Goetia: the Lesser Key of Solomon the King
About The Goetia
The Goetia (pronounced Go-EY-sha) is Book 1 of the Lemegeton (Lesser Key of Solomon), a grimoire that circulated in the 17th century and is penned in the name of King Solomon. This translation/compilation comes from SL MacGregor Mathers in 1904.
According to kabbalah scholar, Gershom Scholem, the text was not originally Jewish and was only translated into Hebrew in th 17th century. He describes the book as "a melange of Jewish, Christian, and Arab elements in which the kabbalistic component was practically nil." (Scholem, Kabbalah)
Many of the demons found in the Goetia were initially published in the 16th century by Johann Wier. Curiously, a handful were left out. The Goetia also uses some of Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal illustrations.
Goetia Articles
- Article: Shem haMephorash
Details how the demons of the Goetia may be associated with the 72 names of God, with an overview of how Kabbalists calculated that number. - Article: Dangers of Magick
This is an excellent article by a member of the Dark Lodge of the Desert newsgroup. It clears up a number of misconceptions about magick. - Excerpt: Nature of Spirits in the Goetia
An excerpt from the Goetia describing the nature of the spirits. - File: Demon Overview (PDF, 45KB)
Also from the Dark Lodge, here's a nifty PDF (45KB) listing the goetic demons by rank, metal, color, planet & incense. - Comparison of Wier and Mathers' lists
- Read the Goetia (from sacred-texts.com)
- Purchase the Goetia through Amazon.com
Demons of The Goetia
