Enuma Elish Literary Analysis

Although everyone has a worldview, some people may not know what shapes it. Throughout history, worldviews have shaped civilizations, which have furthermore shaped their societies. Creation stories and legends often had an immense impact on a society’s worldview. The Babylonian, Akkadian, and Hebrew civilizations were among the first with strong, yet contradicting, worldviews, which developed their views of god, man, and heroism. These civilizations believed in different creation stories and legends, each outlining how they interpreted the world.
A creation story can have a significant impact on one’s worldview.

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

worldview.
Along with stories of creation, civilizations also took legends very seriously.

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

anything:
They charged forward like wild bulls.
He let out a single blood curdling cry,
The guardian of the forest shrieked aloud,
Humbaba was roaring like thunder. (Tablet 4, Lines 165-168)
Gilgamesh and Enkidu had defeated an undefeated demon. Throughout the story, these two heroes portrayed good characteristics, such as fairness, compassion, and love. Contrasting to the Enuma Elish, The Epic of Gilgamesh was not a creation story, yet it was key in shaping the worldview of the Akkadians.
The Bible, the book the Israelites believed to be of the highest authority, includes both a creation story and many heroic stories throughout. The Bible, and specifically Genesis, had an enormous part in shaping the worldview of the Israelites. The Israelites had firm views of God, man, and heroes. The Israelites viewed God as merciful, loving, caring, and forgiving. “You have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!’ The Lord replied, ‘No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.’” (New Living Translation, Gen. 4.14b-15a) This verse shows that the Israelites believed in one God, who is just, perfect, forgiving, and caring. Genesis also outlines how the Israelites viewed man: “The Lord God asked. ‘Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?’
The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’ ‘The serpent deceived me,’ she replied. ‘That’s why I ate it.’” (Gen. 3.11b-13) The Israelites believed that man was originally perfect, became sinful, and will now always be evil. This verse also gives an example of that imperfection; it shows the pride of man, who will not take responsibility for his actions. Unlike the Babylonians and Akkadians, the Israelites believed that heroes could be fully human if they had the right heart and characteristics. “‘It is beyond my power to do this,’ Joseph replied. ‘But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.’” (Gen. 41.16) Later in this story, the hero Joseph ended up saving an entire civilization, but there was one thing that set him apart from “regular” heroes. Joseph made an effort to represent God and give Him all the glory. The Israelites believed that God designated heroes, and they strove for good, even though their nature evil. The Israelites had a strong belief in the Bible, and it obviously shaped their worldview tremendously.