Bearskin
"A man was a soldier, but when war ended, his parents were dead, and his brothers had no place for him.
A green-coated man with a cloven hoof appeared to him and offered to make him rich if he would for seven years not cut his hair, clip his nails, bathe, or pray, and wear a coat and cloak that he would give him. At the end, if he survived, he would be rich and free; if he died during the time, the devil would have him. The desperate soldier agreed, and the devil gave him the green coat, telling him he would find its pockets always full of limitless money, and then a bearskin, telling him that he had to sleep in it and would be known as Bearskin because of it.
Bearskin set out, and gave much money to the poor that they would pray for him, to live out the seven years. After several years, he grew so revolting that he had to pay heavily to get any shelter. In the fourth year, he heard an old man lamenting, and persuaded him to tell his tale: he had lost all his money, did not know how to provide for his daughters, and could not pay the innkeeper, so he would be sent to jail. Bearskin paid the innkeeper and gave the old man a purse of gold as well.
The old man said that he would marry him to one of his daughters in gratitude. The oldest ran away, screaming, from the sight; the middle one said he was worse than a bear that had tried to pass itself off as human; the youngest one agreed to fulfill her father's promise. Bearskin gave her half a ring and promised to return in three years. Her sisters ridiculed her at length.
At the end of the seven years, Bearskin found the devil again and demanded he fulfill his promise. Clean and with his money, he dressed himself as a fine gentleman and went to the old man's house, where the older sisters served him, and his bride, dressed in black, showed no reaction to him. He told the old man that he would marry one of his daughters. The two older sisters ran off to dress splendidly, and Bearskin dropped his half of the ring into a wine cup and gave it to his bride. She drank it and realized that he was her bridegroom.
They married. Upon realizing who he was and what they gave up, the sister hung herself in rage, and the other drowned herself, and the devil knocked on the door to tell Bearskin that he had gotten two souls instead of Bearskin's one."
- Wikipedia
A green-coated man with a cloven hoof appeared to him and offered to make him rich if he would for seven years not cut his hair, clip his nails, bathe, or pray, and wear a coat and cloak that he would give him. At the end, if he survived, he would be rich and free; if he died during the time, the devil would have him. The desperate soldier agreed, and the devil gave him the green coat, telling him he would find its pockets always full of limitless money, and then a bearskin, telling him that he had to sleep in it and would be known as Bearskin because of it.
Bearskin set out, and gave much money to the poor that they would pray for him, to live out the seven years. After several years, he grew so revolting that he had to pay heavily to get any shelter. In the fourth year, he heard an old man lamenting, and persuaded him to tell his tale: he had lost all his money, did not know how to provide for his daughters, and could not pay the innkeeper, so he would be sent to jail. Bearskin paid the innkeeper and gave the old man a purse of gold as well.
The old man said that he would marry him to one of his daughters in gratitude. The oldest ran away, screaming, from the sight; the middle one said he was worse than a bear that had tried to pass itself off as human; the youngest one agreed to fulfill her father's promise. Bearskin gave her half a ring and promised to return in three years. Her sisters ridiculed her at length.
At the end of the seven years, Bearskin found the devil again and demanded he fulfill his promise. Clean and with his money, he dressed himself as a fine gentleman and went to the old man's house, where the older sisters served him, and his bride, dressed in black, showed no reaction to him. He told the old man that he would marry one of his daughters. The two older sisters ran off to dress splendidly, and Bearskin dropped his half of the ring into a wine cup and gave it to his bride. She drank it and realized that he was her bridegroom.
They married. Upon realizing who he was and what they gave up, the sister hung herself in rage, and the other drowned herself, and the devil knocked on the door to tell Bearskin that he had gotten two souls instead of Bearskin's one."
- Wikipedia
The Devil in this story is rather a tricksy fellow. I mostly thought about his physic is like a very stretched out runway model. He is graceful in the sense that Satan used to be one of God's highest angels who fell due to pride. And so I designed a creature that would have fallen from grace.
