Valac is a

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

described in the

goetic (, ) is a type of European sorcery, often referred to as witchcraft, that has been transmitted through grimoires—books containing instructions for performing magical practices. The term "goetia" finds its origins in the Greek word "goes", ...

grimoire A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms, and divin ...

s ''

The Lesser Key of Solomon ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'', also known by its Latin title ''Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis'' or simply the ''Lemegeton'', is an anonymously authored grimoire on Goetia, sorcery, mysticism and Magic (supernatural), magic. It was compiled in th ...

'' (in some versions as Ualac or Valak and in

Thomas Rudd Thomas Rudd (c.1583–1656) was an English military engineer and mathematician. Life The eldest son of Thomas Rudd of Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, he was born in 1583 or 1584. He served during his earlier years as a military engineer in ...

's variant as Valu),

Johann Weyer Johannes Wier ( or '; 1515 – 24 February 1588) was a Dutch physician who was among the first to publish a thorough treatise against the trials and persecution of people accused of witchcraft. His most influential work is ('On th ...

's ''

Pseudomonarchia Daemonum The ''Pseudomonarchia Daemonum'' () first appears as an appendix to ''De praestigiis daemonum'' (1577) by Johann Weyer.Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (Liber officiorum spirituum); Johann Weyer, ed. Joseph Peterson; 2000. Available online aEsoteric Arc ...

'' (as Volac), the ''

Liber Officiorum Spirituum ''Liber Officiorum Spirituum'' (English: ''The Book of the Office of Spirits'')A Book of the Office of Spirits; John Porter, Trans. Frederick Hockley, Ed. Colin D. Campbell; Teitan Press, 2011.''The Book of Oberon,'' eds. Daniel Harms and Joseph P ...

'' (as Coolor or Doolas), and in the ''

Munich Manual of Demonic Magic The ''Munich Manual of Demonic Magic'' or ''Liber incantationum, exorcismorum et fascinationum variarum'' (CLM 849 of the Bavarian State Library, Munich) is a fifteenth-century goetic grimoire manuscript. The text, composed in Latin, is largel ...

'' (as Volach) as an

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

ically winged boy riding a two-headed dragon, attributed with the power of finding treasures.

Variations

The ''Lesser Key'', the ''Munich Manual'', Rudd, and Weyer further agree in ranking Valac as a president and attributing him with the power to locate, summon, and control Oten. The ''Officium Spirituum'' similarly attributes Doolas with the power to give the summoner command of serpents as well as "household spirits," but it ranks Coolor and Doolas as princes instead of presidents. Valac is listed 62nd in the ''Lesser Key'' (even by Rudd) and the 50th by Weyer, with either version claiming he leads 30 legions of demons (though some manuscripts say 38). The ''Munich Manual'' describes Volach as controlling 27 legions of spirits. The ''Officium Spirituum'' (depending on the manuscript) ranks Coolor as either 22nd (with no note of how many spirits he commands) or (in the copy found in the Folger Shakespeare Library) 22nd and commanding 13 legions of spirits. All extant and complete versions of the ''Officium Spirituum'' list Doolas as 25th demon, commanding 20 legions of spirits. Rudd's version uniquely has Valac opposed by the

Shemhamphorasch ''Shem HaMephorash'' ( ''Šēm hamMəfōrāš'', also ''Shem ha-Mephorash''), meaning "the explicit name", was originally a Tannaitic term for the Tetragrammaton. In Kabbalah, it may refer to a name of God composed of either 4, 12, 22, 42, or 7 ...

angel Iahhel. A manuscript titled ''Fasciculus Rerum Geomanticarum'' lists him as Volach.

In popular culture

* The 1998 film ''Vampires'' features a character named "Valek" as the first vampire. * Volac appears in the ''

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' is an American comic book series published by Archie Horror, an imprint of Archie Comics, beginning in 2014. The series is a darker take on the characters and setting of ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch''. It is wri ...

'' comic book series. In issue #7, a young Edward Spellman, father of

Sabrina Spellman Sabrina Victoria Spellman (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) is the eponymous character of the Archie Comics series ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch''. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and she first appeared in ''Archie's M ...

, summons the demon at the request of Alphonse Louis Constant. * Ualac appears in the '' Hellboy: Box Full of Evil'' as a major antagonist. * ''

The Conjuring 2 ''The Conjuring 2'' (known in the United Kingdom as ''The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case'') is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay is by Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes, Wan, and David Leslie Johnson. It ...

'', '' The Nun'', and ''

The Nun II ''The Nun II'' is a 2023 American Gothic supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves, with a screenplay written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper from a story by Cooper. Serving as a sequel to ''The Nun'' (2018) and ...

'' has Valak as the main antagonist, taking on the form of a demonic

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

and The Crooked Man from the rhyme "

There Was a Crooked Man "There Was a Crooked Man" is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 4826. Origin The rhyme was first recorded in print by James Orchard Halliwell in 1842: There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile, H ...

". ''The Nun'' revealed that it took the form of a nun to hide amongst the Sisters. In ''The Nun'' and ''The Nun II'', its main weakness is the

Blood of Christ Blood of Christ, also known as the Most Precious Blood, in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby, or the sacram ...

. Its ability to block

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

's visions makes it the most dangerous entity in ''The Conjuring'' Universe. * Valac appears as the fourth boss in the video game '' Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon''. He is depicted as a two-headed dragon that can fuse to make an even bigger dragon. He appears again in '' Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night''. * Valak appears also in the first season of ''

Shadowhunters ''Shadowhunters'', also known as ''Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments'', is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Ed Decter, based on the novel series ''The Mortal Instruments'' written by Cassandra Clare. It premie ...

'' where it is summoned to retrieve Clary's memories back from it. * The manga series ''

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. Overview In ...

'' has a main character named Clara Valac, a hyperactive demon girl who can make copies of anything she sees.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

Valac's entry in the Lesser Key of Solomon
hosted at Twilit Grotto

hosted at Twilit Grotto {{Demons in Pseudomonarchia Daemonum Goetic demons Female horror film villains