The dictionary of demons, p.51
The Dictionary of Demons, page 51
Pist: This demon appears within the spells of the Munich Handbook. According to the text, he is called upon to assist with the discovery of a theft. Through the art of divination, he can help to reveal the identity of the thief or thieves responsible so they may be brought to justice. In modern American slang, his name sounds much like how one might feel if they were the victim of a theft. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Pithius: A demon whose name appears in a hierarchy compiled by Francis Barrett, author of The Magus. According to Barrett, Pithius is one of eight demonic princes given sway over a variety of evil concepts and classes of beings. As a demonic prince in the infernal hierarchy, Pithius holds sway over liars and liar spirits. The name of this demon might be derived from the Greek term pythia. The Pythia was the priestess of the Temple of Apollo on Mount Parnassus. She served as the mouthpiece of the famous oracle at Delphi. See also BARRETT.
Platien: Mathers suggests that this demon’s name is derived from a Greek root meaning “flat” or “broad.” In the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Platien is one of many demons said to serve in the hierarchy beneath the four infernal princes of the cardinal directions: Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Plegit: A demon ruled by Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. Plegit’s name appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In other versions of the Abramelin material, this demon’s name is given as Alogil. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Plirok: A demon named in the 1898 translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage by occultist S. L. MacGregor Mathers, Plirok is listed as one of many demons who serve beneath the four infernal princes of the cardinal directions: Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Pluto: Originally the Roman version of Hades, god of the Underworld, Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal ranks Pluto among the denizens of Hell. He is also described as the Prince of Fire. The hierarchy that features Pluto was later cited by Waite in his treatment of the Grand Grimoire. It stems from the works of French demonologist Charles Berbiguier. This same hierarchy also identifies Pluto’s consort, Proserpine, as a demon. Proserpine is better known by her Greek name, Persephone. She was the goddess of the spring. She was also known as Kore. See also BERBIGUIER, DE PLANCY, KORE, PROSERPINE, WAITE.
Poculo: A demon who serves both Sergulaf and Hael and the court of Duke Resbiroth. Poculo, whose name is also given as Proculo, has powers over sleep. He can cause someone to fall into a profound slumber for a full twenty-four hours, although the text does not make it clear if this is intended as a blessing or a curse. This demon teaches about all aspects of sleep and presumably also dreams. His name appears in a version the Secrets of Solomon kept at the Wellcome Library in London. See also HAEL, RESBIROTH, SECRETS OF SOLOMON, SERGULAF.
Porax: A prince with nine legions serving beneath him, Porax appears as an angel with black skin. Named in the Book of Oberon, he is a demon of homesteads, with the power to build houses and to divide lands, woods, and waters. He plants fruit trees and sows seeds, teaching the virtue of the plants of the land. He also has the power to still waters. See also BOOK OF OBERON.
Portisan: One of three ministers in the court of Lucifer, at least according to the Elizabethan Book of Oberon. In that text, Portisan appears along with Fortisan and Alingon as messengers sent to compel the demon Bilgall to appear. See also ALINGON, BILGALL, BOOK OF OBERON, FORTISAN, LUCIFER.
Poter: A demon whose name is thought to mean “the Vessel,” Poter appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. He serves in the hierarchies of the four demonic princes who preside over the cardinal directions: Oriens, Paimon, Amaimon, and Ariton. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Potiel: A demon ruled by prince Usiel in the court of the west. The Ars Theurgia describes Potiel as a chief duke, with forty lesser spirits serving beneath him. He is connected with the hours of the day and is considered especially gifted at revealing hidden things or hiding valuables so they may not be stolen. See also ARS THEURGIA, USIEL.
Prasiel: One of twelve chief dukes ruled by the wandering prince Soleviel. Prasiel himself oversees a total of one thousand eight hundred and forty lesser spirits. According to the Ars Theurgia, he serves Soleviel only one year out of every two, sharing duties among the other dukes of Soleviel’s court. See also ARS THEURGIA, SOLEVIEL.
