Caim is the fifty-third spirit of the Ars Goetia, a president with thirty legions. He appears first as a thrush and then as a man carrying a sharp sword. The entry also describes him as answering through burning ashes.[1][2]
Voices and disputation#
Caim gives understanding of birds, cattle, dogs, and other creatures, as well as the sound of water. He also answers questions about the future and is described as skilled in disputation. Listening and argument both form part of his office.[2]
Barbatos supplies a related promise of understanding animal sounds. Caim's ashes and sword-bearing human appearance give his entry a different setting. They are concrete details that disappear when the pair is summarized only as spirits of animals.
Spellings and associations#
Caym and Camio are among the names recorded in the textual tradition. Peterson's notes compare those witnesses with the Goetic manuscript.[1]
The spelling Caim can resemble Cain, but that resemblance should not replace a source-based account with an assumed biblical identity. The catalogue describes a former member of the angelic order now commanding infernal spirits. It does not retell Cain's story in this entry.
The bird, human form, ashes, stated offices, and seal together identify this spirit more securely than an isolated name. Contemporary depictions of the figure can draw on those elements while adding their own visual interpretation.
See also#
References
- Lemegeton, Goetia: Caim, Sloane 3825 transcription · Joseph H. Peterson edition of the historical grimoire, with manuscript readings. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
- S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley, The Goetia (1904), spirit 53 · Public-domain edition. Offices and appearances are statements in this catalogue. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