Mammon in popular culture
- See also Mammon (disambiguation)
The Hebrew term mammon, personifying money in the New Testament, has led to many adaptations in popular culture.
Literature
In John Milton's Paradise Lost, Mammon is a fallen angel, described as being "more interested in heaven's pavements," than the leader. He tells the other fallen angels to be content in Hell.[1]
The Phantom of the Opera worships Mammon in Frederick Forsyth's The Phantom of Manhattan.
In The Alchemist by Ben Jonson, Sir Epicure Mammon is a man obsessed with material wealth.
In Dungeons & Dragons, Mammon is an archdevil, one of the archdukes and the ruler of the Third Layer of Hell.
Film
Constantine – Mammon is the son of Lucifer/Satan himself, conceived before his father fell from Heaven but born after Satan was sent to Hell. He has a lust for power and tries to gain control over Earth with the aid of renegade angel Gabriel (Gabriel seeking to make humanity worthy of God's love by forcing them to endure Hell on Earth). He is defeated when Constantine manages to summon Lucifer to collect him by attempting suicide. Lucifer then destroys Gabriel's wings and banishes Mammon back to Hell, stating that he prefers to wait and see Earth come to him on its own.
Comics
Spawn – In the comic book Spawn, Mammon is depicted as a handsome gentleman, suave and sophisticated, who often assists Spawn in his quests. This demon is often seen making attractive deals with humans for their souls and is thought to be quite persuasive. While originally thought of as the Devil himself, he is later revealed to originally be one of a faction of angels who took no side in the struggle between Hell and Heaven and were thus shunned by both.
God Is Dead - In the ongoing comic book series, God Is Dead, by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Costa, Mammon is accidentally created in an underground lab in an attempt to build a god capable of destroying the World's most powerful pantheons, as they battle for control over the human population. He is depicted as a large red-skinned demon, with pointy wings, stubby horns, glowing white eyes and pointy fangs.
"Final Crisis" – In Superman Beyond #2, Mammon is described as the Anti-Matter Universe's god by Ultraman. This is as the reversal of God following the Anti-Matter universe's "reversed" history and morality.
The Black Monday Murders features Mammon as a central entity of discussion and worship, a god who grants his favor "and the gifts that this favor yields" to the magical traditions of the world, who give him "loyalty and service" in return.[2]
Video games
In the role-playing video game (RPG) In Nomine, Mammon is the minor demon Prince of Greed.
Mammon is also portrayed as the son of Lucifer, and uses the model "Infested Kerrigan" in the well known Heaven's Last Defense map in the realm of StarCraft.
Chrono Trigger – In this SNES RPG, a device known as the Mammon Machine was created by the Zealians to tap into the energy of Lavos, the game's main villain. The Mammon Machine was created under the orders of Queen Zeal. She was corrupted by Lavos and filled with a greedy desire for power and started to believe that the magical kingdom of Zeal would be the most wealthy and powerful if they relied on Lavos energy, which was drawn via the Mammon Machine.
In Quest 64, the final boss is Mammon, a large demon who envied the uniqueness of human life and therefore wanted to destroy it out of jealousy.
In the Japanese arcade rhythm-game Beatmania IIDX, Mammon is portrayed as "Mamonis," by popular musician Kors k. His music track is composed to reflect the yearnings of mankind.
In the visual novel Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Mammon is one of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory, a group of demons in service to the Golden Witch.
Manga
In the manga Beelzebub, Mammon is the name of one of the demons associated with the Killer Six Elements.
In the light novel Shakugan no Shana, Mammon is one of the most powerful Crimson Lords under Bal Masqué.