Bael

Culture: Western grimoire tradition (Ars Goetia)   Traditional rank: King, first of the 72

Bael is listed first in the Ars Goetia, traditionally described as appearing with three heads (a man, a toad and a cat) and said, in the old text, to grant invisibility and wisdom to those who summon him. The name has a much older and unrelated history as a genuine Canaanite deity (Baal), reflecting a common pattern where medieval demonology recast older Near Eastern gods as demons, worth understanding as its own separate historical thread.

Associations

Historical demonological catalogs, the older, unrelated Canaanite deity whose name was reused.

Ways people engage with this material (modern)

• Research the historical process by which older deities were recast as demons in medieval Christian texts
• Compare this entry with the separate, genuine Canaanite deity Baal described elsewhere in this Grimoire
• Read the Ars Goetia's original entry in a reputable scholarly translation
• Approach the material as literary and historical study

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.