{"id":49,"date":"2023-02-22T15:39:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T15:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/worldmythology\/?post_type=chapter&p=49"},"modified":"2023-05-10T19:45:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T19:45:14","slug":"2-2-the-enuma-elish","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/worldmythology-cccs\/chapter\/2-2-the-enuma-elish\/","title":{"raw":"2.2 The Enuma Elish, or Babylonian Creation Cycle","rendered":"2.2 The Enuma Elish, or Babylonian Creation Cycle"},"content":{"raw":"

The Enuma Elish, or Babylonian Creation Cycle<\/h1>\r\nTo cite this work, please refer to the tablet and line you are using. An end-of-sentence parenthetic citation for the third table, for example, would look like this (Enuma Elish 3.1), where 3 meant tablet 3 and 1 meant line 1 of tablet 3. Likewise, (Enuma Elish 6.7) would mean line 7 of tablet 6.\r\n\r\nFor the most part, any missing lines in what follows have been cut for the sake of length.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_157\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"512\"]\"Engraving Chaos Monster and Sun God, Public Domain via Wikimedia<\/a>[\/caption]\r\n

Tablet I<\/h2>\r\n1 When the heavens above did not exist,\r\n2 And earth beneath had not come into being\u2014\r\n3 There was Aps\u00fb or fresh water, the first in order, their begetter,\r\n4 And goddess of seawater Tiamat, who gave birth to them all;\r\n5 They had mingled their waters together\r\n6 Before land had coalesced or reed-bed was to he found \u2014\r\n7 When not one of the gods had been formed\r\n8 Or had come into being, when no destinies had been decreed,\r\n9 The gods were created within them, and they were many.\r\n\r\n21 The divine young gods came together,\r\n22 Their clamor got loud, throwing Apsu into a turmoil.\r\n29 Thereupon Aps\u00fb, the begetter of the great gods, said,\r\n37 \"Their behavior has become displeasing to me\r\n38 And I cannot rest in the day-time or sleep at night.\r\n39 I will destroy and break up their way of life\r\n40 That silence may reign and we may sleep.\"\r\n41 When Tiamat heard this\r\n42 She raged and cried out to her spouse,\r\n45 \"How can we destroy what we have given birth to?\r\n46 Though their behavior causes distress, let us tighten discipline graciously.\"\r\n51 But Apsu insisted on their destruction.\r\n\r\n55 What Apsu plotted in their gathering\r\n56 Was reported to the gods, their sons.\r\n57 The gods heard it and were frantic.\r\n58 They were overcome with silence and sat quietly.\r\n\r\n59 The god Ea, who excels in knowledge, perceived their tricks,\r\n60 And fashioned a spell to put Apsu to sleep\r\n62 He executed it skilfully as supreme\u2014his pure incantation.\r\n63 He recited it and set it on the waters,\r\n64 He poured sleep upon him as he was slumbering deeply.\r\n65 He put Aps\u00fb to slumber as he poured out sleep,\r\n67 Then Ea split Aps\u00fb's sinews, and ripped off his crown.\r\n69 He bound Aps\u00fb and killed him;\r\n\r\n73 After Ea had bound and slain his enemies,\r\n75 He rested quietly in his chamber,\r\n78 And Ea and Damkina, his wife, sat in splendour.\r\n79 In the chamber of the destinies, the room of the archetypes,\r\n80 The wisest of the wise, the sage of the gods, Marduk was conceived.\r\n83 Ea his father begat him,\r\n84 Damkina his mother bore him.\r\n85 He sucked the breasts of goddesses,\r\n86 A nurse reared him and filled him with terror.\r\n87 His figure was well developed, the glance of his eyes was dazzling,\r\n88 His growth was manly, he was mighty from the beginning.\r\n91 He was rendered perfect: his divinity was remarkable,\r\n\r\n105 And the god Anu formed and gave birth to the four winds,\r\n106 He delivered them to Marduk, saying \u201cLet them whirl!\"\r\n107 Marduk formed dust and set a hurricane to drive it,\r\n108 He made a wave to bring consternation on Tiamat.\r\n109 Tiamat was confounded; day and night she was frantic.\r\n110 She resolved to end their noise by destroying them\r\n111 And plotted with the god Qingu, her vizier.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n126 Tiamat said, \"Let us make demons, as King has advised.\"\r\n127 The gods assembled within her.\r\n128 They conceived evil against the gods their begetters.\r\n134 Tiamat supplied irresistible weapons, and gave birth to giant serpents.\r\n135 They had sharp teeth, they were merciless\r\n136 With poison instead of blood she filled their bodies.\r\n137 She clothed the fearful monsters with dread,\r\n138 She loaded them with an aura and made them godlike.\r\n141 She created the Hydra, the Dragon, the Hairy Hero\r\n142 The Great Demon, the Savage Dog, and the Scorpion-man,\r\n143 Fierce demons, the Fish-man, and the Bull-man,\r\n144 Carriers of merciless weapons, fearless in the face of battle.\r\n145 Her commands were tremendous, not to be resisted.\r\n146 Altogether she made eleven of that kind.\r\n147 Among the gods, her sons, whom she constituted her host,\r\n148 She exalted Qingu, and magnified him among them.\r\n149 The leadership of the army, the direction of the host,\r\n152 She entrusted to him and set him on a throne,\r\n157 She gave him the Tablet of Destinies and fastened it to his breast,\r\n160 He decreed the destinies for the gods, her sons:\r\n161 \"May the utterance of your mouths subdue the fire-god,\r\n162 May your poison by its accumulation put down aggression.\"\r\n

