Theli (dragon)

{{Short description|Jewish mystical cosmic dragon}}

Theli ({{Langx|he|{{Script/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[https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_Yetzirah.6.1-2?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Sefer Yetzirah 6:1-2], Sefaria of the Sefer Yetzirah. He is described as "above the universe, as a king on his throne". 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.Andrew Scharf, The Universe of Shabbetai Donnolo, (Warminster, England, Aris & Phillips LTD, 1976), pp. 11-34 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,Commentaire sur le Sefer Yetsirah, translated by Mayer Lambert (Lagresse: Verdier, 2001), p. 73 although Isidor Kalisch identified Theli with Draco.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 Ibn Ezra remarked that he was uncertain of what Theli constituted, instead identifying him with Leviathan as a tannin, or sea monster.[https://www.sefaria.org/Ibn_Ezra_on_Isaiah.27.1.3?ven=Commentary_of_Ibn_Ezra_on_Isaiah_-_trans._by_M._Friedlander,_1873&lang=bi Ibn Ezra on Isaiah], Sefaria The Vilna Gaon shares this identification of Theli as a tannin, while still asserting its supremacy over the signs of the zodiac.[https://www.sefaria.org/HaGra_on_Sefer_Yetzirah_Gra_Version.6.1.7?vhe=Sefer_Yetzirah,_Warsaw_1884&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en HaGra on Sefer Yetzriah 6:1:7], Sefaria

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.