The dictionary of demons, p.54
The Dictionary of Demons, page 54
Saefer: One of several demons named in the hierarchy of prince Usiel, Saefer has the power to reveal hidden treasure and he is also capable of magickally hiding items away to prevent others from discovering or stealing them. The Ars Theurgia gives his rank as chief duke, saying further that forty ministering spirits serve beneath him. This is another demonic name with a match or pairing in the Ars Theurgia. Compare to Saefam, a demon who is listed in the same hierarchy. See also ARS THEURGIA, USIEL.
Saemiet: A demon named in the Ars Theurgia from the Henson translation of the complete Lemegeton. Saemiet is reputed to serve the demon-king Maseriel, who rules in the west by south. Through Maseriel, Saemiet is affiliated with the hierarchy of the south. He is connected with the hours of the night, serving his infernal master only during this time. His title is duke, and he holds sway over a total of thirty ministering spirits. See also ARS THEURGIA, MASERIEL.
Safrit: This demon appears in the thirty-ninth spell of the Munich Handbook. He is called upon to assist with general matters of divination. He is also connected with the art of scrying. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
The Seven Deadlies
The demon Behemoth looks like a good candidate for the sin of gluttony in this image from Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal. Courtesy of Dover Publications.
The Seven Deadly Sins is a list of major offenses developed by Saint Gregory the Great in 590, during his tenure as pope. The sins are classed as cardinal sins, which are the most objectionable vices that can be engaged in by an individual. The sins are: lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. In the Middle Ages, the Seven Deadly Sins were often personified as players in morality plays. By the fourteenth century, these seven major vices had become a popular topic in art and literature. The sins were perhaps most famously treated by Dante Alighieri, in his description of Hell in his epic work The Divine Comedy.
In the sixteenth century, a bishop from Trier in Germany, Peter Binsfeld, sought to classify demons according to the Seven Deadly Sins. The way Binsfeld saw it, each demon had a preferred sin that it would use to tempt humanity. The demons could then be loosely arranged in groups according to those sins. He chose a different demonic prince to head each of these seven camps, as follows:
Demon Deadly Sin
Lucifer Pride
Leviathan Envy
Satan Wrath
Belphegor Sloth
Mammon Avarice
Beelzebub Gluttony
Asmodeus Lust
Sagares: According to occultist Mathers, the name of this demon may be related to the word sagaris, a bronze battle-axe used mainly by the ancient people known as the Scythians. Mathers relates the weapon to the double-bladed axe of the Amazons, known as a labrys. In the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Sagares is said to serve the demons Astaroth and Asmodeus. He is called upon as a part of the Holy Guardian Angel working that is central to the Abramelin material. See also ASTAROTH, ASMODEUS, MATHERS.
Salarica: A demon given the rank of senator in the Elizabethan Book of Oberon. Salarica, also spelled Salaryca, is called upon to compel and control other spirits, rather like pulling rank. Salarica, along with six other infernal senators, serves directly beneath Tantavalerion, a demon named in the same spell. According to the text, Tantavalerion is the supreme ruler of all spirits and they must obey when his name is invoked. See also ASMOO, BOELL, BOOK OF OBERON, DANALL, ORYMELL, PASCARY, TANTAVALERION, TYGRA.
Salaul: A demon described as a “squire spirit.” In the Munich Handbook, Salaul is named in connection with an illusion spell. He is one of several demons presented as having the power to manifest an entire castle out of thin air. The text recommends that Salaul be appeased with an offering of milk and honey. He is to be called upon in a remote and secret location on the tenth day of the moon. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Salleos: The nineteenth demon named in the Goetia, Salleos is said to manifest as a gallant soldier. He comes riding a crocodile and wearing a ducal crown. According to both Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum and Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft, he holds the rank of earl. In the Goetia, however, he is accorded the title of duke. Here, his name is spelled Saleos. He reputedly has the power to cause people to fall in love with the opposite sex. He governs thirty legions. His name is also spelled Zaleos. In the Goetia of Dr. Rudd, his name is spelled Sallos. According to this text, he constrained by the angel Leuviah. See also GOETIA, RUDD, SCOT, WIERUS.
Salmatis: A demon named in the sixteenth-century French grimoire Livre des esperitz. He is a great marquis who appears in the likeness of an armed knight. He builds strongholds, castles, and even towns. He also commands illusions and transforms people into any appearance that they wish, as well as conjuring grand plays for entertainment. A total of fifty legions of lesser spirits serve beneath him. See also LIVRE DES ESPERITZ.
