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{{Short description|Anonymous 17th-century spellbook}}
]'' by ] and ].]]
{{otheruses|Key of Solomon (disambiguation)}} {{other uses|Key of Solomon (disambiguation)}}
{{italic title}}
The '''''Lesser Key of Solomon''''' or '''''Clavicula Salomonis''''' (the ''Clavis Salomonis'', or '']'' is an earlier book on the subject), is an ] 17th century ], and one of the most popular books of ]. It has also long been widely known as the '''''Lemegeton'''''.
'''''The Lesser Key of Solomon''''', also known by its Latin title '''''Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis'''''{{sfn|Peterson|2001}} or simply the '''''Lemegeton''''', is an anonymously authored ] on ], ] and ]. It was compiled in the mid-17th century, mostly from materials several centuries older.<ref name="Peterson-intro">{{harvnb|Peterson|2001|pp=xi–xvii}}.</ref><ref name="Rudd-Goetia-399">{{harvnb|Rudd|2007|p=399}}.</ref> It is divided into five books: the ''Ars Goetia'', ''Ars Theurgia-Goetia'', ''Ars Paulina'', ''Ars Almadel'', and ''Ars Notoria''.<ref name="Peterson-intro" /> It is based on the ] and the ring mentioned within it that he used to seal demons.


== {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}} ==
==History==
] and triangle, magical objects/symbols used in the evocation of the seventy-two spirits of the {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}}]]
It appeared in the 17th century, but much was taken from texts of the 16th century, including the '']'', by ], and late-] ]. It is likely that books by ] ]s and ] ] were also inspirations. Some of the material in the first section, concerning the summoning of demons, dates to the 14th century or earlier.
]]]


=== Terminology ===
The book claims that it was originally written by ], although this is certainly incorrect. The titles of nobility (such as the French '']'' or Germanic '']'') assigned to the demons were unknown in his time, as were the prayers to ] and the ] ] included in the text.
{{further|Sorcery (goetia)}}
The text is more properly called ''{{lang|la|italic=unset|Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis}}, or, The little Key of Solomon''. The title most commonly used, ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'', does not in fact occur in the manuscripts. ], in his 1898 ''Book of Black Magic and of Pacts'' does use the terms "so-called Greater Key" and "Lesser Key" to distinguish between the Clavicula Salomonis and Lemegeton, so he may have been the one to coin it. The ] term {{lang|la|goetia}} refers to the ] of ]s or evil spirits.<ref name="Asprem653">{{cite book |last1=Asprem |first1=Egil |editor1-last=Partridge |editor1-first=Christopher |title=The Occult World |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781138219250 |page=653 |chapter=Intermediary Beings}}</ref><ref name="Agrippa572">{{cite book |last1=Agrippa |first1=Henry Cornelius |translator-last1=Freake |translator-first1=James |title=Three Books of Occult Philosophy |date=1651 |location=London |pages=572–575 |url=https://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/Arts%20&%20Humanities/threebooksoccult.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref> It is derived from the ] word {{lang|grc|γοητεία}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|goēteía}}) meaning "charm", "]", or "jugglery".
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=gohtei%2Fa&la=greek |title=LSJ |publisher=Perseus Digital Library |access-date=2013-10-18}}</ref>


In ] and ] Europe, {{lang|la|goetia}} was generally considered evil and heretical, in contrast to {{lang|la|theurgia}} (]) and {{lang|la|magia naturalis}} (]), which were sometimes considered more noble.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mebane |first1=John S. |title=Renaissance Magic and the Return of the Golden Age: The Occult Tradition and Marlowe, Jonson, and Shakespeare |date=1992 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln |isbn=9780803281790 |pages=44, 45}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Thorndike |first1=Lynn |title=History of Magic and Experimental Science |date=2003 |publisher=Kessinger |location=Whitefish, Montana |isbn=9780766143135 |page=505}}</ref> ], in his '']'', writes, "Now the parts of ceremonial magic are goetia and theurgia. Goetia is unfortunate, by the commerces of unclean spirits made up of the rites of wicked curiosities, unlawful charms, and deprecations, and is abandoned and execrated by all laws."<ref name="Agrippa572"/>
The ''Lesser Key of Solomon'' contains detailed descriptions of spirits and the conjurations needed to invoke and oblige them to do the will of the conjurer (referred to as the "]"). It details the protective signs and ]s to be performed, the actions necessary to prevent the spirits from gaining control, the preparations prior to the invocations, and instructions on how to make the necessary instruments for the execution of these rituals.


===Sources===
The several original copies extant vary considerably in detail and in the spellings of the spirits' names. Contemporary editions are widely available in print and on the Internet.
The most obvious source for the {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}} is ]'s {{lang|la|]}} in his {{lang|la|]}}. Weyer does not cite, and is unaware of, any other books in the {{lang|grc-Latn|Lemegeton}}, suggesting that the {{lang|grc-Latn|Lemegeton}} was derived from his work, not the other way around.<ref name="Peterson-intro" /><ref name="Waite-Lemegeton">Arthur Edward Waite (1913). . Part&nbsp;I, Chapter&nbsp;III, section 2: . London – via The Internet Sacred Text Archive.</ref> The order of the spirits changed between the two, four additional spirits were added to the later work, and one spirit (]) was omitted. The omission of Pruflas, a mistake that also occurs in an edition of {{lang|la|Pseudomonarchia Daemonum}} cited in ]'s '']'', indicates that the {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}} could not have been compiled before 1570. Indeed, it appears that the {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}} is more dependent upon Scott's translation of Weyer than on Weyer's work in itself. Additionally, some material came from ]'s '']'', the ],{{refn|group=note|The ''Heptameron'' was republished spuriously as a purported ''Fourth Book of Agrippa''.}}<ref name="Peterson-intro" /><ref name="Rudd-Goetia-AGIntro">{{harvnb|Rudd|2007|pp=31–43}}.</ref> and ].{{sfn|Rudd|2007|p=82}}


Weyer's {{lang|la|Officium Spirituum}}, which is likely related to a 1583 manuscript titled ],<ref name="Officium">{{harvnb|Porter|2011|pp=xiii–xvii}}.</ref> appears to have ultimately been an elaboration on a 15th-century manuscript titled {{lang|frm|]}} (30 of the 47 spirits are nearly identical to spirits in the {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}}).<ref name="Rudd-Goetia-399" /><ref name="Rudd-Goetia-AGIntro" />
''The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis Regis)'' is a 1904 translation of the text by ] and ]. It is essentially a manual that purports to give instructions for summoning 72 different spirits.


