Rise the Demon Etrigan

Written By GL

There has always been, in the past, wonderous and unlikely affiliations linked to the Justice League of America. One of the more unknown of the League's allies is Etrigan the demon. I first came across Etrigan while watching the Justice League cartoon (prior to it becoming titled Unlimited), in a two-part episode called 'A Knight of Shadows'. I also recalled Etrigan appearing in the 'Preludes & Nocturnes' trade-paper back editions of Vertigo Comics' 'The Sandman', where he is a guardian of the gates of Hell.

Etrigan first appeared in comics in 1972, but his series didn't last that long. Give or take, it only lasted about five years. The demon was originally drawn by the famous Jack Kirby - a name that many of us have heard on and off when people talk about the industry.

Etrigan is an actual demon from the fiery pits of Hells. He is the son of Belial, a name that is linked to the actual Christian concept of Satan and the devil, and he is also the half-brother of Merlin the Magician, of the Camelot and King Arthur folklore. But, two versions of Etrigan exist. The first version of Etrigan's origins claim that the demon was summoned by Merlin as a last line of defense for the kingdom of Camelot. However, Camelot was doomed to fall anyway and Merlin, being the cool player that he was, transformed Etrigan into an immortal human. That human form was Jason Blood. Jason Blood was cursed to carry the soul of Etrigan until he was ever needed again.

This first version is the one that is still recalled mostly today - a demon with the soul of a human.

The second version claims that Jason Blood, a knight of Camelot, made the fatal mistake of helping the bad guys take over Camelot. As punishment, Merlin forever bound Jason Blood's soul to the soul of a demon, the demon Etrigan.

This is the version that is told in the Justice League cartoons.

Etrigan possesses all the abilities that a demon is known to possess; immortality, spell-casting, super-strength and the ability to shoot Hell-fire. In the comics, Etrigan spouts Hell-fire from his mouth, in the cartoons, he emits them from his hands. In terms of weaknesses, Etrigan is vunerable to iron and his magic is limited in strength when it is set against demons that are more powerful than him.

In both versions, Etrigan's main arch-rival is a witch queen sorceress named Morgana le Fay, who was held originally responsible for the collapse of Camelot. Also in both versions, Jason Blood didn't initally possess the ability to recall the demon within him. It wasn't until some years later that Jason discovers the crypt of Merlin and a poem.

This poem:

"Yarva Demonicus Etrigan.
Change, change the form of man.
Free the prince forever damned.
Free the might from fleshy mire.
Boil the blood in heart of fire.
Gone, gone the form of man,
Rise the demon Etrigan!"

After reading this, Jason Blood experiences his very first transformation into Etrigan. However, Jason does not necessarily have to say the poem himself to be changed. Jason merely needs to be in the area of hearing it. Other times, it is even possible, in some scenarios, for the poem to be simply written for the transformation to start into Etrigan.

The character of Etrigan has usually been type-cast with the need to speak only in rhyme. The reason given why Etrigan always speaks in rhyme is that it is considered a badge of promotion in the hierarchy of Hell.

The nature of existence is still a little debatable between Etrigan and Jason Blood. Perhaps you could imagine it as having a split personality, but to still be working on the side of the good guys. Where Jason Blood is considered an immortal of noble-upbringing, Etrigan is a more ruthless super-hero, with an almost careless attitude towards his colleagues' safety - as long as he gets the job done.

Etrigan, as a cartoon character, is linked to the Justice League through the friendship between Bruce Wayne and Jason Blood. It seems that Jason Blood is totally aware of Batman's secret identity. Yet, Jason Blood's knowledge of history and the occult have aided the Batman, and the Justice League, a many number of times - making him a useful ally to have.

Despite all appearances, Etrigan IS one of the good guys.

So, the next time you find yourself in a bit of a sticky situation try reciting this shortened version of Etrigan's poem:

"Gone, gone the form of man, Rise the demon Etrigan!"

And if nothing happens, run.