3. Vassago: a prince 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.

Vassago is spirit 3 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 prince ruling 26 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Vassago declares things past and to come.

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 Vassago suits a beginner, the short answer is in the Practical notes below: he does not meet the three beginner criteria I use, and I explain why.

At a glance

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

• Number: 3 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Vassago in 1904; other spellings: none common.
• Rank and legions: Prince, 26 legions.
• Metal of his rank (Observations): tin.
• Hours for princes (Observations): “Any hour of the Day.”
• In Weyer’s catalog (1577): no. Vassago is one of four Goetia spirits missing from Weyer; the others are Seere, Dantalion and Andromalius.

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

Appearance

Historical The Goetia gives no appearance for Vassago. It says only that he is “a Mighty Prince, being of the same nature as Agares.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Declares things past and to come.
• Discovers all things hidden or lost.

The text adds that he is “of a Good Nature,” one of the few remarks on temperament in the whole catalog. He governs 26 legions.

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 Vassago does not appear in Weyer’s catalog or in Scot’s translation. He is one of four Goetic spirits with no Weyer entry, the others being Seere (70), Dantalion (71), and Andromalius (72). The phrase “of the same nature as Agares” suggests the compiler placed him beside Agares on purpose, but the source of his entry is unknown.

Because Weyer’s 1577 catalog and Scot’s 1584 translation lack him, the 1904 text is the oldest printed source for this entry. More in Weyer and Scot.

Later tradition

Later tradition The text itself treats Vassago like every other spirit in the catalog; nothing later attaches to him beyond his modern reputation.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern Because the text calls Vassago good-natured, many modern writers recommend him as a first spirit for beginners. This is a modern reading of one line. The Goetia gives no reason to think he is safer than any other spirit, and it treats all 72 as “evil spirits.” His office of finding lost things has made him popular in modern divination practice, especially scrying. Online sources often give him favorite offerings or a particular temperament. These are modern claims with no source in the Goetia.

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): Prince: tin; any hour of the day.
• Planet (later tradition: Golden Dawn and Crowley’s 777): Jupiter.
• Decan and day or night spirit (later tradition: 777): Aries, third decan (20 to 30 degrees); day spirit. 777 decan incense: black pepper (irritating smoke; not for beginners).
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color blue; incense cedar; plant leek (toxic to cats).
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: none; the Goetia gives Vassago no figure and says only that he is “of the same nature as Agares.” 777 Magical Image: “Like Agares,” which points back to the old man on a crocodile. Modern Demonolatry/UPG: the seal, used as an altar image.
• Associated offerings: Modern practice, not in the Goetia manuscripts: most often listed, cedar, then frankincense, saffron, and grains of paradise; one source adds balm of Gilead.

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

Vassago is a prince, not a king. His offices are divination and finding lost things, not teaching in the narrow sense, but they involve no harm. He is a reasonable first study if your question concerns your own study or your own lost belongings. Do not use divination to look into other people’s private lives. Remember that the text’s “good nature” is one phrase, not a guarantee.

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, Vassago is not among the 31 spirits that fit.

To compare Vassago with other spirits of his rank, read Sitri and Stolas. Princes, which the 1904 list treats as the same rank as prelates, are a small group of seven. The Observations give them tin, the metal of Jupiter, and the easiest rule of all: any hour of the day. Several of them, such as Vassago and Stolas, have offices of knowledge and teaching, which is one reason they appear so often in modern beginner lists.

How to study this entry

You can learn a great deal about Vassago 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. Read the 1904 entry next to a spirit that is in Weyer, and notice how a text with no older source differs.
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.