the true story of valak Archives - The Spooky Stuff by Alex Matsuo

Valak may be one of the most terrifying demons in The Conjuring Universe, but this demonic entity’s roots lie in centuries-old lore. What’s the truth behind this infamous figure?

If you follow my team’s website, Association of Paranormal Study, you might recall the article I wrote titled, What is the True Story of Valak the Demon? on September 6, 2018. Since then, there’s some misformation about Valak’s involvement in the Enfield Poltergeist.

I saw the following meme floating around Facebook:

I get that it’s a meme and it has to keep things short and high level for the sake of keeping it short and sweet. After reading the comments, I saw that there a lot of assumptions made that could be harmful for people who don’t know what they’re doing. Granted, I think summoning an ancient demon might be a bad idea anyway.

I take issue with the statement, “who in actuality is a demon named Valak.” Anyone who has watched “The Conjuring 2” and “The Nun” knows that the demon’s name is Valak. It’s a major plot point in “The Conjuring 2.” Why is this being presented as new information?

The Real Enfield Poltergeist

First of all, there was no demonic activity with the Enfield Poltergeist. This means that the family was not tormented by a demon named Valak. If you want more info on the case, I highly recommend reading the book, “This House is Haunted” by Guy Lyon Playfair, to get a detailed account from the team involved in the case. There’s also “The Enfield Poltergeist Tapes” by Dr. Melvyn Willin. For anyone interested in the case, it’s considered an essential read.

The Warrens’ true involvement in the Enfield Poltergeist has been a center of controversy. There are conflicting reports. Many folks said they showed up on the front doorstep and were quickly sent away. Others claim they had time to interview the family. I recommend researching this on your own and come to your own conclusion, and you can also contact me personally to talk this out.

Boy with Angel Wings

Valak isn’t a nun at all. Valak wasn’t present at Enfield. There is no lore that has ever portrayed Valak as a nun. Instead, he is depicted as more of a cherubim-like creature, or, “a boy with angel wings, riding on a two-headed dragon.” But don’t let the angelic look fool you into thinking he isn’t fierce. He rides a two-headed dragon, which is a strong indication that he’s a bad*ss. Depending on which book you’re looking at, Valak has been spelled as Valac, Volac, Valu, Ualac, Volach, and even Coolor and Doolas.

Original Text

The first time we see Valak appear in written form is in “The False Monarchy of Demons” (or Pseudomonarchia Daemonum) which was an appendix in Johann Weyer’s “On the Tricks of Demons” (De praestigiis daemonum). It contains a list of 69 demons with the rituals needed to conjure them. In this text, he is referred to as President Volac. Weyer was a Dutch physician, occultist, and demonologist who was one of the first to speak out against the persecution of witches.

In “The Book of the Office of Spirits” (Liber Officiorum Spirituum), Valak is referred to as Coolor and Doolas. Why the drastic change in name? Well, it looks like Weyer used Liber Officiorum Spirituum as a reference. The traits of Valak/Coolor/Doolas and their rituals were the same. I have to wonder if Weyer is responsible for the sinister name we have now.

“The Lesser Key of Solomon” was written in the mid-1600s, and it is a grimoire on demonology. “The Lesser Key of Solomon” is compiled of older books. One could argue that the content is much older.

Who Was Valak?

“The Conjuring” franchise has made Valak the great connector between The Conjuring 2 and The Nun. This was purely for entertainment purposes, as Valak, let alone a demonic nun, has never appeared in the Warrens’ case files. From a filmmaking standpoint, I love Valak as a character. I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed all of the movies in the franchise. While I think the movies are very well done, we can’t look at them as true.

The majority of these historical texts refer to him as, “President Valak.” In “The Lesser Key of Solomon”, Valak is referred to as the Grand President of Hell who rules over legions of demons. He governs 38 legions of demons, and he can locate, summon, and control serpents.

If you try to summon Valak, it might not be worth your while, especially if you’re not worth HIS while. We don’t know how Valak measures worth, and all I can tell you is that he will ruin your life. As with most demon interactions, you’re at risk of getting possessed. I’m not going to tell you how to summon Valak. If you’re dying to know…it’s on the internet. Good luck with that.

Why a Nun?

James Wan completely owns that he made up Valak’s depiction as a nun. When he overheard Lorraine talking about how a dark entity was following her, and it was a swirling vortex of darkness, Wan realized that it would have to be CGI if he made it true to the story.

Here it in his words:

“I remember hearing that and my first thought was, ‘Oh crap, that’s going to be a CGI character.’ I didn’t want to do that,” said Wan. “And so, it kind of took me a while to cement in my head what this vision was. And it came across eventually in a very organic way. Because it is a demonic vision that haunts her, that only attacks her, I wanted something that would attack her faith. Something that would threaten the safety of her husband. And so that was eventually how the idea of this very iconographic image of a holy icon cemented in my head.”

The Monastery

The Cârța Monastery is the location where the movie, “The Nun”, takes place. Yes, this is a real place. It is located in Transylvania in Southern Romania. The monastery is considered to be haunted and is known as “The Haunted Abbey.”

You won’t find demons there. The abbey is a Cistercian monastery that was built in the 1200s. It was built in the shape of a cross. Sadly, the abbey was damaged because of the Mongol invasion of 1241. Since then, it has been restored numerous times throughout its life.

The abbey stopped running in the 1500s. This means it was not active when “The Nun” took place. Only the church building still stands today. If you were to visit the site now, it is a Lutheran Evangelical Church!

There have been reports of vibrating walls and moving chairs. There are reports apparitions of monks in white robes. Every day, the monks wore these white robes. These monks worked very hard every day, and their life expectancy was around 40 years old. Today, the monks are buried on the property along with soldiers from World War I.