Leviathan, is one of the seven princes of hell, and rules over envy. In the demonic hierarchy, he is considered to be an arcdemon. In general, demons are portrait in a human demonic form with wings enabling them to fly. But Leviathan’s true form is said to be that of a sea monster.
It is believed, that before life was created, it was only the ocean that covered the entire earth. With time, ocean gave birth to land, and then to every living creature on the planet. So ocean could be viewed as the heart of life. Even after many years, there are mysteries beneath the sea, that is yet to discover. It is believed, that these mysterious depths of the sea, is home for a sea serpent named Leviathan.
It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including The book of Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the Book of Amos. The apocryphal Book of Enoch also mention the existence of Leviathan. Some 19th century scholars interpreted it as large aquatic creatures, such as an overly grown crocodile. But the word came into general use when describing a great whale or sea monster.
Leviathan means, "Wreathed, twisted in folds". He shares a considerable amount of similarities with the sea monster “Lotan”. Since the myths of Lotan started before the myths of Leviathan, it is believed that Leviathan is a direct continuation of Lotan.
In Job 41:1-34, leviathan is described in full. Job describes that there’s nothing like him on earth and nothing is made that is fearless of him and there is no hope to overcome the Leviathan. He is the king of all beasts on earth. Leviathan is so strong, that no weapon could be used against him because to him iron is as straw, and bronze is as rotten wood. His scales are packed so close to one another, that not even air can go through them. His eyelids are bright red, and are compared to the morning light. He breathe out smoke, strong enough to kindle coal. Out of his mouth, he spits out fire like a torch and can turn the ocean to a hot tub. Job describes that every living creature fears his existence, even the monsters and beasts.
He is also called the tortured serpent and will be killed at the end of time. Till then he is believed to lure the depths of the ocean.
According to the Jewish sources, at the beginning of creation, god created 2 monsters of chaos. One of them is Leviathan who is described as a dragon who lives and rules over water. The other is landmonster Behemoth. Both the monsters are to be served as food to those who lived righteously at the end of time. The Book of Enoch describes Leviathan as the female monster and Behemoth to be the male monster.
The Jewish midrash says that God originally produced a male and a female leviathan, but they started multiplying their species. God saw the potential threat this would have on the world. So God slew the female, reserving her flesh for the banquet that will be given to the righteous on the advent of the Messiah, where Christians believe it to be Jesus.
Leviathan’s home is believed to be in the Mediterranean Sea, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be luring in other parts of the sea. The waters of the Jordan is said to fall into his mouth. Legend also has it, that Leviathan eats a whale per day and the whale which swallowed the prophet Jonah, was almost eaten by him. The eyes of Leviathan possess great illuminating power with a blinding bright light. The sudden bright light that emerge from the horizon is possibly when Leviathan puts his head out of water.
However, according to Jewish myths, regardless of his supernatural strength, the leviathan is afraid of a small worm called "kilbit". Kilbits has the capability to clings to the gills of large fish, including that of leviathan, and kills them slowly yet painfully.
The leviathan brings chaos and devours god’s creation, very much like satan. So Christians sometimes consider leviathan to be satan. Some believe that hell is located inside leviathan and his mouth, is the gates of hell. So it is also called the hell mouth. It is said that at the Last Judgment, the sinned souls will be pushed into the jaws of leviathan.
In Gnosticism, he bites his tail with his mouth, separating the divine realm from human material world. Further, according to Gnosticism, after death, a soul must pass through the seven spheres of the builders of the physical universe, known as Archons. Leviathan is one of these Archons. If the soul does not succeed, it will be swallowed by the archon Leviathan, who returns the soul into an animal body.
The Satanic Bible, the central religious text of LaVeyan Satanism, represent leviathan as the element of water and the direction of west, listing it as one of the Four Crown Princes of Hell. LaVeyan Satanism treats leviathan with much respect, and is considered as a main figure in almost every ritual.
The Church of Satan uses the Hebrew letters at each of the points of the Sigil of Baphomet to represent Leviathan. Starting from the lowest point of the pentagram, and reading counter-clockwise, the Hebrew letters, Nun, Tav, Yod, Vav, Lamed are written. This in Hebrew gives the meaning "Leviathan".
Other than his true form the sea serpent, Leviathan can also take the form of a spirit. It is in this form he infest the humans. In Job’s description of leviathan it is said, he cannot tamed or could be bound to anyone. So those who are under the influence of leviathan will not bow before others and will always want to have the superiority over others. He will not respect any religion and even if he forms one of his own, he himself will break the rules, because his words have no honor. Because of his unreasonable envy towards others, he will bring destruction to others and will be destroyed in the process.
Leviathan is very different from other demonic entities I’ve discussed. He makes the tides rough and sink ships out of pleasure. Ocean is a form of life, but it also homes dreadful creatures such as leviathan. The ocean itself is covered with unexplained phenomena and mysteries that are yet to discover. And maybe someday we’ll actually get to reveal these mysteries and see for ourselves if leviathan actually exists.
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