The Mark of Cain.
| “ | Cain was marked by Satan and cursed by God. Cursed and marked by God and the Devil, that's quite the achievement if I'm honest. The pro is you get unthinkable power, the con is that you go mad by it. Never to die. Always living on and be reminded of your greatest sins. | „ |
| ~ Riza Colton |
The Curse of Cain and the Mark of Cain are phrases that originated from Genesis, where God declared that Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, be cursed for murdering his brother Abel.
Overview[]
A mark was put upon him to warn others that killing Cain would provoke the vengeance of God, that if someone did something to harm Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physical mark, whereas other see the "mark" as a sign, and not as a physical marking on Cain himself.
Description[]
Curse of Cain[]
The curse of Cain is bestowed upon those who've committed the atrocity that Cain has, by murdering his brother out of jealousy. Whosoever murders their own sibling out of spite or jealousy, they will be cursed by the "mark" itself, being the curse of Cain. After Cain murdered his brother, Abel's blood cursed the Earth itself. Example being that after Cain attempted to farm the land, it would not grow food nor water. As such Cain had lived a rather miserable life. This curse seemingly manifested as both a curse and mark when Cain was marked by Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, with Abel's blood which burned his skin.
Cain's burnt skin by his own brother's blood was what made early human tribes avoid him all together. It is said that he lived a nomadic lifestyle, being estranged by his own family and no longer acknowledged as one of them. And wherever Cain treads, the curse follows with him and it is described as the "Earth groaning and shaking with pain" when his feet touch the ground since they too were covered in Abel's blood particularly when they gathered in a pool under Cain.
Mark of Cain[]
The mark of Cain is a physical mark on the other hand. In this interpretation, Cain of course was envious of his brother Abel, believing that he is superior due earning God's affection. Desperate, Cain performed the unthinkable and summoned the presence of Satan himself. He requested the Adversary to aid him in being superior to Abel, which Satan agreed but at the cost of his own soul. Cain accepted, and thus Satan branded a mark on his arm, now dubbed as the Mark of Cain, and was imbued with the rage of Satan. The mark itself caused Cain to be rebellious, aggressive, and quite fierce, slowly making his humanity fade.
After showcasing his newfound power to Abel and God, they were rather shocked and disgusted by what Cain had done. Fueled by even more rage, Cain murdered Abel and thus was damned to live as a psychotic animal and no longer seen as a human, but as a monster. Cain's actions resulted in the first appearance of a popular event known as "the deal with the Devil". This is proven of the fact that those who make a deal with Satan, as they are ridden with jealousy, pride, or anger such as he, will be branded by the mark as well, and will experience the same suffering and power that Cain experienced in the far past.