Chalkydri ( grc, χαλκύδραι ''khalkýdrai'', compound of ''khalkós'' "brass, copper" + ''hýdra'' "
hydra", "water-serpent" — lit. "brazen hydras", "copper serpents") are
mythical creatures
A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be featured in historical account ...
mentioned in the
apocryphal Second Book of Enoch
The Second Book of Enoch (abbreviated as 2 Enoch and also known as Slavonic Enoch, Slavic Enoch or Secrets of Enoch) is a pseudepigraphic text in the apocalyptic genre. It describes the ascent of the patriarch Enoch, ancestor of Noah, through ten ...
from the 1st century CE, often seen as an
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
ic species.
[F.I. Andersen. (1983) ''2 (Old Bulgarian Apocalypse of) Enoch, a new Translation and Introduction'' in ed. James Charlesworth ''The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol 1''. p. 94. .] In the narrative, chalkydri dwell near the Sun and ran its course around the earth with it bringing heat and dew to the earth. The chalkydri and phoenixes are described as creatures with the head of a crocodile and the feet and tail like that of a lion, each having twelve wings, and are the color purple like the rainbow. The
phoenixes in Greek myth are not the same
mentioned here. At sunrise, all the chalkydri break into song with their counterparts, alerting the birds of the world for a new day to rejoice.
The name has been interpreted as a translation of
Nehushtan
In the biblical Books of Kings ( 2 Kings 18:4; written c. 550 BC), the Nehushtan (Hebrew: ''Nəḥuštān'' ) is the name given to the bronze image of a serpent on a pole. The image is described in the Book of Numbers, where Yahweh instructed M ...
, the bronze serpent constructed by
Moses to protect the Israelites from attacks by
fiery flying serpent
The fiery flying serpent (Hebrew: ''sārāf mə‘ōfēf'') is a creature mentioned in the Book of Isaiah in the Tanakh.
The term translated as "fiery serpent", ', appears elsewhere in the Book of Isaiah to signify the seraphim, the singular for ...
s, and destroyed by
King Hezekiah
Hezekiah (; hbo, , Ḥīzqīyyahū), or Ezekias); grc, Ἐζεκίας 'Ezekías; la, Ezechias; also transliterated as or ; meaning " Yah shall strengthen" (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Judah according to t ...
as idolatrous,
from Hebrew into Greek.
References
Angels
Book of Enoch
Jewish legendary creatures
Legendary creatures
Phoenix birds
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