Tablet II<\/h2>\r\n1 Tiamat gathered together her creation\r\n2 And organized battle against the gods, her offspring.\r\n3 Henceforth Tiamat plotted evil\r\n4 It became known to Ea that she had arranged the conflict.\r\n5 Ea heard this matter,\r\n6 He lapsed into silence in his chamber and sat motionless.\r\n7 After he had reflected and his anger had subsided\r\n8 He directed his steps to the god An\u0161ar his father, in the council of the gods.\r\n9 He entered the presence of the father of his begetter, An\u0161ar,\r\n10 And related to him all of Tiamat's plotting.\r\n11 \"My father, Tiamat our mother has conceived a hatred for us,\r\n12 She has established a host in her savage fury.\r\n13 All the gods have turned to her,\r\n16 Fiercely plotting, unresting by night and day,\r\n17 Lusting for battle, raging, storming,\r\n18 They set up a host to bring about conflict.\r\n34 She exalted Qingu and magnified him among them.\r\n35 And Ansar was concerned.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n58\u00a0 The creator of wisdom, the god Ea\r\n60 Gently answered [his] father An\u0161ar\r\n61 \"My father, deep mind, who decrees destiny,\r\n62 Who has the power to bring into being and destroy,\r\n63 An\u0161ar, deep mind, who decrees destiny,\r\n64 Who has the power to bring into being and to destroy,\r\n65 I want to say something to you, calm down for me for a moment.\r\n67 Before I killed Aps\u00fb\r\n68 Who could have seen the present situation?\r\n69 Before I quickly made an end of him\r\n70 What were the circumstances were I to destroy him?\u201d\r\n71 An\u0161ar heard, the words pleased him.\r\n72 His heart relaxed to speak to Ea,\r\n73 \"My son, your deeds are fitting for a god,\r\n74 You are capable of a fierce, unequalled blow\r\n75 Ea, your deeds are fitting for a god,\r\n77 Go before Tiamat and appease her attack,\r\n78 End her fury with your sleeping incantation.\"\r\n\r\n79 Ea heard the speech of An\u0161ar his father,\r\n80 He took the road to her, proceeded on the route to her.\r\n81 He went, he perceived the tricks of Tiamat,\r\n82 He stopped, fell silent, and turned back.\r\n83 Ea entered the presence of An\u0161ar\r\n84 Ashamedly addressing him,\r\n85 \"My father, Tiamat's deeds are too much for me.\r\n86 I perceived her planning, and my incantation was not equal to it.\r\n87 Her strength is mighty, she is full of dread,\r\n88 She is altogether very strong, none can go against her.\r\n91 My father, do not lose hope, send a second person against her.\r\n93 Disband her cohorts, break up her plans\r\n94 Before she lays her hands on us.\"\r\n95 An\u0161ar cried out in intense fury,\r\n96 Addressing the god Anu his son,\r\n97 \"Honoured son, hero, warrior,\r\n98 Whose strength is mighty, whose attack is irresistible\r\n99 Hurry and stand before Tiamat, defeat her.\"\r\n\r\n103 Anu heard the speech of An\u0161ar his father,\r\n104 He took the road to her, proceeded on the route to her.\r\n105 Anu went, he perceived the tricks of Tiamat,\r\n106 He stopped, fell silent, and turned back.\r\n107 He entered the presence of An\u0161ar the father who begat him,\r\n108 Ashamedly addressing him.\r\n109 \"My father, Tiamat's is too much for me.\r\n110 I perceived her planning, but my incantation was not equal to it.\r\n111 Her strength is mighty, she is full of dread,\r\n112 She is altogether very strong, no one can go against her.\r\n115 My father, do not lose hope, send another person against her.\r\n117 Disband her cohorts, break up her plans,\r\n118 Before she lays her hands on us.\"\r\n\r\n119 An\u0161ar lapsed into silence, staring at the ground,\r\n120 He nodded to Ea, shaking his head.\r\n121 All the gods had assembled,\r\n122 They sat in tight-lipped silence.\r\n123 No god would go to face her.\r\n\r\n129 Later Ea summoned Marduk to his private chamber\r\n130 To explain to him his plans.\r\n131 \"Marduk, give counsel, listen to your father.\r\n132 You are my son, who gives me pleasure,\r\n133 Go reverently before An\u0161ar,\r\n134 Speak, take your stand, appease him with your glance.\"\r\n135 Marduk rejoiced at his father's words,\r\n136 He drew near and stood in the presence of An\u0161ar.\r\n137 An\u0161ar saw him, his heart filled with satisfaction,\r\n139 Marduk said, \"Ansar do not hold your peace, but speak forth,\r\n140 I will go and fulfil your desires!\r\n143 Which man has drawn up his battle array against you?\r\n144 And will Tiamat, who is a woman, attack you with her weapons?\r\n147 An\u0161ar, rejoice and be glad,\r\n148 Soon you will tread on the neck of Tiamat!\r\n\r\n149 To which Ansar said, \u201cGo, my son,\r\n150 Face Tiamat with your pure spell.\r\n151 Drive the storm chariot without delay.\u201d\r\n153 Marduk rejoiced at his father's words,\r\n154 With glad heart he addressed his father,\r\n155 \"Lord of the gods, Destiny of the great gods,\r\n156 If I should become your avenger,\r\n157 If I should bind Tiamat and preserve you,\r\n158 Convene an assembly and proclaim for me an exalted destiny.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n

