Duke Dantalion

Information on Duke Dantalion.

If you don't know anything about this demon, this website has excerpts from the popular canon(s) associated with them.

Overview

Dantalion is a very responsive demon, I find that he's a lot easier to summon and grab the attention of compared to other demons- though he does appear to be stronger at night, like some sources suggest. He could appear as any gender, just like any other demon, but often comes off across as masculine or neutral-leaning to me. Dantalion is especially helpful for reaching into your mind to understand how your brain works and how to be your best self. He LOVES to talk and ask you questions, so keep that in mind if you want to work with him.

Personal Experiences, Detailed

I was actually interested in working with Dantalion for a while, but refrained from doing so due to the lack of texts surrounding him. Dantalion is one of the few demons from the Ars Goetia that was not included in Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. In general, there isn't a lot of text about him other than other people's UPG, which is kind of a shame because he has been an extremely rewarding spirit to work with. It was actually Dantalion's entry in the Demonolator's Handbook that was the final straw for me and what made me get up to summon him to talk to him myself.

First Impressions

The first time I summoned Dantalion just to talk to him, I was met with a strange presence enveloping my head. It felt like something was pressing on/around my head, almost like a tension headache, but without the actual headache. I found this experience to be mildly uncomfortable to be honest, but I'm a little used to it since a lot of larger and powerful spirits tend to make the front of my face (near my forehead area) feel like something is pressing up against it. Something else that occured to me right away was the fact that the reason I felt like he was trying to claw into my mind was that he most likely was- Dantalion is known for being an excellent mind-reader.

Some people may note they feel threatened or think it's invasive, but I didn't really care too much. I figured whatever the hell was locked up in my brain wasn't any worse than anything he's ever seen over the course of however long humans have existed. This devil-may-care attitude was apparently a good play, and he seemed more amused by my presence than anything. He appears to me with a rather friendly disposition, and as long as you don't have any kinds of ulterior motives or feel the need to lie to him (even if it is just for something as simple as your own pride) and don't mind getting your brain picked, you won't have any problems.

Eventually, he made my head hurt a little, but that happens with most entities with a strong presence. I had no ill effects otherwise, and his presence was actually very calming. I got distracted during the evocation with intrusive thoughts and news that usually angered me, but I felt a very calm, "cold" anger as opposed to real, hot rage. It was like I wasn't even capable of getting too angry at the time.

For offerings, I wasn't sure what to give him, so I gave him a "sample pack" of various anointing oils I had created, and drew his sigil multiple times, anointing each one with a few drops of a separate oil. He seemed to like this.

Other

Dantalion actually poked and prodded me to be the first one getting a write-up on my website, and said he'd help me more if I promised to make him the first. I agreed, because he's very chatty and easy to get info about. And he deserves a reward for being a good boy

When I first summoned him, I told him I didn't even really know what I "wanted" from him, I just thought he was cool and felt like I should contact him (a lot of my spirit contracts are friendly business work, like when you have a trusted artist you commission all the time and you're friendly with each other but the "friendship" isn't the sole purpose of your relation). This was actually preferrable, as he likes getting to know people before actually doing anything with them.

Self-admits that he sometimes likes messing with people if they're weak-willed or weak-minded. He likes delving into a brain and seeing what makes people "tick". He will make you question why you believe what you do. If you're uncomfortable with critically examining yourself, you're going to have a bad time. While many spirits can easily read surface-level thoughts, Dantalion has a particular talent for delving into the deep recesses of one's mind. I have the feeling the reason a lot of people find him uncomfortable is because they don't like being "seen" or feel comfortable with someone being able to pull up receipts on their behavior at any given moment.

Warnings: Do not bother summoning him if you're going to try and lie to him. He knows when you're bullshitting him immediately and is known to mess with people for it.

For those who are willing to push aside their ego and actually get to the truth of emotional matters, he is an excellent guide for things like shadow work.

Identifying The Spirit

Energy can have a sharp feeling to it, but feels methodical with pinprick precision rather than 'cutting', as if you are actively being poked and prodded in an examination room. One time I had an astral parasite stuck to my head that was small and something other spirits couldn't sense very well or couldn't grab, but he removed it with ease.

As for how he appears to me: usually in a well-dressed humanoid form, with a shadowed-over blank face, and surrounded by a ring of floating theatre masks of varying expressions. Sometimes he uses these to cover his own face with whichever expression he wants to give you. An interesting tidbit about Dantalion to me is that his expression and tone will not always be how he "feels". It will be based on how he wants you to react. For example, one day when I summoned him and I kept getting distracted, he put on a mopey face and acted sad that I wasn't giving him enough attention. I asked if he was actually upset, and he clarified and said something along the lines of, "No, it's just part of the act".

