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[skyknightxi]

EIGHTH ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

The Eighth Spirit is Barbatos. He is a Great Duke, and appeareth when the Sun is in Sagittary, with four noble Kings and their companies of great troops. He giveth understanding of the singing of Birds, and of the Voices of other creatures, such as the barking of Dogs. He breaketh the Hidden Treasures open that have been laid by the Enchantments of Magicians. He is of the Order of Virtues, of which some part he retaineth still; and he knoweth all things Past, and to come, and conciliateth Friends and those that be in Power. He ruleth over 30 Legions of Spirits. His Seal of Obedience is this, the which wear before thee as aforesaid.

(Note: “appeareth when the Sun is in Sagittary” is a mangling of the Pseudomonarchia’s term “apparet in signo Sagittarii silvestris”, which means “appeareth as a woodland archer.”)

(Pseudomonarchia Daemonum: Also includes the speech of cattle among the specific examples.)

(Liber Officium Spirituum: He’s leading minstrels, not kings, each of whom has a trumpet of a different material—gold, silver, brass, ivory. Guiding rulers is among his powers, though.)

Opposing angel: Cahetel. Negative influences: All that is harmful to agriculture, blasphemy against God.

Reconciling yourself with those in power (and guiding those in power, at that) is arguably a bit sketchy, depending on the motives. However, given that he seems to be associated with harming agriculture (through Cahetel’s opposition) and the speech of wild creatures, I think Barbatos’s real desire is that there remain a good chunk of the wilds that remains untrammeled by humans. Which likely requires, at least by his lights, that agriculture be kept constrained, or even diminished to “just” horticulture. Perhaps his “blasphemy” is that he doesn’t approve of the idea that God meant humanity to dominate Nature as a whole? I just hope he’s not an anarcho-primitivist. Wait, probably not; guiding rulers is a far cry from desiring no government at all.

GOETIA GOODIE

[skyknightxi]

SEVENTH ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

The Seventh Spirit is Amon. He is a Marquis great in power, and most stern. He appeareth like a Wolf with a Serpents tail, vomiting out of his mouth flames of fire; but at the command of the Magician he putteth on the shape of a Man with Dog's teeth beset in a head like a Raven; or else like a Man with a Raven's head (simply). He telleth all things Past and to Come. He procureth feuds and reconcileth controversies between friends. He governeth 40 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this which is to be worn as aforesaid, etc.

(Pseudomonarchia Daemonum: Not so much a raven’s head as a night-raven’s head, that being some mythical bird variously understood as an owl, a raven, a nightjar, etc. He procures favor, not feuds, and reconciles both friends and enemies; the Goetia writers may have misread it. He’s supposed to be the strongest prince of the lot…even though he’s ranked as a marquis. Which, given the metals assigned to the ranks, is actually higher than the princes.)

(Liber Officium Spirituum: He tells secrets, rather than past and future. He can also make wild beasts tame.)

Opposing angel: Achaiah. Negative influences: inimicality towards knowledge; negligence, laziness.

It sounds a bit like Amon doesn’t like the idea of anyone having to work towards reconciliation or knowledge. Fortunately (for some), he’s there to provide the work-around. But if Achaiah was assigned to oppose him partly on account of Amon being an enemy of knowledge, it could very well be that Amon himself is cutting corners. How well do his reconciliations keep? How thoroughly does he explain secrets and tame animals? I can see him being well-meaning, but for all his power, he may just do shoddy work in the end.

BOTH GOODIE AND GOON

[skyknightxi]

SIXTH ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

The Sixth Spirit is Valefor. He is a mighty Duke, and appeareth in the shape of a Lion with an Ass's Head, bellowing. He is a good Familiar, but tempteth them he is a familiar of to steal. He governeth 10 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, which is to be worn, whether thou wilt have him for a Familiar, or not.

(Pseudomonarchia Daemonum: Not so much an ass’s head, as either a thief’s head, or a plain lion bellowing. It also makes it clear that Valefar is trying to send you to the gallows.)

