King Solomon, was one of the great figures from the Old Testament/Torah and is also mentioned in a similar light in the Islamic Q’ran.
Family
Son of the Patriarch David and Bathsheba, King Solomon reigned during one of the golden ages of Hebrew/Isreali culture and stability in the Pre-Christian era.
King Solomon became renowned for his piety & Wisdom throughout both the Hebrew and various Pagan Nations in the region.
Solomon’s Story
YHVH (The God of the Isrealites) forbade Solomon’s father, King David from building his Temple on the grounds that David had “Lived By The Sword” but not only did YHVH Command Solomon to build the first temple in Jerusalem as a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant and as a place for the Israelites to worship & fulfill the Commandments YHVH had given to Moses, YHVH also sent King Solomon an Angel to assist him, this Angel appeared to Solomon & miraculously imparted to him the ability to “Utilize all of the powers of the universe, both those that dwelleth above and those that dwelleth below, as well as those which are not of our lands” to build the Temple in such an unimaginably beautifully crafted way, exactly as commanded and with miraculous speed.
The temple was purported to be quite magnificent, built as it was by the djinn and demons the God YHWH had put under Solomon’s command, as well as an architect named Hiram. Alas, this temple has not been located by Archaeologists as yet as efforts are often hindered by Muslim and Jewish protesters who do not want their sacred ground defiled.
Solomon is also credited with building several other temples to other deities including Ashtoreth, Molech, and Chemosh, which he did for the pleasure of his many wives so that they could worship the Gods of their homelands conveniently. He is also said to have built a fabulous palace, aqueducts and defensive walls, rebuilding various cities and creating various military outposts.
According to popular lore, all of this knowledge and wisdom was passed from Solomon to his son Rehoboam just prior to Solomon’s death in the form of Keys, These “Keys” were divided into the Greater Key Of Solomon The King (Clavicular Solomonis) and The Goetia, or Lesser Key. The Greater Key deals with the angelic spirits YHVH granted Solomon the knowledge (use) of and The Goetia deals with the less friendly sorts of powers YHVH gave Solomon knowledge of: dæmons and other spirits.
The Keys of Solomon, and indeed many other grimoires attributed to King Solomon emerged during the Italian Renaissance. The oldest of these was the Hygromanteia also known as The Magickal Treatise of Solomon and Little Key of the Whole Art of Hygromancy, Found by Several Craftsmen and by the Holy Prophet Solomon which may date as far back as the sixth century C.E., or as recently as the fourteenth. The books that came later seem to be based upon this one.
Whether or not these books are authentically based upon the true teachings of King Solomon is up for debate, but they are valuable to the ceremonial magician and have had a significant impact on many magickal traditions.
For More Information Please Read
- The Lesser Key of Solomon by S.L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley on SacredTexts.com
- The Greater Key of Solomon the King by S. Liddell MacGregor Mathers on SacredTexts.com
- The Hygromanteia by Ioannis Marathakis
