Fish-god tradition Dagon

oannes relief khorsabad

the fish etymology accepted in 19th , 20th century scholarship. led association merman motif in assyrian , phoenician art (e.g. julius wellhausen, william robertson smith), , figure of oannes (Ὡάννης) mentioned berossus (3rd century bc).

the first cast doubt on fish etymology schmökel (1928), suggested while dagon not in origin fish god , association dâg fish among maritime canaanites (phoenicians) have affected god s iconography. fontenrose (1957:278) still suggests berossos s odakon, part man , part fish, possibly garbled version of dagon. dagon equated babylonian oannes.

the association dāg/dâg fish made 11th-century jewish bible commentator rashi. in 13th century david kimhi interpreted odd sentence in 1 samuel 5.2–7 dagon left him mean form of fish left , adding: said dagon, navel down, had form of fish (whence name, dagon), , navel up, form of man, said, 2 hands cut off. septuagint text of 1 samuel 5.2–7 says both hands , head of image of dagon broken off.

john milton applied tradition in paradise lost book 1:

                                      ... next came one

who mourned in earnest, when captive ark

maimed brute image, head , hands lopt off,

in own temple, on grunsel-edge,

where fell flat , shamed worshippers:

dagon name, sea-monster, upward man

and downward fish; yet had temple high

reared in azotus, dreaded through coast

of palestine, in gath , ascalon,

and accaron , gaza s frontier bounds.