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Leviathan |
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Leviathan - In the Enoch parables, Leviathan is the primitive female sea-dragon and monster of evil; in rabbinic writings, she (or he) is identified with Rahab, angel of the primordial deep, and associated with Behemoth (q.v). Both Leviathan and Behemoth are said to have been created on the 5th day (see Greek Apocalypse of Baruch). In the system of Justinus, Leviathan is "a bad angel." [Rf. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews V, 46; The Apocalypse of Abraham 10.] In the view of George Barton in the Journal of Biblical Literature (December 1912), p. 161, Leviathan is "a Hebrew name for the Babylonian Tiamat." In Biblical lore (Job 41:1) Leviathan is the great whale. In Psalm 71:14 he is the hippopotamus or crocodile, or is so intended. {Cf. Isaiah 27:1 where Leviathan is called "that crooked serpent," and epithet which recalls Revelation 12;9, where Satan dubbed "that old serpent."] In Mandean lore, the final end for all but the purified souls is to be swallowed up by Leviathan. (a) THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER. A descriptive list of the names of the spirits whom we may summon to obtain that which we desire. I WILL here give a very exact description of many Spirits, the which (names) either altogether or in part, or else as many of them as you may wish, you should give written upon paper unto the Eight SubPrinces, on the Second Day of the Conjuration. Now all these (Spirits) be those who will appear on the Third Day, together with their Princes. And these (Spirits) be not vile, base, and common, but of rank, industrious, and very prompt unto an infinitude of things. Now their Names have been manifested and discovered by the Angels, and if you should wish for more the Angel will augment them for you as far as you shall wish; seeing that their number is infinite. The Four Princes and Superior Spirits be: LUCIFER. LEVIATAN. SATAN. BELIAL (f) ----- L EVIATAN: From Hebrew, LVIThN (usually written Leviathan instead of Leviatan), - the Crooked or Piercing Serpent or Dragon. (f)LEVIATHAN: Leviathan (Lothan in Canaanite texts) is the monster found in ancient Hebrew records associated with the Underworld. He is a giant, seven-headed serpent that inhabits the ocean depths. In the Book of Job, a sacred text of both Jews and Christians, Leviathan is described as a horrific beast that no human can conquer: "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook?....Can you put a hook into his nose, or bore his jaw through with a thorn?...Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall you not be cast down even at the sight of him?...Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goes smoke as out of a seething cauldron. His breath kindles fiery coals, and a flame jumps from his mouth....When he raises up, the mighty are afraid....He is the king over all the children of pride" (Job 41:1, 2 , 9, 19-21, 25, 34). The beast is also mentioned in REVELATION, a text of the Christian Bible that describes the end of the world. Leviathan is the monster that rises from the sea to devour humankind: "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.....And the dragon [SATAN] gave him his power and his great authority" (Rev. 13:1-2). References to the beast Leviathan can likewise be found in the DEAD SEA SCROLLS, an ancient text describing supernatural events. According to the scrolls, the "Sons of Light" will one day defeat the "Sons of Darkness" and bring about Leviathan's ultimate destruction. An illustration of Leviathan is contained in LES TRES RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY, a BOOK OF HOURS created around 1413. The picture shows a scaly DEMON lying on a furnace, simultaneously devouring and belching the souls of the damned. In this illustration, he is identified with Satan, overlord of hell and archenemy of Jesus Christ. He also appears in many works of Western Literature, including Milton's PARADISE LOST, as the embodiment of supernatural evil. Aquatic monsters similar to Leviathan exist in numerous mythology systems from around the world. Australian myth includes Bunyip, a ferocious water beast who dwells in the silt of lake bottoms, reaching up to drown mortals who come too close. Chilean Indians fear Camahueto, a sea monster notorious for attacking ships and dragging sailors to their deaths. Since the days of ancient Greek myth, seafarers have claimed to have spotted an enormous, hideous creature called the Kraken. This beast has the power to destroy entire ships with one blow or to wipe out seaside villages with a single swipe of his mighty arms. And KANALOA, squid god of the underworld from Hawaiian legends, bears striking similarity to the Judeo-Christian Leviathan. (o) Learn more about Biblical references to Leviathan - Click Here! Read Leviathan's entry in: Hell's Hierarchy as Described by Father Michaelis (1612) |
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| Resource List - all entries are taken verbatim from the
original source: (a) "The Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, © 1967 (f) "The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Book I, II, & III." Translated By: S. L. Mac Gregor Mathers. BEQUEATHED BY ABRAHAM UNTO LAMECH HIS SON. TRANSLATED FROM THE HEBREW. 1458. (o) "The Encyclopedia of Hell." Miriam Van Scott. St. Martin's Press. ©1998 |
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