Qingu Character Analysis in Enuma Elish

Qingu is Tiamat’s consort after Apsu’s slaying. Tiamat appoints him commander of her army and grants him the Tablet of Destinies. After Marduk defeats Tiamat in battle, however, he quickly wrests the Tablet from Qingu. For his role in the battle, Qingu is later bound and killed, his blood used by Ea to create humanity.

Qingu Quotes in Enuma Elish

The Enuma Elish quotes below are all either spoken by Qingu or refer to Qingu. 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

).

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 and Citation: 252

Explanation and Analysis:

Qingu Character Timeline in Enuma Elish

The timeline below shows where the character Qingu appears in Enuma Elish. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Feminine Power and Subjugation Theme Icon

Tiamat then promotes her consort, Qingu, and gives him leadership of her whole army. She sets him on a throne and... (full context)

...“[convening] a council and [creating] conflict,” Tiamat’s creation of fearsome creatures, and her promotion of Qingu as commander. When Anshar hears this account, he is distraught. Anshar tells Ea that because... (full context)

...reasoning with him that, given the monsters’ existence, he doesn’t have a chance of defeating Qingu. But Anshar assures Ea that he’s unbeatable and sends him Tiamat’s way. Ea goes to... (full context)

...I, regarding Tiamat’s conflict-stirring council, her “unfaceable weapon,” the gathering of other fierce creatures, and Qingu’s battle command. He also has him relay the glad news of Marduk’s desire “of his... (full context)

...accuses her of neglecting to show compassion to her own children, wrongfully granting power to Qingu, and scheming against the gods. He challenges her to single combat. (full context)

...gods and restrains the dozens of creatures who’d marched at her side. He also defeats Qingu and “wrested from him the Tablet of Destinies, wrongfully his,” which he seals with his... (full context)

...him and bear the penalty for his actions. The gods reply that the war was Qingu’s fault. They bind Qingu, and Ea creates humanity from his blood. The work of the... (full context)