In a slightly later copy made by ] (1583?–1656), this portion was labeled {{lang|la|Liber Malorum Spirituum seu Goetia}}, and the seals and demons were paired with those of the 72 angels of the {{lang|he-Latn|]}}<ref name="Rudd-Goetia-Intro">{{harvnb|Rudd|2007|pp=14–19}}.</ref> which were intended to protect the conjurer and to control the demons he summoned.{{sfn|Rudd|2007|p=71}} The angelic names and seals derived from a manuscript by ], whose papers were also used by ] (1854–1918) in his works for the ]<ref name="Rudd-Goetia-AGIntro" /> (1887–1903). Rudd may have derived his copy of {{lang|la|Liber Malorum Spirituum}} from a now-lost work by ],<ref name="Rudd-Goetia-AGIntro" /> who taught Agrippa, who in turn taught Weyer.
==Books==
The ''Lesser Key of Solomon'' is divided into five parts.
===Ars Goetia===
{{see|Goetia}}
] and ], used in the ] of the seventy-two spirits of the Goetia. The ] would stand within the circle and the spirit was believed to appear within the triangle.]]


This portion of the work was later translated by ] and published by ] in 1904 under the title ''The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King''. Crowley added some additional invocations previously unrelated to the original work (including some evocations in the ] language), as well as essays describing the rituals as psychological exploration instead of demon summoning.<ref name="Peterson-editions">{{harvnb|Peterson|2001|pp=xviii–xx}}.</ref>{{sfn|Rudd|2007|pp=47–50}}
The first section, called ''Ars Goetia'', contains descriptions of the seventy-two ]s that Solomon is said to have ] and confined in a brass vessel sealed by ] symbols, and that he obliged to work for him. It gives instructions on constructing a similar brass vessel, and using the proper magic formulae to safely call up those ]s.


=== The seventy-two demons ===
It deals with the evocation of all classes of spirits, evil, indifferent and good; its opening Rites are those of Paimon, Orias, Astaroth and the whole cohort of Infernus. The second part, or ''Theurgia Goëtia'', deals with the spirits of the cardinal points and their inferiors. These are mixed natures, some good and some evil.<ref>], ''Book of Ceremonial Magic''(page 65)</ref>
{{further|List of demons in the Ars Goetia}}
]s|thumb|right]]


The demons' names (given below) are taken from the {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}}, which differs in terms of number and ranking from the {{lang|la|]}} of Weyer. As a result of multiple translations, there are multiple spellings for some of the names, which are given in the articles concerning them. The demons Vassago, Seere, Dantalion, and Andromalius are new additions in {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}} that are not present in the {{lang|la|Pseudomonarchia Daemonum}} that it is based upon. In contrast, the demon ] appears in the {{lang|la|Pseudomonarchia Daemonum}} but not in {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}}.
The ''Ars Goetia'' assigns a rank and a title of nobility to each member of the infernal hierarchy, and gives the demons' 'signs they have to pay allegiance to', or ].
The lists of entities in the ''Ars Goetia'' correspond (to high but varying degree, often according to edition) with those in the '']'', circa 1500, and ]'s '']'' an appendix appearing in later editions of his ''De Praestigiis Daemonum'', of 1563.


{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
A revised ] edition of the ''Ars Goetia'' was published in 1904 by magician ], as '']''.
# King ]
It serves as a key component of his popular and highly influential system of ].
# Duke ]
# Prince ]
# Marquis ]
# President ]
# Duke ]
# Marquis ]
# Duke ]
# King ]
# President ]
# Duke ]
# Prince ]
# King ]
# Marquis ]
# Duke ]
# Duke ]
# Count/President ]
# Duke ]
# Duke ]
# King ]
# Count/President ]
# Count/Prince ]
# Duke ]
# Marquis ]
# Count/President ]
# Duke ]
# Marquis/Count ]
# Duke ]
# Duke ]
# Marquis ]
# President ]
# King ]
# Prince/President ]
# Count ]
# Marquis ]
# Prince ]
# Marquis ]
# Count ]
# President ]
# Count ]
# Duke ]
# Duke ]
# Marquis ]
# Marquis ]
# King/Count ]
# Count ]
# Duke ]
# President ]
# Duke ]
# Knight ]
# King ]
# Duke ]
# President ]
# Duke/Count ]
# Prince ]
# Duke ]
# President ]
# President ]
# Marquis ]
# Duke ]
# King/President ]
# President ]
# Marquis ]
# Duke ]
# Marquis ]
# Marquis ]
# Duke ]
# King ]
# Marquis ]
# Prince ]
# Duke ]
# Count ]
{{div col end}}


