“Thar' Be Dragons”

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Is the Leviathan in the book of Job a dragon?

Sincerely,
Dragons Are Cool!

Dear Dragons Are Cool,

We don’t know exactly what animal the Leviathan was, but we do know that it doesn’t match the description of any currently living animal.  The Leviathan is described as being very large (Job 41:12), tough-skinned (Job 41:15-17), wild and undomesticated (Job 41:1-5), and potentially sea-dwelling (Job 41:31-32).

Some think that the Leviathan may be the answer to all the many dragon stories that are found across countless cultures.  In Job 41:18-21, God describes the Leviathan as flashing light when it sneezes, smoking from its nostrils, starting fires with its breath, and shooting flames from its mouth.  Such descriptions do indeed sound quite a lot like the description of a dragon.  It may very well be that the Leviathan is one of the dragons illustrated in countless ancient drawings.

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