The Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Myth

As the Proto-Indo-European creation myth started to spread around 6000 years ago, it went in many directions, west towards Europe, and east towards Asia. But one version went south-east, and into the Indo-Iranian region, evolving further before splitting into separate Iranian and Vedic versions. And from the Iranian version evolved a Sumerian version, and this too eventually evolved into a version told in the Babylonian Empire. And this Babylonian version of the creation myth is called the Enuma Elish, which means when on high. In this video I'll read a contemporary English translation I've written of the Enuma Elish, and as I go through it I'll add commentary to the parts that I consider important, or analogous, so we can consider and understand those parts of the myth and what they really mean. And at the end of the story I'll go over the important similarities with this version of the myth and the Proto-Indo-European creation myth, so the links between them are clear. And this is important, as in a future video I will show that this myth evolved even further into a story most of the world knows today. Now I've made videos previously discussing the Proto-Indo-European myth, one of which can be found here, but I will also be creating a video in the next month or so that will give a proper in-depth look at how this myth came to be, and its evolution to the present day, in effect combining everything I've discussed across multiple videos into one place. And so if you like this video, or think the forthcoming videos sound interesting, then please like this video, and subscribe to the channel, it costs nothing to do, and it means so much, and it will help others see these videos, encouraging me to make even more videos for you all. So thank you. And so with that, welcome to the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian myth of creation, and welcome to Crecganford. So before I start, this video has chapters in case you just want to hear the reading, as opposed to the supplementary information about the Enuma Elish, so please feel free to skip to the section you want to hear if you just want the story. For the rest of you, the modern history of the Enuma Elish begins when it was discovered in 1872, and the translations of it shortly after have often caused controversy. However, since the time of the discovery of the initial cuneiform tablets it was written on, and this story was written across seven such tablets. Further tablets and tablet fragments have been found clarifying the story, and this reveals additional information previously unknown, and this has allowed us to connect the dots of this myth with the Proto-Indo-Europeans, with the most well-known being the discovery of an additional version of Tablet 5 in the mid-1960s, and I've put references to the papers about these in the video description below if you want to read them. With all these finds it has allowed us to date the Enuma Elish to be at an age of between 3,200 and 3,100 years old, which in Babylonian historical terms is the early Iron Age, or what is known as the Second Dynasty of Isin, which is when Babylonia took back self-rule. And Babylon and its lands were situated along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers going into the Persian Gulf. Up until around 4,000 years ago this area was ruled by the Sumerians, and then just over 3,600 years ago the Babylonian Empire came into being, and although it suffered many wars, such as those with the Assyrians, it was 3,200 years ago when it was more in control of its borders, and this seems to be when the Enuma Elish, in the form I read today, took hold. The previous version of the myth, and that was no doubt influenced by the Sumerians, is still hinted at within the text, and I shall mention it further when we come to it. But it is important to have a basic understanding of this region of the world, what we would call Mesopotamia, and the Fertile Crescent, which was the land that in the region at this time. As this allows us to understand many of the influences to the culture, and therefore the stories told by these cultures. And part of this region contains the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and they flow into the Persian Gulf. And so with that introduction, let me begin to tell you the story of the Babylonian creation myth. In the beginning there was no heaven, no earth, only fresh water on high, and salt water below. With the fresh water was the male primeval being of Apsu, and within the salt water the female primeval being of Tiamat. And with time these waters came together as one, and with this so did Apsu and Tiamat. And as these waters combined, so demons and monsters were formed, and eventually the gods. The first newly formed were Lahmu and Lahamu, and for aeons these gods grew in age and in stature, and during this time Ashnar and Kishar were formed. And as the days became longer, so the years passed by, and then Mumu was formed, and these were all the children