The Story of Bahamut
The Story of Bahamut is an illustrated cosmic fable inspired by mythology, music, and the boundless imagination of childhood. Adapted from the evocative lyrics of the song Bahamut by Hazmat Modine, the book takes the reader on a surreal, recursive journey in search of the unknown and unseen Bahamut. Inspired by Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings, The Story of Bahamut evokes a visual and poetic meditation on wonder, scale, and the mysteries of our collective existence.
This journey through a dream world in search for the unseen Bahamut is rooted in an ancient Iranian cosmology described by Zakariya al-Qazwini, a 13th-century Persian cosmographer and geographer. According to his account, Bahamut is a creature that lies deep below at the very base of a structure that holds up the earth, which is shouldered by an angel who stands on a slab of gemstone, supported by a cosmic beast, an ox called Kuyutha. Bahamut carries this bull on its back as it swims suspended in water.
The Story of Bahamut (Flip Book)
(Best on tablet or bigger - on mobile, use landscape mode for page spreads)
Get a Copy
Now that the book is completed, I plan to do a small run of the book as a print-proof – I need to have a physical thing in my hand and flip through the real pages to get a true sense of it – besides which, it's a cool thing to have!
Since I'll be doing this print run, I thought I'd offer my subscribers an opportunity to get in on the action and get a physical copy as well.
I'll be working with a Canadian print-on-demand company, and I will do the internal die-cutting by hand. The book will be an 8" x 8", 54-page, full-colour, hardcover publication. Depending on the size of the print run, it'll cost about $25 to print.
Bahamut Mythology
From Wikipedia.
Bahamut, or Bahamoot (/bəˈhɑːmuːt/ bə-HAH-moot; Arabic: بهموت), according to Zakariya al-Qazwini, is a monster that lies deep below, underpinning the support structure that holds up the earth.
In this conception of the world, the earth is shouldered by an angel, who stands on a slab of gemstone, which is supported by the cosmic beast (ox) sometimes called Kuyutha'(/Kuyuthan)/Kiyuban/Kibuthan (plausibly a corruption or misrendering of Hebrew לִוְיָתָן "Leviathan"). Bahamut carries this bull on its back, and is suspended in water for its own stability.
Project Credits
Illustrations
Illustrations are created by Hanif Janmohamed (The Reluctant Illustrator) with a Lamy ink pen on Ohuhu paper and coloured using Procreate on an iPad.
Hanif Janmohamed is a designer, visual artist, and illustrator whose work has been exhibited at The Design Museum (London), MOCA-LA, the Milan Triennale, the AGO, the VAG and many other galleries. Hanif was born in Kenya, and moved to British Columbia in the 1970s. He is educated in England, Canada, USA and Italy and publishes his drawings and writings in a weekly blog as The Reluctant Illustrator.
Text
The text is from lyrics by Wade Schuman for the song Bahamut, performed by Hazmat Modine, and is used with the permission of the songwriter.
HAZMAT MODINE has toured the world, from Borneo to British Columbia, China to India, Brazil to New Zealand; throughout Europe and into Siberia. The band distills American music into an essence from its myriad forms: Blues, Country, R&B, Rock-n-Roll, Jazz, Gospel, World Music, Soul, Roots... Yet it adds to this mixture something raw and mysterious that feels familiar and new. (Text from Bandcamp)
AUDIO
