30. Forneus: a marquis 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.

Forneus is spirit 30 of the 72 in the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a marquis ruling 29 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Forneus teaches and makes men “wonderfully knowing in the Art of Rhetoric.”

On this page I read his entry the way I read every spirit, layer by layer. First comes what the old texts say, then what later writers added, then what modern practitioners do, each with a label so you can always tell which is which.

If you came here wondering whether Forneus suits a beginner, the short answer is in the Practical notes below: he meets the three beginner criteria I use, though his entry, like most, is mixed.

At a glance

Historical These are the facts of the entry itself, from the 1904 text and its Observations.

• Number: 30 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Forneus in 1904; other spellings: none common.
• Rank and legions: Marquis, 29 legions.
• Metal of his rank (Observations): silver.
• Hours for marquises (Observations): “From 3 in the afternoon till 9 at Night, and from 9 at Night till Sunrise.”
• 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 Forneus’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 Forneus means silver. 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 differ between manuscripts and editions. The 1904 drawings follow the manuscripts as Mathers read them, and other editions, websites, jewelry and tattoos often show different versions. When you compare two seals, note which edition each comes from before deciding which is “right.”

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

Appearance

Historical Forneus “appeareth in the Form of a Great Sea-Monster.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Teaches and makes men “wonderfully knowing in the Art of Rhetoric.”
• Causes men to have a good name.
• Gives knowledge and understanding of tongues.
• Makes one beloved of foes as well as friends.

He governs 29 legions, “partly of the Order of Thrones, and partly of that of Angels.”

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 The Weyer catalog, as Scot renders it, gives “Forneus” as “a great marquesse, like unto a monster of the sea,” who “maketh men woonderfull in rhetorike,” adorns a man with a good name and knowledge of tongues, and makes him beloved of foes and friends. There are nine and twenty legions “of the order partlie of thrones, and partlie of angels.” There are no significant differences.

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 No later tradition beyond the sources above is attached to this spirit.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern The sea-monster has been drawn in modern art as a whale, a giant fish, a serpent, or a kraken-like creature. Modern practitioners often approach Forneus for skill in communication and reputation.

What you will not find in any grimoire: a personality, a favorite color or food, signs that he has “chosen” you, or a birth chart that makes him your spirit. Those ideas come from modern books, forums and social media. They can be meaningful to the people who use them, but they are not history, and none of them is something you have to believe.

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): Marquis: silver; 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., and 9 p.m. to sunrise.
• Planet (later tradition: Golden Dawn and Crowley’s 777): Moon.
• Decan and day or night spirit (later tradition: 777): Capricorn, third decan (20 to 30 degrees); day spirit. 777 decan incense: “Cubel Pepper” (irritating smoke; not for beginners).
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color purple; incense jasmine; plant sunflower.
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: a great sea monster. 777 Magical Image: the same image. Modern Demonolatry/UPG: the seal, used as an altar image.
• Associated offerings: Modern practice, not in the Goetia manuscripts: most often listed, jasmine and sunflower.

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

Forneus fits the beginner criteria well. He is a marquis whose offices center on rhetoric, languages, and good reputation. A question about how to communicate more clearly would suit a first contact. His office of making one “beloved of his Foes” should not be turned into an attempt to influence particular people. A good reputation is built, in the end, by how you treat others.

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, Forneus is counted among the 31 spirits that fit.

To compare Forneus with other spirits of his rank, read Ronove and Marchosias. Marquises are the second largest group, 15 in the 1904 Classified List. Their metal is silver, the metal of the Moon, and their hours run from the afternoon through the night to sunrise. Their offices are as mixed as any rank’s: some teach, some find things, some cause harm.

How to study this entry

You can learn a great deal about Forneus without any ritual at all. These are the steps I suggest for any spirit.

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.