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Behemoth

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Behemoth is a legendary creature from the biblical Book of Job. It is described as a massive beast created by God at the start of time. Some people call it a chaos-monster from the beginning of creation. The name itself comes from a Hebrew word. It might mean a "great beast" because it is a plural form of a word for animal. Today, people use the name to describe anything that is extremely large or powerful.

Behemoth and Leviathan Butts set
Behemoth and Leviathan Butts set

Many ancient stories explain how this creature lives. In the Book of Enoch, written around the 2nd century BC, Behemoth is a male land-monster. It lives in an invisible desert called Duidain. This desert is located east of the Garden of Eden. Behemoth is often paired with Leviathan, who is a female sea-monster. Some texts say they were separated because the sea could not hold them both.

Lev-Beh-Ziz
Lev-Beh-Ziz

There are many different legends about what Behemoth does. One Jewish legend says a great battle will happen between Behemoth and Leviathan at the end of time. They will fight with great strength. Another story says Behemoth's strength is highest on the summer solstice. This happens around June 21 every year. On this day, Behemoth lets out a loud roar. This roar makes all other animals tremble with fear. This actually helps animals stay calm and less wild for a whole year.

Lev-Beh-Ziz
Lev-Beh-Ziz

People have many theories about what kind of animal Behemoth was. Many think it refers to a hippopotamus. In fact, the Russian word for hippopotamus is derived from Behemoth. Other people suggest it might be an elephant or a water buffalo. These animals eat grass just like an ox. Some groups, like Answers in Genesis, think it might be a type of dinosaur. They look at descriptions of its tail to make this guess.

Lev-Beh-Ziz
Lev-Beh-Ziz

Behemoth appears in many books and works of art. The poet William Blake made famous watercolours of the beast in 1805. In the book "The Master and Margarita," a writer named Mikhail Bulgakov uses the name for a talking cat. A political philosopher named Thomas Hobbes also used the name for a book. Even modern stories like the webnovel "Worm" use the name for giant monsters. The name continues to inspire many different ideas.

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File:Ill dict infernal p0100-86 behemoth.jpg
Ill dict infernal p0100-86 behemoth.jpg
File:Behemoth and Leviathan Butts set.jpg
Behemoth and Leviathan Butts set.jpg
File:Lev-Beh-Ziz.jpg
Lev-Beh-Ziz.jpg
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