Opposing angel: Lelahel. Negative influences: Overweening ambition, acquiring fortune illicitly.

I’ll admit I favor the “just a bellowing lion” view, but I can see how the thief’s head comes into play with Lelahel’s negative influences. Anyway, having what is arguably the best familiar available probably isn’t worth having a familiar who wants to get every conjuror he serves killed! (Is shuttling off a swarm of sinners to perdition Valefor’s idea of ambition?)

GOETIA GOON

[skyknightxi]

FIFTH ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

The fifth Spirit is Marbas. He is a Great President, and appeareth at first in the form of a Great Lion, but afterwards, at the request of the Master, he putteth on Human Shape. He answereth truly of things Hidden or Secret. He causeth Diseases and cureth them. Again, he giveth great Wisdom and Knowledge in Mechanical Arts; and can change men into other shapes. He governeth 36 Legions of Spirits. And his Seal is this, which is to be worn as aforesaid.

(Liber Officium Spirituum: As Varbas/Carbas, he also teaches necromancy. His rank is instead king or prince.)

Opposing angel: Mahasiah. Negative influences: Ignorance, libertinage, all bad qualities of mind and body.

Cures and inflicts disease? We’re off to a bad start already. Imagine the kind of snake-oil scam one could pull with this. The transfiguration ability doesn’t help, especially since there’s nothing to suggest that it requires the to-be-transformed one’s consent. Or it could be for the sake of the conjuror doing all manner of lustful deeds (q.v. Mahasiah opposing libertinage).

Not sure how necromancy factors into this. But we have enough for a judgement already.

GOETIA GOON

[skyknightxi]

FOURTH ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

The Fourth Spirit is Samigina, a Great Marquis. He appeareth in the form of a little Horse or Ass, and then into Human shape doth he change himself at the request of the Master. He speaketh with a hoarse voice. He ruleth over 30 Legions of Inferiors. He teaches all Liberal Sciences, and giveth account of Dead Souls that died in sin. And his Seal is this, which is to be worn before the Magician when he is Invocator, etc.

(Liber Officium Spirituum: As Sagon/Sogom, it’s established that he also wants a sacrifice. It also makes clear that he doesn’t just give account of souls in Purgatory, but can also impel them to appear before the conjuror and answer their questions. Rather than just liberal sciences, he’s established as teaching mathematics and philosophy.)

Opposing angel: Elemiah. Negative influences: bad education, dangerous discoveries for society, hindering enterprises.

So, Marquis Samigina wants a sacrifice, while King Bael didn’t? Interesting…

While Samigina isn’t that remarkable just from the Goetia, his ability to teach has a curious juxtaposition with the negative influences that Elemiah opposes. Bad education? Discoveries dangerous to society? What’s more, Elemiah is established to rule over useful discoveries. So…does this mean that Samigina’s teachings themselves are dangerous in some way?

My guess is that Samigina is essentially a Mad Scientist (and Mad Necromancer on top of that). Forget what’s good for society; his foremost concern is what’s good for Science™, the body count and whatnot be condemned. That he desires sacrifice just adds to the likelihood that he has an overblown ego.

GOETIA GOON

[skyknightxi]

THIRD ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

The Third Spirit is a Mighty Prince, being of the same nature as Agares. He is called Vassago. This Spirit is of a Good Nature, and his office is to declare things Past and to Come, and to discover all things Hid or Lost. And he governeth 26 Legions of Spirits, and this is his Seal.

(Liber Officium Spirituum: Clarifies that he manifests as an angel, and that he is Just and True. Can give the love of women, and explicitly refers to finding hidden treasures.)

Opposing angel: Sitael. Negative influences involved: Hypocrisy, ingratitude, perjury.

