Focalor; Weeping Demon Of The Drowned

By James Donahue

Focalor, the forty-first Spirit of the Goetia, is said to have power over storms and seas. He gives those that bind him the power to drown souls in sadness and sink ships. He appears as a man with his face twisted in anguish and he has griffin wings. He has green, scaly skin and his hair is like seaweed. He smells of death and the sea. He weeps constantly and some say he has never uttered a coherent word.

There is a sense that this demon bears no love for mankind. His forte is to kill men, drown them, and he can overthrow warships.

According to ancient lore, Focalor is obsessed with slaying men by drowning them and he will pursue his calling ruthlessly at every opportunity unless bound by his host. He has the power to command the beasts of the sea and to gather great storms at sea.

Because Focalor does not speak, the cause of his sadness remains a mystery. There is a myth that this demon was a fallen angel that had hoped to return to heaven after one thousand years. But he was deceived in his hope.

One writer noted the when summoned, Focalor manifests slowly, first appearing as a single tear. Then his weeping eyes appear and gradually the entire body appears. He wears no clothes but cloaks his body with his griffon wings that grow from his back. The wings “shudder with each of his wracking sobs.”

Magicians that raise Focalor find that their eyes constantly water while in this demon’s presence. Even his seal, which appears below, must be drawn with a liquid medium before it works.

So why raise such a depressing demon? There are some benefits, the magicians say. Focalor is believed to give his host the ability to breathe under water, strike enemies down with lightning, blind enemies with a puff of breath and cause creatures to be stricken with grief in your presence. Heaven help you if you wish for any of these powers.

Focalor is a duke and commands 30 legions of demons.