Monday, July 7, 2014

Learn Something: Prince Stolas

So... just as a disclaimer before someone gets on here and starts trying to burn me for being a heretic... I am not a believer in the Goetic traditions, practices or beliefs. I am also not encouraging you to look into or practice these beliefs. I just stumbled upon this information a few days ago and found it vastly interesting.

So... today I've been studying a demon by the name of Prince Stolas.
He is found first and foremost in "The Lesser Key of Solomon," also known as the Clavicula Salomonis Regis or the Lemegeton.
This book is essentially a large anonymous spell book that was put together in the mid-seventeenth century. It is often associated with black magic and is divided into five separate books.

The book we are going to be looking at today is called the Ars Goetia which contains the hierarchy of the 72 demons of hell. The hierarchy includes titles such as "Grand Marquis" and "King," etc. which I find to be so very cool. I'm not sure why that is so adorable to me but it is.

I was just scrolling on tumblr the other day when I stumbled across what may be my favorite demon of all time (is there such a thing? Is that allowed? It's happening.)

His name is Stolas.

He is a great prince of hell, commanding twenty six legions of demons.
He is also known as Stolos, and is often depicted as a crowned owl with long legs, a raven, or a man.

He lords over the knowledge of poisonous plants and herbs, astronomy, and precious stones. If summoned, supposedly he can be convinced to teach the summoner these things.

LOOK AT HIM. This is Stolas as depicted in Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal (The Infernal Dictionary) which is essentially just a big ol' demonology dictionary.


I'm sorry, but if that isn't the most adorable demon you've ever seen then you're 100% wrong all the time.
Here's a quote from a tumblr user that I thought described my feelings quite well (swears omitted to protect your innocent minds)

"You hear 'demon' and you picture like, terrifying monstrosities that if you summon them you would know what true fear looks like or beautiful enchanting beings that have silver tongues and jet black eyes, who lure you in with silky words. You picture terror and allure and glamour and seduction... and then there's THIS guy. This is Stolas, one of the GREAT PRINCES OF HELL. This freaking pokemon of a demon commands 26 LEGIONS OF DEMONS. 
Imagine summoning a demon, ready to lay waste to a countryside or something and this guy poofing up, preening his feathers. 'm.. M-WHO DARES SUMMON A GREAT PRINCE OF HELL, OH PETTY MORTAL!? ... *hoot hoot*"

Anyway, I just find this depiction and description of demons to be crazy interesting. Each of the 72 demons has a kind of market over certain types of knowledge and mischief. Maybe I just liked it because it was so vastly different from my own beliefs, but something about it just totally caught my eye. I really like learning about the beliefs of other people.
If you'd like to learn more, you can check out these Wikipedia articles:

The seventy-two demons

The Lesser Key of Solomon

One more disclaimer, pretty pretty please do not mess with the summoning of demons. That stuff is sketchy and dangerous and never ever a good thing.
DO NOT.

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