Lalazar, the Seer (1336-1352)

As a child, Lalazar was witness to his entire family succumbing one by one to the Black Plague. He was raised from the age of 13 by a Priest named Nicodemus. Early on Lalazar came to assist Nicodemus perform the last rites of the countryside's dwindling population, as the plague raged on into 1349. Nicodemus, glad to have the company of a protégé, would instruct Lalazar in the essentials of a proper death. Lalazar would listen in earnest as his guardian would tell him about the devil's 5 temptations and the ways in which one could resist them. He described the angels who guided and defended the righteous against these demons so clearly, that the young Lalazar was sure that Nicodemus had seen them for himself. Thus, when Lalazar entered the rooms of the dying, he would look into the corners for mist or unusual shadows, indicating the presence of seraphs and demons.

On January 15th , 1350, Lalazar saw very clearly a demon in the form of a decaying corpse holding the hand of a dying 16 year old girl. He did not, however, see the protective angels Nicodemus had described. Lalazar could not imagine that she had given in to any of the sinful temptations, and because of this, this demon was waiting for her soul. From that day on, Lalazar saw similar demons waiting in all of the rooms of the dying, of young brides and prostitutes, of simple farmers and wealthy aristocrats. None had the protection of angels, regardless of the Christ-like sacrifices they had made during their lives. Lalazar could not tell Nicodemus what he had seen, for he knew that his observations directly contradicted his most cherished beliefs.

In the fall of 1352, when Lalazar saw a demon standing in his own simple room, he knew would soon know the truth of death entirely. Overwhelmed with sadness, he watched as the last rites were read by Nicodemus as the demon stood beside his bed, his cold hand placed lightly on his shoulder. That night, lost in the feverish ague of the plague, Lalazar told Nicodemus of the demon standing over him. Nicodemus told him quietly that he could also see him, and that he had seen demons many times throughout his life. On the night of November 8th , 1352, Nicodemus watched as Lalazar was lead away by the hand into the darkness. It was at this time, Nicodemus began his revision of the sanctioned steps one must take to prepare for death, a decision that would later cost him his life.

Artwork citation: Guyot Marchant and Antoine Verard-La Dance Macabre (Homme and Femme) and Bernt Notke- Danse Macabre

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