Dagoth, also referred to as the Dreaming God, is the main antagonist in the 1984 fantasy film, Conan the Destroyer.
History[]
He was a deity worshiped by the people of Shadizar, particularly Queen Taramis. Centuries before mankind, Dagoth participated in a large battle with other gods, during which his source of power, a jeweled horn, was broken off. Dagoth fell to Earth in a weakened state and his body turned into stone, becoming a statue of a handsome human male with a hole in his forehead.
Somehow, the statue was acquired by Taramis. It was kept in the main anteroom of the palace where Taramis' followers could worship it. At other times, the Queen insisted on keeping it in her private quarters where she could be alone with it. She would often make love to it, or bathe it in the blood of her virgin handmaidens.
The horn is placed into the statue's forehead.
As written in the ancient Scrolls of Skelos, if Dagoth's horn were found and placed in the forehead of the statue, it would bring about the evil god's resurrection, and as long as a virgin girl was sacrificed at the hour of the god's rebirth, everything would be fine. At least, this is what Taramis and her granda vizier Xantares assumed, since they believed that if they completed the sacrifice, Dagoth would be under their control. Taramis also decides to have her own niece Princess Jehnna to serve as virgin for the ritual.
After Taramis tricks Conan and his group into finding the horn, Jehnna, induced into obedience by drinking drugged wine, placed the horn into the Dagoth's forehead. The statue began to move. An enraptured Taramis ordered Xantares to kill her niece. The ritual was interrupted by Conan's companions when Zula killed Xantares with her spear before he could slit Jehnna's throat. Immediately, the statue began to transform from a handsome man into a hideous, and very organic, horned beast as the Scrolls of Skelos feared.
Taramis was horrified as her "beautiful" god arose as a gigantic, reptilian beast. She attempted to kill Jehnna herself. Conan, who until now had been busy battling Bombaata, appeared and shoved Taramis toward Dagoth, who impaled her to her death on his horn. Conan and his companions battled the resurrected god, who called down lightning to try and destroy the palace, and shrugged off both Zula's spear, Malak's throwing knives, and the swords of Conan and one of Taramis' guards. Dagoth killed the guard by stepping on his head, crushing it.
Akiro, watching from nearby, yelled to Conan that Dagoth's horn was his life, and in tearing the horn from the god's forehead, severely weakened Dagoth. As his life's blood poured from where the horn had been torn out, Dagoth collapsed before he was finally slain to his death with a stab from Conan's sword.
Appearance[]
It is unknown if Dagoth's monster form was his true form, or if he simply turned into that because of the ritual being interrupted. In any event, as a statue he was a handsome, helmeted man in a sarong with an ornate helmet. He had a hole in his forehead where the horn was meant to go, and was posed in a reclined position of serene relaxation, smiling benignly.
Taramis and the statue.
As a monster, he was several feet taller than even Conan, and the ornately jeweled horn become more natural in appearance, resembling an elephant tusk or rhinoceros horn. He had eyes on the sides of his head, and his mouth opened sideways and was filled with sharp teeth. He had enormous webbed hands and feet and fins on his arms and legs, and a long, lizard-like tail. Most bizarrely, his throat appeared to be open, displaying various organs and innards.
Powers and Abilities[]
The true extent of Dagoth's power isn't known. It is also possible that the interruption of the ritual sacrifice prevented him from achieving his full powers. What abilities he did display, however, included superhuman strength and endurance, and the ability to cause storms and call down lightning. He was capable of being injured, as evidenced by the numerous bloody slashes he received from the attacks upon him, but as long as he had the horn in his forehead, these wounds did not bother him in the least. With the horn torn free, Dagoth became so weak he could hardly even crawl, and could easily be killed.