The Dictionary of Demons, page 32
Gog: A biblical name that occurs in conjunction with Magog. Gog first appears in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where the Son of Man is urged to “set thy face against Gog and the land of Magog.” Revelation 20:7 contains the following reference: “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go forth and seduce the nations which are over the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog: And shall gather them together to battle . . .” Although Gog and Magog are referenced multiple times in the Book of Ezekiel, it is hard to discern what the terms are intended to mean. Gog is clearly a leader of some sort, set against the children of Israel. Magog seems to be the land over which this leader reigns, but whether this is intended as a literal or metaphoric country is unclear from the text. In Revelation, the names are taken to represent foes of the church. From these passages, a lively tradition has sprung up, wherein both Gog and Magog are seen as individual entities, typically depicted as giants. The names have certainly made their way into the demonology of the grimoires, although they are often rendered Guth and Maguth or Magot. See also MAGOG, MAGOTH.
Goleg: One of several demonic servitors of Astaroth and Asmodeus named in the 1898 Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In another version of the Abramelin manuscript kept at the Wolfenbüttel library, the name of this demon is spelled Golog. Goleg also appears among the demonic servitors ascribed to the arch-fiend Asmodeus, although he appears in this capacity in all the Abramelin manuscripts except the one sourced by Mathers. Notably, as with a number of the demon names recorded in the Abramelin material, Golog is a palindrome. See also ASTAROTH, ASMODEUS, MATHERS.
Golen: “Cavern-dweller.” According to the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage Golen serves the arch-fiend Astaroth. In other versions of the Abramelin material, his name is given as Golog, a demon name that also appears in the hierarchy ruled by both Astaroth and Asmodeus. See also ASTAROTH, ASMODEUS.
Gomeh: A demon specializing in tricks and illusions, Gomeh is said to offer assistance with spells that involve the deceit of the senses. This demon appears in both the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage and the Clavicula Salomonis, Mathers translations. See also CLAVICULA SALOMONIS, MATHERS.
Gonogin: One of several demons said to serve the infernal ruler Astaroth exclusively. Gonogin’s name appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In the version of the Abramelin material kept at the Wolfenbüttel library, this demon’s name is spelled Gomogin. The version kept in the Dresden library offers the curious variation Gomoynu. See also ASTAROTH, MATHERS.
Goorox: A demon with great knowledge of astronomy and the liberal sciences who also can teach the virtues of herbs and precious stones. His name appears in the Elizabethan grimoire known as the Book of Oberon, where he is identified as an earl with thirty legions of spirits beneath him. When summoned, he first manifests as a bull but can be coerced into taking the form of a man. See also BOOK OF OBERON.
Gordonsor: One of the twelve principal spirits in the court of Paimon, king of the west. He appears as a good angel with a dark face. Named in the Book of Oberon, he is said to be both truthful and efficient. He will swiftly and mightily accomplish all errands given to him. See also BOOK OF OBERON, PAIMON.
Gorilon: In his translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, occultist S. L. MacGregor Mathers gives the meaning of this demon’s name as “cleaving asunder.” Gorilon is said to serve beneath the four demonic princes who guard the cardinal directions: Oriens, Paimon, Ariton, and Amaimon. Although Mathers suggests that this demon’s name is derived from a Coptic word, the exact etymology of the name remains uncertain. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS, ORIENS, PAIMON.
Gorsay: A great duke who can make people good at their work, their duties, and their words. He catches murderers and thieves and can bring these to wherever he is commanded. He can also bring pain and suffering to one’s enemies. Fifteen legions of lesser spirits look to him as their master. He is named in the Livre des esperitz, a sixteenth-century French grimoire. See also LIVRE DES ESPERITZ.
Gorsyar: When summoned, Gorsyar comes riding a bear. He wears a crown upon his head, as befits his rank of king. He carries a viper and has a face like a lion. With only six legions of spirits to serve him, he oversees fewer demons than most kings. His powers include finding lost and hidden things, particularly treasure. He knows the answers to secret questions and is a revelator of knowledge. See also BOOK OF OBERON.
