| Fertile Crescent myth series |
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| Mesopotamian | |
| Levantine | |
| Arabian | |
| Mesopotamia | |
| 7 gods who decree | |
| The great gods | |
| Demigods & heroes | |
| Spirits & monsters | |
| Tales from Babylon | |
| Primordial Beings | |
In Babylonian mythology[1], Tiamat is the sea, personified as a goddess,[2] and a monstrous embodiment of primordial chaos. Babylonian mythology is a set of stories depicting the activities of Babylonian deities, Heroes and Mythological creatures While these stories A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities Chaos (derived from the Ancient Greek, Chaos) typically refers to Unpredictability, and is the antithesis of Cosmos. [3] In the Enûma Elish, the Babylonian epic of creation, she gives birth to the first generation of gods; she later makes war upon them and is split in two by the storm-god Marduk, who uses her body to form the heavens and the earth. The akk Enûma Eliš is the Babylonian Creation myth (named for its Incipit) Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation A creation myth is a supernatural mytho-[[religion religious]] story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity, Earth, life, and Marduk ( Sumerian spelling in Akkadian: AMARUTU 𒀫 𒌓 "solar calf" perhaps from MERI She was known as Thalattē (as variant of thalassa, the Greek word for "sea") in the Hellenistic Babylonian Berossus' first volume of universal history, and some Akkadian copyists of Enûma Elish slipped and substituted the ordinary word for "sea" for Tiamat, so close was the association. In Greek mythology, Thalassa (Θάλασσα " Sea " was a primordial sea Goddess, daughter of Aether and Hemera. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. Berossus (also Berossos or Berosus; Greek: Βήρωσσος was a Hellenistic -era Babylonian writer and astronomer who [4]
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Etymology of the name
Thorkild Jacobsen[5] and Walter Burkert both argue for a connection with the Akkadian word for sea tâmtu, following an early form ti'amtum. Walter Burkert (born Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, February 2, 1931) a scholar of Greek mythology and cult, is an emeritus [6] Tiamat can also be derived from the Sumerian ti, "life", and ama, "mother". [7] Burkert continues by making a linguistic connection to Tethys. In Classical Greek mythology, Tethys (Greek Τηθύς) daughter of Uranus and Gaia ( Hesiod, Theogony lines The later form thalatth he finds to be clearly related to Greek thalassa, "sea". The Babylonian epic Enuma Elish is named for its incipit: "When above" the heavens did not yet exist nor the earth below, Apsu the freshwater ocean was there, "the first, the begetter", and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, "she who bore them all"; they were "mixing their waters". The akk Enûma Eliš is the Babylonian Creation myth (named for its Incipit) The incipit of a text such as a Poem, Song, or Book, is its first few words or opening line It is thought that female deities are older than male ones in Mesopotamia, and Tiamat may have begun as part of the cult of Nammu, a female principle of a watery creative force, with equally strong connections to the underworld, predating the appearance of Ea-Enki. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding In Sumerian mythology, Nammu (more properly Namma) is the Sumerian creation goddess [8]
This "mixing of the waters" is a natural feature of the middle Persian Gulf, where fresh waters from the Arabian aquifer mix and mingle with the salt waters of the sea. [9] This characteristic is especially true of the region of Bahrain, whose name means in Arabic, "two seas" and which is thought to be the site of Dilmun, the original site of the Sumerian creation. The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Dilmun (sometimes transliterated Telmun) is a land mentioned by Mesopotamian Civilizations as a trade partner source of raw material copper and Entrepot [10]
Tiamat has also been claimed to be also cognate with West Semitic tehom ("the deeps, abyss"), in the Book of Genesis 1. The West Semitic languages are a proposed major sub-grouping of Semitic languages. [11]
Tiamat's appearance
Though Tiamat is often described by modern authors as a sea serpent or dragon, no ancient texts exist in which there is a clear association with those kinds of creatures. This article is about sea serpents in mythology and cryptozoology The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide Though the Enûma Elish specifically states that Tiamat did give birth to dragons and serpents, they are included among a larger and more general list of monsters including scorpion men and merpeople, none of which imply that any of the children resemble the mother or are even limited to aquatic creatures. The akk Enûma Eliš is the Babylonian Creation myth (named for its Incipit) Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth Offspring. Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens serpentis "something that creeps snake" that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or Scorpion men are featured in several Akkadian language myths, including the Enûma Elish and the Babylonian version of the Epic of A mermaid is a Mythological aquatic creature that is half human half aquatic creature (e
