A child upon a dragon, keeper of the things that hide in the dark.
The Spirit
Valac — variously spelled Valak, Ualac, or Volac — is the sixty-second spirit of the Ars Goetia and holds the rank of President. His appearance is among the most memorable in the whole catalogue: he manifests as a small boy with the wings of an angel, riding upon a two-headed dragon. The incongruity of the innocent child astride the monstrous serpent has made him a favourite of later illustrators and a striking emblem of the grimoire's habit of clothing power in unexpected forms.
The tradition assigns him a curious specialty. Where his neighbours teach arts or transmute substances, Valac deals in things concealed — the hidden treasures of the earth and the serpents that guard them. He is, in the older reading, a finder and a revealer, a spirit whose gift is disclosure rather than force.
Office
The Ars Goetia holds that Valac gives true answers concerning hidden treasures, and reveals where serpents may be seen. He delivers such serpents into the hand of the conjurer, tame and harmless, so that the coiled guardians of buried things are set aside and their hoards laid open. His office thus joins the seeking of treasure with mastery over the creatures that keep it, a single competence for one who would recover what the earth conceals.
Attributes
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Number | 62 |
| Rank | President |
| Legions | 38 |
| Appearance | A small boy with an angel's wings, riding a two-headed dragon |