Enuma Elish

by

Anonymous

Marduk Character Analysis

Sometimes called Bel, Marduk is begotten by his father, Ea, and borne by his mother, Damkina, inside the dwelling Apsu. From his birth, Marduk is superior to all other gods. He has four all-perceiving eyes, four enormous ears, and lips that blaze forth fire. As a deity, he is associated with storms. At Ea’s urging, Marduk steps forward to confront Tiamat, but not before a council of the gods gathers to declare him the sovereign King of all the gods. He uses his strength and cunning to overpower and kill Tiamat and wrest from Qingu the Tablet of Destinies, legitimizing his reign as the preeminent god. He then establishes order in the heavens and on earth, setting the stars in their courses and securing Tiamat’s waters in place. He also oversees the construction of Babylon as the earthly residence of the gods, and is thus closely associated with the city. The gods then engage in a ritual declaration of his 50 titles and associated attributes.

Marduk Quotes in Enuma Elish

The Enuma Elish quotes below are all either spoken by Marduk or refer to Marduk. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Order, Civilization, and Religion Theme Icon
).
Tablet 1 Quotes

Inside pure Apsu, Marduk was born.
Ea his father created him,
Damkina his mother bore him.
He suckled the teats of goddesses;
The nurse who reared him filled him with awesomeness;
Proud was his form, piercing his stare.
Mature his emergence, he was powerful from the start.
Anu his father's begetter beheld him,
And rejoiced, beamed; his heart was filled with joy.
He made him so perfect that his godhead was doubled.
Elevated far above them, he was superior in every way.

Related Characters: Marduk, Nudimmud / Ea, Apsu, Anu, Damkina
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 2 Quotes

'Will no (other) god come forward? Is [fate] fixed?
Will no one go out to face Tiamat […] ?'
Then Ea from his secret dwelling called
[The perfect] one of Anshar, father of the great gods,
Whose heart is perfect like a fellow-citizen or countryman,
The mighty heir who was to be his father's champion,
Who rushes (fearlessly) into battle: Marduk the Hero!
He told him his innermost design, saying,
'O Marduk, take my advice, listen to your father!
You are the son who sets his heart at rest!
Approach Anshar, drawing near to him,
And make your voice heard, stand your ground:
he will be calmed by the sight of you.'

Related Characters: Nudimmud / Ea (speaker), Marduk, Tiamat, Anshar
Page Number: 242
Explanation and Analysis:

The Lord rejoiced at the word of his father;
His heart was glad and he addressed his father;
'Lord of the gods, fate of the great gods,
If indeed I am to be your champion,
If I am to defeat Tiamat and save your lives,
Convene the council, name a special fate,
Sit joyfully together in Ubshu-ukkinakku:
My own utterance shall fix fate instead of you!
Whatever I create shall never be altered!
The decree of my lips shall never be revoked, never changed!'

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Tiamat, Anshar
Page Number: 243
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 3 Quotes

They milled around and then came,
All the great gods who fix the fates,
Entered into Anshar's presence and were filled with joy.
Each kissed the other: in the assembly [ ]
There was conversation, they sat at the banquet,
Ate grain, drank choice wine,
Let sweet beer trickle through their drinking straws.
Their bodies swelled as they drank the liquor;
They became very carefree, they were merry,
And they decreed destiny for Marduk their champion.

Related Characters: Marduk, Anshar, Lahmu, Lahamu
Page Number: 249
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 4 Quotes

The Lord lifted up the flood-weapon, his great weapon
And sent a message to Tiamat who feigned goodwill, saying:
'Why are you so friendly on the surface
When your depths conspire to muster a battle force?
Just because the sons were noisy (and) disrespectful to their fathers,
Should you, who gave them birth, reject compassion?
You named Qingu as your lover,
You appointed him to rites of Anu-power, wrongfully his.
You sought out evil for Anshar, king of the gods,
So you have compounded your wickedness against the gods my fathers!
Let your host prepare! Let them gird themselves with your weapons!
Stand forth, and you and I shall do single combat!'
When Tiamat heard this,
She went wild, she lost her temper.
Tiamat screamed aloud in a passion,
Her lower parts shook together from the depths.

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Tiamat, Qingu, Anshar
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 252
Explanation and Analysis:

The Lord spread his net and made it encircle her,
To her face he dispatched the imhullu-wind, which had been behind:
Tiamat opened her mouth to swallow it,
And he forced in the imhullu-wind so that she could not close her lips.
Fierce winds distended her belly;
Her insides were constipated and she stretched her mouth wide.
He shot an arrow which pierced her belly.
Split her down the middle and slit her heart.
Vanquished her and extinguished her life.
He threw down her corpse and stood on top of her.

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Tiamat
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 5 Quotes

He opened the Euphrates and the Tigris from her eyes,
Closed her nostrils,
He piled up clear-cut mountains from her udder.
Bored waterholes to drain off the catchwater.
He laid her tail across, tied it fast as the cosmic bond.
And [ ] the Apsu beneath his feet.
He set her thigh to make fast the sky,
With half of her he made a roof; he fixed the earth.
He [ ] the work, made the insides of Tiamat surge,
Spread his net, made it extend completely.

Related Characters: Marduk, Tiamat
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:

I shall make a house to be a luxurious dwelling for myself
And shall found … [a] cult centre within it,
And I shall establish my private quarters, and confirm my kingship.
Whenever you come up from the Apsu for an assembly,
Your night's resting place shall be in it, receiving you all.
Whenever you come down from the sky for an assembly,
Your night's resting place shall be in it, receiving you all.
I hereby name it Babylon, home of the great gods.
We shall make it the centre of religion.

