The Goetia, the first part of the Lemegeton or Lesser Key of Solomon, presents a catalogue of seventy-two spirits with names, titles, attributed abilities, and other details. Its language borrows ranks such as king, duke, prince, marquis, president, and earl. That makes it resemble a court, but a catalogue of titles is not the same thing as a complete chain of command.
This article describes the text as an occult literary and manuscript tradition. Its attribution to Solomon does not make it a biblical book or establish authorship by the biblical king. The reference edition used here is Joseph H. Peterson’s Goetia transcription.
What Its Hierarchy Actually Gives Us
Individual entries assign titles and sometimes more than one title to a spirit. They also describe legions and claimed offices. Those claims belong to the text’s portrayal; listing them is not a verification that the beings or powers exist as described.
The material does not justify replacing the catalogue with an invented universal “Royal Four” governing all the other entries. Different ritual passages and later authors can use additional organizing schemes. A discussion must identify which passage or later work supplies a proposed structure.
Selected Names, Numbers, and Titles
| Entry | Name in the catalogue | Title or titles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bael | King |
| 3 | Vassago | Prince |
| 7 | Amon | Marquis |
| 9 | Paimon | King |
| 13 | Beleth | King |
| 18 | Bathin | Duke |
| 20 | Purson | King |
| 32 | Asmoday | King |
| 45 | Vine | King and earl |
| 47 | Vual | Duke |
| 51 | Balam | King |
| 61 | Zagan | King and president |
| 68 | Belial | King |
This is a selected reference table, not the complete list of seventy-two. The entry number makes it possible to check the name against the linked edition. Spelling variants occur across manuscripts and editions, so a variant should be compared with its entry and description before being counted as another spirit.
Three Confusions to Avoid
Vassago and Vual are separate catalogue entries, numbered 3 and 47. They should not be treated as alternate names for one duke. Amon, also encountered in variant spelling as Aamon, should not be split into a marquis and a second independent duke. Bathin is described as a duke, not an earl.
Multiple titles create another problem for summary counts. Vine and Zagan illustrate why adding up each rank category can double-count individuals. A writer must say whether a table counts unique entries, every title assigned, or a preferred title chosen by an editor.
Claimed Offices and Descriptions
The entries combine more than rank. They may describe appearance, voice, knowledge, movement, and the kind of service the text claims a spirit can perform. These elements create the catalogue’s literary character and its ritual purpose.
A responsible summary separates three statements: “the text calls this figure a king,” “a later interpreter arranges these figures under a superior,” and “this being actually possesses the claimed authority.” Only the first follows directly from reading the stated title. The other two require additional argument or evidence.
The same rule applies to invented territories or personality traits. A vivid description can be an effective modern adaptation, but it should not be placed beside manuscript details as though all came from the same source.
Relationship to Biblical Language
The use of Solomon’s name and religious vocabulary reflects the work’s claim to authority. It does not supply a missing chapter of the Bible. A Christian study of divination should begin with passages such as Deuteronomy 18:9–14 and Acts 19:18–20, then distinguish the biblical discussion from the later grimoire tradition.
This distinction also helps prevent confusion with Paradise Lost and Inferno. Milton and Dante use some familiar names within their own poems, but their literary worlds are not explanatory keys that automatically fix the Goetia’s hierarchy.
How to Compare Editions
- Record the entry number and the spelling in the edition being used.
- Preserve multiple titles instead of silently reducing them to one.
- Identify manuscript variants separately from newly invented aliases.
- Attribute claimed abilities to the text rather than presenting them as verified facts.
- Cite a source for any hierarchy added beyond the catalogue itself.
The result is a clearer reference article: readers can trace a name, see its stated rank, and recognize where interpretation begins. That is more reliable than a dramatic but unsupported map of an infernal government.
Primary source: Lemegeton, Part 1, Goetia, catalogue entries cited above, in Joseph H. Peterson’s manuscript-based transcription. The edition includes notes on variant readings and related texts.
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