Nebiros, Inspector General of Perdition; Cerberus, Guardian of the Underworld, and the Role of the Dead in Goetic Magic

This week I will be profiling another lesser known spirit, but one of greater importance in the hierarchies of the Grimorium Verum and the Grand Grimoire. This profile will trace him from these more modern grimoires back to Weyer's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, and further to the Graeco-Egyptian magical papyri. I hope to demonstrate, by this connect the dots approach, that the spiritual creatures, as well as the techniques of magic have been largely preserved from the Hellenistic to Modern era; and to also shed some more light upon the relationship between the Dead and the spirits dealt with in goetia.

Nebiros, Nesbiros, Nambrot, Nebirots, Naberus, Naberius or Cerberus appears in the Grimorium Verum, the Grand Grimoire, Grimoire of Pope Honorius, the Goetia of Solomon, the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum and presumably in its source, Liber Officium Spirituum. Every source provides a varied yet incomplete description of this spirit and it's powers and office, however taken together a greater image forms and we find connections stretching farther back to a particularly obscure shred of Graeco-Egyptian papyrus. But let's start with the most modern material first.

Sigil of Nebiros from the Grimorium Verum

In the Grimorium Verum we find Nebiros, or Nesbiros, listed as a subordinate of Astaroth, the Duke of Hell, with little else about him. There is indeed more to be known about spirits under him, than there is about himself. He rules over 10 other spirits. In the Grand Grimoire we are given more details.

"Naberus, Field Marshal, or Inspector General, has the power to do evil to whomever he pleases and enables one to find the Hand of Glory and teaches the qualities of minerals, vegetables and of all of the animals, pure and impure, possesses the art of foretelling the future, being one of the best Necromancers of all of the Infernal Spirits. He can go anywhere and inspects all of the Infernal militias and has beneath him Ayperos, Naberus and Glosialobolas, etc.."

Nebiros, or Naberus here, is described with many powers, a particular gift for malefica and necromancy as well as a connection to one of the most infamous artifacts of European magic, the Hand of Glory. This is particularly interesting when considering the origin of the Hand of Glory as a mistranslation of Mandragora, the famed Mandrake root much associated with witchcraft and far older Mediterranean cults. Necromancy will be the thread we can trace back the farthest with this spirit, however for now we are going to go chronologically in reverse order, to get all the pieces of the puzzle on the table and organized. The teaching of all qualities of the three kingdoms of animal, vegetable, and mineral is invaluable to the practice of magic, as well as his ability to move anywhere and inspect the Infernal militias. His title of inspector general is fitting, allowing him full range from the dead, to the various devils under him. We also find him ruling over three additional spirits in this hierarchy, which can be synchronized with his 10 other subordinates found in the Verum. His three additional are really two, if you consider the strange double up of the Naberus beneath him, mostly likely a mistake on the part of the author. Ayperos, or Ipos; Naberus, or Naberius, and Glasiolabolas are found in the Goetia of Solomon, as well as the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. However it is most interesting when considering his alternative name given in the Pseudomonarchia: Cerberus.

Seal of Naberius

"Naberius [Naberus], alias Cerberus, is a valiant maquesse, shewing himselfe in the forme of a crowe, when he speaketh with a hoarse voice; he maketh a man amiable and cunning in all arts, and speciallie in rhetorike, he procureth the losse of prelacies and dignities: nineteene legions heare <and obeie> him." 

This description is almost identical that found in the Goetia of Solomon although with his power in respect to dignities being reversed, saying that he restores them. Rhetoric, one of the three studies making up the classical Liberal curriculum known as the trivium, which literally means, the meeting place of three roads. The three road crossroads being identified with Hecate, who has much of an affinity with Astaroth, is interesting to note, especially given Nebiros' role as Astaroth's subordinate, and his identification with Cerberus, the three head hound of the Underworld. Although, the Verum's description of Astaroth appearing as an Ass could also link them to Set, another infamous Chthonic deity, and a major one called upon, as well as Hecate and Cerberus in the PGM for works of malefic magic of all kinds but especially those using the violently dead.

The name Cerberus also appears in a spell in the section of Magical Secrets in the Muzzi edition of the Verum. The narrative of this spells bears a quite striking resemblance to part of the Grand Grimoire's summoning of Lucifuge Rofocale. In the Muzzi edition of the Verum we read:

"15. For the Discovery of Treasure.

Do you seek treasure? Treasure you shall find! Lucifer will answer you in Latin when you call; and you will say to him: 

Give to me gold, and I will give you frankicense and myrrh, just as the Magi did when visiting the Christ child in Bethlehem.

Then he will respond to you in Latin:

Pick up your wand and follow me!

Without losing a minute, you must quickly exit from the circle where you have invoked the protection of the the great King of the Spirits and armed with the wand you will answer: With you in life and death, Amen!

