Banes of Job.
| “ | Long before God created man He made the first beasts. The "Banes of Job" as they were coined. They ruled over the three layers of the planet like the sky, the earth, and the seas, includin' all the inhabitant creatures. After the Flood they up an' vanished, most likely hibernatin' until the End Days and are kept that way under the power of the tablet that God gave Job after He showed 'em a virtual tour of the universe. If the pieces of that tablet are broken then we'll be set all the way back to the bloody prehistoric age. | „ |
| ~ John Constantine |
The Banes of Job, otherwise known as the First Beasts, or the Three Great Beasts, are collection of three beasts whom are regarded as the first and most powerful creatures ever to roam the Earth. The name also refers to a tablet given to Job by God that keeps the monsters at bay.
History[]
Genesis[]
The Banes of Job are the first beasts that were created by God long before He created Man. The first is Leviathan the primordial beast of the sea, the second is Behemoth the primordial beast of the Earth, and lastly is Ziz the primordial beast of the air. They each represent or are embodiments of the three layers that make up the planet being the sky, the earth, and the seas. They were said to be the only beasts that Adam and Eve cannot tame for they may tame the creatures they cannot tame forces of nature. They were also created to maintain a natural balance of nature and the animals.
However, after the War in Heaven, the very fundamental nature of creation itself shifted dramatically and among these disturbances was the animal kingdom turning against one another for the sake of survival as well against their former masters that being Adam and Eve. This also affected the three primordial beasts; Behemoth, Ziz, and the Leviathan itself. The effect caused them to turn against one another thereby spurning the three layers of what makes up the Earth as well as those that dwell within them into chaos. As a result, God was forced to separate these three mighty beasts lest they caused untold natural destruction upon the planet and its inhabitants.
Book of Job[]
The Great Beasts would not appear until God presented Job with the workings of the universe, with the beasts being among them as a way to display His majesty and power. God would then put Job to the test by having him capture these beasts only to fail as it was considered an impossible task further establishing the difference between God's viewpoint and Job's.
Though Job feared the power of the beasts and the sway they hold over the forces of nature, God decided to give Job a tablet as a mutual beneficiary pardon. The tablet itself keeps the Great Beasts dormant within their domains and should one be separated from the other it would awaken the Banes in response to their respective piece. The three pieces contain a part of the Banes of Job; a feather from Ziz, a tusk splinter from Behemoth, and a scale from the Leviathan.
Description[]
They are collectively known as the Banes of Job due to the fact that Job was once tasked with hunting down and capturing these monsters, a task which is considered to be impossible.
The name itself also refers to an ancient tablet, which is said to keep the three beasts of creation locked within their respective domains of which they rule with an iron fist. The tablet is joined into three pieces, each piece having the carving of the beast upon it. Once the three pieces are separated, it will conjure the three beasts of destruction back to the Earth, where they will lay waste to all that is around them. It is also said that those who are in possession of the tablet's pieces could control the Banes of Job to some degree but only to the extent that the primordial monsters themselves allow.
Leviathan will pollute the sea, Behemoth will fill the land with chasms and fissures, and Ziz will darken the sky, coating the land below in an endless shade. The three beasts are said to be the embodying forces of chaos and destruction, and are even said to be the elder creatures that ruled over the young Earth until their defeat at the hands of God.