Enuma Elish | The Babylonian Epic of Creation | Complete Audiobook | With Commentary

[Music] [Music] this recording is brought to you by ancient history encyclopedia and the YouTube channel the study of antiquity and the Middle Ages enuma Alish the Babylonian epic of creation full text written by Joshua J Mark narrated by DW draffen the enuma Alish also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation is the Mesopotamian creation myth whose title is derived from the opening lines of the piece when on high all of the tablets containing the myth found at ashure Kish ashure bonap paal's library at ninva sultane and other excavated sites date to Circa 1200 B B

CE but their copons indicate that these are all copies of a much older version of The Myth dating from long before the fall of Sumer in Circa 1750 BCE as Marduk the champion of the young gods in their war against Tiamat is of Babylonian origin the Sumerian AA Ani or en leel is thought to have played the major role in the original version of the story The Copy found at ashure has the god ashure in the main role as was the custom of the cities of Mesopotamia the god of each city was always considered the

best and most powerful Marduk the god of Babylon only figures as prominently as he does in the story because most of the copies found are from Babylonian scribes even so AA does still play an important part in the Babylonian version of the enuma Alish by creating human beings summary of the story the story one of the oldest if not the oldest in the world concerns the birth of the Gods and the creation of the universe and human beings in the beginning there was only undifferentiated water swirling in chaos out of this swirl the waters divided

into sweet fresh waterer known as the God absu and salty Bitter Water the goddess Tiamat once differentiated the union of these two entities gave birth to the younger Gods these young Gods however were Extremely Loud troubling the sleep of absu at night and distracting him from his work by day upon the advice of his viser Mumu absu decides to kill the Young Gods Tiamat hearing of their plan warns her eldest son eni sometimes Aya and he puts absu to sleep and kills him from apsu's remains eni creates his home Tiamat once the supporter of the

younger Gods now is enraged that they have killed her mate she consults with The God quu Who advises her to make war on the younger Gods Tiamat Rewards queing guu with the tablets of Destiny which legitimize the rule of a God and control the fates and he wears them proudly as a breastplate with Queen goo as her Champion Tiamat summons the forces of chaos and creates 11 horrible monsters to destroy her children Aya enki and the younger Gods fight against Tiamat futilely until from among them emerges the champion Mar Marduk who swears he will defeat

Tiamat Marduk defeats kingu and kills Tiamat by shooting her with an arrow which splits her in two from her eyes flow the Waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers out of tiamat's corpse Marduk creates the heavens and the Earth he appoints Gods to various duties and binds tiamat's 11 creatures to his feet as trophies to much agil from the other gods before setting their images in his new home he also takes the tablets of Destiny from kingu thus legitimizing his Reign after the gods have finished praising him for his great Victory and the Art of

his creation Marduk consults with the god Aya the god of wisdom and decides to create human beings from the remains of whichever of the Gods instigated Tiamat to war kingu is charged as guilty and killed and from his blood Aya creates Lulu the first man to be a helper to the Gods in their Eternal task of maintaining order and keeping chaos at Bay as the poem phrases it aah created mankind on whom he imposed the service of the Gods and set the gods free following this Marduk arranged the organiz ization of the Nether world and

distributed the gods to their appointed stations the poem ends in tablet 7 with long Praise of Marduk for his accomplishments commentary the anuma Alish would later be the inspiration for the Hebrew scribes who created the text now known as the biblical Book of Genesis prior to the 19th century CE the Bible was considered the oldest book in the world and its narratives were thought to be completely original in the mid 19th century CE however European mums as well as academic and religious institutions sponsored excavations in Mesopotamia to find physical evidence for historical corroboration of the

stories in the Bible these excavations found quite the opposite however in that once cunia form was translated it was understood that a number of IAL narratives were Mesopotamian in origin famous stories such as the fall of Man and the great flood were originally conceived and written down in Sumer translated and modified later in Babylon and reworked by the Assyrians before they were used by the Hebrew scribes for the versions which appear in the Bible although the basic Paradigm of the biblical narratives and the Mesopotamian stories of align closely there are still significant differences as noted

by scholar Steven Bertman both Genesis and enuma Alish are religious texts which detail and celebrate cultural Origins Genesis describes the origin and founding of the Jewish people under the guidance of the Lord inuma Alish recounts the origin and founding of Babylon under the leadership of the god Marduk contained in each work is a story of how the cosmos and man were created each work Begins by describing the watery chaos and primeval darkness that once filled the universe then light is created to replace the darkness afterward the heavens are made and in them heavenly bodies are

placed finally man is created these similarities not withstanding the two accounts are more different than alike in revising the Mesopotamian creation story for their own ends the Hebrew scribes tightened The Narrative and the focus but retained the concept of the all powerful deity who brings order from chaos Marduk in the enuma Alish establishes the recognizable order of the world just as God does in the Genesis tale and human beings are expected to recognize this great gift and honor the deity through service in Mesopotamia in fact it was thought that humans were co-workers with the gods

to maintain the gift of creation and keep the forces of chaos at Bay the Anum Alish in Babylon Marduk gained prominence in Babylon during the reign of hamurabi 1792 to 1750 BCE and superseded the popular goddess en in worship during hamar robi's reign in fact a number of previously popular female deities were replaced by male Gods the enuma Alish praising Marduk as the most powerful of all the gods therefore became increasingly popular as the God himself Rose in prominence and his city of Babylon grew in power scholar Jeremy black writes the rise of the cult

