leviathan
[li-vahy-uh-thuhn]
noun
Bible., Often Leviathan a sea monster.
any huge marine animal, as the whale.
anything of immense size and power, as a huge, oceangoing ship.
Leviathan, a philosophical work (1651) by Thomas Hobbes dealing with the political organization of society.
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The deck of the ship was filled with activity as the sailors scrambled everywhere. They worked tirelessly to put out fires, struggled to repair any damage, and strived to keep the ship mobile. The smell of smoke and sound of cannon fire was everywhere.
“Damn it, get this tub turned around!” The captain roared. “Where’s the enemy now?”
“Which one, captain? There’s still at least four other ships out there.” The first mate replied over the din.
“Any of them!” The captain said.
The ship rocked as a cannonball hit the side. The captain cursed loudly. Men scrambled to find out which of the enemies had fired on them this time. They were the worst kind of opponents. Small, nimble vessels that could sail circles around theirs. Sure, each enemy only had a single small cannon on it, but when they could avoid all return fire, that was enough. And that was only the enemy vessels currently attacking them. There were several more, larger ships heading steadily towards them, cannons at the ready to do some real damage.
The captain rushed to find out where the latest attack had come from and he saw something that gave him pause. One of his men, a new hire, was not doing his duty. In fact, the man was kneeling by the side of the ship. The captain felt his jaw clench. He stormed over to the idle man.
“Listen here, you damn lazy bastard, get moving or else I’ll strap you to the side and make sure you take enemy fire for the rest of us!”
The man did not respond. By now, the captain was close enough to hear that the man was holding a small object and speaking. It sounded like a prayer.
“—who is guardian of the sea. He who watches over the waves, both above and below.”
The captain could understand praying to a higher power, but that could wait. A few choice words to some religious figure would not help them avoid sinking. The captain kept his march steady towards the praying man. All the while, the sailor kept his prayer steady.
“I, your humble servant, beseech your protection from harm. Those who would besmirch your ocean and cause harm to those within it.”
Another cannonball hit the ship. This one came from the front. The captain paused to bark out a few more orders to the sailors who were willing to work. The prayers of the man were getting louder and faster.
“I offer you this token to show my oath, my service, and my dedication.” The praying sailor tossed the object he held, a large coin, over the side of the ship. “I beg your aid now, in my time of need. Please, come forth, oh mighty Leviathan!”
The captain paused. Something happened when the man said that name. An echo of...something issued forth from the man’s mouth. A stillness came over the wind and waves. The captain was not sure if he imagined it or not, but it was like even the enemy ships had paused.
And then the ocean erupted.
A massive column of water burst upwards, taking one of the smaller attack ships with it. The craft shot into the air before dashing against the waves. A vast shadow moved under the water. Bigger than any whale, it moved like a serpent under the water. A massive, monstrous head emerged under one of the attackers, jaws large enough to swallow the small ship whole enclosed around it.
The sailors stopped to watch the sight. The beast’s scales were the color of the ocean at night. Fins larger than sails emerged from its back and teeth larger than swords lined its mouth. Yellow eyes larger than any man roved the battlefield. The enemy ships, both large and small, were doing the sensible thing and turning to flee. The man who had apparently summoned the massive beast was bowing with his head to the deck of the ship.
The sea serpent slid back under the water. Another small ship was destroyed, this time by a large fin that rose up under it. The fine cut through the wood as effectively as a blade. The final small vessel was destroyed by the massive beast’s tail, which rose up in front of it and came down like a hammer.
The larger ships were still in the process of turning when the beast’s attention turned to them. They only lasted longer than the smaller ships by virtue of being father away. It took only minutes for all of them to be sunk.
Once the task was done, the sea serpent rose, looked at their ship for a moment, and faded into the water as if it was never there. The captain’s heart raced as he carefully looked over the side of the ship, where he saw nothing but the water.
“The request fulfilled, the boon given.” The sailor said in prayer. “The offering made shall be given, the oath completed, upon my return to that which I call home. I give my thanks to great Leviathan, guardian of the sea and all the reside there.”
The prayer finished, the man rose. He turned and faced the captain, who stared at the man with an open mouth.
“All finished there, captain.” The man said. “If you don’t mind, sir, I’ll be getting back to my duties now.”
The captain stared for a moment, shook his head, cleared his throat, and addressed the man as if nothing had happened.
“Very good. See that you do.”
The man went about his tasks without a care in the world. The captain, all the men on board, had a list of questions a mile long. Not one of them asked. They had no idea how to even begin asking. How does one bring up the subject of a man able to summon a god?
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Respect the ocean everyone. You have no idea what might be lurking beneath the waves.
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