Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis
Lemegeton, or, the Lesser Key of Solomon
A renowned grimoire, concerned with the evocation of spirits and their constrainment within sigils; the manuscripts dates not to the age of Solomon, but between 1641 and 1712-3. However, since some of the books are mentioned together in Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft, the collection as we know it probably existed in this form since at least 1585.
The grimiore itself consists of five books: Goetia, Theurgia Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria:
- Goetia: aka Ars Goetia, this deals with the summoning of the seventy-two evil spirits--demonic princes--into their appropriate seals in order to have them do the work of the magician. Comparisons have been made between this and Johann Wier's 1563 work De Praestigiis Daemonum, though the Goetia has far more elaborate rituals and uses seals. The word goetia is derived from a Greek word meaning "howling"; a goes is a wailer, and by extention, a charlatan magician (thanks goes to hapax for this info).
The most important part of the Ars Goetia is the Shemhamphorash, a table of the 72 demons and their attributes.
- Theurgia Goetia: Unlike the Goetia, the spirits named in the Theurgia Goetia are not all evil; some are said to be good spirits. Again, like the Goetia they are summoned using elaborate rituals and seals, though it is emphasized that these spirits are tied to the points of the compass:
These are by nature good & evil, that is the one part is good & the other part is Evil, they are governed by their Princes, & each Prince hath his abode in the points of the Compass, as is showed in the following figure, therefore when you have a desire to call any of the Princes or any of their servants, you are to direct your self towards that point of the Compass the King or Prince has his mansion or place of Abode, & you cannot well err in your operations, note every Prince is to have his Conjuration, yet all of one form, excepting the name and place of the Spirit for in that they must change & differ, also the seals of the Spirits are to be changed accordingly.
The word theurgia is derived from Greek: theourgiā "rites of god"
- Ars Paulina: This work claims to be a magic art revealed to Saint Paul when he ascended into the third heaven, and was then delivered at Corinth. Of course, this is rubbish; the text as we have it is probably based on a medieval or Renaissance original. The book itself is concerned with things like which spirits rule over the planetary hours.
- Ars Almadel: This work, falsely attributed to Solomon, focuses on the calling of angels for the imparting of wisdom. The Almadel itself is a wax tablet upon which various sigils are drawn in order to invoke the proper angel.
The word Almadel itself looks like a corruption of Arabic, but more than that I cannot say.
- Ars Nova or Ars Notoria: the earliest manuscript for the Ars Notoria is dated to the thirteenth century. It is largely a collection of prayers with magic phrases thrown in. Some have speculated that the Liber Juratus, also from the thirteenth century, is based on this text.
Unfortunately, when the text was first translated in 1657 by Robert Turner (and then appended to the Lemegeton), the images from the manuscript were omitted. This created a rather confusing text, and did the work a great disservice. Luckily, the drawings are reproduced at the following website: http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/or14759.htm
MANUSCRIPTS:
It is found in several manuscripts in the British Museum, the most notable being Sloane 2731 (dated January 18, 1687), Sloane 3825, Sloane 3648, and Harlian 6483 (1712-13).
British Library MS. Sloane 2731. 32 folios. Oblong folio. A marginal note states "January ye 18: 1686 began to wrote this Book."
British Library MS. Sloane 3825.
- f.1-99.1: "Janua Magicae reserata".
- f.100-179.2: "Clavicula Salomonis or the Little Key of Salomon the King". no date.
British Library MS. Harley 6483. "Liber Malorum Spiritum seu Goetia." a note in the upper left corner of f.1 reads "Thirty Sixth sheet Dr Rudd", linking it with Harl. 6482, which ends with the note "Thirty Fifth sheet of Dr Rudd" in the margin, dating it to sometime in the generation after John Dee.
- f2r-112 "Lemegeton secretum Secretorum Goetia"
- f113-200 "Theurgia Goetia"
- f201-264 "The Art Pauline of Solomon"
- f265-279 "Art Almadel of Solomon, ye King"
- f280 "The Notary Art"
Dr. Rudd's manuscript, however, apparently attempts to force the newer Enochian system onto an older system of magic.
TRANSLATIONS:
1657, Robert Turner made a translation directly from the Latin manuscripts; this remains the most complete edition to my knowledge.
1903, S.L. MacGregor-Mathers and Aleister Crowley edited an edition of the Goetia, with a bit of their own Enochian magick thrown in. This wasn't a translation, so much as a modernization of Turner's text.
1913, A.E. Waite included a translation of selections from the Goetia in his Book of Ceremonial Magic--typical of his style, Waite is skeptical of the magic, but gives it to the student nonetheless. Again, like the MacGregor-Mathers edition, this isn't a translation, but simply modernized Turner's text.
1994, Nelson White produced what is said to be a photocopy of the British Museum manuscripts; if Amazon.com is to be any judge, folks were not pleased with this cheap-looking edition.
1999, Mitch Henson edited a new edition. This and the edition by Joseph H. Peterson (no date, reprinted 2001) are held to be the best editions of the text.