Marbas
Marbas is the fifth of the 72 spirits catalogued in the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lemegeton. He is described with the title of Great President according to the text.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-20
Historical fact
In Mathers' edition (1904), Marbas is described as initially appearing in the form of a great lion, taking human shape at the operator's request according to the text. He is attributed with knowledge of the causes of diseases, with the ability to indicate remedies, as well as knowledge of the mechanical arts. The text also states that he can alter men's shape.
Interpretation — Solomonic Tradition (Mathers/Crowley, 1904)
In Mathers' edition, published with commentary by Aleister Crowley, Marbas holds the catalog's fifth position and is described as a Great President, commanding 36 legions of spirits according to the text. He is listed with the attributes of revealing the causes of illnesses, knowing the mechanical arts, and being able to change people's appearance, as described in the manuscript.
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 Marbas, 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 Marbas 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), read the Ars Goetia's 72 spirits not as external powers subordinate to a divine hierarchy but as archetypal currents within the practitioner's own psyche, to be awakened and consciously mastered. In this key, Marbas' leonine form and his transition into human shape are read as the archetype of raw vital force being channeled and civilized by the initiate's conscious will. His knowledge of the causes of diseases and his ability to indicate remedies are read as the introspective capacity to diagnose the psychological roots of one's own suffering, while his mastery of the mechanical arts and his power to alter men's shape symbolize the practitioner's capacity to deliberately reshape their own identity and mode of being.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Marbas called a 'Great President'?
- 'President' is one of the hierarchical titles used in the Ars Goetia catalog to classify the 72 spirits, alongside Kings, Dukes, Princes, Marquises, Earls, and Knights. The text does not detail the exact criteria for this classification beyond the position assigned to each spirit.
- What knowledge does the text attribute to Marbas?
- According to Mathers' edition, Marbas knows the causes of diseases and can indicate remedies, has knowledge of the mechanical arts, and is described as able to alter men's shape.
- Is the Luciferian reading of Marbas 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).