Sigil of Botis
At a glance
- Entry
- 17 of 72
- Rank
- President and Earl
- Legions
- 60 in the text
Description in the text
Botis is said to reveal past and future events. He is also assigned the task of reconciling both friends and enemies, pairing divination with the repair of conflict.
Read entry 17 on page 27 of the 1916 edition
Appearance
First a viper, then a horned, large-toothed human figure holding a sharp sword.
Topics attributed to this entry
- Past and future
- Reconciliation
Reading this entry
Botis bears two titles, president and earl. The first visible form is a viper; the second is human but still threatening, with large teeth, two horns, and a sharp sword. The change of shape does not turn him into an ordinary courtly figure. His attributed offices are knowledge of past and future and the reconciliation of friends and enemies. Unlike Amon’s entry, the text gives Botis reconciliation without an opposing claim that he creates feuds.
The double rank matters for reading the classified lists: a spirit can appear under more than one heading without being two separate entities. The sword and viper give the passage a severe appearance that sits uneasily beside the peacemaking office. The source offers no explanation for that tension. Botis is assigned 60 legions and a seal, completing a compact but visually memorable entry.
Read entry 17 on page 27 of the 1916 edition or compare the 1904 transcription.
A closer reading of entry 17
What the numbered text says
Botis holds two ranks in the same sentence, president and earl. The opening viper form changes to a horned human figure with large teeth and a sword; this sequence is more specific than a single hybrid portrait. His attributed knowledge covers past and future, omitting the present in this passage. Reconciliation extends to both friends and foes, which makes the social office broader than simply repairing a friendship.
About the printed seal
The numbered sign 17 is printed on the 1916 third frontispiece. The change from viper to armed human belongs to the text, while the emblem is presented without an explanation of how any stroke encodes that change. Two ranks still designate one numbered seal.
Compare another entry
Compare entry 28: Berith. Berith’s answers explicitly span past, present, and future; Botis’s omit the present. Berith receives a red soldier portrait and a dignity office, whereas Botis is defined by animal-to-human change and reconciliation. Their temporal claims therefore are not interchangeable.