The Grimorium Verum, or True Grimoire, is a magical text transmitted in several printed and manuscript forms. Familiar editions bear an early date and an Egyptian printer's name, but the date printed on a grimoire is not reliable evidence of when that edition was produced. Peterson's inventory identifies later exemplars behind much of its modern circulation.[1]
Hierarchy and spirit work#
The text places Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Astaroth at the head of its hierarchy. Subordinate spirits have seals and assigned offices. Scirlin occupies an intermediary role in the instructions, connecting the operator with the spirits being called.[1]
The hierarchy is not the same as the seventy-two entries in the Ars Goetia. Some familiar names recur, but their position and surrounding ritual system differ. The True Grimoire also combines spirit work with recipes and smaller magical experiments, a mixture characteristic of many practical magical collections.
Editions and adaptation#
French and other-language versions differ in wording, lists, and diagrams. Modern editions can add reconstructions, explanations, or working methods that are not present in the older witness. The edition cited is therefore part of the information needed to understand a claim about the text.
The Grand Grimoire belongs to a neighboring publishing tradition and likewise uses a hierarchy of infernal powers, but it is a separate work. Neither book should be treated as a universal scripture for modern Demonolatry or Theistic Satanism. Their reception is one part of those traditions' wider use of older magical literature.[2]
See also#
References
- Grimorium Verum, Joseph H. Peterson edition · Historical French text, exemplars, and variant readings. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
- Le Grand Grimoire, Joseph H. Peterson edition · Related but distinct grimoire for comparison. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