A medieval magician’s library held two books that claimed to reveal the same door: one through piety and the other through force. They are the Keys of Solomon, two distinct grimoires that share a legendary author but diverge completely in method, purpose, and spirit. The Key of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis) is a manual of planetary magic and consecration, while the Lesser Key of Solomon (Lemegeton) is a catalog of demons with instructions for evocation and control. Understanding their differences is essential for anyone working with Solomonic tradition.
The Two Books That Claimed Solomon’s Name
The story begins not with King Solomon himself but with the scribes who wrote in his name. No manuscript predates the 14th century, yet the attribution to Solomon was never questioned by the magicians who used them. The Key of Solomon appears first, with the oldest known Latin manuscript dating to the late 14th or early 15th century, held today in the British Library (Sloane MS 1307). It circulated widely across Italy, France, and Germany, often in vernacular translations. The Lesser Key of Solomon (the Lemegeton) is a later compilation, assembled in the 17th century from earlier sources, with the earliest complete manuscript dated to 1640 (Sloane MS 273).
Both books claim to have been hidden in Solomon’s tomb and rediscovered by Babylonian philosophers. That story is fiction, but it served a practical purpose: it gave the texts an authority that no living author could match. The real authors remain anonymous, though scholars trace heavy influence from the works of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535), whose Three Books of Occult Philosophy provided the theoretical framework for much of the Key’s planetary magic. The Lesser Key draws on earlier demonological texts such as the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1583) by Johann Weyer, a physician who compiled a list of demons while arguing that witchcraft was a delusion.
In the 19th century, both grimoires were revived by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers translated the Key of Solomon into English in 1888, and Aleister Crowley edited and published the Lesser Key’s first section (the Ars Goetia) in 1904. These editions remain the most widely used today, though modern critical editions have corrected many transcription errors.
What Each Key Actually Contains
The Key of Solomon is organized into two books. Book One describes the construction and consecration of tools: the knife, the sword, the wand, the pentacles of the planets. Book Two covers the operations themselves: how to capture spirits, how to make the circle, how to call upon angels and planetary intelligences. Every operation requires elaborate purification: fasting, abstention from sex, bathing, white robes, and the burning of specific incenses. The magician works within a consecrated circle drawn with virgin parchment and holy water. The goal is not to command demons but to gain knowledge, treasure, or love through the mediation of celestial powers.
The Lesser Key of Solomon is a different animal entirely. It contains five sections:
- Ars Goetia — 72 demons, each with a sigil, rank, and function
- Ars Theurgia Goetia, 31 aerial spirits, mostly neutral
- Ars Paulina, angels of the hours and zodiac
- Ars Almadel, 20 angels of the four directions
- Ars Notoria, prayers for memory and eloquence
The Goetia is the most famous and the most controversial. Here the magician summons a demon into a triangle outside the circle, threatens it with divine names, and demands service. The tone is aggressive, almost legalistic: the spirit is bound by a contract, and failure to obey results in being burned or confined.
One grimoire asks the magician to be a priest. The other asks the magician to be a king.
Symbolism and Meaning: The Seal and the Sigil
The central symbol of the Key of Solomon is the Seal of Solomon (the hexagram), often inscribed on a pentacle of Saturn or Jupiter. It represents the union of divine will and material form. The pentacles in the Key are elaborate diagrams of concentric circles, divine names, and planetary squares. Each one is a key to a specific celestial influence. The magician does not command the planet; he aligns himself with it.
The Lesser Key replaces the seal with the sigil. Each of the 72 Goetic demons has a unique sigil, usually drawn on parchment or engraved on a metal plate. These sigils are not decorative. They are the spirit’s signature, a glyph that contains its essence and allows the magician to call it by name. The circle in the Lesser Key is defensive: the magician stands inside it, protected by divine names, while the spirit appears in the triangle outside. The geometry is a boundary, not a bridge.
The difference in symbolism reflects a difference in worldview. The Key of Solomon assumes a cosmos ordered by planetary spheres and angelic hierarchies. The Lesser Key assumes a cosmos where demons have been granted limited power by God, and the magician can exploit that loophole through the authority of Solomon’s name.
