51. Balam: a king 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.

Balam is spirit 51 of the 72 in the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a king ruling 40 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Balam gives true answers of things past, present, and to come.

On this page I read his entry the way I read every spirit, layer by layer. First comes what the old texts say, then what later writers added, then what modern practitioners do, each with a label so you can always tell which is which.

If you came here wondering whether Balam suits a beginner, the short answer is in the Practical notes below: he does not meet the three beginner criteria I use, and I explain why.

At a glance

Historical These are the facts of the entry itself, from the 1904 text and its Observations.

• Number: 51 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Balam in 1904; other spellings: Balaam (1904), Balan.
• Rank and legions: King, 40 legions.
• Metal of his rank (Observations): gold.
• Hours for kings (Observations): “From 9 till 12 o’clock at Noon, and from 3 till Sunset.”
• In Weyer’s catalog (1577): yes, as the source comparison below shows.

The Observations also say to work only when the Moon is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14 days old. These rules show how the Goetia imagined its spirits, as officials with office hours. You do not need them to read the entry, and the facts table above gives the short version.

The seal (1904)

Historical The seal shown above is Balam’s seal as printed in the 1904 edition, in a faithful vector drawing of that public-domain printing. The Observations ask for each seal to be made in the metal of the spirit’s rank, which for Balam means gold. In the text’s world the seal identifies the spirit and protects the magician; several entries say it is worn on the breast as a lamen.

Seals differ between manuscripts and editions. The 1904 drawings follow the manuscripts as Mathers read them, and other editions, websites, jewelry and tattoos often show different versions. When you compare two seals, note which edition each comes from before deciding which is “right.”

Modern Looking at a seal does nothing on its own; it is a drawing in an old book. Modern practitioners almost always draw seals on paper rather than casting them in metal. Copying Balam’s seal slowly by hand is also a good study exercise, because you notice lines and circles that the eye skips.

Appearance

Historical Balam “appeareth with three Heads: the first is like that of a Bull; the second is like that of a Man; the third is like that of a Ram.” He has a serpent’s tail and flaming eyes, rides a furious bear, and carries a goshawk on his fist. He “speaketh with a hoarse Voice.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

Historical These are all the offices the 1904 text gives him, in the order it gives them.

• Gives true answers of things past, present, and to come.
• Makes men go invisible.
• Makes men witty.

He is “a Terrible, Great, and Powerful King” and governs 40 legions.

Offices of harm or compulsion are part of the historical record, and reporting them is not endorsing them. For how offices work across the 72, see ranks and offices.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical The Weyer catalog, as Scot renders it, gives “Balam” as “a great and a terrible king,” with three heads of bull, man, and ram, a serpent’s tail, flaming eyes, a furious bear, and a hawk. The offices match. Both give 40 legions.

Weyer’s catalog appeared in 1577 and Reginald Scot translated it into English in 1584. Comparing the two with the 1904 text shows how much the Goetia owes to them, and where it changed or added things. More in Weyer and Scot.

Later tradition

Later tradition The name recalls Balaam, the prophet of Numbers 22 to 24 whose donkey speaks to him. There is no evidence that the compilers intended a link beyond the name. Balam’s three heads are the same as Asmoday’s (32), an echo that may reflect a shared source.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern Little modern practice centers on this spirit beyond the offices above.

What you will not find in any grimoire: a personality, a favorite color or food, signs that he has “chosen” you, or a birth chart that makes him your spirit. Those ideas come from modern books, forums and social media. They can be meaningful to the people who use them, but they are not history, and none of them is something you have to believe.

Beginner’s quick reference

Each line below is labeled by layer, so you can see how old each piece is.

• Rank metal and hours (Goetia): King: gold; 9 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to sunset.
• Planet (later tradition: Golden Dawn and Crowley’s 777): Sun.
• Decan and day or night spirit (later tradition: 777): Leo, third decan (20 to 30 degrees); night spirit. 777 decan incense: “Muces Muscator” (unidentified).
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color yellow; incense frankincense; plant oak; mandrake is also reported in some sources (toxic: do not burn, ingest, or handle).
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: three heads (a bull’s, a man’s, and a ram’s), a serpent’s tail, and flaming eyes, riding a furious bear with a goshawk on his fist. 777 Magical Image: the same image. Le Breton engraving (1863): a horned, crowned man riding a bear and holding a bird. Modern Demonolatry/UPG: the seal, used as an altar image.
• Associated offerings: Modern practice, not in the Goetia manuscripts: most often listed, frankincense; one source adds oak, sage, vetiver, and horehound. Connolly is quoted for a piece of gold placed with the seal; I use no metal, so draw the Sun’s symbol on the paper seal instead.

Incense means smoke. If you burn any, use a stick or cone with a window open, no charcoal indoors, and none at all in a home with pet birds or anyone with asthma. A plant listed here is a correspondence, not something to eat or burn, and a plant without a warning is not automatically safe. Modern offering lists copy one another, so “most often listed” means widely copied, not confirmed. Water, light, time or a note of thanks is always enough.

Practical notes

Balam is a king, and “Terrible.” His offices are divination, invisibility, and wit. Not a choice for a first contact under the beginner criteria.

The beginner criteria I use have three parts: the spirit is not a king, at least one office is teaching, and the entry does not center on harm, deception or compulsion. In the directory, Balam is not among the 31 spirits that fit.

To compare Balam with other spirits of his rank, read Vine and Zagan. Kings are the highest rank among the 72. The 1904 Classified List names nine of them, from Bael to Belial, and they tend to rule the largest numbers of legions. Above them, in the Goetia’s wider world, stand the four kings of the quarters, such as Amaymon, who are not among the 72. The beginner criteria I use leave kings out of a first study, whatever their offices, simply because the text places them at the top of its court.

How to study this entry

You can learn a great deal about Balam without any ritual at all. These are the steps I suggest for any spirit.

1. Read the offices above in order and write each one in your own words.
2. Compare the 1904 wording with Scot’s English in The Discoverie of Witchcraft (Book 15, chapter 2), which is free to read online.
3. Copy the seal by hand, slowly, and note anything you missed at first glance.
4. Keep a two-column log: what the text says on the left, and what you have read online or feel about it on the right.

Then go back to all 72 spirits and read a neighbor or two. The entries make more sense side by side than alone.