Leviathan

 

 

ORIGIN

 

He is believed to have originated within the legends of the Ancient peoples that the Jews came into contact with, possibly either Babylonian or Canaanite (both who have their own versions of the monster).

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

They have been apart of sea lore for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. They may even be older than the bible itself. Like most sea lore, it is hard to pick out a starting point as a lot of it is either not recorded or passed down, almost like an urban legend.

 

APPEARANCE

They are of immense size. In some cases he has the head similar to a dragon with razor sharp teeth that hold deadly venom. He has the body of a very large snake/serpent and sometimes has either legs or wings. In some depictions he has 7 heads.

 

GENDER

The monster is thought to be male.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

In modern Hebrew, the name simply means "whale".

 

REPELLED BY

As he is described as unstoppable, there does not seem to be anything that can kill him as such. In some cases, there may be a way in which he can be controlled and this can only be achieved by or through a higher power.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

Because he is an ancient creature, he is known for his super human strength, his powerful jaws filled with razor sharp teeth (in which hold his deathly venom) in particular being the most fearsome thing about him. He is also said, in some cases, to be able to fly (or to jump to great heights). Some may also be able to shape shift and have the power of clairvoyance, although, this is not really associated with him too much. Too some people who believe him to be good, he has the power to heal.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

He is a large sea monster that is also referenced in the Tanakh (The Old Testament). They are also very popular within the mythology of the Ancient Near East. In Sumeria, he is depicted as being overcome by the God Ninurta. Sometimes the creature is identified as a Dragon possibly because of the way it looks. God has apparently created him and a mate called Taninim. God then destroyed her saying that if they were to procreate, the world would not be able to stand against them. It is said that one day he will be slain and his flesh will be served in a feast to the righteous and, in time, his skin will be used to cover the tent where the banquet will take place. He angrily churns the oceans, waiting for judgement day to devour the souls of the damned. Gabriel will fight and overcome him at the time of resurrection.

 

CAN BE FOUND

He can be found in the deepest of seas with no preference to whether it is cold or hot.

 

TALES

In the Old Testament, he is mentioned 6 times, going into detail about how he looks in particular (Job 41:1 - 34). In Psalm 74, God is said to break his heads into pieces and in Isaiah 27:1 he is called the "wriggling serpent" who will be killed at the end of time. In other Jewish tales, he is thought to be unstoppable, with no sword taking effect on him.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

In June 1983. a man called Owen Burham discovered a carcass on Bungalow Beach in Gambia. He had no camera however so had to bring back a description and some measurements. They found that it was unavailable for analysis by those who tried to identify it. It was thought to be some prehistoric marine animal that was still living in the waters. There was also a sighting on May 1st 1983 by an African biologist called Marcellin Agnagna. He spotted a Mokele-mbembe (a name for a legendary water dwelling creature of the Congo River folklore).

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Tiamat, Behemoth, Hydra