Exploring the Voices Associated with the Seal of Vual

A conjurer once sat in the circle, the seal of Vual spread before him on calfskin, and heard the spirit answer in a tongue he did not know. The voice was rough, low, and the words were Egyptian. But they were not spoken perfectly. That detail, recorded in the grimoires, is the essential clue to the voices of this seal.

What Are the Voices of the Seal of Vual?

The voices associated with the Seal of Vual refer to the specific vocal qualities, language, and method of communication attributed to the Goetic spirit Vual during evocation, as described in the Ars Goetia and earlier grimoires.

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The Voice of the Dromedary: Where the Description Comes From

The voices associated with the seal of Vual refer to the spoken communication of the spirit in the evocation. The voices associated with the seal of Vual refer to the spirit’s mode of speech: Vual, the forty-seventh spirit, appears as the dromedary and then in the human form, and the descriptions of the grimoire record his voice as the voice of the dromedary. The voice of the dromedary is the description that comes from the Goetia itself: the deep and the strange voice, the voice of the spirit’s animal form, heard when the spirit speaks in the triangle. The description is the tradition’s way of marking the voice of the spirit, and the practitioner reads the voice as the sign of the presence.

The Historical Origins of Vual’s Voice

The earliest known listing of this spirit appears in Johann Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1563). Weyer names him “Bual” or “Vual” and says he appears first as a dromedary camel, then transforms into a human shape. The critical sentence reads: “he speaketh Egyptian, but not perfectly.” This phrase is repeated nearly verbatim in the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lemegeton manuscripts (circa 17th century), and later in Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley’s 1904 edition, The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King.

Why Egyptian? The grimoires do not explain. Some commentators point to Vual’s dromedary form: a beast of burden across North Africa and the Middle East, lands where Egyptian was spoken. But the imperfect speech is the odd detail. It is not a limitation but a deliberate feature. The spirit is neither fully animal nor fully human, and his voice reflects that liminal state. He is a great duke or president of Hell who commands thirty-seven legions, yet he stumbles over a language. That juxtaposition is the seed of the “voices” tradition.

Later ceremonial texts, including the Goetia of Dr. Rudd (mid-17th century) and the Lemegeton manuscripts in the British Library (Sloane MS 3824), preserve the same line. No grimoire ever describes Vual’s voice as sweet, clear, or eloquent. It is always rough, foreign, and halting.

What the Seal Has to Do with Sound

The seal has to do with the sound through the evocation. The seal is the visual signature of the spirit, and the voice is the audible signature — the two are the two forms of the same sign, the name written and the name spoken. Later ceremonial texts, including the Goetia of Dr. Rudd, expanded the descriptions of the spirits and their voices, and the practice of the vibration — the sounding of the names and the enns — became the method of the vocal contact. The seal is drawn for the visual focus, and the voice is sounded for the audible contact; the two together make the working of the name.

How the Seal Relates to the Voice

The seal of Vual is a geometric sigil composed of interlocking lines and circles. It is not a speaking object itself. But in ceremonial magic, the seal is the physical anchor for the spirit, and the voice of the spirit is directed through it. When the magician draws the seal on parchment, metal, or in the circle, they are building a channel. The conjuration vibrates the divine names written on the seal — names such as Tetragammaton and Elohim — and those vibrations are meant to compel the spirit to appear and answer.

The voices, then, are not separate from the seal. They are the seal’s effect made audible. The magician speaks the conjuration in a clear command. The spirit responds. And the seal ensures the response is intelligible, however rough the voice might be.

What Does Vual’s Voice Sound Like?

Practitioners have reported that the voice of Vual sounds low and guttural, like a camel’s grunt forced through human vocal cords. Others say it is a dry whisper, as if shaped by desert wind. The sources do not confirm either. But all agree the voice is recognizably not human.

Why would a powerful demon not speak a language perfectly? Several layers of meaning exist.

First, the imperfect speech signals the spirit’s otherness. In many traditions, perfect speech is a mark of divinity or full humanity. Demons, especially those bound to animal forms, speak in distorted tongues. Vual’s half-human, half-camel nature is performed through his voice.

