(Balam, from Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal: Paris, 1863)

"Balam is a great and a terrible king, he commeth foorth with three heads, the first of a bull, the second of a man, the third of a ram, he hath a serpents taile, and flaming eies, riding upon a furious beare, and carrieng a hawke on his fist, he speaketh with a hoarse voice, answering perfectlie of things present, past, and to come, hee maketh a man invisible and wise, hee governeth fourtie legions, and was of the order of dominations." (Reginald Scot, Discoverie of Witchcraft, 1584)

This description of Balam from the Goetia, reproduced by Scot in his book The Discoverie of Witchcraft, raises an interesting point that should be considered by those seeking to accurately understand the nature of demons. Balam comes forth with three heads, but he does not wear all three heads at the same time. If we read the text closely, we see that he puts on first the head of a bull, then the head of a man, and finally the head of a ram. Collin de Plancy has depicted the demon with only a single head, that of a man, but has given him a bull's horns and a ram's ears. His face is also ram-like. The artist has failed to comprehend that these heads appear successively, not simultaneously. He commits the same error elsewhere, for example in the image of the demon Bael.

Although it is written in the Goetia concerning the demon Bael that he comes sometimes like a cat, sometimes like a toad, and sometimes like a man, and "sometimes all these forms at once," it is usually incorrect to conceive of these demons with multiple heads. Rather, it is more accurate to think of them as changing their appearance, often with great rapidity, so that they may seem to bewildered sight to have more than one countenance at a time. Another very important point - the final appearance of the demon will be that of a human being, because this is the shape desired by the magician for clear and safe communication. The demon will not go from human shape to animal shape unless the magician has lost a measure of control over the demon, and the demon is expressing its contempt for the magician by defying his power.