The Supernatural Creator In Bruce Chatwin's

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Inside of each and every human, there is an unrelenting question: how did we get here, and what makes us, as humans, special? Throughout history, people have been searching for an answer to this question. The idea of a supernatural creator, or creators, is a consistent theme in both ancient and modern texts. Some explanations of how earth was created, as well as how or why mankind came to be, have formed the backbone of many cultures, societies, and religions. Creation, as an essential element in Bruce Chatwin’s The Songlines, the biblical book Genesis, and Enuma Elish, drives and supports the overall purpose of each text. In The Songlines, Chatwin describes the Aborigines people of rural Australia and their belief system. Chatwin wrote The …show more content…

When Marduk took the tablet of destinies into his possession, he was granted complete power. The victory he won over Tiamat was a testament to his strength and ultimate power. Marduk creates the heavens and the earth by splitting apart Tiamat immediately after he slays her (Tablet IV, Lines 137-138). Throughout the text, it is apparent that these events happened in Babylon, meaning Babylon is not only where Marduk reigns, but the birthplace of all of creation as well. This defined Babylon as a very extraordinary and sacred place. When Marduk announces to the gods, “Here is Babylon, your favorite dwelling place,” he is promoting the text’s purpose of establishing his omnipotence in Babylon (Tablet VI, Line 72). The other gods endorse this even more when they grant “the exercise of kingship over the gods” (Tablet VI, Line 99) and commanding themselves to “let his high-priesthood be supreme, let him have no rival” (Tablet VI, Line 106). This affirmation of the gods is highly effective in driving the purpose of the text because the Babylonians have already established trust with the gods; therefore, they are more inclined to hold Marduk as supreme if the gods themselves already

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