The Leviathan
The Leviathan is a biblical sea monster which is reported in the Hebrew Bible. In Demonology the Leviathan is known as one of the seven princes of Hell and also its gatekeeper. The word Leviathan has since been used to describe any large sea monster or beast. In classical literature the word is used to describe great whales such as Moby-Dick.
The Leviathan and other serpent like demons appear repeatedly in ancient eastern mythology. The creature its self is described as mammoth in size. Able to swallow entire islands whole, fishermen told great stories about seeing the creature off in the distance and warned young children that if they played too close to the water they would be gobbled up by the mythic beast. Later in time Jewish sources described the beast as a giant dragon that holds dominion over all the creatures of the deep.
The sources continue to explain that along with the giant land dragon Behemoth, the leviathan will remain until the end of time. During the creation of the Jewish midrash, it was known that god had created both a male and female Leviathan, but God did not want a species to reproduce that would be capable of destroying the world so he slew the female Leviathan saving the meat for a grand banquet to be given to the righteous on the advent of the Messiah.
The beast is almost exclusively described by R. Johanan, he proceeded nearly all haggadot relating to this monster. He said "Once we went in a ship and saw a fish which put his head out of the water. He had horns upon which was written: 'I am one of the meanest creatures that inhabit the sea. I am three hundred miles in length, and enter this day into the jaws of the Leviathan.
In the Middle Ages the Leviathan was used as an image to depict Satan. The reason for this was because it allowed Satan to endanger both Gods' creatures by eating them as well as gods creations by destroying them with upheaval. The beast is sometimes also referred to as the demon of envy because of this and is the first demon which sinners must bare while being punished in the depths of hell.
In Satanism the Leviathan represents both the direction of west as well as the element of water. The element of water is used to associate ones self with life and creation. During satanic rituals of the Leviathan it is often represented by a Chalice. He is also one of the princes of hell in the demonic hierarchy.
The Leviathan may not exist or it may have been misinterpreted as another deep sea phenomena. In either case we must agree that this was certainly a beast of mammoth proportions. Many people feared for their lives when heading out to sea because of the Leviathan and for good reason.