Leviathan

From TinWiki.org

Destruction of Leviathan

Leviathan is a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament. It has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature. God created two Leviathan, male and female, and killed both.

In Moby Dick, the word leviathan refers to large whales. In Modern Hebrew, the word simply means whale.

In ancient Hebrew, the word leviathan meant twisted or coiled.

The animal most often proposed for Leviathan is the Nile crocodile. Like Leviathan, the Nile crocodile is aquatic, scaly, and possesses fierce teeth. Difficulties in this view stem from the fact that the Bible describes Leviathan as breathing fire, and the crocodile does not.

European sailors saw Leviathan as a gigantic, whale-like sea monster, usually a sea serpent, that devoured whole ships by swimming quickly around the vessels, creating a whirlpool.

Some Young Earth creationists have said that Leviathan was either a dinosaur, like Parasaurolophus or Kronosaurus, a giant marine reptile. The general consensus with Young Earth creationists is that Leviathan is the giant crocodilian, Sarcosuchus.

Others suggest that Leviathan is the exaggerated story of a whale.

In Biblical references and mythology, Leviathan is often depicted as the king of all those of the water and female while its counterpart, Behemoth, is represented as the king of all the animals of the dry land (believed to be a hippopotamus), both alike and unconquerable by man.

1 In Judaism
- 1.1 Creation
- 1.2 Characteristics
2 In Christianity
3 Also on TinWiki
4 External Links
5 Relevant discussion threads on AboveTopSecret.com

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In Judaism

Leviathan appears in five places in the Bible. The Biblical references to Leviathan have similarities to the Canaanite Baal cycle, involving a confrontation between Hadad (Baal) and a seven headed sea monster named Lotan. Lotan is the Ugaritic orthograph for Hebrew Leviathan. Lotan is defeated by Hadad.

Biblical references also resemble the Babylonian creation epic in which the storm god Marduk slays his grandmother, the sea monster and goddess of chaos and creation, creating the earth and sky from the two halves of her corpse.

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Creation

According to ancient Jewish texts, Leviathan was created on the fifth day. Originally, God produced a male and female, but slew the female, fearing they would breed and destroy the world. He reserves her flesh for the banquet that will be given to the righteous on the advent of the Messiah.

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Characteristics

Leviathan is described as being able to swallow a three hundred mile long fish, being able to make the waters boil with the heat from its mouth, and being able to kill humans with his odor alone. It is said Leviathan resides in the Mediterranean Sea, with the waters of the Jordan River rolling into his mouth. His body and his eyes possess illuminating power. It is also said that Leviathan eats one whale per day.

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In Christianity

Christian interpretation of Leviathan is often considered to be a demon or natural monster associated with Satan or the Devil. Some biblical scholars consider Leviathan to represent the forces of chaos or mankind in opposition to God.

Leviathan was associated with the Hellmouth, a monstrous animal into whose mouth the damned would disappear at the Last Judgement. Leviathan is also referred to as the demon of envy and the demon who is first in punishing the corresponding sinners.

Leviathan is also sometimes said to been part of the order of Seraphim, said to tempt men into committing sacrilege, the adversary of Saint Peter.

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