The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria

ability had two stages before arriving at that in which the god Merodach occupied the position of chief of the pantheon, the two preced

eir theory of the beginning of things, a short paraphrase of the

iment of

bandonment of Babylon in the time of Seleucus Nicator, 300 B.C. or thereabouts, when the deity at the head of the pantheon seems not to have been Merodach, but Anu-Bêl. This legend is therefore the most important document bearing upon the beliefs of the Babylonians from the end of the third millennium B.C. until that time, and the philosophical ideas which it contains seem

e first

sea) were all united in one, and neither plains nor marshes were to be seen; the gods likewise did not exist, even in name, and the fates were undetermined-nothing had been decided as to the future of things. Then arose the great gods. Lahmu and Lahame came first, follow

go

nos (Anu), come Illinos (Ellila or Bel, "the lord" /par excellence/) and Aos (Aa, Ae, or êa), the god of Eridu. Of Aos and Dauké (the Babylonian Aa an

gns agai

xisted in one of the defective lines of the first portion of this legend-in any case, his name occurs later on, with those of Tiawath and Apsu (the Deep), his parents, and the three seem to be compared, to their disadvantage, with the progeny of Lahmu and Lahame, the gods on high. As the ways of these last were not those of Tiawath's brood, and Apsu complained that he had no peace by day nor rest by night on account of their proceedings, the three representatives of the chaotic deep, Tiawath, Apsu, and

's prep

o being also various monsters-giant serpents, sharp of tooth, bearing stings, and with poison filling their bodies like blood; terrible dragons endowed with brilliance, and of enormous stature, reared on high, raging dogs, scorpion-men, fish-men, and many other terrible beings, were created a

replac

re of Apsu, the begetter of all things, Tiawath's spouse, nor of Mummu, their son. In all probability there is good reason for this, and inscriptions will doubtless u

ath'

s-in her own hands. As Tiawath means "the sea," and Apsu "the deep," it is probable that this is a kind of allegory personifying the productive power seen in the teeming

ear of the

ter considering what they would do, An?ar applied to his son Anu, "the mighty and brave," saying that, if he would only speak to her, the great dragon's anger would be assuaged, and her rage disappear. In obedience to this behest, Anu went to try his power with

erodach as t

n enemy. Invitations were sent to the gods asking them to a festival, where, having met together, they ate and drank, and "decided the fate" for Merodach their avenger, apparently meaning that he was decreed their defender in the conflict with Tiawath, and that the power of creating and annihilating by t

mouth, and the ga

in, and the garmen

proclai

ng fire filled his body. Anu, the god of the heavens, had given him a great net, and this he set at the four cardinal points, in order that nothing of the dragon, when he had defeated her, should escape. Seven winds he then created to accompany him, and the great weapon called /Abubu/, "the Flood," completed his equipment. All being ready, he moun

ht with

cantations and charms. These, however, had not the slightest effect, for she found herself at once enclosed in Merodach's net, and on opening her mouth to resist and free herself, the evil wind, which Merodach had sent on before him, entered, so that she could not close her lips, and thus inflated, her heart was overpowered, and she became a prey to her conqueror. Having cut her asunder and taken out her heart, thus destroying her life, he threw her body down and stood thereon. Her followers then attempted to escape, but found themselves surrounded and una

th's

ment which probably typifies the opening of obstructions which prevent the rivers flowing from the north from running into the southern seas, helped thereto by the north win

rders the

each month, and made a station for Nibiru-Merodach's own star-as the overseer of all the lights in the firmament. He then caused the new moon, Nannaru, to shine, and made him the ruler of the night, indicating his phases, one of which was on the seventh day, and the other, a /?abattu/, or day of rest, in the middle of the month. Directions with regard to the moon's movements seem to follow, but the record is mutilated, and their real nature consequently doubtful. With regard to other w

eation

n, he considered what he should do, and then communicated to his father Ae his plan for the creation of man with his own blood, in order that the service and wo

rrative fil

lent to the Greek Thalassa, the sea. It was she who had in her charge all the strange creatures then existing. At this period, Belus (Bel-Merodach) came, and cut the woman asunder, forming out of one half the earth, and of the other the heavens, at the same time destroying all the creatures which were within her-all th

nd cre

is head, and mix the blood with the soil, forming other men and animals which should be able to bear the light. He also formed the stars, the sun, the moon, and the five planets. It would thus seem that there were two creations, the first having been a failure because Belus had not foreseen

cluding

o monotheism of which something will be said later on. In this text, which is written, like the rest of the legend, in poetical form, Merodach is repeatedly called /Tutu/, a mystic word meaning "creator," and "begetter," f

ga (the glorious crown)

rio

glorious incantation

i

y on the gods who h

oke which he had lai

enem

deem(?) them, c

one,' 'he with w

be established, a

he black-headed ones[

de

.e. m

he re

ose enemies of the gods who were undergoing punishment for their hostility. Whether by this Tiawath, Apsu, Mummu, Kingu, and the monsters whom she had created were included, or only the gods of heaven who had joined her, the record does not say. Naturally, this doctrine depends entirely upon the correctness of the translation of

nt of the creation.

sea." The renowned cities of Babylonia seem to have been regarded as being as much creations of Merodach as the world and its inhabitants-indeed, it is apparently for the glorification of those cities by attributing their origin to Merodach, that the bilingual account of the creation was composed.. "When within the sea there was a stream"-that is, when the veins of Tiawath had been cut through-êridu (probably = Paradise) and the temple ê-sagila within the Abyss were constructed, and after that Babylon and the earth

dach-the gods are no longer spoken of as "his fathers,"

e gods in the p

s probable that these lists, at least in some cases, are arranged in conformity (to a certain extent) with the appearance of the deities in the so-called creation-story. Some of them begin with Anu, and give him vari

OM THE TRIL

ver

umer. Standard C

. or S

sort of êa. 4. Mu-ul-lil En-lil-la Bêl The God Bel. 5. E-lum A-lim Bêl 6. Ga?an(?)-lil Nin-lil-la

tu's consort, sis

b En-?ag-dug

is consort. A number of names of minor divinities then follow. At

r-an-kia Marduk Merodach as "lord god of heaven and earth." 51. U-ab-?ar-u En-ab-?ar-u Marduk Merodach, apparently as "lord of the 36,000 st

onsort. The beginning of the reverse also is mutilated, but seems to have given the names of the sun-god, ?ama?, and his

ver

in-si-anna Innanna mul I?tar the star (the planet Venus). 21. Nin Nin-tag-taga Nanaa a goddess identified with I?tar. 23. U-?ah Nina-?ah Pap-sukal the gods' messen

a follow, of which that in li

6. U-mu-zi-da Nin-gi?-zi-da Nin-gi?-zida "the lord of the everlasting tree." 37. U-urugal Ne-eri-gal Nerigal Nergal.

t of the second column) with the same character as that used for the name of Anu. After this comes Aa or êa, the god of the earth, and his consort, followed by En-lilla, the older Bel-Illinos in Damascius. The name of êa is repeated again in line 43 and following, where he is apparently re-introduced as the father of Merodach, whose names immediately follow. This pe