Waylaid by illness as I was, I’m a week late in showcasing the demon of February. But, as any Prince of Hell will tell you, late is better than never. So please extend a warm if somewhat belated welcome to Leviathan the Hellmouth and assignatory to the month of February.
Full Disclosure: I’ve only found one source that claims Leviathan is the demon of February. However, multiple sources claim him as the patron demon of envy. This tracks perfectly, given that this month gives us THE MOST EXCLUSIONARY HOLIDAY ON THE CALENDAR.
Seriously. F*ck Valentine’s Day.
And this picture pretty much says the rest…
Yet another excellent use for AI technology: hellish monsters. You do NOT want to know what the rejects of this run looked like. Or maybe you do…?
(If you’ve just joined us from Facebook or Instagram, welcome! Everything from here down is new).
Origins of the Leviathan
When I heard Leviathan was a prince of hell, I have to admit, I was surprised. Not many CEOs will hire a sea monster as a VP, so it appears Satan has some pretty progressive diversity initiatives. When I dug a little deeper (so to speak), I discovered that there’s a lot more to Leviathan than meets the eye–which is surprising, given that what does meet the eye is, to put it mildly, massive.
The nature of Leviathan varies quite a bit across different belief structures. What the majority of the mythosphere can agree on is that Leviathan is a giant serpent that most commonly resides in the Deeps and acts as the aquatic counter to Behemoth, the equally humongous land-dweller. Fun Fact: Since Behemoth is a male, some biblical scholars suspect Leviathan to be female. That kind of makes sense, given that water is closely linked to the moon, which has always been a symbol of feminine power and energy. Princess of hell, perhaps?
Christianity takes the mythos one step further, assigning Leviathan Hell Prince status as well as a deadly sin to preside over–the much-maligned mortal transgression of Envy. As if that weren’t enough, Leviathan’s size makes him a realm unto himself, swallowing transgressors who attempt to escape and roasting them forever in its stomach. Other schools view Leviathan as a metaphor for humanity in our constant opposition to God and our inherent need to consume and destroy.
Hm. Suddenly that female assignation doesn’t seem quite so flattering. Leave it to the Bible, am I right?
Power and Ability
In addition to being a huge soul-eating monster with an inferno in its belly, Leviathan commands the waters of Chaos, which will play a large role in the end of days. The Book of Revelations (also known as the Gospel of John) claims a land and sea creature will endow the animals of the world with the spirit of chaos and an epic battle will ensue. Eventually, this will escalate from order versus chaos to God versus the Devil. Spoilers: God wins, the righteous devour the bodies of Leviathan and Behemoth, and peace reigns forever.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll believe that when I see it. Though, according to dear old John, I’ll likely be engaged elsewhere by the time any of that kicks off.
The Demon of Envy
By now you’re probably wondering: how does one conquer a giant chaos monster?
Beats me. Sorry–I’m at least five books away from that showdown in the Miss Adventure series (if it happens at all). And even then, I have no idea who will win. That’s part of the fun of being a discovery writer. But I don’t want to leave you with nothing, so let’s turn our attention to the perennial crowd-pleasers that are the Seven Deadly Sins.
Out of all the Seven Deadly Sins, envy is the only one that causes us true shame. I can’t remember which documentary I was watching on the topic that said this–I have seen arguably too many at this point. But it’s a quote that has stuck with me for years largely because of how true it is. To commit any of the other six comes with an element of roguish rebellion. “Greed is good.” “Treat yourself.” “YOLO.” And so on. But envy…oof. We don’t like admitting to that one, do we? And yet there’s nothing more common, more human, than looking at someone we admire and wishing we had what they had. Do I even need to mention social media’s role in the envy epidemic? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Why this is, I can only speculate. Maybe it’s something to do with self-reliance. Eating too much, sleeping around, or raging on the internet, though potentially destructive, all all active things we do. Envy, on the other hand, is something we are. It’s an emptiness inside, a reminder of something we feel we lack. To admit to it is to admit we aren’t the self-contained solution to every problem–that we are incomplete.
Fighting the Leviathan
So, if envy is unavoidable, how do you fight it when it inevitably rears its gigantic head? As luck would have it, I’ve spent many a year wrestling with this question. Because–I’ll admit it–I’ve been jealous of lots of people. Their intelligence, their creativity, their success. What can I say? I’m human–and in the entertainment business. It comes with the territory.
I’ve done many things over the years to combat these feelings when they crop up. Ignoring it. Accepting it. Forgiving it. All worked for a time, but only recently have I found a way to truly vanquish any object of my envy that arises.
I talk to them.
It’s as simple as that. Scary as hell, yes, but not complicated. If you find yourself wishing you were more like someone else, reach out to them and ask for their advice. You’ll have to humble yourself a little to do this, but once you do, one of three things will happen:
- They’ll help you (in my experience this happens about 99% of the time).
- They won’t answer.
- They will be a total jerk (hasn’t happened yet).
If it’s the first one you’re likely to find that, like you, they’re human too, and not some magical being with a perfect life created with the sole purpose to make you miserable. I know you know that already, but it doesn’t land the same as when it comes straight from the source.
And if either of the last two, then forget ’em. Why would you waste your time being jealous of someone like that? Sure, it’s not an ideal outcome, but it does come with one perk. It allows you to shift your envy into wrath. Which is, in my opinion, the most productive of all the sins.
Happy Monday everyone!
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