that derives from Hebrew poetry in which all of nature gets involved in everything. When things go well, the hills dance and the trees clap their hands. When things are bad, the stars fall from the sky, and nature falls into disarray. This is exactly what happens here. Satan is about to attempt something that is utterly catastrophic, so his tail swings around and a third of the universe collapses.4 While the woman is in labor, the dragon prepares to ravenously eat up the child. The image is revolting