Image: A devil mask at the workshop of Mexican artist Guillermo Lemus Muñiz. (Photo by Thelmadatter / Wikimedia Commons.)