of Apsu and Tiamat. And so here we see that the creation myth is centred around water, which was an important resource for the region, allowing the fertile crescent to be well fertile. The name representing fresh water, Apsu, means watery deep, coming from the Indo-European root of Ap, which means water, and Tiamat of salt water probably coming from words meaning deep sea, although there is a lack of agreement on this. And what makes this even more interesting are the names of the first children born from them, Lahmu and Lahamu, and their names mean silt and mud. So what we have here, as you know where the Babylonians were living, is a story that is referencing where the Tigris and Euphrates freshwater rivers come together into the salty sea of the Persian Gulf. And we can add further confirmation to this if we look into what is being referred to from the satellite view of the location where Babylon was. And we can see the freshwater of the Tigris and Euphrates, and in effect Apsu, coming together with the Persian Gulf and the saltwater sea that is Tiamat, and between them their children, Lahmu and Lahamu, as the muddy silty delta. Although at the time this was written sea levels were probably 50 feet higher or so, and would have looked a little different, but I want you to get the idea that the environment was used to name those primordial gods. Anyway, let's continue with the story, and I'll put the family tree to the side to help you understand who is who as the gods procreate. So as the years passed, Ashnar and Kishar became rivals of their father, and together they bore a son, Anu, and he was equal to his father, and he would be eventually known as the Sky Father. After him Antu was born, who would be known as the Sky Mother, and then Ki, the Earth Mother. And from Anu and Antu, the god Nidimid was formed, a name meaning begetter of mankind, and he was a powerful god who would also be known as Enki, or Ea, and he became the master of his father, for he had much wisdom and strength, and was mighty, and without rival. Now here the god Ea is announced as a powerful god, and Ea is older than some of the gods that will be mentioned soon, and in all probability this story was probably centred around Ea in the Sumerian version of the myth, with the Sumerian culture being the people who lived alongside the Euphrates and Tigris before the Babylonians. So Ea and his brothers, all the gods, came together in the waters and made them surge back and forth, and this movement of the waters disturbed Tiamat, it upset Tiamat, and this in turn upset Apsu, who said to Tiamat that he could not sleep at night nor work in the day due to this disturbance. And Apsu's upset eventually turned to anger, and as much as he tried, he could not find a way to calm down Ea and his brothers. So Apsu called for Mumu, his most respected child, who he held in high esteem, and asked him to come with him to take counsel with Tiamat about the upset caused by the gods that were Anu's first born. There Apsu said to Tiamat that he found the ways of Anu's children truly hateful, and that he could find no way of stopping them during the day or during the night. And so he said, I will destroy them, wreck their ways, so that quiet may be restored and we can rest. But Tiamat was angered and saddened when she heard this. She said, what? You want to destroy all that we have made? Yes, they are trouble, but there must be a peaceful resolution to this. Mumu, however, agreed with Apsu, and said do destroy them my father, so you and Tiamat can rest through the day and night. Apsu was pleased with what he had heard from Mumu, he wanted to do evil against the gods, against the sons of Anu, and he embraced Mumu, but Tiamat told Ea of what was said between them. And this was then repeated to all the gods, including all of Anu's first born. And when they heard this they were angered, but also worried, and so became silent, speechless. But the lord of earth and water, Ea, was very resourceful, and he saw through Apsu's scheme, and so he devised a plan against it. He created a spell which he cast deep into the waters, deep down, and this spell would pour sleep around Apsu. As Apsu slept, Mumu too was unable to move, and this allowed Ea to restrain them both, whereupon he took Apsu's halo and slew him. He then took Mumu and led him around vanquishing his enemies, and when this was done, Apsu locked up Mumu in chains, and then slayed him. And so here we start to see that creation comes from conflict and death, from the order of the freshwater, versus the chaos of the sea. So Ea then named his chambers where he took counsel, Apsu, founding it as a place for worship. And Ea and his wife, Damkina, lived in this chamber of fates, the home of destiny, they lived in splendour, and between them they created a god. And this god was the wisest and most potent of gods, and was named Marduk, begot by Ea, conceived by Damkina. Now this is a critical piece of information for the religion, as it reinforces the need for places to worship gods, in effect allowing