Table Of Contentwritten by
Henry Cornelius Agrippa
of Nettesheim
Completely Annotated,
with Modern Commentary
The Foundation Book
of Western Occultism
Translated by James Freake
Edited and Annotated by
Donald Tyson
Occultism / Western Magick
The Single Most Important Text
in the History of Western Occultism
The Three Books of Occult Philosophy's vast store of magical lore has been so influential that
occultists have been drawing upon it for the past five centuries. This classic work was first
published in 1531, and translated into English in 1651, but it has never since been reprinted
in its entirety. Now—for the first time in 500 years—editor Donald Tyson presents these
writings as Agrippa intended them to appear; wholly complete and free from the hundreds
of errors made in the original translation.
The Three Books of Occult Philosophy is the most complete repository of pagan and Neoplatonic
magic ever compiled. This book is packed with material you will not find elsewhere, including
copious extracts on magic from obscure or lost works by Pythagoras, Pliny the Elder, Cicero,
Ptolemy, Plato, Aristotle, and many other authorities. Donald Tyson's detailed annotations
clarify difficult references and provide origins of quotations, even expanding upon them in
many cases in order to make Agrippa's work more accessible to the modern reader.
As well as providing extensive insight into the foundations of the Western Esoteric tradition,
the Three Books of Occult Philosophy is the ultimate "how-to" for magical workings. It describes
how to work all manner of divinations and natural and ceremonial magic in such clear and
useful detail that it is Still the guide for modern techniques. And the extensive supplementary
material—including biographical and geographical dictionaries and appendices—provides
quick reference to many previously obscure matters in classical magic.
The Three Books of Occult Philosophy is an essential reference tool for all students of the history
of ideas and the occult tradition.
Discover what the Renaissance scholar Explore the practical Kabbalah, geo-
knew about the Astrology, Medicine, mancy, the magic squares, the ele-
History, Herbs, Geography, Animals, ments, the humors, and the Soul of the
Angles, Devils, Witches, Charms, the World
Weather—and a host of other subjects
• Consult the Biographical Dictionary
• Gain immediate reference to a vast for background on each of the hun-
amount of arcane but completely an- dreds of writers and historical figures
notated magical material referred to by Agrippa
• Find corrected drawings of seals, sig- • Consult the Geographical Dictionary
ils, and magic squares, and correctly for data on referenced rivers, moun-
represented geomantic figures tains, nations, cities—many of which
now carry different names
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The Foundation booh of UJcsreRn Occalrisml
The Three Books of Occult Philosophy is the single most important text in the history of
Western occultism. Occultists and magicians have been drawing upon its vast storehouse of
magical lore for five centuries, although they seldom if ever credit their source. For example,
Francis Barrett's Magus is a wonderful book only because it is made up of a direct plagiarism
of part of the Occult Philosophy, with some additional material attributed to Agrippa (the apoc-
ryphal Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy) thrown in at the end. The Golden Dawn systems of
the Kabbalah, geomancy, elements, and seals and squares of the planets are all taken in large
measure from Agrippa. Though countless writers have borrowed from the text, the Occult Phi-
losophy has never been reprinted in its entirety, except in limited facsimile editions, since 1651.
The reason the book has not been made into a new edition is simple—it required a her-
culean effort to correct the hundreds of errors, most of which were reproduced in both the Eng-
lish edition of 1651 and the Latin edition in the Opera of around 1600. These errors could only
be corrected by understanding the material completely: not only what was present in the text,
but what should be, and should not be, present.
For the first time in 500 years (first Latin edition, Antwerp, 1531), the seals, sigils, and
magic squares of the planets, which are universally used in modem magic, are correctly given,
and their structure and construction fully explained. For the first time the complex Hebrew
tables of the practical Kabbalah are accurately drawn. For the first time the geomantic figures
are corrected and truly represented.
