Italian medieval mythology and demonology

Arturo Graf

1848 – 1913

Arturo Graf was an Italian poet of German ancestry, born in Athens, who served as professor of Italian literature at the University of Turin from 1882 and was one of the founders of the Giornale storico della letteratura italiana. Beyond his poetry, he devoted substantial scholarly energy to the history of medieval mythology and superstition, producing Miti, leggende e superstizioni del Medio Evo (1892–93) and Il diavolo (1889, translated as The Story of the Devil). His rigorous examination of the Devil's cultural and literary history across medieval Europe made his work a valuable resource for historians of Western demonology and religious thought.