Sigil of Astaroth
At a glance
- Entry
- 29 of 72
- Rank
- Duke
- Legions
- 40 in the text
Description in the text
Astaroth is said to answer questions about past, present, and future events and to disclose secrets. The passage also assigns him teaching in the liberal sciences and an account of the spirits’ fall.
Read entry 29 on page 30 of the 1916 edition
Appearance
An angel-like figure riding a dragon-like beast and holding a viper.
Topics attributed to this entry
- Secrets
- Divination
- Liberal sciences
Reading this entry
Astaroth is described as a harmful angel on a dragonlike beast, with a viper in the right hand. The passage warns against approaching because of dangerous breath and places the protective ring near the face in its ritual setting. That warning is part of the literary portrait, not an independently observed hazard. The duke is credited with past, present, and future knowledge, secrets, and instruction in the liberal sciences.
He is also said to explain how the spirits fell, including his own fall. This theological self-account distinguishes Astaroth from spirits whose knowledge concerns only hidden objects or human affairs. The text makes wearing the seal a condition of appearance or obedience and assigns him 40 legions. The angelic description, dragon mount, viper, breath warning, and fall narrative should be kept together when summarizing the entry.
Read entry 29 on page 30 of the 1916 edition or compare the 1904 transcription.
A closer reading of entry 29
What the numbered text says
Astaroth’s angel-like appearance is qualified as harmful, and the dragon-like mount, viper, and dangerous breath all complicate an innocent reading of the title. The entry claims knowledge across past, present, and future, secrets, liberal sciences, and an account of the spirits’ fall, including his own. That fall narrative is theological material internal to the grimoire. The protective directions in the passage are historical ritual language, not advice for a reader to follow.
About the printed seal
Seal 29 is on the fifth 1916 frontispiece. The passage gives the sign a role in its ritual claims, but does not decode the plate’s lines as angel, dragon, viper, or breath. The number and edition identify the image without affirming the claimed protection.
Compare another entry
Compare entry 32: Asmoday. Asmoday is another high-ranking figure with a complex body and an extended ceremonial passage. He teaches named mathematical subjects and sits under Amaymon; Astaroth’s account emphasizes secrets, liberal sciences, and an explanation of the spirits’ fall. Their large entries expand in different directions.