Astaroth is a Duke of the Ars Goetia, ruling 40 legions of spirits.
Key facts
| Rank | Duke |
|---|---|
| Legions | 40 |
| Powers | Knowledge & sciences, Divination |
| Enn (modern chant) | «Tasa Alora Foren Astaroth» |
| Alternate names | Astarot |
| Sources | Ars Goetia, Pseudomonarchia, Bible |
| Seal no. | 29 / 72 |
| Cardinal king | Amaymon · South (S) |
| External IDs | Wikidata · Wikipedia |
On this page
How it appears
A foul and harmful angel, mounted on an infernal dragon, with a viper in his right hand.
What you ask of it
He tells the past, the present, and the future; discovers all secrets; and teaches the liberal sciences, making a man prodigiously wise.
Provenance
Astaroth is in Weyer (1577) as a powerful duke, within the line that the Ars Goetia reuses from the catalogues of spiritual offices. The Goetia preserves his iconography of a misshapen angel upon a dragon, with a viper in his hand, and his function of teaching liberal sciences and revealing secrets. Already attested in the Liber Officiorum Spirituum (Folger V.b.26, 16th c.) as «Astaroth».
Outside the Ars Goetia, Astaroth is also one of the Three Chiefs of the «Grimorium Verum» (with Lucifer and Beelzebub): a PARALLEL lineage of Continental folk sorcery, not the structure of the 72.
The seal: printed edition and facsimile
Astaroth's main seal follows the printed Mathers–Crowley (1904) form; the Sloane MS 2731 manuscript facsimile is shown separately for comparison.
The main image and SVG/PNG downloads reproduce the printed form of S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley's 1904 edition, using the normal vector pack documented on Wikimedia Commons (public domain/CC0). The Sloane MS 2731 facsimile remains separate for comparing manuscript variants; it is not used as the main image.
The FULL manuscript facsimile («Lemegeton, Clavicula Salomonis», Sloane MS 2731) is in our library; the original is held at the British Library (Sloane MS 2731).
Documented ancient datum
The «silver ring» is inferred from Beleth; Astaroth's own entry says only «a magic ring».
How it is summoned
In antiquity
In addition to the common procedure, the source preserves: a specific ritual prescription.
Ancient operation: common procedure plus the documented detail in this entry.
- Trace the Circle and the Triangle, and wear the lamen with Astaroth’s seal upon the breast.
- Have ready the magical ring of Solomon, because the Goetia warns that his fetid breath can harm the operator.
- Recite the conjurations and command him to appear in the Triangle, without allowing him to come too near the Circle.
- When he appears as a misshapen angel mounted upon an infernal dragon and with a viper in his hand, hold the ring near the face as defense.
- Ask concerning past, present, future, secrets, liberal sciences, or the fall of the spirits, maintaining the indicated ritual distance.
- Give him license to depart and do not leave the Circle until the presence has withdrawn completely.
Source: Ars Goetia (17th c.); Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, 1577
The common Goetic operation also adds, when needed: to constrain a resisting spirit (Wellcome MS 110, c74–c78), to show it the Pentacle of Solomon once manifested (Ars Theurgia-Goetia), to work in its planetary hour and day (by rank), and finally to give it licence to depart —and never before (Wellcome MS 110, c53). Practise the full rite at The Practitioner's Table.
What is the “chain of spirits”?
Modern · not ancient
- Print or draw its seal and place it before you on a clean surface.
- Light a candle and, if you wish, some incense; still your mind and set your intention.
- Intone its enn softly and repeatedly, eyes on the seal, until you feel a shift in the air.
- State your request clearly and respectfully, not as a command.
- Give thanks, let the candle burn down a little and close; modern practice is devotional, with no coercive conjuration.
Enn (modern chant): «Tasa Alora Foren Astaroth»
Source: Enn of modern demonolatry (lists disseminated by S. Connolly, The Complete Book of Demonolatry, 2006)
Contemporary demonolatry often links him with Astarte/Ishtar, self-knowledge, secrets, and work with deep memories; that reading is modern.
Modern experiences (personal gnosis)
In contemporary practice, practitioners describe Astaroth as a mentoring and communicative intelligence, departing from the hostility attributed to it by ancient grimoires. Today, this spirit is typically worked with to obtain prophetic dreams, unravel secrets, and achieve clarity in various divinatory disciplines. On the level of personal gnosis, it is commonly perceived as a stabilizing influence that stimulates the intellect and facilitates a deep understanding of the past and future.
Personal gnosis (UPG): how contemporary practitioners say they experience it. This is subjective experience, not a historical source or doctrine; it does not come from the ancient grimoires and may not be real.
Source: Demonolatría y Luciferismo contemporáneos (s. XX–XXI); enfoques atestiguados en la obra de S. Connolly ('The Complete Book of Demonolatry', 2006; 'The Daemonolatry Goetia', 2010) y M. W. Ford.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Astaroth?
Astaroth is one of the 72 spirits catalogued in the Ars Goetia (the first book of the Lemegeton, 17th c.) and in Weyer's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577); it is listed with the rank of Duke. It is not a deity or a biblical figure: it is an entry in these historical spirit-catalogues.
What is the sigil (seal) of Astaroth?
The seal image of Astaroth that we display and offer for download follows the printed Mathers–Crowley (1904) form, using the normal vector pack documented on Wikimedia Commons (public domain/CC0). The Sloane MS 2731 manuscript facsimile is provided separately because Lemegeton witnesses preserve variants.
What is Astaroth's rank in the Ars Goetia?
Astaroth is a Duke, ruling 40 legions of spirits according to the Lesser Key of Solomon.
How do you summon Astaroth?
According to the ancient sources (the Lemegeton, the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum), Astaroth is summoned with the goetic rite: the Circle and the Triangle of Art are traced, its seal is engraved and worn, the candles are lit and the conjuration is spoken by the divine names; if it delays, it is constrained, and at the end it is given the licence to depart. This is historical-documentary material, not a how-to for real summoning.
What does Astaroth do? What is it invoked for?
He tells the past, the present, and the future; discovers all secrets; and teaches the liberal sciences, making a man prodigiously wise.
What sources does Astaroth come from?
Astaroth is in Weyer (1577) as a powerful duke, within the line that the Ars Goetia reuses from the catalogues of spiritual offices. The Goetia preserves his iconography of a misshapen angel upon a dragon, with a viper in his hand, and his function of teaching liberal sciences and revealing secrets.
What is the enn (chant) of Astaroth?
The enn of Astaroth circulating today is «Tasa Alora Foren Astaroth». It is a MODERN demonolatry chant (late 20th c.); it does not appear in the old grimoires.
Of the same rank · Duke
Of the same power · Knowledge & sciences
→ Where does «your demon by birthdate» come from? See how the different systems distribute the 72 spirits: Goetia Correspondences.
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