“It is the sum of all Evil gathered into one cell. There is a legend, known only to a select few, that speaks of a great dragon, Tathamet, the original incarnation of evil. The legend says that he was torn apart during an epic battle with Anu, and that the Burning Hells are built from his remains.”
- Tyrael
Tathamet was the second being to come into being after the Creation, which was created by Anu. His creation and death contributed to the birth of the Burning Hells.
The Beginning:
According to various tales, Anu was the first to come into being, and for some time he wandered the Creation, seeking complete purification. When he did, he erased all evil from his existence. However, good and evil could not exist if they were separate from each other, and this contributed to the creation of a new being - Tathamet, the seven-headed dragon, who was the sum of all Evil gathered into a single body. Although they were opposing beings, Anu and Tathamet were spiritually connected in the Pearl of Creation. They began to wage an endless battle that lasted countless eons.
The Birth of Hell:
“The Seven Evils arose from seven heads. Seven kingdoms were born from death. Corrupt, endless, cycles upon cycles.” - Adria
Tathamet, along with Anu, perished in the final battle they had created together. The blackened and smoking fragments of his body fell into the dark depths of reality. From his rotting corpse arose the realms of the Burning Hells and a race of demons that emerged from his remains like maggots from a corpse. Additionally, from his seven heads arose the Lords of Hell. The most powerful of his maws gave birth to the Prime Evils, while the smaller ones gave birth to the Lesser Evils
Fun Fact: Quote: The Dragon’s Rebirth -
“You mean Diablo desires to become that dragon?”
“In a sense, yes.”
- Nephalem and Tyrael
Countless centuries later, Tathamet, in a sense, returned. Diablo, the Lord of Terror, was able to combine the essences of the other six Evils into his body, becoming the Prime Evil. While he was defeated by the Nephalem in Heaven and his soul returned to the Black Soulstone, Diablo remained the Prime Evil, and through Malthael’s destruction of the Soulstone, he was freed once more.