The Lesser Key of Solomon

The Lesser Key of Solomon, also known as the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis or simply the Lemegeton, is an anonymous grimoire on demonology and ceremonial magic compiled in Western Europe during the mid-17th century. Written primarily in Latin and English, the work presents itself as a pseudepigraphal compilation attributed to King Solomon of Israel.

The grimoire is divided into five distinct books or treatises: the Ars Goetia, Ars Theurgia-Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria. It survives primarily through several late 17th- and early 18th-century manuscript copies housed in the British Library (most notably within the Sloane Collection). The text rose to prominence in the modern occult revival following the 1904 edition of its first book, edited by Aleister Crowley and translated by S. L. MacGregor Mathers.

Structure and Contents

The Lemegeton is structured as a five-part manual detailing systems of ritual magic, invocation, and angelic and demonic hierarchies:

1. Ars Goetia

The Ars Goetia (frequently translated simply as The Goetia, from the Greek γοητεία, goēteia, meaning "sorcery") is the most well-known section of the manuscript. It catalogs 72 principal demons said to have been bound by King Solomon inside a bronze vessel sealed with divine secret names.

• Hierarchies and Offices: The spirits are organized by pseudo-feudal ranks (Kings, Dukes, Princes, Marquises, Earls, Knights, and Presidents) and assigned specific astrological correspondences, legions of subordinates, and occult powers.

• Sigils and Conjurations: Each spirit is paired with an individual magical seal (sigil) that the practitioner must wear or engrave as a protective lamina.

• Sources: The catalog borrows heavily from Johann Weyer’s 1577 appendix Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (part of De praestigiis daemonum), reordering the roster and adding four additional spirits (Vassago, Seere, Dantalion, and Andromalius).

2. Ars Theurgia-Goetia

The second book details thirty-one aerial spirits and chiefs governing the points of the compass and their subterranean hierarchies. Unlike the overtly infernal nature of the Goetia, the spirits of the Theurgia-Goetia are characterized as mixed or dual in nature (partially benevolent and partially deceptive). The system is derived largely from the Steganographia of Johannes Trithemius (written c. 1499).

3. Ars Paulina

Purportedly discovered by the Apostle Paul after his ascent to the Third Heaven, the Ars Paulina is divided into two parts:

• The first part catalogs the spirits and angels associated with the twenty-four hours of the day and night, their sigils, and planetary rulers.

• The second part deals with the angels that govern the 360 degrees of the zodiac and their astrological decans, along with rituals for discovering the name of one's personal guardian angel.

4. Ars Almadel

Named after an Arab magician or talismanic instrument, the Ars Almadel instructs the operator on how to construct an almadel—a square wax altar or tablet incised with holy names and pierced with four holes to accommodate candles and incense smoke. The text provides invocations for contacting benevolent, luminous celestial choirs presiding over four distinct spiritual altitudes or heavens.

5. Ars Notoria

The Ars Notoria ("The Notary Art") represents the oldest constituent text in the compilation, with Latin manuscript traditions dating back to the 13th century. Rather than evoking spirits or demons, it is a theurgic treatise designed to grant the practitioner rapid intellectual comprehension, photographic memory, eloquence, and divine wisdom through prayers, meditative contemplations, and complex geometric diagrammatic talismans called notae.

Manuscript Tradition

The Lesser Key of Solomon was not printed during the early modern period; it circulated exclusively in handwritten codices and private collections. The principal surviving manuscripts are preserved in the Department of Manuscripts at the British Library:

• Sloane MS 3825: Considered one of the earliest and most complete surviving English manuscripts of the Lemegeton, dated to the late 17th century.

• Sloane MS 2731 (1686/1687): A clearly written copy transcribed from Sloane MS 3825, containing detailed pen-and-ink diagrams of the Magic Circle, the Triangle of Solomon, the Hexagram, and the Pentagram of Solomon.

• Sloane MS 3648 (17th century): Another major textual witness containing extensive ritual notes and sigils.

• Harley MS 6483 (1712–1713): A later copy containing the five treatises, heavily revised and illustrated by English astrologer and occultist Peter Smart.

Modern Publication and Cultural Impact

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Lemegeton remained largely confined to antiquarian archives and private occult circles. Its broader public rediscovery occurred at the turn of the 20th century:

• The Mathers-Crowley Edition (1904): Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, a founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, translated the text of the Goetia from the Sloane manuscripts. Aleister Crowley subsequently published this material at Boleskine House in 1904 under the title The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King. Crowley supplemented Mathers' transcription with preliminary invocations, ceremonial additions, and an essay arguing that spirits were projections of the human subconscious mind.

• Visual Evolution: The 1904 edition popularized the association of the Goetia with the dramatic demonological engravings executed by French naval artist Louis Le Breton for Jacques Collin de Plancy’s 1863 edition of the Dictionnaire Infernal (such as the illustrations of Bael, Andras, and Asmodeus).

• Contemporary Legacy: In contemporary culture, the hierarchy of the 72 Goetic spirits has become a prominent motif in Western esotericism, modern occultism, dark academia aesthetics, heavy metal artwork, and speculative entertainment (including Japanese role-playing games, tabletop gaming systems, and fantasy literature).