Enūma Eliš (the Babylonian Epic of Creation)
A young god agrees to fight the monstrous sea — but only if they crown him king of the gods first.
Named from its opening words, 'When on high' (Enūma eliš), this is the great Babylonian epic of creation, written across seven clay tablets. It tells how, in the beginning, only the fresh waters (Apsû) and the salt sea (Tiamat) existed, mingled together; how successive generations of gods were born and their clamor provoked the elders; and how, when Tiamat raised an army of monsters to destroy the young gods, the warrior Marduk agreed to fight her on condition that he be made king. Marduk slays Tiamat, splits her body to form sky and earth, sets the stars and calendar in order, creates humankind from the blood of the rebel god Qingu to free the gods from labor, and is enthroned with fifty names by the grateful gods, who build him Babylon and its temple. It is at once a cosmogony and a political theology exalting Babylon's city-god.
Key passages(11)
[... ] of rulership, [... ] he (Marduk) took up residence [... ] sovereignty. (The gods said to Marduk:)' [... ] the great gods, ' [... ], your speech is Anu. ' [... ] among the great gods, ' [... ] i
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[... ]... [... ] [... ] mankind, he imposed the gods' work (on them) and set the gods free. [... ] the wise Ea [... ] (and) imposed the work of the gods on them, [... not ] suitable for understanding
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[... ] her (Tiamat's) hearing [... ], [... ] she cried out to her lover (Apsu). [... ] bitterly, alone being furious, she consigned the evil to her heart: ' What? Shall we destroy what we created? ' A
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[... ] her (Tiamat's) offspring. [... ] Apsu [... ] she did evil, [... ] to Ea [... ] she had prepared [... ]. Ea [... ] that declaration, he grew still [... ] in silence. [... ] he had reflected and
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[... ]... [... ] he made (them) billow. [... ], to cause the rain to fall, [... ] the fog [... ], to pile up her (Tiamat's) poison, [... ] to himself (and) he took (it) in his hand. He put down her he
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' [... ] the constellation [... ], ' [... ], so that [... ] can become intact.' [... ] the constellation [... ], [... ] the constellation was created. [... ] the gods his fathers [... ], [... ]:' Mard
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ASARE, bestower of arable land, who [... ] a plan, creator of barley and flax, who makes vegetation grow. ASARALIM, who is honoured in the council hall, whose advice is supreme, whom the gods attend t
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[... ] inappropriately his, [... ] he attached (it) on his chest. [... ] he smote [... ], he had silenced [... ]... [... ], he had established totally Anšar's [... ] over [... ], Marduk the hero had a
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[... ] the land, [... ] abundance. They shall invoke him secondly [... ]... [... ]... desolation, [... ] Underworld, establisher of the furrow, [... ] established [... ] in the open country, who keeps
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' [... ] for [... ]. ' Against Anšar [... ], ' [... ] against [... ]. ' May [... ], ' Make contact, so that I [... ].' [... ] Tiamat [... ] this, she became like a female ecstatic, [... ]. Tiamat shou
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[... ] of rulership, [... ] he (Marduk) took up residence [... ] for sovereignty. (The gods said to Marduk:)' [... ] among the great gods, ' [... ], your [ speech ] is Anu. ' [... ] the great gods, '
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