The earliest published mention of Agares appears to be in the Latin De praestigiis daemonum (On the Tricks of Demons) in 1563 by Johann Weyer. Weyer records Agares again in the Pseudonmonarchia Daemonum (False Monarchy of Demons) in 1583 as,

“The first duke under the power of the east, <is named Agares,> he commeth up mildile [i.e. he appears willingly] in the likenes of a faire old man, riding upon a crocodile, and carrieng a hawke on his fist; hee teacheth presentlie all maner of toongs, he fetcheth backe all such as runne awaie, and maketh them runne that stand still; he overthroweth all dignities <supernaturall and temporall,> hee maketh earthquakes, [lit. “and makes spirits of the earth dance”] and is of the order of vertues, having under his regiment thirtie one legions.”

Approx a quarter of a century later, Jacques Albin Simon Collin de Plancy includes Agares in the Dictionaire Infernal in 1818 as,

“Aguares is a Grand Duke in the Eastern part of Hell. He is of the order of the virtues and governs thirty-one legions. He appears in the for of a Lord riding a crocodile and carrying a Peregrine falcon. He is said to make deserters return and can defeat enemies. He can give people dignities, teach all languages, and cause earthquakes.” – from Deliriums Realm

Just after the turn of the century Agares is included in S.L. MacGregor Mathers’ The Goetia, with a similar description to Weyer;

“The Second Spirit is a Duke called Agreas, or Agares. He is under the Power of the East, and cometh up in the form of an old fair Man, riding upon a Crocodile, carrying a Goshawk upon his fist, and yet mild in appearance. He maketh them to run that stand still, and bringeth back runaways. He teaches all Languages or Tongues presently. He hath power also to destroy Dignities both Spiritual and Temporal, and causeth Earthquakes. He was of the Order of Virtues. He hath under his government 31 Legions of Spirits. And this is his Seal or Character which thou shalt wear as a Lamen before thee.” – from Sacred Texts

Marcus Gay of Occultopedia writes,

“A master linguist, Agares is also known to incite dance among mortals. He is usually depicted as a pale old man riding a crocodile and carrying a goshawk, or sparrowhawk, on his wrist; his main functions, besides teaching languages and dance, is to stop runaways, destroy spiritual and temporal dignities, make enemies flee, and to cause earthquakes.

The army he protects in battle is indeed a fortunate one, for he disperses their enemies and puts new courage into the hearts of cowards who fly before superior numbers. He is also said to distribute place and power, titles and prelacies amongst his followers and protégées.”

The Tumblr trio from So Three Demonolaters Walk Into a Bar, cite a range of correspondences which include both Connolly’s and Runyon’s date correspondences along with the following colloquial summary,

“Anyone who rides a crocodile is hardcore. Anyone who can literally just be like “bam, you’re fucking done feeling awesome” is hardcore. But at the same time, he possesses really chill traits. Like, think about it. Need to focus while studying for your language? He’s all good. Feeling like you’re losing your train of thought? Bam, he’s got your back. I really feel like tracking down the lost is something a person could really funk around with. So I mean, he can be used for good or insanity! My kind of guy.”

T.B. Scott’s dossier on Agares at his Infernal Dialogues blog is worth digging into for his well considered commentary, summary, prompts for exploration and meditation. Research by ᏤᏏ ᏦᏁᏍ into the historical links to Athena, Minerva and Neith offer extra depth to understanding Agares. ᏤᏏ ᏦᏁᏍ also offers this description of Agares;

“His beard is long, ungainly and flows of it’s own accord for he is the man of the mountain, the hermit caring not for social concerns. This is his nature, that he comes across as rude, without class and perverse. Knowing not the concept of polite company, he is of lewd speech, often speaking merely to catch one off-guard in their process, yet with no agenda but “what if””

which tallies with my personal experience and interaction with this Entity.

V.K. Jehannum’s well researched report about Agares, includes this quote from Rufus Opus:

“This spirit is good for making things happen quickly and for getting a situation that has stagnated moving again.”

This is certainly something I can confirm from my own experience with this powerful entity. Agares doesn’t muck about, neither in clarifying and confirming what action/s can be taken, nor in resolving situations.

Jehannum goes on to report,

“He’s also good at bringing back those who run away, like thieves or willful children. He can teach languages and tongues, which is the difference between learning Spanish or French and learning Enochian. He also destroys both Supernatural and Temporal dignities. That means he can reveal a priest or Pope as a sinner if they are corrupt, or he can tear down politicians by revealing their failures. This works in office politics as well. He basically reveals that people who pretend to be of a certain social status aren’t what the[y] pretend to be.” – from vkjehannum.wordpress.com

Again these are results I can corroborate based on my own experience with Agares.

Author and practicing Daemonolatress since 1988, Stephanie Connolly offers a practical tool received through meditation and ascension where “an older man, silver hair and eyes” shows her “something sacred.” The result is the Book of Agares: A Manifestation Grimoire, a step by step guide to creating “a Daemonic book…that will help you manifest your every desire” from initial construction through to consecration and use. She says,

“the power of this thing can be rather intimidating. Two years of extensive experimentation makes me seriously consider what I write in it.” – from Book of Agares: A Manifestation Grimoire

Correspondence lists, along with Agares’ enn and sigil are readily accessible online as well in the PDF copy of Modern Demonolatry, The Complete Book of Demonolatry, Daemonolatry Goetia published by Stephanie Connolly, and also Goetic Demonolatry by Ellen Purswell.

Ms Connolly also offers recipes for a number of incenses and oleums which can be used in correspondence with Agares in Wortcunning for Daemonolatry: A Formulary for the Daemonolater Alchemist and Gardener which I have found very useful to support explorations with Agares.

17 August 2019

References

1. Weyer, Johann. 1563. De praestigiis daemonum. Oporinus.
2. Weyer, Johann. 1583. “Agares.” Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. Esoteric Archives.
3. Collin De Plancy, Jacques Auguste Simon. 1863. “Aguares.” Dictionaire Infernal. Paris: Henri Plon, Imprimeur-Editeur, Internet Archive.
4. Mathers, S. L. MacGregor, Aleister Crowley, and Hymenaeus 1997. The Goetia: the lesser key of Solomon the King: Lemegeton, Book I–Clavicula Salomonis Regis. York Beach, Me.: Samuel Weiser.
5. Gay, Marcus V. n.d. Occultopedia.
6. Dani, Aleks & Jess. n.d. So Three Demonolaters Walk into a Bar. Tumblr.
7. Scott, T.B. 2012. Demon dossier: Agares, Infernal Dialogues.
8. ᏤᏏ ᏦᏁᏍ. 2013. Agares – Thee Second Daemon of Thee Ars Goetia, II. Agaresa, II. Agares.
9. Jehannum, V.K. 2017. Agares (Goetia #2).
10. Connolly, S. 2016. Book of Agares: A Manifestation Grimoire. DB Publishing.
11. Connolly, S. 1997-2010. Modern Demonolatry. DB Publishing.
13. Connolly, S. 2008. The Complete Book of Demonolatry. DB Publishing.
14. Connolly, S. 2011. Daemonolatry Goetia. DB Publishing.
15. Purswell, E. 2005. Goetic Demonolatry. DB Publishing.
16. Connolly, S. 2015. Wortcunning for Daemonolatry: A Formulary for the Daemonolater Alchemist and Gardener. DB Publishing.