Enuma Elish Literary Analysis

Creation stories may include multiple gods, provide insight on the creation of man, and define heroic attributes. The story, titled Enuma Elish, sketched out the creation of the world for the Babylonians. Gods make up the majority of the Enuma Elish’s personae, and the Babylonians envisioned these gods as a family: “Primeval Apsu was their progenitor. / And matrix-Tiamat was she who bore them all, / …Then were the gods formed within the(se two).” (Tablet 1, Lines 3-4, 7) The wisest and most accomplished god, Marduk, took over as ruler of the gods later in the story. The Babylonians thought of Marduk as the hero of the story, although he possessed undesirable attributes. “At his commands the gods shall pay heed.” (Tablet 6, Line 68) This quote from the Enuma Elish reveals that none of the other gods wanted to mess with Marduk. This got to his head, and, unfortunately, the hero of the story became prideful and arrogant. In the Enuma Elish, Marduk created man to work for the gods: “I shall create human kind, / They shall bear the gods’ burden that those may rest.” (Tablet 6, Lines 7-8) The creation of man takes plave after the gods formed the rest of the universe. This communicated to the Babylonians that their creation was an afterthought and that they were only useful for work. A creation story such as the Enuma Elish can certainly shape a whole civilization’s

The Akkadians thought highly of a legend known as The Epic of Gilgamesh. This story did not depict the creation of the world but still portrayed how the Akkadians viewed god, man, and heroism. The Akkadians, like many ancient civilizations, believed in many gods. Along with these gods, they worshipped some humans as gods, such as Gilgamesh. As their king, the Akkadians often worshiped Gilgamesh as a god. “And who, like Gilgamesh, can proclaim, “I am king!” / Gilgamesh was singled out from the day of his birth, / Two-thirds of him was divine, one-third of him was human!” (Tablet 1, Lines 48-50) Other characters in this epic included full gods. Unfortunately, these gods did not show mercy to the people outside their families, where they were loving. The Epic of Gilgamesh rarely mentions humans, which makes them seem less important. This may have had an effect on how the Akkadians thought of themselves. “Gilgamesh would leave no son to his father, / …This was the people’s shepherd, / Bold, superb, accomplished, and mature!” (Tablet 1, Lines 60, 63-64) Here, Gilgamesh possessed many noble qualities, yet humans were depicted as small and insignificant. This most likely made the Akkadians feel small and insignificant themselves. Although they felt this way, the Akkadians still knew what defined a hero. Together, the heroes of this epic, Gilgamesh and Enkidu could defeat