The 24th spirit of the Goetia, Naberius (or Nebiros) appears as a three headed dog or a raven. He has a raucous voice but presents himself as eloquent and amiable. He teaches the art of gracious living. He is depicted as a crow or black crane.
The Grand Grimoire regards Naberius as the Field Marshal and Inspector General of the armies of Hell. He can be conjured to inflict woes upon anyone, discover the Hand of Glory, teach the mystic and occult qualities of all animals, plants, and minerals, and supply necromantic advice.
Curiously, one of the three Goetic nobles under his direct authority is Naberius, suggesting that the Grand Grimoire's author understood the two spellings to signify distinct demons. The other two subordinates are Glasya-Labolas and Ayperos.
Naberius in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum[]
The Pseudomonarchia daemonum, or False Monarchy of Demons, by the Dutch occultist Johann Weyer, was published as an appendix to his book titled De praestigiis daemonum, or On the Tricks of Demons, in 1577. The description of Belial from the Pseudomonarchia daemonum is as follows:
| “ | Naberius [*Naberus], alias Cerberus, is a valiant marquesse, shewing himselfe in the forme of a crowe, when he speaketh with a hoarse voice: he maketh a man amiable and cunning in all arts, and speciallie in rhetorike, he procureth the losse of prelacies and dignities: nineteene legions heare <and obeie> him.[1] | ” |
Naberius in the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis (Ars Goetia)[]
The Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis or Lesser Key of Solomon is an anonymously written book of demonology that is believed to have been complied sometime during the 17th century CE. The work is divided into five books, the first of which, known as the Ars Goetia, lists 72 demons. The Ars Goetia is heavily based off of Johann Weyer's Pseudomonarchia daemonum.
In 1904, the British occultist and founder of the religion of Thelema, Aleister Crowley, published a version of the Lesser Key of Solomon which was translated by another British occultist, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, and contained additional invocations added by Crowley. The Ars Goetia's passage on Naberius from the 1904 version is as follows:
| “ | The Twenty-fourth Spirit is Naberius. He is a most valiant Marquis, and showeth in the form of a Black Crane, fluttering about the Circle, and when he speaketh it is with a hoarse voice. He maketh men cunning in all Arts and Sciences, but especially in the Art of Rhetoric. He restoreth lost Dignities and Honours. He governeth 19 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, which is to be worn, etc.[2] | ” |
Naberius (Cerberus) in the Dictionnaire Infernal[]
The Infernal Dictionary is a book of demonology written in 1818 by the French occultist Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy. The entry for Asmodeus is as follows:
| “ | Cerberus or Naberus is a demon among us. Wierus places him among the marquises of the infernal empire. He is strong and powerful; he shows himself, when he does not have his three dog heads, in the form of a raven; his voice is hoarse: nevertheless he gives eloquence and amiability; he teaches the fine arts. Nineteen legions obey him.
We see that this is no longer the Cerberus of the ancients, that fearsome dog, incorruptible gatekeeper of the underworld, also called the beast with a hundred heads, centiceps bellua , because of the multitude of serpents with which its three manes were adorned. Hesiod gives it fifty dog heads; but it is generally agreed that it had only three. Its teeth were black and sharp, and its bite caused prompt death. It is believed that the fable of Cerberus goes back to the Egyptians, who had tombs guarded by mastiffs. But it is mainly the demon Cerberus that we have had to deal with here. In 1586, he made an alliance with a Picardy woman named Marie Martin.[3] |
” |
Gallery[]
_-_Blue_Exorcist.png "Naberius (Canine) - Blue Exorcist.png (379 KB)")
_-_Blue_Exorcist.png "Naberius (Human) - Blue Exorcist.png (492 KB)")
