Barbatos (Ars Goetia Demon)

Barbatos is known as a powerful demon and has the title of Great Duke of Hell.

In the Ars Goetia, he commands thirty legions of spirits. He is considered a fallen angel, once part of the Order of Virtues or sometimes the Order of Principalities. He is especially noted for revealing hidden treasures, settling social disputes, and helping people communicate with animals.

---

---

Overview

Attribute	Details
Primary Name	Barbatos
Other Names	Barbados, Barbiatos
Titles	Great Duke of Hell, Earl of Hell, Lord of the Four Kings
Gender	Male
Alignment	Neutral Evil
Role	Revealer of Hidden Treasures, Interpreter of Animal Tongues, Reconciler of Friends and Rulers, Seer of Past and Future
Rank	Great Duke and Earl
Hierarchy	Serves under the Four Kings (specifically Paimon in some traditions); commands 30 legions of spirits
Legions / Followers	30 Legions
Appearance	Appears when the sun is in Sagittarius, accompanied by four noble kings and their troops of heralds.
Powers & Abilities	Understanding the singing of birds, bark of dogs, and lowing of bullocks; detecting treasures hidden by enchantments; knowing all things past and to come; reconciling friends and those in power.
Associated Figures	Solomon, Paimon, Bileth, Belial, Asmoday, Astaroth, Gaap, Purson, Balam, Vine, Zagan, Belial, Decarabia, Seere, Dantalion, Andromalius
Weaknesses	Magical circles, brass vessels (Solomonic binding), specific conjurations, holy names
Opposing Forces	Archangel Gabriel, Archangel Raphael
Pantheon	Abrahamic (Christian/Jewish demonology)
Region of Origin	Europe (Medieval/Renaissance Grimoires)
First Known Appearance	16th Century (Pseudomonarchia Daemonum)
Primary Sources	Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Ars Goetia (Lesser Key of Solomon), Dictionnaire Infernal, The Discoverie of Witchcraft

Description

Barbatos is seen as a spirit connected to hidden knowledge and restoring social harmony. Theologically, he marks the shift from the heavenly to the infernal as a fallen angel from the higher ranks. He reflects the human urge to discover what is hidden, whether it is buried treasure or the secret meanings in nature’s sounds.

Unlike demons focused only on destruction, Barbatos shows that demonic forces can be useful. He can help people understand things they could not before or repair broken relationships between important figures. Barbatos is linked to the hidden parts of the world, unlocking the silent languages of animals and the mysteries of time.

Appearance

Barbatos is said to appear when the sun is in Sagittarius. He does not come alone but is led and joined by four noble kings. These kings bring large groups of heralds who play trumpets and march in processions like a military parade.

Barbatos is usually shown as a bearded man or a hunter. Some sources focus more on the clothing and appearance of the people with him than on his own face.

He often wears a green cloak or hunter’s clothes, which reflect his connection to the forest and his understanding of animal sounds. Many descriptions show him with a bow and arrows, adding to his image as a hunter or seeker of secrets.

History

The Celestial Descent

Barbatos started out as a high-ranking angel in Heaven. Most stories say he belonged to the Order of Virtues, though some claim he was part of the Order of Principalities. During the Great Rebellion, he chose to join Lucifer’s side.

Barbatos was known more for his intelligence and ability to see through time than for fighting. When the rebels were defeated and expelled from Heaven, Barbatos fell with his followers.

After his fall, Barbatos lost his divine light. Still, they kept his knowledge of nature and his ability to see the future. When he arrived in the underworld, he became a Great Duke and was put in charge of thirty legions of other fallen spirits.

The Binding by Solomon

Stories from the Solomonic tradition say that King Solomon used a magic ring to summon and control the seventy-two spirits of the Goetia, including Barbatos. While serving Solomon, Barbatos had to use his powers to help build the Temple and maintain stability in the kingdom.

According to legend, Solomon used Barbatos’s special skill of understanding animals to gather information from birds and other creatures, making sure no enemy could sneak up on his kingdom. In the end, Barbatos and the other spirits were sealed in a brass vessel and thrown into a deep lake or pit in Babylon.

Later, when the Babylonians found the vessel and opened it in hopes of treasure, Barbatos and his legions escaped and returned to their roles in the infernal world.

The Guardian of the Hidden

In later European folklore and magical texts, Barbatos became well known among alchemists and treasure hunters. Medieval stories tell of sorcerers trying to summon him to break the spells guarding hidden treasures.

In one story, German miners asked Barbatos for help finding a silver vein hidden by a mountain spirit. But Barbatos is known to be unpredictable. Even if he shows where the treasure is, he often requires the seeker to make peace with an old enemy before they can claim it.

This gave Barbatos a reputation not only as a demon of greed, but also as a spirit who demands social harmony, even if his methods are dark.

Sources

Source	Quote
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (Weyer)	Barbatos, magnus Dux est & Comes. Similis sagittarius videtur cum quatuor regibus, qui tubis canentes eum comitantur. Intelligit cantum auium, canum latratum, mugitum boum & cunctorum animalium. Thesauros item incantatos detegit, quos magorum præstigiis absconditos. Amicorum & potestatum reconciliationes facit. Novit præterita & futura.
Ars Goetia (Lesser Key of Solomon)	The Eighth Spirit is Barbatos. He is a Great Duke, and appeareth when the Sun is in Sagittary, with four Noble Kings and their companies of great troops. He giveth the understanding of the singing of Birds, and of the Voices of other creatures, such as the barking of Dogs. He breaketh the Hidden Treasures open that have been laid by the Enchantments of Magicians. He is of the Order of Virtues, of which some part he retaineth still; and he knoweth all things Past, and to come, and reconcileth Friends and those that be in Power.
Dictionnaire Infernal (Collin de Plancy)	Barbatos, grand-duc et comte de l’empire infernal, qui appartient à l’ordre des Vertus. Il paraît sous la figure d’un archer ou d’un chasseur; quatre rois sonnant du cor l’accompagnent. Il entend le chant des oiseaux, le mugissement des bœufs, l’aboiement des chiens.

Powers

Barbatos has powers that help people understand nature, influence time, and affect social connections. His main ability is giving someone the “Universal Tongue,” which lets them understand the language in animal sounds. This is not just a guess, but a real translation of what birds, dogs, and cattle are saying into human thoughts.

Barbatos can also break magical barriers. If a treasure is hidden by a magician’s spell, he can find the exact magical lock and remove it, making the treasure visible and reachable. He also has the power to see both the past and the future simultaneously.

He uses the knowledge from the “Order of Virtues” to tell someone what will happen before it does. Barbatos can also influence people’s minds, acting as a supernatural mediator. He can calm angry leaders by gently shifting the feelings of those involved to encourage peace.

Occult correspondences

Attribute	Details
Planet	Venus (as Duke) or Sun (as Earl)
Zodiac Sign	Sagittarius
Element	Earth
Direction	North
Color	Green
Number	8
Metal	Copper (Duke) or Gold (Earl)
Crystal / Mineral	Emerald
Herb / Plant	Ground Ivy
Incense	Sandalwood
Sacred Animal / Symbol	Robin, Hound, Bull

---

Tags:

---

---