A scribe in 16th-century France copies a list of spirits onto vellum, each name accompanied by a seal and a description of its powers. That manuscript, now known as the Livre des Esperitz, is one of the earliest surviving grimoires in the French language. Its English title, the Book of Spirits, has caused no small confusion. The Livre des Esperitz is a 16th-century French grimoire that catalogs spirits with their seals and conjurations. It relates to the Book of Spirits as a direct translation of the same text, though the name also appears in unrelated works such as Allan Kardec’s Spiritist treatise.
Definition: What the Livre des Esperitz Actually Is
The Livre des Esperitz (French for “Book of Spirits”) is a manuscript grimoire from the 1500s, written in Middle French and preserved in the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal in Paris (MS 2491). It belongs to the Clavicle of Solomon tradition, a family of texts that claim to transmit King Solomon’s methods for summoning and commanding spirits. The work lists 36 spirits, each with a name, a seal (a geometric sigil), a description of their appearance, and the powers they grant. It also provides instructions for the operator: how to draw the seals, when to perform the conjuration, and what tools are required.
The phrase “Book of Spirits” is a literal translation of Livre des Esperitz. In modern English editions, the title is often rendered as The Book of Spirits to distinguish it from the larger Key of Solomon or Lemegeton. However, the same English phrase was used independently by the French spiritist Allan Kardec in 1857 for his Le Livre des Esprits, a philosophical work about the nature of spirits and the afterlife. The two texts share a name but nothing else.
History and Origins: From Solomonic Legend to French Manuscript
The Livre des Esperitz was composed in the early 16th century, likely in northern France. It draws on earlier Latin grimoires such as the Liber Juratus (the Sworn Book of Honorius) and the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577) by Johann Weyer. Weyer’s work, a catalog of demons, was itself a critique of conjuration, but the author of the Livre des Esperitz used it as a source without the critical tone.
The manuscript is part of a larger codex that includes other Solomonic texts: the Clavicula Salomonis (Key of Solomon) and the Almadel of Solomon. This grouping suggests that the Livre des Esperitz was intended as a practical appendix to the Key, providing the specific spirit list needed for the operations described in the main text.
By the 17th century, the Livre des Esperitz had been translated into Latin and incorporated into the Lemegeton, the famous English grimoire known as the Lesser Key of Solomon. The spirit list in the Livre des Esperitz corresponds closely to the first part of the Lemegeton, the Goetia, though the Goetia includes 72 spirits instead of 36. Scholars such as Joseph H. Peterson have argued that the Livre des Esperitz represents an earlier, shorter version of the Goetic list, possibly the source for the later expansion.
Symbolism and Meaning: The Seals as Keys
Every spirit in the Livre des Esperitz is assigned a seal, a geometric design that functions as a signature and a tool of control. The operator draws the seal on parchment or metal and presents it to the spirit during conjuration. The seal is not decorative. It is the binding element, the visual equivalent of a name.
The number 36 carries its own weight. In Solomonic magic, 36 is the number of the decans, the ten-degree divisions of the zodiac. Each decan was associated with a specific spirit or planetary intelligence. The Livre des Esperitz may have been designed to give the operator command over the entire zodiacal wheel, one spirit for each decan. Whether the author intended this correspondence is debated, but the structure aligns neatly with astrological magic of the period.
The spirits themselves are neither purely evil nor purely good. They are described as “servants” who can be compelled to reveal hidden knowledge, procure treasure, or influence people. The operator’s authority comes from the divine names and the seals, not from any personal power. This is a key point: the Livre des Esperitz is a manual of authority, not of worship.
Practices and Traditions: How the Book Was Used
The Livre des Esperitz prescribes a specific ritual for each spirit. The operator must be purified, wear clean garments, and draw the seal on virgin parchment with consecrated ink. The conjuration is spoken in a commanding tone, often invoking the names of God and the angels. The spirit is expected to appear visibly, and the operator must not show fear.
