Old As the World
Series Info | Table of Contents
Alone. She's always alone.
Other creatures roam around, too small for her to pay attention.
They are all too young. And too quick to die.
Long before, when the sky and seas were but one endless blue,
They were others like her. But no more.
She's the first and the last of her kind.
And she's always alone.
Leviathan
Originating in ancient Hebrew folklore and popularized during the middle ages as part of demonology studies, Leviathan, is often referred to as the demon of envy and destiny. In Hebrew, the name of this beast means the crooked serpent but some scholars say “the piercing dragon” is a more accurate translation.
While descriptions of this creature vary widely from mention to mention, all have one thing in common, they refer to Leviathan as an aquatic monster.
Medieval monks wrote many pages about this creature, and according to their accounts the Leviathan was created by God on the fifth day of Creation. Most often described as a massive, female sea-creature, with a long flexible body and eyes that glow and burn. When on land, Leviathan's breath was so foul, to breathe in it was enough to die. Underwater, it could send a wave of extreme heat from its mouth, turning the surrounding seawater into steam instantly, killing everything in it.
For its taste for destruction, this beast has been declared the symbol of chaos, a remnant of the times before God’s order.
Dotted with supernatural strength, the Leviathan hunted and ate whales as daily food. Other giant creatures, the kind that didn’t survive to this day, were also in her diet. Particularly evil, even for a demon, Leviathan would kill even prey she would not eat just for the pleasure of destroying a living being.
It is said that for the longest time, Leviathan made the Mediterranean Sea her home, until tired of its destructive antics, God slew it, salted it and fed it to His people. The hide of the beast was used to make the tent where the feast took place.
The male of this species is said to be the Behemoth, another aquatic creature of massive dimensions. They never got a chance to mate, though. Even so, in French ancient folktales, Leviathan is credited as the mother of the Tarasconus.
References:
-Bane, T., 2016. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. McFarland.
Grace Tierney      9/20/23 8:28 AM
Poor Leviathan, always alone. I love the idea of mythology coupled with a little flash fiction. Probably just as well that she didn't create any offspring though!Fran Boschet      9/20/23 8:47 AM
So glad you like it, even more since I enjoy your series very much. Thank you!
Francisca Staines      5/16/21 4:05 AM
Hi! This entry represents the first installment of my new series Love Me a Myth! where I mixed a bit of research with flash stories to tell you about the lesser known mythical creatures and beings that inhabit our world. I hope you like it.