The name, Mephistopheles, immediately brings to mind the Faust legend of a scholar who tired of his life and, wanting to do something more memorable and interesting, wagers his soul against the devil, in a bid to live a whole life, if even for just a moment. The character of Mephistopheles, who has been the subject of poetry, films and literature, appears during the 16th Century. It is believed that the name could have been coined from the Greek roots, ‘me’ (not), ‘phos’ (light) and ‘philos’ (lover), which means, the ‘one who does not love light’. The Hebrew root, ‘Mephistoph’ means, ‘the destroyer of the good’.

Margaretta is a devout Christian girl, who is seduced by Mephistopheles into committing sin. She becomes insane, is left to die and then repents all her actions. She is finally taken to heaven. Faust, on the other hand, suffers the consequences of teaming with the devil – he is taken to hell. Featured here is a cleverly crafted statuette of Mephistopheles and Margaretta, etched in the front and back sides of a single statue, showing that good and evil are but two sides of the same coin called life!