That's the story of Hiwwa and Hiyya, the sons of Shemhazai, one of the fallen angels.

Now, Shemhazai wasn't just any angel gone rogue. He was a pretty big deal, and his kids, well, they had some serious prophetic dreams, as we read in Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg).

Picture this: Hiwwa dreams of a massive stone, so big it covers the entire Earth. This stone isn't blank; it's covered in writing, lines upon lines of it. Then, an angel appears. But this isn't a comforting angel. This one has a knife and starts obliterating all that writing, leaving only four letters behind. What could those letters possibly mean? The weight of that dream alone… you can almost feel it, right?

Hiyya’s dream is equally unsettling. He sees a beautiful, lush pleasure grove, filled with every kind of tree imaginable. It’s paradise. But then, the scene turns dark. Angels arrive with axes, and they begin chopping down all the trees. All except one, a single tree that’s left standing with only three branches. What a stark image of destruction and loss!

These aren't your run-of-the-mill bad dreams. These are visions, heavy with symbolism.

When Hiwwa and Hiyya wake up, terrified, they rush to their father, Shemhazai, for answers. "Dad, what does it all mean?" Can you imagine the fear in their voices?

Shemhazai, with his fallen angel wisdom, delivers a chilling interpretation: "God will bring a deluge, and none will escape with his life, excepting only Noah and his sons." Boom. The end of the world. Can you imagine the horror?

The two brothers break down, crying and screaming. Their world is literally about to end! But Shemhazai, despite his own impending doom, tries to comfort them. "Soft, soft! Do not grieve," he says. "As often as men cut or haul stones, or launch vessels, they shall invoke your names, Hiwwa! Hiyya!"

Wait, what? So, even in the face of global annihilation, there's a promise of remembrance, a strange kind of immortality. Every time someone builds, every time someone sails, they'll unknowingly speak the names of Shemhazai's sons.

This prophecy soothes them, at least a little. It's a bittersweet comfort, isn't it? The world might end, but their names will live on. It's a fascinating detail, this idea that even beings associated with darkness and destruction can find a place in the collective human memory. What does it say about us, that we remember even those who brought about catastrophe?

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What kind of legacy are we building? What stories will be told about us long after we're gone? And who will remember our names?