Enuma Elish

Marduk, the heroic deity of the Enuma Elish.

Enûma Eliš (also transliterated Enuma Elish) is the Babylonian or Mesopotamian creation epic. It was first discovered by modern scholars in fragmentary form in the ruined library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, near Mosul, Iraq).

Enûma Elish has about a thousand lines and was recorded in Akkadian on seven clay tablets. Several additional finds have supplemented gaps in the original tables. However, the majority of Tablet V has never been recovered.

This epic is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview, centered on the supremacy of the god Marduk and the creation of mankind as the servants of the gods. Its primary original purpose, however, seems to be the elevation of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, above other older Mesopotamian deities.

This epic dates to the eighth century B.C.E. However, scholars believe that it contains elements of much older stories. Many see a connection between Enuma Elish and the creation story of Genesis 1, as well Canaanite mythology explaining the supremacy of Baal over other older gods.

Summary

The title of Enuma Elish means "When on High," derived from the story’s opening line. The epic describes two primeval gods: Apsu (representing the upper, fresh waters) and Tiamat (goddess of the lower, salt waters), whose fluids join to generate creation. Several other gods spring from the union of the original pair. However, disharmony prevails, and Apsu is provoked to move against the younger gods. Ea, at the time the most powerful of the deities, learns of the plan, puts Apsu to sleep, and kills him. Ea then begets a son, Marduk, greater still than himself.

Tiamat is persuaded to take revenge for the death of her husband. Her power grows, and some of the gods join her. She elevates Kingu as her new husband and gives him supreme dominion. The other gods are unable to resist Kingu’s power and elect the young Marduk as their champion. In a mighty battle, he defeats and kills Tiamat and forms the world from her corpse.

The gods who sided with Tiamat are initially forced to labor in the service of the other gods. Eventually they are freed from their servitude when Marduk decides to slay Kingu and use his blood to create humankind to serve the gods. Babylon is established as the residence of the chief gods. Finally, the gods confer kingship on Marduk, hailing him with fifty titles.

Particularly noteworthy is Marduk's symbolic elevation over Enlil, who was seen by earlier Mesopotamian civilizations as the king of the gods. Scholars believe Enuma Elish may have served to explain or justify Marduk’s replacement of Enlil, as well as Babylon’s superiority over other more ancient religious centers.

The Tablets

First tablet

Apsu and Tiamat mingle their waters together, causing Tiamat to give birth to heaven and earth, as well as the other deities. As the ages roll and various other divinities come into existence, including Ea, the god of intellect. However, discord arises, causing Tiamat great discomfort and preventing the primordial couple from taking their rest. Apsu conspires with his first-born, Mummu, and plans to slay the younger gods. Tiamat, however, could not abide this, and she "writhed in lonely desolation."

"Why must we destroy the children that we made?" Tiamat demanded. "If their ways are troublesome, let us wait a little while." Apsu, however, approved of Mummu's, kissing him.

Here Ea comes to the rescue. He speaks order out of chaos, charming the waters and causing Apsu to fall asleep and drown. He also subdues Mummu, and reigns in Apsu's place. Ea builds his abode over the abyss and there with his consort Damkina conceives Marduk, who plays the decicive role in the rest of lengend.

In the deep abyss he was conceived, MARDUK was made in the heart of the apsu, MARDUK was created in the heart of the holy apsu. Ea begot him and Damkina bore him, father and mother; he sucked the paps of goddesses, from his nurses he was fed on the terrib leness that filled him.

Marduk is so powerful and glorious that the other gods become jealous and complain to Tiamat:

Remember Apsu in your heart, your husband, remember Mummu who was defeated; now you are all alone, and thrash around in desolation, and we have lost your love, our eyes ache and we long for sleep. 'Rouse up, our Mother! Pay them back and make them empty like the wind.'

