| “ | He was a strange man. Although he had the difficult experience of being imprisoned, he didn't try and defy his father. He just kept on summoning demons and making them obey him. | „ |
| ~ Dantalion talking about King Solomon |
Dantalion, also known as Dantaylion or Dantalian, known as the Keeper of the Forbidden Library of Bibliotheca, is a powerful Great Archduke of Hell, with thirty-six legions of demons under his command; he is the 71st of 72 spirits summoned by King Solomon.
Description[]
He is depicted as a man with many appearances, which means the faces of all men and women. There are also many depictions in which he is said to hold a book referred to as a grimoire in his right hand. He also protects the Forbidden Library of Bibliotheca within Hell and almost always has a book with him.
Sloane MS 3824 mentions Dantalion in an invocation in "An Experiment to Obtain your Desire," as well as in the "Experiment of Bleth," where he is attributed with teaching various subjects, exposing secrets, mind control (including love magic), and creating an illusionary image of any person's face. According to Rudd, Dantalion is opposed by the Shemhamphorasch angel Haiaiel.
He teaches arts and sciences, and also declares the secret counsel of anyone, given that he knows the thoughts of all people and can change them at his will. He can also cause love and show the similitude of any person, show the same by means of a vision along with Scrying any part of the Earth, and let them be in any part of the world they will.
History[]
Fall from Grace[]
Like his fellow members of the Ars Goetia, Dantalion was once an angel residing in Heaven until he fell from grace after siding with Lucifer in the latter's war against God. Before and during his fall, Dantalion was able to preserve some of the books and tomes he was tending to in Heaven's archives which to this day he still kept in his domain within Hell.
Dantalion was anointed as a Great Archduke of Hell and charged with being the Keeper of the Forbidden Library of Bibliotheca where all the books containing the history of Hell, its denizens, powers, and most ancient secrets are kept under his ever vigilant watch. He does occasionally share this knowledge with fellow fallen angels like Stolas, Sargatanas, and even Eligos but does so on a much limited basis with humans; although it is implied by him that the Egyptian queen Cleopatra had made a deal with him. Nevertheless, he carefully tended to the knowledge of countless ages and kept a firm grip on the library.
After Sparda's rebellion, a monumental moment that Dantalion recorded, the Keeper of the Tomes continued on with his duty. He was also the first to approach Sargatanas in question over Sparda's defiance against the dark powers, believing the Brigadier-Major had a hand in molding his favored student into an instrument of anarchy. Surprisingly, Dantalion shared his distaste towards Hell's current operations but was unsure as to why Sparda would waste his time with the humans. After the end of the Dark Reign, Dantalion would begin to write his own prose known as the Jeremiad of Dantalion which describes a series of events that would culminate in the ultimate judgment of Hell and its demons.
Death[]
Dantalion found himself involved in keeping Vergil safe after his many futile attempts to escape Hell and from Mundus's tortures. Sargatanas took pity on the half-breed and was able to nurse him back to health while giving him shelter in Dantalion's library much to the archduke's chagrin.
Despite this predicament which would most certainly result in Dantalion's execution, he was on amicable terms with Vergil who shared his fondness for reading and poetry. Sargatanas told Dantalion that he was not being forced to do this but the archduke was not bothered as he was mainly doing this to study Vergil and perhaps would give him more insight on why Sparda cared for humanity so much. Dantalion also revealed that he is aware of Vergil being the 'first seal' that will break Lucifer from his bondage and bring about a new Paradise. Sargatanas was apprehensive over this revelation but Dantalion assures him that stories are eternal and it is never truly the end until God Himself closes the book.
When Vergil set out to escape one final time, Dantalion tragically met his end by Mundus's forces who were searching for him, killing the archduke for hiding the son of Sparda. After his death, his apprentice Eintsaras took his place.