A conjurer sits inside a circle of salt, the seal of Samigina drawn on virgin parchment. He calls the name, and a small horse appears, then shifts into a man. This is the fourth spirit of the Ars Goetia, a great Marquis who knows the fate of the dead. Samigina (also called Gamigin) teaches the liberal sciences and gives true reports of souls who died in sin. He commands thirty legions of spirits.
What Is Samigina in the Goetic Tradition?
Samigina is a great Marquis of Hell, first listed in the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis (the Lesser Key of Solomon), a grimoire compiled in the mid-17th century. He appears initially as a small horse or ass, but at the conjurer’s request he takes human form. His office is twofold: he teaches the liberal sciences (the trivium and quadrivium: grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy) and he gives a faithful account of the dead who have died in sin. The Ars Goetia describes him as ruling over thirty legions of spirits, a number that places him among the more powerful infernal nobles.
The name Samigina appears in variant spellings across manuscripts. The Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1563) by Johann Weyer calls him Gamigin, and that form persists in later editions. The Goetia of Dr. Rudd (18th century) retains the Gamigin spelling. We use Samigina here because it is the form in the standard Mathers-Crowley edition of the Goetia (1904), which remains the most widely consulted English version.
Where Does Samigina Come From? Historical Origins
Samigina has no direct antecedent in ancient mythology. He is a product of medieval Christian demonology, specifically the systematization of infernal hierarchies that began in the 15th and 16th centuries. The earliest known list that includes him is Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, an appendix to his larger work De Praestigiis Daemonum (1563). Weyer compiled his catalog from earlier grimoires and from the testimony of accused witches and magicians, though he himself was skeptical of the reality of demons, arguing that many were psychological delusions.
The Lemegeton manuscripts, which date from the 1640s, expand Weyer’s list and add new spirits. Samigina appears as the fourth spirit, immediately after the three kings (Bael, Agares, Vassago). His placement early in the hierarchy suggests he was considered accessible and relatively tractable for conjuration. The grimoire tradition holds that the first few spirits are easier to call, and Samigina’s role as a teacher of sciences fits that pattern: he is a spirit of knowledge, not destruction.
Some scholars have speculated that the horse form of Samigina may echo older Celtic or Germanic horse deities, such as Epona (Gaulish) or the Norse Sleipnir. The argument is that Christian demonizers recycled pagan images. But there is no direct textual evidence linking Samigina to any pre-Christian horse god. The Lemegeton does not cite sources, and the horse form may simply be a conventional symbol of swiftness and servitude in medieval bestiaries. We find the connection plausible but unproven, and we do not assert it as fact.
What Does Samigina Symbolize?
Samigina embodies two apparently contradictory domains: liberal learning and necromancy. The liberal sciences were the foundation of medieval education, the curriculum that prepared a student for theology or law. That a demon teaches them implies a corrupt origin of knowledge. In Christian demonology, fallen angels retain their intellect but use it to deceive. Samigina’s teaching is therefore suspect: he may give true knowledge, but at a spiritual cost.
The horse form is equally symbolic. Horses were associated with death in many cultures: they carried souls to the underworld (Greek mythology’s Charon is a boatman, but horses appear in funerary art). A small horse or ass suggests humility and service, but also the ability to cross boundaries. Samigina’s transformation into human shape at the conjurer’s request underscores his role as an intermediary between the living and the dead.
His function of reporting on the dead who died in sin is the most striking. He does not judge or torment; he provides information. This makes him a spirit of necromancy in the strict sense: divination by the dead. The grimoire specifies that he gives “a true answer” about the state of the deceased. For the medieval magician, this was a tool for uncovering hidden crimes, locating treasure, or confirming the fate of a soul. It was also dangerous, because calling on a demon for necromancy was a mortal sin.
How Is Samigina Used in Practice?
