45. Vine: a king and 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.

Vine is spirit 45 of the 72 in the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon.

He is a king who reveals witches, an office that reads very differently after the age of the witch trials. 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:

Viné. The Forty-fifth Spirit is Viné, or Vinea. He is a Great King, and an Earl; and appeareth in the Form of a Lion, riding upon a Black Horse, and bearing a Viper in his hand. His Office is to discover Things Hidden, Witches, Wizards, and Things Present, Past, and to Come. He, at the command of the Exorcist will build Towers, overthrow Great Stone Walls, and make the Waters rough with Storms. He governeth 36 Legions of Spirits. And his Seal is this, which wear thou, as aforesaid, etc.

Viné appears “in the Form of a Lion, riding upon a Black Horse, and bearing a Viper in his hand”. His first office is “to discover Things Hidden, Witches, Wizards, and Things Present, Past, and to Come”. Then, “at the command of the Exorcist”, he builds towers, overthrows “Great Stone Walls” and makes “the Waters rough with Storms”.

Appearance

Historical Vine appears “in the Form of a Lion, riding upon a Black Horse, and bearing a Viper in his hand.” Mathers notes that some codices have “with the Head of a Lion” or “having a Lion’s Head.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

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

• Discovers things hidden, witches, wizards, and things present, past, and to come.
• At command, builds towers, overthrows great stone walls, and makes the waters rough with storms. Reported as history; not taught here.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical In Scot’s English, Weyer gives “Vine” as “a great king and an earle,” who “showeth himselfe as a lion, riding on a blacke horsse,” with a viper.

He builds towers, throws down stone walls, makes waters rough, and “answereth of things hidden, of witches, and of things present, past, and to come.” The entry in Scot gives no number of legions. The Goetia gives 36.

Historical Weyer’s Latin has the building first, “Amplas turres libenter ædificat: lapideas domus extruit”, he gladly builds large towers and constructs stone houses, so the Goetia’s “overthrow” is a reversal. “Rivos reddit turgidos” means he makes streams swell. The witches are “maleficis”, workers of harmful magic, and he answers about them only “ad exorcistæ mandatum”. Weyer’s Latin, like Scot, gives no number of legions. (About Weyer and Scot.)

Name and etymology

Historical The 1904 text prints Viné with an accent, and Vinea. Vinea is also the Latin word for a vineyard, but nothing in the entry plays on it.

Seal and images

Historical The seal above is Vine’s as printed in 1904, and by the rules of the Observations it would be made in gold or copper and silver, the metals of his two ranks. 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

Later tradition Vine’s office of discovering witches is striking in a text compiled during the era of witch trials.

Modern Some modern witches approach Vine with interest for this reason, reading the office as revealing hidden knowledge about witchcraft. That is a modern reframing.

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

Practical notes

Vine is a king, and his offices include storms and destroying walls. This spirit falls outside the beginner criteria. His office of revealing “witches” should never be turned against any real person. Accusations of witchcraft have caused, and in some places still cause, terrible harm.

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

Try this: one question to study

Weyer has Vine build stone houses; the 1904 text has him overthrow stone walls. Decide which reading the next words, about swollen streams, fit better.

What next

To compare Vine with other spirits of his rank, read Balam and Asmoday.

Later tradition In the Golden Dawn scheme of the decans, Vine is the night spirit of the third decan of Gemini, which belongs to the Ten of Swords; the day spirit of the same decan is Paimon (spirit 9).