24. Naberius: 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.

Naberius is spirit 24 of the 72 in the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon.

His entry contains one of the clearest reversals in the whole catalog: an office of loss that became an office of restoration. 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:

Naberius. The Twenty-fourth Spirit is Naberius. He is a most valiant Marquis, and showeth in the form of a Black Crane, fluttering about the Circle, and when he speaketh it is with a hoarse voice. He maketh men cunning in all Arts and Sciences, but especially in the Art of Rhetoric. He restoreth lost Dignities and Honours. He governeth 19 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, which is to be worn, etc.

Naberius is “a most valiant Marquis” who appears as “a Black Crane, fluttering about the Circle” and speaks with a hoarse voice. He makes men “cunning in all Arts and Sciences, but especially in the Art of Rhetoric”, and “restoreth lost Dignities and Honours”. “Cunning” here meant skilled.

Appearance

Historical Naberius “showeth in the form of a Black Crane, fluttering about the Circle,” and “when he speaketh it is with a hoarse voice.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Makes men cunning in all arts and sciences, “but especially in the Art of Rhetoric.”
• Restores lost dignities and honors.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical Scot’s Weyer gives “Naberius, alias Cerberus,” “a valiant marquesse,” in the form of a crow, not a crane. He makes a man “amiable and cunning in all arts, and speciallie in rhetorike,” and “procureth the losse of prelacies and dignities.” The Goetia reverses this: Naberius “restoreth lost Dignities.” Both give 19 legions.

Historical Weyer’s Latin says the opposite of the last office: “Prælaturarum et dignitatum iacturam parit”, he brings about the loss of prelacies and dignities, and Scot agrees. Weyer’s bird is “corvi”, a crow or raven, not a crane, and he also makes a man “amabilem”, lovable. (About Weyer and Scot.)

Name and etymology

Historical Weyer gives “Naberus, aliàs Cerberus”. The alias links him to the three-headed dog of Greek myth, and some writers derive Naberius from Cerberus; that derivation is speculation.

Seal and images

Historical The seal above is Naberius’s as printed in 1904, and by the rules of the Observations it would be made in silver, 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 Collin de Plancy follows the alias: Le Breton’s 1863 plate, titled Cerbère, shows a three-headed dog standing upright in a coat.

Later tradition and modern practice

Later tradition Weyer’s alias Cerberus links Naberius to the three-headed hound of Greek myth, and some later demonologies show him with three dog heads. The Goetia’s crane is a different image entirely.

Modern Modern writers often present Naberius as a spirit of eloquence and public speaking.

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

Practical notes

Naberius fits the beginner criteria well. He is a marquis, and his offices center on rhetoric and the arts. A question about how to speak or write more clearly would suit a first contact. The reversal between Weyer’s “loss” and the Goetia’s “restoreth” is a good reminder that no single version of an entry is final.

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

Try this: one question to study

Put Weyer’s “brings about the loss of dignities” beside the 1904 “restoreth lost Dignities” and consider what that does to the spirit’s character.

What next

To compare Naberius with other spirits of his rank, read Ronove and Forneus.

Later tradition In the Golden Dawn scheme of the decans, Naberius is the day spirit of the third decan of Scorpio, which belongs to the Seven of Cups; the night spirit of the same decan is Vapula (spirit 60).