Within the Enûma Elish her physical description includes a tail, a thigh, "lower parts" (which shake together), a belly, an udder, ribs, a neck, a head, a skull, eyes, nostrils, a mouth, and lips. The tail is the section at the rear end of an Animal 's Body; in general the term refers to a distinct flexible Appendage to the Torso. In humans the thigh is the area between the Pelvis and the Knee. An Udder is the mammary organ of Female Cattle and some other Mammals including Goats and Sheep. In Vertebrate Anatomy, ribs ( Latin costae) are the long curved Bones which form the ribcage. The neck is the part of the Body on many limbed Vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the Torso or trunk In Anatomy, the head of an Animal is the Rostral part (from Anatomical position that usually comprises the Brain, Eyes Eyes are organs that detect Light, and send signals along the Optic nerve to the visual areas of the brain The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the Alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals She has insides (possibly "entrails"), a heart, arteries, and blood. The heart is a muscular organ in all Vertebrates responsible for pumping Blood through the Blood vessels by repeated rhythmic Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products
The strictly modern depiction of Tiamat as a multi-headed dragon was popularized in the 1970s as a fixture of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game thanks to earlier sources conflating Tiamat with later mythological characters, such as Lotan. Tiamat is the name of a powerful draconic Goddess in the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Lotan or Lawtan is the seven-headed sea serpent or Dragon of Ugaritic myths (Etymologically = the serpent of Law/Lot
Tiamat appears in the Final Fantasy series as a multi-headed dragon. Tiamat also makes another appearance as a summon in the Nintendo Game Boy Advance RPG, "Golden Sun. " Tiamat is also used in Blizzards MMORPG Diablo II on a unique Dragon shield called Tiamat's Rebuke.
In The Ogre Battle series a Tiamat is a third-stage black dragon.
Mythology
Apsu (or Abzu, from Sumerian ab = water, zu = far) fathered upon Tiamat the Elder Gods Lahmu and Lahamu (the "muddy"), a title given to the gatekeepers at the Enki Abzu temple in Eridu. Laḫmu (also romanized Lakhmu) is a deity from Akkadian mythology, first-born son of Apsu and Tiamat. Lahamu was the first-born daughter of Tiamat and Apsu in Akkadian mythology. Eridu (URUNUNKI; Sumerian:eridug Akkadian: ?) from the Sumerian for 'mighty place' is modern Tell Abu Shahrain, Iraq Lahmu and Lahamu, in turn, were the parents of the axis or pivot of the heavens (Anshar, from an = heaven, shar = axle or pivot) and the earth (Kishar); Anshar and Kishar were considered to meet on the horizon, becoming thereby the parents of Anu and Ki. In Akkadian mythology, Anshar (also spelled Anshur) which means "sky pivot" or "sky axle" is a Sky God. In the Akkadian epic Enuma Elish, Kishar is the daughter of Lahmu and Lahamu, the first children of Tiamat and Apsu In Sumerian mythology and later for Assyrians and Babylonians Anu (also An; (from Sumerian *An = sky heaven was a sky-god Ki (earth in Sumerian mythology was the goddess and personification of the earth and underworld chief consort of An (heaven the sky god Tiamat was the "shining" personification of salt water who roared and smote in the chaos of original creation. She and Apsu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters. She is "Ummu-Hubur who formed all things".
In the myth, the god Enki (later Ea) believed correctly that Apsu, upset with the chaos they created, was planning to murder the younger gods; and so slew him. Enki ( Sumerian: dENKI(G 𒂗𒆠 was a Deity in Sumerian mythology, later known as Ea in Babylonian mythology This angered Kingu, their son, who reported the event to Tiamat, whereupon she fashioned monsters to battle the gods in order to avenge Apsu's death. These were her own offspring: giant sea serpents, storm demons, fish-men, scorpion-men and many others. This article is about sea serpents in mythology and cryptozoology Tiamat possessed the Tablets of Destiny, and in the primordial battle she gave them to Kingu, the god she had chosen as her lover and the leader of her host. In Mesopotamian Mythology, the Tablet of Destinies (not as frequently misquoted in general works the 'Tablets of Destiny' was envisaged as a clay tablet inscribed Kingu, also spelled Qingu meaning unskilled laborer was a god in Babylonian mythology and — after the murder of his father — the consort of the goddess Tiamat The Gods gathered in terror, but Anu, (replaced later, first by Enlil and, in the late version that has survived after the First Dynasty of Babylon, by Marduk, the son of Ea), first extracting a promise that he would be revered as "king of the gods", overcame her, armed with the arrows of the winds, a net, a club, and an invincible spear. Enlil ( EN = Lord + LIL = Loft "Lord of the Open" or "Lord of the Wind" was the name of a chief deity listed and written about in ancient Sumerian Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq Marduk ( Sumerian spelling in Akkadian: AMARUTU 𒀫 𒌓 "solar calf" perhaps from MERI In Polytheistic systems there is a tendency for one divinity usually a male to achieve pre-eminence as King of the Gods.
