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Enuma Elish: The Epic of Creation · 1 of 12 · tr. L.W. King

1a

THE FIRST TABLET When in the height heaven was not named, And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name, And the primeval Apsu, who begat them, And chaos, Tiamut, the mother of them both Their waters were mingled together, And no field was formed, no marsh was to be seen; When of the gods none had been called into being, And none bore a name, and no destinies were ordained; Then were created the gods in the midst of heaven, Lahmu and Lahamu were called into being... Ages increased,... Then Ansar and Kisar were created, and over them.... Long were the days, then there came forth..... Anu, their son,... Ansar and Anu... And the god Anu... Nudimmud, whom his fathers, his begetters..... Abounding in all wisdom,...' He was exceeding strong... He had no rival - Thus were established and were... the great gods. But Tiamat and Apsu were still in confusion... They were troubled and... In disorder... Apru was not diminished in might... And Tiamat roared... She smote, and their deeds... Their way was evil... Then Apsu, the begetter of the great gods, Cried unto Mummu, his minister, and said unto him: "O Mummu, thou minister that rejoicest my spirit, Come, unto Tiamut let us go! So they went and before Tiamat they lay down, They consulted on a plan with regard to the gods, their sons. Apsu opened his mouth and spake, And unto Tiamut, the glistening one, he addressed the word: ...their way... By day I can not rest, by night I can not lie down in peace. But I will destroy their way, I will... Let there be lamentation, and let us lie down again in peace." When Tiamat heard these words, She raged and cried aloud... She... grievously..., She uttered a curse, and unto Apsu she spake: "What then shall we do? Let their way be made difficult, and let us lie down again in peace." Mummu answered, and gave counsel unto Apsu, ...and hostile to the gods was the counsel Mummu gave: Come, their way is strong, but thou shalt destroy it; Then by day shalt thou have rest, by night shalt thou lie down in peace." Apsu harkened unto him and his countenance grew bright, Since he (Mummu) planned evil against the gods his sons. ... he was afraid..., His knees became weak; they gave way beneath him, Because of the evil which their first-born had planned. ... their... they altered. ... they..., Lamentation they sat in sorrow .................. Then Ea, who knoweth all that is, went up and he beheld their muttering. [about 30 illegible lines] ... he spake: ... thy... he hath conquered and ... he weepeth and sitteth in tribulation. ... of fear, ... we shall not lie down in peace. ... Apsu is laid waste, ... and Mummu, who were taken captive, in... ... thou didst... ... let us lie down in peace. ... they will smite.... ... let us lie down in peace. ... thou shalt take vengeance for them, ... unto the tempest shalt thou...!" And Tiamat harkened unto the word of the bright god, and said: ... shalt thou entrust!
Themes
◆Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The text references the ordaining of destinies and depicts Ea's omniscient intervention to order the cosmos against chaos.

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◇Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] The passage explicitly attributes human characteristics such as gender (father/mother), familial relations (son), and emotions (troubled, roared) to the divine beings.

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◇Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

[auto] The primordial state is described primarily through negation, stating what was not named, formed, or ordained before the gods came into being.

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◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] The text establishes two distinct primal principles, Apsu and Tiamat, whose mingled waters form the basis of creation before conflict arises between them.

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◇Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

[auto] The deities are portrayed as active, dynamic agents who feel trouble and roar rather than abstract static principles.

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◇Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

[auto] The text links existence and identity to naming, noting that initially none bore a name until gods were called into being.

