“He carries a man swiftly from one country to another.”
The Spirit
Bathin is the eighteenth spirit of the Ars Goetia, a mighty and strong Duke of the infernal hierarchy. The grimoire pictures him as a figure of masculine strength appearing with the tail of a serpent, and — in a detail characteristic of the more theatrical entries of the Lesser Key — riding upon a pale-coloured horse. This mounted, half-serpentine form gives Bathin an aspect of restless motion, fitting for a spirit whose chief power concerns travel and transport across great distances.
His serpent’s tail links him iconographically to the many reptilian spirits of the tradition, while the horse beneath him underscores speed and the crossing of ground. He is a spirit of thresholds and passages, both geographic and vegetable.
Office
The Goetia attributes to Bathin a knowledge of the virtues of herbs and of precious stones, a lore of the natural world and its hidden properties. His most emphasised office, however, is that of conveyance: he is said to be able to carry a man suddenly from one country to another, transporting the operator across vast distances in an instant — a power that places him among the spirits of translocation within the grimoire.
Attributes
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Number | 18 |
| Rank | Duke |
| Legions | 30 |
| Appearance | A strong man with a serpent’s tail, riding a pale horse |