The Enuma Elish
Enûma Eliš
The Enûma Eliš, is the Babylonian creation myth. It was recovered by Austen Henry Layard in 1849 in the ruined Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. A form of the myth was first published by George Smith in 1876; active research and further excavations led to near completion of the texts, and improved translation.
What is the creation story of Enuma Elish?
The Creation Myth of Enuma Elish. The Enuma Elish is composed of close to one thousand lines of cuneiform script that have often been compared with the Old Testament creation story in Genesis I. The story features a great battle between gods Marduk and Tiamat that results in the creation of the Earth and mankind.
What is the difference between Genesis and Enuma elsih?
Both Genesis and Enuma Elsih are religious texts which detail and celebrate cultural origins: Genesis describes the origin and founding of the Jewish people under the guidance of the Lord; Enuma Elish recounts the origin and founding of Babylon under the leadership of the god Marduk.
Why is Marduk not in the Enuma Elish?
Marduk, the god of Babylon, only figures as prominently as he does in the story because most of the copies found are from Babylonian scribes. Even so, Ea does still play an important part in the Babylonian version of the Enuma Elish by creating human beings.
Is Baal written earlier than Enuma Elish?
The defeat of the sea, the kingship of the god, and the building of the god’s palace (but not the theme of creation) are also found together in the Ugaritic Baal epic, written circa 1500 BCE and therefore (it is believed) earlier than Enuma Elish.
How many gods are in the Enuma Elish?
rites of Marduk A poem, known as Enuma elish and dating from the reign of Nebuchadrezzar I (1119–1098 bce), relates Marduk's rise to such preeminence that he was the god of 50 names, each one that of a deity or of a divine attribute.
Who are the gods in Enuma Elish?
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.
Who created humans in Enuma Elish?
After the gods have finished praising him for his great victory and the art of his creation, Marduk consults with the god Ea (the god of wisdom) and decides to create human beings from the remains of whichever of the gods instigated Tiamat to war.
How does Marduk create the world?
The gods agree, a battle ensues, and Marduk vanquishes Tiamat and Qingu, her host. Marduk then uses Tiamat's carcass for the purpose of creation. He splits her in half, “like a dried fish,” and places one part on high to become the heavens, the other half to be the earth.
How many Babylonian gods were there?
The names of over 3,000 Mesopotamian deities have been recovered from cuneiform texts. Many of these are from lengthy lists of deities compiled by ancient Mesopotamian scribes. The longest of these lists is a text entitled An = Anum, a Babylonian scholarly work listing the names of over 2,000 deities.
How are humans created in Enuma Elish?
In Tablet VI of Enuma Elish, the first humans are created by Marduk from the blood of the dead warrior, Kingu; Marduk in this narrative is credited with the idea of creating humans, rather than Ea. From the body of Tiamat, Marduk creates the heavens and the earth, and he provides structure and order to the pantheon.
Who created the world?
The creation story is told in Genesis 1:1 1-2.3. Christians believe God created the Universe.
How did Marduk create the dome in the sky?
Tiamat's army fled in confusion at her downfall, but Marduk caught them in his net, chained them, and cast them into the underworld. As he was cutting up Tiamat's body, Marduk conceived a plan. From one half of her body he made the dome of the heavens, and with the other half he made the earth.
Who are the main characters in the Enuma Elish?
Enuma Elish CharactersMarduk. Sometimes called Bel, Marduk is begotten by his father, Ea, and borne by his mother, Damkina, inside the dwelling Apsu. ... Tiamat. Tiamat, one of the two primordial Mesopotamian gods, is known as the maker. ... Nudimmud / Ea. ... Apsu. ... Qingu. ... Anshar.
Is Zeus a Marduk?
Scholars have recognized many simliarities between Marduk and Zeus. Like Zeus, Marduk is a sky god, and is of a younger generation of gods. They both battle to create order, and both overthrow their parents to triumph. The Babylonians intended that the Enuma Elish serve as a song of praise for the king of the gods.
