Goetic Demons

The seventy-two spirits of the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon, each have a name, a rank, a number of legions of lesser spirits under them, and a description of what they teach or grant: knowledge, favour, the finding of hidden things, and much else. The book gives detailed instructions for their summoning, constraint and dismissal within a protective circle.

The compilation dates from the seventeenth century but draws on earlier material, notably Johann Weyer's sixteenth-century list of demons, and it is among the most influential of the grimoires in modern ceremonial magic.

The seventy-two spirits are organised by courtly rank (kings, princes, dukes, marquises, earls, presidents and knights), each rank carrying its own dignity, and each spirit commanding a number of legions. Modern occultism has read the Goetia in several ways, from literal spirit-evocation to a psychological work upon the self.

The atlas gives each goetic spirit its rank, its legions, its office and its seal, describing the tradition without endorsing its claims. The ranks the spirits hold are treated in the spirit-rank category, and the angelic counterparts under the Shem angels, within Angels, Spirits & the Shadow.