Gotifan: Mathers takes this demon’s name to mean “crushing” or “overturning” in his presentation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. Gotifan is said to serve the arch-demon Beelzebub, and both are invoked as a part of the Holy Guardian Angel rite central to the Abramelin work. In other versions of this text, the name is spelled Iotifar. See also BEELZEBUB, MATHERS.
Goyle: A demon with the power to make people charming and charismatic, although the exact words of the text state that Goyle “makes men gorgeous and gay.” This quote appears in the Book of Oberon, a grimoire written in England during the Elizabethan age when gay still meant “joyous.” Named as one of twelve high-ranking ministers to the demon-king of the north, Egin, Goyle is said to appear as a lion rampant. See also BOOK OF OBERON, EGIN.
Gramon: In the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Gramon is said to serve the infernal lord Beelzebub. Both are invoked as part of the Holy Guardian Angel ritual that is the culmination of the Abramelin work. See also BEELZEBUB, MATHERS.
Illustration of a book of spirits from Francis Barrett’s 1801 work, The Magus. From a collection by Grillot de Givry, courtesy of Dover Publications.
Grand Grimoire: Reputedly one of the darkest books of magick available to the aspiring magician. Occultist Arthur Edward Waite, writing in his Book of Black Magic and Pacts, presents the Grand Grimoire as an atrocious tome, and he omits portions of the book from his own translation of the work in an attempt to protect misguided practitioners from attempting some of its nastier spells. The Grand Grimoire claims to reveal a system of black magick intended to teach an aspiring magician how to summon demons. It stands out among grimoires in that it also presents a method of forging a pact with infernal powers. It includes the names of superior demons, their sigils, and their place in the demonic hierarchy. A French edition of this book, dating to 1845, claims to derive from an older text, published in 1522. This older edition was supposedly written in Italian by one Antonio Venitiana del Rabina. Although this name translates roughly to Anthony of Venice the Rabbi, the book further claims to have originally been published in Rome, an oblique attempt at connecting it to other supposedly diabolical texts produced by members of the Roman Church. In all likelihood, the publication date as well as the identity of the author are fabrications intended to trump up both the antiquity and importance of the work. It is not impossible that the material contained within this grimoire dates only to the early part of the nineteenth century, when a fascination with black magick and diabolical pacts was on the rise. Notably, the Grand Grimoire bears much in common with another nineteenth-century French grimoire, Le Dragon Rouge. There is so much cognate material between these two texts, in fact, that it is highly likely that they are merely different versions of the same spurious work. See also LE DRAGON ROUGE, WAITE.
Grasemin: An infernal servitor of the demon-kings Amaimon and Ariton, Grasemin appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. An alternate spelling of the demon of this demon is Irasomin. The discrepancy may be due to scribal error. See also AMAIMON, ARITON, MATHERS.
Gremiel: A demon whose name and seal both appear in the Ars Theurgia, Gremiel belongs to the hierarchy of Macariel, a wandering prince of the air. He has a total of four hundred lesser spirits at his command, and he is free to appear in any hour of the day or night. When Gremiel makes his appearance, he has the power to assume a variety of shapes but prefers that of a many-headed dragon. See also ARS THEURGIA, MARACRIEL.
Gressil: A demon of impurity, uncleanness, and nastiness. His special adversary is Saint Bernard. Gressil appears in the Admirable History of Sebastien Michaelis. His name and adversary are reportedly revealed by the demon Berith. See also BERITH.