Related Characters: Marduk
Page Number: 259
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 6 Quotes

When Marduk heard the speech of the gods,
He made up his mind to perform miracles.
He spoke his utterance to Ea,
And communicated to him the plan that he was considering.
‘Let me put blood together, and make bones too.
Let me set up primeval man: Man shall be his name.
Let me create a primeval man.
The work of the gods shall be imposed (on him), and so they shall be at leisure.’

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Nudimmud / Ea
Page Number: 260
Explanation and Analysis:
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Enuma Elish PDF

Marduk Quotes in Enuma Elish

The Enuma Elish quotes below are all either spoken by Marduk or refer to Marduk. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Order, Civilization, and Religion Theme Icon
).
Tablet 1 Quotes

Inside pure Apsu, Marduk was born.
Ea his father created him,
Damkina his mother bore him.
He suckled the teats of goddesses;
The nurse who reared him filled him with awesomeness;
Proud was his form, piercing his stare.
Mature his emergence, he was powerful from the start.
Anu his father's begetter beheld him,
And rejoiced, beamed; his heart was filled with joy.
He made him so perfect that his godhead was doubled.
Elevated far above them, he was superior in every way.

Related Characters: Marduk, Nudimmud / Ea, Apsu, Anu, Damkina
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 2 Quotes

'Will no (other) god come forward? Is [fate] fixed?
Will no one go out to face Tiamat […] ?'
Then Ea from his secret dwelling called
[The perfect] one of Anshar, father of the great gods,
Whose heart is perfect like a fellow-citizen or countryman,
The mighty heir who was to be his father's champion,
Who rushes (fearlessly) into battle: Marduk the Hero!
He told him his innermost design, saying,
'O Marduk, take my advice, listen to your father!
You are the son who sets his heart at rest!
Approach Anshar, drawing near to him,
And make your voice heard, stand your ground:
he will be calmed by the sight of you.'

Related Characters: Nudimmud / Ea (speaker), Marduk, Tiamat, Anshar
Page Number: 242
Explanation and Analysis:

The Lord rejoiced at the word of his father;
His heart was glad and he addressed his father;
'Lord of the gods, fate of the great gods,
If indeed I am to be your champion,
If I am to defeat Tiamat and save your lives,
Convene the council, name a special fate,
Sit joyfully together in Ubshu-ukkinakku:
My own utterance shall fix fate instead of you!
Whatever I create shall never be altered!
The decree of my lips shall never be revoked, never changed!'

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Tiamat, Anshar
Page Number: 243
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 3 Quotes

They milled around and then came,
All the great gods who fix the fates,
Entered into Anshar's presence and were filled with joy.
Each kissed the other: in the assembly [ ]
There was conversation, they sat at the banquet,
Ate grain, drank choice wine,
Let sweet beer trickle through their drinking straws.
Their bodies swelled as they drank the liquor;
They became very carefree, they were merry,
And they decreed destiny for Marduk their champion.

Related Characters: Marduk, Anshar, Lahmu, Lahamu
Page Number: 249
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 4 Quotes

The Lord lifted up the flood-weapon, his great weapon
And sent a message to Tiamat who feigned goodwill, saying:
'Why are you so friendly on the surface
When your depths conspire to muster a battle force?
Just because the sons were noisy (and) disrespectful to their fathers,
Should you, who gave them birth, reject compassion?
You named Qingu as your lover,
You appointed him to rites of Anu-power, wrongfully his.
You sought out evil for Anshar, king of the gods,
So you have compounded your wickedness against the gods my fathers!
Let your host prepare! Let them gird themselves with your weapons!
Stand forth, and you and I shall do single combat!'
When Tiamat heard this,
She went wild, she lost her temper.
Tiamat screamed aloud in a passion,
Her lower parts shook together from the depths.

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Tiamat, Qingu, Anshar
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 252
Explanation and Analysis:

The Lord spread his net and made it encircle her,
To her face he dispatched the imhullu-wind, which had been behind:
Tiamat opened her mouth to swallow it,
And he forced in the imhullu-wind so that she could not close her lips.
Fierce winds distended her belly;
Her insides were constipated and she stretched her mouth wide.
He shot an arrow which pierced her belly.
Split her down the middle and slit her heart.
Vanquished her and extinguished her life.
He threw down her corpse and stood on top of her.

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Tiamat
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 5 Quotes

He opened the Euphrates and the Tigris from her eyes,
Closed her nostrils,
He piled up clear-cut mountains from her udder.
Bored waterholes to drain off the catchwater.
He laid her tail across, tied it fast as the cosmic bond.
And [ ] the Apsu beneath his feet.
He set her thigh to make fast the sky,
With half of her he made a roof; he fixed the earth.
He [ ] the work, made the insides of Tiamat surge,
Spread his net, made it extend completely.

Related Characters: Marduk, Tiamat
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:

I shall make a house to be a luxurious dwelling for myself
And shall found … [a] cult centre within it,
And I shall establish my private quarters, and confirm my kingship.
Whenever you come up from the Apsu for an assembly,
Your night's resting place shall be in it, receiving you all.
Whenever you come down from the sky for an assembly,
Your night's resting place shall be in it, receiving you all.
I hereby name it Babylon, home of the great gods.
We shall make it the centre of religion.

Related Characters: Marduk
Page Number: 259
Explanation and Analysis:
Tablet 6 Quotes

When Marduk heard the speech of the gods,
He made up his mind to perform miracles.
He spoke his utterance to Ea,
And communicated to him the plan that he was considering.
‘Let me put blood together, and make bones too.
Let me set up primeval man: Man shall be his name.
Let me create a primeval man.
The work of the gods shall be imposed (on him), and so they shall be at leisure.’

Related Characters: Marduk (speaker), Nudimmud / Ea
Page Number: 260
Explanation and Analysis: