Quote from: RPGPundit;722255What you're talking about in modern western Magick is termed "Goetia", and there will be rules for using the Goetia (in the style of 1910-era Edwardian ceremonial magicians) in the upcoming  Raiders of R'lyeh RPG.

RPGPundit

This really damn cool. Thanks for posting this. I always wondered if there was a term for this sort of thing.

Quote from: Louchavelli;725320Historically, the lesser keys were broken into multiple books, each one dealing with a specific topic.  Most involve the names of powerful demons and other spirits, that can be used to bind the spirit.  The books had other occult uses/knowledges.  It was believed that "keys" were literally the keys to creation.  Each key was a word of the creator, hence why it was uber strong.  The lesser keys of solomon is the more common tome.  But among occult circles there are rumors of the Greater Keys of solomon that allow even more miraculous actions.

Um, dude, its not a "rumor", the Goetia is the first of five books of what's called the Lemegeton, the "Lesser Key of Solomon".  They are collectively a kind of second-part of an earlier book called the Clavicula Solomonis,  the Key of Solomon the King.  So the Goetia is the lowest book of a whole series of Grimoiric texts, all of which still survive.

RPGPundit

Always thought this was a neat subject. Solomon has long been associated with binding demons, early "Gnostic" texts refer to Solomon and the binding of demon, and are likely indicative of a preexisting oral tradition. Also of interest are vestigial hints of ritual magic in the Hebrew Scriptures, off the top of my head I recall something of a ram or goat being released to the wilderness to appease a demon whose name escapes me. I also have heard the idea floated that the blood over the door post during the plague of the first born is an echo of an earlier ritual designed to offer protection against demons. If one is interested in this kind of thing there are quite a few ANE sources on folk magic, some from Ugarit, Sumer, Babylon etc.

Quote from: Arkansan;726283Always thought this was a neat subject. Solomon has long been associated with binding demons, early "Gnostic" texts refer to Solomon and the binding of demon, and are likely indicative of a preexisting oral tradition. Also of interest are vestigial hints of ritual magic in the Hebrew Scriptures, off the top of my head I recall something of a ram or goat being released to the wilderness to appease a demon whose name escapes me. I also have heard the idea floated that the blood over the door post during the plague of the first born is an echo of an earlier ritual designed to offer protection against demons. If one is interested in this kind of thing there are quite a few ANE sources on folk magic, some from Ugarit, Sumer, Babylon etc.

Scapegoat is the name in English, in case you wonder . The idea was that all the sins of the community'd be transferred onto the goat, which'd be then chased away from the village. I can't remember what particular holiday it was, but it happened once per year.

Ahh that's it, thank you.