The Enuma Elish

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The Enuma Elish
World Literature I

• Presentation by Ralph Monday

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(No Transcript)
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CREATION MYTHOS
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The Earth in Chaos
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BACKGROUND

• Creation myth used in Akkadian, Sumerian,
  Babylonian and Assyrian religion.
• Enuma Elish was used in connection with New
  Years celebrations.

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• Its name comes from the two first words in the
  text, which can be translated with "then (enuma)
  up there (elish).
• It is both a cosmogonic myth and a teogonic myth.

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• COSMOGONICHOW THE WORLD WAS CREATED.
• TEOGONICHOW THE GODS WERE CREATED.

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Images of Creation
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Pillars of Creation
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Spiral Galaxy
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SKY GODS
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Enuma Elish Commentary

• The Enuma Elish has long been considered by
  scholars to be primary source material for the
  book of Genesis. It has also been hypothesized
  that this is a legend about the overthrow of the
  matriarchy or records of some cosmic catastrophe.

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• This is the great Assyrian poem, or series of
  legends, which narrates the story of the Creation
  of the world and man.
• It was called by the Assyrians and Babylonians
  Enuma elish, "When in the height."

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• The poem consisted of some nine hundred and
  ninety-four lines,
• divided into seven sections, each of which was
  inscribed upon a separate Tablet.

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• The poem embodies the beliefs of the Babylonians
  and Assyrians concerning the origin of the
  universe
• it describes the coming forth of the gods from
  chaos, and tells the story of how the forces of
  disorder, represented by the primeval water-gods
  Apsû and Tiamat, were overthrown by Ea and Marduk

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• Marduk, after completing the triumph of the gods
  over chaos, proceeded to create the world and
  man.
• The poem is known to us from portions of several
  Assyrian and late-Babylonian copies of the work,
  and from

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• extracts from it written out upon the so-called
  "practice-tablets," or students' exercises, by
  pupils of the Babylonian scribes.

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• The Assyrian copies of the work are from the
  great library which was founded at Nineveh by
  Ashur-bani-pal, king of Assyria from B.C.E. 668
  to about B.C.E. 626.

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• From the time of the first discovery of fragments
  of the poem considerable attention has been
  directed towards them,
• for not only are the legends themselves the
  principal source of our knowledge of the
  Babylonian cosmogony,

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• but passages in them bear a striking resemblance
  to the cognate narratives in the Book of Genesis
  concerning the creation of the world.
• The poem itself is inscribed on seven tablets.

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• In1845, A.H. Layard, an English archeologist
  discovered the great library.
• George Smith, who was the first to publish an
  account of the poem, recognized this resemblance
  and emphasized it in his papers on the subject in
  1875.
• The Enuma Elish dates from about 1800 B.C.E.

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Enuma Elish and Genesis

• Primeval unorganized matter
• Coming of light
• Creation of the firmament
• Appearance of dry land
• Creation of luminaries
• Creation of man
• Deity rests

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Plot Summary

• 1. Apsu (male, fresh water) and Tiamat (female,
  sea water) mingle and engender Lahmu (male) and
  Lahamu (female) who are silt deposits as well as
  Anshar (rim of the sky) and Kishar (rim of the
  earth.)

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• 2. The younger gods disturb Apsu and Tiamat who
  prefer lack of activity. Apsu plans to kill them.
  The younger gods learn of Apsus plans. Ea puts
  Apsu to sleep and kills him, also capturing
  Apsus advisor/vizier Mummu. Ea builds his house
  on Apsu.

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• 3. Marduk is born to Ea and Damkina. He has four
  ears and four eyes and is generally superior.

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• 4. Anu creates the winds and streams which
  disturb Tiamat and some of the other gods. Some
  of the gods remind Tiamat that she failed to act
  when Ea killed Apsu and defeated Mummu.

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• 5. Tiamat creates monsters to fight against her
  enemies. The chief of these is Kingu whom she
  makes commander-in-chief and her consort taking
  Apsus place. She gives him the Table of
  Destinies (possibly tablets containing the
  future).

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• 6.Ea learns of Tiamats plans. Anshar sends Ea to
  defeat Tiamat. Ea fails. Anshar sends Anu to
  speak to Tiamat. Anu chickens out. Anshar asks
  Marduk to kill Tiamat. Marduk agrees so long as
  he will be made ruler over all the gods.
• .

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• 7. Marduk (Bel) kills Tiamat. When she opens her
  mouth to swallow him, Marduk sends in the winds
  to keep her jaws open. He shoots her heart with
  an arrow. Marduk then subdues her army and
  captures Kingu. Marduk takes the Tablet of
  Destinies.

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• 8. Marduk splits Tiamat in half dividing the
  waters above from the waters below. He removes
  her eyes and the Tigris and Euphrates are formed.
  He puts the appropriate gods in their appropriate
  star sites. Earth is to be the mirror of heaven.
  Marduk is proclaimed King of the gods.

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• 9. Marduk decides to create humans (lullu -
  barbarians, savages, aboriginal humans) to serve
  the gods. Ea and the other gods shape humans out
  of the blood of the executed Kingu.

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• 10. Marduk and the other gods create Babylon and
  the great temple Esagila.

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• 11. The Enuma Elish ends with a Hymn to the 50
  Names of Marduk.

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Summary

• Tablet 1 The most primitive forces and gods come
  together as a result of the rage of the sea
  goddess Tiamat.
• Tablet 2 Marduk, one of the second generation
  gods, is elected to fight
• Tiamat.
• Tablet 3 The assembly of gods decrees the outcome
  of the battle and the glory of Marduk.

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• Tablet 4 They each create seven assistants to
  help them. Marduk wins the conflict and dissects
  the body of Tiamat.
• Tablet 5 From the body of Tiamat, Marduk creates
  heaven and earth.

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• Tablet 6 Tiamat's second in command, Kingu, is
  slain and from drops of his blood Marduk creates
  man so that there will be one to sacrifice to the
  gods.
• Tablet 7 Contains a list of magical names for
  Marduk.