Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Blog #1 || Leviathan

07/10

After learning about several mythological beings from our lessons, I began to think about what other tales of creatures are out there in the world. One of these creatures is a huge sea serpent-like monster called a Leviathan, which is present in several religious texts in both Judaism and Christianity. In most interpretations of Leviathans, they are regarded as some of the first beings in existence and rule the seas with their sheer power and indestructibility as well as their tendency to destroy everything in their paths. According to these religious texts, in the beginning there used to be two Leviathans, one female and one male, to keep each other company. It was decided that because of the threat they posed to civilization, only one could live, and the female was killed.  There are several conclusions as to where this creature could have come from in terms of mythology. The story of this sea serpent could have been used to appeal to people who were not Christian and could have been adapted from other cultures (Greek and Babylonian mythology.) Another conclusion could be that there was, in fact, a creature in the past that inspired these stories that no longer exists (like Krakens, which are humongous squids or octopi) or that they are exaggerations of creatures that are alive today, such as crocodiles.


                                                 "The Destruction of Leviathan" by Gustave DorĂ© (1865)


1 comment:

  1. Interesting!! I had thought that the creature was made up by sailors, I no clue the idea of the leviathan originated from religious texts.

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