How was the earth created in Marduk creates the world from the spoils of battle?
Across the heavens he made stations in the stars for the gods, and he made the moon and set it forth on its schedule across the heavens. From the other half of Tiamat's body he made the land, which he placed over Apsu's fresh waters, which now arise in wells and springs.
What made the gods want to create Earth?
What made the gods want to create Earth? They saw the monster moving on the water. What did the Nanahuatzin and the Tecucizteceatl agree to do? To become the sun and the moon.
What is the Enuma Elish?
Article. The Enuma Elish (also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation) is the Mesopotamian creation myth whose title is derived from the opening lines of the piece , "When on High". The myth tells the story of the great god Marduk 's victory over the forces of chaos and his establishment of order at the creation of the world.
What is the difference between Enuma Elish and Genesis?
Both Genesis and Enuma Elsih are religious texts which detail and celebrate cultural origins: Genesis describes the origin and founding of the Jewish people under the guidance of the Lord; Enuma Elish recounts the origin and founding of Babylon under the leadership of the god Marduk.
What does Tiamat do to Quingu?
Tiamat rewards Quingu with the Tablets of Destiny, which legitimize the rule of a god and control the fates , and he wears them proudly as a breastplate. With Quingu as her champion, Tiamat summons the forces of chaos and creates eleven horrible monsters to destroy her children.
Who defeated Tiamat in the game?
Ea, Enki, and the younger gods fight against Tiamat futilely until, from among them, emerges the champion Marduk who swears he will defeat Tiamat. Marduk defeats Quingu and kills Tiamat by shooting her with an arrow which splits her in two; from her eyes flow the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Where was the story of the Great Flood written?
Famous stories such as the Fall of Man and the Great Flood were originally conceived and written down in Sumer , translated and modified later in Babylon, and reworked by the Assyrians before they were used by the Hebrew scribes for the versions which appear in the Bible.
When was the myth of the colophons discovered?
All of the tablets containing the myth, found at Ashur, Kish, Ashurbanipal 's library at Nineveh, Sultantepe, and other excavated sites, date to c. 1200 BCE but their colophons indicate that these are all copies of a much older version of the myth dating from long before the fall of Sumer in c. 1750 BCE. Remove Ads.
Who was the goddess that replaced Inanna?
Marduk gained prominence in Babylon during the reign of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE) and superseded the popular goddess Inanna in worship. During Hammurabi's reign, in fact, a number of previously popular female deities were replaced by male gods.
What is the creation myth?
The Creation Myth of Enuma Elish. The Enuma Elish is composed of close to one thousand lines of cuneiform script that have often been compared with the Old Testament creation story in Genesis I. The story features a great battle between gods Marduk and Tiamat that results in the creation of the Earth and mankind.
What does Marduk use Tiamat's body for?
Marduk uses Tiamat's body to form the sky and the earth. He forms the great Mesopotamian rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, from the tears in her eyes. Finally, he forms mankind from the blood of Tiamat's son and spouse Kingu, in order for them to serve the gods.
What is the most important myth written on clay tablets?
One of the most famous surviving myths captured on these clay tablets was arguably one of their most important, Enuma Elish. It is considered one of the most important sources of understanding the ancient Babylonian worldview.
When was the epic of Genesis first translated?
The epic was recited or re-enacted in the annual New Year's events, as is recorded in Seleucid era documents. George Smith of the British Museum published the first English translation in 1876. Also Known As: The Chaldean Account of Genesis (name was given by George Smith to his translation of the Enuma Elish, in 1876), The Babylonian Genesis, ...
What is the meaning of creation myths?
The stories they've created in service of this mission are known as creation myths. When studied, creation myths are generally considered symbolic narratives rather than fact.
Who is the oldest writer to write a creation myth?
Enuma Elish: The Oldest Written Creation Myth. N.S. Gill is a Latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and Latin. She has been featured by NPR and National Geographic for her ancient history expertise. Cultures around the world and throughout the history of humankind have sought to explain how the world began and how their people came to be.