the temple as a place of worship, and allowing the continuation of the hierarchy between man, priest, and god. And this structure is key in the concept of the Babylonian myth, and this whole section of the story up to this point, actually probably represents a story that stood in its own right, and that would have ended here. Indeed, the language in the tablet suggests that this is the case. As I've told you, this is a seven tablet epic, and so the story continues, and so has been added to, and evolved, and characters changed with that. In fact, as I suggested earlier, Ea may well have been the original hero of the whole story for the earlier Sumerian version, Marduk introduced later on in its history, although Marduk himself is much older than the Enuma Elish. So back to the story. So Marduk, having been born, suckled on Damkina, and that milk filled him with awesome power, and Ea was so happy with his son, he rendered Marduk perfect, and endowed him with a double godhead with four eyes and four ears, so he could see all and hear all, and he could breathe fire. And with all this Marduk possessed the halos of ten gods. Now again, if we look at this, we have to consider that all this is happening at a time when Babylon is assembling from the many tribes coming in following the changes in power, and there is a hierarchy of gods from the tribes that needs to be arranged, and this is part of the myth to help establish this. So what we call henothism is happening, one god is becoming the overarching ruler of all gods, showing the supremacy of the Babylonian god against the gods of the other tribes, and what is in effect a step towards what would be monotheism. Now whilst all this was happening, Tiamat stayed awake, unable to sleep, filled with anger at the treachery of the gods and their slaying of Apsu. She was spared, left alone, she hadn't aided Apsu, and during this time several gods tried to persuade Tiamat to avenge Apsu and Mumu. With these thoughts Tiamat bore a brood of horrible beings, eleven monsters with sharp teeth and venom for blood. And then Tiamat chose a child from her firstborn, Kingu, to lead the ranks of those who supported her, to look at seeking revenge for the death of Apsu and Mumu. Kingu ensured that weapons were made, and that those around him were combat ready, he wanted to be given full power for taking command of these forces, and for going into battle with the other gods. Tiamat agreed and cast a spell on him so he would have full power in the running of the gods, those known as the Anunnaki, once the battle was won. Tiamat gave Kingu the tablets of fate, and said, your command shall be unchangeable, and your word shall endure. And thus Kingu now possessed the rank of Anu, in return for leading the battle. However, Ea had learned of the plot of Tiamat, and was unprepared, and so sought advice from his grandfather, Anshar, who himself is worried by what he hears. And so Anshar tells Anu to go and challenge Tiamat, to calm her down, and reduce the anger. But when Anu approaches Tiamat, he sees all she has gathered, the monsters, the weapons, and he is worried and scared, and so he returns to Anshar without speaking to Tiamat, not wishing Anshar to know he did not speak with Tiamat, he speaks as though he had, and he uses Tiamat's words and said, nothing you will say will stop my desire for revenge. Anshar was speechless, and shook his head, and stared at the ground in disbelief. The gods gathered, the Anunnaki, and when told this they were all speechless too. They all knew that facing Tiamat would probably end in many deaths, and probably their deaths. At this point we must not forget that Tiamat, the monster, is represented by the sea, and is representing chaos. These people weren't sea peoples, the sea represented uncertainty, and so whomever they chose for this battle would have to be the most powerful god, the one god to rule them all. So Anshar then stood up after thinking long and hard of what could be, and said to the Anunnaki, he who is the strongest shall be our avenger, he who wants to battle shall be our avenger, our hero Marduk will be our avenger. Ea left and went to warn Marduk of Anshar's plans, and advised Marduk to see Anshar and to be bold. Marduk listened to all that Ea says and agrees with him, so goes to Anshar, who immediately relaxes on seeing Marduk. Marduk speaks to Anshar, what man wants to fight against me? And Anshar responds, it is a woman, Tiamat and her allies, with all her weapons. But Marduk didn't show fear, in fact he assured Anshar by saying, may my father be glad and rejoice, for I shall soon tread upon the neck of Tiamat. Anshar replied, my son, you know all wisdom. Calm Tiamat with my holy spell, proceed with speed on the storm chariot to prevent her catching you, it will allow you to escape. Marduk's heart pounded as he rejoiced at the word of his father, and he said, creator of the gods, destiny of the great gods, if I indeed as your avenger am to vanquish Tiamat and save your lives, then set up the assembly, and proclaim my