What is Shax in the Ars Goetia?

A summoner once reported that Shax appeared not as a spirit but as a thunderclap that left the circle ringing for three minutes. The sound came first. The shape came after. Shax is a Great Duke of Hell in the Ars Goetia, commanding thirty legions of spirits, known for stealing sight and sound from his targets, then restoring them on command. He is one of the few Goetic spirits who can render a person blind and deaf without physical cause, and the only one whose true form is consistently described as a stock dove.

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Shax is a Great Duke of Hell in the Ars Goetia who steals sight and sound, then restores them. He appears as a stock dove with a hoarse voice, commanding thirty legions.

What the Ars Goetia Actually Says About Shax

The entry for Shax appears in the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, commonly called the Lesser Key of Solomon, a grimoire compiled from earlier sources in the 17th century. The text describes him as a “Great Duke” who is “obedient” to the conjurer when properly constrained. His sigil appears in the manuscript alongside those of the other seventy-one spirits.

The primary source material divides into two distinct textual traditions. The earliest known manuscript, Sloane 3825 (circa 1640, held at the British Library), gives Shax as “Shax” or “Scox.” Later editions, including the widely circulated 1898 translation by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, standardized the spelling. The text states plainly: “He is a Great Duke, and is strong, powerful, and appears in the form of a Stock-Dove, speaking with a voice hoarse but subtle.”

The stock dove (Columba oenas) is the key detail. Unlike the common city pigeon or the wood pigeon, the stock dove is a shy woodland bird with a low, repetitive cooing. The grimoire authors chose this specific bird, not a raven or an owl, which suggests deliberate symbolic reasoning. The stock dove was associated in medieval bestiaries with fidelity and domesticity, making it an unexpected vessel for a spirit who steals perception.

Where the Name “Shax” Comes From

Sources disagree on the etymology. The name may derive from the Hebrew shachatz (שַׁחַץ), meaning “to rob” or “to plunder,” which aligns with his function. Another theory connects it to the Arabic shaykh, meaning an elder or chieftain, reflecting his rank as a Duke commanding thirty legions. A third possibility links Shax to the Persian shah, a title for a ruler.

The 16th-century occultist Johann Weyer, in his Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577), lists the spirit as “Scox” rather than Shax. Weyer’s work, which predates the Lemegeton by roughly sixty years, describes Scox as “a great marquess” rather than a duke, and his legions number thirty rather than the fifty or sixty cited in some later manuscripts. This discrepancy matters because it shows the Goetic hierarchy was not fixed. Spirits changed rank between editions. Shax lost a rank between Weyer’s account and the Lemegeton, or the scribes simply disagreed.

What Shax Does: The Power of Theft and Restoration

The grimoire gives Shax a specific and unusual ability. He can “take away the sight, hearing, and understanding of any man or woman, at the command of the Exorcist.” He also “steal money out of kings’ houses, and carry it again in 1200 years.” This second clause is often misread. The text does not say Shax steals money and returns it after twelve centuries. It says he carries it again in 1200 years, meaning the theft and restoration operate on a timescale that exceeds a human lifetime entirely.

The practical implication for the Renaissance conjurer was straightforward. Shax could be called upon to disable an enemy’s perception temporarily, or to recover stolen goods. But the 1200-year clause suggests something else: that Shax operates in a temporal framework that has no regard for human urgency. A spirit who thinks in centuries is not a quick solution to a domestic dispute.

The Sigil of Shax and How It Is Used

The sigil of Shax appears in the Lemegeton manuscripts as a geometric design composed of intersecting lines and curves. It is drawn on parchment made from calfskin (virgin parchment, in the grimoire’s language) using the blood of a black hen or the ink of a scribe who has fasted for three days. The sigil is placed within the conjuring circle, not outside it. The spirit is called into the circle, not summoned to appear at a distance.

The conjurer recites the appropriate invocation from the Ars Goetia, which names Shax by his titles and commands him to appear in a “fair and comely” form. The hoarse voice of the stock dove is the sign that Shax has arrived. If the spirit refuses to comply, the conjurer threatens him with the “painful bonds” of Solomon and the “divine power” of the Almighty. The grimoire is explicit: Shax is obedient, but only under duress.