Saltim: For the wizard who has everything, Saltim can be called upon to produce a magnificent flying throne. There is no indication whether or not he possesses the power necessary to cause any other pieces of furniture to perform aerial acrobatics. However, in a pinch, he might also be convinced to enchant a flying rug. According to the Munich Handbook, where this curious information can be found, Saltim holds the infernal rank of duke. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Salvor: Named in the Ars Theurgia, this demon is governed by Maseriel, an infernal king in the court of the west. Salvor holds the title of duke and is said to have thirty ministering spirits at his command. He is connected with the hours of the night, serving only during this time. See also ARS THEURGIA, MASERIEL.
Samael: A complicated figure variously identified as both a fallen angel and a loyal member of the heavenly hierarchies. Although he eventually made his way into the demonology of Christian Europe, Samael has his roots planted firmly in Jewish folklore. In the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, Samael is described as the “chief of the Satans.”55 Even though this text depicts him as one of the most wicked angels, he is nevertheless presented as an angel in service to the Lord. He is an angel of death, and he is chosen to collect the soul of Moses. In the Haggadah, Samael is said to be the guardian of Jacob’s brother Esau. In this capacity, Samael is also an evil angel, because the Haggadah presents Esau as a thoroughly wicked person, attached only to the material world and drawn to worship in places of idolatry. In the Zohar, a primary text of the Qabbalah, Samael is associated with the evil entity Amalek, the god of the physical world. Here, Samael’s name is said to be the occult name of Amalek. According to the Zohar, Samael means “poison of God.”56 In his work The Holy Kabbalah, occultist A. E. Waite defines Samael as “the severity of God.”57 In this work, Samael is also equated with both Satan and the Serpent. Lilith is his bride. According to Moncure Daniel Conway’s Demonology and Devil-Lore, Samael is the consort of both the voluptuous maiden Naamah and the arch-she-devil Lilith. He functions as the left hand of God.
The names, figures, and seals of the angels of the seven days of the week, as they appear in Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft. Courtesy of Dover Publications.
In the Gnostic Apocryphon of John, found among the Nag Hammadi manuscripts, Samael is given as another name for the evil demiurge of the physical world. This echoes the statements of the Zohar concerning Samael’s connection to the material realm. Samael, sometimes also spelled Sammael, made his way into the grimoiric tradition. In the Heptameron, he is described as an angel. He is said to rule over both Monday and Tuesday. He appears in the 1505 Faustbuch entitled Magiae Naturalis et Innatural, where he is identified with the element of fire. Henry Cornelius Agrippa associates him with Urieus, another form of Oriens, the demonic guardian of the east. Mathers repeats this association in his edition of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. Samael also appears in the Mathers translation of the Grimoire of Armadel. In keeping with the confusion surrounding this ancient figure, this text also identifies Samael as both a fallen angel and a heavenly being. As a fallen angel, Samael is said to teach magick, necromancy, and the occult sciences. Oddly, he also teaches jurisprudence. According to the Grimoire of Armadel, Samael can also reveal what necromantic practices are the most dangerous and should not be abused. Curiously, Samael (spelled Simiel) also appears in a list of seven archangels composed by Saint Gregory, who served as Pope Gregory I from 590 until 604. See also ASAEL, AMALEK, AZAZEL, LILITH, MACCATHIEL, NAAMAH, SATAN, WAITE.
Samalo: A demon under the leadership of the greater fiend Beelzebub, Samalo appears in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. Samalo is one of over three hundred unclean spirits whose names are presented in that work so they can be called upon and bound to the magician’s will. See also BEELZEBUB, MATHERS.
Sambas: Connected to the west and southwest winds, Sambas is said to serve king Habaa, ruler of the spirits of the planet Mercury. In the Peterson edition of the Sworn Book of Honorius, Sambas is said to gather good spirits to present as familiars. He also has some powers of mimicry, for he can be commanded to perform any task just as it is done by another. He knows all manner of secret thoughts and deeds, and he will reveal these if it is demanded of him. His manifest form shimmers and shifts like the surface of glass or like a dancing, white-hot flame. He can be compelled in the names of the angels Michael, Mihel, and Sarapiel, who command all the spirits of the sphere of Mercury. See also HABAA, SWORN BOOK.