destiny as supreme. When you all in Abshukina have sat down rejoicing, let my word instead of yours determine the fates. What I will bring into being shall be the way, neither taken back or altered shall be the commands uttered by my lips. Anshar agreed and accepted Marduk's terms, and sent Gargar to see Lahmu and Lahamu, the oldest gods, and repeated what was said, and invited them to come to a feast to establish Marduk's decrees. Lahmu and Lahmu cried out aloud when they heard this, and Igigi, the group of younger gods wailed in distress. How strange that they should have made this decision, it makes no sense to us why Tiamat is doing this. And so all those great gods who decree fates made themselves ready to leave, and they went on their journey to Anshar. And when they arrived before Anshar, feeling Abshukina, they kissed one another in the assembly. They sat down to a banquet and conversed, eating festive bread, and partaking in wine. The sweet drink wetted their throats, making them drunk, and the more they drank, the more their bodies swelled with the alcoholic drink, their spirits rose, and they became more relaxed. And there they let Marduk, the god who would avenge them, fix their decrees. The gods then erected a princely throne for Marduk, so he could sit facing his fathers. And these gods said to Marduk, you are the most honoured of the great gods, your rule is unrivalled, you have the power of Anu, you are the most honoured of all gods, you rule the entire universe, you rule all the gods around you, your word is supreme, your weapons are infallible, and will cut down your enemies. We ask that you spare the lives of those who support you, but destroy the gods who are evil. The gods then wanted to see Marduk's power, and showed him a piece of cloth, and said, Lord, to show us your power, say the word to make this cloth disappear, and speak again to make it reappear. And Marduk spoke, and the cloth vanished, and he spoke again, and the cloth was restored. Now that doesn't sound too impressive, but cloth can sometimes refer to a piece of the sky, so this is actually maybe referring to an act of making a change in the environment, rather than an actual piece of cloth. And when the other gods, and his fathers, saw the fruit of his word, what he was capable of, they praised him, saying, Marduk is king, and he was given his throne, a sceptre, and a staff. The gods then gave him weapons without parallel that would keep the enemy away, and thus in doing this they had created destiny. The gods gave Marduk a bow and arrows, a mace, the ability to cast lightning, an internal flame that filled his body, a new maiden net that would hold Tiamat, and then the other gods captured the winds, the south wind, the north wind, the east wind, and the west wind, and then Aum Hulu, the evil wind was brought forth, along with the whirlwind, and then they captured the hurricane, altogether the sevenfold wind, the wind without equal, the wind that would stir up inside Tiamat, would be given to Marduk. Marduk mounted his storm chariot, the winds followed him, he raised his mighty weapons, and he was unequalled in terror. He harnessed four horses to the chariot, their names being Killer, Relentless, Trampler, and Swift, and their sharp teeth bore poison, they were trained ravagers, skilled in destruction. Marduk's fearsome halo was turbaned, and he went forward, forward towards the raging Tiamat, his lips were red from paste and a plant to subdue any poison in his hand, and the gods surrounded him, beholden to him, and Marduk saw Tiamat, and approached her, looking to gain a glimpse of her insides. But he instead heard Kingu, and realised he was approaching him, but as Kingu looked at Tiamat, he became confused, had trouble moving, he lost his confidence for battle, his helpers, the gods, all by his side, their vision became blurry. But Tiamat was not distracted, she did not turn, and she cried out, do you think you are too important here for me to rise up against you? At this point Marduk raised his mighty weapon, his thunderbolt, and angrily said to Tiamat, you are mighty and exalted, but your heart has created this battle, that sons reject their own fathers, and your children hate you. You have inflated Kingu's place, making him consort, it is not his place to rule. And so, against Anshar, king of the gods, you look to do evil, against the gods, my fathers, you have confirmed your ill intentions. Though you are all ready to fight and have weapons, fight me in single combat. When Tiamat heard this, she was like one possessed, she shook with anger, cried out aloud, and took leave of her senses, she recited a charm, and cast a spell whilst the gods of battle sharpened their weapons. The gods Tiamat and Marduk then came together, the wisest of the gods, and they tested each other, for the battle was starting. Marduk spread his net, wanting to capture Tiamat, and let loose the evil winds into the face of Tiamat. Tiamat went to eat the winds, but the evil wind went inside her mouth, and would not let her close