Phenex, also written Phoenix, is the thirty-seventh spirit in the Ars Goetia. He is a marquis with twenty legions and appears as the bird whose name he bears. The catalogue describes a child's voice and sweet singing before he takes human shape.[1][2]
Song and poetry#
The operator is told not to be distracted by the song and to request a human appearance. In that form, Phenex speaks about learned subjects and is described as an excellent poet. Sound is central to the entry in a way that goes beyond the trumpet processions of the Goetic kings.[2]
The juxtaposition of singing and poetry gives the figure a particular intellectual and artistic character. It is more informative than simply listing Phenex as another teacher of sciences. The bird's first voice and the human speaker form successive parts of the encounter.
The seventh throne#
Phenex expresses a hope of returning to the seventh throne after twelve hundred years. Marchosias receives a similar statement. Both entries preserve a narrative of former heavenly status within a catalogue generally concerned with services to an earthly operator.[1][2]
The Goetic bird should also be distinguished from every phoenix in ancient or medieval literature. The name supplies a recognizable mythic form, but this particular rank, seal, legion count, and office belong to the grimoire's entry. A broader history of the phoenix requires additional texts rather than an assumption that the whole tradition is about Phenex.
See also#
References
- Lemegeton, Goetia: Phenex, 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 37 · Public-domain edition. Offices and appearances are statements in this catalogue. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