The conjuration of Samigina follows the standard Goetic procedure. The magician draws his seal on parchment or virgin paper, usually during the planetary hour of Saturn or Jupiter, depending on the desired effect. The seal is a geometric figure that serves as the spirit’s signature and point of constraint. The conjurer stands inside a circle of consecrated ground, holding the seal, and recites the appropriate invocation from the Ars Goetia.
Samigina is called for two main purposes:
- To learn the liberal sciences. The grimoire claims he can teach any of the seven arts quickly. We interpret this as a form of inspiration or accelerated understanding, not literal instruction. The magician may request that Samigina reveal the principles of a subject or clarify a difficult text.
- To obtain knowledge of the dead. This is the necromantic aspect. The conjurer asks about a specific deceased person: how they died, where their soul rests, or what they knew in life. The spirit answers truthfully, according to the text, but only about those who died in sin. The righteous dead are presumably beyond his purview.
The practical details matter. The conjuration must be performed at the correct hour, with the seal properly drawn, and the magician must be in a state of ritual purity. Failure to follow the instructions may result in the spirit appearing in its horse form and refusing to speak, or worse, causing harm. The Goetia warns that spirits will lie if given the chance.
We do not recommend attempting this conjuration without extensive preparation. The forces involved are real, and the psychological toll is severe. The grimoire is a historical document, not a beginner’s manual.
How Does Samigina Compare to Other Spirits?
Samigina is one of several Goetic spirits with necromantic functions. Bune (the twenty-sixth spirit) also gives reports on the dead and makes the dead speak, but Bune is a Duke who appears as a three-headed dragon. Murmur (the fifty-fourth spirit) teaches philosophy and also compels the souls of the dead to appear. Samigina’s distinction is his dual role as teacher of liberal sciences and necromancer, a combination that makes him versatile.
Outside the Goetia, the closest mythological parallel is the Greek Hermes Psychopompos, who guides souls to the underworld and can be invoked for oracles. But Hermes is a god, not a demon, and he guides all souls, not just those in sin. The Egyptian Anubis weighs the heart and judges the dead, but does not report to the living. Samigina’s function is narrower: he is a reporter, not a guide or judge.
In the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Weyer lists Gamigin as the fourth spirit, but his description is shorter. He says Gamigin appears as a small horse, then as a man, and teaches liberal sciences. He does not mention the reporting on the dead. That detail appears only in the Lemegeton. This suggests that the necromantic aspect was added or emphasized in the later grimoire.
Common Misconceptions About Samigina
Samigina can raise the dead physically. The grimoire never says this. He gives reports on the dead, not resurrection. The dead remain dead. The information he provides is about their state, not their return.
Samigina is an ancient pagan god. There is no evidence for this. The name does not appear in any pre-Christian text. The horse form is not unique to him, and many Goetic spirits take animal shapes.
Samigina is evil and should be avoided. In the context of Christian demonology, yes, any demon is evil. But the grimoire tradition treats spirits as neutral forces that can be compelled. The moral judgment is left to the practitioner. We do not endorse conjuration, but we document it.
Samigina and Gamigin are different spirits. They are the same. Gamigin is the older spelling from Weyer. Samigina appears in the Lemegeton. The difference is scribal variation.
FAQ
What does Samigina look like? He first appears as a small horse or ass, then takes human form at the conjurer’s request. The human form is not described in the grimoire.
Can Samigina raise the dead? No. He only gives reports on the dead who died in sin. He does not bring them back to life.
Is Samigina in the Bible? No. He is not mentioned in any canonical biblical text. His origins are in medieval grimoires.
What are the liberal sciences Samigina teaches? The seven liberal arts: grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. These formed the medieval curriculum.
Further Reading
Samigina is one of seventy-two spirits cataloged in the Ars Goetia. For a broader understanding of the hierarchy and how these spirits are used, see our guide to demonology and the Goetia. For the symbols and seals of the spirits, including Samigina’s, visit the glossary of Goetic symbols. And for a deeper look at necromantic spirits specifically, read our article on Bune and the art of speaking with the dead.