SHAX

§ Introduction

Shax (also spelled Chax) is traditionally listed as the 44th spirit and ranked as a Marquis. In public-domain grimoire tradition, Shax is an emblem of loss: stolen goods, missing money, and—more psychologically—missing perception. He's also famous for a recurring grimoire warning: he may deceive unless constrained by formal authority (a common motif that treats truth like something that must be engineered).

§ Grimoire Profile

Rank: Marquis
Legions: 30
Attributed office: theft; taking away senses/understanding (as phrased); revealing hidden things with cautionary notes

§ Appearance (Traditional Description)

Shax is commonly described as appearing as a stork (or stork-like bird) with a hoarse voice. It's a weirdly memorable contrast: a lanky bird delivering grim outcomes with scratchy speech.

§ Powers and Attributions

Traditional catalogues commonly associate Shax with:

• Stealing money, valuables, and goods (the texts often list items like horses or coins)
• Taking away sight, hearing, or understanding (catalogue phrasing)
• Uncovering hidden things, with warnings about unreliable speech unless constrained

§ Practical Use (Historical / Educational)

Shax reflects a cultural fear that theft isn't only material—it's perceptual.

Symbolically (non-ritual), he maps to: misinformation and "confidence lies," attention theft (distraction as loss), how losing clarity can be as damaging as losing money.

§ Pop Culture Footprints

Shax/Chax appears frequently in demon rosters and fiction as a thief-marquis archetype.

§ Short Sources

• Johann Weyer — Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577)
• Reginald Scot — The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584)
• The Lesser Key of Solomon — Ars Goetia (17th-century manuscript tradition)