The Hurtful Angel or Infernal Dragon, like Berot, with a viper breath is a hybrid figure of punitive celestial authority and chthonic venom. The name Berot likely derives from Hebrew roots meaning "to cut" or "to sever," aligning with the being's function as a destructive emissary. The viper breath signifies a power that corrupts and poisons through speech or exhalation, a motif common to infernal guardians and plague-bringers in medieval demonology.

Position on the Tree of Life

This image corresponds to Path 26 on the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the path connecting Hod (Splendor) to Netzach (Victory). This position is associated with the astrological sign of Capricorn and the Tarot trump The Devil. The path's nature involves material fixation, binding, and the testing of spiritual integrity through illusion and desire.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, governs this path. The image's dragon and viper elements reflect Capricorn's earthy, chthonic, and boundary-dissolving qualities. The "hurtful" aspect mirrors Saturn's severe, limiting, and sometimes punishing influence in traditional astrology.

Historical Context

The figure of a hurtful angel or infernal dragon with viper breath appears in several grimoire traditions. In the Lemegeton (Lesser Key of Solomon), the demon Berot is listed among the spirits of the Goetia, described as a marquis who appears as a soldier and teaches the properties of herbs and precious stones. However, the present image emphasizes a more bestial and venomous form, likely drawing from the Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, where many infernal spirits are depicted as dragons or serpents. The viper breath connects to the classical concept of the basilisk or cockatrice, whose gaze or breath was lethal. In Christian iconography, the infernal dragon represents Satan as the "old serpent" (Revelation 12:9), while the "hurtful angel" suggests a fallen angel tasked with executing divine wrath, akin to the destroying angel in Exodus 12:23 or the angels of plague in Revelation.

In the 777 system, this image stands at the convergence of Saturnine severity and Capricornian materialism. The viper breath symbolizes the poisonous nature of false wisdom or the corrupting influence of material attachment, which the initiate must confront and transmute on this path.

Place in Liber 777

In Crowley's Liber 777, this entry appears in Column CLVII (Magical Images) for Path 26, providing a visual key for meditation and ritual work on the Qabalistic path of The Devil.