Shepard’s Cities Fall 2011

The First Tablet: Important Characters Apsu- 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 Tiamat Ea -(Enki) son of Anu; killer of Apsu; name commonly translated as "Lord of the Earth" Mummu- vizier/minister to Apsu and Tiamat Kingu- 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 Line The 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 together Anu 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 gods The gods become afraid, angry, and seek revenge Babylonians saw the gods as part of nature For example, Tiamat as the sea A cosmic struggle between order and chaos The gods seek justice/revenge Order/justice established with power and force Babylonians believed in spells and incantations Origin of the Hebrew Genesis story

Tablet 2 - Main Characters Tiamat: God of Chaos Kingu: Tiamat’s son, leader of Tiamat’s forces Ea: God of Knowledgy, slayer of Apsu Ansar: A primordial God, Ea’s father Anu: Ansar’s son Marduk: Ea’s son

Plot Line Ea hears of Tiamat’s plot and tells Ansar First Ansar sends his son Anu to stand up to Tiamat, but he fails Marduk accepts challenge of facing Tiamat and her army

Social Values Importance of Father-son relationship Kingu wants to avenge father’s death Marduk wants to make Ea proud by accepting challenge to face Tiamat Ea goes to father first with information, shows how much he trusts his father Respect for father Women not seen as leaders, take more of a behind the scenes role We see this when Tiamat tells Kingu to lead her army

Third Tablet - Key Characters Ansar- Babylonian sky god Tiamat- Creator of all things Lahamu- Sea monster (the flood) also first born daughter of tiamat and apsu Annunaki- All the lesser gods Anu- Sky god and essentially the main Sumerian god Ea (enki)- God of crafts and water Marduk- Patron god of Babylon Lahmu (hairy)- First born son of apsu and tiamat Igigi- Elder gods

Short Summary The 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.”

Society This 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