Rahav

Contributed by Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis

A cosmic sea monster. The Talmud call him the "Prince of the Sea," echoing a Canaanite name for their sea god, "Prince River." God slew him when he refused to help in creating the earth. The lethal stink of his carcass is concealed by the oceans, which is why they smell so strange.1 Rahav may be an alternative name for Leviathan, though some sources treat them as two different entities.

Article copyright © 2004 Geoffrey Dennis.

References

Notes

  1. B.B. 74b.