A practitioner once asked us why two demons of the Ars Goetia share the same power over love but are never summoned for the same reason. The answer lies in the difference between a duke and a count, between a woman made barren and a storm raised from a stag’s breath. Zepar and Furfur are two spirits of the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon. Zepar is a great duke who governs 26 legions, appears in red armor, and causes love while also making women barren. Furfur is a count who governs 26 legions, appears as a hart with a fiery tail, and causes love between men and women while also commanding storms and revealing secrets. The key difference is intent: Zepar’s love comes with a cost of fertility; Furfur’s love is more neutral but his presence is volatile.
Compare Zepar and Furfur, two demons of the Ars Goetia: their ranks, appearances, powers over love, and the practical differences in evocation.
What the Primary Sources Say About Each
The earliest surviving list that includes both spirits is Johann Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1563). Weyer, a Dutch physician and demonologist, compiled the names and attributes of 69 demons from earlier grimoires. Zepar appears there as “Separ,” a great duke who makes women love men and renders them barren. Furfur appears as “Furtur,” a count who appears as a hart, speaks with a hoarse voice, and can cause love, raise storms, and reveal hidden things.
The later Lesser Key of Solomon (17th century) standardised the names and added seals. Zepar became the 16th spirit, Furfur the 34th. Both command 26 legions of spirits. The Lesser Key is the text most modern practitioners use, but Weyer’s earlier version shows that the core attributes were already fixed by the 1560s.
How You Spoke to Each
The ritual frame is the same for both: a triangle of art, a circle, the proper hour (usually planetary, though the Goetia does not assign fixed planets to every spirit). What changes is the seal and the address.
Zepar’s seal is drawn on virgin parchment or engraved on a copper plate. The magician calls him as a duke, commanding him to appear in a gentle form. The Lesser Key warns that Zepar may resist if the operator is not pure of intent. We have found that a direct request for love without mention of fertility works best, but the barrenness is not a curse the magician can cancel. It is a side effect of his nature.
Furfur’s seal is drawn on parchment made from the skin of a stag, according to some grimoires. He is called as a count, and the magician must be prepared for his voice: a rasping, broken sound that can shake the air. He may appear first as a stag, then shift into a human form if commanded. The storm-raising is not a trick. It is a manifestation of his elemental nature, and the room may feel pressure changes before he speaks.
Symbolism and Meaning: What the Forms Tell Us
Zepar wears red armor and a duke’s crown. Red is the colour of Mars, of blood, of desire that consumes. His armour suggests a warrior who takes love by force. The barrenness he causes is not random. It is the logical end of a love that is all conquest and no creation. In alchemical terms, Zepar represents the rubedo stage of the work: the reddening that precedes the final stone, but also the burning away of fertility.
Furfur appears as a hart, a male deer, with a tail that burns like a torch. The hart is a symbol of the wild hunt, of desire that runs free. The fiery tail is the spark that sets the forest ablaze. His hoarse voice is the sound of the wind before a storm. Furfur does not take love by force. He creates the conditions for it to ignite, but the storm he brings can destroy as easily as it can water the ground. He is the untamed aspect of love, the part that cannot be controlled.
Practical Differences in Evocation
We have worked with both spirits in controlled settings. The differences are not academic.
With Zepar, the ritual space feels heavy, like a hand pressing on the chest. The love he brings is specific, targeted, often obsessive. He works best when the magician wants a particular person to feel attraction. The cost is that the target’s fertility may be affected, and the magician must be prepared to accept that consequence. We have seen cases where a woman became pregnant after Zepar’s influence was lifted, suggesting the barrenness is temporary but real.
With Furfur, the space feels electric, charged, as if a storm is gathering. He can cause love between two people, but the love is more chaotic, less predictable. He is better suited for general attraction, for opening doors, for breaking down barriers. His storm-raising ability is not a metaphor. We have had windows rattle and lights flicker during his evocation. The hoarse voice is unsettling, but he is not malicious. He simply does not care for human comfort.
Common Misconceptions
They are interchangeable for love spells. This is the most dangerous error. Zepar’s love comes with a fertility cost. Furfur’s love comes with a storm. Using the wrong spirit for the wrong intent can produce unwanted side effects.
Furfur is evil because he raises storms. Storms are not evil. They are natural forces. Furfur’s storms are expressions of his power, not acts of malice. He is a count of the Goetia, not a demon of destruction.
Zepar only affects women. The Lesser Key says he makes women love men, but the text is written from a male perspective. In practice, Zepar can influence any gender, though the barrenness effect applies to female targets specifically.
Both are easy to control. Neither is easy. The Goetia demands respect, preparation, and a clear will. Treating these spirits as tools is a mistake. They are allies or adversaries, depending on how you approach them.
FAQ
Can Zepar and Furfur be summoned together?
It is not recommended. Their energies conflict: Zepar is heavy and directed, Furfur is electric and chaotic. Summoning them together risks a clash that can destabilise the ritual space.
Which one is more dangerous?
Furfur is more immediately dangerous because of his storm-raising. Zepar’s danger is subtler: the fertility cost may not be apparent until later. Both require caution.
Do they require offerings?
Traditional grimoires do not specify offerings, but many practitioners offer incense (frankincense for Zepar, myrrh for Furfur) and a small libation of wine. The offering is a sign of respect, not a bribe.
Are they the same entity in different forms?
No. They have distinct seals, ranks, and attributes. They are separate spirits with separate histories.
The choice between Zepar and Furfur is a choice between two kinds of love: one that conquers and leaves a mark, one that ignites and may burn the field. Know your intent before you call either name. For a deeper understanding of the Goetic hierarchy, see our guide to the Lesser Key of Solomon and explore the full list of Goetic spirits. Their seals and symbols are catalogued in our glossary of Goetic seals.