Note that Vassago is not in the Pseudomonarchia. Basically, when translating the Pseudomonarchia, Reginald Scot accidentally left out Pruflas. When the Ars Goetia was compiled, the authors added four spirits in his place (Vassago, Seere, Dantalion, Andromalius), possibly to get the count to the same 72 that the Shem ha-Mephorasch angels number. Vassago originally came from the Liber Officium Spirituum, Dantalion from the Cambridge Book of Magick, and Seere’s name is apparently derived from Mt. Seir, where Lilith is said to be bound in Jewish legend. I have no idea where Andromalius might have appeared before, though.

Anyway, just from the Goetia description, Vassago doesn’t seem that bad. It outright says he’s good, echoing the Liber’s Just and True. Explains situations of the past and future (this will come up a lot), find concealed things…seems up and up, right? Just concerned with making sure things are as they should be, right?

Well, when adding in the Liber, he seems a lot less Just and True. Namely, what is with the procuring of women’s love without their say-so?! (This is something else we’ll see frequently in the Goetia.) It really speaks to medieval assumptions that women were property. The grimoire writers may have deemed this just and proper. Us? Not so much.

Sitael’s opposition also makes things thorny. It basically makes Vassago look rather uncaring about anything that doesn’t impact him. I will grant it’s hard to find the specific overlap between “find hidden/lost things”, “discover temporal secrets”, “bind women to your romantic will”, and “ingratitude”. Maybe he delights in revealing secrets God or other virtuous agents wanted kept secret for the time?

Just and True? Uh-huh. Combining everything, I have to say…

GOETIA GOON

[skyknightxi]

SECOND ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

The Second Spirit is a Duke called Agreas, or Agares. He is under the Power of the East, and cometh up in the form of an old fair Man, riding upon a Crocodile, carrying a Goshawk upon his fist, and yet mild in appearance. He maketh them to run that stand still, and bringeth back runaways. He teaches all Languages or Tongues presently. He hath power also to destroy Dignities both Spiritual and Temporal, and causeth Earthquakes. He was of the Order of Virtues. He hath under his government 31 Legions of Spirits. And this is his Seal or Character which thou shalt wear as a Lamen before thee.

(Liber Officium Spirituum: He can also grant dignities, not just dispel them.)

Opposed by: Jeliel. Negative qualities: All things detrimental to living things, breaking marriages by distracting the members from their duties (given what Jeliel actually presides over, this is probably romantic duties), taste for both celibacy and bad morals.

…The conjunction of celibacy and bad morals does suggest that Jeliel is an enemy of incels, doesn’t it?

That said, Agares is the beginning of several spirits that specialize in granting temporal offices, regardless of one’s qualifications. (In fact, I wonder if the idea wasn’t that you’d get a specific office, just temporal power in general. I hope conjurors were aware they might end up with mere sinecures…) That would be irksome enough, but Agares also plays games with stalwartness and fear. The earthquakes don’t help. Add in the negative influences that Jeliel opposes, and you get someone for whom life in general is just a toy to manipulate as he and his conjurors see fit. Agares: Spiritual Edgelord?

GOETIA GOON

[skyknightxi]

FIRST ENTRY OF GOETIA GOODIES AND GOONS

I’ll be categorizing the spirits of the Ars Goetia as either good or bad (or in between) here. I’ll be relying on the Ars Goetia, the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (whose English translation appears to be the main basis for the Goetia), the Liber Officium Spirituum (what the Pseudomonarchia was a decoy version of), and the negative influences ascribed to the respective Shem ha-Mephorasch angels.

The First Principal Spirit is a King ruling in the East, called Bael. He maketh thee to go Invisible. He ruleth over 66 Legions of Infernal Spirits. He appeareth in divers shapes, sometimes like a Cat, sometimes like a Toad, and sometimes like a Man, and sometimes all these forms at once. He speaketh hoarsely. This is his character which is used to be worn as a Lamen before him who calleth him forth, or else he will not do thee homage.

(Liber Officium Spirituum: Power over both masculine and feminine love. Appears as a king.)

