Bathin

The name Bathin's etymology is obscure, with no clear linguistic root in classical languages. It appears in various 17th-century grimoires, likely a corruption or invention specific to the occult tradition, possibly influenced by earlier, unrecorded magical traditions or esoteric nomenclature.

Bathin (also Bathym, Mathim, or Marthim) is a demon described in demonological grimoires.

The demon Bathin, as cataloged in the grim lore of demonology, presents a fascinating paradox when viewed through the lens of modern esoteric inquiry. Blavatsky's definition, rooted in the explicit pronouncements of grimoires, places him squarely within a hierarchy of infernal potentates. Yet, to dismiss Bathin as merely a diabolical invention is to overlook the rich symbolic strata that such figures often embody. His purported ability to transport one to distant lands, or to grant knowledge of herbs and precious stones, speaks to a deeper human yearning for transcendence and mastery over the material world.

Mircea Eliade, in his studies of shamanism, explored the ecstatic journeys of shamans, who would traverse spiritual landscapes to retrieve lost souls or gain vital knowledge. Bathin's function, in this light, can be seen as a darker, more internalized echo of this shamanic impulse. The "distant lands" he offers are not necessarily geographical locations, but rather altered states of consciousness, the hidden chambers of the psyche. The "herbs and precious stones" can be understood as the potent symbols and archetypal energies that lie dormant within the unconscious, awaiting activation.

Carl Jung's work on the collective unconscious and archetypes provides a framework for understanding these figures. The demon, as an archetype, represents a primal force, a shadow aspect of the divine or the human. Bathin's serpentine form, often associated with primordial wisdom and transformation in many mythologies, further suggests a connection to the earthbound, chthonic energies that can be both dangerous and profoundly generative. The invocation of such a being, therefore, might be less about summoning an external entity and more about confronting and integrating these powerful, often repressed, forces within oneself. The promise of swift travel could be a metaphor for the mind's ability to leap beyond the confines of linear time and space, a precursor to concepts explored in modern non-dual philosophies.

The figure of Bathin, then, invites us to consider the occult not as a mere collection of spells and rituals, but as a symbolic language of the soul's aspirations and anxieties. His presence in the demonological bestiary serves as a potent reminder that the pathways to hidden knowledge and altered states of being are often guarded by formidable, even terrifying, symbolic gatekeepers, demanding a profound inner courage to approach. The journey outward, promised by Bathin, is ultimately a journey inward, a testament to the mind's boundless capacity for self-discovery.