it, and the wind continued into her stomach, leaving her mouth and throat open all the way down to it. Marduk fired his arrow into Tiamat's mouth, down her throat, into her stomach, tearing it apart, cutting her insides and splitting her heart. And like that Tiamat was dead, her life gone, and Marduk stood upon her carcass, and her followers split up, trying to get away, but their luck had run out, and Marduk was swift to round them all up, and their fates were sealed, and amongst those fates was Khinew's, for he was given to Uge, and Uge today we know as Death. But not before Marduk retrieved the tablets of fate from his body, and fastened them to his chest. All his adversaries had been vanquished, and Marduk went back to Tiamat's body, he trampled upon her legs, and then with his mace he crushed her skull. The north wind trapped inside Tiamat's body escaped, pushing blood out of her body, away from everyone. Marduk's elders celebrated this sight, and they brought gifts of homage to Marduk, and Marduk paused as he looked at Tiamat's body, and decided to create something with her body parts. Marduk split Tiamat's corpse into two, one half he placed above, sealed as the sky, a firmament, the other he set as the ground, sealed her nostrils, and ensured the guards would keep this water tight, for the holes in the firmament would create rain, and those in the ground would create seas and rivers. And here I'm going to pause and say this is an important part of the story for our journey into understanding the migration and evolution of the Proto-Indo-European myth, the splitting of the body in two, the use of the primordial twin as used in the other Proto-Indo-European source myths to create a world, but this one is within water, a way for those at the time to understand how the world worked with water all around them, something which was particularly important in their climate. But here the next couple of lines really give away the origin of the myth, and this comes from a discovery of an alternative Tablet 5 in the 1960s, and it talks about how the world was built using the body parts of Tiamat. So let me tell you these lines. Tiamat's eyes became the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, her head and her udders became mountains, her muddy spittle became the earth, and her tail was bent backwards to bind it all. So here in the last paragraph of building the world, which comes from Tablet 5, discovered in 1965, this additional text shows that udders, mud, and a tail, not like a fish's tail, but one more rope like, and this suggests that Tiamat had a form that was once more like a cow. And this is a very important piece of information which I'll explain more about at the end of the story. So back to the story. And so Marduk, having created this world, Marduk surveyed it all, and gave a home to Ea, its size was a quarter of Apsu, as it was in Apsu's dimensions that he, the Lord, measured everything. He then made Esharaz home, the place between the ground and the firmament, a magical, mystical plane, and he gave homes to Anu, Enlil, and Ea. Marduk then created the heavens, the stars, and arranged them in their constellations, he told the moon how to shine, and how to go through phases, and he told the sun how to shine. Then a god spoke to Marduk, saying that there was now work to do in this world that had been created that needed to be done to maintain it, and that they had better things to do. And in his heart Marduk knew he must do something, and so he talked to Ea. And here again it hints at perhaps Ea's original role in an early version of this myth. Marduk tells Ea of his plan that he has conceived. Marduk says, It was Kingu who conceived the uprising, and made Tiamat rebel and battle me. So, from the blood of Kingu I will create flesh and bones, a savage I shall make, and I shall call it man, a savage man I shall create, and he shall be in the service of the gods, so that they may rest. Kingu, who was bound, was held before Ea, and the gods told Kingu of his guilt, and there severed his veins. And from his blood they created man, a man on which the gods could impose their services, and thus would allow the gods to be free. Now here some psychologists would have some interesting thoughts, as Kingu means unskilled labourer, but it was also representative of the most evil of Tiamat's servants, in effect the evil part of chaos. And this is used to create man, and as such enforces the relationship between humanity and the gods. Man was created from the most evil part of chaos, suggesting that perhaps man is inherently evil, and this culture doing. So back to the story. Marduk then divided the Anunnaki to their rightful places, with 300 in the heavens, and 300 on the earth. And the Anunnaki then replied to their lord, Now, O lord, you have delivered us to our rightful place, what can we do to pay homage to you? We shall build a shrine where your name shall be called, the place where we sleep, we shall repurpose, and make room for our lord to live. And again, this is referencing the