The Demon with the Signet: A Quest for the Seal of Solomon in History and Literature

This study is an exploration of early literary, historical, exegetical, and mystical sources concerning the origins, nature, and narratives of the story of the “ring or seal of Solomon.” In early Persian literary texts as well as in certain classical historical, exegetical, and mystical works—both in Persian and Arabic—there are numerous references to the khātam (seal) of Solomon the Prophet, along with various reports and tales describing the episode of “the seal, Solomon, and the demon.” However, these sources contain no explicit statements or direct indications about the “clear and original origin” of the story of Solomon’s seal or about how its narratives and tales found their way into literary, exegetical, and historical texts. Neither the Quran nor the Bible—the most authoritative and sacred scriptural and exegetical sources—mentions Solomon’s seal, and it remains unclear exactly which sources underpin the accounts concerning Solomon’s ring and its details as presented in classical historical, exegetical, and literary works. This article represents an effort to uncover answers to this very question.