Grimoire of Armadel: The earliest recorded mention of this book can be found in a bibliography of occult works compiled by Gabriel Naude in 1625. It was supposedly written by Armadel, a mythic figure associated with a number of books of magick. In the seventeenth century, several unrelated texts were produced under this name. Notably, the name is suspiciously similar to the titles of two other well-established magickal works. One is the Arbatel of Magic, a work dating to 1575. The other is the Almadel, a text attributed to King Solomon and generally included in the Lemegeton. There is a possibility that the Grimoire of Armadel is a spurious text, produced expressly to capitalize upon the name-recognition established by the other two books. Whether or not it is a legitimate book of magick remains a matter of debate. Either way, a French version (MS 88) called the Liber Armadel is kept at the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal (Library of the Arsenal) in Paris, and this was translated by S. L. MacGregor Mathers in the early 1900s. Most of the information contained within the book is concerned with angels, but it contains the names of a few infernal spirits as well. An unrelated text calling itself The True Keys of Solomon the King by Armadel (Les Vrais Clavicules du Roi Salomon par Armadel) appears at the end of Lansdowne manuscript 1202, kept at the British Museum. The first two parts of this manuscript were used by Mathers for his translation of the Clavicula Salomonis, or Key of Solomon. He omitted this third book on the grounds that the Key of Solomon is reputed to be comprised of only two books and the Armadel material bore much in common with the Grimorium Verum. In fact, occultist Joseph Peterson includes a translation of this French text at the end of his 2007 edition of the Grimorium Verum. See also CLAVICULA SALOMONIS, GRIMORIUM VERUM, LEMEGETON, MATHERS.
Grimoire of Pope Honorius: This book is a strange amalgam of Catholic ritual and material culled from grimoires such as the Clavicula Salomonis and the Grimorium Verum. It has been decried by both nineteenth-century scholar Eliphas Lévi and occultist A. E. Waite as one of the most wicked and diabolical of all books on the black arts. Most versions of this work date to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The book is almost certainly a spurious fabrication of intentionally black magick intended to capitalize upon the reputation of the thirteenth-century grimoire The Sworn Book of Honorius.
The Grimoire of Pope Honorius claims to have been penned by Pope Honorius, and this was likely intended to be Pope Honorius I. He served as pontiff from 625 to 638. Forty years after his death, an anathema was issued against him by the Third Council of Constantinople, and he was cast posthumously from the church. Despite the unpopularity of some of his opinions, there is no indication that Honorius I ever practiced any form of the dark arts.
Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, however, there were persistent fears among the populace that certain members of the clergy dabbled in necromancy and black magick. Interestingly enough, Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna, who is considered an Antipope by the Catholic Church) was accused of necromancy by the Council of Pisa in 1409. This Benedict XIII (distinct from Pietro Francesco Orsini, who, in 1724, also took the title of Pope Benedict XIII) held his office from 1395 to 1417. He stood in opposition to Boniface IX, Innocent VII, and Gregory XII during a period of controversial leadership of the Roman Church. After a thorough search of his chambers, a rare tome of necromancy was allegedly discovered. This had been secreted away beneath the pontiff’s bed. The allegations against Benedict XIII may have been enough to establish a legend concerning papal involvement in the diabolical arts to make the existence of a whole book on black magick written by a pope more credible to readers. See also CLAVICULA SALOMONIS, GRIMORIUM VERUM, SWORN BOOK, WAITE.
Grimorium Verum: A book of black magick that includes an extensive list of demons. The name translates to the “True Grimoire.” The Grimorium Verum makes a point of including invocations for several of the most hated and feared demons in Christendom, including Lucifer, Astaroth, and Beelzebub. Both French and Italian editions of this book exist. The Italian version claims the title La Clavicola del Re Salomone, connecting it with the Clavicula Salomonis at least in name, if not in content. There are Italian editions published in 1880 and 1868. The French edition, published in 1817, lists an original publication date of 1517. This version of the book claims to have been written first in the ancient city of Memphis by Alibeck the Egyptian. Notably, Alibeck the Egyptian is also the name given on versions of the Red Dragon Grimoire, although in the case of this book, he is said to have published in Cairo. As no references to the Grimorium Verum predate the nineteenth century, it is highly likely that the French edition subtracted three hundred years from the true publication date in the interest of making the book seem more legitimate and ancient. The Grimorium Verum, the Grand Grimoire, and Le Dragon Rouge are all likely products of an early-nineteenth-century demand for grimoire-like tomes devoted to expressly black magick. These texts are not completely spurious, however. The Venetian grimoire known as the Secrets of Solomon, written in the seventeenth century and seized by the Inquisition, almost certainly served as one of their primary sources of inspiration. See also ASTAROTH, BEELZEBUB, CLAVICULA SALOMONIS, GRAND GRIMOIRE, LE DRAGON ROUGE, LUCIFER, SECRETS OF SOLOMON.