I'm not sure if it would be like this for everyone, but Dantalion is one of the few spirits who has actually declined casual offerings from me. Usually I will freely give a demon offerings like candles, wine, and other things on a weekly basis just to keep up the vibes. Usually he'll say "yes" the first time for a specific thing just to try it, but after that, will often say something like "I don't want/need that," in response to me trying to gift him things. (This does not include offerings meant for ritual purposes- For example, gifting chocolate as payment for a specific task during a spell. Those may still be needed.) When he does require an exchange for services, I find that things associated with "small luxuries" work. Chocolates, flowers/decorative things, other sweets, perfumes.

I assume the offerings thing is because he's more interested in learning about people and how they work, and the offerings are just a way of learning more about you and what they mean to you, personally. I've noticed that he enjoys quality time, and summoning him just to hang out and chill and be a background presence while you work on things

Since he's ranked as a duke, some texts associate him with the planet Venus. He may also be listed as associated with the element of water. These are not entirely wrong, but he also has high affiliation with Mercury and the element of air for obvious brain and communication-related reasons. Other than that, he actually synergizes well with most things, as he's capable of drawing out any latent qualities he needs for a situation.

Ritual Results, etc

1

As mentioned earlier, the first time I summoned him, I left out various anointing oils for him. I also left a bit of chocolate on a drawing of his sigil. My notes from that day are as follows:

The whole day I have felt a bit more focused, mentally energized, and talkative. I have been able to type out some stuff for work I've been neglecting. I still have a bit of a squirrel brain with getting distracted sometimes, but I feel like that's something no demon can help with.

I've also had various small art inspiration ideas, but not really enough drive to do anything about it physically. I would assume he can help with both initial brainstorming and consistent motivation under the right circumstances.

Putting out offerings for him and requesting he help some of my friends with concentration has also had varying levels of only positive results. (People who are more psychically susceptible in general tend to have the greatest reaction, but that's probably to be expected.)

2

I was having trouble selling some inherited jewelry pieces for a while. I had one specific pendant that had been sitting in shop for over a year. While I had invoked other wealth-related entities for help on selling it, none of them had been able to pull through since the economy sucks right now. Someone suggested I try another demon with a different approach- try and individually convince someone to buy it rather than trying to draw in customers in general. Well, they suggested Belial, but I didn't want to bother him with this and went with Dantalion. (I have nothing against Belial, but I feel like he only puts up with me sometimes, and I'd prefer to piss him off as little as possible.)

While invoking Dantalion, I asked if he could influence someone who was already interested in it to buy it. Like one of the eBay watchers or people who favorited it on Etsy. He agreed to this, and I sent out a few offers on eBay, and got a sale on it from one of those offers. It was less than I would've ideally liked, but after trying to sell that thing for over a year, I was just glad to have the extra pocket change. I thanked him, and all the other demons I had ever summoned to help me get rid of that thing, just to cover all my bases.

Soon after, I was also asking him about improving sales on one of my art shops. He suggested I add specific keywords to the titles and description to help my SEO. For some reason, it hadn't ever occured to me to add those specific phrases he mentioned for my products, and I had a sale soon after. Business hasn't exactly been booming, but I'll take it. Any improvement is better than none, and I am still grateful he pointed it out.

3

I asked him for help with things like inspiration, since my brain damage sometimes makes it hard for me to think about those sorts of things. I've found myself thinking of more creative ideas and actually being able to act on some of these ideas. Even with things that I haven't had the energy to make proper, I've found myself writing more planning things than I usually do. I've even had incentive to keep coding this site! He does, however, wish I would take a proper break more often.

EDIT: I accidentally made myself hypomanic for ~2 weeks. ALWAYS REMEMBER: WHEN YOU GET WHAT YOU ASKED FOR, IT'LL LITERALLY BE WHAT YOU ASKED FOR!

4

Did a ritual and asked Dantalion to help influence someone to seek mental help. This person had slipped into spiritual psychosis months ago and had ignored my previous attempts to try and goad them into seeking medical care. Later that same day, the person had a panic attack so severe they ended up going to the doctor. This process kept repeatedly happening for the week until they were admitted to the psych ward for two weeks, and given proper care. I guess that's one way of doing it.

5

One can summon him before an extended ritual in order to help the process. I have been using his assistance before summoning lesser spirits as familiars both for myself and other people to great effect. He has the ability to clear and prime the ritual space very quickly, and match the energy needed for what you're doing.

I had a friend observe the effects in real time with their astral sight, and they said that Dantalion had a multi-faceted and flaming presence to him. I am inclined to believe that this may partially be because he was mirroring the materia I used for the summoning ritual, which had high affinity with the fire element (and the star Antares).

Last updated: Sept 18th, 2024