A footnote in one variant edition lists the kings of the cardinal directions as Oriens or Uriens, Paymon or Paymonia, Ariton or Egyn, and Amaymon or Amaimon, alternatively known as ], ], ], and Mahazael (purportedly their preferred ] names).{{sfn|Peterson|2001|p=40}} Agrippa's ''Occult Philosophy'' lists the kings of the cardinal directions as Urieus (east), Amaymon (south), ] (west), and Egin (north); again providing the alternate names Samuel (i.e. Samael), Azazel, Azael, and Mahazuel. The Magical Calendar lists them as ], Moymon, Poymon, and Egin,<ref name="Pet-FN"> to {{harvnb|Trithemius|1999}}.</ref><ref>'']''; ], trans. and ed. ]; Phanes Press, 1994. p. 35.</ref> though Peterson notes that some variant editions instead list: "] in the east, Amaymon in the south, Paymon in the west, and Aegym in the north"; "Oriens, Paymon, Egyn, and Amaymon"; or "] {{sic}} (king of the east), Paymon (king of the west), Egion (king of the north), and Maimon."<ref name="Pet-FN" />
==== The 72 Demons ====
], the 10th spirit, who teaches "Moral and Natural Philosophy" (from a 1995 Mathers edition. Illustration by Louis Breton from ''Dictionnaire Infernal'').]]
The demons' names (given below) are taken from the ''Ars Goetia'', which differs in terms of number and ranking from the '']'' of Weyer. As a result of multiple translations, there are multiple spellings for some of the names, which are given in the articles concerning them.


== {{lang|la|Ars Theurgia Goetia}} ==
<table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 style="font-size:85%;"><tr>
The {{lang|la|Ars Theurgia Goetia}} mostly derives from Trithemius's {{lang|la|]}}, though the seals and order of the spirits are different due to corrupted transmission via manuscript.<ref name="Rudd-Goetia-AGIntro" /><ref name="Peterson-Intro-ATG">{{harvnb|Peterson|2001|p=xv}}.</ref> Rituals not found in {{lang|la|Steganographia}} were added, in some ways conflicting with similar rituals found in the {{lang|la|Ars Goetia}} and {{lang|la|Ars Paulina}}. Most of the spirits summoned are tied to compass points: four emperors are tied to the cardinal points (Carnesiel in the east, Amenadiel in the west, Demoriel in the north, and Caspiel in the south); and sixteen dukes are tied to cardinal points, inter-cardinal points, and additional directions between those. There are eleven "wandering princes", so a total of thirty-one spirit leaders each rule several spirits, up to a few dozen.<ref name="Rudd-Goetia-ATSIntro">{{harvnb|Rudd|2007|pp=53–57}}.</ref>
<td valign=top style="padding-right:20px;">
1. King ]<br />
2. Duke ]<br />
3. Prince ]<br />
4. Marquis ]<br />
5. President ]<br />
6. Duke ]<br />
7. Duke ]<br />
8. Duke ]<br />
9. King ]<br />
10. President ]<br />
11. Duke ]<br />
12. Prince ]<br />
13. King ]<br />
14. Marquis ]<br />
15. Duke ]<br />
16. Duke ]<br />
17. Count/President ]<br />
18. Duke ] <br />
19. Duke ] <br />
20. King ] <br />
21. Count/President ]<br />
22. Count/Prince ] <br />
23. Duke ]<br />
24. Marquis ]
</td>
<td valign=top style="padding-right:20px;">
25. Count/President ]<br />
26. Duke ] <br />
27. Marquis/Count ]<br />
28. Duke ] <br />
29. Duke ] <br />
30. Marquis ] <br />
31. President ] <br />
32. King ] <br />
33. Prince/President ]<br />
34. Count ] <br />
35. Marquis ]<br />
36. Prince ] <br />
37. Marquis ] <br />
38. Count ] <br />
39. President ] <br />
40. Count ] <br />
41. Duke ] <br />
42. Duke ] <br />
43. Marquis ] <br />
44. Marquis ] <br />
45. King/Count ] <br />
46. Count ] <br />
47. Duke ] <br />
48. President ]
</td>
<td valign=top>
49. Duke ] <br />
50. Knight ] <br />
51. King ] <br />
52. Duke ] <br />
53. President ] <br />
54. Duke/Count ] <br />
55. Prince ] <br />
56. Duke ] <br />
57. President ] <br />
58. President ] <br />
59. Marquis ] <br />
60. Duke ] <br />
61. King/President ]<br />
62. President ] <br />
63. Marquis ] <br />
64. Duke ] <br />
65. Marquis ]<br />
66. Marquis ] <br />
67. Duke ] <br />
68. King ] <br />
69. Marquis ] <br />
70. Prince ] <br />
71. Duke ] <br />
72. Count ] <br />
</td></tr></table>


===Ars Theurgia Goetia=== == {{lang|la|Ars Paulina}} ==
{{further|List of angels in Ars Paulina}}
The ''Ars Theurgia Goetia'' ("the art of ] ]") is the second section of ''The Lesser Key of Solomon''. It explains the names, characteristics and seals of the 31 aerial ]s (called chiefs, emperors, kings and princes) that ] invoked and confined, the protections against them, the names of their servant spirits, called dukes, the conjurations to invoke them, and their nature, that is both good and evil.
Derived from book three of Trithemius's {{lang|la|Steganographia}} and from portions of the {{lang|la|Heptameron}}, but purportedly delivered by ] instead of (as claimed by Trithemius) ]. Elements from ''The Magical Calendar'', astrological seals by Robert Turner's 1656 translation of ]'s ''Archdiocese of Magic'', and repeated mentions of guns and the year 1641 indicate that this portion was written in the later half of the seventeenth century.<ref name="Peterson-Intro-AP">{{harvnb|Peterson|2001|pp=xv–xvi}}.</ref><ref name="Rudd-Goetia-APIntro">{{harvnb|Rudd|2007|pp=57–59}}.</ref> Traditions of Paul communicating with heavenly powers are almost as old as ] itself, as seen in some interpretations of ] 12:2–4 and the apocryphal '']''. The {{lang|la|Ars Paulina}} is in turn divided into two books, the first detailing twenty-four angels aligned with the twenty-four hours of the day, the second (derived more from the Heptameron) detailing the ].<ref name="Rudd-Goetia-APIntro"/>


