The Babylonian Creation Epic: Enuma Elish

From Tablet I

When on high no name was given to heaven,

Nor below was the netherworld called by name,

Primeval Apsu was their progenitor.

And matrix-Tiamat was she who bore them all,

They were mingling their waters together, 

No canebrake was interwined nor thicket matted close.

When no gods at all had been brought forth, 

Nor called by names, none destinies ordained,

Then were the gods formed within the(se two).1

*Akkadian: known from cuneiform inscriptions, is the oldest Semitic language for which records exist. It was used in Mesopotamia from about 3500 bc; two dialects, Assyrian and Babylonian, were widely spoken in the Middle East for the next 2,000 years, and the Babylonian form functioned as a lingua franca until replaced by Aramaic around the 6th century B.C.

The Enuma Elish is an creation epic that dates to the 18th century B.C.E., written in Akkadian cuneiform. Its original focus was to portray Marduk's emergence as a supreme king of the gods. Like many creation myths, the Enuma Elish bears distinct ethnocentric leanings: while it envisions the creation of heaven and the underworld, the creation of earth begins with the culture's own capital (here, Babylon) as the center of civilization. 

Here, King Marduk (aligned with the Babylonian god Shamash) experiences apotheosis: he is elevated as a supreme ruler of heaven and earth, and makes his palace in Babylon the lodging house of the gods. As in many creation epics, the Enuma Elish offers explanatory narratives for the emergence of the human race, here, the blood of Qingu, a royal consort and war criminal is shed to create humanity and to alleviate this task from the gods. Notably, the Enuma Elish prefigures the royal family and its constellary figures as the center of creation. 

Questions for discussion:
What makes the Enuma Elish different from the other creation epics we've read so far? 

What is the nature of Marduk as king and supreme god? 

What is his role concerning other, lesser gods? 

What does this creation epic tell us about the values and concerns of this civilization? 

1. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Volume A. 34.