Praxeel: The name and seal of this demon appear in the Ars Theurgia. He is one of twelve chief dukes in service to the demon Soleviel. Half of these serve one year and the other half serve in the next. According to this text, Praxeel is free to manifest during any hour of the day or night. He is in charge of one thousand eight hundred and forty subordinate spirits. See also ARS THEURGIA, SOLEVIEL.
Preches: A demonic servant of Asmodeus named in association with the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In other versions of this work, the name of this demon is recorded variously as Presfees and Brefsees. See also ASMODEUS, MATHERS.
Proathophas: A servant of the demon Iammax, infernal king of Mars. Proathophas brings death, destruction, war, and bloodshed. His manifest form has red skin that glows like a burning coal. His region is the south. His name appears in the Joseph Peterson translation of the Sworn Book of Honorius, where he is also said to be subject to the angels Samahel, Satihel, Ylurahihel, and Amabiel. This demon is one of five under the rule of Iammax described as being subject to the east wind. Compare him to Pathophas, in the Driscoll translation of the Sworn Book. See also IAMMAX, PATHOPHAS.
Procell: The forty-ninth demon in the Goetia, where his name is spelled Procel. In Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft, Procell is described as a great and strong duke with forty-eight legions under his command. He was once of the Order of Powers, and he appears in the form of an angel that speaks with a dark intensity. He can impart knowledge of geometry, the liberal arts, and the occult. He also has power over water, causing the sound of rushing water to manifest when there is no water nearby. He can also warm water up or disrupt the waters of healing baths at the command of his conjuror. In Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, his name is spelled Pucel. Henson’s edition of the Lemegeton renders this name Perocel. The Goetia of Dr. Rudd gives his name as Crocell. According to this text, he is frustrated by the angel Vehuel. According to the Welsh Book of Incantations, he governs only eighteen legions. See also BOOK OF INCANTATIONS, GOETIA, RUDD, SCOT, WIERUS.
The design for the seal of the demon Procel that appears in the Goetia of Dr. Rudd varies greatly from other editions of the Goetia. From a talisman by M. Belanger.
Proculo: A demon of sleep, Proculo is reputed to be able to make anyone sleep for a period of twenty-four hours. Appearing in Peterson’s Grimorium Verum, he is listed as the first spirit serving under Hael and Sergulath. This demon can further speak on all matters pertaining to sleep. He is also reputedly gifted with prophecy. See also GRIMORIUM VERUM, HAEL, POCULO, SERGULATH.
Progemon: In the Munich Handbook, Progemon is named in a spell designed to bring justice to thieves and restore stolen goods. He is called upon in acts of divination and scrying. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Promakos: This demon’s name may mean “a fighter on the front lines.” He appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In this work, Promakos is said to serve beneath the demonic princes of the four directions: Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Proserpine: A Roman goddess. She was the daughter of Ceres, goddess of the harvest, and the consort of Pluto, lord of the Underworld. She is the Roman version of Persephone, the Greek goddess of the spring. She was a fundamental deity connected with the Eleusinian Mysteries, and she was sometimes known as Kore. Despite her ancient status as a deity, Collin de Plancy includes Proserpine as a demon in his Dictionnaire Infernal. She is named as the Arch-She-Devil and Princess of Mischievous Spirits. These titles for Proserpine were repeated by occultist A. E. Waite in his treatment of the Grand Grimoire as presented in his Book of Black Magic and Pacts. Although Waite incorrectly cited Wierus for this information, the real source was Charles Berbiguier, the self-styled demonologist and author of Les Farfadets. Proserpine does receive a mention in Wierus’s larger work, De Praestigiis Daemonum. Here she is cited as one of the many ancient gods and goddesses demonized in later times. See also BERBIGUIER, DE PLANCY, KORE, PLUTO, WAITE, WIERUS.
In the Middle Ages, the Devil was thought to appear in the form of a black goat. Traditional image from heraldry. Courtesy of Dover Publications.
