The Red Dragon: the grimoire to invoke Lucifer

The Red Dragon (Le Dragon Rouge)—also known as the Grand Grimoire and The Gospel of Satan—is one of the most pretentious black magic grimoires in history. It was written in the 18th century, but in its pages it claims to be based on a book written in 1521. According to legend, this book was written by Honorius of Thebes, who was said to have been possessed by Satan. Perhaps that is why The Red Dragon is considered one of the most powerful occult books that exist, at least in relation to the summoning of demons.

Honorius of Thebes is an apocryphal figure. He never existed. The Red Dragon was most likely originally written in 1702 by one Antonio Venitiana del Rabina, who supposedly compiled the information contained in the book from the original writings of King Solomon. It is legitimate to doubt this claim, but not the fact that much of the material for The Red Dragon comes from the Clavicula Salomonis (The Greater Key of King Solomon) and the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis (The Lesser Key of Solomon). In any case, The Red Dragon contains instructions intended to summon Lucifer, as well as another strange demon called Lucifugus Rofocalus.

Lucifugus Rofocalus, according to some demonological treatises, is the demon in charge of the administration of the government and the treasury of hell by order of Lucifer. His name is interesting in etymological terms. Lucifugus comes from the Latin lux and fugio, so his name means “he who flees from the light.” Some believe that Rofocal could be an anagram of Focalor, the name of another important demon; however, this does not appear to be the case. The two demons have nothing to do with each other; and the only evidence linking them is simply a similarity of name.

The presence of this demon, Lucifugus, is extremely strange in a grimoire that aims to provide information to invoke Lucifer and make some type of satanic pact with him. In essence, Lucifugus is the reverse of Lucifer, whose name means “bringer of light.”

It must be said that the 19th century French occultist, Éliphas Lévi, considered The Red Dragon to be a falsification of the true and oldest Great Grimoire. He wrote an extensive analysis of the subject in the book: Dogme and Ritual of High Magic (Dogme et rituel de la haute magie).

The Red Dragon is divided into two books. The first contains instructions for summoning Lucifer, and the second provides the necessary tools to force Lucifer to carry out the summoner’s orders, which, of course, can be very dangerous if one does not have the relevant prior knowledge. As is easy to imagine, Lucifer is not a minor demon who will easily accept this degree of submission.

Now, the second book of The Red Dragon is also divided into two parts: Sanctum Regnum and L’Art Magique du Grand Grimoire (The Magical Art of the Great Grimoire). The Sanctum Regnum contains instructions for making a pact with the demon, which allows the initiate to command the demonic spirit but without the rituals required in the first part, although with greater risk. The second part of Book II, L’Art Magique du Grand Grimoire, is a much less ambitious grimoire, and contains simple, almost prosaic spells and rituals, such as speaking with spirits, becoming invisible, obtaining the love of a woman, or a man. man, and even win the lottery.

The 18th century edition also contains a short text called Le Secret Magique, où le Grand Art de pouvoir parler aux Morts, which deals basically with necromancy.

The Red Dragon is one of those banned books about which there are not many agreeable opinions. Some consider it one of the most powerful grimoires that exist, others a piece of popular literature, and there are those who denounce it as a great mockery of the grimoires that circulated in Renaissance France, such as The Black Hen (La poule noire). However, the complex precision of the invocation rite of Lucifer and Lucifugus suggests otherwise. In any case, the content of The Red Dragon is heretical in the extreme, ranging from rituals that involve boiling a black cat to the ceremonial use of toxic substances. It is no wonder then that it has gained so much notoriety as a cursed book.

The Red Dragon mentions three higher demons with their respective positions in the administration of the government of hell, similar to those that appear in the Grimorium Verum: Lucifer, Beelzebub and Ashtaroth. He also mentions six lower demons: Lucifuge Rofocale, Satanachia (great general), Agaliarept, Fleurety, Sargatanas, and Nebiros. The book includes several magical seals, prayers, offerings, and different ways to make a pact with demons in exchange for rather mundane benefits.

However, one of the most infamous contents of The Red Dragon is the ritual that would supposedly allow the initiate to summon Lucifer and Lucifuge Rofocale. We will not go into many details here, but we will mention a strange element, the indispensable tool to subdue Lucifer’s will.

Although the Magic Wand is not something unprecedented, in this case it is used by the magician to control spirits, especially the most rebellious ones, such as demons. The Wand is believed to have terrible powers over demons, so much so that when it is made correctly, and the corresponding rituals are performed, it practically ensures that the demons will obey the magician. Its shape is that of a forked branch, the ends of which are covered with magnetized steel. This is what The Red Dragon says about it:

When conjuring the demon, the magician must threaten to hurt Lucifer with the Rod if he does not appear in the Triangle of Pacts, without making a sound or giving off a bad smell, and answer the magician’s questions in a clear voice. If the demon still refuses to appear, The Red Dragon suggests the following:

If the demon still refuses to appear, probably because the magician has not done his preparation work correctly, one should move on. Interrupting the invocation is worse than carrying it to the end improperly. The Red Dragon provides a few other threats with the Rod, along with increasingly powerful enchantments, but if all this fails, well, let’s just say the mage is in serious trouble.

Now, if the ritual to invoke Lucifer goes well, and he is subdued with the Rod, a pact can be made with the devil. In a previous instance, you must carry an ematille stone and bless two candles; These three objects will be used to form the Triangle of Pacts, so that the mage can be protected from the demons that have been summoned.

Banned books. I Strange books.

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