Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 125

The idea of the Apocalypse, the end of the world, has been associated in many cultures with the appearance of great beasts that consume the whole of creation and bring an end to time. The best known in the West are undoubtedly the four Beasts of the Apocalypse described by St John. The implication is that there are many of these, but only three are described in detail. The first beast rises from the sea and has the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear and seven heads like those of the hydra, each with lion’s jaws. Each head has ten horns, bearing ten crowns. The second beast comes from the earth, and is described as having a similar appearance to the first but with a single head. Its horns are shorter and it has the voice of a dragon. The third creature is called the ‘Scarlet Beast’, and shares its appearance with that of the beasts from the sea and the land, except that it is red. The precise meanings of these creatures remains the subject of speculation.

Other apocalyptic creatures described in the Bible include the Tetramorphs, an ox, a man, a lion and an eagle, who together surround the throne of Christ; later they were to be seen as symbols of the four evangelists: Mark (the lion) representing Christ’s dignity, Luke (the winged ox) signifying sacrifice, Matthew (the man) representing the priesthood of Christ, and John (the eagle) symbolizing the Ascension and divinity of Christ. There are also four great horses: the white horse (conquest), the red horse (war), the black horse (famine) and the pale horse (death). Together these represent divine wrath and retribution and are ridden by the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The Old Testament mentions such mythical creatures as Leviathan, Behemoth and the Hayoth, all of which have apocalyptic aspects. In Greek mythology, the Titans, and in Hindu myths, the Asuras, are creatures that seem to represent the forces of creation out of control and rising up to overwhelm humanity.

In Islamic tradition, it is the heavenly cockerel, whose feet are upon the first sphere of heaven and whose head is in the seventh heaven just below the throne of Allah, who announces the world’s end. On the final day, the heavenly cockerel will crow for the last time and that will be the signal for the announcing angel to command that the dead rise up.