== {{lang|la|Ars Almadel}} ==
Their sole objective is to discover and show hidden things, the secrets of any person, and obtain, carry and do anything asked to them meanwhile they are contained in any of the ] (], ], ] and ]). These spirits are given in a complex order in the book, and some of them have spelling variations according to the different editions.
Mentioned by Trithemius and Weyer, the latter of whom claimed an Arabic origin for the work. A 15th-century copy is attested to by Robert H. Turner, and Hebrew copies were discovered in the 20th century. The {{lang|la|Ars Almadel}} instructs the magician on how to create a wax tablet with specific designs intended to contact angels via ].<ref name="Peterson-Intro-AA">{{harvnb|Peterson|2001|p=xvi}}.</ref><ref name="Rudd-Goetia-AAIntro">{{harvnb|Rudd|2007|pp=59–60}}.</ref>


== {{lang|la|Ars Notoria, quam Creator Altissimus Salomoni revelavit}} ==
===Ars Paulina===
{{main|Ars Notoria}}
The ''Ars Paulina'' (The Art of Paul) is the third part of ''The Lesser Key of Solomon''. According to the legend, this art was discovered by the Apostle ], but in the book is mentioned as ''the Pauline Art of ]''. The Ars Paulina was already known since the Middle Ages. It is divided in two chapters in this book.
The {{lang|la|Ars Notoria, quam Creator Altissimus Salomoni revelavit}}, or ''The Notory Art, which the Almighty Creator Revealed to Solomon,'' is a seventeenth-century composite text consisting of two separate and imperfect magical texts, the fourteenth century ''Ars Notoria'', or the ''Notory Art'' (glossed version), and the mid-fourteenth century ''Ars Brevis'', or the ''Short Art''. From the original ''Ars Notoria'' (glossed version), the compiler of the ''Ars Notoria, quam Creator Altissimus Salomoni revelavit'' presents a new rearrangement of a series of mysteriously formulated prayers (which are also found in the London manuscript of '']'') intended to enhance the mental faculties, such as memory, eloquence, and understanding, of the magician. Some editions of the {{lang|la|Lemegeton}} contain the 1657 English translation of ''The Notory Art, which the Almighty Creator Revealed to Solomon'' being published and retitled by Robert Turner of Holshott as ''Ars Notoria: The Notory Art of Solomon, Shewing the Cabalistical Key of Magical Operations, The liberal Sciences, Divine Revelation, and The Art of Memory.'' Other editions of the ''Lemegeton'' omit this work entirely;<ref name="Peterson-Intro-AN">{{harvnb|Peterson|2001|p=xvii}}.</ref><ref name="Rudd-Goetia-ANIntro">{{harvnb|Rudd|2007|pp=60–63}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Castle |first=Matthias |date=2023-07-12 |title=Agrippa’s Latin Edition of the Ars Notoria and Robert Turner’s 1657 English Translation Thereof |url=https://www.matthiascastle.com/post/agrippa-s-latin-edition-of-the-ars-notoria-and-robert-turner-s-1657-english-translation-thereof |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Matthias Castle |language=en}}</ref> ] ignores it completely when describing the {{lang|la|Lemegeton}}.<ref name="Waite-Lemegeton" />


== Editions ==
The first chapter refers on how to deal with the ]s of the several hours of the day (meaning day and night), to their seals, their nature, their servants (called Dukes), the relation of these angels with the seven planets known at that time, the proper ] aspects to invoke them, their names (in a couple of cases coinciding with two of the seventy-two demons mentioned in the ], the ] and the ] to call them, the Table of practice.
* ] (ed.), ] (transcribed) ''The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King. Translated into the English tongue by a dead hand'' (Foyers, Inverness: Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth, 1904) 1995 reprint: {{ISBN|0-87728-847-X}}.
* Greenup, A. W., "The Almadel of Solomon, according to the text of the Sloane MS. 2731" ''The Occult Review'' vol. 22 no. 2, August 1915, 96–102.
* Henson, Mitch (ed.) ''Lemegeton. The Complete Lesser Key of Solomon'' (Jacksonville: Metatron Books, 1999) {{ISBN|978-0-9672797-0-1}}. Noted by Peterson to be "uncritical and indiscriminate in its use of source material".<ref name="Peterson-editions" />
* ] (ed.), ''The Lesser Key of Solomon, Goetia, The Book of Evil Spirits'' (Chicago: de Laurence, Scott & Co., 1916) 1942 reprint: {{ISBN|978-0-7661-0776-2}}; 2006 reprint: {{ISBN|978-1-59462-200-7}}. A plagiarism of the Mathers/Crowley edition.{{sfn|Rudd|2007|p=50}}
* Peterson, Joseph H. (ed.), ''The Lesser Key of Solomon: Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis'' (York Beach, Maine: Weiser Books, 2001). Considered "the definitive version"{{sfn|Rudd|2007|p=8}} and "the standard edition".{{sfn|Rudd|2007|p=52}}
* Runyon, Carroll, ''The Book of Solomon's Magick'' (Silverado, California: C.H.S. Inc., 1996). Targeted more toward practicing magicians than academics, claims that the demons were originally derived from ].{{sfn|Rudd|2007|pp=51–52}}
* ], ''The Secret Lore of Magic'' (London: Abacus, 1972). Contains portions of ''Ars Almandel'' and split sections the ''Goetia'', missing large portions of the rituals involved.<ref name="Peterson-editions" />
* Skinner, Stephen & Rankine, David (eds.), ''The Goetia of Dr Rudd: The Angels and Demons of Liber Malorum Spirituum Seu Goetia (sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic)'' (London and Singapore: The Golden Hoard Press 2007) {{ISBN|978-0-9547639-2-3}}
* Thorogood, Alan (ed.), ] (transcribed), ''The Pauline Art of Solomon'' (York Beach, Maine: The Teitan Press, 2016)
* Veenstra, Jan R. "The Holy Almandal. Angels and the intellectual aims of magic" in Jan N. Bremmer and Jan R. Veenstra (eds.), ''The Metamorphosis of Magic from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Period'' (Leuven: Peeters, 2002), pp.&nbsp;189–229. The ''Almadel'' is transcribed at pp.&nbsp;217–229.
* ], ''The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts. Including the rites and mysteries of goëtic theurgy, sorcery, and infernal necromancy, also the rituals of black magic'' (Edinburgh: 1898). Reprinted as ''The Secret Tradition in Goëtia. The Book of Ceremonial Magic, including the rites and mysteries of Goëtic theurgy, sorcery, and infernal necromancy'' (London: William Rider & Son, 1911). Includes the ''Goetia'', ''Pauline Art'' and ''Almadel''.<ref name="Peterson-editions" />
* White, Nelson & Anne (eds.) ''Lemegeton: Clavicula Salomonis: or, The complete lesser key of Solomon the King'' (Pasadena, California: Technology Group, 1979). Noted by Peterson to be "almost totally unreadable".<ref name="Peterson-editions" />
* Wilby, Kevin (ed.) ''The Lemegetton. A Medieval Manual of Solomonic Magic'' (Silian, Lampeter: Hermetic Research Series, 1985)


