Zagan (also Zagam) is a Great King and President of Hell, commanding over thirty-three legions of demons. Zagan is depicted as a griffin-winged bull that turns into a man after a while.
He makes men witty; he can also turn wine into water, water into wine, and blood into wine. Another one of his powers is that of turning metals into coins that are made with that metal (i.e., gold into a gold coin, copper into a copper coin, etc.).
Zagan 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 Zagan from the Pseudomonarchia daemonum is as follows:
| “ | Zagan is a great king and a president, he commeth abroad like a bull, with griphens wings, but when he taketh humane shape, he maketh men wittie, he turneth all mettals into the coine of that dominion, and turneth water into wine, and wine into water, he also turneth bloud into <wine> [*oil], & <wine> [*oil] into bloud, & a foole into a wise man, he is head of thirtie and three legions.[1] | ” |
Zagan 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 Zagan from the 1904 version is as follows:
| “ | ZAGAN. - The Sixty-first Spirit is Zagan. He is a Great King and President, appearing at first in the Form of a Bull with Gryphon’s Wings; but after a while he putteth on Human Shape. He maketh Men Witty. He can turn Wine into Water, and Blood into Wine, also Water into Wine. He can turn all Metals into Coin of the Dominion that Metal is of. He can even make Fools wise. He governeth 33 Legions of Spirits, and his Seal is this, etc.[2] | ” |
Zagan 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 Zagan is as follows:
| “ | Zagam, great king and president of hell. He has the appearance of a bull with griffin wings. He changes water into wine, blood into oil, the fool into a wise man, lead into silver and copper into gold. Thirty legions obey him.[3] | ” |
Gallery[]
| The 72 Demons of The Ars Goetia | |
|---|---|
| Kings | Asmodeus • Bael • Balam • Beleth • Belial • Paimon • Purson • Vine • Zagan |
| Dukes | Abigor • Aim • Agares • Allocer • Amduscias • Astaroth • Barbatos • Bathin • Bune • Berith • Crocell • Dantalion • Flauros • Focalor • Gremory • Gusion • Murmur • Sallos • Valefor • Vapula • Vepar • Vual • Zepar |
| Princes | Gaap • Ipos • Orobas • Seere • Stolas • Sytry • Vassago |
| Marquises | Amon • Andrealphus • Andras • Cimejes • Decarabia • Forneus • Gamigin • Leraje • Marchosias • Nebiros • Orias • Phenex • Ronové • Sabnock • Shax |
| Counts | Andromalius • Bifrons • Furfur • Halphas • Raum |
| Knights | Furcas |
| Presidents | Buer • Botis • Foras • Glasya-Labolas • Marbas • Morax |
| Great Presidents | Amy • Camio • Haagenti • Malphas • Ose • Volac |