The Ars Goetia: Solomon's 72 Demons of Hell

The Ars Goetia: Solomon's 72 Demons Unleashed

In the shadowed annals of occult literature, few texts command such dread and fascination as the **Ars Goetia**, the first book of the *Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis* — the Lesser Key of Solomon. Attributed to the biblical King Solomon, who allegedly bound 72 infernal nobles in a brass vessel beneath the earth, this 17th-century grimoire lists their names, ranks, legions, appearances, and powers.

From Bael, the crowned king with three heads, to Stolas, the owl-faced prince of astronomy, these entities are not mere devils but a hierarchy of infernal nobility: kings, dukes, presidents, marquises, earls, knights. For centuries, magicians have traced their sigils in blood, whispered their enn (evocation chants), and risked madness for knowledge, wealth, or dominion. This is the forbidden catalog that still whispers from the abyss.

The Myth: Solomon and the Brass Vessel

The legend begins with King Solomon, gifted by God with a ring bearing the pentagram seal. Using divine authority, he compelled demons to build the Temple of Jerusalem. When the work was done, he imprisoned 72 of the most powerful in a brass vessel, sealed with the ring, and cast it into a lake.

Centuries later, Babylonian sorcerers recovered it, broke the seal, and unleashed the spirits. The *Testament of Solomon* (1st-5th century CE) first names them. The *Ars Goetia* (c. 1650) formalizes the system: each demon has a sigil, a rank, a legion (666 to 36,000), and specific powers. The magician, protected by the circle and triangle, evokes them to visible appearance.

The Hierarchy: Ranks of Hell

The 72 are organized by infernal rank, mirroring medieval nobility:

• 9 Kings: Bael, Paimon, Beleth, Purson, Asmodeus, Vine, Balam, Zagan, Belial. Command 66 to 85 legions. Appear crowned, with trumpets.
• 15 Dukes: Agares, Valefor, Barbatos, Gusion, Eligos, Zepar, Bathin, Sallos, Aim, Buné, Berith, Astaroth, Focalor, Vepar, Vual. Ride monsters, teach sciences.
• 7 Princes: Vassago, Sitri, Ipos, Gaap, Stolas, Orobas, Seere. Reveal past/future, grant invisibility.
• 15 Marquises: Samigina, Aamon, Leraje, Naberius, Ronové, Forneus, Marchosias, Phenex, Sabnock, Shax, Orias, Andras, Andrealphus, Cimeies, Decarabia. Command sea, war, shape-shifting.
• 11 Presidents: Marbas, Buer, Botis, Morax, Glasya-Labolas, Foras, Malphas, Haagenti, Caim, Ose, Amy. Heal, teach logic, find treasure.
• 7 Earls: Furfur, Halphas, Raum, Vine (also king), Bifrons, Vual (also duke), Haagenti (also president). Raise storms, love, necromancy.
• 1 Knight: Furcas. Teaches philosophy, pyromancy.

The 72: Names, Sigils, and Powers

The core of the *Ars Goetia* is the catalog. Each demon has:

• Name and Rank
• Appearance (e.g., Bael: "three heads: toad, man, cat")
• Legions
• Powers
• Sigil (unique seal for evocation)

Top 10 most evoked (per modern occult surveys):

1. Bael (King): Invisibility, 66 legions.
2. Astaroth (Duke): Past/future knowledge, 40 legions.
3. Asmodeus (King): Math, geometry, 72 legions.
4. Paimon (King): Arts, sciences, 200 legions.
5. Stolas (Prince): Astronomy, herbs, 26 legions.
6. Buer (President): Healing, philosophy, 50 legions.
7. Marbas (President): Diseases, cures, shape-shifting, 36 legions.
8. Vassago (Prince): Find lost things, 26 legions.
9. Belial (King): Favors, gifts, 80 legions.
10. Amon (Marquis): Reconcile friends, 40 legions.

The Ritual: Circle, Triangle, and Enn

Evocation requires:

• Magic Circle: 9-foot diameter, inscribed with divine names (Tetragrammaton, Adonai).
• Triangle of Art: Outside circle, where spirit appears.
• Sigil: On metal (gold for kings, silver for dukes).
• Enn: Chanted invocation (e.g., Bael: "Ayer avage Bael sekta")
• License to Depart: To dismiss safely.

Warnings: "If the spirit does not appear, burn the sigil. If it lies, command by the ring of Solomon."

The Manuscripts: From Pseudomonarchia to Lemegeton

Evolution:

• 1577: Johann Weyer's *Pseudomonarchia Daemonum* — first list of 69 demons.
• 1650s: *Lemegeton* compiled in England. Ars Goetia = Book 1.
• 1904: Mathers/Crowley edition with illustrations.
• 1990s: Stephen Skinner critical edition from 5 manuscripts.

Earliest surviving copy: Sloane MS 3825 (British Library, 17th century).

Why It Haunts: The Grimoire That Won't Die

The *Ars Goetia* endures because it works... or seems to. Modern practitioners (Chaos magicians, Thelemites, Satanists) report results: visions, synchronicities, knowledge. In 2025, sigils flood TikTok, AI generates demon art, and occult shops sell $500 Bael medallions. But the danger remains. As Aleister Crowley wrote: "Evoke often. But do not invoke." The 72 are not pets. They are nobles of Hell, bound by name, but never tamed. In an age of science, these texts still remind us: some doors, once opened, never fully close.

Timeline: From Solomon to the Digital Age

Sources

1. Esoteric Archives: Ars Goetia (Mathers/Crowley)
2. British Library: Sloane MS 3825
3. Wikipedia: Lesser Key of Solomon
4. Archive.org: The lesser key of Solomon, Goetia (PDF)