need for a building to act as a place of worship, reinforcing the aspect of the religion. And this theme is repeated again in a few lines. So Marduk was happy to hear this news, and said, This place will be like a gateway to the gods, a babul, and once it is built, you shall name it sanctuary. And so the Anunnaki went to work, and for the first year they made bricks, and in the second year they created a tower, which they called Esagila. And this was as high as Apsu, and it touched Asherah, and within it there were homes for Marduk, Enlil, and Ea. And it was adorned with grandeur, and once complete the Anunnaki then built shrines for themselves, and then they feasted within the Esagila. Marduk said, This is Babylon, the place that is your home, be happy here and use it. The great gods took their seats, sat down, and had their banquet. And after their celebrations they performed their rites, and the fifty greatest gods remained in their seats. And the seven gods of destiny decided which three hundred gods were to be placed in heaven. And with this all the stars were in the sky, and the gods now had their places in heaven and earth. Enlil raised his weapon, his bow, and laid it before the gods, along with the net he had made. The gods praised his work, his skilful craft, and Anu picked the bow up and kissed it. The gods all praised Lugal-dimarancha, for another name for Marduk, and said, You were our son, and now you are our lord, our king. Anu then created an amazing throne for Marduk. And Marduk sat in that throne, and the gods invoked a curse upon themselves with water and oil. They granted Marduk the right to rule over them, that he was lord of the gods of heaven and earth. Anshu said, At the mention of his name we must show praise, and when he speaks we must listen. He shall be our avenger, and be exalted, and without rival. Let our descendants never forget what he has done, and offer food and incense for him. Let him do on earth as he does in heaven, and allow him to shepherd man, to allow man to worship him, and all the gods and goddesses at their shrines. And whatever god or goddesses man worships, Marduk is the god of all us, and in praise we shall call out his fifty names. Now at this point the fifty names are Marduk's names, but not just for naming sake, but to add statements about what Marduk has done, and here we can see some of the things that were important to Babylonian culture at the time, and so it is important to go through this list to understand that. So first he is named Marduk by his father Anu, and it is he who supplies water and the fields to allow our stables to flourish, whose weapon the storm flood saved the gods, his fathers from distress. He is the sun god of gods, a shining light for the people he created, he imposed the service of the gods onto them, he has the right to impose creation and annihilation on them, forgiveness and penalty is at his command. He is named Mardukka, the god who created man, who put Anunnaki at ease, and Igigi at rest. He is named Mardukku, who supports the land, the city, and its peoples, who will forever heed him. He is named Mursaqusu, fierce yet deliberating, angry yet relenting, he is bold-minded, and his heart is all-embracing. He is named Lugaldimranqia, the name by which the gods called him, whose command is exalted above all other gods and his fathers, lord of the heaven and the earth. He is named Nari Lugaldimranqia, the name by which the gods called him as the mentor of every god, who established our homes in the heaven on earth, who positioned the Igigi and Anunnaki across the world. The gods should tremble at his name and shake in their seats. He is named Asallu, the name Anu called him, the light of the gods and the mighty hero, a protector of the gods and earth. He is named Asallu, the life-giving god who restored all the gods, who brought life to the dead gods, let us praise the destroyer of our enemies. He is named Asallu, the pure god who cleanses our character. Ansar, Lamu, and Lahmu then each called him by three of his names, and then addressed the gods, their sons, we have each called him by three of his names, and now you call his names like us. And all the gods rejoiced as they heard their speech. In Usu Akin Aki, 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. His name is Asari, the giver of good farmland for our cattle and crops, for our barley and flax. He is named Asar Alim, who is revered in the council chamber, whose councils excel, the gods heed it and grasp fear of him. He is named Asar Alim Nuna, the noble, the light of the father, his begetter, who directs the decrees of Anu, Enlil, and Ea, that is Ninsik U. He is their provisioner, who assigns their incomes, whose turban multiplies abundance for the land. He is named Tutu, who accomplishes their renovation. Let him purify their sanctuaries, that they may repose. Let him fashion an incarnation, 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. He is named Tutu Zikkina, the life of his host, who established the pure heavens for the gods, who took