Belphegor is a demon prince of the Qliphoth, traditionally associated with the sin of sloth and with the invention of new devices. The name derives from the Moabite god Baal-Peor, a deity of Mount Peor worshipped through licentious rites. In later Jewish and Christian demonology, Belphegor became a chief demon of the second hierarchy, tempting humans through laziness and shortcuts.

Position on the Tree of Life

Belphegor occupies the sixth position on the Qliphothic Tree, corresponding to Tiphereth—the sphere of the Sun. In the inverted shell, this placement represents a hollow and deceptive beauty, a glory that is merely self‑aggrandizing. Where Tiphereth on the holy Tree shines with balanced harmony, Belphegor’s realm offers a counterfeit radiance that lures the unwary into complacency and spiritual stagnation.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Because Tiphereth is ruled by the Sun, Belphegor’s Qliphothic aspect is tied to the solar current—but inverted. The Sun’s life‑giving energy becomes, in the shell, a blinding pride and a fixation on surface appearances. Some later grimoires also associate Belphegor with the planet Venus, likely due to the original Baal‑Peor’s sexual nature, but in the 777 schema the primary attribution remains the solar sphere of Tiphereth.

Historical context

Belphegor first appears in the Hebrew Bible as Baal‑Peor, a god of the Moabites whose worship involved sexual rites and the eating of sacrificial meals (Numbers 25). The rabbinical tradition transformed this deity into a demon who tempts through wealth, sloth, and the promise of effortless gain. In the Testament of Solomon, Belphegor is described as a demon who appears as a beautiful woman and incites lewdness. Medieval grimoires such as the Lemegeton (Goetia) list him as a great duke who can grant riches and inventions, but only at the cost of the summoner’s soul. He is also mentioned in Milton’s Paradise Lost as a fallen angel who counsels building Pandemonium. In the Qliphothic system of Aleister Crowley’s Liber 777, Belphegor is classified among the Princes of the Qliphoth, specifically at the step of Tiphereth, where he embodies the demonic counterpart of solar majesty.

Belphegor in Liber 777

In the table of Liber 777, Belphegor appears in the row of “Some Princes of the Qliphoth” at the scale step of 6 (Tiphereth). His correspondences in sibling cells include Satan and Moloch at Keter, Lucifuge at Chesed, and Adramelek at Hod. This placement situates him as the central, solar prince of the infernal hierarchy—the deceptive light that masks the void.