Agares is the second spirit in the Ars Goetia. The catalogue calls him a duke under the power of the east and assigns him thirty-one legions. His appearance is unusually composed: an elderly man riding a crocodile, with a goshawk on his fist.[1]

Movement and language#

The offices attributed to Agares concern movement, speech, and authority. He makes those who stand still run, brings back fugitives, and teaches languages. The same entry gives him power over dignities and earthquakes. These details belong to the grimoire's description of what a summoned spirit can accomplish.[2]

The crocodile and hawk make his portrait more specific than a generic image of a horned demon. Illustrations that omit the rider's age, the bird, or the mount simplify a combination actually present in the text. The description also places Agares among the former order of Virtues, preserving angelic ancestry within its infernal catalogue.[1]

Position in the catalogue#

Vassago, the next spirit, is said to share Agares's nature, although Vassago's own entry concentrates on hidden knowledge and lost things. That cross-reference gives Agares a place in the catalogue's internal relationships as well as its numbered sequence.[2]

Spellings such as Agreas appear in editions of the text. The associated seal is a separate identifying sign, traditionally presented as a lamen worn by the operator. It should be compared with the edition's wording rather than treated as a portrait of the crocodile rider.[1]

See also#

References

  1. Lemegeton, Goetia: Agares, Sloane 3825 transcription · Joseph H. Peterson edition of the historical grimoire, with manuscript readings. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
  2. S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley, The Goetia (1904), spirit 2 · Public-domain edition. Offices and appearances are statements in this catalogue. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
goetiagrimoiresdemonologyagares

This encyclopedia covers traditions beyond the High Satanic Church. Church doctrine is identified as such when it appears.