Is the creation myth a fact?
When studied, creation myths are generally considered symbolic narratives rather than fact. The use of the term myth in the common phrase only further characterizes these stories as fiction. But contemporary cultures and religions generally regard their own creation myth as truth.
What is the connection between Enuma Elish and Genesis 1?
Many scholars see connections between Enuma Elish and the creation story of Genesis 1, as well as the ancient Greek writer Hesiod’s account of the early battles of the Olympian gods and Titans , and Canaanite mythology explaining the supremacy of Baal over other older gods.
Where did the Enuma Elish come from?
The Enuma Elish comes from Babylon, and the best text we have is written in the Akkadian language, using cuneiform script, on seven tablets. The poem was read as part of the ritual for the Akitu festival, which marked the Babylonian new year.
What is the origin of the cosmos?
In contrast to Sumerian mythology, which attributes the beginnings of the creation of the cosmos to two essential elements, heaven and earth, from which the gods and the human race both sprang, the Enuma Elish myth places the origins of the cosmos before heaven and earth in far-off time. Only primaeval waters existed: saltwater, called Tiamat, ...
Why is Enuma Elish called Babylonian Genesis?
Scholars have termed Enuma Elish the “Babylonian Genesis.”. The reason is that both stories share some concepts that were immediately apparent. In both stories, matter exists when creation begins. Similar to Enuma Elish, Genesis 1 describes God ordering chaos, not creating something out of nothing.
What is the meaning of Enuma Elish?
Enuma Elish - Creation of the World and of Mankind. Enuma Elish. Enûma Eliš (also transliterated Enuma Elish) also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation is a Babylonian or Mesopotamian epic poem describing the beginnings of the cosmos, the birth of the gods, the rise to dominance of the god Marduk, and the creation of humanity.
How many lines are there in Enûma Elish?
Enûma Elish has about a thousand lines and was recorded in Akkadian on seven clay tablets. This epic is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview, centred on the supremacy of the god Marduk and the creation of humankind as the servants of the gods.
What is the first part of the epic?
The first involves a cosmogony, the beginning of the universe, and a theogony, the birth of the gods. The second part of the epic tells of the battle between the god Marduk and the chaos-dragon Tiamat and how Marduk became the king of the gods.
How is the Enuma Elish similar to the creation account in Genesis?
How similar is the Enuma Elish to the creation account in Genesis? The Enuma Elish, or "Seven Tablets of Creation," is a Babylonian creation myth dated to about 1100 BC. The Old Testament book of Genesis is dated to about 1400 BC, making the Enuma Elish about 300 years younger than the creation account in Genesis 1.
What does the name Enuma Elish mean?
The title, Enuma Elish, comes from the first two words of the account, which mean, "when in the heights. ". Bible scholars use the story to understand non-empirical, poetic Near Eastern literature. Skeptics say it is evidence that the Genesis 1 account of creation is also myth.
What does Marduk do to the Earth?
One half of her body becomes the sky, the other the earth. Marduk then makes humans from his own flesh and bone and brings order to the universe. Though much of this is foreign to the Genesis account of creation, the poetic structure and terminology in the Enuma Elish are similar to God's creation ...
Why should we study the Enuma Elish?
The Enuma Elish should be studied for its revelations about ancient Near Eastern culture. The Old Testament should be studied for its revelations about God and His creation, including people. Return to:
What is the purpose of Marduk and Tiamat?
The god Marduk and the goddess Tiamat engage in strategic battles to win control of all the gods. Tiamat recruits many monsters and lesser gods to destroy the others. Marduk wins the approval from other gods when he offers to destroy Tiamat. He does kill her, then splits her body in two.
Is Genesis 1 a factual account?
This has led some biblical scholars, and others, to state that the Genesis 1 account is a poetic interpretation of creation and not a literal, factual account. However, more conservative and orthodox scholars argue that similar language or structure does not equate to similar origin or truth (or myth). Something being written poetically does not ...
