Introduction

Few figures loom larger in magical legend than King Solomon. Jewish, Christian and Islamic stories credit him with a ring or seal that bound demons and jinn, with the building of the Temple by captive spirits, and with a wisdom extending to every hidden art. From these legends grew a literature of grimoires: the Testament of Solomon, the Key of Solomon, the Lemegeton with its Ars Goetia, the Ars Notoria, the Sworn Book of Honorius and many others. This section tells the stories and traces the history, manuscripts and contents of the books themselves.