Dagon
ArticlesDagon is the deity who controls the Deep Ones, an amphibious humanoid race that currently resides in the oceans of the Earth. He is first introduced to Lovecraft’s short story “Dagon,” and is mentioned extensively in all mythos. Also known as Father Dagon and Mother Hydra’s partner, though sons, they are generally not old ones. He is worshiped by the Esoteric Order of Dagon, a secret religion based in Innsmouth.
Dagon the Fish-God
Dagon was the god of the Philistines. The word “Dagon” is derived from “dag” which means “fish.”
Although there was a deep love for Dagon’s worshipers to their god, the symbol of the fish in human form is actually designed to represent fertility and the power that stimulates nature and reproduction.
The Babylonians had a myth that a person from the Erythraean Sea was part man and was part fish and thus adopted this god in their culture in their early days of history. And it was the discovery of the fish god in the carved images found in Nineveh, Assyria.
"When the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon and set it by Dagon. When the men of Ashdod got up early in the morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark. before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the body of Dagon was left unto him. "-1 Samuel 5: 2-5
"Now the lords of the Philistines gathered them together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said, our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. “When the people saw him, they praised their god because they said:” Our god has given into our hands our enemy, the destroyer of our country, and the one who multiplied our ■■■■. " - Judges 16:23-24
Judges 16:23
Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
1 Chronicles 10:10
And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
1 Samuel 5: 7
And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, the ark of the God of ■■■■■■ shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
1 Samuel 5: 2
When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
1 Samuel 5: 3
And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
1 Samuel 5: 5
Therefore, neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
1 Samuel 5: 4
And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.
Fish-god tradition
In fiction and contemporary culture
What made the Dagon bow?
The Temples of Dagon and Ashtoreth at Beth-Shan
Frequently Asked Questions
Following are some frequently asked questions by people related to Dagon.
1. What happened to Dagon in the Bible?
1 Samuel 5 1- And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; only his body was left.
2. What does the name Dagon mean?
The name Dagon means Be Cut Open and has a Hebrew origin. The name of the Jewish fertility god, is sometimes depicted as half-human half-fish. In Hebrew / Aramaic it means “cut open.” in Arabic, Dagon means “rain cloud.
3. Why was Dagon Worshipped?
Dagan, who also wrote Dagon, a Western Semitic god of Hebrew origin, made extensive use of the ancient Middle East. In Ras Shamra, Dagan was apparently second only to El, the supreme deity, though his works as a plant god seem to have been transferred to Baal in 1500 bc.
4. Is Dagon a Cthulhu?
The most widely accepted answer is: No, Dagon and Cthulhu are not the same. Cthulhu is described as an impersonal giant with an octopus head and dragon wings.
5. How do you kill Dagon?
Dagon himself is not harmed and cannot be killed in the normal way. Fortunately, Dagon can be killed by killing 14 worshipers of Dagon.
Worshipers of Dagon are at great risk for the effects of Samum, that threatens to kill them.
Conclusion
Dagon or Dagan is the ancient god of Mesopotamia and ancient Canaanites. Evidently, he was worshiped as a fertility goddess in Ebla, Assyria, Ugarit, and among the Amorites. The Hebrew Bible describes him as the god of the Philistine nation with temples in Ashdod and elsewhere in Gaza.
A long encounter with a Canaanite word meaning “fish”, perhaps a return to the Iron Age, has led to its being described as a “fish god”, and a reunion of “merman” motifs in local art. -S Assyrian (as aided by “Dagon” discovered by Austen Henry Layard in the 1840s). The name of the god is derived from the root dgn ‘to have clouds’, meaning that he was originally the god of the weather. His association with the clouds, as well as the rain, shows his powerful role as the god of agriculture.
According to Philo of Byblos, the Phoenician writer Sanchuniathon described Dagon as a word meaning “grain” (siton). The Sanchuniathon goes on to explain: “And Dagon, after finding grain and a plow, was named Zeus Arotrios.” The word arotrios means “farmer” or “agriculturalist”.