Unbreakable oaths existed? Story idea help! I'm writing a horror story. Basically, a womean made a pact/oath..

Question

with her dead friend that evry 10 years she would kill the person living in her friend's house. However, is there anything in history or has anything ever thought to exist, like an unbreakable oath with satan or anyone, where if you break there oath there would be deadly consequences, for example death? It can be anything for the middle ages, about christianity anything, but it has to be a myth, or real life. thankx.

Answer 1

Yes there are very similar legends.  According to The Grimoire De Nigromancia (Nigromancia translates in english to Black Magic or Necromancy), there is a deal you can make with a particular "high level" demon.  The deal is this:  You get 10 solid years of success.  Pure, unadulterated success for exactly 10 years, to the minute, in exchange for your life.  You become slave to the demon at the end of the 10 years, and lose everything.  If you fail to keep your end of the deal, you die. At any rate, selling your soul is never mentioned in the text.

I don't know the name of the demon that someone would make this deal with, but if memory serves me correctly, part of this deal is taking the demons sigil or seal onto your body.  A sigil or seal is a magical symbol, and is normally the name of a spirit.  In some cases, the sigil or seal controls the spirit itself.

There were only a few copies of The Grimoire De Nigromancia made and it's never really been in strong circulation.  You may be able to find a copy on amazon or eBay.

Similar folklore appears all over the world.  One legend that stands out is the Devil At The Crossroads.   Essentially, the legend refers to a crossroads that has some sort of mystical significance, and a devil or demon lives there.  You normally shed blood in the middle of the crossroads or bury a box that contains personal items and this summons the demon.  You can make any deal with this devil apparently in exchange for you life.  The deal expires within 10 years, in some cultures 10 months.

Answer 2

before i answer, first things first:

@ the guy who's complaining people are ripping Harry Potter off: Oi, moron! wake up! harry potter has been robbed from just about every myth, legend and story in history.

right, now, there are plenty of tales involving various pacts which have serious consequences. the most famous,  is Kit Marlowe's Dr. Faustus. it's the basic man sells soul pact (too long to go into, but look it up and read it, it'l be worth your effort)

Answer 3

hi, it doesnt matter wether pacts exist or not, its a story and you can put what you like in it.   goood luck

Answer 4

All through the ages, Celtic, Roman, Saxon, Viking  etc  oaths or blood oaths have been sworn to Kings and leaders...to  break and oath without prior agreement meant death and this was carried on for several hundred years. Religion never came into it.

The prior agreement was usually at the end of a war and allowed the warriors to find new leaders with whom to ply their craft.

Answer 5

Oh, is everyone ripping ideas from Harry Potter now?

(chapter 2, HP7, i believe. I'm an HP nerd, XD)

so, in this book of ours, were the two people Severus and Bellatrix, by chance, XD.

OK, seriously:

I study a bit of theology(the study of gods and religions), and I havn't heard about any oaths with deities or spiritual leaders being made.

I suggest making up some kind of oath, and the best bet would be a deal with the devil, it would fit the best.

Or possibly she has met satans son, who dwells upon earth, stealing souls for his father?

Sorry if I didn't help, and sorry about the first paragraaph, it's just, I was reminded of that as soon as I read your question.

Answer 6

i think you have to work on the motivation for such a pact first

read a few of james herberts books if you like that sort of thing to get some ideas

Answer 7

i'm not sure sorry but i just wanted to say:

LOLOLOLOLOL: "there would be deadly consequences, for example death? "

also it sounds like a terrible story, and you sound silly. silly!

Answer 8

Who is the protagonist of the story?  The woman who made the pact?

Seems to me that such a pact would be more the act of a deranged mind than a sane one.  You could make such a character a villian, but as a protagonist....  I think it would be tough to create a plausible motivation that would be sympathetic to the reader.  I, as a reader, wouldn't buy or accept fear of some consequence as a reason to make the pact in the first place much less follow through with such a promise.  

However, I can think of a plot device that could work....  Make the villian (the woman who made the promise, who is deranged enough to follow through with the pact) the narrator, but give her voice the appearance of being that of the protagonist/victim who moves into the house.  At the end of the story, you can reveal that the whole time the reader has been getting the story from the villian.  

Play it right and it can make for an interesting twist at the end.

Good luck.

Answer 9

theres stories tht ppl can sell their soul to the devil

mythology - in hercules, hercules love interest made a pact with hades that if she brings hercules to him weakened then she can have her freedom.

Answer 10

a good story would be that she grows older... and she has a 18 year old son/daughter that moves into that house... and i got notin else

Answer 11

I don't know about actual historical oaths which are unbreakable.  However, in Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series some characters would swear oath on an oath rod which would physically prevent them from doing anything against the oath.