The dictionary of demons, p.46
The Dictionary of Demons, page 46
Nalael: According to the Ars Theurgia, Nalael is a duke in service to the demon Symiel, king of the north by east. Associated with the hours of the night, Nalael is attended by one hundred and thirty ministering spirits that carry out his will. He possesses an obstinate and ill-tempered nature and is reluctant to appear before mortals. See also ARS THEURGIA, SYMIEL.
Nambrot: A demon associated with Saturday in the Grimoire of Pope Honorius. In the same text, he is also named as the demon of Tuesday. In the Peterson translation of the Grimorium Verum, he appears under the name Nambroth. Here, he is also said to be associated with Tuesdays. See also GRIMORIUM VERUM.
Namiros: A servitor of the arch-fiend Beelzebub, Namiros is named in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, in which he is called up and made to swear an oath as part of the Holy Guardian Angel working. See also BEELZEBUB, MATHERS.
Naôth: According to the pseudepigraphal Testament of Solomon, Naôth is the nineteenth of thirty-six demons associated with the decans of the zodiac. He is a demon of affliction and disease, attacking humanity by causing ailments of the knees and the neck. He appears in a monstrous form, possessing the body of a man and the head of a beast, and he is sometimes also known by the name Nathath. He can be driven away by calling upon the name Phnunoboêol. As Rhyx Nathotho, he is the twentieth demon in this list as translated later by McCown. Working from a more complete collection of source texts, McCown’s translation is generally more accurate. In this version of the text, it is the angel Phounibiel who constrains him. See also SOLOMON.
Naras: A demon named in the Ars Theurgia. Naras is said to serve the demon-king Gediel. Holding the rank of duke, Naras is connected to the hours of the day and, through Gediel, he also has an affiliation with the southern point of the compass. He has twenty lesser spirits to carry out his commands. See also ARS THEURGIA, GEDIEL.
Narsial: A chief duke who owes fealty to the infernal prince Dorochiel. In the Ars Theurgia, Narsial is said to be a demon of the night, serving his master in the hours between midnight and dawn. He has four hundred lesser spirits at his command. Through Dorochiel, he is connected with the region of the west. See also ARS THEURGIA, DOROCHIEL.
Two men stand in a circle as they summon the Devil. Woodcut, 1720. Image courtesy of the Wellcome Collection, London.
Nartniel: A duke in the hierarchy of the wandering prince Uriel, according to the Ars Theurgia. Nartniel is reputedly an evil, stubborn, and dishonest spirit. He appears in the form of a serpent with the head of a beautiful young woman. As a demon of rank, he has command over a total of six hundred and fifty companions and lesser spirits. See also ARS THEURGIA, URIEL.
Narzael: A stubborn and willful demon who is tied to the hours of the night. Narzael is one of a thousand demons holding the rank of chief duke who wait upon the infernal king Symiel during the nocturnal hours. Narzael himself holds power over a total of two hundred and ten lesser spirits. Narzael is a part of a series of demons discussed in the Henson translation of the Ars Theurgia. He serves the court of the north. See also ARS THEURGIA, SYMIEL.
Nasar: A ministering spirit of King Sarabotres, the ruler of the planetary sphere of Venus. Nasar’s color is green and he appears very handsome and agreeable. He may manifest as a naked girl or as a young woman dressed in beautiful garments of emerald and white. He has the power to influence feelings, encouraging love and harmonious interactions. He can also conjure all things that have movement, which is a rather broad category of items. He appears in the Book of Oberon, a grimoire written during the Elizabethan age in England. Compare to the demons Naasar, Naassar, and Nassar. See also BOOK OF OBERON, MANASA, SARABOTRES.
Nasiniet: A mighty duke with a total of one thousand three hundred and twenty ministering spirits to attend his needs. Nasiniet appears in the Ars Theurgia in a list of spirits who serve the infernal prince Emoniel. Nasiniet is said to have a fondness for forests and woods where he is able to manifest himself equally well during the hours of the day or the night. See also ARS THEURGIA, EMONIEL.
