THE GREAT KING BAEL, spirit number one and quite possibly the most immediately recognizable of the Goetic 
heirarchy… Without a doubt, King Bael is a very important figure in the daemonic pseudomonarchy. The 
taxonomy of the goetic spirits is a mixed bag, among them you have all walks of unlife– everything from 
angels, djinn, fae, nature spirits, infernals, ex-humans, etc etc etc. Some spirits it is hard to say what 
exactly they are in nature. However Bael is, with little room for debate, a bastardized form of the 
Caananite deity Ba’al. There were many Ba’als during the time of course, the name itself simply a title 
referring to a tribal lord or local ruling deity of an area, which came in many forms. As with many pagan 
gods of the time, Bael became demonized after the rise of henotheism as the pre-judaic pantheon was 
cannibalized in favor of a singular deity. Alas, I digress! I’m not here to give you a history lesson, I 
don’t have anything to contribute to that discussion that hasn’t been said already. All you need to know 
is that, taxonomically, Bael is a very ancient pagan god of Semitic origin.

It took me quite some time along my journey of goetic daemonolatry to actually bring myself to meet the 
King and make proper introductions, in fact it was during April of 2022-- I had taken on the monumental
task of invoking, meeting, and illustrating all 72 spirits of the goetia in order to familiarize myself 
with them better, from both a point of artistic and spiritual study. Bael had very obviously caught wind of 
my activities throughout the course of the project, as I was making a lot of traction and getting along 
nicely with many of the other members of the goetic family, and so he seemed to eagerly anticipate our 
meeting. When he appeared he came across quite clairaudible and clairvisible, that is to say he both spoke 
and appeared very clearly in my mind– something that varies for each spirit I encounter.

King Bael as depicted in the Dictionnaire Infernal.

Bael is often depicted as in Collin DePlancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal, having three faces: the face of a cat, 
a frog, and a rather elfish looking gentleman. He is also described as such in the Lemegeton. However, in 
my experience this visual is not so literal, instead an artistic shorthand to express King Bael’s true nature– 
as something rapidly and chaotically transforming between all three personalities at dizzying speeds. Though, 
perhaps I experienced this rapid shifting because I caught him in an excitable mood. In any case I found a distinct 
personality between all three of these expressions, which I drew inspiration from when I created his rendition.

On the top, the face of a cool feline, quite confident in his status as proverbial ‘top dog’ of the goetic 
hierarchy. Indeed, Bael is a very important spirit and knows it well. Regal. Polite. Tidy. The mark of royalty 
is very apparent in how he composes himself, and it commands respect and awe.

In the middle, the jubilant and relaxed nature of the frog. Perhaps an avid enjoyer of marijuana. Effortlessly 
charismatic, noncombative, and I dare say a cute kind of ugly. It’s a disarming friendliness that put me at 
ease despite being confronted with such a powerful and renowned spirit. My favorite side of his.

And at the bottom, a somewhat cranky, very old spirit who seems in conflict with the antics of his other 
personalities above him. Very ancient, wise, and commanding presence, but with a mildly bitter and perhaps 
resentful attitude. If I had to guess, he seems to be not very thrilled about public opinion of him today,
and misses the days when he served as an important and highly revered deity in the Caananite people's way 
of life.

In my time with Bael’s presence, as he was excitedly showing off these impressive transformative abilities, 
I found myself overcome with a fit of giggles I couldn't explain. His energy was extremely amusing to me, 
and lightened the mood in a way that made him very easy to talk with.
  

If King Bael was a cat, this is what he would look like.

After exchanging introductions and kind regards, as well as providing some insight on other spirits I 
had yet to meet, he politely stated he did not wish to overstay his welcome and left the space without 
any trouble. What a guy! I have not had much experience with him since, besides the occasional exchange 
of pleasantries, but he has an energy I never mind having come through. I have crossed paths with a few 
people who have reminded me of him, all of whom have looked the part. I imagine this is a useful spirit 
to consult if you are looking for advice on how to approach other spirits of the Goetia, or if you need 
charisma when working above or managing other people. He seems like a busy guy, so I am sure he will 
appreciate keeping meetings succinct and polite.

ADDENDUM:: As of the night before writing this page, I had another visit from King Bael in hypnagogia,
where his visage was mirrored and shifting rapidly, much like this gif below.  It seemed he tuned in
to leave me with this message for this page:

King Bael's face in hypnagogia.

"THOSE UNDER LORD LUCIFER AMONG THE GOETIA COME IN TWO GROUPS, THOSE WHO ARE LOYAL OUT OF SUBSERVIENCE, 
AND THOSE WHO ARE LOYAL FROM A PLACE OF RESPECT.  AS ONE OF THE LATTER, MY EXISTENCE PREDATES LUCIFER, 
AND ONCE UPON A TIME I WAS STRONGER THAN HE.  HOWEVER I AM LOYAL TO HIM YET BECAUSE HE IS GOOD, AND IS 
WORTHY OF SUCH RESPECT.  WE ARE ALL IN AWE AT HOW BRIGHTLY HE SHINES ON THIS WORLD.  
IN THIS AGE OF CATACLYSM, THE MEN WHO WILL SEE TOMORROW'S DAWN MUST SHINE JUST AS BRIGHTLY, 
SO SHINE ON, SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF MAN-- AND MAY YOUR FUTURE BE BRIGHT."

Ave King Bael!
    
- KK