The mighty sea-goddess approves of their plan and creates powerful weapons. She spawns terrible fanged serpents, as well as hurricanes, hell-hounds, she-monsters and scorpion-men, a total of 11 types of horrifying monsters in all. Finally, she raises her son Kingu as her general, clothing him with royal raiment, and naming him as her spouse. Tiamat grants Kingu dominion over all of the other gods, and laying on his breast the Tablets of Destiny.

Ea receives the news of Tiamat's plan to avenge Apsu. He consults with his grandfather, the god Ansar, who advises him to attempt to placate Tiamat. He attempt to do this but cannot and returns "cringing." Ansar's son Anu likewise tries to face Tiamat but cannot withstand. Finally, the gods together decide that the only one equal to the task is Marduk. The declare him to be the greatest of them all and elect him as their leader and king.

They bestowed upon him the scepter, and the throne, and the ring. They give him an invincible weapony which overwhelmeth the foe. “Go, and cut off the life of Tiamat, And let the wind carry her blood into secret places."

Marduk arms for combat with mighty weapons, flame, and lightning bolts. He makes a net if seven winds to entrap “the inward parts” of Tiamat. He then confronts the fearsome goddess of the sea and her own champion, Kingu.

Seeing Marduk’s awesome character, Kingu loses his nerve, and his companions suffer a similar loss of morale. Tiamat, however, rages against him will all her power.

“Let then thy host be equipped, let thy weapons be girded on!” cries Marduk. “Stand! I and thou, let us join battle!”

When Tiamat these words, "she was like one posessed," uttering wild, piercing cries.

She trembled and shook to her very foundations. She recited an incantation, she pronounced her spell. And the gods of the battle cried out for their weapons.

Tiamat and Marduk advance toward one another and Tiamat opens her horrible maw to its full extent to devour Maduk. However, he releases a mighty wind which fills and bursts her belly. He then pierces her internal organs and her very heart. Casting her body down, Marduk stands in triumphant on the body of the slain mother of the gods.

Marduk proceeds to capture the gods who sided with Tiamat and to break their weapons. They "fill the world with their cries of grief." He then defeats Kingu and takes from him the coveted Tablets of Destiny.

Finally, Marduk then smashes Tiamat’s skull with his club and splits her into like a huge fish or clam. One half of he titanic body becomes the sky. Then, "he stretched the immensity of the firmament, he made Esharra, the Great Palace, to be its earthly image, and Anu and Enlil and Ea had each their right stations."

Next Marduk creates the Zodiac, heavenly bodies, and the god of the Sun. From the remained of Tiamat's body, "He skimmed spume from the bitter sea, heaped up the clouds, spindrift of wet and wind and cooling rain, the spittle of Tiamat.

With his own hands from the steaming mist he spread the clouds. He pressed hard down the head of water, heaping mountains over it, opening springs to flow: Euphrates and Tigris rose from her eyes, but he closed the nostrils and held back their springhead. He piled huge mountains on her paps and through them drove water-holes to channel the deep sources; and high overhead he arched her tail, locked-in to the wheel of heaven; the pit was under his feet, between was the crotch, the sky's fulcrum. Now the earth had foundations and the sky its mantle.

Finishing this great work of creation, Marduk turned toward the making of temples. The gods rejoice at Marduk's wonderful work, and fall prostrate at his feet in worship. Even his parents, Ea and Damkina declare: "In time past Marduk meant only "the beloved son" but now he is king indeed, this is so!"

Babylon is established as the home of the gods.

Marduk then decides to make humankind as the servants of the gods.

'Blood to blood I join, blood to bone I form an original thing, its name is MAN, aboriginal man

is mine in making.

With Ea's advice a great assembly is called to decide which one of the gods will be sacrificed to embue mankind with life. The rebellious faction agree that it should be Kingu, the one who stirred up their revolt. "They bound and held him down in front of Ea, they cut his arteries and from his blood they created man."

The myth concludes with a hymn of praise to Marduk

Enuma Elish and Genesis

Genesis and Enuma Elish creation myth comparisons One of the two Bible creation myths was probably derived from the much older Mesopotamian creation myth "Enuma Elish."

