“An angel foul upon an infernal dragon, whose breath the operator must not receive.”
The Spirit
Astaroth is the twenty-ninth spirit of the Ars Goetia, a great and mighty Duke of the infernal orders and one of the most storied figures of the whole Western demonological tradition. His name descends from the ancient Near Eastern goddess Astarte, and by the era of the grimoires he had been transformed into a male demon of high rank. The Goetia describes him appearing as a foul or hurtful angel riding upon an infernal beast in the likeness of a dragon, and carrying in his right hand a viper.
The tradition surrounds his manifestation with particular caution: the operator is warned not to let Astaroth approach too closely on account of his stinking breath, and is counselled to hold a magical ring before the face as a defence. This blend of high dignity and noxious presence is characteristic of the ambivalence the grimoires assign to their greatest spirits.
Office
The Goetia holds that Astaroth gives true answers concerning things past, present, and to come, and discovers all secrets. He will discourse willingly of the fall of the spirits — how they sinned and fell — though the text warns that he does so to deceive the operator into supposing he too fell blamelessly. He also makes men wonderfully knowing in all the liberal sciences, a scholar’s gift befitting his eminence.
Attributes
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Number | 29 |
| Rank | Duke |
| Legions | 40 |
| Appearance | A foul angel on an infernal dragon, holding a viper, of stinking breath |