[Help] Question about Goetic hierarchy: which King rules over Sallos?

[agloval]

Hello everyone,


I have a small question regarding Goetic hierarchy and wanted to ask for clarification from those with more experience or solid sources.


I am trying to determine which King is traditionally considered to have authority over the Goetic spirit Sallos. I have come across conflicting references, and I am unsure whether this would be King Purson or King Paimon, or if Sallos is generally treated as operating independently under Lucifer without a clear superior in the classical grimoires.


If anyone can point me toward reliable sources (Lemegeton variants, commentaries, historical texts, or practical tradition), or share their understanding of how this hierarchy is usually interpreted, I would really appreciate it.


Thank you in advance for your time and insight.

 

[Reizo]

Yes, I would consult Jake Stratton-Kent's "Pandemonium" for questions like these. Sallos, as he is known in the Mathers Goetia, also known as Saleos in Weyer, & Caleos in "Liber Officiorum Spirituum," Weyer's source for Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. All listed under Paymon. FYI it is also suggested in Oberon he is not inclined to be truthful unless under constraint.

 

[agloval]

Thank you for the insight @Reizo ! That helps clear up the overlap I was seeing in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. It seems the connection to Paimon makes the most sense if following the cardinal directions, while the Purson references might be more about shared attributes than a direct 'reporting line.' I appreciate you pointing me toward the historical variants

 

[Reizo]

My pleasure! I think you're right about their characteristics. Purson seems to be one of the trickier ones. JSK seems to have firmly placed him in the West under Paimon, after rectifying patterns in likely name variants and other mentions in the manuscripts.

2 other resources for you that helped me out a lot with the Goetia - The Book of Treasure Spirits & The Grimoire Encyclopedia, both by David Rankine. The former has invocations that may have you pondering alternative ways to do a few things, and then while Pandemonium is a convenient reference for specific demons and their hierarchies, the Gimoire Encyclopedia has makes finding entire spirit registers and connections between grimoires easier.