charge of their courses, who appointed their constellations. May he not be forgotten among mortals, but let them remember his deeds. He is named Tutu Zikku, 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 he praises be constantly uttered. Let them offer worship to him. He is named Tutu Agaku, fourthly, let humans extol him, lord of pure incantation, who brought the dead back to life, who showed mercy on the bound gods, who threw the imposed yoke on the gods, his enemies, and to spare them created mankind. The merciful, in whose power it is to restore life. Let his words be sure and not forgotten from the mouths of the blackheads, his creatures. He is named Tutu Tutu, fifthly, let their mouth give expression to his pure spell, who extirpated all the wicked by his pure incantation. He is named Sazu, who knew the heart of the gods, who saw the rains, who did not let an evildoer escape him, who established the assembly of the gods, who rejoiced their hearts, who subjugated the disobedient. He is the god's encompassing protector, he made truth to prosper, he uprooted perverse speech, he separated falsehood from truth. He is named Sazu Zisi, let them continually praise him, the subduer of aggressors, who ousted consternation from the bodies of the gods, his fathers. He is named Sazu Surim, who extirpated the gods 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. He is named Sazu Sugurim, he established success for the gods, his fathers, who extirpated foes and destroyed their offspring, who scattered their achievements, leaving no part of them. Let his name be spoken and proclaimed in the land. He is named Sazu Zarim, 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. He is named Sazu Zagurim, let them all together and everywhere worship him, who himself destroyed all foes in battle. He is named Enbilulu, 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 land, who opened watercourses and distributed plentiful water. He is named Enbilulu Epadan, lord of common land and canal, supervisor of heaven and netherworld, who sets the furrow, who establishes clean arable land in the open country, who directs irrigation ditches and canals, who marks out the furrow. He is named Enbilulu Gugel, canal supervisor of the watercourses of the gods, let them praise him thirdly, lord of abundance, perfusion, and huge stores of grain, who provides bounty, who enriches human habitations, who gives wheat and brings grain into being. He is named Enbilulu Higel, who accumulates abundance for the peoples, and who rains down riches from the broad earth, and supplies abundant vegetation. He is named Sursur, 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 the battle as though it were a bridge. He is named Sursur Mala, they named him secondly, so be it, Tiamat was his boat, he was her sailor. He is named Gil, who weather heaps up piles of barley, massive mounds, the creator of grain and flocks, who gives seed for the land. He is named Gilima, who made the bond of the gods firm, who created stability, a snare that overwhelmed them, and yet extends favours. He is named Agilima, the lofty, who snatches off the crown, who takes charge of the snow, who created the earth on the water, and made firm the height of heaven. He is named Zulam, who assigns meadows for the gods, and divides up what he has created, who gives incomes and food offerings, who administers shrines. He is named Mumu, creator of heaven and underworld, who protects refugees, the god who purifies heaven and the underworld. Secondly, Zulamu, in respect of whose strength none other among the gods can equal him. He is named Gishnumunab, creator of all peoples, who made the world's regions, who destroyed Tiamat's gods, and who made peoples from part of them. He is named Lughilabdubur, the king who scattered the works of Tiamat, who uprooted her weapons, whose foundation is secure on the fore and aft. He is named Pagalguina, foremost of all lords, whose strength is exalted, who is the greatest among the gods, his brothers, the most noble of them all. He is named Lughildurma, king of the bond of the gods. Lordodurmalu, he who is the greatest in the royal abode, infinitely more lofty than the other gods. He is named Alananya, counsellor of Ia, creator of the gods, his fathers, whom no god can equal in respect of his lordly walk. He is named Damudukku, who in use for himself is pure abode in Dukku. Dumudukku, without whom Lughildukku does not make a decision. He is named Lughilsuana, the king whose strength is exalted among the gods, the lord, the strength of Anu, he who is supreme, chosen of Anshar. He is named Iraga, who has plundered them all in the sea, who grasps all wisdom, is comprehensive in understanding. He is named Irkingu, who plundered in Quingu, in battle, who directs all decrees and establishes lordship. He is named Kinma, the director of all the gods, who gives counsel, at whose name the gods bend down in reverence as before a hurricane. He is named Dhingileshiku, 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 accomplishes