37. Phenex: 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.

Phenex is number 37 in the catalog of 72 spirits that opens the Lesser Key of Solomon. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a marquis ruling 20 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Phenex speaks “marvellously of all wonderful Sciences if required.”

Here I go through his entry layer by layer: the old text first, then what later centuries added, then modern practice, each part labeled so you can see how old it is.

If you came here wondering whether Phenex 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: 37 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Phenex in 1904; other spellings: Pheynix (1904), Phoenix (Weyer, Scot), Pheniex.
• Rank and legions: Marquis, 20 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 Phenex’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 Phenex 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 are not identical from one source to the next. The 1904 versions follow the manuscripts Mathers used, and later books and websites sometimes redraw, simplify or mix them. If two seals for the same spirit disagree, ask which edition each one follows.

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

Appearance

Historical Phenex “appeareth like the Bird Phoenix, having the Voice of a Child.” He “singeth many sweet notes before the Exorcist, which he must not regard,” and the magician must “by-and-by” bid him put on human shape.

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Speaks “marvellously of all wonderful Sciences if required.”
• Is “a Poet, good and excellent.”
• Will be willing to perform the magician’s requests.

He governs 20 legions and “hath hopes also to return to the Seventh Throne after 1,200 years more, as he said unto Solomon.”

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 Scot’s Weyer gives “Phoenix” as “a great marquesse, appearing like the bird Phoenix, having a childs voice.” Before he stands still, “he singeth manie sweet notes,” and “the exorcist with his companions must beware he give no eare to the melodie.” In human shape “he speake marvellouslie of all woonderfull sciences” and “is an excellent poet.” The match is close. Both give 20 legions.

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 Nothing of note was added to this spirit between the grimoires and the twentieth century.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern The warning not to listen to the song has drawn modern comparison with the Sirens of the Odyssey. The comparison is a modern one. Phenex is popular with modern poets, writers, and musicians, following his poetic office, and with those drawn to themes of renewal, through the legend of the phoenix bird.

Some things said about Phenex online are not in any grimoire at all: personalities, favorite foods, signs that a spirit has “picked” someone, or birth demons. They come from modern writing and social media. Treat them as one person’s experience, not as facts about the old text.

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): Aries, first decan (0 to 10 degrees); night spirit. 777 decan incense: myrtle.
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color purple; incense jasmine; plant rose.
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: a phoenix singing sweet notes in a child’s voice. 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, rose, then jasmine, meadowsweet, passion flower, and vervain.

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

Phenex fits the beginner criteria well. He is a marquis whose offices are the sciences and poetry, with no office of harm. A question about your own writing would suit a first contact. The text’s warning against regarding his song is worth noticing. The old magicians were wary even of beauty in a spirit’s approach. If a practice feels seductive or hard to end, close it.

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, Phenex is counted among the 31 spirits that fit.

To compare Phenex with other spirits of his rank, read Marchosias and Sabnock. 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

Studying Phenex needs only the texts, a notebook and some patience. This is the method I suggest for every entry.

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.