==See also==
The second chapter concerns the angels that rule over the ]al signs and each degree of every sign, their relation with the ], ], ], ] and ], their names, and their seals. These are called here the ''angels of men'', because all persons are born under a zodiacal sign, with the Sun at a specific degree of it.
* ]
* '']''
* ]
* '']''


===Ars Almadel=== ==References==
{{citation style|date=September 2023}}
The ''Ars Almadel'' (The Art of the Almadel) is the fourth part of ''The Lesser Key of Solomon''. It tells how to make the ''almadel'', which is a wax tablet with protective symbols drawn on it. On it are placed four candles. This chapter has the instructions concerning the colours, materials and ]s necessary for the construction of the almadel and the candles.


=== Notes ===
The Ars Almadel also tells about the ]s that are to be invoked, and explains that only reasonable and just things that are needed must be asked to them, and how the conjuration has to be made. It also mentions twelve princes ruling with them. The dates and ] aspects that have to be considered most convenient to invoke the angels are detailed but briefly.
{{reflist|group=note}}


=== Citations ===
The author asserts to have experimented with what is explained in this chapter.
{{reflist|30em}}


===Ars Notoria=== === Works cited ===
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Peterson |editor1-first=Joseph H. |title=The Lesser Key of Solomon: Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis |date=2001 |publisher=Weiser Books |location=York Beach, Maine |isbn=978-1-57863-220-6}}
The ''Ars Notoria'' (The Notable Art) is the fifth and last part of ''The Lesser Key of Solomon''. It was a ] known since the ]. The book asserts that this art was revealed by the ] to ] by means of an ].
* {{cite book |title=A Book of the Office of Spirits |first=John |last=Porter |translator=Frederick Hockley |editor-first=Colin D. |editor-last=Campbell |publisher=Teitan Press |year=2011}}
* {{cite book |last=Rudd |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Rudd |editor1-first=Stephen |editor1-last=Skinner |editor2-first=David |editor2-last=Rankine |title=The Goetia of Dr Rudd: The Angels and Demons of Liber Malorum Spirituum Seu Goetia (Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic |publisher=Golden Hoard Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-9547639-2-3}}
* {{cite book |first=Johannes |last=Trithemius |title=The Art of Drawing Spirits into Crystals |year=1999 |editor-first=Joseph H. |editor-last=Peterson}}


==Further reading==
It contains a collection of ]s (some of them divided in several parts) mixed with ] and magical words in several languages (i.e. Hebrew, Greek, etc.), how the prayers must be said, and the relation that these ]s have to the understanding of all ]s. It mentions the aspects of the Moon in relation with the prayers. It also says that the prayers act as an ] to God's angels. According to the book, the correct spelling of the prayers gives the knowledge of the science related to each one and also a good memory, stability of mind, and eloquence. This chapter prevents on the ]s that have to be observed to obtain a good result.
* {{cite book |editor-first=Aleister |editor-last=Crowley |editor-link=Aleister Crowley |translator=Samuel Liddell Mathers |title=The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King |place=York Beach, Maine |publisher=] |year=1995 |isbn=0-87728-847-X |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |first=E. J. Langford |last=Garstin |title=Theurgy: or The Hermetic Practice: A Treatise on Spiritual Alchemy' |place=Berwick |publisher=Ibis Press |year=2004 |ref=none}}{{ISBN?}}


== External links ==
===Warning===
* J. B. Hare, (2002, sacred-texts.com)
The lesser keys of Solomon are not to be practiced since only Kings are to divine and ask for inspiration. King Solomon was a King who had divine guidance and did not practice theys keys, they were given to him when he inherited the kingdom from his dad King David. In Leviticus it does mention for people not to divine and observe dreams, it also sys no to eat with blood(Chpt.19, verse 26). The prophets who divined are not to be strived against and you are not suppose to ask anything from them-- the same holds true for wizards, like for example Moses-- You are not suppose to go against or aside from the wizard. Moses and his rules of instruction are a good example in Leviticus, also proverbs is of wizardry. If you want to practice thought it would be best to begin with Ecclesiastes, written by Solomon(Douay-Rheims bible 1899)
* Joseph H. Peterson, (1999)
*


{{Solomon}}
==Editions==
{{Authority control}}
*S. L. MacGregor Mathers, A. Crowley, '']'' (1904). 1995 reprint: ISBN 0-87728-847-X.
*L. W. de Laurence (1916); 1942 reprint: ISBN 978-0766107762; 2006 reprint: ISBN 978-1594622007
*Mitch Henson (1999), ISBN 978-0967279701.
*Joseph H. Peterson (2001), ISBN 978-1578632206.
*Stephen Skinner, David Rankine, ''The Goetia of Dr Rudd'', (2007), ISBN 978-0-9547639-2-3


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lesser Key Of Solomon, The}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*J.B. Hare, (2002, sacred-texts.com)
*
*
*
*http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/goetia.htm

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lesser Key of Solomon, The}}
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Latest revision as of 20:33, 31 December 2024

Anonymous 17th-century spellbook For other uses, see Key of Solomon (disambiguation).

