We know the names of the Seven Kings of the Aerial Spirits mainly from the Heptameron and other closely related material (such as the Munich Handbook or the Liber Juratus) but I have never encountered their seals before.
The Ghent Manuscript has one particular figure that contains them, and it is quite similar to another figure, somewhat incomplete, from one of the Leipzig Manuscripts.
Figure from the Ghent Manuscript (Fol. 109v)
The seals and the inner writing is red, the planetary atributions and names are in black.
Figure from Leipzig Cod.Mag. 57, ”Salomonis Trismosini Cabala”
Below i have compiled a chart with the names and added the names of the Kings from the Heptameron for comparison
Planet
|
GM
|
LCM
|
H
|
|
1
|
Solis
|
Hamarth
|
-
|
Varcan
|
2
|
Lunae
|
Maymon
|
Maynam
|
Arcan
|
3
|
Martis
|
Samar
|
Hamar
|
Samax
|
4
|
Mercurij
|
Barchan
|
Barchum
|
Mediat
|
5
|
Jovis
|
Samhuris
|
Semhuse
|
Suth
|
6
|
Veneris
|
Saubaa
|
Sambor
|
Sarabotes
|
7
|
Saturni
|
Saday
|
-
|
Maymon
|
A few things are quite interesting:
-In the two diagrams, Maymon/Maynam is ascribed to the Moon, not Saturn, quite close to Al-Maymun, the Jinn King of Saturn.
-Samar/Hamar is close to Samax, but also to Al-Ahmar, the Jinn King of Mars
-Barchan/Barchum is close to Burqan, the Jinn King of Mercury.
-Samhuris/Semhuse is strikinly silimar to Shamurish, the Jinn king of Thursday, a first match in the Western tradition to this spirit.
-Saubaa/Sambor is very close to Zaubaa, the King of Venus
-Saubaa/Sambor is very close to Zaubaa, the King of Venus
-Saday is a divine name so... no idea what s doing there
-
These seals strongly resemble the figures depicted around the Secret Seal of Solomon in the Lemegeton. On the Secret Seal, clockwise from top: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Sun, Mars. The shapes are corrupt, but I think the connection is obvious.
ReplyDeleteNo. They dont. It s just something you are accustomed to and tend to raport everything else you learn to that which you know.
DeleteCompare to the Secret Seal of Solomon, from top, clockwise: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Sun, Mars.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry but there is no connection whatsoever. The resemblance must be exact, not ”kinda”. Thissort of reasoning has numerous drawbacks I m afraid. Also, there is no reason why the seals of the Seven Jinn kings would keep the 72 demons in the vessel, it s counterintuitive when reported to the hierarchy of spirits. Furthermore, the order you sugges is neither the Chaldaic nor the Weekly order of the seven planets. But thank you for following my blog and for the comment. Have a great day!
DeleteThose two diagrams you've provided don't even match up exactly. I think it's quite a stretch and maybe a little bit naive to expect anything from any two texts in this tradition to match up exactly. "Kinda" is really the best we can hope for, if we're being honest with ourselves.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the difference between ”identical” and ”Similar”. The name Maimon is not identical with Maymun. They are similar. They describe the same entity by means of progressive alteration.
DeleteWell, the seal for Venus at least is not only strikingly similar to the top symbol in the secret seal of Solomon, it is virtually identical. And it makes functional sense from a practical standpoint that these "kings of the air" would be set over the 72 "infernal" spirits. Why wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteWell, because they re not 72. It s a complete system of 100 demons we can reconstruct from extant versions of the Liber Officiorum. All mystical connections with the number 72 become null once we know they re a group of 4 Emperors that rule over 24 spirits, varying numbers of Kings, Knights, Early, Dukes etc. And the Seal of Venus is simply what we call any circle with a cross underneath. Any circle we call the glyph of the Sun. There are a lot of graphical instances to be considered. Not every glyph like that belongs to Venus alone and not all of glyphs on Venus looked like that through the ages. Just the one we all know right now.
Delete