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Vassago, the third demon to appear in the Ars Goetia, adopts a form that is quite similar
to the previous entry in Agares. Both of these demons control legions in hell, both appear to use
a crocodile as their mounts and both are ranked high enough to be considered ‘demonic nobility’.
But in the case of Vassago, it might be argued that his prominence in the hierarchy
would eventually overshadow Agares, who was only a duke,
and whilst Agares enjoys a certain influence over his realm, Vassago was still royalty,
given that he was a prince. The implication here is that because of his royal heritage,
Vassago would outrank Agares, but conversely, a prince doesn’t always necessarily outrank a duke.
In the old French kingdom for example, the duke was situated above a prince
and it might be argued that depending on the duke’s age and experience in comparison to the
prince, he would be seen with higher authority. Furthermore, in the case of Agares and Vassago,
Agares controls 31 Legions of Spirits, whilst Vassago only controls 26, showing us that
Agares’ sphere of influence was much larger. Before we get started on today’s episode,
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Another interesting tidbit to mention is that Vassago is one of the only demons who is not
mentioned by Johann Weyer’s in his Pseudomonarchia Daemonum or by Colin de Plancy's Dictionnaire
Infernal. This might also indicate the relevance and importance of Vassago in comparison to Agares,
in that both authors chose to omit him from their own classifications. But luckily for us,
The Lesser Key of Solomon gives us something to work with and tells us specifically;
“Vassago - The Third Spirit is a Mighty Prince, being of the same nature as Agares.
He is called Vassago. This Spirit is of a Good Nature, and his office is to declare things
Past and to Come, and to discover all things Hid or Lost. And he governeth 26 Legions of Spirits,
and this is his seal.” Once more, we see right off the bat
that Vassago is a mighty prince of hell and that he is described as being of the same nature
as Agares. Now automatically, we’d likely assume that being the same nature as Agares
would mean the subject was evil. Agares after all was considered to be a spirit
that taught men forbidden aspects of language, could destroy dignities and most shockingly,
cause earthquakes. But we also understand that Agares was of the ‘Order of the Virtues’,
and as discussed in the last episode, could imply that there was once something righteous and good
about Agares. Even in this passage of Vassago, we see Vassago described as a spirit of good nature,
and because he has the same nature as Agares, it’s reasonable to believe that both, at least
at some point, were not insidious or wicked. As per his illustration in the Lesser Key of
Solomon, Vassago also bears much of the same visage as Agares, in that both are old men
and both ride upon a crocodile. Not much else however, can be deemed from this similarity,
other than speculation that the original author intended to show both demons
as kindred in some fashion. You might also notice the one difference in that Vassago does not have a
goshawk for company, but instead carries with him an hourglass. It’s hard to reconcile how
this might fit into his character or role within the demonic world, but it might be said that the
hour glass was merely symbolic and reflective of his duty for declaring things of past and future.
Indeed, as we can see from the text, Vassago’s main responsibility also differs from Agares,
in that he is responsible for declaring things that have both passed and have yet to come.
This may have been of particular benefit to soothsayers and fortune tellers, who according
to occultist beliefs, would summon entities like Vassago to aid them in their readings.
The text also reveals that Vassago assisted people in finding their lost or stolen objects,
yet another service that was redeemable upon summoning him.
Interestingly, there does not appear to be anything that Vassago asks for in return
for his summoning. There is no mention of sacrifice, bargaining or requirement of
fealty and going by his description as being of a ‘good nature’, it might be said that Vassago
was just simply willing to help. Perhaps in this, Vassago is merely guilty by association
and because he is a high ranking demon, despite his pleasant and utilitarian approach to humanity,
he is still considered an ‘abomination’. You might also say that the act of summoning a spirit
and conferring with such a spirit is not congruent with mainstream religious beliefs and for that
reason alone, the demon is shunned, despite how helpful he might be in determining the future,
recalling forgotten events or helping one to find their belongings.
Whilst there is no mention of Vassago in usual circles of demonology such as the Pseudomonarchia
Daemonum and the Dictoinnaire Infernal, the Book of Office Spirits, a demonic grimoire
that inspired much of the aforementioned works, does speak of Vassago - or as he’s known here,
‘Usagoo’. In this document, he appears as an angel and that he is ‘just and true in all his doings’,
perhaps further reinforcing the idea that he was more of a good entity.
The Book of Office Spirits also details some of Usagoo’s powers
in that he can incite women to love and reveal the location of hidden treasures.
You might say that this is where his more surreptitious characteristics come into play,
for ‘inciting the love of women’ certainly has some provocative connotations.
His ‘revealing of hidden treasures’ may also be deemed as deceitful,
for it could be argued that he is appealing to man’s greed and guiding him off the righteous
path in favor of money and riches. Yet, the aforementioned statement that he is ‘just and
true in all his doings’ makes this seem less likely, and being an angel, it could probably
be trusted that he does these things from an authentically innocent point of view.
Vassago’s depiction in these accounts do challenge the status-quo of what a typical demon,
no less a ‘demon prince’, should be like. Instead of being monstrous and cunning, he does appear to
be more sophisticated and cordial. This is one of the more interesting things
about the Lesser Key of Solomon that is often overlooked, for though the demons are visibly
striking and possess some fantastical gifts, perhaps more intriguing are their personalities.
Categorizing many of the demons, including Vassago, is not such black and white affair,
for there do indeed appear to be many facets that make up the demons’ character and behaviour. They
aren’t simply there to corrupt mankind as commonly believed, but appear to adopt their
own individual goals, whether this be teaching man language, helping them find items, reading
their futures or even inspiring them to love. As we continue with the Lesser Key of Solomon,
this will become more apparent, whether this be in the form of a demonic donkey teaching science,
a demonic lion curing diseases or a part wolf-part snake demon that resolves conflicts between
friends. But in the meantime, let me know what you thought about the demon Vassago and as always, if
you’ve enjoyed today’s episode then don’t forget to give this video a thumbs up and don’t forget to
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