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.

He is the last of the kings, and his name reaches back through the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Hebrew Bible. 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:

Belial. The Sixty-eighth Spirit is Belial. He is a Mighty and a Powerful King, and was created next after Lucifer. He appeareth in the Form of Two Beautiful Angels sitting in a Chariot of Fire. He speaketh with a Comely Voice, and declareth that he fell first from among the worthier sort, that were before Michael, and other Heavenly Angels. His Office is to distribute Presentations and Senatorships, etc., and to cause favour of Friends and of Foes. He giveth excellent Familiars, and governeth 80 Legions of Spirits. Note well that this King Belial must have Offerings, Sacrifices and Gifts presented unto him by the Exorcist, or else he will not give True Answers unto his Demands. But then he tarrieth not one hour in the Truth, unless he be constrained by Divine Power. And his Seal is this, which is to be worn as aforesaid, etc.

Belial “was created next after Lucifer” and appears as “Two Beautiful Angels sitting in a Chariot of Fire”. He declares “that he fell first from among the worthier sort”. His offices are political: “Presentations and Senatorships” (appointments to church livings and high offices) and favour of friends and foes. The number of his legions is printed as 80 in the 1904 edition. Mathers added “Perhaps an error for 30”, and Crowley added “The actual number is 50; at least it was in 1898”. The 1916 de Laurence reprint then printed 50 in the text itself, so both 80 and 50 circulate: 80 in 1904 and Weyer, 50 in de Laurence and texts copied from it. The last sentences are a warning: he must have offerings, “But then he tarrieth not one hour in the Truth, unless he be constrained by Divine Power.”

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 The offices of Belial, in the order the 1904 text 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 in the 1904 text and 50 in the 1916 de Laurence reprint; the notes behind the two numbers are quoted under the 1904 entry above.

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.”

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 vessel follows this entry, naming Belial second of the chiefs and suggesting that Solomon shut the spirits up “for the pride of this Beliall.”

Historical Weyer’s Latin entry is the longest in his catalog and gives 80 legions: “Imperium habet octoginta legionum, ex ordine partim Virtutum, partim Angelorum”, 80 legions, partly of the order of Virtues and partly of Angels. Weyer has one angel, “Angelicam assumit imaginem impensè pulchram, in igneo curru sedens”, an exceedingly beautiful angelic image seated in a fiery chariot. In his account of the vessel, Solomon shut the spirits “in vase vitreo”, in a glass vessel, which Scot made “brasen”; the first king was Bileth, the second Belial, then Asmoday. Weyer ends with the Babylonians breaking the vessel and Belial entering an image to give answers, “ut testatur Tocz”, as Tocz testifies. (About Weyer and Scot.)

Name and etymology

Historical Beside the usual reading of the Hebrew beliyya’al as “worthlessness”, discussed under later tradition below, an old rabbinic explanation splits the word as beli ’ol, “without a yoke”.

Seal and images

Historical The seal above is Belial’s as printed in 1904, and by the rules of the Observations it would be made in gold, 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 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 Modern writers often present Belial as a spirit of independence and earthly power.

Lore about Belial’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 Belial, read incense, plants and offerings.

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.

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

Try this: one question to study

Find Belial’s legions in four places: the 1904 text, Mathers’s note, Crowley’s note and Weyer’s Latin. Write the four numbers side by side and decide which a careful editor should print.

What next

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

Later tradition In the Golden Dawn scheme of the decans, Belial is the night spirit of the second decan of Aquarius, which belongs to the Six of Swords; the day spirit of the same decan is Asmoday (spirit 32).