of Marduk is Clos connected with the political rise of Babylon from city state to the capital of an Empire from the cite period Marduk became more and more important until it was possible for the author of the Babylonian epic of creation to maintain that Not only was Marduk king of all the gods but that many of the latter were no more than aspects of his Persona the anuma Alish was read and recited widely throughout Mesopotamia but was especially important at the New Year Festival in Babylon during this Festival the statue of Marduk would be taken

from the temple and amidst the revelers was paraded through the streets of the city out the gates to vacation in a small house built for this purpose the anuma Alish especially it is thought the praise from tablet 7 would be sung or chanted during this procession the text of enuma Elish the following translation comes from Mesopotamian creation stories by WG Lambert and is used under Creative Commons license from the itana website enuma Alish the Babylonian epic of creation tablet one when the heavens above did not exist and Earth beneath had not come into being there

was absu the first in order their begetter and Demi urge Tiamat who gave birth to them all they had mingled their Waters together before Meadowland had coalesced and reedbed was to be found when not one of the Gods had been formed or had come into being when no Destinies had been decreed the gods were created within them LMU and lahamu were formed and came into being while they grew and increased in stature anshar and kesar who excelled them were created they prolonged their days they multiplied their years Anu their son could rival his fathers Anu

the son equaled Anar and Anu begat nimuda begetter anshar he had no rival among the gods his brothers the Divine Brothers came together their clamor got loud throwing Tiamat into a turmoil they Jarred the nerves of Tiamat and by their dancing they spread alarm in andur Runa absu did not diminish their clamor and Tiamat was silent when confronted with them their conduct was displeasing to her yet though their behavior was not good she wished to spare them there upon absu the begetter of the great Gods called Mumu his viser and addressed him viser Mumu who

gratifies my pleasure come let us go to Tiamat they went and sat facing Tiamat as they conferred about the gods their sons absu opened his mouth and addressed Tiamat their behavior has become displeasing to me and I cannot rest in the daytime or sleep at night I will destroy and break up their way of life that silence May rain and and we may sleep when Tiamat heard this she raged and cried out to her spouse she cried in distress fuming within herself she grieved over the plotted evil how can we destroy what we have given

birth to though their behavior causes distress let us tighten discipline graciously Mumu spoke up with counsel for absu as from a rebellious viser was the counsil of his Mumu destroy my father that Lawless way of life that you may rest in the daytime and sleep by night absu was pleased with him his face beamed because he had plotted evil Against The Gods his sons Mumu put his arms around apsu's neck he sat on his knees kissing him what they plotted in their Gathering was reported to the gods their sons the gods heard it and were

frantic they were overcome with silence and sat quiet quietly Aya who excels in knowledge the skilled and learned Aya who knows everything perceived their tricks he fashioned it and made it to be all embracing he executed it skillfully as Supreme his pure incantation he recited it and set it on the waters he poured sleep upon him as he was slumbering deeply he put absu to Slumber as as he poured out sleep and Mumu the counselor was breathless with agitation he split absu Senus ripped off his crown carried away his Aura and put it on himself

he bound absu and killed him Mumu he confined and handled roughly he set his dwelling upon absu and laid hold on Mumu keeping the nose rope in his hand after aah had bound and slain his enemies had achieved victory over his foes he rested quietly in his chamber he called it absu whose shrines he appointed then he founded his living quarters within it and Aya and damina his wife sat in splendor in the chamber of the Destinies the room of the archetypes the wisest of the wise the sage of the Gods beel was conceived in

was Marduk born inure absu was Marduk born Aya his father begat him damina his mother bore him he sucked the breasts of goddesses a nurse reared him and filled him with Terror his figure was welld developed the glance of his eyes was dazzling his growth was manly he was mighty from the beginning Anu his father's beget saw him he exalted and smiled his heart filled with joy Anu rendered him perfect his divinity was remarkable and he became very lofty excelling them in his attributes his members were incomprehensibly wonderful incapable of being grasped with the Mind

hard even to look on four were his eyes four his ears flaming shot forth as he moved his lips his four ears grew large and his eyes likewise took in everything his figure was lofty and Superior in comparison with The Gods his limbs were surpassing his nature was Superior Mari utu Mari utu the son the sun god the sun god of the Gods he was clothed with the aura of the 10 gods so exalted was his strength the 50 dreads were loaded upon Him Anu formed and gave birth to the Four Winds he delivered them

to him my son let them whirl he formed dust and set a hurricane to drive it he made a wave to bring consternation on Tiamat Tiamat was confounded day and night she was frantic the gods took no rest they in the minds they plotted evil and addressed their mother Tiamat when absu your spouse was killed you did not go at his side but sat quietly the four Dreadful winds have been fashioned to throw you into confusion and we cannot sleep you gave no thought to absu your spouse nor to Mumu who is a prisoner now

you sit alone henceforth you will be in frantic consternation and as for us who cannot rest you do not love us consider our burden our eyes are Hollow break the immovable yoke that we may sleep make battle avenge them reduce to nothingness Tiamat heard the speech pleased her she said let us make demons as you have advised the gods assembled within her they conceived evil Against The Gods their begetter they and took the side of Tiamat fiercely plotting unresting By Night and Day lusting for battle raging storming they set up a host to bring about

