Theli (dragon)

Short description: Jewish mystical cosmic dragon

Theli (Hebrew: תְּלִי, Təlī; also translated as Tali, Thele, T'li, etc.), according to the Sefer Yetzirah, the earliest extant work of Jewish mysticism, is a celestial being who surrounds the universe. Theli is briefly mentioned in two verses[1] of the Sefer Yetzirah, where he is described as "above the universe, as a king on his throne".[1] However, his overall purpose is never elaborated upon, and the Sefer Yetzirah itself does not attribute a particular form to Theli. Despite this, in the few sources which mention him, Theli is generally envisioned as a dragon.

Shabbethai Donnolo, in his commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah, the Hakhmoni, envisioned Theli as a "cosmic dragon" which possessed great power within the universe, and governed both planets and constellations.[2] Saadia Gaon, in his own commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah, sought to explain Theli in purely astronomical terms, and recognized he was not merely a constellation resembling a dragon,[3] although Isidor Kalisch identified Theli with Draco.[4] Ibn Ezra remarked that he was uncertain of what Theli constituted, instead identifying him with Leviathan as a tannin, or sea monster.[5] The Vilna Gaon shares this identification of Theli as a tannin, while still asserting its supremacy over the signs of the zodiac.[6]

The etymology of Theli is uncertain, and the term does not resemble tannin, nakhash (“serpent”), or any other Hebrew word which became associated with “dragon” in later Jewish thought.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sefer Yetzirah 6:1-2, Sefaria
2. ↑ Andrew Scharf, The Universe of Shabbetai Donnolo, (Warminster, England, Aris & Phillips LTD, 1976), pp. 11-34
3. ↑ Commentaire sur le Sefer Yetsirah, translated by Mayer Lambert (Lagresse: Verdier, 2001), p. 73
4. ↑ A.C. Sparavigna (2014). The Creation of the World in the Sefer Yetzirah. In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, vol. 3 n. 5, pp. 11-17. - ISSN 2305-3925
5. ↑ Ibn Ezra on Isaiah, Sefaria
6. ↑ HaGra on Sefer Yetzriah 6:1:7, Sefaria

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