A summoner once sat in a circle drawn with charcoal, a brass vessel smoking at his feet. He called King Paimon. The camel came first, broad and patient, then the sound of a trumpet heard inside the skull, not through the ears. Paimon is a Great King of Hell in the Lesser Key of Solomon, ruling two hundred legions of spirits. His symbols are a dromedary (or camel), a trumpet, and a crown — each a fixed point in the language of ceremonial evocation.
Definition: who is King Paimon in the Goetia?
Paimon is the ninth spirit listed in the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lemegeton (compiled in the mid-17th century). The grimoire describes him as a king “very obedient unto King Bael,” which places him second in the command chain of infernal royalty. He appears with a great retinue: spirits playing trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments. His function is to teach all arts and sciences, reveal hidden treasures, bind or unbind men, and give familiar spirits. He is a rare figure in the Goetia because he can be invoked in two forms, first as a man riding a dromedary, then in his true kingly shape.
The name Paimon likely derives from the Greek Poimēn (“shepherd”) or the Egyptian Pai-mon (“the lord of the house”). Earlier sources, such as Johann Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1583), spell him Paymon and list him as a king of the East. Weyer’s book later became a core source for the Lemegeton compilers.
Where do Paimon’s symbols come from? A short history
The earliest known description of Paimon’s appearance appears in Weyer’s text, which states: “Paymon is a great king, and he appeareth in the form of a man sitting upon a dromedary, with a crown on his head, and before him goeth two spirits with trumpets.”
Weyer himself drew on a manuscript tradition that scholars trace to the early 15th century, the Livre des Esperitz (Book of Spirits) housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. That source lists a spirit called Hutergin with a camel and trumpet, but the name and attributes shifted as the grimoire tradition crossed into German and Latin circles.
By the time the Lemegeton was assembled (around 1650, though the earliest surviving copy dates to 1665), Paimon’s symbols were codified. The crown, camel, and trumpet were no longer decorative. They were instructions.
What the camel, trumpet, and crown actually mean
The dromedary is the most distinctive of Paimon’s signs. In grimoire logic, an animal that carries a rider over long distances signifies patience and submission. The spirit, however, does not submit, the camel is a mask that the spirit wears to be approachable. Weyer notes that Paimon will change his form if asked, but the camel is his first face. For a summoner, that face says: this king moves slowly and deliberately. He does not race to your circle.
The trumpet was not an instrument of celebration. In the Ars Goetia, musical instruments are consistently associated with spirits who teach arts and sciences (compare Buer, who teaches “moral and natural philosophy,” accompanied by nothing). The trumpet announces the presence of a king. It also warns the operator: the sound is overwhelming. Some medieval accounts say that Paimon’s retinue plays so loudly that the summoner must cover his ears. The practical consequence was that incense and fumigation, often of frankincense and myrrh, were used to dampen the spirit’s force before dialogue.
The crown is the symbol of Paimon’s authority. Unlike lower spirits who serve without question, Paimon must be addressed as a king. The Ars Goetia instructs the operator to offer him “a tripod, a ewer, and a clapper”, not as bribes but as signs of recognition. Fail to show respect, and the spirit will not speak truthfully. The crown also marks Paimon as one of the few Goetic spirits who can grant “true familiar spirits,” a privilege reserved for kings.
How Paimon is invoked: the symbols in practice
The summoner draws a triangle of art outside the circle, oriented south by tradition. Paimon’s seal, a complex geometric figure with a central cross and three loops, is inscribed on a parchment of calfskin or parchment and held inside the circle. The seal must be correct: Weyer warns that a single misplaced line will call a different spirit.
The evocation begins with a vocal address. The operator calls Paimon by name, followed by his titles: “King, King, King Paimon, I invoke thee by the great God who maketh the earth to tremble.” This is not a plea. It is a declaration of authority that the spirit recognizes.
When Paimon appears (often described as a heat at the edge of the triangle, then a shimmer like a desert mirage), the operator must immediately ask what form he prefers. If the spirit appears as the man on the camel, the operator requests the true kingly form. This is not vanity, it is safety. In his masked form, Paimon can speak indirectly. In his true form, he answers yes or no.
The symbols continue to govern the ritual. The camel’s patience means the summoner must wait without fear. The trumpet’s blast means the operator must ask clearly, without stammering. The crown means offerings of incense and a polite tone are non-negotiable.
How Paimon compares to other Goetic kings
Paimon is one of four Great Kings in the Goetia: Bael, Paimon, Belial, and Asmodeus. Each rules a cardinal direction. Bael (east) appears with three heads; Belial (north) takes the form of two beautiful angels in a chariot of fire; Asmodeus (west) carries a spear and banner. Paimon’s symbols are the most narrative because they tell a story, arrival, announcement, rule.
He is the only Goetic king who shares his seal with a specific number of legions (200, the highest of any spirit). His focus on arts and sciences places him closer to spirits like Buer (10th spirit, teaches philosophy) rather than the war-oriented kings like Vine (45th spirit) or Furfur (34th spirit). This makes Paimon a preferred spirit for intellectual or scholarly goals rather than material gain.
A notable comparison is with the spirit Orobas (55th spirit), who likewise teaches arts and sciences and cannot lie. But Orobas comes as a horse, not a camel, and carries no musical entourage. The difference is social rank: Orobas is a prince, Paimon a king. The symbols encode that hierarchy.
Common misconceptions about Paimon and his symbols
The most persistent mistake is that Paimon’s camel is a symbol of evil or impurity. In medieval bestiaries, the camel was a symbol of humility and endurance, positive traits in a spirit. The confusion comes from later Christian demonologists who read all grimoire symbols as Satanic inversions.
Another misconception: that Paimon can be summoned without a proper seal. Many popular articles claim that his name alone is enough. The Ars Goetia is explicit: without the seal, the spirit will not come. The seal is the “key” that binds the spirit to the triangle.
A third error is that Paimon’s trumpet signifies punishment. It does not. The trumpet is a heraldic device, borrowed from royal court ceremonies of the 16th century. A king did not hunt down his own subjects; he announced himself. The same logic governs the Goetia.
Finally, Paimon is often confused with the entity depicted in the 2018 film Hereditary. That film’s version of Paimon is not the Goetic king. The filmmakers borrowed the name and the crown but replaced the camel with a far different symbol (a wooden head, a pagan cult, a dead body). The historical Paimon never demands human sacrifice.
FAQ
Can Paimon be summoned safely? Yes, if the operator follows the circle, triangle, and seal as described in the Ars Goetia. The key is respect: address him as king, offer incense, and never command him directly.
What does the trumpet symbol mean? It means Paimon arrives with a retinue. The sound is a warning and an announcement. It tells the summoner that a being of authority is present.
Is Paimon a demon? In the Judeo-Christian grimoire tradition, he is classified as a demon. But as a spirit of the Goetia, he is not evil by nature, he teaches arts and sciences and gives familiar spirits to those who treat him correctly.
How many legions does Paimon rule? Two hundred legions, more than any other Goetic spirit. The number is part of his seal and reflects his rank as a king under Bael.
Closing
The symbols of Paimon, camel, trumpet, crown, are not decoration. They are the grammar of a ritual language that has been spoken for four centuries. To understand them is to understand how the Goetia works: not through blind obedience but through a system of recognition and exchange. For more on this system, explore our guide to demonology and the Goetia, read the entry on Goetic seals for the exact geometry of Paimon’s sign, or consult the full Ars Goetia overview for other kings and their rituals.