23. Aim: a duke of the Ars Goetia

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

Spirit 23 of the Ars Goetia is Aim. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a duke ruling 26 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Aim sets cities, castles, and great places on fire.

His entry pairs a fire-bringing image with offices of wit and truthful answers. Each part below carries a label for its layer, explained in how to read a spirit page.

At a glance

The 1904 entry

Historical The full entry from the 1904 edition, with footnote numbers and the dash after the heading left out and the heading set in ordinary type:

Aim. The Twenty-third Spirit is Aim. He is a Great Strong Duke. He appeareth in the form of a very handsome Man in body, but with three Heads; the first, like a Serpent, the second like a Man having two Stars on his Forehead, the third like a Calf. He rideth on a Viper, carrying a Firebrand in his Hand, wherewith he setteth cities, castles, and great Places, on fire. He maketh thee witty in all manner of ways, and giveth true answers unto private matters. He governeth 26 Legions of Inferior Spirits; and his Seal is this, which wear thou as aforesaid, etc.

Aim is “a very handsome Man in body, but with three Heads”: a serpent, a man “having two Stars on his Forehead” and a calf. He rides a viper and carries a firebrand “wherewith he setteth cities, castles, and great Places, on fire”. His offices are making a person “witty in all manner of ways” and giving “true answers unto private matters”.

Appearance

Historical Aim appears “in the form of a very handsome Man in body, but with three Heads; the first, like a Serpent, the second like a Man having two Stars on his Forehead, the third like a Calf.” He rides on a viper, “carrying a Firebrand in his Hand, wherewith he setteth cities, castles, and great Places, on fire.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

Historical The offices of Aim, in the order the 1904 text gives them:

• Sets cities, castles, and great places on fire.
• Makes the magician “witty in all manner of ways.”
• Gives true answers to private matters.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical The Weyer catalog, as Scot renders it, gives “Aym or Haborim,” “a great duke and a strong,” with three heads: a serpent, a man “having two” stars (the printed text uses a star symbol), and a cat. The Goetia has a calf. This is a clear example of a copying change.

Historical Weyer has “Aym vel Haborym”. His third head is “felino”, a cat’s, not a calf’s. The printed Latin uses a star symbol for the stars on the man’s head, “duos ☆ habenti”, and Scot kept the symbol. (About Weyer and Scot.)

Name and etymology

Historical Haborym appears as an alias in Weyer, and Collin de Plancy uses it as the main name. Neither has a known meaning.

Seal and images

Historical The seal above is Aim’s as printed in 1904, and by the rules of the Observations it would be made in copper, the metal of his rank. Why seals were worn, why editions draw them differently and how to study one are explained in seals, circle and triangle.

Later tradition and modern practice

Later tradition Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal shows Haborym with three heads, of a snake, a man, and a cat, riding a viper and holding a torch, following Weyer rather than the Goetia.

Modern Modern writers sometimes connect Aim with fire, purification, and creativity, a modern reading of his destructive office.

Lore about Aim’s personality, likes or chosen people is modern, not grimoire material; modern approaches explains where such claims come from.

Beginner’s quick reference

Before you burn or handle anything listed for Aim, read incense, plants and offerings.

Practical notes

Aim is a duke, and his offices include wit and answers to private matters. But the first office the text gives him is setting cities on fire. I do not teach that office.

If you choose Aim for a question about your own wit or learning, be aware of the full entry. A spirit whose offices center on teaching may be a better first choice.

In the directory, Aim is not among the 30 spirits that fit the beginner criteria.

Try this: one question to study

Compare the three heads in Weyer and the 1904 text and note the one that changed.

What next

To compare Aim with other spirits of his rank, read Bune and Sallos.

Later tradition In the Golden Dawn scheme of the decans, Aim is the day spirit of the second decan of Scorpio, which belongs to the Six of Cups; the night spirit of the same decan is Orias (spirit 59).