Enuma+Elish

The Enuma Elish is a Babylonian epic that served as that society’s creation myth. “Enuma Elish” are the opening words of that epic, meaning “when on high.” The story tells of the formation of the world from water (as personified by the god Apsu) via a commingling with his female associate Tiamat. From their union, divine offspring were born, setting the stage for a conflict between the old gods and generations of younger ones. The younger gods were led by the God Marduk, who slew Tiamat. From her body was created the firmament of heaven and the foundation of earth. Marduk finished the work of creation by creating heavenly bodies and then humans, designed to free the gods from menial labor. The Enuma Elish became the national epic of Babylon, transcending the function of cosmogeny to become the central narrative on which the structure and social norms of Babylonian society were based. The conflict between Tiamat and Marduk gave meaning and a sense of order to a world constantly disrupted by chaos, and also aligned with the annual life-cycle of the earth and seasons. Modern Biblical Scholar Nahum Sarna  holds that an understanding of the Enuma Elish is a useful contrast with the creation myth told in Genesis. While the creation story of the Bible is important, it is merely introductory to the central motif of Exodus from Egypt; the creation story of Enuma Elish contains everything that Babylonian society needed for its understanding of the world, how it came to be, and man’s place in it. RC