Nassar: One of three ministers who serve the demon Canibores, a powerful president of Hell. Daniel Driscoll’s edition of the Sworn Book of Honourius tells us that Canibores cannot be conjured to visible appearance himself. Instead, he can be reached through his three ministers, each of whom possesses powers similar to their superior. Subsequently, when Nassar is summoned, he can create boundless enjoyment in the opposite sex and sow both love and lust between men and women. He has a nature that is as malleable as silver, and his body shines like a brilliant star. Nassar’s name is conspicuously similar to that of one of his compatriots, Naassa. Such parallelism or pairing of names is common among demons who serve in the same infernal hierarchies. In the Peterson translation of the Sworn Book, Nassar is identified as one of two ministers of the demon Sarabocres. Here, he is connected with the planet Venus. As a Venusian spirit, many of his powers remain the same. In the Ars Theurgia, Nassar appears as a servant of the demon Armadiel, associated with the north. In this text, he is said to hold the title of duke. If the day is divided into fifteen sections, Nassar’s time is the first portion of the day. He is attended by eighty-four ministering spirits. See also ARMADIEL, ARS THEURGIA, CANIBORES, NAASSA, SARABOCRES, SWORN BOOK.
Nastros: A demon of darkness who commands a total of eight hundred and eighty lesser spirits. Nastros appears in the Ars Theurgia, as translated by Mitch Henson. According to this work, Nastros serves the wandering duke Buriel, a prince of the air who moves from place to place along with his retinue. Nastros is an evil spirit who fears the light. When he manifests, it is only at night and he takes the form of a great serpent. This monstrous serpent bears a woman’s head and speaks with a man’s voice. Nastros and all the hierarchy of Buriel are so evil that they are hated and reviled by all other spirits. See also ARS THEURGIA, BURIEL.
Natales: A name derived from the Latin word for “nativity,” Natales appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. According to this text, he is a demon ruled by the arch-fiend Beelzebub. Another variant spelling of this name is Natalis. See also BEELZEBUB, MATHERS.
Nathes: A demonic prince listed in the Munich Handbook. He is conjured as part of a spell to obtain information concerning a theft. He helps with matters of divination. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Nathriel: One of fifteen dukes governed by the infernal prince Icosiel. According to the Ars Theurgia, Nathriel commands a total of two thousand two hundred lesser spirits. He has a fondness for manifesting in people’s houses, but he is bound only to appear during certain hours and minutes each day. If the day is divided into fifteen equal portions, the portion that belongs to Nathriel is the ninth. See also ARS THEURGIA, ICOSIEL.
Nebiros: A demon named in both the Grimorium Verum and the Grand Grimoire. He is a martial demon and is described as being Hell’s field marshal. The Grand Grimoire also accords him the title of Inspector General of Hell’s armies. Nebiros is credited with the ability to work evil upon whomsoever he wishes. He further possesses the secrets of the Hand of Glory, a grisly talisman much sought after by thieves. He knows the virtues of all vegetables, minerals, metals, and animals, and will reveal these to the magician bold enough to summon him forth. Additionally, he has the gift of prophecy, which he typically works through operations of necromancy. Beneath him are the Goetic demons Ipos, Glasya Labolas, and Naberius. The inclusion of Naberius among his ministers is curious, as Nebiros is almost certainly a variation on the name Naberius. See also GLASYA LABOLAS, GRAND GRIMOIRE, GRIMORIUM VERUM, IPOS, NABERIUS.
Nedriel: A roguish and malevolent demon who assumes the form of a human-headed serpent. Nedriel is a demon who loves night and darkness. He flees the light and refuses to manifest during the day. According to the Ars Theurgia, he serves beneath the wandering duke Buriel, and he commands a total of eight hundred and eighty lesser spirits of his own. Because of their vile and evil natures, Nedriel and all his ilk are hated and despised by other spirits. Elsewhere in the Ars Theurgia, this demon appears as one of several demonic companions, or “under dukes,” named in connection with the court of the wandering prince Menadiel. In this hierarchy, Nedriel is said to follow the infernal duke Benodiel. As both are tied to specific hours of the day, Nedriel manifests in the eighth hour, following his master Benodiel, who manifests in the seventh. See also ARS THEURGIA, BENODIEL, BURIEL, MENADIEL.
The Hexagram of Solomon. This symbol is found in several grimoires, including the Lemegeton. Art by Jackie Williams.
