Vapula: The Winged Lion of Knowledge, Craft and Hidden Skill
Vapula is a Fallen Angel and the 60th of the 72 Spirits of Solomon. In the Goetic tradition, he holds the rank of Duke of Hell and commands 36 legions of demons. He appears in a striking and symbolic form: a lion with griffin wings, combining the courage and authority of the lion with the supernatural elevation of the griffin.
Vapula is not primarily known as a demon of destruction or temptation. His power is connected with learning, skill, knowledge and craftsmanship. He teaches handicrafts, philosophy and the sciences contained in books. In this sense, Vapula belongs to the class of demons who are associated with instruction, intellectual development and the mastery of practical arts.
His lion form suggests strength, confidence, nobility and command. The lion is a creature of power, but also of discipline and presence. Vapula’s griffin wings add another layer of meaning. The griffin is traditionally linked with guardianship, wisdom, treasure and the meeting point between earthly and celestial realms. Together, these symbols make Vapula a figure of grounded intelligence: knowledge that is not merely theoretical, but embodied, practised and made real through skill.
Vapula’s connection to handicrafts is especially important. He is not only a spirit of books and abstract philosophy, but also of the hand, the tool and the maker. He represents the hidden intelligence behind craft: the ability to shape matter, create useful objects, understand structure and bring ideas into physical form. To study Vapula symbolically is to recognise that magical knowledge is not separate from practical skill. The magician must learn, practise, refine and create.
His association with philosophy places him in the realm of deeper thought. Philosophy asks questions about existence, truth, ethics, reality, consciousness and the nature of power. Vapula’s influence, therefore, can be understood as the sharpening of the mind: the ability to think clearly, question deeply and understand the principles behind what is seen.
His connection with science contained in books also makes him a demon of study, scholarship and preserved knowledge. He represents the occult idea that books are not passive objects. They are vessels of power. Grimoires, magical manuscripts, philosophical texts and scientific writings all hold encoded forms of knowledge waiting to be unlocked by the serious student.
Vapula is therefore a demon of applied wisdom. He teaches that knowledge must be worked with, not merely collected. He belongs to the path of the artisan, the scholar, the philosopher and the occult practitioner who understands that true mastery requires both intellect and discipline.
In the wider world of demonology, Vapula stands as a reminder that not all infernal spirits are described as forces of chaos alone. Some are teachers, transmitters of skill and guardians of specialised knowledge. Their danger lies not only in fear, but in the responsibility that comes with what they reveal.
From “The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King” (1904) Written by S.L. MacGregor Mathers
VAPULA, or NAPHULA. – The Sixtieth Spirit is Vapula, or Naphula. He is a Duke Great, Mighty, and Strong; appearing in the Form of a. Lion with Gryphon’s Wings. His Office is to make Men Knowing in all Handcrafts and Professions, also in Philosophy, and other Sciences. He governeth 36 Legions of Spirits, and his Seal or Character is thus made, and thou shalt wear it as aforesaid, etc.
From the “Pseudomonarchia Daemonum” ( 1583 ) Written by Johann Weyer (Johann Wier)
Vapula is a great duke and a strong, he is seene like a lion with griphens wings, he maketh a man subtill and wonderfull in handicrafts [mechanics], philosophie, and in sciences conteined in bookes, and is ruler over thirtie six legions.
Original Text:
Vapula Dux magnus and fortis: conspicitur ut leo alis ad modum gryphi. Reddit hominem subtilem and mirabilem in artibus mechanicis, philosophia, and scientiis quæ in libris continentur. Præfectus est trigintasex legionum.
From the “Dictionnaire Infernal” (edition of 1863 ) Written by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy
Original Text :
Vapula, grand et puissant duc de l’enfer ; il paraît sous la forme d’un lion, avec des ailes de griffon. Il rend l’homme très adroit dans la mécanique et la philosophie, et donne l’intelligence aux savants. Trente-six légions lui obéissent.
English Translation :
Vapula, a great and powerful duke of Hell, appears in the form of a lion with griffin’s wings. He makes a person very skilful in mechanics and philosophy, and gives understanding to scholars. Thirty-six legions obey him.
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Vapula is the winged lion of craft, philosophy and hidden learning. His mysteries speak to the serious occultist who wants more than superstition: knowledge, discipline, study, magical skill and the wisdom preserved in forbidden books.
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