As a child who read and watched many dark things, I always came across stories speaking of the Spirit and of the Soul. Back then, I never really knew the difference between the two. I kind of thought they were just interchangeable terms that basically meant the same thing, but the Soul was the term that seemed to be used and referenced most of the time in my experiences.
In stories all throughout the world there’s always some “demon” or entity somewhere who wants to make a deal for your soul, or they’re out to just straight devour your soul all together. I always wondered why? Why the Soul? And what is this Spirit thing anyway?
Now, as a grown man, I’ve come to understand, know, and believe what the difference is between the Spirit and Soul and the reason “demons”, or whatever, want your Soul and not your Spirit.
We as Humans, God’s greatest and most beloved creations, are in fact “Tri-Part Beings”. Meaning that there are three distinct “parts” to us.
The Spirit, The Soul, and The Flesh.
We are Spirits, We have Souls, We live in the Flesh, and of course each part serves a purpose:
1) The Spirit = A real part of God within us. Our eternal connection to God.
2) The Soul = Our Emotions, Intellect, Thoughts, Personality, Mental Skill, and Will.
3) The Flesh = Health, Physique, Features, Sight, Touch, Taste, Hearing, Smell, and Physical Skill.
Once I understood this, it became clear why Demon’s always deal of the Soul, because they CAN’T touch the Spirit for it is a part of God. No being has the power to touch the Spirit, so “demons” go for the next best thing, the Soul. The soul can be weakened, influenced, manipulated, corrupted, deceived, or just flat-out crushed.
This has made me look at my stories a bit differently, and my characters a bit deeper. It gives yet another dimension to them and the fictional worlds they live in. Which characters are driven by the Soul? Which are driven by the Spirit? Which are driven by the flesh? What kind of inner battles are raging within these characters concerning the those three parts?
A further look into this, character development wise, may help explain a character’s behavior, why they are pushed to do certain things, or pulled away from others. Why they are attracted to one person and turned off by another.
What do you think? What’s your take?
scribereglyph 
I’ve never thought of this in these terms, but I must confess, I like it. Separating the “godhood” from “humanness” certainly resonates with me. In fiction, I can see how some may be corrupted, while others are not, even if they hold similar beliefs, or have similar souls. If one’s spirit is stronger in God, then you would believe that person would be more resistant to corruption. It could also lead to unexpected places. For instance, if one person is kind of a jerk, but with a strong spirit, they might be more prone to “doing good” than someone with a more traditionally “sweet” personality.
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Yes, indeed. I definitely think it adds another layer to a character without getting convoluted. It’s a pretty simple and straight forward concept, but can lead to some very interesting conflicts between characters as well as within them.
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