The Babylonian Legends of the Creation, Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge [best short books to read .TXT] 📗

Marduk “devised a cunning plan,”

i.e., he determined to carry out a series of works of creation. He

split the body of Tiâmat into two parts; out of one half he fashioned

the dome of heaven, and out of the other he constructed the abode of

Nudimmud, or Ea, which he placed over against Apsu, i.e., the deep. He

also formulated regulations concerning the maintenance of the same. By

this “cunning plan” Marduk deprived the powers of darkness of the

opportunity of repeating their revolt with any chance of success. Having

established the framework of his new heaven and earth Marduk, acting as

the celestial architect, set to work to furnish them. In the first place

he founded E-Sharra, or the mansion of heaven, and next he set apart and

arranged proper places for the old gods of the three realms—Anu,

Bel and Ea.

 

[Illustration: Tablet sculptured with a scene representing the worship

of the Sun-god in the Temple of Sippar. The Sun-god is seated on a

throne within a pavilion holding in one hand a disk and bar which may

symbolize eternity. Above his head are the three symbols of the Moon,

the Sun, and the planet Venus. On a stand in front of the pavilion rests

the disk of the Sun, which is held in position by ropes grasped in the

hands of two divine beings who are supported by the roof of the

pavilion. The pavilion of the Sun-god stands on the Celestial Ocean, and

the four small disks indicate either the four cardinal points or the

tops of the pillars of the heavens. The three figures in front of the

disk represent the high priest of Shamash, the king (Nabu-aplu-iddina,

about 870 B.C.) and an attendant goddess. [No. 91,000.]]

 

The text of the Fifth Tablet, which would undoubtedly have supplied

details as to Marduk’s arrangement and regulations for the sun, the

moon, the stars, and the Signs of the Zodiac in the heavens is wanting.

The prominence of the celestial bodies in the history of creation is not

to be wondered at, for the greater number of the religious beliefs of

the Babylonians are grouped round them. Moreover, the science of

astronomy had gone hand in hand with the superstition of astrology in

Mesopotamia from time immemorial; and at a very early period the oldest

gods of Babylonia were associated with the heavenly bodies. Thus the

Annunaki and the Igigi, who are bodies of deified spirits, were

identified with the stars of the northern and southern heaven,

respectively. And all the primitive goddesses coalesced and were grouped

to form the goddess Ishtar, who was identified with the Evening and

Morning Star, or Venus. The Babylonians believed that the will of the

gods was made known to men by the motions of the planets, and that

careful observation of them would enable the skilled seer to recognize

in the stars favourable and unfavourable portents. Such observations,

treated from a magical point of view, formed a huge mass of literature

which was being added to continually. From the nature of the case this

literature enshrined a very considerable number of facts of pure

astronomy, and as early as the period of the First Dynasty (about 2000

B.C.), the Babylonians were able to calculate astronomical events with

considerable accuracy, and to reconcile the solar and lunar years by the

use of epagomenal months. They had by that time formulated the existence

of the Zodiac, and fixed the “stations” of the moon, and the places of

the planets with it; and they had distinguished between the planets and

the fixed stars. In the Fifth Tablet of the Creation Series (l. 2) the

Signs of the Zodiac are called Lumashi [1], but unfortunately no list

of their names is given in the context. Now these are supplied by the

little tablet (No. 77,821) of the Persian Period of which a reproduction

is here given. It has been referred to and discussed by various

scholars, and its importance is very great. The transcript of the text,

which is now published (see p. 68) for the first time, will be

acceptable to the students of the history of the Zodiac. Egyptian,

Greek, Syriac and Arabic astrological and astronomical texts all

associate with the Signs of the Zodiac twelve groups, each containing

three stars, which are commonly known as the “Thirty-six Dekans.” [2]

The text of line 4 of the Fifth Tablet of the Creation Series proves

that the Babylonians were acquainted with these groups of stars, for we

read that Marduk “set up for the twelve months of the year three stars

apiece.” In the List of Signs of the Zodiac here given, it will be seen

that each Sign is associated with a particular month.

 

[Footnote 1: This is the original of the Syriac word for the Signs of

the Zodiac malwâshê (plural of malwâshâ). The Syrians

added to it an m, thus giving it a participial form.]

 

[Footnote 2: [Greek: Dekanoi] also called [Greek: prosopa], [Greek:

horoskopoi], [Greek: philokes] and [Greek: episkopoi]. They were well

known to the Egyptians, who, as early as the fourteenth century B.C.,

possessed a full list of them. See Lepsius, Chronologie,

Berlin, 1848, and Brugsch, _Thesaurus (Astronomische und

Astrologische Inschriften)_, Leipzig, 1883.]

 

[Illustration: Tablet inscribed with a list of the Signs of the

Zodiac. [No. 77,821.]]

 

At a later period, say about 500 B.C., the Babylonians made some of

the gods regents of groups of stars, for Enlil ruled 33 stars, Anu 23

stars, and Ea 15 stars. They also possessed lists of the fixed stars,

and drew up tables of the times of their heliacal risings. Such lists

were probably based upon very ancient documents, and prove that the

astral element in Babylonian religion was very considerable.

