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Women have been wielding the powerful weapons of beauty, sexuality, and procreation since the beginning of time, and goddesses are no different. They are devout protectors of their husbands, who are sometimes their brothers, and their young. They are creators that give birth to gods or bring forth the life-giving rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates. But, like all women, they have their dark sides as well. They can be vengeful, spiteful traitors and devious tricksters scheming to get what they want. It is these stories of treachery that we most often remember.

Why is it that we remember the stories of treachery? Perhaps it is because we like to hear stories about the hidden side of ourselves, acknowledging our own leanings toward treachery that we wisely keep hidden. Or maybe it is because the myths and legends reflect the patriarchal warrior societies that created them, where the women of the conquered are slain or kept subservient.

One example of a myth that legitimates and celebrates the slaying of a scheming goddess is the ancient Babylonian creation myth of Tiamut. According to Mesopotamian mythology, Tiamut was the universal primeval mother and goddess of the salty seas. She is depicted as a monstrous female dragon who initiated the creation of the gods by mingling with her husband Apsu, god of the fresh waters.

Like many mothers of misbehaving children, she became disheartened with the activities of all the little gods. She boldly decided to be rid of them. Her husband Apsu was involved in the plot as well but he was slain by the god Ea. Tiamut, really upset now, began to give birth to an army of monsters, "sharp of tooth and merciless of fang" to get rid of the gods once and for all. At first, all attempts to subdue her failed until Marduk was chosen for the challenge. He defeated Tiamut by throwing a raging storm into her mouth and piercing her swollen (pregnant) belly with an arrow that tore her insides apart. Once she was slain he cut her in two. From one half of her body, he made the heavens, and from the other half, the floor of the ocean. He pierced both her eyes to form the sources of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Her tail was bent up into the sky to make the milky way. Tiamut's slaying, though brutal, is justified by her plotting to kill her children.

Another goddess to be feared is found in Lilith, a goddess of Hebrew legend and the first woman created. According to Talmudic legend, Lilith was created at the same time as Adam but she refused to

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