Gromenis: A servant of the demon Astaroth, Gromenis is named in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In another version of the Abramelin material kept at the Wolfenbüttel library, this demon’s name is rendered Iromenis. See also ASTAROTH, MATHERS.
Guagamon: The name of a demon who appears in the Mathers translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. According to this text, Guagamon serves the greater demons Astaroth and Asmodeus. The name of this demon is rendered Yragamon in other versions of the Abramelin material. See also ASTAROTH, ASMODEUS, MATHERS.
Gudiel: According to the Ars Theurgia, the demon Gudiel is tied to the second half of the day, in the hours between noon and dusk. He serves in the hierarchy of the infernal prince Dorochiel and is thus connected with the region of the west. He has four hundred lesser spirits to minister to him. He holds the rank of chief duke and is said to be both good-natured and obedient. See also ARS THEURGIA, DOROCHIEL.
Gugonix: A demon reputed to serve both Astaroth and Asmodeus, Gugonix is named in Mathers’s edition of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, where it eludes even that diligent occultist’s attempts at etymological unraveling. In the Peter Hammer edition of the Abramelin material, the name of this demon is spelled Gagonir. See also ASTAROTH, ASMODEUS, MATHERS.
Guland: According to Peterson’s translation of the Grimorium Verum, this demon holds power over disease. At the whim of the magician, he can cause any ailment in any living being. Conjured only on Saturday, Guland serves as the fourteenth demon beneath Duke Syrach. See also GRIMORIUM VERUM, SYRACH.
Gusoin: The eleventh demon named in the Goetia, Gusoin is described as a great and strong duke with forty legions of lesser spirits at his command. Like many demons, he is said to answer questions about the past, present, and future. Additionally, he can reconcile friends and distribute dignities. According to Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft, he appears in the form of a Xenophilus. A lot of ink has been spilled over what exactly a Xenophilus looks like, as no descriptions of such an animal survive from the ancient world. However, it is possible that a Xenophilus is not intended to be an animal, but a proper name. In particular, Xenophilus was a Pythagorean philosopher and musician mentioned in volume two of Pliny’s Natural History.46 This fellow was said to have lived in perfect health until the age of one hundred and five, an impressive feat in the world of the ancient Greeks. The use of this name may be intended to imply that Gusoin appears as an elderly sage, which would be appropriate, considering that most of the Goetic demons were sought for their knowledge and wisdom. Another notable figure to bear the name Xenophilus was a Greek officer in command at the citadel at Susa who eventually defected to Antigonus.47 Of course, spelling may also be important in understanding exactly what was meant regarding this demon’s form. In Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Gusoin, spelled Gusoyn, is said to appear in forma zenophali. Zenophilus is still a proper name, but in this spelling, it may refer to a Roman proconsul active in Christian Africa between 320 and 330 CE.48 His name appears in the letters of Athanasius and also the Gesta apud Zenophilum. This is part of a Roman dossier recording an investigation undertaken in 320 CE by Zenophilus and others to determine which Christians among the Numidian community had surrendered their copies of the scriptures to the state as part of a Roman effort to curtail the spread of Christianity. If this Zenophilus is intended, then the anti-Christian sentiments associated with his name lend Gusoin a far more nefarious air. In the Goetia of Dr. Rudd, he is said to answer to the angel Laviah. The editors of this text suggest that Xenophilus may be read as a Greek word, xenophalloi. This gives the term a very different connotation. The Book of Incantations, a Welsh cunning-man’s grimoire from the early nineteenth century, explicitly states that Xenophiles was a historic figure reputed to live for 150 years without illness, neatly settling the debate. See also BOOK OF INCANTATIONS, GOETIA, RUDD, SCOT, WIERUS.