Samiel: A benevolent demon who prefers to appear in watery locations, such as wetlands and bogs. Samiel is one of twelve dukes who serve the wandering prince Hydriel. Samiel himself is attended by a total of one thousand three hundred and twenty lesser spirits. According to the Ars Theurgia, he manifests as a serpent with a woman’s head. Despite this monstrous appearance, he is reputed to behave in a polite and courteous manner. See also ARS THEURGIA, HYDRIEL.
Samiet: A demon governed by Armadiel, an infernal king ruling in the northeast. Samiet commands eighty-four lesser spirits and holds the rank of chief duke. According the Ars Theurgia, there is a formula to calculate the minutes and hours during which this demon is willing to appear. Divide the day into fifteen equal portions. The eighth portion belongs to Samiet. He is bound to appear only during this time. See also ARMADIEL, ARS THEURGIA.
Samon: A great king named in the French Livre des esperitz who takes the guise of a beautiful maiden. He holds sway over women and can compel the love of queens. He also inflames the passions of those who think themselves perfect, regardless of their virginity. Twenty-five legions serve under his command. See also LIVRE DES ESPERITZ.
Samsapiel: One of the so-called “chiefs of tens” among the Watcher Angels in the Book of Enoch. Samsapiel was originally charged with watching over humanity, but he grew too close to those under his care. He fell prey to temptations of the flesh and eventually left Heaven in order to take a human woman as his wife. As one of the chiefs of tens, he led ten other fallen angels in their exodus into the material realm. He answers directly to Azazel and Shemyaza, the leaders of the Watchers. See also AZAZEL, SHEMYAZA, WATCHER ANGELS.
Samyel: A demon in the court of Menadiel, a wandering prince of the air named in the Ars Theurgia. Samyel is tied to the eleventh hour of the day. He has a demonic companion, Tharson, who appears after him in the twelfth hour of the day. In addition to his companion, Samyel commands a total of three hundred and ninety subordinate spirits. See also ARS THEURGIA, MENADIEL, THARSON.
Sanfrielis: A demon named in the Munich Handbook, Sanfrielis is connected with divination and scrying. He is reputed to help a spirit medium see visions of the thief or thieves responsible for a crime. See also MUNICH HANDBOOK.
Sapason: A demon in the court of prince Ariton. Sapason appears in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. According to the Mathers translation of this work, the demon’s name comes from a Greek word meaning “to putrefy.” The name of this demon is alternately spelled Sarason. See also ARITON, MATHERS.
Saphathoraêl: A demon of affliction who plagues humanity by dividing people against one another, Saphathoraêl also causes drunkenness and stumbling. A demon associated with the thirty-six decans of the zodiac, Saphathoraêl appears in the pseudepigraphal text the Testament of Solomon. According to this text, Saphathoraêl can be put to flight by invoking the name Sabaôth. It should be noted that, while most of the zodiac demons mentioned in the Testament of Solomon can be driven away or compelled through the use of specific angel names, Sabaôth is not technically the name of an angel. In the Hebrew tradition, this is one of the titles of God, meaning “Lord of Hosts.” See also SOLOMON.
Sarabocres: According to the Peterson translation of the Sworn Book of Honorius, Sarabocres is the king of the spirits of the planet Venus. As such, he has the power to inspire love, passion, and pleasure in mortals. He can also cause laughter. His manifest form is exceedingly beautiful, with a countenance that is clear and white as snow. He is controlled and compelled by the angels Hanahel, Raquyel, and Salguyel, who rule over the sphere of Venus. In the Driscoll translation of this same work, Sarabocres is described as one of the “bright demons of the West.”58 His rank is given as king, but since the demon Harthan is established earlier in that same text as the king of the west, Driscoll suggests that Sarabocres’s true domain is the air and heavens. This version of Sarabocres is further described as having a nature that is as malleable as pure silver. He is connected with love, lust, and sumptuous earthly pleasures. He is said to have the power to create boundless enjoyment in the opposite sex. He can provide luxurious gifts such as rich perfume and fine cloth, and of course he can inspire love, lust, and all manner of passion between people.
