🌊 Babylonian Creation Myth

Stage 1: Birth of the First Gods

From the mingled waters of Apsû and Tiamat came the first divine generation: Lahmu and Lahamu (possibly representing silt deposits). From them came Anshar and Kishar (horizon gods - sky horizon and earth horizon). Anshar and Kishar produced Anu (sky god), who in turn fathered Ea (also called Nudimmud), god of wisdom and fresh waters.

These younger gods were active and noisy, disturbing the primordial peace. They "paced to and fro," creating tumult and motion where stillness had reigned. The noise disrupted Tiamat's rest, but she remained patient with her divine offspring.

Stage 2: Apsû's Plan and Death

Apsû, disturbed by the younger gods' noise, declared his intention to destroy them so he could sleep. "Their ways have become painful to me. By day I cannot rest, by night I cannot sleep. I shall abolish their ways and disperse them!" His vizier Mummu supported this plan, but Tiamat refused to destroy their children.

Ea, wisest of the gods, learned of Apsû's plot. Through his superior magic, Ea cast a spell of sleep upon Apsû and Mummu, then slew the sleeping Apsû. Ea took Apsû's crown and radiance for himself, establishing his dwelling place upon the corpse of the primordial water-god. This became the Apsû, the cosmic freshwater ocean beneath the earth, now controlled by Ea rather than chaos.

In this new dwelling, Ea and his consort Damkina conceived and birthed Marduk. "He was perfect from the start... endowed with a double godhead," having four eyes (seeing all directions) and four ears (hearing everything). Fire blazed from his mouth, and fifty gods' radiance shone from him.

Stage 3: Tiamat's Rage and Army

When Tiamat learned that her consort Apsû had been slain, grief and rage transformed her. Encouraged by certain gods who resented the younger generation, Tiamat prepared for war. "Mother Ḫubur, who fashions all things, added countless invincible weapons, bore monster-serpents."

Tiamat created eleven fearsome monsters to be her army: the viper, the dragon, the lahamu-hero, the great demon, the mad dog, the scorpion-man, the storm-demon, the fish-man, the bison-man, and others. These creatures were "sharp of tooth and merciless of fang," filled with venom instead of blood. Tiamat elevated Kingu, one of the elder gods, to be her consort and general, giving him the Tablet of Destinies - supreme authority over fate itself.

Stage 4: The Gods' Fear and Marduk's Bargain

When the younger gods learned of Tiamat's preparations, they were terrified. Ea tried to face her but turned back in fear. Anu, king of the gods, also failed to confront her. The divine council sat in despair - none dared face the chaos dragon and her monstrous army.

Finally, Anshar summoned young Marduk. Marduk agreed to face Tiamat, but on one condition: "If indeed I am to be your avenger, to vanquish Tiamat and save your lives, convene an assembly and proclaim my lot supreme!" He demanded that if he succeeded, he would become king of all the gods, with his word as absolute law.

The gods agreed. They convened a great banquet, drinking beer and wine until they were drunk with joy. In their euphoria, they proclaimed Marduk king: "Thy lot, O Marduk, shall be supreme among the gods!" They gave him throne, scepter, and supreme kingship. To test his new power, Marduk commanded a constellation to disappear and reappear - it obeyed. The gods rejoiced: "Marduk is king!"

Stage 5: The Battle - Marduk vs. Tiamat

Marduk prepared for battle with powerful weapons: a bow and arrows, a mace, lightning, a net held by the four winds, and seven additional winds he created - the Evil Wind, the Whirlwind, the Hurricane, the Fourfold Wind, the Sevenfold Wind, the Cyclone, and the Irresistible Wind. He mounted his storm chariot pulled by terrible horses and advanced against Tiamat.

When Tiamat and Marduk met face to face, she mocked him as a mere child. But Marduk challenged her to single combat, and they fought. Marduk cast his net, catching Tiamat within it. When she opened her jaws to devour him, Marduk sent the Evil Wind into her mouth, inflating her belly. While she was bloated and unable to move, Marduk shot an arrow down her throat, splitting her heart and killing the chaos dragon.

Tiamat's army scattered in terror. Marduk captured the eleven monsters and Kingu, taking the Tablet of Destinies from Kingu and fastening it to his own breast. The primordial chaos was defeated; order had triumphed through superior power and cunning.

Stage 6: Creation from Tiamat's Corpse

With Tiamat dead, Marduk turned her corpse into the ordered cosmos. "The lord trod upon the hinder part of Tiamat, and with his merciless club he split her skull." He cut her body in two "like a shellfish": from one half he created the sky (heaven), from the other half the earth.

From Tiamat's eyes flowed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Her tail became the Milky Way. Her ribs formed the mountains. Her spittle became clouds and rain. Marduk established the cosmic order: the positions of the stars, the paths of the planets (gods), the divisions of the year, the months, and the days. He assigned the gods their stations in heaven and earth.

Marduk created the moon (Sin) to mark time and assigned him to rule the night. The sun (Shamash) he created to rule the day. He established the zodiac and the celestial calendar that would govern agricultural seasons and religious festivals.

Stage 7: Creation of Humanity

The gods complained that they still had to work - tilling fields, maintaining rivers, building temples. Marduk proposed a solution: he would create humanity to bear the burdens of the gods, freeing them to rest.

Marduk ordered Kingu (Tiamat's consort and general) to be executed for his role in instigating Tiamat's rebellion. "It was he who made Tiamat rebel and joined battle." From Kingu's blood, mixed with clay, Ea (following Marduk's design) fashioned humanity.

Humanity was thus created from the blood of a rebel god - containing divine essence but marked by association with chaos and violence. Human purpose was defined from the start: "I shall create Lullu, 'man' be his name. I shall create Lullu-man, to whom shall be assigned the services of the gods, that they may be at rest."

This creation established the fundamental relationship between gods and mortals: humans exist to serve the gods through temple rituals, agriculture, and civilization. In return, the gods provide the order, fertility, and protection necessary for human life.

Stage 8: Building Babylon and Esagila

In gratitude for Marduk's deliverance, the gods built Babylon as his earthly dwelling place. They labored for a full year constructing the Esagila ("House of the Raised Head"), Marduk's great temple, and its towering ziggurat Etemenanki ("House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth").

When the temple was complete, Marduk hosted a great banquet for all the gods. There, they formally bestowed upon him fifty names, each representing a different divine power and function. These fifty names transferred all essential cosmic authorities to Marduk: creation, destruction, agriculture, justice, magic, healing, and more. His number became 50, symbol of supreme authority.

Stage 9: The Current Cosmic Order

With Tiamat defeated, the cosmos organized, humanity created, and Babylon established, the current order was complete. Marduk reigned as king of the gods from his throne in the Esagila, holding the Tablet of Destinies. The gods rested in their appointed stations, receiving service from humanity. The calendar cycled through its appointed seasons. The stars followed their ordained paths.

Yet chaos was not destroyed, merely defeated and contained. The threat of dissolution remained, requiring constant vigilance and ritual maintenance. Each New Year (Akitu festival), the Enuma Elish was recited in full, ritually reenacting Marduk's victory to renew cosmic order for another year. The king symbolically underwent ritual humiliation and renewal, receiving his kingship anew from Marduk.