Dragons of the Cosmos: Timeless Chaos

Dragons of the Cosmos are a part of the fabric of the Universe. According to many myths, these Dragons have either created the world or plotted to destroy it. They have an intense unbounded energy to accomplish their aims. Because of the danger They pose, these dragons are best to be avoided. Moreover, Cosmos Dragons only have relations with the Gods, and usually ignore humans.

The Great Mother Dragon, Tiamat of Babylon (pictured above) is one of the best known of the Cosmos Dragons. As the Creator, She formed the first Heaven and Earth with Her Body. Tiamat is also called the Lady of the Primeval Chaos, who avenges her spouse’s murder. According to Babylonian myth, She tried to rid the Earth of both Gods and humans, and nearly succeeded.

Mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, the Leviathan is another world destroyer. According to the prophet Isaiah, the Leviathan will run amok during the Final Days. Middle Eastern lore says that the God of the Old Testament created two Leviathans. Because He realized that the Two together would destroy the Earth, God had to kill the Mate. When upset, the surviving Leviathan will cause devastating tidal waves. To console Em (Leviathan is multi-gendered), God plays with Em at sunset every day.

According to Norse lore, Jormungand, the World Serpent is the offspring of Loki, the Trickster God and Angrboda, the Giantess. (His siblings are Hel, the Queen of the Underworld and Fenrir, the Wolf.) To prevent Jormungand from destroying the earth, Odin, the All Father, threw this dragon into the sea to contain Him. Encircling the world, Jormungand lays on the bottom of the sea and plots his revenge. Every time that He considers the injustices done to Him, Jormungand writhes thereby causing tidal waves and earthquakes. At Ragnarok, Jormungand will flood the land in seeking his vengeance on the Gods.

The sworn enemy of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God, Apep is the Dragon of Destruction and Chaos. When Ra goes go forth in his solar barge, Apep tries to kill Him, but is usually thwarted by Ra’s allies. On the few times that Apep appears to be successful, a solar eclipse occurs.

Dragon of the Cosmos are dangerous to people. If you think that you may encounter one, be prepared to offer the Cosmos Dragon, gold, silver, or platinum. Then praise Them, “Oh, Great Dragon of the Central Cosmos, Great Dragon, upon You rest the bones of the Universe. I exalt You.” In addition, people who have Sturgeon or Sperm Whale as their animal teachers can call upon these animals for help, as well. It is best to avoid Cosmos Dragons all together. These Dragons do have the wisdom of divine knowledge, but They keep it to Themselves.

Because They threaten the Order which is maintained by the Gods, Cosmos Dragons embody the attributes of chaos. When these Dragons communicate, They do so by lightning, tidal waves, and earthquakes. This alone creates havoc on the earth and elsewhere. In myths, They are the creators and the destroyers of worlds. Cosmos Dragons are indeed The Beings of the Timeless Chaos.

Dragon of the Middle East: Leviathan

My first introduction to the Leviathan was reading Psalm 104 of the Christian Bible.  This Psalm spoke of the Leviathan frolicking in the sea.  From that, I imaged a huge dragon having fun, enjoying itself.

Later I read a charming story of the Hebrew God (Yahweh) and the Leviathan.  Every evening Yahweh would visit and play with this dragon.  Yahweh had created Leviathan and his mate, but soon realized his mistake.  Two leviathans would destroy the world, so He had to eliminate one of them.  Afterwards, He promised to play with the survivor every day.  This story made me think of friendship and forgiveness.

However, when I researched the Leviathan, a different picture emerged.  Several Middle Eastern myths had merged together to depict a huge chaos monster.  In one myth, the Hebrew God would slay this dragon, and serve him to the Righteous at the world’s end.  Then in later Christian writings, the Leviathan became a symbol of evil.

Further investigations revealed conflicting descriptions of this dragon, even the gender could not be agreed upon.  Most agreed however that the Leviathan is a dragon of chaos.  Also, they concurred that the Leviathan was huge, churning up the depths of the seas.  According to all the sources I read, this dragon was a world destroying one.

In the creation myths of the Babylonians, Canaanites, and Hebrews, the Leviathan (under various names) was a dragon of chaos.  Then the Prophet Isaiah of the Jews said that the Leviathan was the first of the great acts of God.  He further states that at the end of history, God will slay this dragon.  During the Middle Ages, Christians asserted that Leviathan was the Hellmouth, a monstrous animal with a huge mouth.  Into this animal’s stomach went the damned.  In modern times, the Leviathan became the tool of Satan and as well as a force of evil.

My conclusion after my research is that the Leviathan is a dragon of chaos.  However, I do not view this dragon as evil. Instead of the ending of the Jewish myth, I prefer the Canaanite myth of re-creation.  In this myth, Baal (the God of Order) and the Leviathan reached a compromise of mutual co-existence.

For me, the Leviathan sports in the sea and meets with God in the evenings at the seashore.  Between time and space, the Leviathan and Yahweh play together.  The Leviathan has forgiven God for destroying his mate, and God has made amends to him.  Now, they frolic together as good friends, unconcerned what humans may think.

Works Used:

Sutherland, Robert, “Putting God on Trial:  The Biblical Book of Job”, Trafford, Toronto, http://www.bookofjob.org/, 2006 .

Van Scott, Miriam, “The Encyclopedia of Hell”, St. Martin’s, London, 1999.

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon and Ash DeKirk, “A Wizard’s Bestiary”, New Page, Franklin Lakes, NJ, 2007.

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