Then you will follow Lucifer, or the spirit that he will send in his place, planting your feet over his footprints and tracing his steps. Sometimes, to test the courage of the one who walks in the steps of an infernal power, the sky will be filled with lightning and thunderclaps, and the air and the earth will be full of commotion. All such cries and din will break off, and a gush will echo through the forest and desert paths were the man and the spirit walk. Turn yourself neither to the right, nor to the left, but keep your eyes straight ahead, silently observing the shadow which precedes you, gigantic and formidable.

Eventually the spirit will lead you to the entrance of the place, where the great Pluto holds imprisoned his treasures in the belly of the earth; under the iron gates of the great Vulcan.

A large black dog with a splendid gold collar, will prevent you from entering and will gnash his teeth, sending sparks blazing like diamonds in sunlight. That one is a gnome, to which you must present the point of the wand, repeating three times as follows:

Cerberus, Cerberus, Cerberus! By the wand show me the way to the treasure.

The dog will whine three times in reply, and will wrap its tail around your wand, to teach you where the treasures are.

Your steps on his, you will arrive near the treasure, where the shade of a dead person will be waiting, namely, the person who hid the treasure, and he will fling himself on you. It will quickly be necessary to trace a circle with the wand and throw a coin, and shout to the shade:

Hitherto you shall come, and shall go no further! I will it, I command it, Amen!

The shade will groan and grind its teeth and will howl like a wounded animal, but it will be miraculously imprisoned by virtue of the gnome, which is the servant of the servants of Lucifer.

Then take with your left hand four coins from the treasure, and throw them behind your shoulders to the four cardinal directions of the earth, while saying:

Lucifer, you loosen and you repeat!

Then you can load as much gold as you can carry rom the treasure, walking 60 steps backwards, in memory of the 15 minister, the 15 red angels, the 15 black cherubim, and the 15 black seraphim of Lucifer.

Papa Satan Aleppe, Father, Son and Spirit.

You must beware not to turn, and especially not to face any noise behind you, or beneath your feet, or to your sides, because flashing the air with lightning, and making the earth tremble, are all part of the trickery of the shade of the dead one, to make your lose your chance to obtain treasure.

It is necessary, therefore, that you arm yourselves with courage, and let yourselves be caught up in their fears, for the spirit will take you back to the place where you first invoked it, to convene for a second pact."

This spell is certainly fascinating for a number of reasons. It definitely appears out of context amidst the luck charms, spells for making a woman dance naked, and garters for traveling. It also demonstrates the identity of Cerberus, the servant of the servants of Lucifer, as a gnome. A gnome is a subterranean spirit of the element of earth, fitting it in nicely in Psellus' 6 classification of daemones, helping us understand its nature. Further, the power of Cerberus to restrain the shade of the dead person who hid the treasure, hearkens back to the role of Nebiros as a powerful necromancer, according to the Grand Grimoire. This same narrative appears, almost identically, in the Grand Grimoire as part of the pacting process, including the presence of a dog, although missing the name Cerberus.

"Orders of the Spirit:

"Follow me and you will come to identify the treasure."

Then the Karcist, armed with the blasting rod and the bloodstone, will leave the circle at that point where the door of mighty ADONAY is figured, towards the place where the treasure is located, and will follow the spirit; the others shall not move from there place in the circle and shall remain there without any fear, despite the noise that they will hear and any vision that they see. 

The spirit will then take the Karcist to the entrance of the treasure and it might be that the Karcist will see something like a big dog with a collar that shines like the Sun that will block the entrance; this is the gnome that you will drive away from you by presenting the forked part of the rod, then he will walk towards the treasure. You will follow him and having arrived at the treasure, you will be surprised to see the person who originally hid it, who will want to throw himself over it however he will not be able to approach it. It is necessary to be armed with a sheet of virgin parchment on which you will have written the great conjuration of the Clavicle which you will throw over the treasure.

At the same time, take a coin as a token of gratitude, and throwing first one of yours that you have bitten and withdrawing backwards, that is, with your shoulders back, taking with you all of the coins that you can from the treasure. The rest can not disappear considering the precautions that have been taken. Be careful not to turn back despite any noise you might hear since at the time it will seem to you that all of the mountains of the world are falling on your head."

Here we find the same description of the spirit as a large black dog, as well as a gnome, instrumental to locating the treasure, and subduing the shade guarding it. In the Grimoire of Pope Honorius we find a spirit named Nambroth, who is to be conjured on Tuesdays. In some editions his name is given as Frimost, another cohort of Nebiros' from the Grimorium Verum, however I believe this to have been a printing error based upon the alternate name given, which bears more resemblance to Nebiros/Naberus, but also because of the powers attributed to them.

"FOR TUESDAY TO NAMBROTH: APOLONIUS & THANIUS say that he is a most formidable Spirit, who has many Legions of Spirits under him. He governs Syria and attends the Nocturnal Assemblies of the Lebanese. He appears in various forms, but most frequently as a satyr. He makes loud noises, with peals of thunder and flashes of lightning; he loves perfumes and appears on Saturday nights during the New Moon, when it is in the sign of the Lion, as you may see in his character. He bestows familiar Spirits and he is the Guardian of Riches and Treasures hidden in the Earth. But a great and most potent Conjuration is necessary to make him obey. This is why it is necessary to be most wary of him, for he is most wicked and terrible when he is approached, as RAZIEL strongly suggests. He keeps to caverns and inhospitable places on mountains and amongst the ferocious and cruel beasts of Libya and he is often found on Mount Hetna... His character must be made on purified lead, during a New Moon, when She is in the Sign of the Lion. This lead metal must be made into a thin plate."

