The Grand Grimoire is a magical work best known for its account of calling and bargaining with Lucifuge Rofocale. It combines preparations, conjurations, dialogue, and a pact within a dramatic ritual narrative. Its transmission includes editions associated with the title Red Dragon.[1]

Lucifuge and the bargain#

The central operation seeks treasure or material advantage through a spirit's assistance. Divine names and a ritual wand are used to command the spirit, while the dialogue develops into negotiation over the operator's demands and the conditions of a pact. The book gives the transaction a theatrical form, with words assigned to both parties.[1]

Lucifuge Rofocale should not be confused with Focalor, a separate spirit in the Ars Goetia. Similar-looking names are insufficient to identify two figures when their texts, offices, and ritual settings differ.

The work belongs to a publishing world in which impressive titles, ancient dates, and claims of secret authority helped present magical books to readers. Its actual wording and surviving editions provide firmer evidence than those claims alone. Peterson's edition supplies the French text with English material drawn partly from A. E. Waite's historical treatment.[1]

The Grimorium Verum offers another infernal hierarchy, but its practical structure and intermediary spirits are different. Studying the two side by side shows how early modern and later magical books rearranged familiar names for particular operations. The Grand Grimoire is evidence for those literary and ritual conventions, rather than a record proving that the described bargain took place.[2]

See also#

References

  1. Le Grand Grimoire, Joseph H. Peterson edition (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
  2. Grimorium Verum, Joseph H. Peterson edition (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
grand grimoirelucifuge rofocalegrimoirestexts

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