<a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/enumaelish1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-460" src="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/enumaelish1-300x208.jpg" alt="Enuma Elish" width="300" height="208" /></a>The <em>Babylonian Creation</em> is a Sumerian poem, traced back to the early second millennium b.c.e. It is the first cosmological creation myth; it describes the birth of the Babylonian gods and the progression of creation. According to our textbook <em>The Humanistic Tradition </em>it was “[R]ecited during the festival of the New Year,[…] [I]t describes a universe that originated by means of spontaneous generation: at a moment when there was neither heaven nor earth, the sweet and bitter waters “mingled” to produce the first family of gods” (Fiero B1 17).<!--more--> Around 1700 BCE, the time of the Babylonian King Hammurabi, the poem was inscribed on seven clay tablets and is known as <em>Enuma Elish</em>. The <em>Encyclopedia of World Mythology</em> explains that “Its title, meaning “when on high,” comes from the first line of the epic, which begins: “When on high the heaven had not been named/Firm ground below had not been called by name” (354). The main theme of this poem is creation but it also describes the ascending power of the myth’s hero and deity Marduk. <em>Encyclopedia of World Mythology </em>writes that “Marduk represents the supreme power of the gods over humans. According to myth, he created humans for the sole purpose of doing labor for the gods, […] Marduk also represents youth and strength, which overcome the army of the older gods and Tiamat” (669).

From reading excepts of the <em>Babylonian Creation</em> Myth in <em>The Humanistic Tradition </em>and an overview from the<em> </em><em>New Catholic Encyclopedia</em>, my summary of <em>Enuma Elish </em>is as follows: before there was heaven and earth, light, name, etc., there was Apsu (fresh water) and Tiamat (salt water). They created the gods, Lahmu and Lahamu (male and female primordial beings) and Anshar and Kishar (horizon of the sky, male and horizon of the earth, female) in their waters to bring order to the world. From them, Anu (god of the sky) and Ea (god of wisdom) were born. They were very powerful and chaos broke out between the gods. “Ea kills Apsu; Marduk is born and Tiamat spawns serpents and monsters (the leader of the monsters being Kingu) to make war on the gods.” to avenge Apsu’s death. Marduk becomes the commander of the war and used a net held by the winds on all sides (north, south, east and west) so Tiamat could not get through or escape. Once held captive, Marduk kills Tiamat, cutting his body in half, from one half he creates heaven and the other, earth. Babylon (the home of the gods) was created. Peace was restored and the gods wanted to create humans to sacrifice, Marduk creates man from the blood of Kingu. The gods build a shrine and temple to show appreciation and respect to Marduk in Babylon (Fiero B1 18).

Characteristics of the <em>Babylonian Creation</em> myth are comparable to other literary works of Mesopotamia; similar to <em>Epic of Gilgamesh</em>, both were narrative poems<em> </em>recited orally, possibly through song for generations before finally being recorded otherwise. They are both significant and innovative to this era because they are considered the first of their type of work;<em> Enuma Elish </em>is the first cosmological creation myth whereas<em> Epic of Gilgamesh </em>is the “world’s first epic.” Also, the <em>Babylonian Creation</em> and <em>Epic of Gilgamesh </em>“recounts the deeds of a hero in quest of meaning and identity”, both literary works “embodies the ideals and values of the culture from which it comes” (Fiero B1 19).

The <em>Babylonian creation</em> not only is innovative because it is one of the first creation myths but also because it influenced politics during its time as well. It is perceived that the hero/god of the poem, Marduk was revered as such so he could take his place as the head in the Babylonian Pantheon. According to Giovanni Pettinato, author of <em>Mesopotamian Religions: An Overview [Further Considerations]</em> the scribes “[…] chose to establish a father-son relationship between Enki (Ea) and Marduk […] their syllogistic reasoning is clear: if Enki the king is Marduk's father, then Marduk becomes the king. […] The text then goes on to describe the generation of the god Enki and his son Marduk, thus ensuring that Marduk is given a definite place in the Mesopotamian pantheon” (Pettinato 5965). The <em>Encyclopedia of World Mythology </em>also states that “<em>Enuma Elish</em> had political as well as religious meaning for the Babylonians. By identifying the heroic creator god as Marduk of Babylon, the myth justified the city's dominance over the region” (355).

From a academic perspective, according to <em>New Catholic Encyclopedia</em> in most scholarly groups “The poem is usually viewed as theological underpinning for the rise of an upstart city to become the seat of a mighty empire and for the elevation of its hitherto obscure god to the head of the pantheon in place of the Sumerian god Enlil” (269).

Personally I found this poem fascinating because I like to reflect on the different creationism/evolutionism ideals from other cultures and eras. The questions of “where did we come from?” and “why are we here?” are ones that all humans consider in their life time, it’s a curiosity that binds us in unity and yet, unfortunately sometimes because of these beliefs cause hostilities.  I think it is important to educate ourselves and the next generations in our diversities. In doing so we are helping humanity by understanding and hopefully respecting, the uniqueness of various traditions and civilizations.
<p style="text-align: center">Bibliography</p>
BRINKMAN, J. A. "Enuma Elish." <em>New Catholic Encyclopedia</em>. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 267-269. <em>Gale World History In Context</em>. Web. 5 Feb. 2011.

Enuma Elish." <em>U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology</em>. Vol. 2. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 354-356. <em>Gale World History In Context</em>. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

Fiero, Gloria K. <em>The Humanistic Tradition</em>. 6th. McGraw-Hill, 2011. B1.17-23 eBook. (Fiero B1. 17-23).

"Marduk." <em>U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology</em>. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 668-670. <em>Gale World History In Context</em>. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.

Pettinato, Giovanni. "Mesopotamian Religions: An Overview [FurtherConsiderations]." <em>Encyclopedia of Religion</em>. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 5963-5967. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.

rymer-Kensky, Tikva, and Giovanni Pettinato. "Enuma Elish." <em>Encyclopedia of Religion</em>. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 2809-2812. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.