World Mythology, Tuesday, 2nd Period.

[atreideslioness]

"Today, we start at the very beginning," Ghanima announced crisply, Trebor on her hip as he chewed on what looked like a toy dragon. "--Or as close to the beginning as such a young planet can get. Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies from parts of the fertile crescent, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq."

."The Sumerians practiced a polytheistic religion, with anthropomorphic gods or goddesses representing forces or presences in the world, in much the same way as the Greek mythology which came later." That was for you, Stewart. "According to said mythology, the gods originally created humans as servant and freed them when they became too much to handle. Many stories in Sumerian religion appear similar to stories in other Middle-Eastern religions. Gods and Goddesses from Sumer have similar representations in the religions of the Akkadians, Canaanites, and others."

"Today we look at one of the first primordial goddesses of this world: Tiamat." Trebor brightened up and waived his dragon around excitedly, narrowly missing bopping his mother on her head. "Trebor, you are getting ahead of yourself, we are not there yet."

"Tiamat is considered the embodiment of primordial chaos. Although there are no early precedents for it, some sources identify her with images of a sea serpent or dragon." She smiled wryly. "Hence Trebor's choice of prop for today. However, it is important to note that these associations first came to light during the late American 1960s, in a journal about oriental society, which then spread to the popular consciousness. Take that particular citation with a grain of salt, and read 'The Battle between Marduk and Tiamat' by Thorkild Jacobsen for yourself to decide."

"In the Enûma Elish, the Babylonian epic of creation, she gives birth to the first generation of deities; she later makes war upon them and is killed by the storm-god Marduk. The heavens and the earth are formed from her divided body."

Comments

Sign-In #2

[atreideslioness]

At the beginning of the world!

During the Lecture

[atreideslioness]

Take notes, pass notes, you know the drill.

Discussion

[atreideslioness]

"So although Tiamat is often described by modern authors as a sea serpent or dragon, no ancient texts exist in which there is a clear association with those kinds of creatures," Ghanima continued, putting Trebor on her shoulders as she walked around the room so he could waive his toy dragon without (hopefully) smacking her in the face. "The Enûma Elish specifically states that Tiamat did give birth to dragons and serpents, but they are included among a larger and more general list of monsters including scorpion men and merpeople, none of which imply that any of the children resemble the mother or are even limited to aquatic creatures. Within the Enûma Elish her physical description includes a tail, a thigh, 'lower parts' which shake together, a belly, an udder, ribs, a neck, a head, a skull, eyes, nostrils, a mouth, and lips. She has a heart, arteries, and blood."

"Tiamat was the "shining" personification of salt water who roared and smote in the chaos of original creation. She and Apsu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters. She is "Ummu-Hubur who formed all things". In the myth recorded on cuneiform tablets, the deity Enki -- later Ea -- believed correctly that Apsu, upset with the chaos they created, was planning to murder the younger deities; and so slew him. This angered Tiamat, whereupon she fashioned monsters to battle the deities in order to avenge Apsu's death. These were her own offspring: giant sea serpents, storm demons, fish-men, scorpion-men and many others."

"As often happens, she was overcome by a younger god -- Marduk, son of Ea. Slicing Tiamat in half, he made from her ribs the vault of heaven and earth. Her weeping eyes became the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates. With the approval of the elder deities, he took from Kingu the Tablets of Destiny, installing himself as the head of the Babylonian pantheon. Kingu, Tiamat's new, second husband, was captured and later was slain: his red blood mixed with the red clay of the Earth would make the body of humankind, created to act as the servant of the younger Igigi deities."

"I'd like you to talk about your own creation stories today, and then share them with a friend. Either a story you are familiar with from your own homeworld, or how you, personally, think the world came into being. Or, if neither of those suit your fancy, why do you think Tiamat is so often portrayed as a dragon? What sort of connotations do dragons have in your culture? Are they creatures of chaos, creation, or both?"

Talk to Ghanima & Trebor

[atreideslioness]

They're around, before and after class.

ooc

[atreideslioness]

It has been a DAY