Many, many years ago, several centuries before the birth
of Christ, in the sumptuous and pagan Babylon, there
lived a young exile from Jerusalem named Daniel. The
King of the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar, held the young
man in high esteem because of his wisdom and he often
invited him to his table. Daniel knew how to interpret
dreams and his prophecies were always fulfilled, which
is why Nebuchadnezzar felt obliged to ask his advice.
However, the prophet, who came from the tribe of Judah,
was not able to convince the powerful monarch that the
stone and metal idols which the Babylonians worshipped
were false.
At that
time, in the city of Babylon, there lived a
dragon called Tannin who was worshipped as a god.
Tannin, who had made a pact of friendship and
goodwill with the Babylonians, lived in the
temple of Bel, where there were priests and
servants to take care of his needs and where the
same Nebuchadnezzar often visited him, for he
was an ancient and wise dragon.
One day, when Daniel had demonstrated to the
Babylonian monarch the falsity of the god Bel,
Nebuchadnezzar asked him angrily:
'And why don't you worship the dragon god? You
cannot deny that the dragon is alive. He is not
made of stone or metal like the other gods in
this land.'
'He is alive but he is not a god, for he can die
and gods do not die', replied the prophet.
'He has been alive since the time when my father
and his father were young, and even long before.
He has lived in the temple for countless
generations of men, and there is nobody who
remembers when he was born. He eats and drinks
and speaks with wisdom, and he is very
knowledgeable. I do not imagine or believe that
he will ever die. He is without a doubt a god',
retorted Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel then wanted to demonstrate to the King that the
dragon could die and was therefore no different from
other creatures. He made cakes of pitch and sheep's fat
and wool, and gave them to the poor, trusting Tannin,
who, accustomed to being given food by men, did not
suspect anything and ate them.
The poisoned cakes soon began to work and the dragon
died in two days. Thus the king of the Babylonians was
convinced that Tannin was mortal, and he lost his wise
dragon god forever.