Shax in the Context of the Goetic Hierarchy

Shax sits among the Dukes of Hell, a rank that places him below Kings but above Presidents and Knights. His thirty legions put him in the middle tier of command. For comparison, the Great King Bael commands sixty-six legions, while the Duke Bune commands thirty. The number of legions is not arbitrary. It reflects the spirit’s reach and the complexity of the operations they can perform.

Shax’s specialization in sensory theft sets him apart. Most Goetic spirits grant knowledge, love, or material wealth. Shax takes things away. He is a spirit of deprivation, not provision. This makes him useful for specific operations: disabling a witness, silencing a rival, or creating confusion in an enemy’s household. But it also makes him dangerous. A spirit who steals sight can steal it from the conjurer if the circle breaks.

Common Misconceptions About Shax

The most persistent error is that Shax is a “death spirit” or that he kills his targets. The grimoire never says this. Shax takes sight, hearing, and understanding, but he does not take life. The restoration clause is explicit: the conjurer can command him to return what he took. This is not a loophole. It is the entire point of the operation.

Another misconception is that Shax appears as a raven or a crow. The grimoire is specific: a stock dove. The confusion likely comes from later occult writers who substituted more dramatic birds for the plain dove. A raven is memorable. A stock dove is forgettable. That is precisely why the grimoire chose it. Shax is a spirit of theft, and his form is unremarkable.

A third error is that Shax’s 1200-year clause means he is useless for practical magic. It means the opposite. The clause establishes that Shax operates on a scale that transcends human impatience. The conjurer who calls Shax for a theft must understand that the return may come in a future incarnation. This is not a bug. It is a feature of the spirit’s nature.

How Shax Compares to Other Goetic Spirits

Shax shares his sensory theft ability with no other spirit in the Ars Goetia. The nearest parallel is Bathin, a Duke who can transport people and things between countries, but Bathin does not steal perception. Paimon grants knowledge of arts and sciences but does not take them away. Vassago declares past and future but does not blind.

The closest functional analogue is Andromalius, a Duke who recovers stolen goods and punishes thieves. Andromalius restores what was taken. Shax takes and restores on command. The two spirits can be used in tandem: Andromalius to identify the thief, Shax to disable them during recovery.

Practical Considerations for the Modern Practitioner

We do not recommend calling Shax without extensive preparation. The grimoire requires a three-day fast, a consecrated circle, and the full apparatus of Solomonic evocation. The modern practitioner who attempts this without the proper constraints risks the sensory theft landing on themselves.

The sigil must be drawn correctly. The Lemegeton manuscripts show variations in the sigil’s geometry between editions. The Mathers edition, the Peterson edition, and the Sloane manuscript each differ in minor details. We recommend comparing all three before drawing. An incorrect sigil is not merely ineffective. It is an invitation to a spirit who has not been properly bound.

The voice of Shax is the diagnostic sign. The hoarse, subtle cooing of the stock dove is unmistakable. If you hear a clear voice, a human voice, or silence, the spirit has not arrived. Do not proceed with the operation until the sign is confirmed.

FAQ

Is Shax evil? The grimoire does not use that category. Shax is a spirit with a specific function. He is obedient to the conjurer who constrains him properly and dangerous to the one who does not.

Can Shax permanently blind someone? Only if the conjurer commands it and does not reverse the command. The grimoire gives the conjurer the power to restore what was taken. The choice is the conjurer’s.

Why does Shax appear as a dove? The stock dove was chosen for its unremarkable appearance. Shax is a spirit of theft. A flashy form would defeat his purpose.

How long does it take to learn to summon Shax? The grimoire does not give a timeline. Most practitioners spend months studying the Solomonic system before attempting evocation. The three-day fast alone requires physical and mental preparation.

Closing

Shax is not a spirit for the curious. He is a spirit for the practitioner who understands that theft and restoration are two sides of the same operation. The stock dove does not roar. It coos. And the conjurer who hears that coo must know what they have invited. For a deeper understanding of the Goetic hierarchy, see our guide to the Ars Goetia. For the sigils and seals of the seventy-two spirits, consult our glossary of Goetic symbols. And for the full ritual framework, read our guide to Solomonic evocation.