(Pseudomonarchia Daemonum: Clarifies that he has the three heads of the component creatures. Grants wisdom as well as invisibility.)

Opposed by: Vehuiah. Negative influences involved: Turbulence, promptness (i.e. doing without thinking), anger.

Despite various media, Bael does not appear to be the foremost king of the Goetic spirits; the Ars Goetia itself seems to make that Belial, since he was (a) one of the four primary leaders alongside Gaap, Asmoday, and Beleth, and (b) actually did something besides return to his usual activities on escaping the brass vessel (in this case, impersonating one of the Babylonian gods).

In any case, putting the sources together, and adding in the things Vehuiah opposes, we get someone who grants invisibility, wisdom, and (pseudo-)love. At the very least, Bael is a cerebral spirit. Only problem is, despite the wisdom he grants, he seems to be very impetuous, and quick to anger. I could see him setting up a couple just to spite a lover of one of the couple’s components who’d done him even an imagined slight. There’s also the question of what the wisdom consists of, and why it comes bundled with invisibility. Perhaps not so much wisdom in the sense of “the best thing to do”, and more “how to get away with avenging yourself”, which we’d call just a subset of knowledge (and not good knowledge, either). Bael himself is likely the sort who’s quick to justify himself on not-particularly-good pretexts.

GOETIA GOON

[markrosewater]

“Tales from the Pit” #1994

[phyrexianperspective]

Don’t even pretend like the old, hand-drawn art isn’t far superior to what is churned out nowadays. 

[ramenandcardsv2]

This art really has so much character. For example Tolarian Scholar looks like a photo of Joe Schmoe cosplaying as a mage.

[skyknightxi]

The problem is probably a matter of WHAT is looked for by the playerbase these days. More specifically, immersiveness, hyper-realism, excitement. And I doubt you’ll find this desire constrained to Magic, or even fantasy. Lovely as the old arts styles were, they still had a remove from hyper-realism, so they’re effectively selected against, in favor of the technical finesse of computer-generated.

(Not that ALL the old art was necessarily good. I haven’t heard good things about, for example, original Vaevictis Asmadi.)

That said, it’s important to remember that when Nicol Bolas was first minted, no one was expecting him to be a major presence in the storyline, such as it was then. Beard was probably just directed to draw a devil dragon, and here we go.

[markrosewater]

From Alison Luhrs's article today: "We don't currently have plans to create a West African–inspired plane, but if there is enough fan response, I know I'd be the first to rally for us to hire a cultural consultant to help make Aminatou's home plane a reality." Just here to personally start up the fan response engine. Let's do a West African-inspired plane (featuring Aminatou of course)!

Anyone else interested?

[skyknightxi]

I’m interested precisely *because* I know so little of West African lore, although I know of the existence of several empires in its past (Mali, Songhai, Dahomey, Benin). That said, if a Gatewatch storyline is involved, have it be low-key for once; not a crisis right off the bat, but at most hints to something looming.

[markrosewater]

Can green give enemy creatures flying? Would make Plummets more playable..

No, Green can’t do that.

[skyknightxi]

Can’t do it right now, you mean. Pixie Queen, however...

[dougbeyermtg]

Magic Storyline: "Khanfall" by Kelly Digges

Several years after the time traveler Sarkhan changed the path of Tarkir’s history, the ancient khans meet high in the mountains of Jeskai territory. In this week’s Magic: The Gathering story, “Khanfall" by Kelly Digges, we learn the true impact of Ugin’s survival, as the dragon tempests grow more intense and the khans face a reforged fate. Check it out!

http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/uncharted-realms/khanfall-2015-02-18

[skyknightxi]

And this is where I start suspecting that Bolas could have found a broodlord to help him (except maybe Kolaghan) just as easily as he found a khan to help him strike Ugin down. What would it take for true peace, with neither extirpation nor tyranny, to exist between dragons and non-draconians?