A magician sits alone in a candlelit room, a brass triangle drawn on the floor, a crystal ball at its center. He has spent three days fasting and purifying. In his hand, a seal inscribed with a name: Volac. The question is not whether such a spirit exists, but what the old grimoires say he does, and what a practitioner might expect. In demonology, Volac is a president of Hell in the Ars Goetia, commanding thirty legions of spirits, whose domain includes hidden treasures, the knowledge of serpents, and the revelation of secret places. He is also spelled Valac, and the difference matters less than the function: he is a revealer of what is buried, literal and figurative.
Definition: What the Grimoires Say
The first thing to know about Volac is that he is not a demon of destruction or torment. The Ars Goetia, the first book of The Lesser Key of Solomon (compiled in the 17th century from earlier sources), lists him as the sixty-second spirit. He appears as a winged boy riding a two-headed dragon, and his seal is a complex circle with a central cross. His function is twofold: he tells where hidden treasures lie, and he gives truthful knowledge of snakes and reptiles. The wording in the translations varies, but the core is consistent. Volac is a president, meaning he holds a rank of authority, and while he rules thirty legions, he is not among the most powerful. Yet his specialized knowledge makes him valuable to the magician who needs to locate something lost or understand the nature of venomous creatures.
History and Origins: From Weyer to the Lemegeton
The earliest known appearance of Volac (as Valac) is in Johann Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, published in 1583. Weyer was a Dutch physician and demonologist, a student of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, and his work is a catalog of infernal spirits based on earlier manuscripts. In the Pseudomonarchia, Valac is described as a president with the same attributes: a winged boy on a dragon, revealing treasures, and giving knowledge of serpents. Weyer’s list later became the foundation for the Ars Goetia, which was compiled by unknown editors in the 17th century, likely from manuscripts of the Lemegeton.
The spelling “Volac” appears in some English translations of the Lemegeton, notably in the Crowley/Mathers edition of 1904. The change from “Valac” to “Volac” may be a scribal error or a deliberate alteration, but it does not affect the spirit’s identity. The name itself is thought to derive from the Latin volac (a variant of volatilis, meaning “flying”) or from the Hebrew valak (a form of “waste” or “devourer”), though this is uncertain. What matters is that the spirit has been consistently associated with hidden things and serpents for over four centuries.
The human consequence of this history is that every magician who works with the Goetia inherits a tradition that has been copied, translated, and re-interpreted multiple times. The seals in the modern editions are not identical to the ones in Weyer’s manuscript. The differences matter because the seal is the spirit’s signature, and a misdrawn symbol can waste a night of ritual. That is why we always cross-reference at least three editions before inscribing.
Symbolism and Meaning: The Winged Boy and the Two-Headed Dragon
The image of Volac is not decorative. The winged boy represents innocence, agility, and the ability to move between worlds. The two-headed dragon beneath him signifies duality: the serpent’s wisdom is both creative and destructive, hidden and revealed. One head looks forward, the other back, which echoes the spirit’s function of revealing what is buried (the past) and what is hidden (the future). The dragon is also a creature of the earth and water, linking Volac to the underworld and to the sea.
The treasure Volac reveals is not always gold. In the grimoires, “hidden treasures” includes anything of value that has been lost: a document, a stolen object, a forgotten knowledge. The serpent knowledge is similarly layered. Snakes were symbols of healing and wisdom in the ancient world, and Volac’s knowledge of them is not merely biological. It is esoteric: the serpent’s ability to shed its skin, to move underground, to strike without warning — all of these are metaphors for the magician’s own transformation and the secrets of the underworld.
Practices and Traditions: How Volac Is Summoned and Used
We do not summon Volac casually. The preparation is the same as for any Goetic operation: a period of purification, the construction of a protective circle, and the drawing of the spirit’s seal on a piece of clean parchment. The seal is inscribed in black ink, and the magician holds it in his hand or places it on the altar. The timing is traditionally a Tuesday in the hour of Jupiter, though some sources recommend the hour of Mercury for treasure-related work.
The summoning itself is a spoken evocation, usually from the Ars Goetia’s conjuration. The magician calls Volac by name, states his rank, and demands his presence in the crystal or the triangle. The spirit is said to appear as a winged boy, and the magician must not be frightened by the dragon. The conversation is formal: the magician thanks the spirit for coming, explains the task, and receives a sign or a verbal answer. A typical operation might involve asking for the location of a lost object, the safe handling of a venomous creature, or the revelation of a hidden knowledge in a text.
The offering is debated. Some grimoires suggest no offering is needed for a president; others say a small amount of incense or a drop of wine is courteous. We have seen practitioners leave a piece of clear quartz on the seal as a gift. The important thing is to dismiss the spirit properly, with thanks and the command to depart in peace. If the magician forgets, the spirit may linger, and the consequences are not dramatic — irritation, missed sleep, a sense of being watched — but they are real.
Comparisons: Volac and Other Treasure-Seeking Spirits
Volac is not alone in the Goetia as a revealer of hidden things. Buer, the tenth spirit, teaches knowledge of herbs and healing, but does not focus on treasure. Marbas, the fifth spirit, can reveal hidden treasures as well, but he also gives knowledge of mechanics and causes diseases. Volac’s specialization in serpents sets him apart. He is the only Goetic spirit explicitly associated with reptiles and poison.
Outside the Goetia, treasure-finding spirits appear in the Grimorium Verum (the spirit Sabbathan) and the Grand Grimoire (the demon Lucifuge Rofocale). But those are more transactional and dangerous, often requiring a pact. Volac operates within the Solomonic system, which is hierarchical and controlled. The magician commands, not bargains. That distinction is essential for anyone choosing which spirit to work with.
Common Misconceptions
The most persistent misconception is that Volac is a demon of poison or illness because of his association with snakes. In fact, the knowledge he gives is about serpents, not venom. He is a revealer, not a destroyer. Another mistake is confusing his rank with the number of legions. A president who rules thirty legions is not a minor spirit; he is substantially powerful, though less so than a king like Paimon. The spelling confusion, Volac vs. Valac, leads some to think they are different spirits. They are not. The seal is the same, and the attributes are the same. The variation is a scribal artifact.
A third misconception is that the winged boy is a child. It is not. The image is a spirit taking a form that suggests innocence, perhaps to disarm the magician. The boy is as old as the spirit itself.
FAQ
Is Volac dangerous to summon?
No more than any Goetic spirit, if the proper protections are used. The circle, the seal, and the formal dismissal contain the operation. The danger is not in the spirit but in the magician’s own fear.
What does Volac’s seal look like?
It is a circle with a cross in the center, surrounded by smaller crosses and arcs. The exact design varies by manuscript, but the essential pattern is a cross within a circle, with a few additional symbols.
Can Volac be used for finding lost objects?
Yes, that is one of his primary functions. He locates hidden treasures, which includes lost items. The magician must be specific about the object and the location.
What is the difference between Volac and Valac?
None. They are the same spirit, with different spellings in different editions of the Ars Goetia.
Closing
Volac is a spirit of buried things, of the knowledge that lies beneath the surface, whether in the earth or in the mind. His presence in the Goetia reminds us that the demonological tradition is not only about power and terror. It is also about recovery, about bringing what is hidden into the light. If you are working with the Goetic spirits, understanding Volac’s seal and his domain will deepen your grasp of the system. For more on the hierarchy of Hell, read our guide to the Ars Goetia’s spirits. You may also want to explore the symbolism of the two-headed dragon and the history of the Lemegeton manuscripts.