The Importance of Pseudomonarchia Daemonum

The Goetia of Solomon did not just appear spontaneously. It has sources. One of those sources is the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum of Johann Weyer. I just gave a link to the text. If you follow that link and read what Joseph H. Peterson wrote, you will see that it was not the Latin of Weyer that was the source for the Goetia of Solomon. The GoS used Reginald Scot's translation from The Discoverie of Witchcraft.

Weyer cites as his source a book called Liber officiorum spirituum, seu Liber dictus Empto. Salomonis, de principibus & regibus dæmoniorum ("Book of the offices of spirits, or the book called Empto. Salomonis concerning the princes and kings of the demons"). Weyer omits and alters the content of this source work in the creation of his Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. He omits information on Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub as well as the Demonic Princes of the four cardinal directions.

Right before Reginald Scot translates Weyer's work, he writes "These are no small fooles, they go not to worke with a baggage tode, or a cat, as witches doo; but with a kind of majestie, and whith authoritie they call up by name, and have at their commandement seventie and nine principall and princelie divels, who have under them, as their ministers, a great multitude of legions of pettie divels; as for example." This quote is important for two reasons. First, Reginald Scot is aware of the number of demons that should be in the list he is about to give (72 demons, 4 cardinal demons, plus Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Satan = 79) and he could fill in some of what Weyer left out, but chooses to leave the list deficient. Although Scot is aware of Weyer's work, I do not believe he translated it directly. He was copying another person's English version which was slightly different to Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. In the margin between the second and third chapter, he writes, "This was the work of one T.R. written in faire letters of red & blacke upo[n] parchment, and made by him, Ann. 1570. to the maintenance of his living, the edifieng of the poore, and the glorie of gods holie name: as he himselfe saith." This manuscript by T.R. quite possibly contained the missing demons that would push Scot's count to 79.

Oh, yeah... The second reason that first quote is important?

In this art we are not dealing with Hebrew Kabbalah or the Angelic Orders and Choirs of the Christian church, "but with a kind of majestie, and whith authoritie they call up by name". Weyer uses the words "Pseudomonarch Daemonum". That has been translated as "False Monarchy of Demons". Weyer's source work uses the words "Princes", "Kings", and "Offices of Spirits" right in its title. What does this mean to us?

This is a subject I will return to again on this blog, but the offices and titles used in the Pseudomonarchy of Demons and the Goetia of Solomon describe an order not to be found in the works of Agrippa or Crowley. Kings, Princes, Marquisses, Dukes, Earls, Presidents... to understand what these titles mean and how to use the names, seals, and lamens of this art with majesty and authority, you need to put down 777 and pick up some books on Heraldry.