The Lord of The Flies character might very well be one of the most famous religious figure in literature. Is there any being specifically that the creature was based on?
1 Answer
"Lord of the Flies" is a direct reference to Beelzebub (from the Hebrew ba'al z'vuv, בעל זבוב, literally "lord of flies.")
Beelzebub is well known as a dark god, a demon, or another name for Satan himself. The clear implication, in the context of the book, is that humanity -- freed of restraints, left to its own devices -- will naturally tend to cruel and hellish behavior; that people are devils, if given the chance.