The Origins in Ugarit
The oldest records regarding the daemon we know as Leviathan emerge in texts from the ancient city of Ugarit (modern-day Syria) around 1300 BCE. At that time, he was known as Lotan, also referred to as Ltn and Lotanu.
In the Baal Cycle, a cuneiform tablet recording the deeds of the god Baal, Lotan is described as a multi-headed sea serpent or dragon (usually with seven heads), directly associated with the power of the sea. In archaeology and Semitic studies, among the texts discovered at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit), the most famous mention of Lotan occurs on Tablet KTU 1.5 (Column I, lines 1 to 8). In this excerpt, Mot, the god of death, is speaking with Baal and recalls the victory over the sea monster.
The text reads:
"Since you smote Lotan, the fleeing serpent, annihilated the twisting serpent, the tyrant with seven heads, the heavens will wither and dissolve..." — (Tablet KTU 1.5, Column I)
It is precisely this passage that links him to the Judeo-Christian tradition, as the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 27:1) uses the exact same words centuries later in Hebrew to describe Leviathan as: "Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent."
Furthermore, while the Baal Cycle describes the journey of confronting Lotan, Baal did not fight alone. In such tales, gods acted in pairs, and the goddess Anat accompanied him in this fight. Scholars of religion suggest that the actual event was a joint battle: Anat fought on the front lines, severing the dragon's heads, while Baal used his lightning and storms to subjugate the chaos.
"...Did I not crush Yam, the beloved of El? Did I not destroy Rabiym, the Great River? Did I not muzzle the Dragon? I crushed him! I crushed the twisting serpent, the tyrant with seven heads." — (Tablet KTU 1.3, Column III - Speech of the goddess Anat)
In the surviving writings, these are the primary sources that explicitly use the name Lotan. However, there are other mentions that describe him under different names or titles associated with Yam (the Sea).
"...I muzzled the Dragon (Tunnanu), I bound him closely. I wiped the muzzle of the horned serpent, I broke the back of the fanged serpent, I destroyed the creature that fights the gods..." — (Tablet KTU 1.3, Column III)
In this excerpt, the goddess Anat describes the monstrous attributes of the sea creature she fought (frequently associated with Lotan).
"...The club danced in Baal's hands... it struck the skull of Yam the tyrant, between the eyes of Judge River. Yam collapsed, he fell to the ground; his joints trembled, his spine bent..." — (Tablet KTU 1.2, Column IV)
Following the strike from Baal's magical weapons, the text physically describes the collapse of the marine deity/monster.
In general, Lotan acted as the guardian of aquatic chaos and was closely linked to Yam, the god of the waters and the sea, to whom he was subordinate. By placing these two names in close proximity on the tablets, the scribas suggested that the dragon did not act on his own, but rather as an extension of the ocean's unpredictable fury. This connection reinforced the idea of a confrontation against the chaotic forces of nature.
Centuries later, this primordial creature of immense influence in the myths of the Ancient Near East, which shares similarities with other ancient monsters, such as Tiamat in Mesopotamia, would be absorbed by other cultures.
The Judeo-Christian Perspective
In the Hebrew tradition, this same creature appears under the name Leviathan, maintaining characteristics very similar to those of its Ugaritic predecessor, indicating a direct continuity between the myths of Ugarit and the formation of biblical texts. According to Jewish mythology, in the very beginning, Yahweh created monumental creatures to rule over the world:
Ziz: A phoenix-like creature that ruled over the skies and the birds.
Behemoth: An ox-like creature that ruled over the land and terrestrial animals.
Leviathan: The most feared and powerful of all, who ruled over the sea and marine creatures. According to some versions, Leviathan harbored a strong dislike for his "siblings."
The Bible provides detailed descriptions of him in different books:
Isaiah 27: He is described as a powerful, swift, twisting, and long sea serpent, whose echo still resounds upon the waves.
Psalm 104: He is portrayed as a sea monster that inhabits the ocean and likes to play in the waters.
Job 41: He takes on terrifying proportions, described as a monster with strength concentrated in his neck, whose nose expels smoke, whose breath kindles coals, and whose mouth spews flames of fire.
Still within Jewish mythology, it is said that Yahweh originally created two Leviathans, a male and a female, as a demonstration of his absolute power. However, fearing that the reproduction of these serpents would lead to the extinction of humanity, God killed the female.
For this reason, in the view of many practitioners, Leviathan can choose to manifest in either male or female form, alternating between the two.
Modern Occultism
With the passing of centuries and the evolution of Abrahamic theologies, Leviathan ceased to be merely a biblical monster and became a central figure in European demonology. In the work Treatise on Confessions by Evildoers and Witches (1589) by Peter Binsfeld, Leviathan was classified as the demon of envy, a title he holds to this day as one of the seven princes of Hell.
He is often referred to as the Grand Admiral of Hell who guards its gates. He is also called "The Great Trickster" because of the ease with which he triumphs in political ventures and agreements, trade treaties, and palace intrigues.
In other medieval hierarchical classifications, he is categorized as the Dragon of Chaos itself, holding absolute dominion over the Sea and the Void. The patron of melancholy and poetry.
In contemporary occult philosophy, the figure of Leviathan takes on a much more metaphysical and archetypal interpretation. In the words of author and occultist Asenath Mason, Leviathan is defined as:
"...the soul of the world, the eternal beginning and end, the element of chaos within, and the divine potential lying dormant in dark recesses of human psyche… [He is] the primal force of all creation and all destruction… Leviathan is the very beginning, the original cosmic force that gave rise to the universe… He is the Above and the Below."
In her book The Complete Book of Demonolatry, S. Connolly mentions that Leviathan can also be known as Luithian. However, I have not found any mention of this name in traditional grimoires or any other books. I found it worth mentioning for curiosity's sake, see if anyone knows something about it.
Due to his association with serpents, Leviathan rules over the element of water, making him a daemon that navigates the realms of the mind, dreams, emotions, and the unconscious — that entire part of ourselves that we tend to ignore.