Tablet III<\/h2>\r\n1 An\u0161ar opened his mouth\r\n6 \u201cHave the gods, my fathers, brought to my presence.\r\n7 Let all the gods be brought,\r\n8 Let them confer as they sit at table.\r\n9 Let them eat grain, let them drink ale,\r\n10 Let them decree the destiny for Marduk their avenger.\r\n55 Marduk, the sage of the gods, your son, has come forward,\r\n56 He has determined to meet Tiamat.\r\n65 Quickly, now, decree your destiny for him without delay,\r\n66 That he may go and face your powerful enemy.\"\r\n129 All the great gods who decree destinies\r\n130 Gathered as they went,\r\n138 And they decreed the fate for Marduk, their avenger.\r\n

Tablet IV<\/h2>\r\n1 They set a lordly throne for him\r\n2 And he took his seat before his fathers to receive kingship.\r\n3 They said, \"You are the most honored among the great gods,\r\n4 Your destiny is unequalled, your command is like Anu's.\r\n8 Henceforth it is in your power to exalt and bring down.\r\n9 Your command cannot be rebelled against,\r\n10 None of the gods will cross the line you draw.\r\n13 You are Marduk, our avenger,\r\n14 We have given you kingship over the sum of the whole universe.\r\n15 Take your seat in the assembly, let your word be exalted,\r\n16 Let your weapons not miss the mark, but may they slay your enemies.\r\n17 Marduk, spare him who trusts in you,\r\n18 But destroy the god who set his mind on evil.\"\r\n29 They added to him a mace, a throne, and a rod,\r\n30 They gave him an irresistible weapon that overwhelms the foe:\r\n31 They said, \"Go, cut Tiamat's throat,\r\n32 And let the winds bear up her blood to give the news.\"\r\n\r\n35 Marduk fashioned a bow and made it his weapon,\r\n36\u00a0 He set an arrow in place, put the bow string on.\r\n37 He took up his club and held it in his right hand,\r\n38 His bow and quiver he hung at his side.\r\n39 He placed lightning before him,\r\n40 And filled his body with tongues of flame.\r\n41 He made a net to enmesh the entrails of Tiamat,\r\n42 And stationed the four winds that no part of her escape.\r\n45 He fashioned the Evil Wind, the Dust Storm, Tempest,\r\n46 The Four-fold Wind, the Seven-fold Wind, the Chaos-spreading Wind.\r\n47 He sent out the seven winds that he had fashioned,\r\n48 And they took their stand behind him to harass Tiamat's entrails.\r\n49 Marduk took up the Storm-flood, his great weapon,\r\n50 He rode the fearful chariot of the irresistible storm.\r\n\r\n59 Marduk proceeded and set out on his way,\r\n60 He set his face toward the raging Tiamat.\r\n61 In his lips he held a spell,\r\n62 He grasped a plant to counter poison in his hand,\r\n65 Marduk drew near, surveying the maw of Tiamat,\r\n66 He observed the tricks of Qingu, her vizier.\r\n67 As he looked, he lost his nerve,\r\n68 His determination went and he faltered.\r\n69 His divine aides, who were marching at his side,\r\n70 Saw the warrior, the foremost, and their vision became dim.\r\n71 Tiamat cast her spell without turning her neck,\r\n72 In her lips she held untruth and lies.\r\n75 Then Marduk [lifted up] the Storm-flood, his great weapon,\r\n76 And with these words threw it at the raging Tiamat,\r\n77 \"Why are you aggressive and arrogant,\r\n78 And strive to provoke battle?\r\n79 The younger generation have shouted, outraging their elders,\r\n80 But you, their mother, hold pity in contempt.\r\n85 Deploy your troops, take up on your weapons,\r\n86 You and I will take our stand and do battle.\"\r\n87 When Tiamat heard this\r\n88 She went insane and lost her reason.\r\n89 Tiamat cried aloud and fiercely,\r\n91 She was reciting an incantation, kept reciting her spell,\r\n93 Tiamat and Marduk, the sage of the gods, came together,\r\n94 Joining in strife, drawing near to battle.\r\n95 Marduk spread out his net and enmeshed her;\r\n96 He let loose the Evil Wind, the rear guard, in her face.\r\n97 Tiamat opened her mouth to swallow it,\r\n98 She let the Evil Wind in so that she could not close her lips.\r\n99 The fierce winds weighed down her belly,\r\n100 Her inwards were distended and she opened her mouth wide.\r\n101 He let fly an arrow and pierced her belly,\r\n102 He tore open her entrails and slit her inwards,\r\n103 He bound her and extinguished her life,\r\n104 He threw down her corpse and stood on it.\r\n105 After he had killed Tiamat, the leader,\r\n106 Her assembly dispersed, her host scattered.\r\n110 But they were completely surrounded, unable to escape.\r\n111 He bound them and broke their weapons,\r\n112 And they lay enmeshed, sitting in a snare,\r\n114 Bearing his punishment, held in a prison.\r\n115 The eleven monsters Tiamat created,\r\n117 He put ropes upon them and bound their arms,\r\n118 Together with their warfare he trampled them beneath him.\r\n\r\n128 And returned to Tiamat, whom he had bound.\r\n129 Marduk placed his feet on the lower parts of Tiamat\r\n130 And with his merciless club smashed her skull.\r\n131 He severed her arteries\r\n135 Marduk rested, surveying the corpse,\r\n137 Then he split her into two like a dried fish:\r\n138 One half of her he set up and stretched out as the heavens.\r\n139 He stretched the skin and appointed a watch\r\n140 With the instruction not to let her waters escape.\r\n141 He crossed over the heavens, surveyed the celestial parts,\r\n146 He settled in their shrines the gods Anu, Enlil, and Ea.\r\n

