LXXI - AMY

71 - Amy, aka Amy, Avnas, Auns, Hanar, Hanni - Appears in Book of Incantations, The Munich Manual, The Discoverie of Witchcraft, Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, and The Lesser Key of Solomon

FROM THE LESSER KEY

AMY, or AVNAS. – The Fifty-eighth Spirit is Amy, or Avnas. He is a Great President, and appeareth at first in the Form of a Flaming Fire; but after a while he putteth on the Shape of a man. For these 72 Great Spirits of the Book Goetia are all Princes and Leaders of numbers. Man. His office is to make one Wonderful Knowing 25 in Astrology and all the Liberal Sciences. He giveth Good Familiars, and can bewray Treasure that is kept by Spirits. He governeth 36 Legions of Spirits, and his Seal is this, etc.

FROM PSEUDOMONARCHIA

Amy is a great president, and appeareth in a flame of fier, but having taken mans shape, he maketh one marvelous in astrologie, and in all the liberall sciences, he procureth excellent familiars, he bewraieth treasures preserved by spirits, he hath the governement of thirtie six legions, he is partlie of the order of angels, partlie of potestats, he hopeth after a thousand two hundreth yeares to returne to the seventh throne: which is not credible.

Original Text : Amy Præses magnus: apparet in flamma ignea: sed humana assumpta forma, reddit hominem admirabilem in astrologia and omnibus artibus liberalibus. Famulos suppetit optimos: thesauros à spiritibus custoditos ostendit. Præfecturam habet legionem triginta sex, ex ordine partim angelorum, partim potestatum. Sperat se post mille ducentos annos ad Thronum septimum reversurum, quod credibile non est

FROM THE DICTIONAIRRE INFERNALE

Amy, great president of hell and one of the princes of the infernal monarchy. There, he appears surrounded by flames, but he adopts human features on earth. He teaches the secrets of astrology and liberal arts ; he gives good servants ; he reveals treasures guarded by demons to his friends ; he is the prefect of 36 legions. Fallen angels and Powers are under his orders. He hopes that after two hundred thousand years he will return to the sky/to Heaven to take over the seventh throne ; which is unbelievable, as Wierus [Weyer] says

Original Text: Amy, grand président aux enfers, et l'un des princes de la monarchie infernale. Il paraît làbas environné de flammes, mais il affecte sur la terre des traits humains. Il enseigne les secrets de l'astrologie et des arts libéraux ; il donne de bons domestiques; il découvre à ses amis les trésors gardés par les démons ; il est préfet de trente-six légions. Des anges déchus et des puissances sont sous ses ordres. Il espère qu'après deux, cent mille ans il retournera dans le ciel pour y occuper le septième trône; ce qui n'est pas croyable, dit Wierus.

Appearance: A man, wreathed in flames

Subrace: Former Power

Abilities: Familiars, Knowledge of Astronomy, Knowledge of Liberal Sciences, Treasure

Legions: 36

Rank: President

Notes:

OKAY. Finally some decent information on the role of Presidents in hell. The key words here are Weyers use of the latin Præfecturam, and Præses respectively.

Under the Roman Dominate (the period of roman history from about 235 to 476 AD, after the third century crisis but before the collapse of the western empire) a praefectus was any office whose authority derived from delegation from a higher authority, rather than an electorate. In modern terms, the president of the united states is an elected office but the president’s cabinet members are prefects. For Rome, a praeses was originally a sort of provincial military governor, but as the empire transitioned away from a martial society the term gradually came to refer to a variety of ranks and positions.

Crucially for our purposes, a praeses (president) is considered a subcategory of praefectus (Prefect), meaning we now have a much more clear view of what exactly a President means for hell.

While it is entirely possible that the terms praeses and praefectus were unintentionally conflated by the Dutch peasants he was interviewing for his work, this entry and its use of terms lends significant credence to the theory of “Hell as Imperial State”

Brand of Smoke - The marked is able to temporarily assume a fleeting form, bursting into a cloud of burning ash, only to reform a moment later. Upon recondensation, all physical sensation is deadened, and can leave the marked disoriented.