Agrippa drew upon the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arabic and Jewish writers who had gone
before him. The Occult Philosophy is the most complete repository of Pagan and Neoplatonic
magic ever compiled. The countless references to magic in, and exhaustive quotations from,
classical literature lead the careful reader through the ancient world of the occult and provide
the basis for what amounts to a doctoral degree in classical occultism. This book is the source,
and represents the crossroads between the ancient and modern worlds of magic.
In addition to the value of Agrippa's text, the copious notes make difficult references under-
standable, give the origin of quotations, and expand upon many of them, so that Agrippa's work
is not only available but accessible as well. All the herbs, stones, beasts, monsters, gods, spirits,
places, stars, symbols, ancient writers, and occult practices mentioned by Agrippa are set forth
in the notes using the same sources that were available to Agrippa himself to illuminate them.
In this way the reader is given valuable insights into the thought processes of Agrippa.
An extensive set of appendices on such subjects as the elements, the magic squares, the
practical Kabbalah, geomancy, the humors, and the Soul of the World provide background on
the more important matters treated in the text. The Biographical Dictionary gives a short biog-
raphy of each of the hundreds of writers and historical figures referred to by Agrippa, and the
Geographical Dictionary does the same for the rivers, nations, cities, mountains, and other
places, many of which no longer exist or now carry different names. The General Index will
prove invaluable to all serious readers, as it allows immediate reference to every topic touched
upon in the text, notes and appendices.
All occultists and magicians need this book, because the corrections contained in its pages
render obsolete many of their magical names and sigils. Without it they cannot know if they
have accurately drawn a square, or correctly spelled the name of a spirit. Likewise, it is a
necessary reference tool for all scholarly students of the Renaissance, Neoplatonism, and
Western Kabbalah, the history of ideas and sciences, and the occult tradition.
A.6our rhe AuthoR
Donald Tyson is a Canadian from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Early in life he was drawn to science
by an intense fascination with astronomy, building a telescope by hand when he was eight. He
began university seeking a science degree, but became disillusioned with the aridity and futility of a
mechanistic view of the universe and shifted his major to English. After graduating with honors he
has pursued a writing career.
Now he devotes his life to the attainment of a complete gnosis of the art of magic in theory and
practice, His purpose is to formulate an accessible system of personal training composed of East
and West, past and present, that will help the individual discover the reason for one's existence and
a way to fulfill it.
"Co UJRire ro rhe AuchoR
If you wish to contact the author or would like more information about this book, please write
to the author in care of Llewellyn Worldwide and we will forward your request. Both the author and
publisher appreciate hearing from you and learning of your enjoyment of this book and how it has
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answered, but all will be forwarded. Please write to:
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Three Books of Occult Philosophy Written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa ofNettesheim. Copyright ©
1993 by Donald Tyson. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publica-
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FIRST EDITION
Eleventh Printing, 2009
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius, 14867-1535
[De occulta philosophia. English]
Three books of occult philosophy / by Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim, completely
annotated with modern commentary ; translated by James Freake ; edited and annotated by
Donald Tyson.
p. cm. — (Llewellyn's sourcebook series)
"The foundation book of western occultism."
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 13: 978-0-87542-832-1
ISBN 10: 0-87542-832-0
1. Magic—Early works to 1800. 2. Occultism—Early works to 1800.
I. Tyson, Donald, 1954- . II. Freake, James. III. Title. IV. Series.
BF1600.A3613 1992
133—dc20 92-33147
CIP
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AcUnooiledgemenrs
I wish to sincerely thank all those authors and publishers who have allowed me to use quotations
from works still under copyright. These have made the notes far more lively and useful than would
otherwise have been the case. Acknowledgement is due for extracts from:
The Odyssey of Homer translated by Richmond Lattimore. Copyright ® 1965 by Richmond Latti-
more. Reprinted by permission of Harper Collins Publishers Inc.
The Iliad of Homer translated by Richmond Lattimore. Copyright ®1951 by The University of
Chicago. Reprinted by permission of the University of Chicago Press.
Kabbalah by Gershom Scholem. Copyright ©1974 by Keter Publishing House Jerusalem Ltd.
Reprinted by permission of Keter Publishing House.