The sections in bold are to highlight the similar qualities between this grimoire entry and those found in the Verum and the Grand Grimoire, and again aid us in classifying this demon, not only as subterranean, but also lucifugous, or light fleeing. Here we find loud noises, lightning, thunder, and hidden treasure underground. The mention of the nocturnal assemblies, over-which, Nambroth is said to preside is quite interesting and sounds quite similar to the notion of the diabolic sabbat presided over by various demons. However, this will be a topic for another time, and here we are merely going to mention it and move on in our analysis of Nebiros.

So far we have found the powers attributed to this spirit to be:

• To do evil to anyone he wishes
•  The power to find the Hand of Glory (or Mandragora)
•  Teaches the virtues of all animals, minerals, and vegetables
• Foretell the future
• Necromancy, calling and binding the dead.
•  Making men cunning in all arts, but especially rhetoric
• Giving familiar spirits
• Finding hidden treasures

Between the entries in the Grand Grimoire and some editions of the Verum we see a minor role of the dead in relation to the Nebiros/Cerberus in finding treasure, however we can attain a greater understanding of the role of the Dead in attaining certain ends and results by appealing to one of our most ancient of sources. In the Greek Magical Papyri as edited by Hans Dieter Betz we find a very telling fragment in PGM IV 1872-1927, an unnamed working, where we read:

"...instruct no one , for it is very powerful and unsurpassable, effective for everyone / on the same day, absolutely binding, exceedingly powerful. And it is: Take 4 ounces of wax, 8 ounces of fruit from the chaste-tree, 4 drams of manna. Pound each of these fine / separately and mix with pitch and wax, and fashion a dog eight fingers long with its mouth open. And you are to place in the mouth of the dog / a bone from the head of a man who has died violently, and inscribe on the sides of the dog these characters: ...and you are to place the dog on a tripod. And have the dog raising its right paw. And write on the strip of papyrus these / names and what you wish: "IAO ASTO IOPHE", and / you are to place the strip of papyrus on the tripod and on top of the strip you are to place the dog and / say these names many times. And so, after you have spoken the spell, the dog hisses [or barks], and if it hisses, she is not coming. Therefore address the spell to it again, / and if it barks, it is attracting her. Then open the door, and you will find her whom you wish at your doors. Let the censer stand beside the dog, and let frankincense be placed upon it / as you say the spell.

Spell: Barking dog, I adjure you, Kerberos, by those who have hanged themselves, by the dead, by those who have died violently: attract to mer her, NN, whose mother is NN. I adjure you, Kerberos, by the holy head of the infernal gods. Attract to me her, NN, whose mother is NN, ZOUCH / ZOUKI TO PARY YPHEBARMO ENOR SEKEMI KRIOUDASEPHE TRIBEPSI: attract to me her, NN, whose mother is NN, to me, NN, immediately, immediately; quickly, quickly."

Characters to be inscribed on the sides of the dog

Here we directly, and formulaically find the dead being employed by a more powerful chthonic daimon, Kerberos, to attain magical ends. Throughout the papyri there are numerous spells of attraction, many of them relying upon the violently dead, such as gladiators, heroes or suicides. These dead are called in the names of Hekate, Persephones, Hades and Kerberos as well as others, though these are some of the most common. Similar formulas of divine and barbarous words are also used in various spells, most of which are meant to serve as rough guidelines to various forms of malefic magic; sometimes destructive curses, or coercive and binding love magic. Quite often the spells of coercive love magic include tormenting the target with sleeplessness, thirst, and hunger until they come to the one named in the spell. Here we find both Nebiros' ability to do evil to whoever he wishes (coercive love magic definitely being a form of malefic, or evil magic), as well as necromantic power of calling and binding the dead to perform tasks. It is also noteworthy to point out that Frimost, the spirit sometimes substituted for Nambroth in the Grimoire of Pope Honorius, is said to have power over the passions and sexuality of women, a power not directly assigned to Nebiros, but that we find amongst one of his subordinate spirits: Brulefer. Keeping the material found in the PGM in relation to Kerberos/Cerberus, it is easy to see the similarity between marshaling infernal spirits, as well as the dead. Following the thread form the 19th century Grimorium Verum back to the surviving scraps of the Hellenistic Graeco-Egyptian papyri, we have discovered that not only are the techniques of magic largely preserved, changing primarily in liturgical framework; but, so are the spiritual creatures being invoked and worked with. As we strive in the understand the core of the Western magical tradition, there is much work to be done, including restoring the Dead as vital to the working with daemons.