Comparison Of Enuma Elish And Theogony

The Origin of Creation

Even though “The Enuma Elish” and “Theogony” may appear to be similar creation stories, where younger gods overthrow older gods, they actually have a pivotal difference that sets them apart. In the “The Enuma Elish”, the deaths of the gods facilitate creation through the corpses of the deceased. Whereas in “Theogony”, sex enables creation. Throughout the text, Gods give birth either to cultural concepts or to physical aspects of the world. The most significant difference between “The Enuma Elish” and “Theogony” is the driving force of creation.

In “The Enuma Elish” the physical world is created by the gods; however, creation only takes place when death occurs. The first instance of death sparks creation through the killing

of Apsu. Ea sought revenge on his father by assassinating him. Immediately after Ea killed him, “MARDUK was created in the heart of the holy apsu” (“The Enuma Elish” 7). After determining a pattern of death and creation, it becomes clear that Apsu’s death enabled Marduk’s birth. It is worth mentioning that this is only example in “The Enuma Elish” where creation did not come from a physical corpse. This is most likely due to the fact that Apsu is the oldest god and he did not take physical form and is embodied as sweet water. Even so, Apsu’s death still causes Marduk’s creation.
The story of “Theogony” is similar in the sense that young gods overpower old gods and create the world. Except the pivotal difference in this text is that sex required for creation. The first occurrence of creation in “Theogony” happens when Night and Erebos have sex. Night became “pregnant after sweet intercourse with Erebos [and] gave birth to Aether and Day” (“Theogony” 125). Since the Sky and Day were created after fornication between Night and Erebos, then it can be concluded that intercourse is the foundation of creation. However, these are not the only instances of sex and death sparking creation.
The next instance of creation through death in “The Enuma Elish” is seen through the killing of Tiamat. As Marduk defeated Tiamat “He turned back to where Tiamat lay bound, straddled the legs and smashed her skull, he severed the arteries and the blood streamed down the north wind to the unknown ends of the world” (“The Enuma Elish” 17). The gruesome depiction of Marduk’s actions shows the importance and impact of Tiamat’s death. His assassination now enables the creation of the earth. When Tiamat died, Marduk took her body and “split it apart like a cockle-shell; with the upper half he constructed the arc of sky, he pulled down the bar and set a watch on the waters, so they should never escape” (“The Enuma Elish” 18). Through Tiamat’s carcass Earth was created by creating the sky and the ocean. Marduk’s creation of Earth through the slaughter of Tiamat reinforces the notion of construction through death.
Conversely, in “Theogony” even indirect intercourse sparks creation. Later in the story, Kronos castrates Ouranos in an act of revenge. When Ouranos’ unattached penis was thrown into ocean, “The genitalia themselves, freshly cut with flint, were thrown Clear of the mainland into the restless, white-capped sea, Where they floated a long time… There she came ashore, an awesome, beautiful divinity” (“Theogony” 188). The action of the Ouranos’ genitalia being placed into the ocean can be seen as a form of sex between him and Gaia. Even though this is not anywhere close to the standard form of intercourse, it stresses how important the most elementary fundamentals of sex can lead to creation. This event subsequently enabled the creation of Aphrodite. She was assigned as the goddess of love and from the moment of her existence love was established. This creation is especially ironic because such a delicate figure of love was born from such a heinous act of revenge. Therefore, even the most indirect form of sex is necessary to allow creation.
The final example of death inspiring creation in “The Enuma Elish” is through the execution of Kingu. The Great Gods determine that it was Kingu that provoked Tiamat into turning against the other gods. Then, they “declared him guilty, they bound and held him down in front of Ea, they cut his arteries and from his blood they created man; and Ea imposed his servitude” (“The Enuma Elish” 29). Through Kingu’s death came the opportunity for the creation of humans. This is yet another example where creation takes place through death.
The last example of sex enabling creation in “Theogony” happens towards the end when Zeus indulges with numerous goddesses. Zeus’ sexual encounters spark an abundance of creation. This creation is mainly of other gods and goddesses like Hebe, Eileithyia, and Ares. However, during one of his affairs, “he married gleaming Themis, who bore the Seasons” (906). Zeus creating the seasons through sex provides another vital point in proving sex is the source of creation. Sex in “Theogony” is not only a way to have children but is a means of creating elements of nature.
Throughout the entirety of both texts creation only occurs as a result of sex or death.

Since creation only occurred at these times it reinforces the idea sex and death directly precede creation. This would address the counter-claim that creation can occur under multiple circumstances. Another counterclaim to address is the specific case of Athena. The opposing argument states that she was not created from sex because she was birthed from Zeus’ head, “From his own head he gave birth to owl-eyed Athena” (“Theogony” 929). However, she was actually created through sexual intercourse as stated earlier in the passage. When “[Metis] was about to deliver the owl-eyed goddess Athena, Zeus tricked her, gulled her with crafty words, And stuffed her in his stomach” (“Theogony” 893). Since Athena was originally created through intercourse the argument that sex instigates creation is still

valid.
Now that the differences between the creation methods have been identified, they can further be analyzed to understand the opposing creative forces in the texts.

In “The Enuma Elish” where death is the source of creation, the gods are methodical in their creations. They take the body parts of the dead gods and use them to create the world and humanity. However, Marduk is an exception since he was not purposely created. Since he becomes the supreme ruler and this cannot be perceived the same as other examples of creation. While in “Theogony”, creation is out the gods control. None of the gods or goddesses have any control over who they birth or what they create. However, this does not mean that “Theogony” necessarily supports the idea that creation is random. In the passage, gods were often told prophecies of having children that would overthrow them. An example of this happens when Earth and Ouranos tell Kronos that Zeus will overthrow him. As a result of this prophecy Kronos decides to eat his children in an attempt to change his fate. Despite all of Kronos’ efforts he was not able to do so. In this text there is a stronger focus on fate rather than chance. The different intentions between the creative forces emphasizes their relevance in the

text.
Although, these creation myths do share similarities despite the fundamental differences. These similarities include the continues conflict between the older gods and the newer gods. The older gods view the newer gods as a threat to their power and peace. Another aspect that can be seen in both texts is the idea of nature versus culture. In both passages, a hierarchal system of gods prevails in the end. The last major similarity between the two texts is that the sons becomes the supreme rulers over all of the gods. These similarities help determine the most important differences. Although there are many similarities there are defining differences in the texts. The texts have opposing beliefs about the natural state of the universe. “The Enuma Elish” deems that the natural state of world is peaceful. In contrast, “Theogony” believes it to be chaotic. Although this is important and a valid argument it not as revealing and is an objective topic. Another difference between the two is that “The Enuma Elish” addresses the creation of humanity while “Theogony” does not. This is a notable difference, but it is not the most important because it is too specific, has limited evidence, and is not a reoccurring topic throughout the text.
Although “The Emuna Elish” and “Theogony” may come across as similar stories about the formation of the world, the underlying causes of creation make them vastly different. In “Enuma Elish” it is death that causes creation while in “Theogony” sex causes creation. Other reasons can be argued for how these texts are different, but they have all been proven to be not as influential as the foundation of creation. In conclusion, the pivotal difference between the two texts is the reason behind creation.