13. Beleth: 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.

Beleth is number 13 in the catalog of 72 spirits that opens the Lesser Key of Solomon. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a king ruling 85 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Beleth causes “all the love that may be, both of Men and of Women, until the Master Exorcist hath had his desire fulfilled.”

Here I go through his entry layer by layer: the old text first, then what later centuries added, then modern practice, each part labeled so you can see how old it is.

If you came here wondering whether Beleth 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: 13 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Beleth in 1904; other spellings: Bileth, Bilet (1904), Byleth.
• Rank and legions: King, 85 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 Beleth’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 Beleth 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 are not identical from one source to the next. The 1904 versions follow the manuscripts Mathers used, and later books and websites sometimes redraw, simplify or mix them. If two seals for the same spirit disagree, ask which edition each one follows.

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 Beleth’s seal slowly by hand is also a good study exercise, because you notice lines and circles that the eye skips.

Appearance

Historical Beleth is “a mighty King and terrible.” He “rideth on a pale horse with trumpets and other kinds of musical instruments playing before him.” He is “very furious at his first appearance.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Causes “all the love that may be, both of Men and of Women, until the Master Exorcist hath had his desire fulfilled.” Reported as history; not taught here.

He is “of the Order of Powers” and governs 85 legions.

The entry is mostly instructions. To calm him, the magician must hold a hazel wand, strike it toward the south and east, make a triangle outside the circle, and command him into it “by the Bonds and Charges of Spirits.” If he will not enter, the bonds are to be read again. Yet the magician “must receive him courteously because he is a Great King, and do homage unto him.” The magician wears a silver ring on the middle finger of the left hand, held against the face, “as they do yet before Amaymon.”

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 Scot’s Weyer, as “Bileth,” gives the same pale horse, trumpets, and fury, the hazel wand, the triangle, and the ring. Weyer says he appears rough and furious “to deceive” the magician. In the story of the brass vessel, Weyer names Bileth as first of the chiefs. Both give 85 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 later demonologies add little to this entry.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern Beleth’s entry is the Goetia’s most detailed account of handling an angry spirit, and modern writers often cite it to show that the old ritual combined command with courtesy. The phrase “do homage unto him” is sometimes used to justify devotional approaches.

Some things said about Beleth online are not in any grimoire at all: personalities, favorite foods, signs that a spirit has “picked” someone, or birth demons. They come from modern writing and social media. Treat them as one person’s experience, not as facts about the old text.

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, first decan (0 to 10 degrees); day spirit. 777 decan incense: olibanum.
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color yellow; incense frankincense; plant dill.
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: a king on a pale horse, with trumpets and other music before him. 777 Magical Image: the same, adding flaming, poisonous breath. Le Breton engraving (1863): a seated figure with a cat-like head, blowing a horn. Modern Demonolatry/UPG: the seal, used as an altar image.
• Associated offerings: Modern practice, not in the Goetia manuscripts: most often listed, frankincense and dill; one source adds cumin and juniper. A claim online that the old grimoires give him a bowl of wine is not found in the 1904 text.

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

Beleth is a king, said to be furious, and his only office is compelled love. Not a first-contact choice under the beginner criteria. I do not teach love compulsion.

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, Beleth is not among the 31 spirits that fit.

To compare Beleth with other spirits of his rank, read Paimon and Purson. 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

Studying Beleth needs only the texts, a notebook and some patience. This is the method I suggest for every entry.

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.