Godzilla Minus One
Toho Studios
A meme sparked by an odd conspiracy theory involving the Leviathan, sea beast of biblical legend, has risen on social media.
The bizarre theory inspired a wave of posts which repeat the phrase, “the Leviathan is waking up near Virginia.”
What Is The Leviathan Theory?
One unexpected fallout of the monster storm that hit the U.S. was the resulting commentary on Facebook and Threads, with conspiratorial users claiming that the winter weather had been artificially engineered to hide the Leviathan.
Apparently, the gargantuan sea monster has been awakened from a long slumber.
The world is a magical place for some social media users, and Leviathan-enthusiasts saw what they believed to be the creature in a weather map, the post pointing to a shape that resembles a great sea serpent.
The last few years has seen fantastical conspiracy theories spread through the internet, cross-pollinating with strands of mythology, theology, digital folklore and ironic memes, resulting in increasingly unreal narratives.
This isn’t even the first time that Facebook users have spotted the Leviathan on Google Earth, but the theory appears to have been given a dramatic boost by the arrival of the ice storm.
The Leviathan isn’t the only icy meme to have been inspired by the winter weather, but it’s surely the strangest.
What Exactly Is The Leviathan?
The Leviathan is a fearsome sea monster referenced in the Hebrew Bible.
Engraving by Gustave Dore (1832 – 1883), Isaiah prophesies the destruction of the Leviathan—scan by Ivan Burmistrov
getty
An archetypal sea monster, the Leviathan is said to be like a dragon, a serpent or a multi-headed Lovecraftian entity—any version will do, and in this case, theorists have settled on the sea serpent variant.
Like Godzilla and Kong, the Leviathan has an enormous, land-dwelling counterpart known as the Behemoth (perhaps it will be the next titan to awaken).
While conspiracy theorists have chosen to take the Leviathan literally, the monster is commonly interpreted as a metaphor, representative of chaos and sin.
Outside of the conspiratorial circle, screenshots were shared in disbelief across social media, sparking mockery and memes.
Social Media Welcomes The Leviathan
On X, many commentators took a liking to the idea of a kaiju approaching U.S. shores, and expressed their support for the sea beast.
Others couldn’t help but nitpick the “plot holes” in the theory.
One user even posted their favorite depiction of the Leviathan, which has taken many weird and wonderful forms over the centuries.
The biblical story is about divine order defeating primordial chaos, as the Leviathan is destroyed by God, echoing similar legends across history, such as Thor slaying the World Serpent.
Perhaps the conspiracy theory could be interpreted as a metaphor, the beast representing the chaos unleashed by the monstrous storm.
Admittedly, that isn’t nearly as much fun as the Leviathan waking up near Virginia.