26. Bune: 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 26 of the Ars Goetia is Bune. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a duke ruling 30 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Bune changes the place of the dead.

He is one of the few spirits in the 1904 edition with two seals, and his voice changes from source to source. 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:

Bune, or Bimé. The Twenty-sixth Spirit is Buné (or Bim). He is a Strong, Great and Mighty Duke. He appeareth in the form of a Dragon with three heads, one like a Dog, one like a Gryphon, and one like a Man. He speaketh with a high and comely Voice. He changeth the Place of the Dead, and causeth the Spirits which be under him to gather together upon your Sepulchres. He giveth Riches unto a Man, and maketh him Wise and Eloquent. He giveth true Answers unto Demands. And he governeth 30 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, unto the which he oweth Obedience. He hath another Seal (which is the first of these, but the last is the best)

Buné (or Bimé) appears as “a Dragon with three heads, one like a Dog, one like a Gryphon, and one like a Man”, and speaks “with a high and comely Voice”. His offices concern the dead, changing their place and gathering spirits “upon your Sepulchres”, and the living: riches, wisdom, eloquence and true answers. The 1904 text prints two seals and notes that “the last is the best”.

Appearance

Historical Bune appears “in the form of a Dragon with three heads, one like a Dog, one like a Gryphon, and one like a Man.” He speaks “with a high and comely Voice.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Changes the place of the dead. Reported as history; not taught here.
• Causes the spirits under him to gather on graves (“your Sepulchres”). Reported as history; not taught here.
• Gives riches to a man and makes him wise and eloquent.
• Gives true answers to demands.

The 1904 edition prints two seals for Bune and notes that “the last is the best.” Mathers’ text says: “He hath another Seal (which is the first of these, but the last is the best).”

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical Scot’s Weyer also has Bune as a duke with a dragon’s form and three heads, who moves the dead and gives riches, wisdom, and eloquence. The offices match closely. Both give 30 legions. On the two seals, Sloane 3825 says the opposite of the 1904 text: “the first is best as Salomon saith.”

Historical Weyer’s dragon has three heads, but only the third is described, “tertium verò assimilatur homini”, like a man; the dog and griffin heads are the Goetia’s additions. The voice is the oddest variant: the Latin reads “muta loquitur voce”, he speaks with a mute or changed voice, while Scot has “a divine voice”. (About Weyer and Scot.)

Name and etymology

Historical Bune, Bimé and Bim are the forms recorded in the 1904 text. No meaning is known.

Seal and images

Historical The seal above is Bune’s as printed in 1904, and by the rules of the Observations it would be made in copper, the metal of his rank. The 1904 edition prints two seals for him and notes that “the last is the best”. 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 text gives riches as one office among several, and it places it beside offices concerning the dead and graves.

Modern Bune is one of the most popular Goetic spirits in modern practice, because of the office of giving riches. Many online sources present him as a spirit of wealth and financial success. That emphasis is modern. The two seals have produced debate among modern practitioners about which to use. The 1904 note favors the second.

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

Practical notes

Bune is a duke, and his offices of wisdom and eloquence match the teaching part of the beginner criteria. That is enough for him to meet the criteria: his offices concerning the dead and graves are not harm, deception or compulsion, though they are not ones I teach. Do not disturb graves or cemeteries in any way.

His wealth office is the reason for his online fame, but I do not promise or teach financial results. If you choose Bune, frame your question around wisdom or clear speech, not money. Financial worries belong with practical help, and debt advice services exist in most countries.

In the directory, Bune is one of the 30 spirits that fit the beginner criteria.

Try this: one question to study

Compare the voice in Weyer’s Latin, Scot’s English and the 1904 text, and write down how each one changes your picture of the spirit.

What next

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

Later tradition In the Golden Dawn scheme of the decans, Bune is the day spirit of the second decan of Sagittarius, which belongs to the Nine of Wands; the night spirit of the same decan is Volac (spirit 62).