Deal with the Devil or a Faustian bargain, also known as a Faustian deal or Faustian pact, is a metaphor in English for a deal in which an ambitious person surrenders moral integrity in order to achieve power and success. The term originates from the legend of Faust, a character in German folklore and literature, who makes a deal with the devil for knowledge and worldly pleasures but pays the ultimate price of his soul.