Reading Notes: Folklore of the Holy Land, Part A

Moslem Cosmogony (cont.) from Folk-lore of the Holy Land: Moslem, Christian, and Jewish by E. Hanauer
When Allah was creating the world, he commanded a strong angel to support it. Then, Allah created a green emerald rock for the angel to stand on for support. Then, so that the rock had something to rest on, he created a massive bull. This is where earthquakes come from, and he is known as Behemoth. The bull stands on the back of a great whale which swims in an ocean created by Allah.

This story explains eclipses by saying "the monster" (I'm not sure if the author is talking about the whale or the bull). The eclipses end more quickly if worshippers offer prayers to Allah, prompting him to make the monster release the moon. If the sun is eclipsed, it is because Allah is angry and is warning people against sin.

A couple of points stood out to me from other stories in this unit, although were not the focus of their stories. I may want to come back to these when brainstorming stories:
-The story of Iblis sneaking back into Paradise in the hollow of the serpent's fangs
-The mention of Anak, daughter of Adam, described as "a vile woman and the first of witches"

(Behemoth by William Blake)

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