Rebel Angels in Paradise Lost Book I: Satan’s Followers

John Milton’s presentation of the rebel angels in Paradise Lost, as they rise from the lake of fire and
light on the fiery land of hell, is an impressive myth created mainly out of Biblical accounts in the Old
Testament. In his presentation, Milton is seen as a devout, almost fanatical Puritan, who was also a
poet with romantic imagination and myth making fancy. In the hierarchy of Hell, Milton presents
Satan the chief of the order, and Beelzebub next to him both in rank and power. The rest of the angels
in the degree of importance include Moloch, Chemos, Baalim, Ashtaroth, Astoreth, Thammuz, Dagon
and such angels right down to Belial.

Milton follows the tradition or convention of Classical epics in creating a pattern of roll-call in
introducing the rebel angels. The first to come was Moloch, the king of horror and violence, soiled
with blood of child sacrifice. Next came Chemos, whose obscene idol was worshipped by the
Moabites. He was followed by the evil spirits Baalim and Ashtaroth (the former being male deities,
the latter, female). Milton goes on to mention Astoreth, the moon goddess, wo was worshipped by
Sidonian virgins and then Thammuz, whose worshippers in Lebanon observed mourning rituals for
his wounding. Dagon came next, his idol representing a sea monster, worshipped through the coast of
Palestine. Then appeared Rimmon whose seat was in Damascus. Then the band of deities who were
worshipped by the Egyptians as Osiris, Isis, Orus etcetra, appeared followed finally by Belial, the
lowest of the fallen angels.While describing the construction of Pandemonium, Milton mentions two
other rebel angels Mammon and Mulciber. While Mammon led the troop, who mined out gold and
other metals for construction, Mulciber was the chief architect of the grand palace of Hell.

Two things are noticeable in the manner in which Milton makes up the hierarchy of Hell. The names
and characteristics are mainly taken from the Hebrew Bible. Milton identifies the fallen angels with
the various gods and goddesses worshipped by the different idolatrous nations. The ancient
monotheistic Hebrews, worshipping Jehovah, had to live amidst these idol-worshipping people. Often,
the monotheistic Hebrews got enticed by the heathen rituals and got involved in idol-worship with
licentious and often homicidal orgies. Then, in the second half of describing the rebel angels, Milton
turns to the inexhaustible storehouse of beautiful legends of the ancient Classical Age. Milton
identifies these Pagan deities with the followers of Satan who fell along with him from Heaven.

The word “Beelzebub” represents the Assyrian lord of the high tower according to the Old Testament.
However, the New Testament sees him as “lord of the underworld” or “prince of devils”. Moloch was
the name of a Cannanite idol, to whom children were sacrificed in fire. Likewise, Chemos was a
Moabite God, Thammuz a Syrian deity later identified with Adonis are made by Milton to be
identified as two different fallen angels. Dagon was the national god of the Philistines, mentioned in
the Old Testament.

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While the Hebraic zeal of the Puritan in Milton made him identify the fallen angels with these
abominable gods of the idolaters, he is also able to communicate his instinctive enthusiasm in creating
high poetry out of these Biblical references. The long roll of names, accompanied by graphic details
may appear to be tedious and long winded to the uninitiated. However, aesthetic and intellectual
delight demands a certain price and preconditioning of reader’s mind.

An interesting thing about Milton’s presentation of these rebel angels is the way he communicates his
disgust for polytheism, idol-worship and any non-Christian form of worship. It is true that some of the
rituals connected to deities like Moloch and Chemos are heinous and perverse, and deities like Belial
are vicious to the core. However, most other rituals, especially in connection to Astoreth, Thammuz,
Dagon and the like were rituals related to fertility and nature’s bounty. These agrarian gods and
goddesses were worshipped by the tillers of the soil and the fishermen of distant seas. Milton’s
dismissal of these gods as downright evil points at his intolerant spirit and lack of objective
understanding of the spirit of worship that drove these men and women towards these gods. Milton,
with his urban erudition could hardly appreciate the beauty of pagan nature worship and fertility
rituals. Moreover, the pagan forms of worship which prioritized the “Feminine” forces as equally
powerful and potent, was unconceivable to a Puritan Christian who had strong patriarchal ethos to
abide by. His intolerance is seen when he presents Baalim and Ashtaroth, with their gender fluidity, as
vicious, especially because, to a staunch Puritan, sexual transformation was vicious and forbidden.

