Combined Enuma Elish Presentation

Shepard’s CitiesFall 2011

The First Tablet: Important CharactersApsu- a primeval god of fresh water and male virility Tiamat- Apsu’s counterpart; the goddess of the sea and chaos;

winter and barrenness Anu- the god of the sky; son of Ansar and Kisar, children of Apsu

and TiamatEa -(Enki) son of Anu; killer of Apsu; name commonly translated

as "Lord of the Earth"Mummu- vizier/minister to Apsu and TiamatKingu- replaces Apsu as Tiamat’s husband; she gives him

immense power, command over her armies, and the Tablets of Destiny Tablets of Destiny are tablets written on clay tablets in cuneiform

that, throughout Mesopotamian mythology, conferred the right to rule the gods

Anunnaki- the sons of the gods (e.g. Anu and Ea) whom Tiamat tries to destroy

Story LineThe first tablet starts with the story of how the

gods came into the world. At first there was chaos when the waters of Apsu

and Tiamat were mingled togetherAnu was very powerful compared to the rest of

the gods. Throughout the first tablet there is a period of

unrest and chaos. Apsu was going to kill the gods, his sons, but was killed first by Ea.

Then Tiamat seeks revenge and starts a war against the Anunnaki. She promotes Kingu, her new husband, to have power over the gods, receiving Anu’s power and the Tablets of Destiny.

Importance (What It Tells Us about Babylonian/Mesopotamian Society)

Anthropomorphic godsThe gods become afraid, angry, and seek

revengeBabylonians saw the gods as part of nature

For example, Tiamat as the seaA cosmic struggle between order and chaosThe gods seek justice/revengeOrder/justice established with power and forceBabylonians believed in spells and incantationsOrigin of the Hebrew Genesis story

Tablet 2 - Main CharactersTiamat: God of ChaosKingu: Tiamat’s son, leader of Tiamat’s forcesEa: God of Knowledgy, slayer of ApsuAnsar: A primordial God, Ea’s fatherAnu: Ansar’s sonMarduk: Ea’s son

Plot LineEa hears of Tiamat’s plot and tells AnsarFirst Ansar sends his son Anu to stand up to

Tiamat, but he failsMarduk accepts challenge of facing Tiamat

and her army

Social ValuesImportance of Father-son relationshipKingu wants to avenge father’s deathMarduk wants to make Ea proud by accepting

challenge to face TiamatEa goes to father first with information, shows how

much he trusts his fatherRespect for fatherWomen not seen as leaders, take more of a behind

the scenes roleWe see this when Tiamat tells Kingu to lead her

army

Third Tablet - Key Characters

Ansar- Babylonian sky godTiamat- Creator of all thingsLahamu- Sea monster (the flood) also first born daughter of tiamat

and apsuAnnunaki- All the lesser godsAnu- Sky god and essentially the main Sumerian godEa (enki)- God of crafts and waterMarduk- Patron god of BabylonLahmu (hairy)- First born son of apsu and tiamatIgigi- Elder gods

Short SummaryThe Third Tablet of Enuma Elis tells the story of the

Annunaki and the Gods. The Annunaki were frustrating the Powerful Gods, especially Tiamet, the God of all creation. The Gods then attacked the Annunaki.

Tiamet summoned demons to attack the Annunaki and Lahamu also sent a flood. The Annunaki were wiped out. The Gods then celebrated with each other with wine and “exalted their spirits.”

SocietyThis tablet tells us a small bit of Sumerian moral values:

drunkenness is not considered a “bad thing.”At the end of the tablet it reads “The sweet drink, the

mead, confused their… They were drunk with drinking, their bodies were filled. They were wholly at ease, their spirit was exalted.”

If gods did it, then what about the ancient Sumerians? The logical conclusion is the ancient Sumerians tended to drink heavily as a substitute to the rancid water supply.

If they drank this much they would become compulsive drunkards and so to justify themselves, they portrayed the gods in the same light.

