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. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a king and earl ruling 36 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Vine discovers things hidden, witches, wizards, and things present, 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 Vine 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: 45 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Vine in 1904; other spellings: Vinea (1904), Viné.
• Rank and legions: King and Earl, 36 legions.
• Metal of his rank (Observations): gold (as king) or copper and silver (as earl); two ranks.
• Hours for kings (Observations): “From 9 till 12 o’clock at Noon, and from 3 till Sunset.”
• Hours for earls (Observations): “Any hour of the Day, so it be in Woods, or in any other places whither men resort not, or where no noise is.”
• 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. Vine holds two ranks, and the text does not say which rule applies to him. 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 Vine’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 Vine means gold or copper and 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 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 Vine’s seal slowly by hand is also a good study exercise, because you notice lines and circles that the eye skips.

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

He governs 36 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 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.

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

Modern practice and pop culture

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.

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): As king: gold; 9 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to sunset. As earl: copper and silver; any hour of the day, in woods or other quiet places. The text does not say which rule applies.
• Planet (later tradition: Golden Dawn and Crowley’s 777): Venus and Sun. This differs from 777’s usual pattern for a king and earl, which would give the Sun and Mars. This is how the 1909 printing gives it.
• Decan and day or night spirit (later tradition: 777): Gemini, third decan (20 to 30 degrees); night spirit. 777 decan incense: cypress.
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color yellow (sometimes with red); incense frankincense; plant mallow.
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: a lion on a black horse, a viper in his hand; towers and storms belong to his office. 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, frankincense; one source adds mallow.

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

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.

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, Vine is not among the 31 spirits that fit.

To compare Vine with other spirits of his rank, read Balam and Asmoday. Kings are the highest rank among the 72. The 1904 Classified List names nine of them, from Bael to Belial, and they tend to rule the largest numbers of legions. Above them, in the Goetia’s wider world, stand the four kings of the quarters, such as Amaymon, who are not among the 72. The beginner criteria I use leave kings out of a first study, whatever their offices, simply because the text places them at the top of its court.

How to study this entry

You can learn a great deal about Vine 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. 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.