by Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:24 pm
Salvete
This next entry is on Marduk, the chiefdeity of the Babylonians.
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Marduk
Epithets:
Translations: Light of His Father, Young Steer of Day, King of Heaven, Glorious Word of Power, Overseer who is Good, Guardian of the Four Quarters, Shepherd of the Stars, Lord of Life, Citadel of Prayer, Shepherd of the Gods, Master of Magic, Restorer of Joy to Humankind.
Asarluhi, Marduk, The Son, The Majesty of the Gods, Marukka, Mershakushu, Lugal-dimmer-ankia (King of heaven and earth), Bel, Nari-lugal-dimmer-ankia, Asarluhi, Namtila, Namru, Asare, Asar-alim, Asar-alim-nuna, Tutu, Zi-ukkina, Ziku, Agaku, Shazu, Zisi, Suhrim, Suhgurim, Zahrim, Zahgurim, Enbilulu, Epadun, Gugal, Hegal, Sirsir, Malah, Gil, Gilima, Agilima, Zulum, Mummu, Zulum-ummu, Gizh- numun-ab, Lugal-ab-dubur, Pagal-guena, Lugal-Durmah, Aranuna, Dumu-duku, Lugal-duku, Lugal-shuanna, Iruga, Irqingu, Kinma, Kinma, E-sizkur, Addu, Asharu, Neberu, Enkukur.
Parentage:
Ea/ Enki and Damkina are the parents of the God Marduk. He’s married to Sarpanitum. His son is Nabu.
Sacred animals:
The sacred animal of Marduk is the snake-dragon.
Symbols:
His symbol is the triangular headed spade or hoe.
Festivals:
Marduk has one festival I know of, Akitu, celebrated on New Year.
Cult:
Marduk (Bibl. Merodach) was the name of a late generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon permanently became the political centre of the united states of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi (18th century BC), rose to the position of the head of the Babylonian pantheon. Marduk's original character is obscure, but whatever special traits Marduk may have had were overshadowed by the reflex of the political development through which the Euphrates valley passed and which led to imbuing him with traits belonging to gods who at an earlier period were recognized as the heads of the pantheon. There are more particularly two gods — Ea and Enlil — whose powers and attributes pass over to Marduk. In the case of Ea the transfer proceeds pacifically and without involving the effacement of the older god. Marduk is viewed as the son of Ea. The father voluntarily recognizes the superiority of the son and hands over to him the control of humanity. This association of Marduk and Ea, while indicating primarily the passing of the supremacy once enjoyed by Eridu to Babylon as a religious and political centre, may also reflect an early dependence of Babylon upon Eridu, not necessarily of a political character but, in view of the spread of culture in the Euphrates valley from the south to the north, the recognition of Eridu as the older centre on the part of the younger one.
At all events, traces of a cult of Marduk at Eridu are to be noted in the religious literature, and the most reasonable explanation for the existence of a god Marduk in Eridu is to assume that Babylon in this way paid its homage to the old settlement at the head of the Persian Gulf. While the relationship between Ea and Marduk is thus marked by harmony and an amicable abdication on the part of the father in favour of his son, Marduk's absorption of the power and prerogatives of Enlil of Nippur was at the expense of the latter's prestige. After the days of Hammurabi, the cult of Marduk eclipses that of Enlil, and although during the four centuries of Kassite control in Babylonia (c. 1570 BC–1157 BC), Nippur and the cult of Enlil enjoyed a period of renaissance, when the reaction ensued it marked the definite and permanent triumph of Marduk over Enlil until the end of the Babylonian empire. The only serious rival to Marduk after ca. 1000 BC is Anshur in Assyria. In the south Marduk reigns supreme. He is normally referred to as Bel "Lord".
When Babylon became the capital of Mesopotamia, the patron deity of Babylon was elevated to the level of supreme god. In order to explain how Marduk seized power, Enûma Elish was written, which tells the story of Marduk's birth, heroic deeds, and becoming the ruler of the gods. This can be viewed as a form of Mesopotamian apologetics. However, it should also be noted, that Marduk was not always present in the Enûma Elish. Older versions show another deity taking the role of Marduk as the slayer of Tiamat. However, this is more Sumerian in origin. In Enûma Elish a civil war between the gods was growing to a climatic battle. The Anunnaki gods gathered together to find one god who could defeat the gods rising against them. Marduk, a very young god, answered the call, and was promised the position of head god. When he killed his enemy he "wrested from him the Tablet of Destinies, wrongfully his" and assumed his new position. Under his reign humans were created to bear the burdens of life so the gods could be at leisure. People were named after Marduk. For example, the Biblical personality Mordechai (Book of Esther) used this Gentile name in replacement of his Hebrew name Bilshan. Nabu, god of wisdom, is a son of Marduk. This story shows similarities with the Titanomachia of the Hellenes where a war between the Olympian Gods and the Titans (the Elder Gods) broke out. The Titans under Kronos wanted to stay in control, but the Olympian Gods under Zeus with the help of Gaia, didn't want this. Zeus being here the chiefdeity of the Hellenic pantheon won the war with his signature weapon: the lightning bolt. So its visible that the Enûma Elish influenced other cultures aswell.
Myth:
Anu gave him the four winds to play with. When Anu's peace mission to Tiamat fails, Ea urges him into action. He goes before Anshar and the divine assembly and declares that he will defeat Tiamat and lay her head at his feet, but that the assembly must promise that he should be the one to fix fates and more or less assume the role of the leader of the pantheon. Anshar, Lahamu, and Anu find him a shrine and Anu instills upon him the Anu-power in which, his word decrees fate. He is proclaimed king and invested with the scepter, throne, and staff-of-office. He is given an unfaceable weapon, the flood-weapon. He takes a bow and arrow and mace. He puts lightning in front of him, marshals his winds, makes a net to encircle Tiamat, fills his body with flame. He rides his storm-chariot driven by Slayer, Pitiless, Racer, and Flyer, poison-toothed, tireless steeds. He had a spell on his lips and an anti-toxin in his hand. He led the gods to battle.
Qingu's strategy confused him. Tiamat tried to enspell him and wheedled at him. Marduk reproaches her and calls her out for single combat. She looses her temper and they fight. He unleashes his weapons at her, distended her body with winds, shot her in the belly with an arrow, split her in two and slit her heart. He defeats the rest of her forces and retrieves the Tablet of Destinies.
He smashed Tiamat's skull to herald her death and made half of her body the roof of the sky. He leveled Apsu, measured it and established numerous shrines for many of the gods. He set up stands for the gods, constructed the heavens and regulated the year, giving Shamash some dominion over the months and the year. He made the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from Tiamat's eyes and made mountains from her udders. He smashed the weapons of Tiamat's army and put images of them at the gates to the underworld. He set up his temple at Esharra and his seat in Babylon. The gods honored him as king. He put blood and bones together as and made early man to bear the work of the gods, as in Atrahasis. For Qingu's part in the war he was made to provide the blood for the creation of man. He divided the Anunnaki and placed 300 to guard the sky, and six hundred to dwell in heaven and earth. He had them create Babylon building the Esagalia temple and a high ziggurat. Anshar gave him many new names: He becomes a firm lawgiver and judge who, when angered is not stoppable.
Later he becomes somewhat negligent and Erra challenges him by preparing to attack his people in Babylon. He responds to the challenge by saying that he already killed most of the people in the flood and would not do so again. He also states that no- one would be in control of things if he got off of his throne to work up a flood, to which Erra volunteers to run things from Marduk's throne.
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valete
Quintus
Quintus Aurelius Orcus
Rector ColRel
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Princeps gentis Aureliae