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Related passages · 10 parallels
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 7 (part 5)
“141. 2. Ibid. , p. 149. 3 Ibid. , p. 172.] {p. lxxxix} God and the gods. The passages from the pyramid of Pepi show at once the difference between neter as God, and the "gods" neteru ; the other passages, which might be multiplied…”
Both passages discuss the nature of gods and their relationship with the divine and mortal realms. They explore the concept of gods having vulnerabilities and being subject to decay or destruction, highlighting a nuanced view of divinity within their respective traditions.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 35 (part 2)
“Saith Osiris Ani: "I am the (2) pure lotus which cometh forth from the god of light, the guardian of the nostrils of Ra, the guardian (3) of the nose of Hathor. I advance and I hasten (4) after him who is Horus. I am, the pure one who com…”
Both passages deal with themes of creation, transformation, and the divine order. They share a mystical exploration of the divine and the cosmos, though they come from different cultural and religious contexts.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 69)
“xcii} unity of a supreme and self-existent being, his eternity, his almightiness, and external reproduction thereby as God; the attributing of the creation of the world and of all living beings to this supreme God; the immortality of the so…”
Both passages deal with the theme of divine power and the struggle for control among deities. They share a conceptual parallel in the idea of a supreme being whose power is challenged or manipulated by other divine figures, reflecting a common mythological motif across different ancient Near Eastern traditions.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 75)
“xcviii} heaven nor earth, and when neither gods had been born, nor men created, the god Tmu was the father of human beings,[1] even before death came into the world. The first act of Tmu was to create from his own body the god Shu and the…”
Both passages describe creation myths involving primordial waters and the emergence of gods. They share themes of divine origin and the establishment of order from chaos, reflecting a conceptual parallel in their mystical traditions.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 82)
“He is depicted in the form of a seated deity having upon his head disk and plumes.[1] Nut the female principle of Nu; she is depicted with the head of a snake surmounted by a disk, or with the head of a cat.[2] Ptah was associated with the…”
Both passages describe primordial deities and the creation of the world from a chaotic, watery state. They also mention the establishment of order and the creation of other gods, showing a conceptual parallel in their cosmological themes.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 9 (part 1)
“p. 111 CHAPTER VI. SECOND DIVISION OF THE TUAT. I. THE KINGDOM OF KHENTI-AMENTI-OSIRIS ACCORDING TO THE BOOK AM-TUAT. THE god AFU-Ra now enters the region URNES which derives its name from that of the river flowing through it; it is 30…”
Both passages describe a journey through a divine realm with a focus on the interaction between deities and the structure of the afterlife or primordial world. They share themes of divine hierarchy, the role of gods in guiding the journey, and the presence of cosmic order.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 14 (part 3)
“It is tolerably certain that the form in which they depicted it is much shorter than that in which it existed originally, and that the attributes and duties of many of the gods have been changed to suit the necessities of the cults of Osiri…”
Both passages describe ancient cosmological and theological concepts involving primordial deities and the structure of the universe. They share themes of creation, divine order, and the interaction between gods and the cosmos, reflecting a parallel understanding of the divine and the cosmos in different ancient traditions.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 19
“EIGHTH DIVISION OF THE TUAT. I. KINGDOM OF OSIRIS ACCORDING TO THE BOOK AM-TUAT. The name of this DIVISION, or HOUR, or CITY, is TEBAT-NETERU-S, its Gate is called AHA-AN-URT-NEF, and its Hour-goddess is NEBT-USHAU. The Boat of AFU-RA now e…”
Both passages describe a cosmic battle involving primordial forces and deities. In Passage A, the serpent APEP (NEHA-HRA) is restrained and defeated, allowing the sun god AFU-RA to progress. In Passage B, the primordial forces Tiamat and Apsu are in conflict, with Tiamat ultimately being defeated. Both narratives involve the overcoming of chaotic forces by divine intervention.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 28 (part 2)
“191 they invoke the Spirits of the East, and join with them in singing hymns to the god, and in praising him after he has appeared in the sky. At the head of the whole . company stands a god with the head of a crocodile (vol. ii., pp. 2…”
Both passages describe a cosmic battle involving primordial forces and deities. In Passage A, the serpent Apep is defeated by various gods, ensuring the rebirth of the sun-god Ra. In Passage B, the primordial forces Tiamat and Apsu are in conflict, leading to the creation and establishment of the gods. Both texts depict a struggle between order and chaos, with deities playing crucial roles in maintaining cosmic balance.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 29 (part 2)
“The mummified form in which the dead Sun-god travelled through the Tuat is now useless, and we see it cast aside and lying against the wall which divides the Tuat from this world; that there shall be no doubt about this it is described by t…”
Both passages describe mythological realms and the interactions of deities within them. They share themes of cosmic order, divine hierarchy, and the struggle against chaos, which are common in many mystical traditions.