Leviathans
There are thing much older than souls in Purgatory...Long before God created angel and man he created the first beasts. Leviathans. I personally found them entertaining but he was concerned they'd chomp the entire Petri dish. So he locked them away. Why do you think he created Purgatory? To keep those clever, poisonous things out.
– Death, 7.01 Meet The New Boss
History
Leviathans, aka the Old Ones, are beings that pre-date humans, monsters, angels and even souls. They were among the first, if not the original creations of God and were creatures of pure chaos. Death describes them as immensely powerful and hungry. Before God went on to create more creatures, however, the Leviathans threatened to consume and destroy everything "in the petri dish". For this reason God created Purgatory and sealed the Leviathans inside to contain their hunger.
When Castiel opened the door to Purgatory in order to take in the power of the souls from there, he also took on the Leviathans. With the help of Sam, Dean and Bobby, he finally expels the souls back to Purgatory, but the Leviathans remain. [1]
Episodes
7.01 Meet The New Boss
Whilst absorbing all the souls from Purgatory, Castiel also unwittingly took in the Leviathans and added their power to his own. However, he was unable to contain them and the souls for long and had no choice but to return the souls to Purgatory with the assistance of Dean, Sam and Bobby. But the Leviathans remained behind and, without the power of the souls to hold them back, assumed control of Castiel's vessel, declaring the angel dead and attacking Dean and Bobby with manic delight, remarking: "Oh this is going to be so much fun."
Leviathans in Lore
- In the Judeo-Christian tradition a Leviathan is a giant sea monster, described in the Book of Job Source
- The Talmud Baba Batra 75b states that the archangels Michael and Gabriel will be the ones who slay the Leviathan. Other legends say God will slay the beast. Source: Leviathan in Judaism
- Death also refers to the Leviathans as "The Old Ones" a term used by H.P. Lovecraft in the Cthulhu mythos to describe ancient powerful alien beings who come to Earth. A race called the Old Ones also features in Stephen King's Dark Tower Series.
References
- Sera Gamble and Bob Singer talk about Leviathans with AOLTV
