Esoteric Order of Dagon

The Esoteric Order of Dagon is a fictional cult in the Cthulhu mythos of H. P. Lovecraft.

The Esoteric Order of Dagon was the primary religion in Innsmouth after Captain Obed Marsh returned from the South Seas with the dark religion circa 1838. It quickly took root due to its promises of precious gold artifacts and restoration of the depleted fisheries, which brought renewed if temporary prosperity to the local community. Part of its eschatology centers on a return of its followers to the water world, accompanied by gradual bodily transformation and an eternal life of sorts.

The central beings worshipped by the Order were Father Dagon, Mother Hydra, and Cthulhu. The Deep Ones were seen largely as intermediaries between the various gods, rather than as gods themselves. Even so, the cultists sacrificed various locals to the Deep Ones at specific times in exchange for a limitless supply of gold and fish. Interbreeding between the human and amphibian species is also actively encouraged.

The Esoteric Order of Dagon (meeting in what Derleth described as "a one-time Masonic hall") had three oaths which members had to take. The first was an oath of secrecy, the second, an oath of loyalty, and the third, an oath to bear or sire a Deep One child.

The Order was seemingly destroyed when one of Obed Marsh's lost descendants sent the U.S. Treasury Department to seize the town. As a result, the town was largely depopulated and still recovering years later, and the Order was thought disbanded. However, as the original founder of the sect, Captain Jean Lafitte, still maintains a branch in New Orleans, it is likely that there is more to be seen from this cult.

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