68. Belial: 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.

Spirit 68 of the Ars Goetia is Belial. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a king ruling 80 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Belial distributes presentations (preferments) and senatorships.

I read his entry in layers. The old texts come first, later additions second and modern practice last, and every part carries a label so the layers never blur.

If you came here wondering whether Belial 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: 68 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Belial in 1904; other spellings: Beliall (Scot), Beliar.
• Rank and legions: King, 80 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 Belial’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 Belial 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.

No two editions draw every seal the same way. The 1904 seals reflect Mathers’s reading of the manuscripts, and many modern versions online are copies of copies. If you compare, keep track of where each drawing comes from.

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

Appearance

Historical Belial “appeareth in the Form of Two Beautiful Angels sitting in a Chariot of Fire.” He “speaketh with a Comely Voice.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Distributes presentations (preferments) and senatorships.
• Causes favor of friends and of foes.
• Gives excellent familiars.

He “was created next after Lucifer,” and “declareth that he fell first from among the worthier sort, that were before Michael, and other Heavenly Angels.” He governs 80 legions. (Mathers suggested 30 in a footnote; Crowley joked that “the actual number is 50; at least it was in 1898.” The 1916 de Laurence reprint prints 50.) He “must have Offerings, Sacrifices and Gifts presented unto him,” or he will not give true answers, “but then he tarrieth not one hour in the Truth, unless he be constrained by Divine Power.”

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 Weyer, in Scot’s English, gives a long entry. It says “some saie” Belial was created right after Lucifer, takes “the forme of a beautifull angell, sitting in a firie chariot,” and has rule over 80 legions. The Goetia has two angels; the legions match. Weyer’s account of the brass vessel follows this entry, naming Belial second of the chiefs and suggesting that Solomon shut the spirits up “for the pride of this Beliall.”

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 comes from the Hebrew beliyya’al, usually read as “worthlessness.” In the Hebrew Bible, “sons of Belial” means worthless or wicked men. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, Belial is a leader of the forces of darkness. Paul asks, “what concord hath Christ with Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6:15). In Milton’s Paradise Lost, Belial is a fallen angel of graceful speech and idle counsel. The Goetic Belial gathers this long history into one entry.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern Modern writers often present Belial as a spirit of independence and earthly power.

Many modern claims about Belial, such as his personality, his likes and dislikes, or the idea that he chooses certain people, appear in no grimoire. They grew in modern books and online. You can read them with interest, and you can also leave them aside.

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): Aquarius, second decan (10 to 20 degrees); night spirit. 777 decan incense: “Stammonia” (unidentified; may refer to a toxic plant: do not burn it).
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color yellow; incense frankincense; plant mullein.
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: two beautiful angels sitting in a chariot of fire; a pleasing voice. 777 Magical Image: the same image. Modern Demonolatry/UPG: the seal, used as an altar image.
• Associated offerings: The Goetia says Belial “must have Offerings, Sacrifices and Gifts presented unto him,” but does not say what; I use no sacrifice. Modern practice, not in the Goetia manuscripts: most often listed, frankincense and mullein; one source adds cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, and patchouli.

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

Belial is a king who requires sacrifices and lies unless constrained. Not a first-contact choice under the beginner criteria. His history, from Hebrew word to Milton’s character to Goetic king, is a superb subject for study.

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, Belial is not among the 31 spirits that fit.

To compare Belial with other spirits of his rank, read Zagan and Balam. 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

If Belial interests you, start with study. These steps work for any of the 72.

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.