For more on the symbols used in both texts, see our glossary of Solomonic seals and sigils.
How Each Key Is Used in Practice
The Key of Solomon demands patience. A single operation can take weeks of preparation: constructing the tools, fasting, reciting the prayers at the correct planetary hour. The circle is drawn with a consecrated sword, and the incense is compounded according to the planet (saffron for the Sun, myrrh for Saturn). The magician stands inside, reciting the Conjuration of the Spirits from memory. The spirits that appear are often described as gentle, luminous, and reluctant to speak. The goal is not to terrify but to persuade.
The Lesser Key is faster and more confrontational. The circle is simpler: a ring of divine names, often drawn on the floor with chalk or a black-handled knife. The triangle is placed outside, and the magician reads the Conjuration of the Spirit from the book. The demon is commanded to appear in a “fair and comely form” but often appears as something else. The Ars Goetia warns that spirits will lie, threaten, and try to break the circle. The magician must be firm, using the Binding and Constraining prayers if the spirit resists. The operation ends with a license to depart, a formal dismissal that releases the spirit until called again.
The tools differ too. The Key uses a black-handled knife for the circle and a white-handled knife for cutting herbs and parchment. The Lesser Key uses a ring of art, a sword, and a brass vessel for containing spirits. Both require a wand, but the Key’s wand is made of hazel or almond, while the Lesser Key’s wand is often made of elder, cut with a single stroke at the planetary hour of Mercury.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Aspect | Key of Solomon | Lesser Key of Solomon |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Planetary magic, consecration | Demon evocation, binding |
| Spirits | Angels, planetary intelligences | 72 demons (Goetia), aerial spirits, angels |
| Tone | Reverent, purifying | Authoritative, confrontational |
| Tools | Knife, sword, pentacles, wand | Circle, triangle, ring, brass vessel |
| Preparation | Weeks of purification, fasting | Days of fasting, simpler ritual |
| Protection | Circle with divine names, pentacles | Circle with divine names, triangle for spirit |
| Earliest manuscript | 14th–15th century | 1640 (compiled from earlier sources) |
| Key translator | S.L. MacGregor Mathers (1888) | Aleister Crowley (1904, Ars Goetia) |
Common Misconceptions
The Keys are the same book. They are not. They share a title and a legendary author, but their contents, methods, and spirits are distinct. Confusing them leads to failed operations.
Solomon wrote them. No. The attribution is pseudepigraphical, a common practice in medieval magic to lend authority. The real authors were anonymous clerics and scholars working within the Hermetic tradition.
They are purely evil. The Key of Solomon invokes angels and planetary spirits. The Lesser Key includes demons, but also angels and prayers. The tradition is Christian in origin, using the authority of God and the names of Christ. The morality is complex, but the goal is not evil.
Anyone can use them. The texts assume a trained magician with knowledge of astrology, purification, and ritual. A beginner who opens the Ars Goetia without preparation is likely to get nothing but frustration. The spirits, if they appear, will test the magician’s resolve.
FAQ
What is the difference between the Key of Solomon and the Lesser Key of Solomon?
The Key of Solomon focuses on planetary magic and angelic invocation with elaborate purification. The Lesser Key focuses on demonic evocation and binding, with a hierarchy of 72 demons.
Can a beginner use the Keys of Solomon?
We recommend starting with the Key of Solomon, as its methods are slower and safer. The Lesser Key requires experience in ritual protection and a strong will.
Are the Keys of Solomon dangerous?
The texts themselves are not dangerous, but the practices can be psychologically intense. A poorly executed evocation can lead to obsession or fear. Proper preparation and respect for the spirits are essential.
Further Reading
The Keys of Solomon are only two entries in a vast library of Solomonic texts. To understand their place in the tradition, explore our guide to grimoires and the glossary of Solomonic magic. For a deeper look at the most famous section of the Lesser Key, see our guide to the Ars Goetia. Each text is a door. The question is which key you choose to turn.