Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION
The Legend of King Solomon

PART ONE
The King

ONE
The Source Texts

TWO
Solomon and the Animals

THREE
Solomon’s Constructions

FOUR
The Judgments of Solomon

FIVE
Solomon’s Possessions

SIX
Solomon’s Literary and Scientific Works

SEVEN
Solomon’s Explorations

EIGHT
Solomon and the Djinns

NINE
The Sins of Solomon

TEN
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

ELEVEN
Solomon and Death

TWELVE
Solomon among the Sabaeans

PART TWO
The Magician

THIRTEEN
The Testament of Solomon

FOURTEEN
Solomon’s Hygromancy

FIFTEEN
The Keys of Solomon

SIXTEEN
The Other Magic Books

SEVENTEEN
The Archaeological Traces of Solomon

EIGHTEEN
The Lapidaries of Solomon

NINETEEN
The Account of Zosimos of Panopolis

TWENTY
Solomon’s Successors

PART THREE
Solomon in Folklore

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Claude Lecouteux is a professor emeritus of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne. He is the author of numerous books on medieval beliefs and magic, including The Pagan Book of the Dead and Dictionary of Ancient Magic Words and Spells.

Reviews

“In this splendid compendium, Claude Lecouteux brings together stories, folktales, lore, and legends associated with the Biblical King Solomon. King of ancient Israel, he founded castles and cities as well as a palace of glass and his most famous Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon’s legacy spread across the Middle East into Europe, Africa, and beyond. Reputed author of one thousand and five books of poems, psalms, and songs and three thousand parables, he also interacted with animals, whose languages he understood. Solomon was one of the great historical practitioners of magic. Solomon’s seal and ring gave him power over various kinds of spirits. All his possessions--his net, his throne, and his chalice among them--were infused with magical power. Claude Lecouteux’s masterly reconstruction of the wondrous world of King Solomon from ancient documents is by far the most comprehensive survey yet published of the many different aspects of this ancient and influential monarch.”
*Nigel Pennick, author of The Ancestral Power of Amulets, Talismans, and Mascots and Elemental Magic*

“Lecouteux’s in-depth study and presentation of the legend and importance of the image of King Solomon in the magical mythology fills an important role in our understanding of the history of the practice of magic in both Europe and Asia. Solomon was ascribed some of the most important magical grimoires and symbols and signs bearing his name that may be found from Arabia all the way into the realm of the Far North in Iceland.”
*Stephen E. Flowers, Ph.D., author of Icelandic Magic and Original Magic*

“This remarkable book, fully illustrated with archival images, shows Solomon--the mythical man, the mystical man, the personal and cultural man--at ease in a world he co-created with his Creator.”
*Gerald Hausman, author of Rastafarian Children of Solomon: The Legacy of the Kebra Nagast and the Pa*

“Professor Lecoueux is a well-known historian of medieval cultural history. His new book on the legendary King Solomon represents a convincing proof of the author’s erudition. This excellent work presents a wealth of relevant information about Solomon’s supernormal wisdom, his relations to the world of spirits, his building of the Temple in Jerusalem, and much more. The author’s analysis of Solomon’s relations to shamanism is also very useful. This is a fundamental study of one of the most enigmatic figures in history.”
*Ronald Grambo, former professor of folklore at the University of Oslo*

“The story of King Solomon is universal, found in different cultures and different sources. His close contact with God, his relations with djinns and exorcists as well as his love for women, made him a universal legend. In this book, the French scholar Claude Lecouteux presents the complete story of King Solomon for us to read.”
*Ahmed Osman, author of The Egyptian Origins of King David and the Temple of Solomon*

"The author uses The Bible, the writings of Yosef ben Matityahu HaCohen (better known as Flavius Josephus), and the classic book The Thousand and One Nights as primary sources to demonstrate the universality of Solomon the King and Solomon the Magician. No stone is left unturned. Solomon’s relationships with animals, with the djinns, and with his people are explored. The places he lived, the magical talismans he created and used, and more are all discussed. The text is fully illustrated, including images I’ve used myself in crafting protective talismans. The combination of history, legend, and religion makes King Solomon the Magus an important work for anyone who interested in Arabian or Western magic."
*The Magical Buffet*