In the history of mankind, you can find many legends telling about incredible monsters that amaze with their huge size, awesome appearance and other unique features. At all times, terrifying stories about mystical monsters endowed with supernatural powers have fascinated people, and one of these is the leviathan.
Who is Leviathan?
It is known that the sea ​​monster was mentioned in the Old Testament. The meaning of the word leviathan is very vague, but from Hebrew it translates as "twisted" or "twisted".
For the first time they spoke of these monsters in the Ancient East. In those distant times, many sailors who returned from swimming enthusiastically told stories about a huge monster living in the sea, the size of no less than an island. Sometimes their stories took on a more frightening character. It was rumored that this monster could smash even the largest ship to smithereens, and that no one had managed to survive after meeting with him. True, in this case a fair question arises: how did it become known about such a monster?
Leviathan - what is it and how does it look
Leviathan owes its origin primarily to biblical treatises in which a dual description of this mythical monster is traced. So, in some sources (Isaiah, Psalms), the Leviathan is a powerful creature that is at enmity with God. Ultimately, God nevertheless wins a victory (comparable to the victory of the ancient Egyptian god Ra over Apopus or the victory of Zeus over the Titans) and gives his remains as food to the starving in the desert. In other sources, the leviathan appears as an incomprehensible creature created by God, inaccessible to understanding by mere mortals.
To say who such a leviathan is definitely almost impossible. Some ancient texts describe him as an incredibly huge snake with huge terrifying eyes. In others, it is a fierce fire-breathing dragon with a thin long neck and outstretched head. Also, some sources use the image of a huge crocodile.
Scientific and Biblical Evidence
You may notice that leviathan is quite often mentioned in biblical scriptures, and therefore answers to questions such as: “Leviathan - what is it? Where does this creature live? Where did it come from? ” - you need to look there. So, one of the first mentions of a monster can be found in the book of Job, where the leviathan is represented in the image of the king of everything, including the human race. Further references to him are found in the Book of Genesis and in the Epistle to the Corinthians, where it is noted that the leviathan cannot be killed with “carnal weapons”, which indicates the supernatural nature of the creature. In later writings, for example, in the Bible of King James, which was born in 1611, it is said that a mere mortal at the sight of a leviathan will certainly lose consciousness. There you can find information about the approximate habitat of the monster. Judging by the text, the probability of its living in the seas, even the largest ones, is rejected. Obviously, for a monster of this size, living at great depths, only the endless waters of the oceans are suitable.
The only scientific evidence at the moment of the existence of the animal, at least slightly reminiscent of the leviathan, is the remains of a sperm whale excavated in the Peruvian desert of Ica. The length of the ancient mammal, which lived 12-13 million years ago, was about 17 meters, and the size of huge teeth reached 36 centimeters in length and 12 centimeters in width. Here you have the leviathan! What a monster excited the minds of their ancestors - no wonder!
Leviathan in the cinema
From the essence of the biblical scriptures, the leviathan eventually turned into a part of world culture, becoming a very popular hero in many arts, including cinema, music, literature, Japanese anime and video games.
Many warships were named after the monster, which, of course, was done in order to intimidate the enemy. However, it is important to note that, compared with Cthulhu, a creature of similar origin and description, leviathan is most often referred to in world culture as a household name. Instead of the traditional sea ​​monster, the leviathan is called the prototypes of powerful weapons, various heroes, magicians, etc. Most closely to its biblical image, the leviathan is described in the TV series “Supernatural”, where he lost his monstrous size, but retained his power. Also, a "plausible" image of a monster can be found in the animated series "Pirates of Dark Waters". In the cult series of films HellRaiser, the leviathan is the lord of Hell, thereby, in fact, is compared with the devil himself. A source of inspiration is what leviafan is for art.
Leviathan in the world of video games
An article on this topic would not be complete without mentioning the participation of this creature in a huge number of video games. Perhaps it is gamers who ask what leviathan is, less than everyone else. Horror, action games, strategies, slashers, MMORPG games - these are just some of the game genres in which you can meet creatures called leviathans.
In the 2002 strategy of Age of Mythology, the leviathan is presented as a sea monster, subordinate to the player and performing the functions of sea ​​transport. As a "game boss" he is present in the following games - Dead Space, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich, God of War, Devil May Cry 3, Resistance 2, etc.
Many game vehicles and races are also named after the monster. For example, a leviathan is called a spaceship from the game Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic. The colossal fleet of hives from the Warhammer 40,000 series of games has a similar name. The huge vehicle from the Unreal Tournament universe is also called the Leviathan.
So, as we see, the answers to the question "Leviathan - what is it?" may be many. The only obvious thing is that this is a truly powerful creature, which to this day excites the minds of many people.