Leviathan (creature)

"—What power calls you++ / ++Down to the deep?— / ++What instinct draws you— / —Away from high hope?++ / —Quick-breeding krill people, I tell you++ / ++For eons I have watched your struggle— / —Clinging to the sharp edge of survival++ / ++Balanced between the Deep and the Sky.— / ++You were my treasure— / —My proof against despair++"

- Leviathan

The Leviathan was a massive intelligent creature that resided deep within the ocean of the gas giant Fundament long ago. It was a disciple of the Traveler, and aided in imprisoning the five Worm Gods within the planet's core. The proto-Hive revered it, though they considered it mythical, and would swear oaths upon it. When the proto-Hive sisters Xi Ro, Sathona, and Aurash dove into Fundament's depths in search of a secret that would prevent the Syzygy, an alignment of the gas giant's fifty-two moons that would create a global tidal wave of catastrophic proportions, the Leviathan met them. Communicating with magnetic fields, it attempted to persuade them to return to the surface and follow the way of the Traveler and the Light, warning them against the seduction of the Deep, but the sisters rejected its pleas because it offered no way to end their species' suffering and avert the Syzygy.

Later, after the sisters had made a pact with the Worms, becoming the Hive and ravaging Fundament, the Leviathan tried to escape the planet's surface and take shelter with the Ammonites of Fundament's moons. The Ammonites sent their best forces to protect the Leviathan, whom they revered almost as much as the Traveler, but the Hive saw this as an opportunity. In one fell swoop, the Hive slew the Leviathan and destroyed the Ammonite civilization, forcing the Traveler to flee for its safety. The Leviathan's corpse was fed to the Worm Gods Eir and Yul.

Trivia

 * The Leviathan may be the inspiration and namesake of the Cabal Emperor Calus' flagship, the Leviathan. He refers to it as representing "a mythical beast from the dreams of worms," perhaps referring to the Worms of the Hive and their shared history with the Leviathan on Fundament . Additionally, the Drifter describes the Leviathan spacecraft as "a giant fish," which may allude to its being patterned after the Leviathan creature.
 * However, concept art by Bungie artist Dorje Bellbrook suggests that the Leviathan is instead designed to resemble a massive land-dwelling worm-like creature from the Cabal homeworld that consumed entire cities. Images of smaller versions of these creatures can be seen in gold relief throughout the Leviathan.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Taken King