Milton’s description of fallen angels is, therefore, not just a beautiful poetic wonder, but also an
indicator of a certain “fixity” in Milton’s own mind. Ironically, he had associated “fixed mind” with
Satan. However, despite these disturbing questions, especially relevant in today’s context, Milton
stands out as the master of creating poetry out of even the most vicious entities, or at least what he
considered to be the vilest spirits. The angels, though described as individuals, with special qualities
different from each other, they become a single body of evil supporting Satan in his evil purposes.
These angels become, as it were, concrete manifestations of abstract qualities which are considered to
be vices by Milton, the “fixed” Puritan.

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 Important Notes on Some Rebel Angels
Beelzebub

• Beelzebub actually translates into “Lord of the Flies”.

• Second in power to Satan.
• Old Testament: Worshipped by the Philistines in a city called Ekron.
• Beelzebub is also referred to as “the prince of demons” in Mark 3:22. This is also probably part of
the reason there is confusion about the figure’s identity and rank in hell.

Moloch

• Worshipped by Ammonites
• Child Sacrifice in Fire
• Worshipped in Rabba, Argob, Basan
• King Solomon built a temple against the temple of God

Chemos

• Worshipped by Moabites

• Lustful Orgies as Rituals

• Other name “Peor”. Peor seduced the Israelites away from real God when Moses was away to
collect the commandments.

• Had his temple beside Moloch’s

Baalim and Ashtaroth

• Baalim was Male and Ashtaroth is Female. They can interchange their sex.

• Israelites and Egyptians worshipped them.

• Worshipped in Euphrates to Syrian border of Egypt

Astoreth

• Also known as Astarte

• Worshipped by Sidonian virgins and Phoenecians

• Has moon shaped horns. Also known as Moon Goddess.

• Fertility Goddess

• Solomon built her temple on that same hill where Moloch’s temple was built

Thammuz

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• Thammuz, who was loved by Ishtar, the amorous Queen of Heaven--the beautiful youth who died
in a boar-fight and was mourned for and came to life again.

• Also known as Dammuz, Tammuz

• Worshippers believed that his wound renewed every year and flowed through river Adonis

• The weeping ceremony was connected with agricultural rites.

• Worshipped by Syrians at Lebanon

Dagon

• Dagon was the chief deity of the Philistines, and the worship of this pagan god dates back the
third millennium BC. According to ancient mythology, Dagon was the father of Baal. He was the
fish god (dag in Hebrew means “fish”), and he was represented as a half-man, half-fish creature.
• Dagon may also have been the provider of grain. So Dagon was similar to many other idols in that
he personified natural forces that had supposedly produced all things.
• The Philistines had placed the Ark of the Covenant in the temple of Dagon. God Destroyed the
idol by chopping off its limbs and making it fall facedown on ground establishing that Dagon is a
false God.

Belial

• No temple was built for him. He ruled the hearts of corrupt courtiers, drunk unruly people and
atheist priests.
• God of Lawlessness and Corruption.
• Followers are called Sons or Daughters of Belial

Mammon

• God of mining, wealth, greed.

• Most gross/lewd spirit that fell from heaven.

• Always kept his look on the pavement of heaven made of gold.

• Taught man to ransack mother earth by digging mines of treasures.

Mulciber

• In Roman times, Mulciber was another name for the Roman god Vulcan.

• Chief architect of Pandemonium

• God of fire, metalwork and forge

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