Nemariel: A demon who holds the rank of knight. In this capacity, he works for the infernal prince Pirichiel, traveling from place to place and carrying out his will. Nemariel holds sway over a total of two thousand lesser spirits. His name appears in the Henson edition of the Ars Theurgia. See also ARS THEURGIA, PIRICHIEL.
Nenisem: In his 1898 translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Mathers includes Nenisem in a list of demons who serve Magoth and Kore. In the 1720 version of the Abramelin material kept in the Dresden library, the name of this demon appears as Pasifen. See also KORE, MAGOTH, MATHERS.
Neophon: A demon who appears in the form of a hound. He is named in the Book of Oberon, where he is identified as one of twelve high-ranking servitors to King Oriens, ruler of the spirits of the east. Neophon is a demon of prophecy and a revealer of secrets who also can grant favors and fame. If one has enemies, he can turn them into friends. All riches, dignities, and worship are his to grant. See also BOOK OF OBERON, ORIENS.
Nephthada: According to the Testament of Solomon, Nephthada is the twenty-third demon associated with the thirty-six decans of the zodiac. He is a demon of illness and disease, and he typically appears in a monstrous form with the head of a beast but the body of a man. Nephthada can be abjured by uttering the names Iâthôth and Uruêl. Sometimes, his name is also rendered Nefthada. In a later translation of this book, working from a more complete selection of source texts, the name of the twenty-third demon is Rhyx Manthado. Rhyx is a title meaning “king.” He afflicts the kidneys and can be constrained by saying the names Iaoth and Ouriel. See also SOLOMON.
Nine Choirs of Heaven and Hell
By the Middle Ages, it was widely accepted that the Heavenly Hosts were comprised of nine distinct orders of angels. This celestial hierarchy was divided up into three tiers, or spheres, and these were ranked in order from those closest to the Throne of God to those closest to the physical realm. The most influential church scholar on this topic was Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, who created his Celestial Hierarchy in the fourth or fifth century of the Common Era. Saint Thomas Aquinas also wrote on the angelic hierarchies in his Summa Theologica. Saint Gregory the Great additionally promoted the concept of the Nine Choirs in his works. Four of the orders of angels are drawn from Old Testament sources. These are the Angels, Archangels, Cherubim, and Seraphim. The remaining orders come from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians and his Letter to the Colossians.
Top Sphere: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones
Middle Sphere: Dominions, Virtues, Powers
Lower Sphere: Principalities, Archangels, Angels
In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Order of Dominions was sometimes also called the Order of Dominations. The Order of Powers was sometimes known as the Order of Potestates. Principalities and Powers were added as choirs in the angelic hierarchy at least in part because of a reference in Romans 8:38 that speaks of angels, principalities, and powers. Although the text does not clearly identify the principalities and powers as orders of angels, early church fathers, such as Pseudo-Dionysius, interpreted them as such.
As many demons were formerly angels before their fall, it made sense for medieval writers to assume that the demons would at least retain some vestiges of this ninefold hierarchy. Thus, works like the Goetia make note of which demons belonged to which orders before their fall. Sometimes, the orders of the demons are not presented in the past tense, suggesting that the hierarchy of Hell may simply be a dark reflection of the nine angelic orders. This would be in keeping with Qabbalistic notions which outline an angelic hierarchy based upon the ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life. The system of the Qabbalah accounts for something called the Qlippoth. This is essentially a dark reflection of the Tree of Life, populated by demons who are viewed as husks or shells left over from an imperfect creation.
Nercamay: A demon who serves beneath all four princes of the cardinal directions, Nercamay appears in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. Mathers suggests that his name arises from two Hebrew words meaning “boy” and “companion.” From there, it is not much of a stretch to suppose that Nercamay is something of a catamite. As a servant of the four cardinal princes, he shares all of their powers, and, if summoned, he can grant familiars to the magician or summon armed men for his protection. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Nergal: According to French demonologist Charles Berbiguier’s three-volume work Les Farfadets, Nergal is a Minister of Hell and the Chief of the Secret Police. This title seems only fitting, considering that, in his earlier days, Nergal was a fierce warrior who later became the lord of the Underworld. In Assyro-Babylonian myth, Nergal ruled the land of dust and tears with his wife Ereshkigal, who was so nasty, she tortured and killed her own sister. Since one of Nergal’s symbols was the sickle, he may have helped to influence later images of the Grim Reaper. Nergal is also described as Hell’s Chief of Secret Police in A. E. Waite’s Book of Black Magic and Pacts as well as Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal. See also BERBIGUIER, DE PLANCY.
