A 17th‑century manuscript depicts him as a soldier riding a horse, a lion’s head where a man’s should be, carrying the severed head of a griffin. That image is the Duke Alloces. His seal is something else: a diagram of lines, crosses, and letters that looks, to an untrained eye, like a cryptographic puzzle. The Seal of Alloces is the magical signature of the Goetic Duke Alloces, the sixty‑third spirit listed in the Ars Goetia, and it functions as both a binding glyph and a communication key between the practitioner and the spirit. Without it, the evocation cannot begin. For anyone working the 72 spirits of the Goetia, the seal is not decoration. It is the lock and the key.
What Is the Seal of Alloces, Exactly?
The Seal of Alloces is the sigil of the fifty-second spirit of the Goetia — the duke Alloces, who appears in the form of a soldier riding a horse, with the head of a lion, and who teaches the liberal sciences. A seventeenth-century manuscript depicts him as a soldier riding a horse — the description that the Goetia gives — and his seal is the figure used in the evocation, drawn or engraved for the working. The seal symbolizes the office of the spirit: the seal is the signature, the mark that identifies Alloces and binds the evocation to him, and its form encodes his name and his rank. The seal of Alloces is one of the seventy-two seals of the Goetia, each unique to its spirit.
Where Do the Seal and Its Symbolism Come From?
The earliest known description of Alloces comes from Johann Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1563), a catalogue of demons that later became the backbone of the Ars Goetia. Weyer was a physician and student of Agrippa; he compiled his list from earlier grimoire traditions and personal study. Weyer gives Alloces (as Alocer) a simple description: a knight with a lion’s head, no mention of a specific seal. The seal we know today appears in the Ars Goetia manuscripts of the 17th century, most notably in Sloane MS 3825 (the British Library manuscript) and the later 1688 translation by John Booker. The seal’s design follows the Solomonic tradition of lamens (magical diagrams). Each line and letter corresponds to a specific power: the central cross often represents the spirit’s dominion over fire (Mars) or the fixed stars; the surrounding letters are sometimes Hebrew or Angelic alphabets encoding the spirit’s name. The circle that encloses the seal is a boundary — the spirit cannot cross it without the magician’s permission. What this meant for practitioners: A magician in 17th‑century London would spend hours drawing the seal in fresh ink, following manuscript diagrams exactly. A single wrong line invalidated the seal. The seal was not a symbol to be understood; it was a tool to be executed with precision. ---
What Does the Seal Actually Symbolize?
The seal of Alloces carries at least three layers of meaning, each tied to a function in the ritual.
1. The Seal as a Signature and Binding Contract
In Goetic magic, every spirit has a unique seal that is its “written name” in the language of creation. To possess the seal is to possess authority over the spirit. The seal functions like a signature on a contract — the spirit recognizes it and is compelled to attend when shown. This idea comes from the Solomonic belief that God gave the angels and demons specific names that could be used by the righteous to command them.
2. The Seal as a Map of Alloces’s Astrological Correspondence
Alloces is associated with Mars and the planet’s aggressive, war‑like energies. His seal includes crosses and angles that echo the astrological kamea (magic square) of Mars. The lines connecting the crosses may represent the spirit’s movement through the four cardinal directions, or the four elements over which he rules (according to some grimoires, Alloces teaches astronomy and the liberal arts, suggesting an intellectual quality underneath his martial appearance).
3. The Seal as a Protective Barrier
During evocation, the seal is placed inside the triangle of art (the spot where the spirit appears). The triangle is itself a protective structure, the spirit cannot attack the magician. The seal inside it acts as an anchor. Some manuscripts note that the seal should be drawn with the blood of a bat or black cat (both traditional symbols of nocturnal magic), though this is more allegorical than literal in modern practice. ---
How Is the Seal Used in Practice?
Evocation of Alloces follows a strict protocol drawn from the Ars Goetia. Here is the sequence as it appears in a typical Solomonic ritual: 1. Preparation: The magician consecrates a circle and a triangle of art. The seal of Alloces is drawn on a piece of virgin parchment (or engraved on a copper or silver plate) with the appropriate ink, often a blend of water, gum arabic, and lampblack. 2. Consecration: The seal is sprinkled with holy water (or exorcised water, depending on the tradition) and passed through incense smoke. The magician recites the conjuration from the Ars Goetia. 3. Evocation: Standing inside the circle, the magician holds the seal toward the triangle and calls the spirit by name. The seal is the visual focus, the spirit is believed to materialize within the triangle and cannot leave it because the seal binds it there. 4. Dismissal: After the spirit has answered, the magician dismisses it by reciting the license to depart and covering or turning the seal away. A concrete detail: In many manuscripts, the seal is drawn inside a circle of red ink, the color of Mars and of blood. The circle itself is made with a single unbroken line, any break or hesitation nullifies the work. The magician chants the conjuration in a low voice, and the incense smoke (usually frankincense and myrrh) drifts over the seal. ---
The seals of the 72 spirits vary widely. Some are simple crosses; others are intricate geometric labyrinths. Alloces’s seal occupies a middle ground. It is less complex than the seal of Bael (the first spirit, whose seal is a tripartite diagram of triangles) but more structured than the seal of Paimon (a heavy circle with a central point). What sets Alloces apart is the presence of multiple crosses. In Christian demonology, the cross was a symbol of dominion over evil spirits, using crosses inside the seal suggests that the practitioner is invoking divine authority. Some scholars argue that the crosses are a later Christian interpolation, softening the original more neutral symbols. Notable figures who engaged with Goetic seals include Aleister Crowley, who republished the Ars Goetia in 1904 with editorial notes. Crowley added his own commentary on the seals, interpreting them through the lens of the Kabbalah and the Enochian system. He saw the seal of Alloces as representing the path of Gimel on the Tree of Life, a path of intellectual understanding that aligns with Alloces’s purported teaching of astronomy and logic. ---
Common Misconceptions About the Seal
“The seal is a symbol of evil.” In the Solomonic tradition, the seal is a tool of control, not worship. The magician commands the spirit; the spirit is not invoked for its own sake. The seal is a binding instrument, not a badge of allegiance. “Anyone who draws the seal risks summoning a demon.” Modern practitioners and scholars agree: a seal without the full ritual context (circle, consecration, intention) is inert. The power is in the consecration and the focused will of the magician, not the ink on paper. “The seal has one fixed meaning.” No two manuscripts show the seal in exactly the same layout. Sloane MS 3825 differs from the later Crowley edition. The seal evolves. This variability is part of the living tradition. ---
FAQ
What does the Seal of Alloces look like? It is a circular diagram containing a central cross with four smaller crosses around it, connected by curved lines. Hebrew‑style letters appear in the spaces between the crosses. Can I use the seal without evoking Alloces? Some practitioners use it as a focus for meditation on knowledge or military strategy (Alloces is a teacher of astronomy and a commander). It does not automatically summon him. Is the seal dangerous? Only if you approach it with fear or without proper preparation. Like any ritual tool, its effect depends on the practitioner’s state of mind and skill. What if I draw the seal incorrectly? In traditional practice, an incorrect seal invalidates the evocation. The magician must redraw it from scratch. ---
The seal of Alloces is not a piece of occult art. It is a working diagram, a signature that demands precision, a boundary that requires respect. To understand it is to understand the difference between a symbol and a tool. For those who continue this path, the seal is one of many keys. Explore the demonology and Goetia hub for the full catalog, or read about how to read a Goetic seal and the glossary of Solomonic terms.