Tablet V<\/h2>\r\n1 He fashioned heavenly stations for the great gods,\r\n2 And set up constellations, the patterns of the stars.\r\n3 He appointed the year, marked off divisions.\r\n5 After he had organized the year,\r\n11 He placed the heights (of heaven) in her (Tiamat's) belly,\r\n12 He created Nanna the moon, entrusting to him the night.\r\n13 He appointed him as the jewel of the night to fix the days,\r\n14 And month by month without ceasing he elevated him with a crown,\r\n15 Saying, \"Shine over the land at the beginning of the month, and\r\n20 Wax and wane in the proper stages and shine backwards.\r\n\r\n47 From the foam which came from Tiamat\r\n48 Marduk fashioned the weather,\r\n49 He gathered it together and made it into clouds.\r\n50 The raging of the winds, violent rainstorms,\r\n51 The billowing of mist\u2014the accumulation of her spittle\u2014\r\n52 He appointed for himself and took them in his hand.\r\n\r\n54 He opened the abyss and it was sated with water.\r\n55 From her two eyes he let the Euphrates and Tigris flow,\r\n57 He heaped up the distant [mountains] on her breasts,\r\n58 He bored wells to channel the springs.\r\n61 He set up her crotch as mountains\u2014it wedged up the heavens\u2014\r\n62 Thus the half of her he stretched out and made it firm as the earth.\r\n\r\n85 The Igigi servant gods assembled and all did obeisance to him,\r\n86 Every one of the Anunnaki master gods was kissing his feet.\r\n88 They bowed down, \"Behold the king!\"\r\n113 When they had given kingship to Marduk,\r\n114 They addressed to him a benediction for prosperity and success,\r\n116 \u201cWhatever you command, we will do!\"\r\n117 Marduk opened his mouth to speak\r\n118 And addressed the gods his fathers,\r\n119 \"Above the seas, the emerald abode,\r\n121 Beneath the celestial parts, whose floor I made firm,\r\n122 I will build a house to be my luxurious abode.\r\n123 Within it I will establish its shrine,\r\n124 I will build my chamber and establish my kingship.\r\n129 I shall call its name 'Babylon', \"The Homes of the Great Gods.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nBefore Babylon is created, in a fragmentary section of the text, the Igigi servant gods come to Marduk and ask for assistance in serving the gods, that they might find rest along with the Annunaki master gods.<\/em>\r\n

Tablet VI<\/h2>\r\n1 When Marduk heard the Igigi's speech\r\n2 He conceived a desire to accomplish clever things.\r\n3 He opened his mouth addressing Ea,\r\n4 He counsels that which he had pondered in his heart,\r\n5 \"I will bring together blood to form bone,\r\n6 I will bring into being Lull\u00fb, whose name shall be 'man'.\r\n7 I will create Lull\u00fb\u2014man. Ea shall do it.\r\n8 On whom the toil of the gods will be laid that they may rest.\r\n\r\n17 Marduk assembled the great gods,\r\n20 The king addressed a word to the Anunnaki and Igigi,\r\n23 \u201cWho is the one who instigated warfare,\r\n24 Who made Tiamat rebel, and set battle in motion?\r\n25 Let him who instigated warfare be given up\r\n26 That I may lay his punishment on him; but you sit and rest.\u201d\r\n27 The Igigi, the servant gods, answered him,\r\n29 \"Qingu is the one who instigated warfare,\r\n30 Who made Tiamat rebel and set battle in motion.\"\r\n31 They bound Qingu, holding him before Ea,\r\n32 They inflicted the death penalty on him and severed his blood-vessels.\r\n33 From his blood he Ea created mankind,\r\n34 On whom he imposed the service of the gods, and set the gods free.\r\n\r\n43 Next Marduk arranged the organization of the netherworld.\r\n44 In heaven and netherworld he stationed 600 gods.\r\n45 After he had arranged all the decrees,\r\n46 And had distributed incomes among the Anunnaki of heaven and netherworld,\r\n47 The Anunnaki opened their mouths\r\n48 And addressed their lord Marduk,\r\n49 \"Now, lord, seeing you have established our freedom\r\n50 What favor can we do for you?\r\n51 Let us make a shrine, a temple of great renown for you.\u201d\r\n55 When Marduk heard this,\r\n56 He beamed as brightly as the light of day,\r\n57 \"Build Babylon, the task you have sought.\r\n58 Let bricks for it be molded, and raise the shrine!\"\r\n59 The Anunnaki wielded the pick.\r\n60 For one year they made the needed bricks.\r\n61 When the second year arrived,\r\n63 They built the lofty temple tower of Marduk\u2019s ziggurat\r\n65 Marduk sat in splendor before them.\r\n67 After they had completed the work on Marduk's shrine\r\n68 All the Anunnaki constructed their own shrines.\r\n\r\n95 The great gods assembled,\r\n96 They exalted the destiny of Marduk and did obeisance.\r\n99 They granted him the right to exercise kingship over the gods,\r\n100 They confirmed him as lord of the gods of heaven and netherworld.\r\n102 Ansar said, \"At the mention of Marduk\u2019s name, let us show submission!\r\n107 Let him shepherd the humans, his creatures,\r\n108 Let them tell of his character to future days without forgetting.\r\n114 The subject humans should take note and call on their gods,\r\n116 Let food offerings be brought for their gods and goddesses,\r\n117 May they not be forget, may they remember their gods,\r\n121 Come, let us call the fifty names of Marduk!\u201d\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nTo cite this reading, use the following format:\r\n\r\nElish, Enuma. \u201cThe Epic of Creation.\u201d ETANA. <\/em>https:\/\/etana.org\/<\/a>","rendered":"