- And the lord stood upon Tiamat's hinder parts,
- And with his merciless club he smashed her skull.
- He cut through the channels of her blood,
- And he made the North wind bear it away into secret places.
Slicing Tiamat in half, he made from her ribs the vault of heaven and earth. Her weeping eyes became the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates. The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת With the approval of the elder gods, he took from Kingu the Tablets of Destiny, installing himself as the head of the Babylonian pantheon. A pantheon (from Greek Πάνθειον - pantheion, literally "a temple of all gods " neut Kingu was captured and was later slain: his red blood mixed with the red clay of the Earth would make the body of humankind, created to act as the servant of the younger Igigi Gods. Igigi ( fl 2257 BCE) was a king of the Akkadian Empire. His rule began in 2257 BCE and he fought for power in Akkad after the death of
The principal theme of the epic is the justified elevation of Marduk to command over all the gods. "It has long been realized that the Marduk epic, for all its local coloring and probable elaboration by the Babylonian theologians, reflects in substance older Sumerian material," E. A. Speiser remarked in 1942[12] adding "The exact Sumerian prototype, however, has not turned up so far. Ephraim Avigdor Speiser ( January 24, 1902 &ndash June 15, 1965) was a Polish -born American Assyriologist. " Without corroboration in surviving texts, this surmise that the Babylonian version of the story is based upon a modified version of an older epic, in which Enlil, not Marduk, was the god who slew Tiamat,[13] is more recently dismissed as "distinctly improbable",[14] Marduk in fact has no precise Sumerian prototype. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation Enlil ( EN = Lord + LIL = Loft "Lord of the Open" or "Lord of the Wind" was the name of a chief deity listed and written about in ancient Sumerian
Notes
- ^ And doubtless in Sumerian mythology as well, though all the surviving texts are later. Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian Akkadian Assyrian and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris
- ^ Jacobsen, Thorkild. "The Battle between Marduk and Tiamat", Journal of the American Oriental Society, 88. Marduk ( Sumerian spelling in Akkadian: AMARUTU 𒀫 𒌓 "solar calf" perhaps from MERI 1 (January-March 1968), pp 104-108.
- ^ Stephanie Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia (Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 329.
- ^ Jacobsen 1968:105.
- ^ Jacobsen 1968:105.
- ^ Burkert, Walter. The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influences on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age 1993, p 92f.
- ^ Palmer, Abram Smythe . Babylonian influence on the Bible and popular beliefs : "Tĕhôm and Tiâmat", "Hades and Satan" : a comparative study of Genesis I. 2 (London, 1897)
- ^ Steinkeller, Piotr. "On Rulers, Priests and Sacred Marriage: tracing the evolution of early Sumerian kingship" in Wanatabe, K. (ed. ), Priests and Officials in the Ancient Near East (Heidelberg 1999) pp. 103-38
- ^ Crawford, Harriet E. W. (1998), Dilmun and its Gulf Neighbours (Cambridge University Press).
- ^ Crawford, Harriet; Killick, Robert and Moon, Jane, eds. . (1997). The Dilmun Temple at Saar: Bahrain and Its Archaeological Inheritance (Saar Excavation Reports / London-Bahrain Archaeological Expedition: Kegan Paul)
- ^ Yahuda, A. , The Language of the Pentateuch in its Relation to Egyptian (Oxford, 1933)
- ^ Speiser, "An Intrusive Hurro-Hittite Myth", Journal of the American Oriental Society 62. 2 (June 1942:98-102) p. 100.
- ^ Expressed, for example, in E. O. James, The Worship of the Skygod: A Comparative Study in Semitic and Indo-European Religion (London: University of London, Jordan Lectures in Comparative religion) 1963:24, 27f.
- ^ As by W. G. Lambert, reviewing James 1963 in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 27. 1 (1964), pp. 157-158.
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