“ | So, imagine a beastie like this: it has a long snout and pours smoke from its nostrils. It breathes fire. Got wings and can fly. It lives inside a mountain hoardin' its treasure. And finally, it eats livestock and female virgins, too. Yeah, y'know what that is, right? Well, what if I told ya that it was the God of the Israelites? No? Well, strap yer tin foil hat on 'cause this is the real world we're livin' in. | „ |
~ John Constantine |
Yahweh, or YHWH, was the national god of the kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Judah, with origins reaching at least to the early Iron Age and apparently to the Late Bronze Age.
Yahweh is also the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible and an avatar He assumed to which the original God that Yahweh separated from is known as El. Interestingly, this avatar of Yahweh acts as the stereotypical depiction of a dragon in where he devours livestock, edible sacrifices like virgin women, resides in mountains, and emphasizes the preciousness of copper.
Description[]
This particular avatar of God is painted as a vengeful, divine warrior who more often than not violently annihilates his enemies. More than that, the Hebrew Bible uses a set of specific imageries repeatedly to describe his physical presence on Earth ultimately leaving us with an undeniable image of none other than incredibly powerful dragon. The imagery of Yahweh assuming the form of a divine dragon is interesting given that dragons or serpents in general were often regarded as enemies in biblical tales.
When Yahweh ordered Moses to create an idol it involved the crafting of a serpent made of copper intertwined around a wooden pole. This idol, known as Nehushtan, is the only idol that Yahweh ever permitted and thus could imply that the idol was a likeness of his own.
In ancient Israel, Yahweh may have been seen as a beast with many draconic features and these features in general have even been described in many verses throughout the Old Testament. One example is Yahweh explaining that a fire is kindled within his nostrils that will burn through the lowest Hell and it shall consume the Earth with its increase and set ablaze the foundations of the mountains. In Psalms, it describes Yahweh as having smoke going up from his nostrils and devouring fire from out of his mouth. However, there is ancient discourse that Yahweh's long nostrils could be a metaphor for his presence and intervention.
History[]
Old Testament[]
Unlike most avatars of God, the god of the Israelites was highly believed to be a physical draconid entity. If Yahweh was in fact a dragon, he was perhaps one of many powerful dragons to guide the people of Earth and essentially act as a surrogate of the Almighty creator. While Yahweh was given form due to God's current emotional turmoil another reason was that in the vast universe God would have better things to do, such as repairing the natural order of creation, than be so deeply involved in the characteristically imperfect world of humans. So, He sent an avatar of Himself to act in His name.
This would explain why he required a massive portable tent known as the Tabernacle as recorded in Exodus. For 440 years, this building-sized tent was the supposed earthly dwelling of Yahweh, where offerings of prepared meals as well as sacrificed livestock were given on a daily basis, and a thick smoke was known to appear at the door when it was opened. However, this was far from the only instance that Yahweh accepted edible offerings.
Book of Numbers[]
In the Book of Numbers, Yahweh commands the prophet Moses and his army of 12,000 men to take revenge against the Midianites and wage bloody war on their people. After murdering every Midianite man and their leaders, pillaging their city, and capturing all the women and children, Moses commands his troops to kill all those who have had intercourse. Afterwards, Moses and his mend divide their plunder and give a portion of it to Yahweh, which includes 32 Midianite virgins who were never heard from again. Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from all the military commanders, all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects, and were given to Yahweh as a gift. It is believed that the reason why Yahweh prefers virgin females is because the pure, untainted blood of a virgin woman is sometimes implied to be equal in value to gold and is often used in a manner of currency.
During their long journey to the land of Edom, the Israelites struggle with hunger and dehydration in the wilderness and complain to Yahweh. But the Israelite god was annoyed by their grumbling and sent forth a rain of "fiery serpents", revealed to have been the Seraphim themselves who conjured serpents of fire, that bit the people thereby killing many of them. In the throes of desperation, the survivors begged the prophet Moses to pray to Yahweh and end their torment to which Moses obliged. Yahweh told Moses to craft a "fiery serpent" made of copper and set it upon on a pole, whereby those who look upon and worship the idol will not succumb to death once they are bitten by a snake.
Personality[]
The Bible describes Yahweh as the one true God who delivered Israel from Egypt and gave the Ten Commandments, "Then God spoke all these words." Unlike the common descriptions of God, Yahweh is depicted to Israel as a jealous and vengeful God who would not permit His people to make idols or follow gods of other nations or worship gods known by other names. Yahweh demanded the role of the one true God in the hearts and minds of Israel to the point where he even had the Israelites craft an idol for him and more than just permitting the idol, he essentially forces the Israelites to make and worship it by threatening their lives.
This personality of Yahweh has even garnered the Gnostics to make and worship a similar deity known as the Demiurge. The likely reason why Yahweh is depicted as such is possibly due to the fact that this is God who dealt with the War in Heaven, the fall of Lucifer, Asherah's leave of absence, and the downfall of his "prized creations." Gabriel believes that these events have taken an emotional toll on his Father and caused Him to grow bitter, wrathful, downtrodden, and even envious though He still retains His benevolence and merciful nature nonetheless. The archangel also notes that his father hid His inner sadness beneath His divine showings of bliss and love but in certain situations it would manifest in the form His wrath and vengeance. Lucifer, however, notes that "Yahweh" is a form that brings out the more tyrannical nature of his father and one that he prides himself on exploiting through his actions.