The White Goddess by Robert Graves. Copyright ©1948 and renewal copyright ©1975 by Robert
Graves. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc.
Pharsalia by Lucan, translated by Robert Graves. Copyright ©1961 by Robert Graves. Reprinted by
permission of A. P. Watt Ltd. on behalf of the Executors of the Estate of Robert Graves.
Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos translated by F. E. Robbins. Reprinted by permission of The Loeb Classical
Library, Harvard University Press, 1940.
Mathematics Useful for Understanding Plato by Theon of Smyrna, translated by Robert and Debo-
rah Lawlor. Copyright ©1978 by Wizards Bookshelf. Reprinted by permission of Wizards
Bookshelf.
Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy by Mircea Eliade, translated by Willard R. Trask.
Bollingen Series LXXVI. Copyright ©1964 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by per-
mission of Princeton University Press.
Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries by George E. Mylonas. Copyright ©1961 by Princeton Univer-
sity Press. Reprinted by permission of Princeton University Press.
The Survival of the Pagan Gods: The Mythological Tradition and Its Place in Renaissance Human-
ism and Art by Jean Seznec, translated by Barbara F. Sessions. Bollingen Series XXXVIII.
Copyright ©1953 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by permission of Princeton Univer-
sity Press.
Ancient Astrology Theory and Practice by Firmicus Maternus, translated by Jean Rhys Bram. Copy-
right ©1975 by Jean Rhys Bram. Reprinted by permission of Noyes Press.
The Letters of the Younger Pliny translated by Betty Radice. Copyright ©1963 by Betty Radice.
Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
The Early History of Rome by Livy, translated by Aubrey de Selincourt. Copyright ©1960 by the
Estate of Aubrey de Selincourt. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
Guide to Greece by Pausanius, translated by Peter Levi. Two volumes. Copyright ©1971 by Peter
Levi. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
The Voyage of Argo by Apollonius of Rhodes, translated by E. V. Rieu. Copyright ©1959, 1971 by
E. V. Rieu. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
The Conquest of Gaul by Caesar, translated by S. A. Handford. Copyright ©1951 by the Estate of S.
A. Handford. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
Hesiod and Theognis, translated by Dorothea Wender. Copyright ©1973 by Dorothea Wender.
Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
The History of Magic and Experimental Science by Lynn Thorndike. Eight volumes. Volumes I-IV
copyright ®1934; volumes V-VI copyright ©1941; volumes VII-VIII copyright ©1958. Reprint-
ed by permission of Columbia University Press.
Conrenrs
To the Reader, by Donald Tyson xiii
Life of Agrippa xv
On the Occult Philosophy xxxix
Note on the Text xliii
Three Books of Occult Philosophy xlv
An Encomium on the Three Books of Cornelius
Agrippa, Knight, by Eugenius Philalethes xlvii
The Life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Knight xlix
To the Reader, by Henry Cornelius Agrippa li
To R.P.D. John Trithemius liii
John Trithemius, Abbot of Saint James ...
to His Henry Cornelius Agrippa lvii
To the Reverend Father in Christ... Hermannus,
Earl of Wyda lix
Judicious Reader! by James Freake lxi
To ... Robert Childe, Doctor of Physic, by James Freake lxiii
An Index of All the Chapters Which are Contained
in This Work lxv
BOOK I 1
To the ... Most Illustrious Prince, Hermannus of Wyda 229
BOOK II 231
To the Most Renowned and Illustrious Prince, Hermannus of Wyda 435
BOOK III 439
To the Reverend Father ... Aurelius de Aquapendente 679
Unto the Same Man 681
Henry Cornelius Agrippa sendeth greeting to a certain
friend of the King's Court 683
Of Magic in General 689
Of Natural Magic 690
Of Mathematical Magic 692
Of Enchanting Magic 693
Of Goetia and Necromancy 695
OfTheurgia 699
Of Cabalie 700
Of Juggling and Legerdemain 705
Appendix I—Emerald Tablet 709
Appendix II—The Soul of the World 713
