No. 20 — King

Purson

A king of fire whose dominion encompasses hidden knowledge, buried treasure, invisible familiars, and the summoning of powerful guardian spirits.

Manifestation

Purson manifests as a crowned figure wreathed in flame, appearing sometimes as a warrior king, sometimes as a merchant trader laden with ancient wealth. The demon's presence brings the smell of burning gold, spiced incense, and the scent of very old libraries. Those in Purson's presence experience an overwhelming sense of invisible presences—guardians and familiars waiting to serve.

The demon's aura radiates both hidden knowledge and material reward. Unlike demons of love or warfare, Purson carries the sense of a great king who has accumulated vast resources and selects favored servants. The demon's presence suggests opportunity that comes with obligations and the constant attention of unseen watchers.

Powers

WEALTH

Reveals location of hidden treasures and buried riches

SIGHT

Grants ability to perceive hidden things and secret knowledge

FAMILIARS

Commands powerful spirits to serve as personal guardians

KINGSHIP

Grants authority and command over supernatural servants

Rank

King

Legions

Sphere

Sun

☉

Element

Fire

South / Noon

Seal

See Grimoire

Notation Below

Powers & Dominion 3 recorded abilities

01 Treasure Revelation

Purson can perceive the location and nature of hidden treasures—whether literal wealth or lost knowledge. The demon serves as finder and revealer of what was lost or concealed.

treasure hidden wealth

02 Familiar Summoning

Purson can bind powerful spirits to serve an individual as permanent familiars—guardian spirits who provide protection, information, and supernatural assistance.

familiar guardian binding

03 Hidden Sight

The demon grants the ability to perceive hidden things—secret rooms, concealed knowledge, spiritual presences. This sight is overwhelming and dangerous; once possessed, the summoner cannot un-see the hidden.

sight hidden knowledge

Deep Lore

Historical Origins

The emergence of Purson within the Western grimoire tradition.

Purson appears in the major European grimoire compilations of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, cataloged as the King of the Goetia's infernal hierarchy. The spirit commands 25 legions and holds dominion over matters of reveals hidden treasures.

The name Purson does not appear in pre-medieval sources with certainty, suggesting this spirit may represent a later codification of older folk beliefs about elemental fire spirits, planetary sun intelligences, or localized spirits of place that were systematized during the great period of grimoire compilation.

What is certain is that by the time Johann Weyer published the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum in 1577, Purson had been assigned a fixed position in the hierarchy, specific powers, and a defined method of conjuration — details that would be refined but largely preserved in the later Ars Goetia.

c. 1500s

Early Grimoire Appearances

Purson appears in manuscript traditions circulating among European magical practitioners, though exact dates of first inclusion remain debated.

1577

Pseudomonarchia Daemonum

Johann Weyer includes Purson in his systematic catalog of infernal spirits, establishing the demon's rank, legions, and primary powers.

c. 1600s

The Ars Goetia

The anonymous compilation that becomes the canonical source fixes Purson's position as number 20 in the hierarchy of seventy-two, with refined descriptions of appearance and powers.

1818–1863

Dictionnaire Infernal

Collin de Plancy's encyclopedia brings Purson to a wider audience, though with varying degrees of embellishment and artistic interpretation.

II.

Grimoire Variations

How different sources describe Purson across centuries of compilation.

Ars Goetia

Lesser Key of Solomon · c. 1600s

Purson is the King of the Goetia, commanding 25 legions of spirits. Purson reveals all hidden things and concealed treasures, finding that which is lost or deliberately hidden from perception. He serves also as a willing familiar, binding himself to a single magician .

The canonical source. Establishes Purson's position as number 20 in the hierarchy and defines the primary powers that subsequent sources would reference.

Pseudomonarchia Daemonum

Johann Weyer · 1577

Weyer's earlier catalog describes Purson with similar attributes but often provides additional practical details about the spirit's temperament and the conditions required for successful conjuration.

Weyer's text predates the Ars Goetia and served as one of its primary sources. Differences between the two versions reveal how the tradition evolved over decades of transmission.

Dictionnaire Infernal

Collin de Plancy · 1818 / 1863

De Plancy's encyclopedia entry for Purson draws primarily from the Ars Goetia but adds editorial commentary and, in the 1863 edition, an accompanying illustration by Louis Le Breton.

De Plancy's contribution is primarily visual and editorial — his encyclopedia brought these spirits to a general audience for the first time, framed as objects of scholarly curiosity rather than practical conjuration.

III.

Cultural Legacy

Purson in art, literature, and the modern imagination.

Grimoire Tradition

The King in the Western Magical Canon

Purson occupies a specific niche in the Western magical tradition as a spirit of fire, governed by Sun and associated with gold. These correspondences place Purson within a coherent cosmological framework that practitioners have used for centuries to understand and engage with the spirit world.

GOLD

EARTH

Modern Practice

Contemporary Engagement

In modern occult practice, Purson is approached through multiple frameworks — from traditional Solomonic ceremonial magick to psychological models that treat the demon as an archetype of reveals hidden treasures. The spirit's domain over fire and connection to Sun inform the timing and methods practitioners use.

Games & Media

Digital Afterlife

Like many spirits of the Goetia, Purson appears across video games, tabletop RPGs, and fantasy literature — the Ars Goetia serving as one of gaming's most reliable bestiaries. Each adaptation preserves the core attributes while recontextualizing them for new audiences and media.

HORN

IV.

Ritual Traditions

Historical and modern approaches to working with Purson.

Solomonic Ceremonial

The classical method requires a circle of protection, Purson's seal inscribed on a lamen worn over the heart, and conjuration through graduated orations. The magician commands by divine authority, and Purson appears within a brass triangle. Timing: Sunday, during the planetary hour of Sun.

Grimoire Purist

Strict adherence to original manuscript instructions — hand-crafted tools, specific materials, precise ritual timing. The argument is that the grimoire's specific procedures create a coherent symbolic language. For Purson, this means working with gold implements and fire correspondences.

Psychological Model

Following the chaos magick tradition, Purson is approached as an archetype — a personification of the practitioner's own capacity for reveals hidden treasures. The seal becomes a meditation focus; invocation becomes active imagination. The circle is a psychological boundary.

Modern Devotional

A relational approach treating Purson as an autonomous entity worthy of respect. Practitioners build ongoing relationships through offerings — typically incense, candles, or libations associated with Sun — and regular communication. The seal is displayed on an altar. Purson is petitioned, not commanded.

Regardless of method, the irreducible correspondences remain: the seal is central, the element is Fire, the planet is Sun, the metal is gold, and the day is Sunday. These form the signal beneath the noise of varying approaches.

Classification

RankKing — sovereign authority

Legions25 — spirits under direct command

PlanetSun — ☉

MetalGold — Au

ElementFire

SummoningSunday

SealRequired — inscribed on lamen or parchment

Invocation

O Purson, king of fire and hidden gold,
Whose treasures vast no mortal tongue has told,
I call thee forth with twenty-five legions strong,
Grant me thy sight to right what hath gone wrong.

Purson responds most readily to those seeking genuine knowledge or assistance with legitimate pursuits, particularly when invoked with respect befitting a king.