Olympic spirit

An Olympic spirit (or Olympian spirits, Olympick spirits) refers to seven spirits mentioned in several Renaissance and post-Renaissance grimoires of ritual magic/ceremonial magic, such as the Arbatel de magia veterum, The Secret Grimoire of Turiel and The Complete Book of Magic Science.

The Grimoire of Armadel says of the Olympian spirits: "They are called Olympick spirits, which do inhabit in the firmament, and in the stars of the firmament: and the office of these spirits is to declare Destinies, and to administer fatal Charms, so far forth as God pleaseth to permit them."

In this magic system, the universe is divided into 196 provinces (a number which in numerology adds up to 7: 1+9+6=16; 1+6=7) with each of the seven Olympian spirits ruling a set number of provinces. Aratron rules the most provinces (49), while each succeeding Olympian rules seven fewer than the former, down to Phul who rules seven provinces. Each of the Olympic spirits rules alternately for 490 years. Each Olympian spirit is also associated with one of the seven luminaries which figure in ancient and medieval Western magic.

Seven Olympian spirits

1. Aratron (or Arathron) (550 BC - 60 BC): the alchemist who rules 49 provinces. His planet is Saturn.
2. Bethor (60 BC - 430 AD): rules 42 provinces. His planet is Jupiter.
3. Phaleg (or Phalec, Pharos) (430 - 920): the War-Lord who rules 35 provinces. His planet is Mars.
4. Och (920 - 1410): the alchemist, physician, and magician who rules 28 provinces. His planet is the Sun.
5. Hagith (1410 - 1900): transmuter of metals who rules 21 provinces. His planet is Venus.
6. Ophiel (1900 - 2390): who rules 14 provinces. His planet is Mercury.
7. Phul (2390 - 2880): lord of the powers of the moon and supreme lord of the waters who rules 7 provinces. His planet is the Moon.

Connection to the archangels

The seven Olympian spirits are often evoked in conjunction with the seven classic archangels, and summoning sigils often associate one of the classic seven with one of the Olympian spirits. For example, a magic seal from Frederick Hockley's The Complete Book of Magic Science shows the form of a seal which binds a spirit of Jupiter, Pabiel, to the magician: Pabiel's name appears in a band stretched between two circles: the circle on the left bearing the name and sigil of Bethor, the circle on the right bearing the name and sigil of Sachiel (equivalent to Archangel Zadkiel).