 

The accompanying illustration, which is reproduced from the Boundary

Stone of Ritti-Marduk (Brit. Mus., No. 90,858), supplies much

information about the symbols of the gods, and of the Signs of the

Zodiac in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar I, King of Babylon, about 1120

B.C.. Thus in Register 1, we have the Star of Ishtar, the crescent of

the Moon-god Sin, and the disk of Shamash the Sun-god. In Reg. 2 are

three stands (?) surmounted by tiaras, which represent the gods Anu,

Enlil (Bel) and Ea respectively. In Reg. 3 are three altars (?) or

shrines (?) with a monster in Nos. 1 and 2. Over the first is the

lance of Marduk, over the second the mason’s square of Nabû, and over

the third is the symbol of the goddess Ninkharsag, the Creatress. In

Reg. 4 are a standard with an animal’s head, a sign of Ea; a

two-headed snake = the Twins; an unknown symbol with a horse’s head,

and a bird, representative of Shukamuna and Shumalia. In Reg. 5 are a

seated figure of the goddess Gula and the Scorpion-man; and in Reg. 6

are forked lightning, symbol of Adad, above a bull, the Tortoise,

symbol of Ea (?), the Scorpion of the goddess Ishkhara, and the Lamp

of Nusku, the Fire-god. Down the left-hand side is the serpent-god

representing the constellation of the Hydra.

 

The mutilated text of the Fifth Tablet makes it impossible to gain

further details in connection with Marduk’s work in arranging the

heavens. We are, however, justified in assuming that the gaps in it

contained statements about the grouping of the gods into triads. In

royal historical inscriptions the kings often invoke the gods in

threes, though they never call any one three a triad or trinity. It

seems as if this arrangement of gods in threes was assumed to be of

divine origin. In the Fourth Tablet of Creation, one triad

“Anu-Bel-Ea” is actually mentioned, and in the Fifth Tablet, another

is indicated, “Sin-Shamash-Ishtar.” In these triads Anu represents the

sky or heaven, Bel or Enlil the region under the sky and including the

earth, Ea the underworld, Sin the Moon, Shamash the Sun, and Ishtar

the star Venus. When the universe was finally constituted several

other great gods existed, e.g., Nusku, the Fire-god, Enurta,

[1] a solar god, Nergal, the god of war and handicrafts, Nabu, the god

of learning, Marduk of Babylon, the great national god of Babylonia,

and Ashur, the great national god of Assyria.

 

[Footnote 1: Formerly known as Ninip.]

 

When Marduk had arranged heaven and earth, and had established the gods

in their places, the gods complained that their existence was barren,

because they lacked worshippers at their shrines and offerings. To make

a way out of this difficulty Marduk devised another “cunning plan,” and

announced his intention of creating man out of “blood and bone” DAMI

ISSIMTUM. We have already quoted (see p. 11) the statement of Berosus

that man was created out of the blood of a god mixed with earth; here,

then, is the authority for his words. Marduk made known to Ea his

intention of creating man, and Ea suggested that if one of the gods were

sacrificed the remainder of them should be set free from service,

presumably to Marduk. Thereupon Marduk summons a council of the gods,

and asks them to name the instigator of the fight in which he himself

was the victor. In reply the gods named Kingu, Tiâmat’s second husband,

whom they seized forthwith, and bound with fetters and carried to Ea,

and then having “inflicted punishment upon him they let his blood.” From

Kingu’s blood Ea fashioned mankind for the service of the gods.

 

Now among the texts which have been found on the tablets at Kal’at

Sharkât is an account of the creation of man which differs from the

version given in the Seven Tablets of Creation, but has two features in

common with it. These two features are: (1) the council of the gods to

discuss the creation of man; (2) the sacrifice which the gods had to

make for the creation of man. In the variant version two (or more) gods

are sacrificed, Ilu Nagar Ilu Nagar, i.e., “the workmen gods,” about

whom nothing is known. The place of sacrifice is specified with some

care, and it is said to be “Uzu-mu-a, or the bond of heaven and earth.”

Uzu-mu-a may be the bolt with which Marduk locked the two halves of

Tiâmat into place.

 

The Anunnaki, wishing to give an expression of their admiration for

Marduk’s heroism, decided to build him a shrine or temple. To this

Marduk agreed, and chose Babylon, i.e., the “Gate of God,” for its site.

The Anunnaki themselves made the bricks, and they built the great temple

of E-Sagila at Babylon. When the temple was finished, Marduk re-enacted

the scene of creation; for, as he had formerly assigned to each god his

place in the heavens, so now he assigned to each god his place in

E-Sagila. The tablet ends with a long hymn of praise which the Anunnaki

sang to Marduk, and describes the summoning of an assembly of the gods

to proclaim ceremonially the great Fifty Names of this god. Thus the

gods accepted the absolute supremacy of Marduk.

 

From the above it is clear that a dispute broke out between Marduk and

the gods after he had created them, and the tradition of it has made its

way into the religious literatures of the Hebrews, Syrians, Arabs, Copts

and Abyssinians. The cuneiform texts tell us nothing about the cause of

the dispute, but tradition generally ascribes it to the creation of man

by the supreme God; and it is probable that all the apocryphal stories

which describe the expulsion from heaven of the angels who contended

against God under the leadership of Satan, or Satnael, or Iblîs, are

derived from a Babylonian original which has not yet been found. The

“Fifty Names,” or laudatory epithets mentioned above, find parallels in

“Seventy-five Praises of Ra,” sung by the Egyptians under the XIXth

dynasty, [1]