conflict mother hubber who forms everything supplied irresistible weapons and gave birth to Giant serpents they had sharp teeth they were merciless with poison instead of blood she filled their bodies she clothed the fearful monsters with Dread she loaded them with an aura and made them Godlike she said let their onlooker feebly perish may they constantly Leap Forward and never retire she created the Hydra the dragon the hairy hero the great demon The Savage dog and the Scorpion man Fierce demons the Fishman and the Bullman carriers of mercil weapons Fearless in the face of battle her

commands were tremendous not to be resisted although she made 11 of that kind among the gods her sons whom she constituted her host she exalted chingu and magnified him among them the leadership of the army the direction of the host the bearing of weapons campaigning the mobilization of conflict the chief executive power of battle Supreme command she entrusted to him and set him on a throne I have cast the spell for you and exalted you in the host of the Gods I have delivered to you the rule of all the gods you are indeed exalted

my spouse you are renowned let your commands Prevail over all the anunaki she gave him the tablet of Destinies and fastened it to his breast saying your order may not be changed let the utterance of your mouth be firm after chingu was elevated and had acquired the power of Anu ship he decreed the Destinies for the gods her sons May the utterance of your mouths subdue the fire god may your poison by its accumulation put down aggression tablet two Tiamat gathered together her creation and organized battle against the gods her Offspring henceforth Tiamat plotted evil

because of absu it became known to Aya that she had arranged the conflict AIA heard this matter he lapsed into silence in his chamber and sat motionless after he had reflected and his anger had subsided he directed his steps to anshar his father he entered the presence of the father of his begetter Anar and related to him all of tiamat's plotting my father Tiamat our mother has conceived a hatred for us she has established a host in Her Savage Fury all the gods have turned to her even those you begat also take her side they

and took the side of Tiamat fiercely plotting unresting by By Night and Day lusting for battle raging storming they set up a host to bring about conflict mother hubber who forms everything supplied irresistible weapons and gave birth to Giant serpents they had sharp teeth they were merciless with poison instead of blood she filled their bodies she clothed the fearful monsters with Dread she loaded them with an aura and made them Godlike she said let their onlooker feebly perish may they constantly Leap Forward and never retire she created the Hydra the dragon the hairy hero the

great demon The Savage dog and the Scorpion man Fierce demons the fish man and the Bullman carriers of merciless weapons Fearless in the face of battle her commands were tremendous not to be resisted although she made 11 of that kind among the gods her sons whom she constituted Ed her host she exalted chingu and magnified him among them the leadership of the army the direction of the host the bearing of weapons campaigning the mobilization of conflict the chief executive power of battle Supreme command she entrusted to him and set him on a throne I have

cast the spell for you and exalted you in the host of the Gods I have delivered to you the rule of all the gods you are indeed exalted my spouse you are renowned let your commands Prevail over all the anunaki she gave him the tablet of Destinies and fastened it to his breast saying your order may not be changed let the utterance of your mouth be firm after chingu was elevated and had acquired the power of anush ship he decreed the Destinies for the gods her sons May the utterance of your mouths subdue do the

fire god may your poison by its accumulation put down aggression and are heard the matter was profoundly disturbing he cried wo and bit his lip his heart was in Fury his mind could not be calmed over aah his son his cry was faltering my son you who provoked the war take responsibility for whatever you alone have done you set out out and killed absu and as for Tiamat whom you made Furious where is her equal The Gatherer of councel the Learned Prince the creator of wisdom the god nimod with soothing words and calming utterance gently

answered his father anshar my father Deep Mind who decrees Destiny who has the power to bring into being and Destroy Anar Deep Mind who decrees Destiny who has the power to bring into being and to destroy I want to say something to you calm down for me for a moment and consider that I performed a helpful deed before I killed absu who could have seen the present situation before I quickly made an end of him what were the circumstances were I to destroy him anchar heard the words pleased him his heart relaxed to speak to

Aya my son your Deeds are fitting for a God you are capable of a fierce unequal blow aah your Deeds are fitting for a God you are capable of a fierce unequaled blow go before Tiamat and appease her attack her Fury with your incantation he heard the speech of Anar his father he took the road to her proceeded on the route to her her he went he perceived the tricks of Tiamat he stopped fell silent and turned back he entered the presence of anshar the father who begat him penitently addressing him my father tiamat's Deeds

are too much for me I perceived her planning but my incantation was not equal to it her strength is mighty she is full of dread she is altogether very strong no one can go against her her very loud noise does not diminish I became afraid of her cry and turned back my father do not lose hope send another person against her though a woman's strength is very great it is not equal to a man's disband her cohorts break up her plans before she lays her hands on us anchar lapsed into silence staring at the ground

he nodded to aah shaking his head the igigi and all the anunaki had assembled they sat in tight lipped silence no God would go to face would go out against Tiamat yet the Lord anshar the father of the great Gods was angry in his heart and did not summon anyone a mighty son the Avenger of his father he who hastens to war the warrior Marduk AA summoned him to his private chamber to explain to him his plans Marduk give counsel listen to your father you are my son who gives me pleasure go reverently before anshar