Proxosos: A demon ruled by Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon—the four demonic princes of the cardinal directions. He is named in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. He appears on the third day of the Abramelin working in order to swear his loyalty to the magician. In his translation of the Abramelin work, occultist Mathers relates this demon’s name to a Greek word meaning “a kid” or “a goat.” See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Pruflas: This is the fourth demon named in the extensive list of infernal entities known as the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. Reginald Scot, writing in 1584, included a translation of this list of infernal names in his own work The Discoverie of Witchcraft. However, he skipped over the entry on Pruflas entirely. How or why this omission occurred is unclear. It is possible that the edition of Wierus’s text that Scot was working from had already dropped the demon, and it is equally possible that the error was Scot’s. Interestingly, this is also the only spirit included in Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum that fails to appear in the Lemegeton—a detail that strongly suggests that this work was based at least in part on Scot’s book rather than Wierus’s. According to the Pseudomonarchia, Pruflas is a great prince and duke who oversees twenty-six legions of lesser spirits. Some of these spirits come from the Order of Thrones and some come from the Order of Angels. Pruflas is said to reside around the Tower of Babylon, where he appears like a flame. A more physical form is implied as well, since he is said to also have a head like that of a nighthawk. He is a demon of war and deceit, having the power to incite wars and quarrels. An alternate spelling of his name is given as Bufas. See also GOETIA, RUDD, SCOT, WIERUS.
Prziel: An evil angel credited with the power to smite and bind beings of the mortal realm. In a spell outlined in the Sword of Moses, he is summoned to torment an enemy by binding throat, mouth, and tongue. He is also called upon to poison the target of the spell and to place a binding upon their mind. All of this together is intended to completely ruin and overcome the enemy who was foolish enough to cross anyone capable of calling upon such puissant powers. See also GASTER, SWORD OF MOSES.
Psdiel: A demon named in the Sword of Moses, Psdiel is a wicked angel called upon to bind an enemy’s tongue, throat, mouth, and mind. He is part of an elaborate curse intended to utterly destroy another human being. The angel, with the help of three of his brethren, is further called upon to place poisonous water in the belly of the victim so that he is filled with disease. See also GASTER, SWORD OF MOSES.
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum: The “False Monarchy of Demons.” This work, compiled in 1563 by scholar Johannes Wierus, was included as an appendix in his larger work De Praestigiis Daemonum (“On Demonic Magick”). The Pseudomonarchia is a list of major demons, including descriptions of their powers and manifest appearances. Notably, the Pseudomonarchia includes nearly all of the seventy-two demons named in the Goetia, as well as some notes on the proper methods for summoning and compelling these beings. There are some minor differences between the two texts. Notably, Wierus’s work does not include the demonic sigils that are such a striking part of the Goetia, and the proscribed method for summoning the demons is much simpler, involving only a summoning circle and not an additional triangle.
Other minor differences exist in both the descriptions and order of spirits. The Pseudomonarchia is also missing the four Goetic spirits: Seere, Dantalion, Andromalius, and Vassago. These may have been added to the Goetia later, or they may have been sourced from an alternate text. Wierus himself claimed to have derived his list of spirits from an earlier work known as the Liber Officiorum Spirituum, or the Book of the Offices of the Spirits. The publication date of this work is unknown, although grimoiric scholar Joseph Peterson suggests that it significantly predated Wierus’s time, owing to the variations in the names and the number of redactions within the text. An English edition of the Pseudomonarchia was reproduced in Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft, published in London 1584. Most modern reproductions of the Pseudomonarchia are based off of Scot’s book. See also GOETIA, SCOT, WIERUS.
