Ariton is the demonic king attributed to the West (or, in some conflicting traditions, the East) in the standard grimoire hierarchy of the four cardinal directions. The name appears most notably in the Lemegeton (the Lesser Key of Solomon), where Ariton is listed as one of the four principal rulers of the infernal directions, commanding legions of spirits under the greater king Amaymon or Amaimon (the king of the East). The etymology of the name is obscure; it may be a corruption or variant of a Hebrew or Arabic root, but no clear translation survives in the Renaissance magical texts.

Position on the Tree of Life

In the system of correspondences collated in Liber 777, Ariton is attributed to the 23rd Path of the Tree of Life. This path connects Hod (Splendor) to Malkuth (the Kingdom). The 23rd Path is associated with the zodiacal sign of Capricorn and the Hebrew letter Samekh. In the demonic hierarchy, this placement aligns Ariton with the foundation of the material world, a gatekeeper of the outermost sphere. This contrasts with the other demon kings assigned to higher or lower paths: Oriens on Path 11 (Vau/ Tiphareth to Chesed), Paimon on Path 31 (Shin/ Yesod to Malkuth), and Amaimon on Path 32 bis.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Ariton carries no direct planetary attribution in the standard Goetic table, but through his Path (23) and the letter Samekh, his astrological correspondence is Capricorn. In the table of 777, the demon kings are primarily elemental and directional rulers, not planetary governors. Thus Ariton’s domain is the element of Water (from the Western quarter) or Earth (through Capricorn’s earthy nature), depending on the ranking system employed.

Historical context

Ariton emerges from the medieval and Renaissance grimoire traditions that systematized the demonic hierarchy. He appears most prominently in the Lemegeton (circa 17th century), specifically in the Ars Goetia, where the four demon kings are given as: Oriens (East), Amaymon (South), Paimon (West), and Ariton (East) – a contradictory rotation that reveals the confusion of scribal transmission. Later texts such as the Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage also invoke four demonic princes, though there the names differ.

In the Goetia, Ariton commands 200 legions of spirits—36 under his direct authority and the rest under subordinate dukes. He is said to be a “mighty and strong king,” ruling over spirits of the Western quarter when invoked alongside his superior, Amaymon. The Heptameron of Peter of Abano assigns to Ariton the office of prince of the West, with a specific seal and conjurations for the days appropriate to his quarter.

Ariton’s appearance in Western ceremonial magic is thus as a gatekeeper of the material realm, a ruler of legions bound to the cardinal directions, and a spirit whose name was considered potent for commanding lesser demons. Later occultists, particularly those of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, standardized these four kings in their Enochian and Goetic workings, cementing Ariton as the demon king of the West.

In place on the Tree

In the table of 777, Ariton sits at the intersection of the Demon Kings column and the 23rd Path row. He is the only demon king on this path, flanked by Oriens (Path 11), Paimon (Path 31), and Amaimon (Path 32 bis). His presence here marks the 23rd Path as a suitable position for the ruler of the Western gate, binding the demonic hierarchy to the astrological and Qabalistic map of the universe.