speak take your stand appease him with your glance beel rejoiced at his father's words he drew near and stood in the presence of anshar Anar saw him his heart filled with satisfaction he kissed his lips and removed his fear my father do not hold your peace but speak forth I will go and fulfill your desires Anar do not hold your peace but speak forth I will go and fulfill your desires which man has drawn up his battle array against you and will Tiamat who is a woman attack you with her weapons my father beget her

rejoice and be glad soon you will tread on the neck of Tiamat andar beget her rejoice and be glad soon you will tread on the neck of Tiamat go my son conversant with all knowledge appease Tiamat with your pure spell Drive the storm Cher it without delay and with a which cannot be repelled turn her back beel rejoiced at his father's words with glad heart he addressed his father lord of the Gods Destiny of the great Gods if I should become your Avenger if I should bind Tiamat and preserve you convene an assembly and Proclaim

for me an exalted Destiny sit all of you in upuk kinaku with gladness and let me with my utterance decree Destinies instead of you whatever I instigate must not be changed nor may my command be nullified or altered tablet three Anar opened his mouth and addressed Kaka his viser viser Kaka who gratifies my pleasure I will send you to LMU and La AMU you are skilled in making inquiry learned in address have the gods my fathers brought to my presence let all the gods be brought let them confer as they sit at table let them

eat grain let them drink ale let them decree the Destiny for Marduk their Avenger go be gone Kaka stand before them and repeat to them all that I tell you anshar your son has sent me and I am to explain his plans I sent Anu but he could not face her nut took fright and retired Marduk the sage of the Gods your son has come forward he has determined to meet Tiamat he has spoken to me and said quickly now decree your destiny for him without delay that he may go and face your powerful enemy

Kaka went he directed his steps to lahmu and lahamu the gods his fathers he prostrated himself he kissed the ground before them he got up saying to them he stood when Laha and lahamu heard they cried aloud all the IGI moaned in distress what has gone wrong that she took this decision about us we did not know what Tiamat was doing all the great Gods who decreed Destinies gathered as they went they entered the presence of Anar and they became filled with joy they kissed one another as they in the assembly the they conferred as

they sat at table they ate grain they drank ale they strained the sweet liquor through their straws as they drank beer and felt good they became quite Carefree their mood was Merry and they decreed the Fate for Marduk their Avenger tablet four they set a lordly Dias for him and he took his seat before his fathers to receive kingship they said you are the most honored among the great Gods your destiny is unequaled your command is like Anu Marduk you are the most honored among the great Gods your destiny is unequaled your command is like

Anu henceforth your order will not be anold it is in your power to exalt and a base your utterance is sure your command cannot be rebelled against none of the Gods will transgress the line you draw shrines for all the gods needs provisioning that you may be established where their sanctuaries are you are Marduk our Avenger we have given you kingship over the sum of the whole universe take your seat in the assembly let your word be exalted let your weapons not miss the mark but may they slay your enemies be El spare him who

trusts in you but destroy the God who set his mind on evil they set a constellation in the middle and addressed Marduk their son your destiny beel is superior to that of all the gods command and bring about Annihilation and Recreation let the constellation disappear at your utterance with a second command let the constellation reappear he gave the command and the the constellation disappeared with a second command the constellation came into being again when the gods his fathers saw the effect of his utterance they rejoiced and offered congratulation Marduk is the king they addressed to

him a mace a throne and a rod they gave him an irresistible weapon that overwhelms the foe they said go cut TI M's throat and let the winds bear up her blood to give the news the gods his fathers decreed the destiny of bael and set him on the road the way of prosperity and success he fashioned a bow and made it his weapon he set an arrow in place put the bow string on he took up his club and held it in his right hand his bow and quiver he hung at his side he

placed lightning before him and filled his body with tongues of flame he made a net to unmesh the entrails of Tiamat and stationed the Four Winds that no part of her escape the south wind The North Wind the East Wind the West Wind he put beside his net winds given by his father Anu he fashioned the evil wind the dust storm Tempest the four-fold wind wind the Sevenfold wind the chaos spreading wind the wind he set out the seven winds that he had fashioned and they took their stand behind him to harass tats and trails

bael took up the storm flood his great weapon he rode the fearful Chariot of the irresistible storm four steeds he yolked to it and harnessed them to it the Destroyer the merciless the trampler the fleet their lips were parted their teeth bore Venom they were strangers to weariness trained to sweep forward at his right hand he stationed raging battle and strife on the left conflict that overwhelms a United battle array he was clad in a Tunic a fearful coat of male and on his head he wore an aura of Terror bael proceeded and set out

on his way he said his face toward the Raging Tiamat in his lips he held a spell he grasped a plant to counter poison in his hand thereupon they milled around him the gods milled around him the gods his fathers milled around him the gods milled around him bael Drew near surveying the M of Tiamat he observed the tricks of chingu her spouse as he looked he lost lost his nerve his determination went and he faltered his Divine AIDS who were marching at his side saw the warrior the foremost and their Vision became dim Tiamat

cast her spell without turning her neck in her lips she held untruth and lies in there they have assembled by you beel lifted up the storm flood his great weapon and and with these words threw it at the Raging Tiamat why are you aggressive and arrogant and strive to provoke battle the younger generation have shouted outraging their elders but you their mother hold pity in contempt chingu you have named to be your spouse and you have improperly appointed him to the rank of Anu ship against Anar King of the Gods you have stirred up trouble

