The bible is perhaps the most influential book of all time
clearly there is great wisdom to be found in it but also great mystery
many monstrous creatures and mythical beings are described in the bible
some stranger than others
it says something that unicorns are among the least interesting
the other creatures we will today look at are much more bizarre
I normally make more jokes at the beginning of my videos
but I think I've offended enough religions so today it's all seriousness
in the old testament is mentioned a monstrous beast
known as the Behemoth, it was so powerful only god could kill it
it's bones are described as tubes of bronze and it's limbs are like bars of iron
there is nothing the Behemoth fears and humans cannot hope to tame it
some historians argue the monster was simply a hippo or elephant
but as it is said to have a large tail, comparable to an entire tree
this can't be the case
others believe it may be a dinosaur or a yet to be identified species of animal
either way, it's thought the name Behemoth comes from an old Egyptian term for hippo
though only briefly mentioned in the bible
the Cockatrice became one of the most feared monsters in medieval times
according to European folklore it was like a cross between a rooster and a dragon
a Cockatrice is born when a chickens egg is raised by a snake
resulting in a terrible hybrid creature
large and violent, all are advised to avoid them
it's breath is poisonous and staring into it's eyes for too long can turn a person to stone
if that fails their razor sharp claws will cut you to ribbons
many have stumbled into a Cockatrice den by mistake
none have survived
all of this proves what I've been saying for years
chickens are evil and not to be trusted
alongside god, several other kinds of supernatural beings are said to reside in heaven
the most scary of which are known as Cherubim
unearthly hybrid beings, they are depicted in various ways
usually having elements of multiple species
some are broadly humanoid but with two sets of wings and four heads
that of a human, a lion, an ox, and an eagle
cherubim look different every time they are seen by humans
but are always large and dangerous
they are the guardians of heaven, ensuring nobody unwanted can ever reach god
in fact, the two winged creatures atop the ark of the covenant are cherubim
mentioned in the bible are a class of demon referred to only as he-goats
little detail is given but they came to be seen as something similar to Jinn
powerful beings who reside in remote desert areas
he-goats could only be encountered deep in the wilderness
which is probably a good thing because demons are never trustworthy
the term he-goat may originally have meant hyena
but it could just of easily been borrowed from another religion of the day
for now it's just another mystery of the bible
in the book of revelation two great beasts are described
the first beast has 7 heads, 10 horns and a crown atop each horn
it's feet are like the paws of a bear and it's mouth is that of a lion
it rises from the ocean and is able to regenerate it's health like a video game character
the beast has great power and authority
to the point where humans are in danger of worshiping his instead of god
the second beast of revelation rises from the earth
it's only description given is that it has 2 horns and speaks like a dragon
having arisen from the earth, it encourages humans to worship the first beast
declaring that all who disobey will be killed
he is a false prophet, and the first beast a false god
many were won over and were given the mark of the beast on their hand or forehead
which in early versions of revelation was the number 616
the bible makes numerous references to giants
the most famous being Goliath, who was killed by a young shepherd with a sling
which I think is a pretty embarrassing way for a giant to die
but I try not to judge
he was just one of an entire race of giants,
who according to legend were born to human mothers and angel fathers
according to the book of Enoch their height stood at 300 cubits
that's around 450 feet tall
in the 1700s, when dinosaur fossils were regularly discovered
many believed it was evidence of the giants mentioned in the bible
one of the most mysterious characters from the bible is Abaddon
the archangel of death, he resides in a vast bottomless pit
a pit none can escape
his name means doom, and he is king of an army of locusts
but Abaddon's locusts are highly unusual
monstrously large and will the stinger of a scorpion
they have human like faces and a body hard as iron
emerging from the pit at Abaddon's will
the locusts torment humanity for 5 months at a time
so I think we should find that pit and fill it with dynamite
the book of Daniel features four bizarre monsters
appearing before Daniel during a vision he was experiencing
the four beasts emerged from the sea
one is a bear like creature who constantly feasts on flesh
another is a lion with large wings
the third is a leopard with four heads and two sets of wings
worst of all it a dragon with teeth made of iron
this one has the power to destroy the entire world
according to tradition, they each represent one of the 4 great kingdoms of the ancient world
quite what those kingdoms are has long been debated
but on the bright side none of them destroyed the world
of all the monsters and mysteries of the bible
none are more notorious than the Leviathan
a gigantic creature, it lives deep in the ocean, rarely being seen by humans
as it swims massive waves are left in it's waves, destroying any ship nearby
it is a colossal sea dragon, with fire in it's mouth and smoke flowing from it's nose
no earth creature could survive a Leviathan attack
and no weapon is able to penetrate it's stone like flesh
some say the Leviathan is a metaphor for Babylon
a great power of the ancient world and enemy of the Israelites