Malphas is the thirty-ninth spirit of the Ars Goetia, a president ruling forty legions. The catalogue first gives him a dark bird form and then a human appearance with a hoarse voice. His offices include building houses and high towers and gathering skilled workers.[1][2]

Building and knowledge of enemies#

The entry connects construction with information about an enemy's intentions or work. Its exact wording varies across witnesses. The general portrait is of a spirit who can assemble human skill and frustrate opposing plans.[1]

Malphas also provides familiars. The assistance is qualified by a striking warning: he willingly receives a sacrifice but deceives the person who offers it. This makes the entry especially relevant to comparisons between the Goetia's commanding framework and later devotional relationships with demons.[2]

A neighboring bird spirit#

Halphas, immediately before Malphas, also concerns buildings and appears as a bird. Their similarity has encouraged confusion in summaries. The difference between an earl with twenty-six legions and a president with forty is one way to keep the two entries distinct.

Peterson's notes also examine the older bird word, which can be rendered as raven rather than crow. An illustration may choose one conventional bird, but the textual variation remains part of the entry's history. The seal offers a separate visual identifier alongside the changing bodily description.[1]

See also#

References

  1. Lemegeton, Goetia: Malphas, 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 39 · Public-domain edition. Offices and appearances are statements in this catalogue. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
goetiagrimoiresdemonologymalphas

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