The Grammar of the Devil

Titivillus and the Power of Words in the Middle Ages

Abstract

In the Middle Ages, the ability to write constituted a form of privileged power, and demons were indeed considered powerful due to their expertise in the ars grammatica. Among these, the figure of the demon Titivillus elicits great interest for the various roles assigned to him over the medieval centuries: he is the demon who records the sins of men on parchment or distracts monk scribes from their work. Additionally, he is portrayed as the one who notes the gossip exchanged by women during religious ceremonies, or the impish little devil who takes note of omissions and grammatical errors uttered during the recitation of the Hours, later presenting them as incriminating evidence in God's tribunal on the day of the Final Judgment. Appearing in the works of Augustine, William of Alvernia, and Jacques de Vitry, the figure of Titivillus helps to illuminate the medieval conception of writing and the central role of grammar in the history of medieval thought.