Furfur is the thirty-fourth spirit in the Ars Goetia, an earl with twenty-six legions. His first form is a hart with a fiery tail. When constrained within the catalogue's ceremonial triangle, he assumes an angelic form and speaks hoarsely.[1][2]
Storms and speech#
Furfur is credited with raising thunder, lightning, violent winds, and storms. The entry also gives him an office concerning love between people and answers about secret or divine matters. Weather and intimate relationships share space in this portrait.[2]
The reliability of his speech depends on the conditions of the encounter. The text says that he lies unless compelled, then supplies the triangle as the relevant location. That detail explains why the apparatus of the Goetia matters to its spirit descriptions: the catalogue's offices are embedded in a procedure, not merely printed as independent abilities.
Two forms#
The movement from hart to angel contrasts a fiery animal apparition with a more intelligible speaking figure. The seal is a third kind of image, a sign associated with the name rather than either bodily form.[1]
The Sloane transcription records Furtur as a manuscript reading, with Furfur supplied as the familiar correction. Focalor and Vepar provide other examples of spirits associated with storms and water, although their appearances and offices concern the sea more directly.
See also#
References
- Lemegeton, Goetia: Furfur, 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 34 · Public-domain edition. Offices and appearances are statements in this catalogue. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