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Behemoth
A monster in the religious traditions of the Hebrew,
Christian and
Muslim faiths.
In the popular imagination the
word Behemoth has come to mean any large creature, and, indeed, the Hebrew word behemoth
simply means 'beasts'. But both
Henri Boguet (1550-1619), the French
demonologist, and
Madame Helena Blavatsky,
the 19th century Russian mystic, saw Behemoth as a demon
— a symbol, like Leviathan,
of darkness and evil.
Demonically, as the name suggests, he
was a huge soldier of
Satan, usually
depicted as an elephant with a big round belly, waddling on two feet. He was the infernal
watchman, and also presided over the gluttonous banquets and feasts. It is said that he
also enjoyed a certain renown for his voice, being regarded as Hell's
official demonic singer.
The biblical description of Behemoth's
habits and strength has led most zoologists to conclude that the creature is probably
based on the hippopotamus — though a few opt for the elephant, a gigantic water buffalo or
crocodile. The only line in Job that does not fit this identification is: "He makes
his tail stiff like a cedar." English poet, visionary, and artist
William Blake portrayed Behemoth
(with the water monster Leviathan) in 'Illustrations of
the Book of Job' (1825). He depicts the beast as a hippopotamus, with tusks,
human ears, and a lion's tail.
According to legend, the Behemoth was the largest
animal that lived on land. Jewish tradition tells us that it was fashioned from
clay on the sixth day of creation; it also prophesied that at the coming of the
Day of Judgment and the Messiah, the Leviathan and Behemoth would be locked in
combat to the death. The resulting
bodies would be food for the 'chosen' who had lived their lives in righteousness. However, the book of Job records that the
Behemoth is the first of God's works. The Behemoth has bones like tubes of
bronze and limbs like iron rods. Each day, the Behemoth gorges on the fodder
produced by a thousand mountains. Because of this insatiable appetite, only one
creature was created, thus preventing it from multiplying.
"Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his
force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His
bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made
him can make his sword to approach unto him. Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the
field play. He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. The shady trees cover him with their
shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not; he trusteth that
he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes; his nose pierceth through
snares."
(Job 40: 15-24)
At the time of the summer solstice,
during the month of Tammuz, the Behemoth, its strength at its peak, rises upon its hind
legs and lets out a fearful echoing roar. This loud roar is heard by all the animals in
the world. Terrified, the wild predators become less ferocious and restrain themselves
from preying on the flocks and herds for an entire year.
The Behemoth was created solely to be
served as one of the delicacies during the messianic banquet at the end of days. The other
delicacies are the Leviathan and the Ziz. The Behemoth may only be killed by the sword of
his maker. Some accounts have the behemoth banished to living in the abyss with its enemy,
the Leviathan.
In the Muslin tradition,
Behemoth equates with the monstrous Bahamut, the vast monster that supports
the earth in the cosmos.
See
Leviathan,
Shakespeare,
Beelzebub,
Satan,
Heptameron,
Demonology,
Demonomancy,
Grimoires,
Casting Black Magic Spells,
Commanding Spirits,
The Tarot Store and
Divination & Scrying Tools and
Supplies.
Sources: (1) Masello, Robert,
Fallen Angels. . . and Spirits of the Dark,
The Berkley Publishing Group; (2) Rose, Carol,
Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth,
W. W. Norton & Company; (3)
van der Toorn, Karel (editor),
Dictionary of
Deities and Demons in the Bible, Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company.
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