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 Bahamut by Hazmat Modine, the book takes the reader on a surreal, recursive journey through a dream world searching for the unknown and unseen Bahamut. Rooted in an ancient arabic cosmology described by Zakariya al-Qazwini, and 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 – as the universe shrinks, the mind expands.
The Story of Bahamut (Flip Book)
(Best on tablet or bigger - on mobile, use landscape mode for page spreads)
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 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)
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.
A Companion Website
A companion website for The Story of Bahamut could provide additional content for community engagement including:
- A history of the origins and Arabic cosmology of Bahamut
- Downloadable colouring pages of the original pen and ink illustrations
- A moderated gallery of uploaded drawings of "Who is Bahamut??"
- Merchandise – postcards, posters etc.
- Links to a read-aloud companion audio and video of Bahamut performances
AUDIO
VIDEO