and Against The Gods my fathers your trouble is established deploy your troops gird on your weapons you and I will take our stand and do battle when Tiamat heard this she went insane and lost her reason Tiamat cried aloud and fiercely all her lower members trembled beneath her she was reciting an incantation kept reciting her spell while the battle gods were sharpening their weapons of war Tiamat and Marduk the sage of of the Gods came together joining in Strife Drawing Near to battle beel spread out his net and enmeshed her he let loose the evil

wind the rear guard in her face Tiamat opened her mouth to swallow it she let the evil wind in so that she could not close her lips the fierce winds weighed down her belly her inws were distended and she opened her mouth wide he let fly an arrow and pierced her belly he tore open her entrails and slit her inwards he bound her and extinguished her life he threw down her corpse and stood on it after he had killed Tiamat the leader her assembly dispersed her host scattered her Divine AIDS who went beside her in

trembling and fear beat a retreat to save their lives but they were completely Sur rounded unable to escape he bound them and broke their weapons and they lay and meshed sitting in a snare hiding in Corners filled with grief bearing his punishment held in a prison the 11 creatures who were Laden with fearfulness the throng of devils who went as Grooms at her right hand he put ropes upon them and bound their arms together with their Warfare he trampled them beneath him now now chingu who had risen to power among them he bound and reckoned

with the dead Gods he took from him the tablet of Destinies which was not properly his sealed it with a seal and fastened it to his own breast after the warrior Marduk had bound and slain his enemies had the Arrogant enemy had established victory for anshar over all his foes had fulfilled the desire of nimod he strengthened his hold on the bound gods and returned to Tiamat whom he had bound bael placed his feet on the lower parts of Tiamat and with his merciless clubs smashed her skull he severed her arteries and let the north

wind bear up her blood to give the news his fathers saw it and were glad and exalted they brought gifts and presents to him beel rested surveying the corpse in order to divide the lump by a clever scheme he split her into two like a dried fish one half of her he set up and stretched out as the heavens he stretched the skin and appointed a watch with the instruction not to let her Waters Escape he crossed over the heavens surveyed the celestial parts and adjusted them to match the ab Ned's Abode beel measured the

shape of the apsu and set up ashara a replica of ashala in ashala ashara which he had built and the heavens he settled in their shrines Anu and leel and Aya tablet five he fashioned Heavenly stations for the great gods and set up con stellations the patterns of the Stars he appointed the year marked off divisions and set up three stars each for the 12 months after he had organized the year he established the Heavenly station of neberu to fix the Stars intervals that none should transgress or be slothful he fixed the Heavenly stations of

enel and Aya with it Gates he opened on both sides and put strong bolts at the left and the right he placed the heights of Heaven in her tiamat's belly he created Nar and trusting to him the night he appointed him as the Jewel of the night to fix the days and month by month without ceasing he elevated him with a crown saying shine over the land at the beginning of the month resplendant with horns to fix Six Days on the seventh day day the crown will be half sizee on the 15th day halfway through

each month stand in opposition when shamash sees you on the horizon diminish in the proper stages and shine backwards on the 29th day draw near to the path of shamash the 30th day stand in conjunction and rival shamash I have the sign follow its track draw near here give judgment shamash constrain murder and violence me at the end let there be the 29th day after he had the decrees the organization of front and he made the day let the year be equally at the new year the Year let there be regularly the projecting bolt after

he had the watches of Night and Day the foam which Tiamat Marduk fashioned he gathered it together and made it into clouds the Raging of the Winds violent rainstorms the bellowing of mist the accumulation of her spittle he appointed for himself and took them in his hand he put her head in position and poured out he opened the abyss and it was sated with water from her two eyes he let the Euphrates and Tigris flow he blocked her nostrils but left he heaped up the distant mountains of her breasts he bored Wells to channel the

Springs he twisted her tail and wo it into the door mahu the absu beneath his feet he set up her crotch it wedged up the Heavens thus the half of her he stretched out and made it firm as the Earth after he had finished his work inside Tiamat he spread his net and let it right out he surveyed the heavens and the Earth their bonds after he had formulated his regulations and composed his decrees he attached guide ropes and put them in aa's hands the tablet of Destinies which chingu had taken and carried he took

charge of it as a trophy and presented it to Anu the of Battle of which he had tied on or had put on his head he brought before his fathers now the 11 creatures to which Tiamat had given birth and he broke their weapons and bound them the creatures to his feet he made images of them and stationed them at the Gate of the absu to be a sign never to be forgotten the gods saw it and were jubilantly happy that is LMU lahamu and all his fathers Anar embraced him and published abroad his title