A variation on this demon’s name appears in a section of the Heptameron. Although the offices and powers of the spirits in this section are extremely similar to those described in the Peterson edition of the Sworn Book, in the Heptameron Sarabocres is identified as an angel. Under the name Sarabotres, he appears in the Book of Oberon as the king of the planetary sphere of Venus. According to that text, he encourages harmony, peace, and love through decadence and indulgence. He is served by two ministers, Nasar and Manasa. He can be called upon to arrange marriages, to bring riches in the form of silver, and to remove weakness. He also has the power to gently draw men into the love of women, although whether this power is intended to work against anyone’s natural orientation is unclear. His presence is heralded by young girls at play who will call sweetly for mortals to join them. Not creepy at all. See also BOOK OF OBERON, HARTHAN, HEPTAMERON, MANASA, NASAR, SWORN BOOK.
Sarach: An evil-natured and headstrong night-demon named in the hierarchy of the north. Sarach’s immediate superior is the demon-king Raysiel. Sarach himself holds the title of chief duke, and he has twenty lesser spirits beneath him. He appears in the Ars Theurgia. Because he is tied to the hours of the night, he will only manifest when darkness holds sway over the land. See also ARS THEURGIA, RAYSIEL.
Sarael: According to the Ars Theurgia, Sarael is a mighty duke in the hierarchy of the north. He oversees thousands of lesser spirits and answers directly to the infernal king Baruchas. Sarael is bound to only appear during a specific time of the day. Following this formula, divide the day into fifteen equal portions. The second portion is the time when Sarael may appear each day. See also ARS THEURGIA, BARUCHAS.
Saranyt: This demon takes the form of a donkey with a woman’s face. His chief ability is to raise the dead and allow them to speak. Appearing in the Book of Oberon, Saranyt is listed as one of the twelve highest-ranking ministers of Egin, the king in the north. See also BOOK OF OBERON, EGIN.
Some Gnostic sects in early Christianity believed that the serpent in Eden was a positive force, bringing wisdom into the world. Image by M. Belanger.
Saraph: In the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, this demon serves beneath the four demonic princes who oversee the cardinal directions. As a servant of Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon, Saraph shares in all of their powers. Mathers suggests that the name of this demon means “to burn” or “to devour with fire,” as it comes from the same root as Seraph. The Seraphim, or “Fiery Ones,” are generally conceived as being the highest order of angels in the heavenly hierarchy. Few people might connect the Seraphim with demons, but biblical scholar W. O. E. Oesterley, in his 1921 work Immortality and the Unseen World, points out that the Seraphim, before they were angels, did a stint as demonic entities in early Semitic mythology. Some of this demonic association still lingers, even in biblical passages. In both Numbers 21:6 and Isaiah 14:29, Seraphim are connected with fiery serpents, and not exactly in a positive light. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Sargatanas: The Brigadier-General of Hell, at least according to hierarchies attested to in the Grand Grimoire and its French knockoff, Le Dragon Rouge, or Red Dragon Grimoire. If you are interested in spying or thievery, Sargatanas is the demon to call. He is said to have the power to turn anyone invisible and to open any locks. Locks may not be an obstacle anyway, as he has the power to transport people to any place whatsoever. Further, he can reveal anything that takes place in a private house, and he will teach “all the rogueries of the Shepherds.”59 This may allude to a folk belief prevalent in pats of Europe that shepherds typically practiced forms of magick. Among the spirits said to answer to this grand devil of trickery are Loray, Valefar, and Foraii, three demons named in Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. They also appear in the Goetia as Leraie, Valefor, and Morax. See also GOETIA, GRAND GRIMOIRE, LERAIE, MORAX, RED DRAGON GRIMOIRE, VALEFOR, WIERUS.
Sariel: One of the fallen angels mentioned in the Book of Enoch. As one of the Watchers, Sariel was entrusted with knowledge of the phases of the moon. Additionally, he held the knowledge of how to interpret the signs connected with this heavenly body. When he joined the other fallen Watchers to take a wife from the daughters of men, he taught this forbidden knowledge to humanity. Because of his connection to lunar wisdom, Sariel is sometimes presented as the angel of the moon. According to the Ars Theurgia, Sariel is a night-demon who serves the infernal king Aseliel, a ruler in the court of the east. In this text, Sariel holds the rank of chief president. He has thirty principal spirits who serve him, with another twenty ministering spirits that also carry out his commands. Sariel appears again in the Ars Theurgia, under the rule of the demon Gediel. Here, Sariel is ranked as a duke and he is said to rule by day. He is tied to the region of the south and has only twenty servants to his name. See also ARS THEURGIA, ASELIEL, GEDIEL, WATCHER ANGELS.
