by Robert W. McDonald

Created on: February 05, 2010

Babylonian mythology is best understood in the historical context of the city-state of Babylon, which was the last of the four great political and military powers of ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkadia, Assyria, and Babylon). As such, the mythic deities of Babylon can be seen as having “evolved” over time.

Babylonian Creation Myth

According to the “Enuma Elish,” in the time before Creation there had been only Tiamat (god of sea water) and Apsu (god of fresh water). These gods, in turn, “spoke” into being the gods Lamu, Lahamu, Mummu, Kishar, and Anshar. Anshar and Kishar then created Anu (sky god), who became the father of Ea (originally Enki (Sumerian), Babylonian god of craftsmen and wisdom/knowledge).  Ea and his consort Damkina were the parents of Marduk.

Tiamat grew jealous of the younger generation of gods and, with the help of Apsu, planned to kill all of them take over as the supreme god. Ea learned of their treachery and killed Apsu, which caused Tiamat to create an army of sea-dragons, fish men, and other monsters to fight for her.

The other gods, unable to fight Tiamat’s army of monsters, summoned Marduk to their grand council and begged for his help. Marduk offered his assistance, but only if he would become the supreme god after the battle. The elder gods agreed and Marduk went off to battle Tiamat.

When he and Tiamat joined in single combat, Marduk called upon the four winds to blow Tiamat off her feet and to hold her to the ground. Marduk then stood on her chest and killed Tiamat by cutting her in half. From her chest and ribs, Marduk made the celestial sphere and from her eyes and tears he made Tigris and Euphrates.

After all was done, from her lower body he made the earth and mankind to serve the gods. Marduk then took his places as the chief god of Babylon.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The details of the Gilgamesh story are given in other pages on this site and will not be repeated here.

As in other Mesopotamian mythologies, the Gilgamesh story was “inherited” by the Babylonians and adapted by changing the names of the principle gods and goddesses.

Gods and Goddesses

Anu

Although Marduk was the leader of the gods, Anu was the supreme god of the heavens, sky, stars, and constellations. He was also thought to be the source of all wisdom and was also seen as the god responsible for giving the laws and justice to man.

Ishtar

Ishtar was associated with the planet Venus and was the goddess of fertility, sex, and war. She was also the patroness of the cult of sacred prostitutes in the Babylonian temples and of the famous Babylonian astrologers.

Anunnaki and Igigi

The Anunnaki and Igigi were, respectively, minor deities of the heavens and the underworld. They appear to have performed some individual functions and probably were represented as local gods and goddesses of town, rivers, etc.

Tammuz

Tammuz was another god of the Sumerians who was incorporated into the Babylonian pantheon as the god of agriculture, food, and foraging vegetation for livestock. A month-long period of “mourning” was celebrated each year, starting with the summer solstice, over the “death” of Tammuz, since his “death” brought on the heat and lack of rainfall that would mark the end of the growing season.

There were, of course, many other deities in Babylonian mythology who were associated with specific locations, activities, festivals and other such events. Those wishing to read a detailed study of this topic should consult “Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria” (Smith, 1920) or “Babylonian Religion and Mythology” (King, 1903) both of which are available at the Internet Archive Web site.

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