clever things, the four regions of blackheads are his creation. Apart from him, no god knows the measure of their days. He is named Giru, who makes invincible weapons, 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. He is named Addu. Be his name, let him cover the whole span of heaven. Let him thunder with his pleasant voice upon the earth. May the rubble fill the clouds and give sustenance to the peoples below. His name is Asadu, who, as his name says, mustered the divine fates. He indeed is the warden of absolutely all peoples. He is named Nibiru, let him hold the crossing place of the heaven and the underworld. No one should cross above or below, but should wait for him. Nibiru is his star, which he calls 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 Nibiru, 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, 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. He heard the names which all called, and his spirit became radiant. Why? He whose name was extolled by his fathers, let him like me be called Eir, let him control the sum of all my rights, let him administer all my decrees. With the word fifty, the great gods called his fifty 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, and one should explain them to shepherds and herdsmen. If one is not negligent to Marduk, the Enlil of the gods, may one's lands flourish, and one's self 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. These are all instructions which leaders repeat before Marduk, and so were written down and stored, so that generations to come might hear it. Marduk recreated the Igigi gods, though they diminish, let them call on his name and sing this, the song of Marduk, the god who defeated Tiamat and took kingship. And so that ends the creation myth. But not without talking a little more about some of the story. As I inferred, there is a story within this, and I briefly inferred it when I talked about how it sounded like the story ended with the killing of Apsu. And that story comes from the age of Ea, and so far older than Marduk, at least 500 years earlier. And as Ea's character within the story is as deep as Marduk's, it could well be that before the myth evolved into the Babylonian creation myth, the Sumerian myth had Ea killing both Apsu and Tiamat in the same battle. And it is mentioned in the last part of the names that Marduk should be called Ea. And this is interesting, as killing those two, Tiamat and Apsu, is one when the Maltese word aligns with the killing of the twin, Yemo, in the Proto-Indo-European myth, a sacrifice that is made in other myths, with the killing of Ymir in Old Norse, or Demas in the Roman creation, or Yama in the Indo-Iranian myth, and Perusa in the Vedic. But the other piece of the story which makes this telling different from most you hear, is the inclusion of information from the tablet number five. Here it adds information about how Marduk built the world from Tiamat's body, and references Udder's mud and a tail that bends. And this all hints that Tiamat is actually in the form of a cow. And this is important as the cow is again another piece of the Proto-Indo-European creation myth. It appears in the Old Norse version, and is also referenced in the Iranian and Vedic myths too. And this has far greater impact on religion today than you may first realise. So what does this mean? It basically means that the Babylonian creation myth comes from the Proto-Indo-European creation myth, the same source religion. And whilst that may not sound important, the next step of the creation myth's evolution here would have a significant impact on the world, and that is when it is taken by the ancestors of Israel, the first Jews, who moulded it into a book they would call Genesis, the first book of the modern bible. Yep, the bible's first story is a direct descendant of the Proto-Indo-European creation myth. And in my next video on this topic, probably in the next two or three weeks, I'm going to take this on, and will cover the often missed clues in the bible that show this, as well as take the story of Genesis apart a little, so it is easier to understand its origins. I also want to add that making these videos on the Proto-Indo-European creation myth was one of the aims I wanted to achieve in the first year of this channel, to spread knowledge of our ancestors' stories, alongside diving deeper into the myths, and what people may refer to as the old gods. And I hope the wait to get to this point of the myth, and close to the end of the journey of the creation myth story, has been worth it. And if you have followed the story so far, and you like this video and what I've done, please press like, and subscribe to the channel, it means a lot to me, it helps others see the video too. So thank you for watching, and please ask any questions below, I'm happy to answer them if I can. And so with that, I hope you enjoyed the story of the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation myth. And until the next video, please stay safe and stay well, and this was Crecganford.