40. Raum: an earl 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.

Raum is number 40 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 an earl ruling 30 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Raum steals treasures out of kings’ houses and carries them where commanded.

His entry joins theft, ruin and reconciliation, and records his former place among the angels. 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:

Raum. The Fortieth Spirit is Räum. He is a Great Earl; and appeareth at first in the Form of a Crow, but after the Command of the Exorcist he putteth on Human Shape. His office is to steal Treasures out King’s Houses, and to carry it whither he is commanded, and to destroy Cities and Dignities of Men, and to tell all things, Past, and what Is, and what Will Be; and to cause Love between Friends and Foes. He was of the Order of Thrones. He governeth 30 Legions of Spirits; and his Seal is this, which wear thou as aforesaid.

Raum appears as a crow and then as a man. His offices run from theft (“to steal Treasures out King’s Houses”) to destruction (“to destroy Cities and Dignities of Men”) to knowledge and love between friends and foes. The phrase “Dignities of Men” means ranks and honors, not people’s self-respect. The entry ends with his origin: “He was of the Order of Thrones”, one of the nine choirs of angels, and the third highest in the usual medieval order.

Appearance

Historical Raum “appeareth at first in the Form of a Crow, but after the Command of the Exorcist he putteth on Human Shape.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Steals treasures out of kings’ houses and carries them where commanded.
• Destroys cities and the dignities of men. Reported as history; not taught here.
• Tells all things past, present, and to come.
• Causes love between friends and foes. Reported as history; not taught here.

He “was of the Order of Thrones” and governs 30 legions.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical In Scot’s English, Weyer gives “Raum, or Raim,” “a great earle,” seen as a crow, who “stealeth woonderfullie out of the kings house,” “destroieth cities, and hath great despite unto dignities,” knows past, present, and future, and reconciles friends and foes. Weyer has “reconcileth,” the Goetia “cause Love.” Both give 30 legions and the order of Thrones.

Historical Weyer’s Latin makes the theft a marvel: “mirè ex regis domo vel alia suffuratur”, he steals wonderfully from a king’s house or another. For the ruin of dignities Weyer has “dignitatum despectum ingerit”, he brings contempt upon dignities, which is less violent than “destroy”. Peterson notes that Weyer’s “corvus” is a raven, not a crow, so here too the Goetia’s crow is a narrowing of the Latin. (About Weyer and Scot.)

Name and etymology

Historical Weyer gives “Raum vel Raym” and Scot “Raum, or Raim”. The 1904 text prints Räum with a diaeresis. No meaning is known.

Seal and images

Historical The seal above is Raum’s as printed in 1904, and by the rules of the Observations it would be made in copper and silver, the metals 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 Raum’s crow form and offices of theft and destruction have made him a figure of rebellion in some modern writing. Others present him as a spirit of reconciliation, following one office only.

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

Practical notes

Raum’s offices center on theft and destruction. He falls outside the beginner criteria, and I do not teach those offices.

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

Try this: one question to study

Look up the nine choirs of angels in a medieval list and note which spirits of the 72 the Goetia places in the order of Thrones.

What next

To compare Raum with other spirits of his rank, read Halphas and Furfur.

Later tradition In the Golden Dawn scheme of the decans, Raum is the night spirit of the first decan of Taurus, which belongs to the Five of Pentacles; the day spirit of the same decan is Samigina (spirit 4).