Leviathan is the coiling many-headed sea-dragon of primeval chaos, the Israelite counterpart of the Ugaritic serpent Lotan slain by Baal and Anat. In the hymnic tradition Yahweh crushes the heads of Leviathan at creation and gives him as food to the desert creatures; in the divine speeches of Job he is an untameable monster whose breath kindles coals, whose scales turn the sword and whom no mortal can subdue. Isaiah projects the combat into the future, when on that day Yahweh with his hard and great sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and slay the dragon that is in the sea. He is frequently identified with Rahab and with the chaos-sea itself.