| TIAMAT is the
name of the goddess of the primeval World-Ocean who existed from
time immemorial and was the mighty foe of the Creator
god.
"The
Epic of Creation (Enuma Elish): Tablets I-III"
She is primeval Chaos, bearer of the skies and the earth, mother
of Lahmu, Lahamu, Anshar, and of Kishar.
Within Enuma 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 insides, a heart, arteries, and blood. The clamor of the
younger gods disturbed her, but she continued to indulge them. When her
husband Apsu and his vizier Mummu suggested that they kill
the younger gods, she grew furious, calmed down and rejected the plan.
Her restless subservient gods goaded her into action after Apsu
is slain. They prepared to wage war against the other gods. As Mother
Hubur, the underworld river, who fashions all things, she bore giant
snakes with venom for blood, and cloaked dragons with a godlike radiance
yet with a terrible visage, for the war. She rallied a horned serpent, a
mushussu-dragon, a lahmu-hero, a ugallu-demon, a rabid dog, a
scorpion-man, umu-demons, a fish-man, a bull-man, and eleven others
underneath her champion and new lover, Qingu. She gave Qingu
the Tablet of Destinies to facilitate his command and attack. (Dalley
pp. 231-249)
"The
Epic of Creation (Enuma Elish): Tablets IV-V"
Marduk came with his host to attack her. Qingu's strategy
initially confuses him, and Tiamat tried to enspell him, hurling
jibes at him. She was rebuffed and incited into single combat with Marduk.
She continued to cast her spell and Marduk nets her, and throws a
wind at her. She tried to swallow it and was undone - distended, shot,
sliced in two and cut in the heart. Her crushed skull heralded her
death, and half of her body was used to roof up the sky. Her eyes became
the sources of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. (Dalley pp. 249-257)
Source
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