The Lesser Key of Solomon, also known by its Latin title Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis or simply the Lemegeton, is an anonymously authored grimoire on sorcery, mysticism and magic. It was compiled in the mid-17th century, mostly from materials several centuries older. It is divided into five books: the Ars Goetia, Ars Theurgia-Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria. It is based on the Testament of Solomon and the ring mentioned within it that he used to seal demons.

Ars Goetia

The magical circle and triangle, magical objects/symbols used in the evocation of the seventy-two spirits of the Ars Goetia
The Secret Seal of Solomon

Terminology

Further information: Sorcery (goetia)

The text is more properly called Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, or, The little Key of Solomon. The title most commonly used, The Lesser Key of Solomon, does not in fact occur in the manuscripts. A. E. Waite, in his 1898 Book of Black Magic and of Pacts does use the terms "so-called Greater Key" and "Lesser Key" to distinguish between the Clavicula Salomonis and Lemegeton, so he may have been the one to coin it. The Latin term goetia refers to the evocation of demons or evil spirits. It is derived from the Ancient Greek word γοητεία (goēteía) meaning "charm", "witchcraft", or "jugglery".

In medieval and Renaissance Europe, goetia was generally considered evil and heretical, in contrast to theurgia (theurgy) and magia naturalis (natural magic), which were sometimes considered more noble. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy, writes, "Now the parts of ceremonial magic are goetia and theurgia. Goetia is unfortunate, by the commerces of unclean spirits made up of the rites of wicked curiosities, unlawful charms, and deprecations, and is abandoned and execrated by all laws."

Sources

The most obvious source for the Ars Goetia is Johann Weyer's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum in his De praestigiis daemonum. Weyer does not cite, and is unaware of, any other books in the Lemegeton, suggesting that the Lemegeton was derived from his work, not the other way around. The order of the spirits changed between the two, four additional spirits were added to the later work, and one spirit (Pruflas) was omitted. The omission of Pruflas, a mistake that also occurs in an edition of Pseudomonarchia Daemonum cited in Reginald Scot's The Discovery of Witchcraft, indicates that the Ars Goetia could not have been compiled before 1570. Indeed, it appears that the Ars Goetia is more dependent upon Scott's translation of Weyer than on Weyer's work in itself. Additionally, some material came from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, the Heptameron by pseudo-Pietro d'Abano, and the Magical Calendar.

Weyer's Officium Spirituum, which is likely related to a 1583 manuscript titled The Office of Spirits, appears to have ultimately been an elaboration on a 15th-century manuscript titled Livre des Esperitz (30 of the 47 spirits are nearly identical to spirits in the Ars Goetia).

In a slightly later copy made by Thomas Rudd (1583?–1656), this portion was labeled Liber Malorum Spirituum seu Goetia, and the seals and demons were paired with those of the 72 angels of the Shem HaMephorash which were intended to protect the conjurer and to control the demons he summoned. The angelic names and seals derived from a manuscript by Blaise de Vigenère, whose papers were also used by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (1854–1918) in his works for the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (1887–1903). Rudd may have derived his copy of Liber Malorum Spirituum from a now-lost work by Johannes Trithemius, who taught Agrippa, who in turn taught Weyer.

This portion of the work was later translated by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and published by Aleister Crowley in 1904 under the title The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King. Crowley added some additional invocations previously unrelated to the original work (including some evocations in the Enochian language), as well as essays describing the rituals as psychological exploration instead of demon summoning.

The seventy-two demons

Further information: List of demons in the Ars Goetia
The 72 sigils

The demons' names (given below) are taken from the Ars Goetia, which differs in terms of number and ranking from the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum of Weyer. As a result of multiple translations, there are multiple spellings for some of the names, which are given in the articles concerning them. The demons Vassago, Seere, Dantalion, and Andromalius are new additions in Ars Goetia that are not present in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum that it is based upon. In contrast, the demon Pruflas appears in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum but not in Ars Goetia.

  1. King Bael
  2. Duke Agares
  3. Prince Vassago
  4. Marquis Samigina
  5. President Marbas
  6. Duke Valefor
  7. Marquis Amon
  8. Duke Barbatos
  9. King Paimon
  10. President Buer
  11. Duke Gusion
  12. Prince Sitri
  13. King Beleth
  14. Marquis Leraje
  15. Duke Eligos
  16. Duke Zepar
  17. Count/President Botis
  18. Duke Bathin
  19. Duke Sallos
  20. King Purson
  21. Count/President Morax
  22. Count/Prince Ipos
  23. Duke Aim
  24. Marquis Naberius
  25. Count/President Glasya-Labolas
  26. Duke Buné
  27. Marquis/Count Ronové
  28. Duke Berith
  29. Duke Astaroth
  30. Marquis Forneus
  31. President Foras
  32. King Asmodeus
  33. Prince/President Gäap
  34. Count Furfur
  35. Marquis Marchosias
  36. Prince Stolas
  37. Marquis Phenex
  38. Count Halphas
  39. President Malphas
  40. Count Räum
  41. Duke Focalor
  42. Duke Vepar
  43. Marquis Sabnock
  44. Marquis Shax
  45. King/Count Viné
  46. Count Bifrons
  47. Duke Vual
  48. President Haagenti
  49. Duke Crocell
  50. Knight Furcas
  51. King Balam
  52. Duke Alloces
  53. President Caim
  54. Duke/Count Murmur
  55. Prince Orobas
  56. Duke Gremory
  57. President Ose
  58. President Amy
  59. Marquis Orias
  60. Duke Vapula
  61. King/President Zagan
  62. President Valac
  63. Marquis Andras
  64. Duke Flauros
  65. Marquis Andrealphus
  66. Marquis Kimaris
  67. Duke Amdusias
  68. King Belial
  69. Marquis Decarabia
  70. Prince Seere
  71. Duke Dantalion
  72. Count Andromalius