Neriel: A demon associated with the hours of the day who is nevertheless called forth by night. Neriel’s name and seal appear in the Ars Theurgia, where he is said to serve Camuel, the infernal prince of the southeast. Neriel is ranked as a duke and he has ten ministering spirits at his command. See also ARS THEURGIA, CAMUEL.
Nesachnaadob: One of several demons who serve the infernal king Fornnouc. Nesachnaadob is said to appear when certain perfumes are burned in his name. He is a demon connected with the element of air and, accordingly, he has a nature that is both lively and capricious. He has an active and agile mind, and he will serve as an inspiring tutor for those who make the proper offering to him. He also has the power to cure weaknesses and prevent further infirmities. He appears in Daniel Driscoll’s 1977 edition of the Sworn Book of Honourius, a modern translation of a magickal text dating approximately to the fourteenth century. See also FORNNOUC, SWORN BOOK.
Nesaph: Ruled by the demon Formione, king of the spirits of Jupiter, Nesaph appears in the Peterson’s translation of the Sworn Book of Honorius. In this text, he is said to grant favors to people. He also has the power to bring gladness, love, and joy. The angels Satquiel, Raphael, Pahamcocihel, and Asassaiel have the power to compel and constrain him. See also FORMIONE, SWORN BOOK.
Nessar: According to Driscoll’s edition of the Sworn Book, Nessar is one of the ministers who serve the infernal king Sarabocres. Like his immediate superior, Nessar is a demon who possesses a shifting and malleable nature. In appearance, he is described as possessing a body of moderate stature colored like a brilliant star. His province is love, lust, and all earthly pleasures. He can bring gifts of rich and costly fabrics and perfumes, and he can inspire increased enjoyment during sex. See also SARABOCRES, SWORN BOOK.
Niagutly: A minister in the court of the demon-king Fornnouc, said to rule over the element of air. Niagutly can serve as a demonic tutor, teaching all rational arts and sciences. He has an agile mind, lively and active, but also fickle. He is additionally a healer, curing weakness and infirmity. His name appears in the Driscoll edition of the Sworn Book. See also FORNNOUC, SWORN BOOK.
Nilen: This demon’s name is most likely derived from the Greek word for the River Nile. Nilen appears in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, where he is said to be subject to the four princes of the cardinal directions: Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. As such, he shares all of the powers that they can confer, from flight to visions to the raising of the dead. AMAIMON, ARITON, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Nilima: A name meaning “evil questioner,” at least according to occultist S. L. MacGregor Mathers. In his translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Nilima is said to work as a servant of the demon-king Amaimon. He is summoned and bound through oaths during the Holy Guardian Angel working central to the Abramelin material. See also AMAIMON, MATHERS.
Nimalon: A servitor of the demons Astaroth and Asmodeus. In his translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Mathers strangely relates the name of this demon to the Hebrew word for circumcision. See also ASTAROTH, ASMODEUS, MATHERS.
Nimerix: A demon called upon in the course of the Holy Guardian Angel rite. Nimerix appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, where he is said to have no master other than Astaroth. See also ASTAROTH, MATHERS.
Nimorup: One of several demon names that appear in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage that have radically different spelling from one version to the next. He appears as Nimorup on the Mathers translation. The version at the Wolfenbüttel library in Germany gives this name as Mynymarup, while the manuscript at the Dresden library renders it Mynimorug. All versions agree, however, that this demon is a servant of Beelzebub. See also BEELZEBUB, MATHERS.
Nodar: A night-demon who nevertheless appears during the hours of the day, Nodar is named in the Ars Theurgia. According to this text, he serves the infernal prince Camuel, ruler of the southeast. Nodar is a duke in this infernal hierarchy, and ten ministering spirits serve beneath him. See also ARS THEURGIA, CAMUEL.