Victorious King Anu enlil and Aya gave him gifts mother damina Who Bore him hailed him with a clean festal robe she made his face shine to usmu who held her present to give the news he usted the viate of the absu and the care of the holy places the aiji assembled and all did obeisance to him every one of the Anunnaki was kissing his feet they all gathered to show their submission they stood they bowed down behold the king his fathers and took their fill of his Beauty bael listened to their utterance being girded with

the dust of [Music] battle anointing his body with cedar perfume he clothed himself in his lordly robe with a crown of Terror as a royal Aura he took up his club and held it in his right hand he grasped in his left he set his feet he put upon the scepter of prosperity and success he hung at his side after he had the aura he adorned his sack the absu with a fearful was settled like in his throne room in his Cella every one of the Gods LMU and lahamu opened their mouths and addressed the

igii gods previously Marduk was our beloved Son now he is your king heed his command next they all spoke up together his name is Lugal diaran Kia trust in him when they had given kingship to Marduk they addressed to him a benediction for prosperity and success henceforth you are the caretaker of our Shrine whatever you command we will do Marduk opened his mouth to speak and addressed the gods his fathers above the apsu the emerald Abode opposite asara which I built for you beneath the celestial parts whose floor I made firm I will build a

house to be my luxurious Abode within it I will establish its Shrine I will found my chamber and establish my kingship when you come up from the opsu to make a decision this will be your resting place before the assembly when you descend from heaven to make a decision this will be your resting place before the assembly I shall call its name name Babylon the homes of the great Gods within it we will hold a festival that will be the evening Festival the gods his fathers heard this speech of his they said with regard to

all that your hands have made who has your with regard to the Earth that your hands have made who has your in Babylon as you have named it put our resting place forever let them our bring regular offerings whoever our tasks which we therein its toil they rejoiced the gods he who knows them he opened his mouth showing them light his speech he made wide them and the gods bowed down speaking to him they addressed Lugal deania their lord formerly Lord you were our beloved Son now you are our King He Who preserved us the

aura of club and scepter let him conceive plans that we tablet six when Marduk heard the God's speech he conceived a desire to accomplish clever things he opened his mouth addressing aah he counsels that which he has pondered in his heart I will bring together blood to form bone I will bring into being Lulu whose name shall be man I will create Lulu man on whom the toil of the Gods will be laid that they may rest I will skillfully alter the organization of the Gods though they are honored as one they shall be divided

into two aah answered as he addressed a word to him expressing his comments on the resting of the Gods let one brother of theirs be given up let him perish that people may be fashioned let the great Gods assemble and let the guilty one be given up that they may be confirmed Marduk assembled the great Gods using gracious direction as he gave his order as he spoke the gods heeded him the king addressed a word to the anunaki your former oath was true indeed now also tell me the solemn truth who is the one who

instigated Warfare who made Tiamat Rebel and set battle in motion let him who instigated Warfare be given up that I may lay his punishment on him but you sit and rest the aiji the great Gods answered him that is Lugal diaran Kia the counselor of the Gods the Lord chingu is the one who instigated Warfare who made Tiamat Rebel and set battle in motion they bound him holding him before aah they inflicted the penalty on him and severed his blood vessels from his blood he aah created mankind on whom he imposed the service of the

Gods and set the gods free after the wise aah had created Mankind and had imposed the service of the Gods upon them that task is beyond comprehension for nmod performed the creation with the skill of Marduk King Marduk divided Ed the gods all the Anunnaki into upper and lower groups he assigned 300 in the Heavens to guard the decrees of Anu and appointed them as a guard next he arranged the organization of the Nether world in heaven and Nether world he stationed 600 Gods after he had arranged all the decrees and had distributed incomes among

the anunaki of heaven and Nether world the anunaki opened their mouths and addressed their lord Marduk now Lord seeing you have established our freedom what favor can we do for you let us make a shrine of great Renown your chamber will be our resting place wherein we may Repose let us erect a shrine to house a pedestal wherein we may Repose when we finish the work when Marduk heard this he beamed as brightly as the light of day build Babylon the task you have sought let bricks for it be molded and raise the shrine the

anunaki wielded the pick for one year they made the needed bricks when the second year arrived they raised the peak of igel a replica of the opsu they built the lofty Temple Tower of the opsu and for Anu and leel and Aya they established its as a dwelling he sat in splendor before them surveying its horns which were level with the base of asara after they had completed the work on esil all the anunaki constructed their own shrines 300 eiji of heaven and 600 of the opsu all of them had assembled bael seated the gods

his fathers at the banquet in the lofty Shrine which they had built built for his dwelling saying this is Babylon your fixed dwelling take your pleasure here sit down in Joy the great God sat down beer mugs were set out and they sat at the banquet after they had enjoyed themselves inside they held a service in awesome igel the regulations and all the rules were confirmed all the gods divided the Stations of heaven and Netherworld the College of the 50 great Gods took their seats the seven gods of Destinies were appointed to give decisions bael

received his weapon the bow and laid it before them his Divine fathers saw the net which he had made his fathers saw how skillfully rought was the structure of the bow as they praised what he had made Anu lifted it up in the Divine assembly he kissed the bow saying it is my daughter thus he called the names of the bow long stick was the first the second was May it hit the mark with the third name bow star he made it to shine in the sky he fixed its Heavenly position along with its Divine

Brothers after Anu had decreed the destiny of the bow he set down a royal Throne a lofty one even for a god Anu set it there in the Assembly of the god Gods the great Gods assembled they exalted the destiny of Marduk and did obeyence they invoked a curse on themselves and took an oath with water and oil and put their hands to their throats they granted him the right to exercise kingship over the gods they confirmed him as lord of the Gods of heaven and Netherworld anshar gave him his exalted name ass alui At

