The Legend of Leviathan...a religious look

[Whitegravity]

Leviathan is commonly depicted as a great serpent of grandious proportions but what do we really know about this legend?
(quotes from www.wikipedia.org - the online encyclopedia)

A look from Judaism...

In Genesis the word Leviathan is mentioned in Rashi's commentary on Genesis 1:21: "God created the great sea monsters - Taninim" in Hebrew.
On this verse Rashi states: "According to legend this refers to the Leviathan and its mate. God created a male and female Leviathan, then killed the female and salted it for the righteous, for if the Leviathans were to procreate the world could not stand before them."

...what does this mean? And how does this fit in within the Genesis and creation? I'm curious and have discovered this article when looking up lore and legends. I also have here the Christian portion of the reference and will place it here. I am curious to what all this means in relation to what is and what isn't today.

The Christian view...
The Christian interpretation of Leviathan is often considered to be a demon associated with Satan or the Devil, and held by some to be the same monster as Rahab (Isaiah 51:9). The Biblical references to Leviathan appear to have evolved from a Canaanite legend involving a confrontation between Hadad (Baal) and a seven headed sea monster which Hadad defeats, and they also resemble the Babylonian creation epic "Enuma Elish" in which the storm god Marduk slays his mother, the sea monster and goddess of chaos and creation Tiamat and creates the earth and sky from the two halves of her corpse.

I've placed it here because it has ties with Judaism and may also have ties with other beliefs. And besides, I find this to be a very interesting subjects and just wished to share it with you all.

Edit...

And it should have ties with the Norse Pantheon concerning Tiamat, I believe, as the embodiment of the sea herself. More the reason to have it here.

 

[The Bible Thumper]

Leviathan was described as a sea monster that symbolises pride. That's it. No Satan, no Baal, no nothing. Just a symbol of pride.

 

[Whitegravity]

Wow and it says under that Genesis 1:21: "God created the great sea monsters - Taninim" does that qualify that God created 'Pride' one of the 7 deadly sins and therefor consecrated something foul for a greater good? Your idea doesn't register for me there, thumper...

 

[e=mv^2]

Taninim means alligator in hebrew.

Genesis 1:21 is about God creating the great beasts of the sea. Squids and Whales... I do not see leviathan mentioned here.
KJV

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good

ASV

And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.

does that qualify that God created 'Pride' ...

No. See the last 6 words of Genesis 1:21 - God saw that it was good.