Having just watched the very good movie by that name, I was curious about the history of Dagon, who they in the commentary mention is in the Bible and had some influence on Christianity. Is this true, or is he a fictional deity created by Lovecraft?
I haven’t seen the movie, and it’s been a long time since I last read Lovecraft so I can’t remember for what purpose he used Dagon, but I can give you a little information, anyway.
Dagon was a deity of the Philistines. Biblical references can be found in the books of Joshua, 1 Samuel, and 1 Chronicles.
From 1 Samuel 5:*
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.
When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD ! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.
But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD ! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.
That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold. *
From 1 Chronicles 10, after Saul has committed suicide:*
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people.
They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon. *
RR
According to the bible, Dagon was a god worshipped by the Philistines.
Can’t get any hard historical links but heres a page with some more info.
I don’t recall Lovecraft’s Dagon very well, but I would guess he just borrowed the name. Second guess is coincidence, as I don’t see any resemblance so far.
Dagon, IIRC, was an agricultural god (Lovecraft misinterpreted this), originally Babylonian.
The movie you saw, incidentally, borrows heavily from ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’, also by Lovecraft. The short story ‘Dagon’ is I think around two pages long!
You called?
Yeah, the movie was an amalgamation of the two stories. So Dagon was a god of agriculture (and of the SDMB, apparently?) Was he at all fish-like?
Well I wouldn’t consider myself to be particularly fish like, but you might want to get someone else’s opinion on it…
He was a fish god fo the babylonians.
I named the goldfish I who Wintered over in the office after him, just to dis them. ;j