The Enuma Elish, or Babylonian Creation Cycle<\/h1>\n

To cite this work, please refer to the tablet and line you are using. An end-of-sentence parenthetic citation for the third table, for example, would look like this (Enuma Elish 3.1), where 3 meant tablet 3 and 1 meant line 1 of tablet 3. Likewise, (Enuma Elish 6.7) would mean line 7 of tablet 6.<\/p>\n

For the most part, any missing lines in what follows have been cut for the sake of length.<\/p>\n

\"Engraving
Chaos Monster and Sun God, Public Domain via Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tablet I<\/h2>\n

1 When the heavens above did not exist,
\n2 And earth beneath had not come into being\u2014
\n3 There was Aps\u00fb or fresh water, the first in order, their begetter,
\n4 And goddess of seawater Tiamat, who gave birth to them all;
\n5 They had mingled their waters together
\n6 Before land had coalesced or reed-bed was to he found \u2014
\n7 When not one of the gods had been formed
\n8 Or had come into being, when no destinies had been decreed,
\n9 The gods were created within them, and they were many.<\/p>\n

21 The divine young gods came together,
\n22 Their clamor got loud, throwing Apsu into a turmoil.
\n29 Thereupon Aps\u00fb, the begetter of the great gods, said,
\n37 “Their behavior has become displeasing to me
\n38 And I cannot rest in the day-time or sleep at night.
\n39 I will destroy and break up their way of life
\n40 That silence may reign and we may sleep.”
\n41 When Tiamat heard this
\n42 She raged and cried out to her spouse,
\n45 “How can we destroy what we have given birth to?
\n46 Though their behavior causes distress, let us tighten discipline graciously.”
\n51 But Apsu insisted on their destruction.<\/p>\n

55 What Apsu plotted in their gathering
\n56 Was reported to the gods, their sons.
\n57 The gods heard it and were frantic.
\n58 They were overcome with silence and sat quietly.<\/p>\n

59 The god Ea, who excels in knowledge, perceived their tricks,
\n60 And fashioned a spell to put Apsu to sleep
\n62 He executed it skilfully as supreme\u2014his pure incantation.
\n63 He recited it and set it on the waters,
\n64 He poured sleep upon him as he was slumbering deeply.
\n65 He put Aps\u00fb to slumber as he poured out sleep,
\n67 Then Ea split Aps\u00fb’s sinews, and ripped off his crown.
\n69 He bound Aps\u00fb and killed him;<\/p>\n

73 After Ea had bound and slain his enemies,
\n75 He rested quietly in his chamber,
\n78 And Ea and Damkina, his wife, sat in splendour.
\n79 In the chamber of the destinies, the room of the archetypes,
\n80 The wisest of the wise, the sage of the gods, Marduk was conceived.
\n83 Ea his father begat him,
\n84 Damkina his mother bore him.
\n85 He sucked the breasts of goddesses,
\n86 A nurse reared him and filled him with terror.
\n87 His figure was well developed, the glance of his eyes was dazzling,
\n88 His growth was manly, he was mighty from the beginning.
\n91 He was rendered perfect: his divinity was remarkable,<\/p>\n

105 And the god Anu formed and gave birth to the four winds,
\n106 He delivered them to Marduk, saying \u201cLet them whirl!”
\n107 Marduk formed dust and set a hurricane to drive it,
\n108 He made a wave to bring consternation on Tiamat.
\n109 Tiamat was confounded; day and night she was frantic.
\n110 She resolved to end their noise by destroying them
\n111 And plotted with the god Qingu, her vizier.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

126 Tiamat said, “Let us make demons, as King has advised.”
\n127 The gods assembled within her.
\n128 They conceived evil against the gods their begetters.
\n134 Tiamat supplied irresistible weapons, and gave birth to giant serpents.
\n135 They had sharp teeth, they were merciless
\n136 With poison instead of blood she filled their bodies.
\n137 She clothed the fearful monsters with dread,
\n138 She loaded them with an aura and made them godlike.
\n141 She created the Hydra, the Dragon, the Hairy Hero
\n142 The Great Demon, the Savage Dog, and the Scorpion-man,
\n143 Fierce demons, the Fish-man, and the Bull-man,
\n144 Carriers of merciless weapons, fearless in the face of battle.
\n145 Her commands were tremendous, not to be resisted.
\n146 Altogether she made eleven of that kind.
\n147 Among the gods, her sons, whom she constituted her host,
\n148 She exalted Qingu, and magnified him among them.
\n149 The leadership of the army, the direction of the host,
\n152 She entrusted to him and set him on a throne,
\n157 She gave him the Tablet of Destinies and fastened it to his breast,
\n160 He decreed the destinies for the gods, her sons:
\n161 “May the utterance of your mouths subdue the fire-god,
\n162 May your poison by its accumulation put down aggression.”<\/p>\n

