Originating in ancient Hebrew folklore and popularized during the middle ages as part of demonology studies, Leviathan, is often referred as the demon of envy and destiny.
In Hebrew, the name of this beast means the crooked serpent but some scholars say the piercing dragon” is a more accurate translation.
While descriptions of this creature vary widely from mention to mention, all have one thing have in common, they refer to Leviathan as an aquatic monster.
Medieval monks wrote many pages about this creature, and according to their accounts the Leviathan was created by God on the fifth day of Creation. Most often described as a massive, female sea-creature, with a long flexible body and eyes that glow and burn. When on land, Leviathan's breath was so foul, to breathe in it was enough to die. Underwater, it could send a wave of extreme heat from its mouth, turning the surrounding seawater into steam instantly, killing everything in it.
For its taste for destruction, this beast has been declared the symbol of chaos, a remnant of the times before God’s order.
Doted with supernatural strength, the Leviathan hunted and ate whales as daily food. Other giant creatures, the kind that didn’t survive to this day, were also in her diet. Particularly evil, even for a demon, Leviathan would kill even prey she would not eat just for the pleasure of destroying a living being.
It is said, that for the longest time, Leviathan made the Mediterranean Sea her home, until tired of its destructive antics, God slew it, salted it and fed it to His people. The hide of the beast was used to make the tent where the feast took place.
The male of this species it is said to the Behemoth, another aquatic creature of massive dimensions. They never got a chance to mate.
References
-Bane, T., 2016. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. McFarland.