The Mention Of His Name let us show submission when he speaks let the gods heed him let his command be superior in upper and lower regions May the son our Avenger be exalted let his lordship be superior and himself without rival let him Shepherd the blackheads his creatures let them tell of his character to Future days without forgetting let him establish lavish food offerings for his fathers let him provide for their maintenance and be caretaker of their sanctuaries let him burn incense to Rejoice their sanctums let him do on Earth the same as he has

done in heaven let him appoint the blackheads to worship Him the subject humans should take note and call on their gods since he commands they should heed their goddesses let food offering be brought for their gods and goddesses may they not be forgotten may they remember their gods may they their may they their shrines though the blackheads worship someone some another God he is the god of each and every one of us come let us call the 50 names of him whose character is resend whose achievement is the same Marduk as he was named by

his father Anu from his birth who supplies pasturage and watering making the Stables flourish who bound the boastful with his weapon the storm flood and saved the gods his fathers from distress he is the son the son god of the Gods he is dazzling let them ever walk in his bright light on the peoples that he created the living beings he imposed the service of the Gods and they took rest creation and Annihilation forgiveness and exacting the penalty occur at his command so let them fix their eyes on him maruka he is the god who

created them who put the anunaki at ease the aiji at rest maruku he is the support of land City and its peoples hence forth let the peoples ever heed him meaku Fierce yet deliberating angry yet relenting his mind is wide his heart is all embracing Lugal deang Kia is the name by which we all called him whose command we have exalted above that of the Gods his fathers he is the Lord of all the gods of heaven and Nether world the king at whose injunctions the Gods in upper and lower regions shudder narial Ania is

the name we gave him the mentor of every God who established our dwellings in heaven and Netherworld in time of trouble who distributed the Heavenly Stations between IGI and anunaki let the gods tremble at his name and Quake on their seats auhi is the name by which his father Anu called him he is the light of the Gods a Mighty Hero who as his name says is a protecting Angel for God and land who by a terrible combat saved our dwelling in time of trouble auhi namela they called him secondly The lifegiving God Who in

accordance with the form of his name restored all the ruined Gods the Lord who brought to life the dead Gods by his pure incantation Let Us Praise Him as the destroyer of of the Crooked enemies a alohi namu as his name is called thirdly the pure God who cleanses our character anshar LMU and lahamu each called him by three of his names then they addressed the gods their sons we have each called him by three of his names now you call his names like us the gods rejoiced as they heard their speech inuk Kaki they

held a conference of the warrior son our Avenger of the provisioner let us extol the name they sat down in their assembly summoning the Destinies and with all due rights they called his name tablet 7 assar The Giver of arable land who established plow land the creator of barley and flax who made plant life grow Asar Alim who is revered in the council chamber whose Council excels the gods heed it and grasp fear of him AAR Alim Nuna the noble the light of the father his begetter who directs the decrees of Anu enlil and Aya

that is nin shiku he is their provisioner who assigns their incomes whose turban multiplies abundance for the land tutu is he who accomplishes their renovation let him purify their sanctuaries that they may Repose let him fashion an incantation that the gods May rest though they rise up in Fury let them withdraw he is indeed exalted in the Assembly of the Gods his fathers no one among the gods can equal him to tuina the life of his host who established the pure heavens for the gods who took charge of their courses who appointed their stations may

he not be forgotten among Mortals but let them remember his deeds tutu ziku they called him thirdly the establisher of purification the god of the pleasant Breeze Lord of success and obedience who produces Bounty and wealth who establishes abundance who turns everything scant that we have into profusion whose Pleasant Breeze we sniffed in times of terrible trouble let men command that his Praises be constantly uttered let them offer worship to him as tutu aaku fourthly let humans extol him Lord of the pure incantation who brought the dead back to life who showed Mercy on the

bound Gods who threw the imposed yoke on the Gods enemies and to spare them created mankind the merciful in whose power it is to restore to life let his words be sure and not forgotten from the mouths of the blackheads his creatures as tutu tuku fifthly let their mouth give expression to his pure spell who extrated all the wicked by his pure incantation shazu who knew the of the Gods who saw the Reigns who did not let an evildoer escape from him who established the Assembly of the Gods who rejoiced their hearts who subjugated the

disobedient he is the God's encompassing protection he made truth to prosper he uprooted perverse speech he separated falsehood from truth as shazu Zizi secondly let them continually Praise Him the subduer of aggressors who ousted consternation of from the bodies of the Gods his fathers shazu Su Rim thirdly who extrap every foe with his weapons who confounded their plans and turned them into wind he snuffed out all the wicked who came against him let the gods ever shout acclamations in the assembly shazu gim fourthly who established success for the gods his fathers who extrap foes and

destroyed their offspring who scattered their achievements leaving no part of them LED his name be spoken and proclaimed in the land as shazu zah fifthly let future Generations discuss him the destroyer of every Rebel of all the disobedient who brought all the fugitive Gods into the shrines let this name of his be established as shasu Sak Kim sixthly let them alt together and everywhere worship Him who himself destroyed all the foes in battle ENB belulu is he the Lord who supplies them abundantly their great chosen one who provides serial offerings who keeps pasturage and watering

in good condition and established it for the land who opened water courses and distributed plent F water ENB Lulu EP adun Lord of common land and let them call him secondly Canal supervisor of heaven and Netherworld who sets the furrow who establishes clean arable land in the Open Country who directs irrigation ditch and Canal and marks out the furrow as ULU gugal Canal supervisor of the water courses of the Gods let them Praise Him thirdly Lord of abundance profusion and huge stores of grain who provides Bounty who enriches human habitations who gives wheat and brings