Fourth Tablet - Characters

• Tiamat: Slain leader, Mother of the Gods• Kingu: God raised up by Tiamat, who Taimat

took as her husband despite his being her son• Dug-ga: God• Marduk: Leader who was the enemy of Tiamat

and who killed her and her followers.• Ansar: Father of Marduk

Marduk Praised by the other Gods for confronting Tiamat, Proclaimed to be the highest among them

Marduk is made omnipotent and demostrates his power by making a garment vanish.

Marduk is crowned king, given an invincible weapon, and armed with lightning and other weapons

Marduk creates the four winds to use as a net to catch Tiamat, as well as tempests and other weather, and sets out.

Tablet IV Part II

• Marduk followed after Tiamat, riding a chariot more terrifying than the storm•Wearing a tempest• The gods beheld him• Marduk gazed onto Kingu (Tiamat's spouse)so that he stopped moving and his will was nullified•Marduk told Tiamat she had become great, evil•Created an evil plan against the other gods•After hearing these words Tiamat lost reason and began uttering piercing and wild cries•They began fighting and Marduk used his net to catch her•He pushed the winds through her mouth and into her belly•Her courage was taken away and her mouth was left wide open•He grabbed his spear and burst her stomach

•Marduk kills Tiamat and mutilates her body.•Marduk then captures the gods that

supported Tiamat, breaks their weapons, and holds them in bondage.•Marduk conquered Kingu and Dug-ga who

were Tiamat’s gods and took back the tablets of destiny.•Marduk split up Tiamat’s body and spread

the pieces out across the globe. •Marduk then surveys his work.

What does this tablet say about Sumerian Culture?

• The Sumerians had a strong concept of payback for your crimes- may be connected to code of Hammurabbi.

• They subscribed to a monarchic system, as illustrated by Marduk’s crowning.

The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Tablets Key Characters

Key Characters• Marduk- Newly appointed King of the Gods. Son of Ea. Kills

Tiamat and Kingu. Creator of earth and sky• Ea (Enki)- deity of crafts, mischief, water, intelligence and

creation. King of Gods. Creator of man• Nanna- god of moon• Shamash- god of sun• Anu- sky god, one of the oldest of the gods, King of Gods

The Fifth and Sixth Tablets Summaries

Fifth Tablet• Marduk gives the gods stations

(jobs) and constellations• Organizes the year into months

and days using stars • Determines the

paths/movements of the Sun and the Moon

• Anu makes a bow for himself which everyone is proud of and names his arrows

Sixth Tablet• Marduk devises a plan and tells Ea

that he will create man to inhabit the earth using his bones and blood

• Man’s purpose on earth is to praise the gods and build shines in their name

• The gods who pledged their alliances to Tiamat no longer have to serve as servants to the gods because the humans are created to take their jobs

• The gods will rule over man oppressively and evilly

Fifth and Sixth Tablet Analysis

Fifth Tablet• The fifth tablet shows how

Mesopotamian society was engaged in astrology and astronomy

• It shows how they studied the movement of the sun and moon and used this to make a basic calendar.

• They also looked at the stars and interpreted re-occurring patterns as gods (constellations)

Sixth Tablet• The sixth tablet shows the

Mesopotamians’ relationship with their gods: their life purpose is to serve the gods

• It also shows how the Mesopotamians viewed their gods – as cruel dictators

Seventh Tablet and Epilogue Summaries

Seventh Tablet• Marduk is given fifty names

by all the gods• Marduk is given complete

control over the world from the “beginning to the future”

• Ea rejoices and praises Marduk and names him Ea/Creator

Epilogue• (Unknown) says that the

Titles of Marduk should be remebered because they will be recited by kings and shepherds alike

• Man should rejoice Marduk for he is the prince of gods and his command is firm over all

Seventh and Epilogue Analysis

Seventh Tablet• Tells of Marduk’s greatness• Each name further proves

how powerful Marduk was and gives the Babylonians even more reason to worship and serve him

• Shows that the Babylonians viewed their gods very highly

Epilogue• The epilogue tells the

people of Babylon to praise and serve Marduk because he is the ruler of the world

• It shows that the Enuma Elis was viewed as a holy text and was probably recited at celebrations at the ziggurats