Tablet II<\/h2>\n

1 Tiamat gathered together her creation
\n2 And organized battle against the gods, her offspring.
\n3 Henceforth Tiamat plotted evil
\n4 It became known to Ea that she had arranged the conflict.
\n5 Ea heard this matter,
\n6 He lapsed into silence in his chamber and sat motionless.
\n7 After he had reflected and his anger had subsided
\n8 He directed his steps to the god An\u0161ar his father, in the council of the gods.
\n9 He entered the presence of the father of his begetter, An\u0161ar,
\n10 And related to him all of Tiamat’s plotting.
\n11 “My father, Tiamat our mother has conceived a hatred for us,
\n12 She has established a host in her savage fury.
\n13 All the gods have turned to her,
\n16 Fiercely plotting, unresting by night and day,
\n17 Lusting for battle, raging, storming,
\n18 They set up a host to bring about conflict.
\n34 She exalted Qingu and magnified him among them.
\n35 And Ansar was concerned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

58\u00a0 The creator of wisdom, the god Ea
\n60 Gently answered [his] father An\u0161ar
\n61 “My father, deep mind, who decrees destiny,
\n62 Who has the power to bring into being and destroy,
\n63 An\u0161ar, deep mind, who decrees destiny,
\n64 Who has the power to bring into being and to destroy,
\n65 I want to say something to you, calm down for me for a moment.
\n67 Before I killed Aps\u00fb
\n68 Who could have seen the present situation?
\n69 Before I quickly made an end of him
\n70 What were the circumstances were I to destroy him?\u201d
\n71 An\u0161ar heard, the words pleased him.
\n72 His heart relaxed to speak to Ea,
\n73 “My son, your deeds are fitting for a god,
\n74 You are capable of a fierce, unequalled blow
\n75 Ea, your deeds are fitting for a god,
\n77 Go before Tiamat and appease her attack,
\n78 End her fury with your sleeping incantation.”<\/p>\n

79 Ea heard the speech of An\u0161ar his father,
\n80 He took the road to her, proceeded on the route to her.
\n81 He went, he perceived the tricks of Tiamat,
\n82 He stopped, fell silent, and turned back.
\n83 Ea entered the presence of An\u0161ar
\n84 Ashamedly addressing him,
\n85 “My father, Tiamat’s deeds are too much for me.
\n86 I perceived her planning, and my incantation was not equal to it.
\n87 Her strength is mighty, she is full of dread,
\n88 She is altogether very strong, none can go against her.
\n91 My father, do not lose hope, send a second person against her.
\n93 Disband her cohorts, break up her plans
\n94 Before she lays her hands on us.”
\n95 An\u0161ar cried out in intense fury,
\n96 Addressing the god Anu his son,
\n97 “Honoured son, hero, warrior,
\n98 Whose strength is mighty, whose attack is irresistible
\n99 Hurry and stand before Tiamat, defeat her.”<\/p>\n

103 Anu heard the speech of An\u0161ar his father,
\n104 He took the road to her, proceeded on the route to her.
\n105 Anu went, he perceived the tricks of Tiamat,
\n106 He stopped, fell silent, and turned back.
\n107 He entered the presence of An\u0161ar the father who begat him,
\n108 Ashamedly addressing him.
\n109 “My father, Tiamat’s is too much for me.
\n110 I perceived her planning, but my incantation was not equal to it.
\n111 Her strength is mighty, she is full of dread,
\n112 She is altogether very strong, no one can go against her.
\n115 My father, do not lose hope, send another person against her.
\n117 Disband her cohorts, break up her plans,
\n118 Before she lays her hands on us.”<\/p>\n

119 An\u0161ar lapsed into silence, staring at the ground,
\n120 He nodded to Ea, shaking his head.
\n121 All the gods had assembled,
\n122 They sat in tight-lipped silence.
\n123 No god would go to face her.<\/p>\n

129 Later Ea summoned Marduk to his private chamber
\n130 To explain to him his plans.
\n131 “Marduk, give counsel, listen to your father.
\n132 You are my son, who gives me pleasure,
\n133 Go reverently before An\u0161ar,
\n134 Speak, take your stand, appease him with your glance.”
\n135 Marduk rejoiced at his father’s words,
\n136 He drew near and stood in the presence of An\u0161ar.
\n137 An\u0161ar saw him, his heart filled with satisfaction,
\n139 Marduk said, “Ansar do not hold your peace, but speak forth,
\n140 I will go and fulfil your desires!
\n143 Which man has drawn up his battle array against you?
\n144 And will Tiamat, who is a woman, attack you with her weapons?
\n147 An\u0161ar, rejoice and be glad,
\n148 Soon you will tread on the neck of Tiamat!<\/p>\n

149 To which Ansar said, \u201cGo, my son,
\n150 Face Tiamat with your pure spell.
\n151 Drive the storm chariot without delay.\u201d
\n153 Marduk rejoiced at his father’s words,
\n154 With glad heart he addressed his father,
\n155 “Lord of the gods, Destiny of the great gods,
\n156 If I should become your avenger,
\n157 If I should bind Tiamat and preserve you,
\n158 Convene an assembly and proclaim for me an exalted destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tablet III<\/h2>\n