The six days of creation in the Genesis myth parallel the six generations of gods in the Enuma Elish myth in type of god in Enuma Elish that is created (i.e. god of the earth) to what is created or happens on the corresponding day in Genesis (i.e. the waters are gathered together to expose dry land).

Marduk the sixth generation god makes man as a slave so the other gods can rest.

God (Elohim) makes man on the sixth day and he himself rests.

The Enuma Elish six generations of gods:

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Tiamat and Apsu (1rst generation) who created

Lahamu (2nd generation) who created

Kishar (3rd generation) who created

Anu (4rth generation) who created

Ea (5th generation) who created

Marduk (6th generation).

To read the entire Enuma Elish Creation myth click here: Entire Enuma Elish Creation Myth

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Simularities Between Enuma Elish and Genesis

1rst generation of gods and 1rst day of Genesis creation:

(From start of Enuma Elish)

When on high the heaven had not been named, Firm ground below had not been called by name, Naught but primordial Apsu, their begetter, And Mummu-Tiamat, she who bore them all, Their waters commingling as a single body;

Apsu is the god of water.

Tiamat is the god of primeval chaos and bearer of the sky and the earth.

(Gen 1:1-2 NRSV) In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep (or watery chaos), (Tehowm) while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ...

(Gen 1:5 NRSV) ...And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

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2nd and 3rd generation of gods and 2nd and 3rd day of Genesis creation:

... Lahmu and Lahamu were brought forth, by name they were called. ... Anshar and Kishar were formed, surpassing the others. ...

(Lahamu was the god of muddy silt and Kishar was the god of the Earth)

(Gen 1:6-7 NRSV) And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

(Here God (Elohim) slices the waters into two with a sky dome to make the sky and the oceans, in Enuma Elish this also parallels Marduk slicing Tiamat (Tehowm in the bible) into two to make the land and sky.)

(Gen 1:8 NRSV) ...evening and there was morning, the second day.

(Gen 1:9-10 NRSV) And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. ...

(Gen 1:13 NRSV) ...evening and there was morning, the third day.

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4rth generation of gods and 4rth day of Genesis creation:

Anu was their heir... (Anu was the god of the sky) ...

(Gen 1:16 NRSV) God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night— and the stars. ... (and set them in the sky dome)

(Gen 1:19 NRSV) ...evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

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5th generation of gods and 5th day of Genesis creation:

He who begot him (Marduk) was Ea, (Ea was the god of all things of the Earth and also of cantations, when he speaks things are made (God (Elohim) makes things by speaking))

(Gen 1:21 NRSV) So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. ...

(Gen 1:23 NRSV) evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

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6th generation of gods and 6th day of Genesis creation:

In the heart of holy Apsu was Marduk created. He who begot him was Ea, his father;

(Marduk became king of the Gods and creator of man) "Blood I will mass and cause bones to be.

I will establish a savage, `man' shall be his name. truly, savage-man I will create. He shall be charged with the service of the gods That they might be at ease! (Parallel this with God (Elohim) resting after creating man)

(Gen 1:26 NRSV) Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image,

(Gen 1:31 NRSV) ...evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

(Gen 2:2 NRSV) And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.

So Marduk made man a slave so the gods could rest. After God (Elohim) makes man he rests on the seventh day:

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Olrik, Axel (Kirsten Wolf and Jody Jensen trs.) Principles for Oral Narrative Research, Indiana University Press 1992
• Hamblin, D.J., “Has the Garden of Eden Been Located At Last?,” Smithsonian Magazine, 18:2, May 1987.
• Armstrong, James A. “West of Edin: Tell al-Deylam and the Babylonian City of Dilbat,” Biblical Archaeologist, Volume 55, 1992 (2001 electronic ed.)

External links

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Resources/Ane/enumaA.html

• The full surviving text of the Enûma Elish
• Genesis and Enûma Elish creation myth comparisons

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