 Gudea, Sumerian ruler 2080-2060 BCE | I’m fascinated by how myths change over time as different cults and religious factions gain or lose political power. One such myth is that of the Babylonian war god Marduk, and his usurpation of the Sumerian goddess Tiamat. The ancient Sumerians, who referred to themselves as "Black-Headed People," started settling ancient Mesopotamia around 6500 BCE (over 8,500 years ago). Sumer lasted until the downfall of the Third Dynasty of Ur around 1950 BCE. However, Sumerian religion and culture influenced later Mesopotamian dynasties for millenia. |
Tiamat of the Sea
The Sumerian goddess Tiamat was a primordial goddess of the salt sea. She was also referred to as "Ummu-Hubur who formed all things."
Through her marriage with the freshwater god Abzu (the personification of groundwater), Tiamat peacefully created the cosmos: filling the cosmic abyss with primeval waters and giving birth to the first generation of deities.
Tiamat’s fecundity echoes our modern understanding of the ocean as the source of life on this planet.
Through her marriage with the freshwater god Abzu (the personification of groundwater), Tiamat peacefully created the cosmos: filling the cosmic abyss with primeval waters and giving birth to the first generation of deities.
Tiamat’s fecundity echoes our modern understanding of the ocean as the source of life on this planet.
Sea Dragon Tiamat, courtesy of Pixaby
Tiamat's husband Abzu realized the younger gods were planning to kill him, so he made war on them and died. Enraged, Tiamat took the form of a massive sea dragon to avenge her husband.
Marduk of the Sky
 Marduk in Battle | Around 1800 BCE, as Babylon rose in political power, the storm god Marduk (or Marutuk, "bull calf of the sun god Utu") also gained prominence. By 1100 BCE, Marduk was the patron god of Babylon and head of the Babylonian pantheon. Scholars note that Marduk’s promotion paralleled the rise of Babylon from city-state to empire, and was used to justify Bablylonian political influence over Mesopotamia. |
The myth of Tiamat was reframed to support this new political reality. Now, to avenge her husband, Tiamat created eleven “monsters.” Marduk captured and bound the creatures, transforming them into protective charms adorning the doors of palaces. He then sliced Tiamat in half and made the vault of heaven and earth from her ribs. Tiamat’s weeping eyes created the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, and her tail became the Milky Way.
Although Tiamat was “defeated” in this new myth, her connection to water persisted (becoming the source of the two greatest rivers in Mesopotamia). Water was vitally important to the people of this arid land. Tiamat and her husband Abzu had personified water for possibly 5,000 years before the military aristocracy of Babylon promoted Marduk to advance their political agenda (empire building).
Although Tiamat was “defeated” in this new myth, her connection to water persisted (becoming the source of the two greatest rivers in Mesopotamia). Water was vitally important to the people of this arid land. Tiamat and her husband Abzu had personified water for possibly 5,000 years before the military aristocracy of Babylon promoted Marduk to advance their political agenda (empire building).
Water Serpent of Spring
 | In a parallel myth from northern Mesopotamia, Illuyanka, a serpent-dragon was slain by the storm god Tarhunz (or Teshub). Their battle occurred during Puruli, the New Year festival that occurred around Spring Equinox. Winter was the rainy season in ancient Mesopotamia. By spring, the rivers would have swollen into fat silver serpents. |
I imagine Tiamat--described as the glistening one, a sea dragon in early myth like Illuyanka, her tears the source of the rivers--rising to power every spring like a watery serpent.
 Assyrians celebrating spring New Year | Marduk’s Babylonian empire fell to the Achaemenid dynasty (forerunners of Persia) in 539 BCE. The festival of Puruli was adapted by the Assyrian Empire to the north, where it was called Akita. Today, the New Year festival is still celebrated as Kha b-Nisan by indigenous Assyrians on April 1, and as Nowruz on the equinox by modern Persians. In this sense, Tiamat, the water-serpent of spring, has been celebrated in the arid lands of Mesopotamia for over 8,000 years--and Marduk has been largely forgotten. |
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