Glasya-Labolas teaches all arts and sciences, in an instant, tells all things past and to come, and is the author and captain of manslaughter and bloodshed. He causes the love of both friends and foes, if desired, and can make a man invisible. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.
The Palis is a foot-licking jinn of low intelligence that drains the blood of sleepers by licking their feet. It can be easily thwarted by two people sleeping together with their feet under the covers and their heads sticking out from opposite sides of the bed. From KitÄb-i Ê»AjÄÊŸib-i makhlĆ«qÄt (The Book of Wonders and Creatures), 1921.
Caim (Caym) is a good disputer, he gives men the understanding of birds, dogs, and the noise of waters. He also gives true answers concerning things to come. When answering questions he seems to stand on burning ashes or coals. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.
Dagol, The Prince of Darkness. The name Dagol doesnât appear in any other grimoires or demonology books that I could find. His âPrince of Darknessâ designation leads one to believe it could be another name for Satan himself, however the demon Belial also bears that title. Though the source is quite old, it isnât as old as it purports to be and was likely created for resale as a rare book, not as a genuine grimoire. Compendium Of Demonology and Magic, 1775.
Astaroth. Magicians who summon him are warned not to get too closeâdue to his terrible breath. Tracing the origins of his name point to him possibly being originally female. He teaches the liberal sciences, imparts occult secrets, and can help find hidden treasure. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.
Abaddon (Apollyn) is the angel of death and destruction in the netherworld. He rules the Furies who administer powers of evil, chaos, war and devastation. From The Magus, 1801.
Jinn associated with the zodiac sign Cancer. From KitÄb-i Ê»AjÄÊŸib-i makhlĆ«qÄt (The Book of Wonders and Creatures), 1921.
Abigor (Eligor) is a duke who knows all of the secrets of war. He teaches leaders how to earn the loyalty of soldiers and can predict the outcome of duels. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.
Sheid beit ha-Kisset, a Jewish “demon of the privy” that takes the form of a goat, will attack when one is using the toilet. If it appears, it can make a man’s future children epileptic. To avoid this, it’s recommended for men to not use the toilet after sex, before walking a half mile. Described in the Talmud, art by Eve Harms.
Adramelech (Adramalek) is the administrator of The Devilâs wardrobe, a grand chancellor, and the president of The Devilâs general council. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Fly, a supposedly demonic knightly order founded by Beelzebub. From Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863.
(Originally written as Kendra Temples)
While working at the Occult library during the time I wrote about in The Secret Name, I came across a lot of really cool old grimoires and books on demonology. But you donât have to get a job working in a creepy mansion like I did to experience these gems. The magical Internet Archive has scans of many of them, entered into the public domain for your perusal. You can actually virtually flip through the original copies of these books. So cool!
Below are four books I picked out for you that you can read right now. FYI, I canât be held responsible for any demon possessions, curses or hauntings that may arise from reading and/or practicing the magic in these books.
This book, first published in 1818, is a catalog of different types of demons, divinations, occult sciences, witchcraft, superstitions and supernatural beliefs. Itâs written in French, and Iâm not aware of any public domain translations into English, but itâs worth perusing for the incredible illustrations by Louis Le Bretonâeven if you canât read a word of it.
This grimoire dating back to the 14th or 15th century is pseudegraphical, which means itâs written by an anonymous writer and attributed to a historical figureâin this case King Solomon. The spells in the book range from practical, such as finding stolen items, to fantastical and dangerousâsuch as summoning spirits and demons. Despite conjuring spirits of the dead and describing how to perform animal sacrifices, this is not a black magic book and the power of its spells come from God, whoâs mentioned quite a bit.
IohĂ© Grevis put a conjuration on the book itself that prevents its powers being used by anyone who is impure, unworthy, and/or not God-fearing. So if you try any the spells and they donât work, you know who to blame! I included both the translation and scans of the original below. If you want to learn more about it, there is a pretty good episode of Stuff They Donât Want You to Know that covers it.
This is another pseudegraphical work, and was first published in the middle of the 16th century, 20 years after its supposed author Cornelius Agrippaâs death. And like The Key of Solomon, it deals with summoning evil spirits and souls in order to control them and have them do your bidding. It also has a lot of passages on geomancy, which is a form of divination by throwing objects on the ground.
The Picatrix is a book of magic and astrology originally written in Arabic. Itâs thought to have been written in the middle of the 11th century and the true author is debated among historians. It primarily covers astrology and talismans, and has chapter names such as âThe Vague Meaning of Being Has Been Concealed by Philosophersâ and âDragon Pictures, Their Functions and Influences on How to Reflect and Attract Celestial Powers as Depicted in the Indian School of Thought with Examples of Their Magic Works.â If only I could be so bold with my own chapter titles!
I hope you liked my selections! Have you gone digging in the Internet Archive and seen anything cool? If you have, post links in the comments so other people can see too.