Pumotor: A demon with power to trick all five senses into perceiving things that are not there. According to the Munich Handbook, Pumotor is a squire spirit with an affinity for castles. He can help to conjure an entire illusory castle out of thin air. His name is also rendered Pumiotor. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Purson: One of seventy-two demons traditionally associated with the Goetia. In Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft, he is said to have the alias of Curson. Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum includes this alias, but gives the demon’s primary name as Pursan. Both texts say that he appears as a man with a leonine face. He comes forth riding a bear, carrying a ferocious viper in one hand. His appearance is heralded by trumpets. This demon is attributed with the power to discover treasure and give excellent familiars. He can speak on matters occult and divine, even revealing heavenly secrets such as the creation of the world. Additionally, he can take either a body of flesh or an airy body of a more subtle nature. Holding the rank of king, he reputedly governs twenty-two legions of lesser spirits. These are supposedly comprised of beings partly affiliated with the Order of Virtues and partly with the Order of Thrones. He is also named in the Goetia of Dr. Rudd, where he is said to be constrained by the angel Pahaliah. See also GOETIA, RUDD, SCOT, WIERUS.
Puziel: An evil angel with the power to utterly bind an enemy. He is called upon in the Sword of Moses to attack the tongue, mouth, throat, and windpipe of the victim. He also has the power to bind the person’s mind. As a final part of this malicious curse, Puziel and the other fallen angels invoked in this spell are asked to afflict the target with disease by putting poison in the person’s belly. See also GASTER, SWORD OF MOSES.
Pytho: A demonic prince, Pytho is represented as a serpent. He presides over the Second Order of infernal spirits in a nine-tier hierarchy outlined in the Janua Magica Reserata. According to this text, the demons of the Second Order serve as the Spiritus Mendaciorum, or “Spirits of Lies.” Pytho appears to be a mixture of the serpent from the Garden of Eden and the Greek Python, a monstrous snake associated with the Delphic Oracle. See also JANUA MAGICA RESERATA.
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Quartas: A demonic servitor commanded by the infernal ruler Astaroth. In his translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Mathers suggests that this demon’s name is derived from the Latin word for “fourth.” However, in all other versions of the Abramelin material, the demon’s name is given as Garsas. See also ASTAROTH, MATHERS.
Quision: A demon ruled by the infernal king Amaimon. Quision’s name appears in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In the 1898 Mathers translation of this work, the name is spelled Vision. Accordingly, Mathers takes the name to refer to an apparition. Due to flaws in the fifteenth-century French manuscript Mathers was working from, it is difficult to say what this demon’s name actually means. See also AMAIMON, MATHERS.
Quitta: A demon who serves the infernal king Baruchas in the hierarchy of the north, Quitta holds the rank of duke. He commands lesser spirits numbering in the thousands. According to the Ars Theurgia, the demon Quitta is tied to very specific increments of time. If the day is divided into fifteen equal sections, the hours and minutes that fall into the first section belong to Quitta. He will only manifest during this time each day. See also ARS THEURGIA, BARUCHAS.
Qulbda: A night-demon with a particularly unpronounceable name, Qulbda serves in the court of the north. According to the Ars Theurgia, his immediate superior is the demon-king Raysiel. Qulbda himself holds the rank of chief duke, and he has forty lesser spirits beneath him. He only manifests during the hours of the night, and he is reputed to possess a very evil and stubborn nature. See also ARS THEURGIA, RAYSIEL.
Quyron: A demon named in the Peterson translation of the Sworn Book of Honorius. According to this text, he ministers to the demon Habaa, king of the spirits of the planet Mercury. As a Mercurial spirit, Quyron is said to manifest in a form that shifts and shimmers like glass or white-hot fire. He has the power to know the secret thoughts and deeds of mortals and spirits alike. He will reveal these secrets to those who know how to appease him. He can also speak on matters concerning the past, present, and future. He provides good-natured spirits as familiars and will volunteer himself as a familiar spirit as well. According to the text, he also possesses some power of mimicry, for it is said that, if commanded, he will do the things that others can do. The angels Michael, Mihel, and Sarapiel, who govern the sphere of Mercury, have power over him. See also HABAA, SWORN BOOK.
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Rabas: A demon associated with the south. In the Ars Theurgia, Rabas is said to serve the demon-king Asyriel. He is a chief duke in the court of Asyriel, and he has forty ministering spirits of his own. He is connected to the hours of the day. See also ARS THEURGIA, ASYRIEL.
