Seal of Solomon

The Seal of Solomon was written heavily about by Morisco Christians in Andalucia Spain.  Morisco Christians were Muslims that converted to Chrisitanity during the Spanish Inquisition.  Many books and grimoires, written in Arabic and Ajamia, from that period have been studied to learn more about the Seal of Solomon.  


What is the Seal of Solomon?


The Seal was a signet ring purported to have been given to Solomon by God.  The lore states that Solomon had a master craftsman whose son was possessed by a demon, Orias. Solomon prayed for the power to exorcise the demon and his prayers were answered via the Seal of Solomon. This ring was delivered to Solomon by the Archangel Michael With the power of this seal, Solomon was able to remove the demon and have control over men, creatures and spirits (jinn).  Orias was captured in a bottle which was buried under the Temple.  This demon, as well as others captured by Solomon, were released back onto the Earth after Jerusalem was captured by both Nebucannezer and the Babylonians.  


What was on the Seal that made it so special?


Beyond being created by God, The Seal was created of brass and iron.  It was said to be inscribed with “The Most Great Name of God.”  It contained four jewels that represented four Archangels that would allow Solomon to control the elements.  It contained symbolism that showed the harmony of the opposites, cosmic order and the flow between heaven and earth; air and fire.  


How is The Seal of Solomon used as a Magic Device?


The Seal or Ring of Solomon (Khatam Sulayman), when described in Morisco codices from the 16th century, also described uses of herbs and animal based medicines.  The Manuscript Libro de dichos maravillosos wrote that “Solomon has power over all using a hirz (talisman).  The use of The Seal gave divine power to limit evil forces and that demons would obey his commandment.  By using the seals, a practitioner would be able to reach dkir (an ecstatic) state by reciting the sacred names of Allah.  


Where is information found about using The Seal for Magic?


The majority of books and sources that I have read were written by converted Muslim scholars.  Al-Tha’labi (d. November 1035) wrote stories about the lives of Prophets, including Solomon.  His works fueled many of the stories that were incorporated into the aforementioned codices.  These codices passed the stories of the Seal on to Kabbalistic traditions and then on to Renaissance magic.  The Seal is also thought to be mentioned in the Quran in Surah al-Naml v 17 “Solomon's forces of jinn, humans, and birds were rallied for him, perfectly organized.”  


What are my next steps?


I plan to learn more about the seals and how they came to be utilized in sets vs the one.  And just as important, how they are used magically.