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Chalkydri ( khalkýdrai, compound of χαλκός khalkós "brass, copper" + ὕδρα hýdra "Lernaean Hydra", "water-serpent" — lit. "brazen hydras", "copper serpents") are mythical creatures mentioned in the Jewish apocrypha Second Book of Enoch from the 1st century CE, often seen as an species.Gustav Davidson. (1967). A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels. Entries: 'Chalkydri' (p. 84) and 'Phoenixes' (p. 224).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 900 measures in size with the head of a crocodile and the feet and tail like that of a lion, each having twelve wings, and are empurpled like the color of the rainbow. Both the chalkydri and phoenixes are referred to as "flying elements of the Sun" in the Second Book of Enoch.Rutherford H. Platt, Jr. (1926). The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden. Entry: The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, chapter XII.Kulik, Alexander (2010). 3 Baruch: Greek-Slavonic Apocalypse of Baruch. Page 250. De Gruyter. . Retrieved 22 August 2024. At sunrise, all the chalkydri break into song with their counterparts, alerting the birds of the world for a new day to rejoice.Louis Ginzberg. (1909). Legends of the Jews. Entry: The Creation of the World: The Sixth Day.
The name has been interpreted as a translation of Nehushtan, the bronze serpent constructed by Moses to protect the Israelites from attacks by fiery flying serpents, and destroyed by King Hezekiah as idolatrous, from Hebrew into Greek.
Similarities to the story of the chalkydri and phoenixes mentioned in the Second Book of Enoch can be found in the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, which mentions a story of Baruch seeing a large bird flying around the Sun said to guard the Earth who an angel identifies as a phoenix.
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