Marduk the Dragon Slayer
Marduk, revered as the chief god of Babylon, is celebrated in ancient Mesopotamian mythology as the "Dragon Slayer" for his pivotal role in defeating Tiāmat, the goddess of chaos. The narrative begins in a primordial sea, where Apsû governs the waters and Tiāmat embodies chaos. As more gods emerge, they strive to impose order, but Apsû and Tiāmat resist their efforts. Marduk is born to Ea, who ultimately defeats Apsû, leading to Tiāmat's vengeful uprising against the other gods. Tasked by the elder gods, Marduk confronts Tiāmat and, wielding powerful forces and weapons, succeeds in slaying her and creating the cosmos from her remains. This myth not only establishes Marduk's supremacy among the gods but also signifies the transition from chaos to order in the universe. The tales of Marduk are derived from ancient Babylonian texts, notably the "Enuma Elish," and reflect the cultural and religious significance of the Babylonian civilization during its rise to power. Marduk's evolution from a minor deity to a central figure illustrates the complexities of Mesopotamian religious beliefs.
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Marduk the Dragon Slayer
Author: Traditional Babylonian
Time Period: 2499 BCE–1000 BCE
Country or Culture: Mesopotamia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
In the beginning, there is only a vast sea. Apsû is in charge of this sea, while the spirit of chaos is embodied in the goddess Tiāmat. Then, the gods, beginning with the god Lahmu and the goddess Lahamu, start to emerge from Apsû’s domain. After a long period, more gods come forth, such as Anšar (Anshar) and Kišar (Kishar). Later, the great sky god, An (Anu), and the wise Ea, or Enki—who will become the lord of the earth—emerge from the sea as well. Many more gods come forth, each of whom is powerful and glorious. The gods set out to bring order and control to the forming universe.
Apsû and Tiāmat do not wish to see an end to the chaos. Apsû consults with his son and counsel, Mammu, to determine what can be done about the high gods’ activities. Tiāmat sends powerful storms, but the gods are undeterred, and Apsû’s projections of power are also ineffective in defeating the high gods. Mammu tells Apsû that defeating the gods is possible, and the two go about plotting how to fight the gods. Ea, who has grown more powerful than his father, overhears Apsû and Mammu and utters an incantation. Apsû falls asleep, while Mammu falls into a daze. Ea kills Apsû by holding him down and captures Mammu, binding him with a rope. Ea then takes his father’s crown and other signs of power and claims them for himself. Ea and his wife Damkina then have a son, Marduk (also known as Merodach).
Tiāmat, vengeful at the defeat of Apsû and Mammu, consults with the god Qingu. The two agree to wage full war against Ea and the high gods. They raise an army of fearsome creatures, including serpents, dragons, scorpion men and other monstrosities. In the face of this danger, Ea consults with his father, Anšar, who in turn appeals to An to calm Tiāmat. An, however, senses her wrath and does not approach Tiāmat. Anšar therefore turns to Marduk to stand against the fearful power of Tiāmat and her army. Anšar relieves Marduk of the latter’s fear and promises him that he will indeed wound Tiāmat. Anšar also appeals to the other gods and his own counsel to make Marduk their king so that he will have the power to smite Tiāmat.
Marduk takes up a bow and quiver of arrows, a club, and a spear and moves to engage Tiāmat. He creates a number of powerful natural forces—the seven winds—and the powerful thunderstone before climbing into his storm chariot, which is pulled by poisonous horses. The high gods stand by his side as he rides to Tiāmat’s lair. He reveals his newfound power to her, using his thunderstone to terrify her supporters. Using a net and the winds at his disposal, Marduk slays Tiāmat the dragon. The rebellious gods, having lost Tiāmat, attempt to retreat but are caught in Marduk’s net and stripped of their weapons.
Marduk then divides the dragon’s body and uses it to create realms for the gods as well as the earth. He also creates the stars and celestial bodies, including the moon and the constellations. Later, at the behest of Ea, who wants the gods to be revered, Marduk creates humans. Thereafter, he creates the other creatures of the earth as well as the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the plants and trees that surround the area.
Meanwhile, all of the gods become linked to Marduk, including the gods that had previously been aligned with Tiāmat. Such actions help bring order to the universe.
SIGNIFICANCE
The story of Marduk is derived from two separate Babylonian sets of tablets—the Enuma elish and the Atrahasis—both of which were likely written between 1800 and 1500 BCE. The Enuma elish (When on high) comprises seven tablets, known as the seven tablets of creation, which were unearthed during the nineteenth century CE. The tablets were incomplete and were pieced together thereafter. It is believed that the story on these tablets dates back to ancient Sumer (ca. 3500–2000 BCE). The elements of the myth focusing on humans, found on the Atrahasis (Extra-wise), are believed to have been written around 1700 BCE, though the story itself likely dates back to Sumerian times. These inconsistencies are evident in the myriad names for such figures as Ea, Tiāmat, and other gods. Even Marduk, although depicted as the most powerful of the gods in every story, has fifty names and aspects in this story, including the name Bel (lord).
The Babylonian tale of the creation of the universe and the gods who oversee it begins in a similar fashion to other ancient civilizations’ accounts of creation, with everything in a state of chaos and with no discernible ground or heavens. From this sea of confusion arise the gods, who bring order to the chaos preferred by Tiāmat and Apsû. The elder gods, in the process, combat the evil that would destroy the universe.
Marduk is a complex figure in Mesopotamian mythology. For millennia, he was little more than a minor deity. However, this story elevates him significantly, first as a hero and then as the creator of the universe. At about the same time this story was written, in the eighteenth century BCE, Marduk also became the patron god of the city of Babylon, which was growing in terms of political and cultural power in the region. Meanwhile, the story reduces the role of Enki/Ea—who in ancient Sumerian tradition, predating Babylonia by millennia, was the creator of the universe and at the apex of the gods—to that of a secondary figure while empowering Marduk with Ea’s heroism and destiny.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Falk, Daniel K. “Creation Myths in the Ancient Near East: Enuma Elish.” University of Oregon. U of Oregon, n.d. Web. 3 June 2013.
MacKenzie, Donald A. Myths of Babylonia and Assyria. 1915. Sacred Texts. Evinity, 2011. Web. 3 June 2013.
“Marduk (God).” Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. U of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 3 June 2013.
Massey, Gerald. The Natural Genesis; or, Second Part of A Book of the Beginnings. London: Williams, 1883. Print.
Railsback, Bruce. “Marduk Creates the World from the Spoils of Battle.” Creation Stories from around the World. U of Georgia, n.d. Web. 3 June 2013.
Webster, Michael. “The Babylonian Creation Story (Enuma Elish).” World Mythology. Grand Valley State U, n.d. Web. 3 June 2013.