Sdfghjklñ

Enuma Elish
Babylonian Creation Myth
From Ancient Near Eastern Texts
Translated by N. K. Sandars.
This page used to be on the now either defunct or lost site "Grimoire".
This long poem was written principally in the twelth century BCE to celebrate the city of
Babylon. It recounts the creation of the universe and the events that lead up to the building of
Babylon, home for the gods. Itevolved from Sumerian myths and the text that it is taken from is
Assyrian, an empire that followed the Sumerian.
The almost complete text is set out on seven tablets wih about 150 lines on each tablet. It was
written probably to be sung at festivals in honour of the gods and Babylon. In its original
language, it is written with no rhyme or alliteration but with some assonance that lends it ahypnotic sound. It probably sounded similar to Georgian chants in being sung by several voices.

1
When there was no heaven,
no earth, no height, no depth, no name,
when Apsu was alone,
the sweet water, the first begetter; and Tiamat
the bitter water, and that
return to the womb, her Mummu,
when there were no godsWhen sweet and bitter
mingled together, no reed was plaited, no rushesmuddied the water,
the gods were nameless, natureless, futureless, then
from Apsu and Tiamat
in the waters gods were created, in the waters
silt precipitated,
Lahmu and Lahumu,
were named; they were not yet old
not yet grown tall
when Anshar and Kishar overtook them both,
the lines of sky and earth
stretched where horizons meet to separate
cloud from silt.

Days on days, years
on yearpassed till Anu, the empty heaven,
heir and supplanter,
first-born of his father, in his own nature
begot Nudimmud-Ea,
intellect, wisdom, wider than heaven's horizon,
the strongest of all the kindred.
Discord broke out among the gods although they were brothers, warring and jarring in the belly
of Tiamat, heaven shook, it reeled with the surge of the dance; Apsu could not silence the
clamour,their behavior was bad, overbearing and proud.
But still Tiamat lay inert till Apsu, the father of gods, bellowed for that servant who clouds his
judgment, his Mummu,
'Dear counselor, come with me to Taimat.'
They have gone, and in front of Tiamat they sit down and talk together about the young gods,
their first-born children; Apsu said,
'Their manners revolt me, day and night withoutremission we suffer. My will is to destroy them,
all of their kind, we shall have peace at last and we will sleep again.'
When Tiamat heard she was stung, she writhed in lonely desolation, her heart worked in secret
passion, Tiamat said,
'Why must we destroy the children that we made? If their ways are troublesome, let us wait a
little while.'
Then Mummu advised Apsu, and he spoke in malice,'Father, destroy them in full rebellion, you will have quiet in the daytime and at night you will
sleep.'
When Apsu heard, the die was cast against his children, his face flamed with the pleasure of
evil;; but Mummu her embraced,
he hung on his neck, he sat him down on his knees and kissed him.
The decision was known to all their children; confusion seized them and after, a great silence, forthey were confounded.
The god who is the source of wisdom, the bright intelligence that perceives and plans,
Nudimmud-Ea, saw through it, he sounded the coil of chaos, and against it devised the artifice of
the universe.
He spoke the word that charmed the waters, it fell upon Apsu, he lay asleep, the sweet waters
slept, Apsu slept, Mummu was overcome, Apsu lay drowned, undone.

Then Earipped off his flaming glory coat and took his crown, he set on himself the aureole of
the king. When Ea has bound Apsu he killed him, and Mummu, the dark counselor, he led by the
nose and locked away.
Ea has defeated his enemies and trodden them down. Now that his triumph was completed, in
deep peace he rested, in his holy palace Ea slept. Over the abyss, the distance, he built his house
and...