Birth and Revenge Remain the Same
The excerpt from The Babylonian Creation celebrates the birth of the gods, as well as the order of creation. This excerpt reflects the issues of revenge and issuing death as a punishment, which we still encounter in our current world.
The world started out with Apsu, who is considered the primeval sweet waters, “mingling” with Tiamat, who is considered the primeval bitter waters (Fiero 18). It is evident in the poem that Apsu has a heart, and loves all things dearly. It is also evident that Tiamat is filled with revenge and hate.
The gods were created by Apsu and Tiamat; Tiamat became known as the Great Mother. Tiamat eventually birthed serpents and monsters to seek revenge upon the other gods. The mingling of the waters created many gods; these gods came up with a plan to divide the sky and earth.
It is clear that the death of gods led way to new, better gods. Ea, at one point, kills Apsu, which in turns creates Marduk. Marduk was made Supreme Commander to take charge of the attack on Tiamat. Her death became a symbol to all of the other gods that intolerance and revenge were not going to be dealt with peacefully.
The death of the old leads to the birth of the new…these are still the norm for our societal beliefs. Our society also still deals with revenge against someone who has wronged us; it is clear that the gods were more human than we thought.
Works Cited
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition; Book 1: The First Civilizations and the Classical Legacy. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011.