One concrete detail from the manuscript: the operator is told to hold the seal in his left hand and a wand in his right. The wand is made of hazel or almond wood, cut at sunrise. The circle is drawn on the ground with a sword or a knife, and the operator remains inside it until the spirit departs. These instructions match those in the Key of Solomon, confirming the Livre des Esperitz as a practical grimoire, not a theoretical treatise.
The book was used by solitary practitioners, often clerics or scholars who had access to Latin and French manuscripts. It was not a mass-produced text. Each copy was handwritten, and the seals had to be copied with care. A single error in a seal could render the operation useless or dangerous, according to the tradition.
Comparisons: Livre des Esperitz vs. Other “Books of Spirits”
The most common confusion is between the Livre des Esperitz and Allan Kardec’s Le Livre des Esprits (1857). Kardec’s work is a collection of questions and answers received from spirits through mediums. It is a foundational text of Spiritism, a religious movement that emphasizes moral improvement and communication with the dead. The Livre des Esperitz, by contrast, is a grimoire of command. It treats spirits as subordinates to be controlled, not as teachers to be consulted. The two texts come from different centuries, different worldviews, and different practices. They share a title only by coincidence of translation.
Within the Solomonic tradition, the Livre des Esperitz is closest to the Goetia of the Lemegeton. The Goetia expands the list to 72 spirits and adds more detailed conjurations, but the core structure is the same: name, seal, powers, and instructions. The Livre des Esperitz is also related to the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum of Johann Weyer, though Weyer wrote his catalog as a warning, not a manual. The Livre des Esperitz took Weyer’s list and repurposed it for practical magic.
Another related text is the Book of Spirits attributed to the 14th-century magician Honorius of Thebes, but that work is a different manuscript entirely, often called the Liber Spiritum in Latin. The Livre des Esperitz is not connected to it.
Common Misconceptions
Misconception 1: The Livre des Esperitz is the same as Allan Kardec’s Book of Spirits.
No. They are separate works from different centuries and traditions. The Livre des Esperitz is a grimoire of conjuration; Kardec’s is a Spiritist philosophy text.
Misconception 2: The Livre des Esperitz contains 72 spirits like the Goetia.
It contains 36 spirits. The 72-spirit list appears later in the Lemegeton. The Livre des Esperitz is likely a precursor.
Misconception 3: The seals in the Livre des Esperitz are original to the manuscript.
Many seals are adapted from earlier sources, including the Liber Juratus and the Key of Solomon. The author compiled rather than invented.
Misconception 4: The Livre des Esperitz is a beginner’s grimoire.
It assumes the operator already knows the basics of ritual purification, circle casting, and divine names. It is a reference list, not a tutorial.
FAQ
Is the Livre des Esperitz the same as the Book of Spirits?
Yes, in the sense that “Book of Spirits” is the English translation of the French title. But the same English phrase also refers to Allan Kardec’s unrelated Spiritist work.
How many spirits are in the Livre des Esperitz?
The manuscript lists 36 spirits, each with a seal and a description.
Can I use the Livre des Esperitz today?
Some modern practitioners do, but the original manuscript requires knowledge of Middle French and Solomonic ritual. Modern translations are available.
Where can I find the Livre des Esperitz?
The original manuscript is in the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal in Paris (MS 2491). English translations appear in Joseph H. Peterson’s The Lesser Key of Solomon and in scholarly editions.
Closing
The Livre des Esperitz is a key witness to the development of the Solomonic grimoire tradition, bridging the Latin sources of the Middle Ages and the English Lemegeton of the 17th century. Its relationship to the Book of Spirits is one of translation and confusion, not identity. For a deeper look at the family of texts it belongs to, see our guide to grimoires. The seals themselves carry a long history of symbolic power, explored in our glossary of seals. And if you want to compare it directly to the later Goetia, our guide to the Goetia traces the lineage step by step.