Summoner Saga - Ancient Serpent
(Original)
These require some explaining. In the evolution Christianity, there was some ambiguity around the concept of Hell. One of its predecessors was the Abyss, or in Hebrew, Tehom. This was an unfathomable void which existed before the creation of the world. In my interpretation, a soupy mess where all the elements of creation mixed together in a boggy quagmire. Later, when the modern concept of Hell was established, some demons were given the title of marquis. A marquis, in the late Middle Ages of Britain, was equivalent to a count whose territories were along the marches or borderlands of the kingdom. The final ingredient of this creature is the relationship between the Hebrew God and serpents. Early references place God in a serpent fighting role similar to Marduk, Baal, Ra, and others. This conflicts with the later interpretations of creatures like the Leviathan being creations of God. Why would an omnipotent deity need to struggle against something he himself created?Â
All of these combine into my creation of the ancient serpents, whose name also has biblical precedent. These are beings which existed before creation, knowing no master. They are mindless, savage beasts who exist only to fight, eat, and reproduce. While part of the Abyss they call home was used to make the world, the Abyss is infinite and unending. An unfathomable marshy expanse filled with warring serpents. When the fallen angels were cast down into the Abyss, they immediately set about creating the country of Hell, building walls to keep the dreadful serpents out. Some demonic nobles are “gifted” the position of marquis, and tasked with keeping the serpents from battering the walls down and invading Hell. While technically unable to kill the incorporeal shades and eternal spirits of demons, they can still cause massive damage. A war against the serpents would be a fruitless task; no matter how many are killed, more and more would show up in their place.
The designs were inspired by the oldest depictions of Mesozoic life, especially the ghastly front piece of The Book of the Great Sea Dragons by John Martin.Â
