Furcas
Furcas is the 50th of the 72 spirits catalogued in the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lemegeton. He is described with the title of Knight according to the text — the only spirit in the catalog to receive that specific hierarchical classification.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-20
Historical fact
In Mathers' edition (1904), Furcas is described as appearing in the form of a cruel old man with a long beard and a hoary head, riding upon a pale-colored horse and carrying a sharp weapon in his hand. The text attributes to him the teaching of the arts of Philosophy, Astrology, Rhetoric, Logic, Cheiromancy, and Pyromancy, in all their parts and perfectly.
Interpretation — Solomonic Tradition (Mathers/Crowley, 1904)
In Mathers' edition, published with commentary by Aleister Crowley, Furcas holds the catalog's 50th position and is described as a Knight — a hierarchical title unique to him among the 72 spirits — commanding 20 legions of spirits according to the text. He is listed with the attribute of teaching a broad set of disciplines, from the philosophical sciences to the divinatory arts, thoroughly.
Interpretation — Dr. Rudd's Tradition (manuscript, c. 1650)
The manuscript attributed to Thomas Rudd, predating Mathers' edition by roughly two and a half centuries, documents a related but distinct version of the catalog — in it, each of the 72 spirits, including Furcas, is paired with a corresponding angel drawn from the Kabbalistic Shem HaMephorash system (72 divine names), a restraining/governing structural element absent from Mathers' edition. No reliable record of the specific angel name Rudd's manuscript assigns to Furcas was found among the sources consulted for this entry; the general pairing practice is documented by researchers such as Joseph Peterson.
Interpretation — Luciferian Tradition (modern interpretation)
Modern Luciferian authors, chiefly Michael W. Ford (in works such as The Luciferian Goetia), reinterpret the Ars Goetia's 72 spirits not as entities to be commanded by a higher divine authority but as archetypes of the practitioner's own inner faculties, cultivated in service of self-sovereignty. In this reading, Furcas' title of Knight — unique among the catalog's 72 spirits — is read as the archetype of the individual who walks a solitary, self-determined path outside the more populous hierarchical ranks; and the text's attribution to him of mastery over such a broad range of disciplines, from Philosophy to Pyromancy, by way of Rhetoric, Logic, and Cheiromancy, is reinterpreted as the ideal of multifaceted intellectual development and mastery of oneself in every dimension.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Furcas called a Knight?
- 'Knight' is one of the hierarchical titles used in the Ars Goetia catalog, and Furcas is the only one among the 72 spirits to receive that specific classification, alongside Kings, Dukes, Princes, Marquises, Earls, and Presidents.
- What disciplines does the text attribute to Furcas?
- According to Mathers' edition, Furcas teaches Philosophy, Astrology, Rhetoric, Logic, Cheiromancy, and Pyromancy, in all their parts and perfectly.
- Is the Luciferian reading of Furcas as old as the Mathers and Rudd traditions?
- No. It's a modern interpretation, developed mainly from the 2000s onward by Luciferian authors such as Michael W. Ford, who reframe the Ars Goetia's spirits as psychological archetypes for self-development — a contemporary symbolic reading, not a historical manuscript like Mathers' or Rudd's.
Sources
- S. L. MacGregor Mathers (trans.), Aleister Crowley (ed.). The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King (1904).
- Joseph H. Peterson (ed.). The Lesser Key of Solomon (2001).
- Thomas Rudd (manuscript), ed. Adam McLean. Dr. Rudd's Treatise on Angel Magic (c. 1650 (2007 ed.)).
- Michael W. Ford. The Luciferian Goetia (2007).