1 An\u0161ar opened his mouth
\n6 \u201cHave the gods, my fathers, brought to my presence.
\n7 Let all the gods be brought,
\n8 Let them confer as they sit at table.
\n9 Let them eat grain, let them drink ale,
\n10 Let them decree the destiny for Marduk their avenger.
\n55 Marduk, the sage of the gods, your son, has come forward,
\n56 He has determined to meet Tiamat.
\n65 Quickly, now, decree your destiny for him without delay,
\n66 That he may go and face your powerful enemy.”
\n129 All the great gods who decree destinies
\n130 Gathered as they went,
\n138 And they decreed the fate for Marduk, their avenger.<\/p>\n

Tablet IV<\/h2>\n

1 They set a lordly throne for him
\n2 And he took his seat before his fathers to receive kingship.
\n3 They said, “You are the most honored among the great gods,
\n4 Your destiny is unequalled, your command is like Anu’s.
\n8 Henceforth it is in your power to exalt and bring down.
\n9 Your command cannot be rebelled against,
\n10 None of the gods will cross the line you draw.
\n13 You are Marduk, our avenger,
\n14 We have given you kingship over the sum of the whole universe.
\n15 Take your seat in the assembly, let your word be exalted,
\n16 Let your weapons not miss the mark, but may they slay your enemies.
\n17 Marduk, spare him who trusts in you,
\n18 But destroy the god who set his mind on evil.”
\n29 They added to him a mace, a throne, and a rod,
\n30 They gave him an irresistible weapon that overwhelms the foe:
\n31 They said, “Go, cut Tiamat’s throat,
\n32 And let the winds bear up her blood to give the news.”<\/p>\n

35 Marduk fashioned a bow and made it his weapon,
\n36\u00a0 He set an arrow in place, put the bow string on.
\n37 He took up his club and held it in his right hand,
\n38 His bow and quiver he hung at his side.
\n39 He placed lightning before him,
\n40 And filled his body with tongues of flame.
\n41 He made a net to enmesh the entrails of Tiamat,
\n42 And stationed the four winds that no part of her escape.
\n45 He fashioned the Evil Wind, the Dust Storm, Tempest,
\n46 The Four-fold Wind, the Seven-fold Wind, the Chaos-spreading Wind.
\n47 He sent out the seven winds that he had fashioned,
\n48 And they took their stand behind him to harass Tiamat’s entrails.
\n49 Marduk took up the Storm-flood, his great weapon,
\n50 He rode the fearful chariot of the irresistible storm.<\/p>\n

59 Marduk proceeded and set out on his way,
\n60 He set his face toward the raging Tiamat.
\n61 In his lips he held a spell,
\n62 He grasped a plant to counter poison in his hand,
\n65 Marduk drew near, surveying the maw of Tiamat,
\n66 He observed the tricks of Qingu, her vizier.
\n67 As he looked, he lost his nerve,
\n68 His determination went and he faltered.
\n69 His divine aides, who were marching at his side,
\n70 Saw the warrior, the foremost, and their vision became dim.
\n71 Tiamat cast her spell without turning her neck,
\n72 In her lips she held untruth and lies.
\n75 Then Marduk [lifted up] the Storm-flood, his great weapon,
\n76 And with these words threw it at the raging Tiamat,
\n77 “Why are you aggressive and arrogant,
\n78 And strive to provoke battle?
\n79 The younger generation have shouted, outraging their elders,
\n80 But you, their mother, hold pity in contempt.
\n85 Deploy your troops, take up on your weapons,
\n86 You and I will take our stand and do battle.”
\n87 When Tiamat heard this
\n88 She went insane and lost her reason.
\n89 Tiamat cried aloud and fiercely,
\n91 She was reciting an incantation, kept reciting her spell,
\n93 Tiamat and Marduk, the sage of the gods, came together,
\n94 Joining in strife, drawing near to battle.
\n95 Marduk spread out his net and enmeshed her;
\n96 He let loose the Evil Wind, the rear guard, in her face.
\n97 Tiamat opened her mouth to swallow it,
\n98 She let the Evil Wind in so that she could not close her lips.
\n99 The fierce winds weighed down her belly,
\n100 Her inwards were distended and she opened her mouth wide.
\n101 He let fly an arrow and pierced her belly,
\n102 He tore open her entrails and slit her inwards,
\n103 He bound her and extinguished her life,
\n104 He threw down her corpse and stood on it.
\n105 After he had killed Tiamat, the leader,
\n106 Her assembly dispersed, her host scattered.
\n110 But they were completely surrounded, unable to escape.
\n111 He bound them and broke their weapons,
\n112 And they lay enmeshed, sitting in a snare,
\n114 Bearing his punishment, held in a prison.
\n115 The eleven monsters Tiamat created,
\n117 He put ropes upon them and bound their arms,
\n118 Together with their warfare he trampled them beneath him.<\/p>\n

128 And returned to Tiamat, whom he had bound.
\n129 Marduk placed his feet on the lower parts of Tiamat
\n130 And with his merciless club smashed her skull.
\n131 He severed her arteries
\n135 Marduk rested, surveying the corpse,
\n137 Then he split her into two like a dried fish:
\n138 One half of her he set up and stretched out as the heavens.
\n139 He stretched the skin and appointed a watch
\n140 With the instruction not to let her waters escape.
\n141 He crossed over the heavens, surveyed the celestial parts,
\n146 He settled in their shrines the gods Anu, Enlil, and Ea.<\/p>\n

