Leviathan (Fundament)

This article is about the Fundament creature. For other uses, see Leviathan.

The Leviathan
Political and military information
Affiliation:	The Traveler The Ammonite
Notable info:	Disciple of the Traveler Kept the Worm Gods imprisoned within the core of Fundament Killed by the Hive, its corpse was fed to Eir and Yul

"—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. It was a disciple of the Traveler, and aided it in imprisoning the six Worm Gods in the planet's core. The Krill revered it, though they considered it mythical, and would swear oaths upon it.

Biography

The history of the Leviathan is mostly unknown; it is unclear whether it originated on Fundament or traveled there from somewhere else. According to the creature known as Ahsa, Fundament was once home to a species of "proto-Worm" beings who lived in peace on the Fundament.

The Leviathan guarded the Worm Gods imprisoned deep within Fundament's core, warning away any who might travel into the depths to find them. One day it encountered Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness, who ignored its warnings and crippled the giant creature by forcibly removing one of its ribs. Rhulk proceeded onward to find the Worm Gods, who he conscripted into the servitude of the Witness.

The Worm Gods would become seduced by the Witness's philosophy, causing them to fight amongst themselves and slay one another in order to achieve ascendancy through the Sword Logic. Some of these beings later became the Worm Gods, while Ahsa managed to escape and left Fundament entirely. Although not outright stated, it is possible that the Leviathan is another survivor of the massacre.

When the Krill 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's 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.

Leviathan-Eater, Bane of the Ammonites is credited by the Hive with the kill. One of its ribs can be found in the Acquisition wing of the Sunken Pyramid, kept from Rhulk's duel.

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 described 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 (First mentioned)
• Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Witch (Mentioned only)