Second, the Egyptian language itself is symbolic. In Renaissance occultism, Egyptian was considered the language of ancient mystery, the language of Hermes Trismegistus and the hieroglyphs. A demon who speaks Egyptian is drawing on archaic wisdom, but his imperfect command suggests he is not the source of that wisdom — he is merely a messenger who stumbles.

Third, the seal’s geometry may encode certain syllables. The names of God written on the seal vibrate at specific frequencies. Some Golden Dawn practitioners taught that vibrating the divine names on a seal could align the magician’s vocal cords with the spirit’s own “voice,” making communication clearer. If that is true, then Vual’s flawed speech is a consequence of the seal being imperfectly activated.

How to Evoke Vual and Hear His Voice

In a typical evocation of Vual, the practitioner draws the seal on virgin parchment, consecrates it with fire and incense, and places it inside the triangle of art. The conjuration is read aloud, often in a commanding tone, with the names on the seal vibrated. The spirit appears first as a dromedary, then as a man, and the magician commands it to speak in a language that can be understood.

Because Vual allegedly speaks Egyptian, some historical grimoires suggest the magician have an interpreter present. But the seal itself is believed to override the language barrier. The spirit’s voice, though flawed, becomes comprehensible to the magician through the power of the seal. In practice, many modern conjurers report that the voice simply fades into English or their native tongue once the spirit is bound by the seal.

The voice is also used as a test of authority. If the spirit speaks clearly and truthfully, the seal has worked. If it growls, babbles, or refuses to answer, the magician may need to reproach the spirit by reading the conjuration again, using the voice of command known as the “Conjuring Voice.” That voice is low, slow, and steady, the opposite of Vual’s own rough tongue.

How Vual’s Voice Compares to Other Goetic Spirits

Vual’s voice stands out among the seventy-two spirits because it is the only one described as speaking a specific language imperfectly. For contrast:

• Forneus teaches rhetoric and languages, his voice is eloquent and persuasive.
• Paimon must be respectfully addressed; he roars and the magician must command silence.
• Vapula gives knowledge of mechanical arts, his voice is clear and logical.
• Andromalius discovers theft, his voice is sharp and accusatory.

Only Vual bears the mark of linguistic failure. This makes him a spirit of paradox: a great duke who rules legions yet struggles to speak his lines. Some argue this is a deliberate test of the magician, to see whether you can draw truth from a flawed source.

“Vual only speaks Egyptian and cannot be understood without a translator.” The grimoire says he speaks Egyptian, but implies the magician can understand him through the seal’s power. The imperfect speech may simply mean his accent or grammar is poor, not that he cannot be comprehended.

“The seal itself makes a sound when activated.” No historical source claims the seal audibly hums or vibrates. The “voices” refer to the spirit’s vocal response, not a physical property of the parchment.

“There are multiple voices of Vual because he has many names.” Vual is also known as Uvall, Vual, and Bual, but these are variant transcriptions of the same entity. The voices are not multiple; the voice is one, though it may change tone between the dromedary and human forms.

“The voice is a purely subjective hallucination.” While some modern skeptics dismiss all Goetic phenomena as psychological, the tradition holds that the voice is objectively heard by all present. The seal is a tool to make that voice audible, not imagined.

FAQ

Does Vual really speak Egyptian, or can he speak other languages?
He is described as speaking Egyptian specifically, but the seal and the conjuration are believed to force him to communicate in a way the magician can understand, so in practice, the language barrier is overcome.

How do I make the seal of Vual “speak”?
You do not make the seal itself speak. You draw the seal correctly, consecrate it, and then recite the conjuration. The spirit’s voice is heard in response, not from the parchment.

What does Vual’s voice sound like?
Sources describe it as low, rough, and guttural – like a camel’s sound, but with words. Some practitioners hear a dry whisper; others a booming, echoing tone.

The seal of Vual and its voice are one part of a larger system. To understand how this seal fits among the other seals, visit our vertical hub on demonology and the Goetia. For a detailed visual and textual breakdown of the seal’s components, see the glossary entry for the Seal of Vual. And for step-by-step guidance on evoking Goetic spirits, read our guide on Goetic evocation practice. Each piece of the tradition adds clarity to the voice you seek to hear.