Tablet V<\/h2>\n

1 He fashioned heavenly stations for the great gods,
\n2 And set up constellations, the patterns of the stars.
\n3 He appointed the year, marked off divisions.
\n5 After he had organized the year,
\n11 He placed the heights (of heaven) in her (Tiamat’s) belly,
\n12 He created Nanna the moon, entrusting to him the night.
\n13 He appointed him as the jewel of the night to fix the days,
\n14 And month by month without ceasing he elevated him with a crown,
\n15 Saying, “Shine over the land at the beginning of the month, and
\n20 Wax and wane in the proper stages and shine backwards.<\/p>\n

47 From the foam which came from Tiamat
\n48 Marduk fashioned the weather,
\n49 He gathered it together and made it into clouds.
\n50 The raging of the winds, violent rainstorms,
\n51 The billowing of mist\u2014the accumulation of her spittle\u2014
\n52 He appointed for himself and took them in his hand.<\/p>\n

54 He opened the abyss and it was sated with water.
\n55 From her two eyes he let the Euphrates and Tigris flow,
\n57 He heaped up the distant [mountains] on her breasts,
\n58 He bored wells to channel the springs.
\n61 He set up her crotch as mountains\u2014it wedged up the heavens\u2014
\n62 Thus the half of her he stretched out and made it firm as the earth.<\/p>\n

85 The Igigi servant gods assembled and all did obeisance to him,
\n86 Every one of the Anunnaki master gods was kissing his feet.
\n88 They bowed down, “Behold the king!”
\n113 When they had given kingship to Marduk,
\n114 They addressed to him a benediction for prosperity and success,
\n116 \u201cWhatever you command, we will do!”
\n117 Marduk opened his mouth to speak
\n118 And addressed the gods his fathers,
\n119 “Above the seas, the emerald abode,
\n121 Beneath the celestial parts, whose floor I made firm,
\n122 I will build a house to be my luxurious abode.
\n123 Within it I will establish its shrine,
\n124 I will build my chamber and establish my kingship.
\n129 I shall call its name ‘Babylon’, “The Homes of the Great Gods.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Before Babylon is created, in a fragmentary section of the text, the Igigi servant gods come to Marduk and ask for assistance in serving the gods, that they might find rest along with the Annunaki master gods.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tablet VI<\/h2>\n

1 When Marduk heard the Igigi’s speech
\n2 He conceived a desire to accomplish clever things.
\n3 He opened his mouth addressing Ea,
\n4 He counsels that which he had pondered in his heart,
\n5 “I will bring together blood to form bone,
\n6 I will bring into being Lull\u00fb, whose name shall be ‘man’.
\n7 I will create Lull\u00fb\u2014man. Ea shall do it.
\n8 On whom the toil of the gods will be laid that they may rest.<\/p>\n

17 Marduk assembled the great gods,
\n20 The king addressed a word to the Anunnaki and Igigi,
\n23 \u201cWho is the one who instigated warfare,
\n24 Who made Tiamat rebel, and set battle in motion?
\n25 Let him who instigated warfare be given up
\n26 That I may lay his punishment on him; but you sit and rest.\u201d
\n27 The Igigi, the servant gods, answered him,
\n29 “Qingu is the one who instigated warfare,
\n30 Who made Tiamat rebel and set battle in motion.”
\n31 They bound Qingu, holding him before Ea,
\n32 They inflicted the death penalty on him and severed his blood-vessels.
\n33 From his blood he Ea created mankind,
\n34 On whom he imposed the service of the gods, and set the gods free.<\/p>\n

43 Next Marduk arranged the organization of the netherworld.
\n44 In heaven and netherworld he stationed 600 gods.
\n45 After he had arranged all the decrees,
\n46 And had distributed incomes among the Anunnaki of heaven and netherworld,
\n47 The Anunnaki opened their mouths
\n48 And addressed their lord Marduk,
\n49 “Now, lord, seeing you have established our freedom
\n50 What favor can we do for you?
\n51 Let us make a shrine, a temple of great renown for you.\u201d
\n55 When Marduk heard this,
\n56 He beamed as brightly as the light of day,
\n57 “Build Babylon, the task you have sought.
\n58 Let bricks for it be molded, and raise the shrine!”
\n59 The Anunnaki wielded the pick.
\n60 For one year they made the needed bricks.
\n61 When the second year arrived,
\n63 They built the lofty temple tower of Marduk\u2019s ziggurat
\n65 Marduk sat in splendor before them.
\n67 After they had completed the work on Marduk’s shrine
\n68 All the Anunnaki constructed their own shrines.<\/p>\n

95 The great gods assembled,
\n96 They exalted the destiny of Marduk and did obeisance.
\n99 They granted him the right to exercise kingship over the gods,
\n100 They confirmed him as lord of the gods of heaven and netherworld.
\n102 Ansar said, “At the mention of Marduk\u2019s name, let us show submission!
\n107 Let him shepherd the humans, his creatures,
\n108 Let them tell of his character to future days without forgetting.
\n114 The subject humans should take note and call on their gods,
\n116 Let food offerings be brought for their gods and goddesses,
\n117 May they not be forget, may they remember their gods,
\n121 Come, let us call the fifty names of Marduk!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

To cite this reading, use the following format:<\/p>\n

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