Leviathan, a water monster mentioned in the Bible, is associated with chaos and destruction. It is often depicted as a dragon or crocodile and linked to Canaanite beliefs. In modern Hebrew, it can be translated as whale.
Leviathan is a huge and ferocious water monster, mentioned in several books of the Bible. Mention is found in the books of Job, Psalms, and Isaiah, and there are several traditional Jewish prayers that also include the leviathan. The Christian appraisal of the creature tends to associate the leviathan with the devil or demons, where the Old Testament view often regards the creature as a natural creature.
Although in images, leviathan is often depicted as a large water dragon, sometimes with multiple heads, many strongly believe that the word was an alternative for crocodile, a creature that is said to have proliferated along the Nile. On the other hand, Job describes the beast as capable of breathing fire, which suggests more dragon-like characteristics. There may be some connection between the creature and Canaanite beliefs or Ugaritic myths. A creature called Lotan dwells in the water and resembles a seven-headed dragon. In Ugaritic mythology, Baal Hadad fights and destroys Lotan.
Leviathan is often intimately connected with the idea of chaos and destruction. In Ugaritic mythology, Lotan evokes floods and tidal waves. The biblical equivalent is sometimes seen as the opposite of creation, and is chaotic and destructive in nature. Early Christian writings go a step further, especially the writings of Thomas Aquinas who associates the creature with envy and also calls it a demon. In constructing the pains of hell, the leviathan is called upon to punish sinners who have committed the mortal sin of envy and died without confession and absolution.
From a purely natural point of view, linking the sea monster to the crocodile makes a lot of sense. It could certainly cause instant death and was a thing to be greatly feared. When the creature is thought of as a mere beast, which it is in at least one Jewish prayer, and in a Midrash, an often highly metaphorical retelling of several instances in the Bible, the beast is a creation of God, but it is so fearsome that God destroys the female so that the creature cannot mate.
On the other hand, a prayer mentions: “the sukkah of the skin of the Leviathan”, and is recited during the celebration of Sukkot or Festival of the booths. A sukkah is a temporary structure, such as a tent, in which Jews celebrating Sukkot can choose to live in during the Festival. Part of the Sukkah must be made from natural materials and crocodile skin may have been used in the past.
In modern Hebrew, leviathan can be translated as whale, so there is also context for considering a large marine mammal like this creature. This concept, however, in most fantasy stories is mainly lost in the preference of depicting the animal as a water dragon, sometimes able to fly. In the Final Fantasy series of video games, characters can summon this creature, which looks like a large blue dragon that rains watery destruction on monsters.
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