71. Dantalion: 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 71 of the Ars Goetia is Dantalion. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a duke ruling 36 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Dantalion teaches all arts and sciences to anyone.

He is the many-faced duke with a book, one of the four spirits that Weyer does not have. 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:

Dantalion. The Seventy-first Spirit is Dantalion. He is a Duke Great and Mighty, appearing in the Form of a Man with many Countenances, all Men’s and Women’s Faces; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsels of any one; for he knoweth the Thoughts of all Men and Women, and can change them at his Will. He can cause Love, and show the Similitude of any person, and show the same by a Vision, let them be in what part of the World they Will. He governeth 36 Legions of Spirits; and this is his Seal, which wear thou, etc.

Dantalion appears “in the Form of a Man with many Countenances, all Men’s and Women’s Faces; and he hath a Book in his right hand”. His first office is broad teaching, “all Arts and Sciences unto any”. The others concern other minds: to “declare the Secret Counsels of any one; for he knoweth the Thoughts of all Men and Women, and can change them at his Will”, to cause love, and to show any person’s likeness “by a Vision, let them be in what part of the World they Will”.

Appearance

Historical Dantalion appears “in the Form of a Man with many Countenances, all Men’s and Women’s Faces; and he hath a Book in his right hand.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Teaches all arts and sciences to anyone.
• Declares the secret counsel of anyone, “for he knoweth the Thoughts of all Men and Women, and can change them at his Will.” Reported as history; not taught here.
• Can cause love. Reported as history; not taught here.
• Shows the likeness of any person by a vision, wherever in the world they are.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical Dantalion does not appear in Weyer’s catalog or Scot’s translation.

Historical With no Latin to compare, the nearest older witness is a manuscript. Joseph Peterson, the modern editor of the manuscripts, notes a related text in Sloane MS 3824 that says he “sheweth all arts and Sciences, & maketh one Expert therein” and “changeth the minds & thoughts of men & women”, so the mix of teaching and mind-changing was there before the Goetia. (About Weyer and Scot.)

Name and etymology

Historical The 1904 text has Dantalion only; Peterson records Dantaylion in Harley MS 6483. No meaning is known.

Seal and images

Historical The seal above is Dantalion’s as printed in 1904, and by the rules of the Observations it would be made in copper, 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

Modern Dantalion’s many faces and book have made him a popular figure in modern art and fiction. Some modern writers present him as a spirit of empathy and psychology. That is a modern reading of an entry about knowing and changing others’ thoughts.

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

Practical notes

Dantalion has a broad teaching office, but his other offices, reading and changing others’ thoughts, causing love, and viewing distant people, all concern other people’s minds and privacy. I do not teach those offices, and I do not recommend Dantalion for a first contact.

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

Try this: one question to study

Sort Dantalion’s offices into two columns, those that concern your own learning and those that concern another person’s mind, and count each column.

What next

To compare Dantalion with other spirits of his rank, read Amdusias and Haures.

Later tradition In the Golden Dawn scheme of the decans, Dantalion is the night spirit of the second decan of Pisces, which belongs to the Nine of Cups; the day spirit of the same decan is Marchosias (spirit 35).