A footnote in one variant edition lists the kings of the cardinal directions as Oriens or Uriens, Paymon or Paymonia, Ariton or Egyn, and Amaymon or Amaimon, alternatively known as Samael, Azazel, Azael, and Mahazael (purportedly their preferred rabbinic names). Agrippa's Occult Philosophy lists the kings of the cardinal directions as Urieus (east), Amaymon (south), Paymon (west), and Egin (north); again providing the alternate names Samuel (i.e. Samael), Azazel, Azael, and Mahazuel. The Magical Calendar lists them as Bael, Moymon, Poymon, and Egin, though Peterson notes that some variant editions instead list: "Asmodel in the east, Amaymon in the south, Paymon in the west, and Aegym in the north"; "Oriens, Paymon, Egyn, and Amaymon"; or "Amodeo [sic] (king of the east), Paymon (king of the west), Egion (king of the north), and Maimon."

Ars Theurgia Goetia

The Ars Theurgia Goetia mostly derives from Trithemius's Steganographia, though the seals and order of the spirits are different due to corrupted transmission via manuscript. Rituals not found in Steganographia were added, in some ways conflicting with similar rituals found in the Ars Goetia and Ars Paulina. Most of the spirits summoned are tied to compass points: four emperors are tied to the cardinal points (Carnesiel in the east, Amenadiel in the west, Demoriel in the north, and Caspiel in the south); and sixteen dukes are tied to cardinal points, inter-cardinal points, and additional directions between those. There are eleven "wandering princes", so a total of thirty-one spirit leaders each rule several spirits, up to a few dozen.

Ars Paulina

Further information: List of angels in Ars Paulina

Derived from book three of Trithemius's Steganographia and from portions of the Heptameron, but purportedly delivered by Paul the Apostle instead of (as claimed by Trithemius) Raziel. Elements from The Magical Calendar, astrological seals by Robert Turner's 1656 translation of Paracelsus's Archdiocese of Magic, and repeated mentions of guns and the year 1641 indicate that this portion was written in the later half of the seventeenth century. Traditions of Paul communicating with heavenly powers are almost as old as Christianity itself, as seen in some interpretations of 2  Corinthians 12:2–4 and the apocryphal Apocalypse of Paul. The Ars Paulina is in turn divided into two books, the first detailing twenty-four angels aligned with the twenty-four hours of the day, the second (derived more from the Heptameron) detailing the 360 spirits of the degrees of the zodiac.

Ars Almadel

Mentioned by Trithemius and Weyer, the latter of whom claimed an Arabic origin for the work. A 15th-century copy is attested to by Robert H. Turner, and Hebrew copies were discovered in the 20th century. The Ars Almadel instructs the magician on how to create a wax tablet with specific designs intended to contact angels via scrying.

Ars Notoria, quam Creator Altissimus Salomoni revelavit

Main article: Ars Notoria

The Ars Notoria, quam Creator Altissimus Salomoni revelavit, or The Notory Art, which the Almighty Creator Revealed to Solomon, is a seventeenth-century composite text consisting of two separate and imperfect magical texts, the fourteenth century Ars Notoria, or the Notory Art (glossed version), and the mid-fourteenth century Ars Brevis, or the Short Art. From the original Ars Notoria (glossed version), the compiler of the Ars Notoria, quam Creator Altissimus Salomoni revelavit presents a new rearrangement of a series of mysteriously formulated prayers (which are also found in the London manuscript of The Sworn Book of Honorius) intended to enhance the mental faculties, such as memory, eloquence, and understanding, of the magician. Some editions of the Lemegeton contain the 1657 English translation of The Notory Art, which the Almighty Creator Revealed to Solomon being published and retitled by Robert Turner of Holshott as Ars Notoria: The Notory Art of Solomon, Shewing the Cabalistical Key of Magical Operations, The liberal Sciences, Divine Revelation, and The Art of Memory. Other editions of the Lemegeton omit this work entirely; A. E. Waite ignores it completely when describing the Lemegeton.

