Dagan was a fallen archangel and a high-ranking Prince of Hell, who was worshipped as god of agriculture and fish among the Philistines and some Mesopotamians.
Overview[]
Dagan was originally perceived as the god of the Philistines. Although there was a deep affection from Dagan's worshipers to their deity, the symbol of a fish in human form was really meant to represent fertility and the vivifying powers of nature and reproduction.
In later times, Dagan become apart of the Abrahamic pantheon, where he is portrayed as a high ranking demon in the depths of Hell as well as being the chief of the Inferno. His realm was a major sector of Hell known as the Shadow Sea.
Appearance[]
He was represented as a man with the lower body of a fish.
As a demon, Dagan's form was a mixture of both octopus and fish. Dagan sprouted countless tentacles and was covered in black, rubbery skin that was punctuated with many red, unblinking eyes. Fish scales shielded his flesh, and row upon row of long fangs jutted from his maw. He stood more than 40 feet (12 meters) tall.
History[]
Background[]
Dagan was originally an angel that presided in Heaven until he joined Lucifer's side during the War in Heaven, and was cast down to Hell alongside all other rebel-angels. He was present at Pandemonium during Lucifer's rally, officially declaring himself as an enemy of God forever.
Falling to Madness[]
At some point in time, Dagan, going against Lucifer's orders, traversed across the thresholds of the Abyss in order to attain greater knowledge and power. However, as a consequence to his actions, he was corrupted by the presence of the Nameless Things that inhabited the Abyss and nearly consumed him by dragging him into the depths until he was liberated by Artorias.
The damage was done as the effects of the Abyss had a profound impact on his mentality and became a ravenous and mindless monster that devoured everything in his path, driven insane likely due to the insurmountable imagery that resides within the Abyss. After three Balrogs were sent to subdue and incapacitate him, Beelzebub had Mulciber merge his body with the essence of the forgotten pagan god, Dagan, which created a balanced unification between the spirit of a dormant deity and the body of a devil.
Imprisonment[]
Dagan had worked with Astaroth and Mammon, overseeing the cambion named Hellboy, who holds Right Hand of Doom, the key to the Outerverse where the Ogdru Jahad reside and hoping to use them against God. But in the end he was discovered by Mundus' forces with the Dark Emperor sending the Erinyes to destroy their secluded meeting grounds and punish them with Dagan being tossed into the Cocytus river.
After the Apocalypse, however, the rippling effects left behind from Lucifer's machinations would weaken the barriers that prevented powerful and dangerous beings from stepping through the mortal plane allowed Dagan to escape Cocytus and was joined by Belial himself. Though still unhinged from the Abyss's influence Dagan still retained enough intelligence to accompany Belial in his quest to annihilate Mundus.
Powers and Abilities[]
Dagan was an archdemon with the unprecedented ability to generate and control water. As an archdemon, Dagan was far more powerful than a vast majority of lesser demons. Lady, Trish, and even Sara Pezzini working together could not defeat Dagan as quickly as it would be expected from two high class hunters and a wielder of the Witchblade. Nico recognized that Dagan when in his element that being water his powers increase to immense levels and gains access to a wide array of techniques.
He could generate water on such a scale that Lady claimed it could drown an entire city. Dagan could produce massive waves of water without a source of it, generating it from his power alone. After outputting large volumes of water, Dagan could draw it back in and devour any victims struggling to swim. Dagan could even effortlessly release enormous tidal waves from his fingertips.
Dagon has also shown the ability to conjure dangerous man-eating demonic fish and sea-serpents at will, either out of thin air or can produce them directly from his body. Dagan possessed a wide variety of different types of demonic fish-like creatures he's able to produce. His arsenal of spirits included long eel-like sea serpents, swarms of piranhas, small sharks, and large crustaceans that are among Dagan's sturdiest and most powerful familiars.
Myth and Legends[]
The name "Dagan" is derived from "dag" which means "fish."
Dagon was a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain and agriculture. He was worshiped by the early Amorites and by the inhabitants of the cities of Ebla and Ugarit. He was also a major member, or perhaps head, of the pantheon of the Biblical Philistines. The Hebrew Bible, in an attempt to vilify the opposing religion, narrates that his temple was destroyed by a human sacrifice for him, Samson.
