A book that is said to have been written by the devil himself

According to legend, the Gigas Code was written in one night by a monk who sold his soul to the devil.

The book called the Codex Gigas, which is also called the Devil's Bible, was written in the first half of the 13th century, has 620 pages and the parchment in it required skin collected from as many as 160 animals.

It has frightening dimensions: 92 cm high, 50 cm wide and 22 cm thick, and weighs 75 kilograms. The writing in it, that is, the words and the composition of the sentences and their tone, are so uniform that experts today agree that only one person had to write it.

The myth of the magnificent Codex Gigas tells a completely different story - one night it was written by a monk who sold his soul to the Devil. According to the legend, the Benedictines in a Czech monastery sentenced the monk Herman Rekus for committing a terrible sin to life imprisonment in his room, where they intended to wall him up, and he eventually died there.

Praying for his release, Herman promised the religious order that he would write the largest book in the world in one night. As the night wore on, Herman realized that the task was impossible and decided to call on the devil for help, aware of his power.

Satan reportedly agreed to help him write the book, and the price was the soul of the monk, as well as the portrait of the devil that the Bible must have had.

The content of the Gigas Codex is as fascinating as the story of the book's origins. The manuscript contains not only a Latin translation of the medieval Bible, which has a slightly different form than the modern one, but also special relevant and popular writings of the Middle Ages. Some of them include the works of the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, Archbishop Isidorus' book Etymology, the first Christian encyclopedia composed of ancient sources, as well as Medica, a medical book with knowledge of the time, and Cosmas, which describes history of the Czech Republic. One of the most interesting parts of the book certainly refers to the description of demons, spells, exorcisms and the power of the devil.

The manuscript includes illuminations in five colors: red, blue, yellow, green and gold. The capital letters are perfectly outlined, often throughout the page. The code is unique in that it shows no signs of aging.

Scientists do not believe that the Gigas Code was written in a short time, but that it took as long as 20 years. Otherwise, page 577 contains a unique image of the devil that is 50 cm high.