Editions

  • Crowley, Aleister (ed.), S. L. MacGregor Mathers (transcribed) The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King. Translated into the English tongue by a dead hand (Foyers, Inverness: Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth, 1904) 1995 reprint: ISBN 0-87728-847-X.
  • Greenup, A. W., "The Almadel of Solomon, according to the text of the Sloane MS. 2731" The Occult Review vol. 22 no. 2, August 1915, 96–102.
  • Henson, Mitch (ed.) Lemegeton. The Complete Lesser Key of Solomon (Jacksonville: Metatron Books, 1999) ISBN 978-0-9672797-0-1. Noted by Peterson to be "uncritical and indiscriminate in its use of source material".
  • de Laurence, L. W. (ed.), The Lesser Key of Solomon, Goetia, The Book of Evil Spirits (Chicago: de Laurence, Scott & Co., 1916) 1942 reprint: ISBN 978-0-7661-0776-2; 2006 reprint: ISBN 978-1-59462-200-7. A plagiarism of the Mathers/Crowley edition.
  • Peterson, Joseph H. (ed.), The Lesser Key of Solomon: Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis (York Beach, Maine: Weiser Books, 2001). Considered "the definitive version" and "the standard edition".
  • Runyon, Carroll, The Book of Solomon's Magick (Silverado, California: C.H.S. Inc., 1996). Targeted more toward practicing magicians than academics, claims that the demons were originally derived from Mesopotamian mythology.
  • Shah, Idries, The Secret Lore of Magic (London: Abacus, 1972). Contains portions of Ars Almandel and split sections the Goetia, missing large portions of the rituals involved.
  • Skinner, Stephen & Rankine, David (eds.), The Goetia of Dr Rudd: The Angels and Demons of Liber Malorum Spirituum Seu Goetia (sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic) (London and Singapore: The Golden Hoard Press 2007) ISBN 978-0-9547639-2-3
  • Thorogood, Alan (ed.), Frederick Hockley (transcribed), The Pauline Art of Solomon (York Beach, Maine: The Teitan Press, 2016)
  • Veenstra, Jan R. "The Holy Almandal. Angels and the intellectual aims of magic" in Jan N. Bremmer and Jan R. Veenstra (eds.), The Metamorphosis of Magic from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Period (Leuven: Peeters, 2002), pp. 189–229. The Almadel is transcribed at pp. 217–229.
  • Waite, Arthur Edward, The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts. Including the rites and mysteries of goëtic theurgy, sorcery, and infernal necromancy, also the rituals of black magic (Edinburgh: 1898). Reprinted as The Secret Tradition in Goëtia. The Book of Ceremonial Magic, including the rites and mysteries of Goëtic theurgy, sorcery, and infernal necromancy (London: William Rider & Son, 1911). Includes the Goetia, Pauline Art and Almadel.
  • White, Nelson & Anne (eds.) Lemegeton: Clavicula Salomonis: or, The complete lesser key of Solomon the King (Pasadena, California: Technology Group, 1979). Noted by Peterson to be "almost totally unreadable".
  • Wilby, Kevin (ed.) The Lemegetton. A Medieval Manual of Solomonic Magic (Silian, Lampeter: Hermetic Research Series, 1985)

See also

References

This article has an unclear citation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting. (September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Notes

  1. The Heptameron was republished spuriously as a purported Fourth Book of Agrippa.

Citations

  1. Peterson 2001.
  2. ^ Peterson 2001, pp. xi–xvii.
  3. ^ Rudd 2007, p. 399.
  4. Asprem, Egil (2016). "Intermediary Beings". In Partridge, Christopher (ed.). The Occult World. Routledge. p. 653. ISBN 9781138219250.
  5. ^ Agrippa, Henry Cornelius (1651). Three Books of Occult Philosophy (PDF). Translated by Freake, James. London. pp. 572–575.
  6. "LSJ". Perseus Digital Library. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  7. Mebane, John S. (1992). Renaissance Magic and the Return of the Golden Age: The Occult Tradition and Marlowe, Jonson, and Shakespeare. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 44, 45. ISBN 9780803281790.
  8. Thorndike, Lynn (2003). History of Magic and Experimental Science. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger. p. 505. ISBN 9780766143135.
  9. ^ Arthur Edward Waite (1913). The Book of Ceremonial Magic. Part I, Chapter III, section 2: "The Lesser Key of Solomon". London – via The Internet Sacred Text Archive.
  10. ^ Rudd 2007, pp. 31–43.
  11. Rudd 2007, p. 82.
  12. Porter 2011, pp. xiii–xvii.
  13. Rudd 2007, pp. 14–19.
  14. Rudd 2007, p. 71.
  15. ^ Peterson 2001, pp. xviii–xx.
  16. Rudd 2007, pp. 47–50.
  17. Peterson 2001, p. 40.
  18. ^ First footnote by Joseph H. Peterson to Trithemius 1999.
  19. The Magical Calendar; Johann Baptist Grossschedel, trans. and ed. Adam McLean; Phanes Press, 1994. p. 35.
  20. Peterson 2001, p. xv.
  21. Rudd 2007, pp. 53–57.
  22. Peterson 2001, pp. xv–xvi.
  23. ^ Rudd 2007, pp. 57–59.
  24. Peterson 2001, p. xvi.
  25. Rudd 2007, pp. 59–60.
  26. Peterson 2001, p. xvii.
  27. Rudd 2007, pp. 60–63.
  28. Castle, Matthias (2023-07-12). "Agrippa's Latin Edition of the Ars Notoria and Robert Turner's 1657 English Translation Thereof". Matthias Castle. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  29. Rudd 2007, p. 50.
  30. Rudd 2007, p. 8.
  31. Rudd 2007, p. 52.
  32. Rudd 2007, pp. 51–52.

Works cited

  • Peterson, Joseph H., ed. (2001). The Lesser Key of Solomon: Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis. York Beach, Maine: Weiser Books. ISBN 978-1-57863-220-6.
  • Porter, John (2011). Campbell, Colin D. (ed.). A Book of the Office of Spirits. Translated by Frederick Hockley. Teitan Press.
  • Rudd, Thomas (2007). Skinner, Stephen; Rankine, David (eds.). The Goetia of Dr Rudd: The Angels and Demons of Liber Malorum Spirituum Seu Goetia (Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic. Golden Hoard Press. ISBN 978-0-9547639-2-3.
  • Trithemius, Johannes (1999). Peterson, Joseph H. (ed.). The Art of Drawing Spirits into Crystals.

Further reading

  • Crowley, Aleister, ed. (1995). The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. Translated by Samuel Liddell Mathers. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-847-X.
  • Garstin, E. J. Langford (2004). Theurgy: or The Hermetic Practice: A Treatise on Spiritual Alchemy'. Berwick: Ibis Press.

External links

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