grain into being ENB belulu hegal who accumulates abundance for the peoples who RS down riches on the broad Earth and supplies abundant vegetation cir who heaped up a mountain on top of Tiamat who plundered the corpse of Tiamat with his weapons the guardian of the land their trustworthy Shepherd whose hair is a growing crop whose turban is a Furrow who kept crossing the broad sea in his Fury and kept crossing over the place of her battle as though it were a bridge sir Mala they named him secondly so be it Tiamat was his boat he

was her sailor Gil whoever heaps up piles of bar ly massive Mounds the creator of grain and flocks who gives seed for the land Gilma who made the bond of the Gods firm who created stability a snare that overwhelmed them who yet extended favors agalma the lofty who snatches off the crown who takes charge of snow who created the Earth on the water and made firm the height of Heaven zulum who assigns Meadows for the gods and divides up what he has created who gives incomes and food offerings who administers shrines Mumu creator of heaven

and underworld who protects refugees The God Who purifies heaven and underworld secondly Zulu in respect of whose strength none other among the gods can equal him Gish numab creator of all the peoples who made the world regions who destroyed tiamat's gods and made peoples from part of them Lugal abdur the king who scattered The Works of Tiamat who uprooted her weapons whose Foundation is secure on the for and AF pagal guenna foremost of all Lords whose strength is exalted who is the greatest among the gods his brothers the most noble of them all Lugal durach

King of the bond of the Gods Lord of dmak U who is the greatest in the Royal Abode infinitely more lofty than the other gods Aruna counselor of Aya creator of the Gods his fathers whom no God can equal in respect of his lordly walk dumuku who renews for himself in his pure Abode in Duku dum Duku without whom Lugal Duku does not make a decision Lugal shuana the king whose strength is exalted among the gods the Lord the strength of Anu he who is supreme chosen of anshar UGA who plundered them all in the

sea who grasps all wisdom is comprehensive in understanding K chingu who plundered chingu in battle attle who directs all decrees and establishes lordship kinma the director of all the gods who gives counsel at whose name the gods bend down in reverence as before a hurricane dingar Asis let him take his lofty seat in the house of benediction let the gods bring their presence before him until he receives their offerings no one but he accom accomplishes clever things the four regions of blackheads are his creation apart from him no God knows the measure of their days

guu who makes weapons hard who accomplished clever things in the battle with Tiamat comprehensive in wisdom skilled in understanding a deep mind that all the gods combined do not understand let Adu be his name let him cover the whole span of heaven let him Thunder with his pleasant voice upon the Earth May the rumble fill the clouds and give sustenance to the peoples below asaru who as his name says mustered the Divine Fates he indeed is the warden of absolutely All Peoples as nabberu let him hold the Crossing Place of heaven and underworld they should

not cross above or below but should wait for him nabberu is his star which he caused to shine in the sky let him take his stand on the Heavenly staircase that they may look at him yes he who constantly crosses the sea without resting let his name be nebaru who grasps her middle let him fix the paths of the stars of Heaven let him Shepherd all the gods like sheep let him bind Tiamat and put her life in Mortal danger to Generations yet Unborn born to distant future Days may he continue unchecked may he persist

into eternity since he created the heavens and fashioned the Earth enlil the father called him by his own name lord of the lands aah heard the names which all the eiji called and his Spirit became radiant why he whose name was extolled by his fathers let him like me be called aah let him control the sum of all my rights let him administer all my decrees with the word 50 the great Gods called his 50 names and assigned him an outstanding position they should be remembered a leading figure should expound them the wise and learned

should confer about them a father should repeat them and teach them to his son one should explain them to Shepherd and herdsmen if one is not negligent to Marduk the en leel of the Gods May one's land flourish and oneself Prosper for his word is reliable his command unchanged no God can alter the utterance of his mouth when he looks in Fury he does not relent when his anger is Ablaze no God can face him his mind is deep his spirit is all embracing before whom sin and transgression are sought out instruction which a leading

figure repeated before him Marduk he wrote it down and stored it so that generations to come might hear it Marduk who created the igii gods though they diminish let them call on his name the song of Muk who defeated Tiamat and took kingship conclusion the anuma Alish as a mythological work is timeless but some Scholars have argued that in its day it would have resonated with an audience who understood Babylon as a city breaking with the traditions of the past to create a new and better future scholar thorkil Jacobson for example notes Bon wared with

the territory of ancient Sumer and all its renowned and venerable ancient cities and their gods it waged an upstarts war with its own parent civilization and that this was a live issue that Babylon was keenly aware of being heir to and continuer of Sumerian civilization is clear from the fact that its Kings especially those of the latter half of the Sealand Dynasty sport elaborate Sumerian ised names understandably therefore Babylon might have felt consciously or unconsciously its Victory to be in some sense patricidal the story then can be read not only as a grand tale of

the Triumph of order over chaos and light over Darkness but as a parable of the rise of Babylon and Babylonian culture over the old Sumer model of civilization further the tale can be understood as an illustration of the concept of life as Perpetual change the old static gods in the story are replaced by the younger and more Dynamic Gods who then introduce the concept of change and mutability to the universe through their creation of mortal beings who are subject to death these creatures are tasked with helping the gods maintain their creation and so although they

are not themselves Eternal play an integral role in the my name is DW draffen I do voiceover and I'm available for hire