Correspondences:
Colours: Black and Gray
Incense: Mandrake, Solomon’s Seal and Mullein
Metal: Copper
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Direction: North
Date: Oct 31 – Nov 2 (or Samhain)
Enn: Avage Secoré on ca Baalberith
There are two main aspects to Baalberith, those being the Prince of dying as mentioned by Connolly in her works and that of the “Lord of Covenant”, worshipped by the Canaanite people. Some also relate Baalberith to Berith from the Ars Goetia, although I prefer to keep them separate. Apart from a similarity in name, I can’t personally find any other relation between them. I’ll start with Connolly’s Baalberith, which is the entity that I work with, and then go into the Canaanite Baal Berith.
In the Dukante Hierarchy, he forms part of the 5th Family with Eurynomous and Babael and listed as the Prince of dying.
From The Complete Book of Daemonolatry, Connolly says, “He guides the souls of the dead to the Demonic plane where they are reborn from the whole of the fifth element. He leads them to safe passage. He appears as someone the deceased remembers who has also passed on. His true form is a mystery.”
From Keys of Ocat:
Prince of dying. Rebirth and the protection of the dead on their passage. Baalberith can bring joy to the living after a loved one has passed. He is not as solid and calming as Eurynomous. He is an excellent Daemon to work with for communication with the dead as he’ll gladly give magicians who prefer more active necromancy sessions the energy they need to facilitate that.
To invoke Ba’alberith, he must be approached after preparation on the part of the magician, seduced with the oration, and then directly confronted respectfully, on bended knee if you seek to use the traditional method. Some may choose to lay prostrate before him, depending on their level of service to Him. Priests of Ba’alberith and Funerary Priests may choose this latter method of respect. Some, however, might find this too subservient or even grovelling and should therefore simply kneel or speak to the Daemon on bended knee. Approaching Ba’alberith with too much arrogance may result in having your feet pulled from beneath you, both literally and figuratively.
Then in reference to the Canaanite deity, the name “Baal Berith” translates to “Lord of the Covenant,” highlighting his association with agreements, treaties, and oaths among the Canaanite people.
Baal Berith’s worship is most prominently recorded in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Judges. Here, he is mentioned as the god of the Shechemites. In Judges 8:33-34, the Israelites, during periods of apostasy, are described as having turned away from Yahweh to worship Baal Berith. The two verses read: “No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.”
As the “Lord of the Covenant,” Baal Berith was seen as a guardian of agreements and societal contracts. This role suggests that his worship was integral to the social and political structures of Canaanite city-states, where covenants and oaths were foundational to maintaining order and allegiance.
The worship of Baal Berith also reflects the polytheistic nature of Canaanite religion, where various aspects of life and nature were personified and venerated through different deities. His specific association with covenants might have involved rituals or offerings meant to invoke his blessing and ensure the integrity and fulfilment of oaths.
In summary, Baal Berith was a deity whose worship in ancient Shechem underscores the critical role of religious figures in societal governance and the sanctity of covenants. His depiction in the Hebrew Bible serves as a historical touchpoint for the study of Canaanite religion and its influence on neighbouring cultures.
On the other hand, we also have the Daemonolatry aspect of Ba’alberith being the Prince of dying and therefore closely associated with the Artes of Necromancy. In this realm the three figures that make up the 5th Family and are usually invoked together, would be Eurynomous, Ba’alberith and Babael, the latter we will speak about at a later stage. Whereas Eurynomous is the Dameon of Death itself, Ba’alberith takes on more of the psychopompic aspect and the process of dying itself.
