Eliphas Levi (1810-1875)
playerOccult & Esoteric
One 1800s Frenchman drew the famous goat-headed Baphomet and basically invented modern occultism.
Who they are
Eliphas Levi (1810-1875), often called the father of modern occultism.
What they do
Through his 1856 book 'Transcendental Magic,' he pulled Tarot, Kabbalah, and Hermetic ideas together into one unified system.
How it works
He created the Baphomet illustration — the winged goat-headed figure that became occultism's defining image of 'balance of opposites'; the engine notes the name Baphomet itself came from a 1307 inquisition (a garbling of 'Mahomet'), while Levi's 1856 drawing is the design origin of the modern figure.
Why it matters
He set the template that Aleister Crowley, the Golden Dawn, and later Western occult traditions all built on.
The engine's record — word for word
Father of modern occultism. Transcendental Magic (1856). Created the Baphomet illustration — occultisms defining visual icon of transgressive equilibrium. Intentionally synthesized Tarot, Kabbalah, and Hermeticism into unified system. Established template that Crowley, Golden Dawn, and all subsequent Western occult traditions build upon. [Report #110 — Symbology] [web-checked Jun 18 2026] Report #110: Levi's 1856 Baphomet is the DESIGN ORIGIN of the modern winged goat-headed figure (Hermetic synthesis-of-opposites); the name itself was a 1307 inquisitorial construct ('Mahomet' corruption). (See baphomet_idol.)
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