Bethor
Governor of the second heaven, whose affairs are those of Jupiter.
Nature
Where Aratron, governor of Saturn, is slow and exacting, Bethor is described as prompt — arriving quickly when called, and generous in what he grants.
The Arbatel presents its seven governors as a hierarchy of temperament as much as office, each carrying the character of the planet it administers. Bethor's portfolio is Jupiter's own: expansion, standing, and fortune. Later commentators describe him as capable of raising a person to illustrious position and toward great wealth, of extending life to as much as seven hundred years where it accords with providence, and of granting a familiar spirit to those he favors.
He is also credited with reconciling the spirits of the air to human beings — so that, in the language of the grimoire, they might answer truthfully in divination, carry precious stones, and prepare medicines of remarkable effect.
Manifestation
Appearance
Described in modern practice as a man in a cyan-blue robe, crowned with a bishop's miter — the visible sign of Jupiter's authority. He is often reported alongside a distant storm: flashes of lightning at the edge of perception rather than overhead.
Purpose
Called on for business dealings, economic affairs, and advancement in one's work. His influence tends to arrive as opportunity rather than instruction — a door that opens, an offer that appears — and practitioners are advised to notice it, and to give thanks to the spirit and to the Divine when it does.
Dominion
The Arbatel divides the cosmos into 196 Olympic Provinces, apportioned unequally among seven governors — each ruling seven provinces fewer than the one before.
| Governor | Planet | Provinces | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aratron | Saturn | 49 | |
| Bethor | Jupiter | 42 | |
| Phaleg | Mars | 35 | |
| Och | Sun | 28 | |
| Hagith | Venus | 21 | |
| Ophiel | Mercury | 14 | |
| Phul | Moon | 7 |
Chief governorship is said to rotate among the seven across long ages, each holding precedence in turn — though which cycle applies to the present era is a matter the sources do not agree on, and this page makes no claim on it.
Offices & Powers
What the grimoire ascribes to Bethor when rightly invoked, in his own portfolio of Jupiter's affairs.
Dignity
Raises the favored to positions of standing and honor — Jupiter's own domain of rulership and reputation.
Treasure
Assists in the discovery of large and hidden treasures, and the acquisition of wealth.
Longevity
Said to extend life to as much as seven hundred years, always contingent on divine will.
Familiars
Confers a familiar spirit drawn from among his legions to those he favors.
True Answers
Reconciles the spirits of the air to humankind, so that they answer truthfully in divination.
Conveyance
Transports precious stones and is credited with compounding medicines of miraculous effect.
Correspondences
The Arbatel
The Arbatel de Magia Veterum ("Arbatel of the Magic of the Ancients") first appeared in Basel in 1575 — an anonymous Latin grimoire, notably free of the demon-catalogue apparatus common to its contemporaries. Its Olympic Spirits are framed not as infernal powers to be commanded but as celestial governors, addressed with the same courtesy owed to any ranking official. Of its seven, Bethor stands second, administrator of Jupiter's provinces, and — by the text's own account — the quickest of the seven to answer.