Mark’s Reviews > Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others > Status Update
Mark
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Creation I: Tiamat and Apsu create the gods. Their children prevent their sleep, so Apsu plans to kill them. Ea kills Apsu instead and begets Marduk. Anu gives Marduk 4 winds and Marduk uses these to annoy other gods. Other gods turn to Tiamat and ask to wage war against Marduk and his family for being a nuisance. Hubur creates creatures for battle and Tiamat puts Qingu in charge and gives him the tablet of destinies
— Jan 25, 2026 08:21PM
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Mark
is on page 244 of 339
Creation II: Ea tells Anshar of Tiamat’s plans. Anshar tells him to fight Tiamat. Ea leaves but turns back out of fear. Anu does the same. Ea asks Marduk to fight Tiamat. Marduk discusses this with Anshar. Marduk asks that if he wins, he be given the power to fix fates
— Jan 27, 2026 08:16PM
Mark
is on page 228 of 339
Anzu: Anzu, the lion-headed eagle, is trusted by Ellil to guard the Tablet of Destinies. Anzu steals the tablet. Mami asks Ninurta to fight Anzu. Ninurta musters the 7 winds and fights Anzu. When Ninurta draws his bow, Anzu turns his arrow away. Ea tells him to use a throwing stick to cut off his wings. Ninurta does so and recaptures the tablet. Birdu tells Ninurta of his names in foreign cities
— Jan 24, 2026 09:25AM
Mark
is on page 203 of 339
Etana: A serpent mistrusts an eagle. The eagle swears an oath upon Shamash with the serpent. The two go hunting in the mountains to provide for each other’s young. The eagle eats the serpent’s young. Shamash tells the serpent to hide in an ox and attack the eagle. He does so and throws the eagle in a pit. Etana revives the eagle and he flies Etana to heaven to ask Ishtar for a child
— Jan 17, 2026 03:55PM
Mark
is on page 189 of 339
Adapa: Adapa, the first sage, is fishing for his master Ea when the South Wind sinks his boat. He curses this wind and it stops blowing. Anu sees this and is angered. Ea advises Adapa to visit Anu and heaven but warns him not to accept any food or drink, as they will kill him. Adapa goes to heaven and relates his shipwreck to Anu. Anu offers him bread and water of eternal life but Adapa declines
— Jan 17, 2026 08:49AM
Mark
is on page 182 of 339
Nergal and Ereshkigal: Ereshkigal sends Namtar to a feast in heaven because she cannot go herself. The gods bow in his presence, except for Nergal. Nergal fashions a throne for Ereshkigal and goes into the netherworld. He sleeps for 6 days with Ereshkigal and then leaves. Ea disfigures him to hide him from Namtar. Namtar searches for Nergal but can’t find him. Finally Nergal returns and marries her
— Jan 11, 2026 12:02PM
Mark
is on page 163 of 339
Descent of Ishtar: Ishtar goes to the underworld. She has to pass through seven gates where at each one she removes one piece of jewelry. Ereshkigal asks Namtar to curse Ishtar with 60 diseases. No animals or humans reproduced while she was gone. Ea creates “Good-looks” as ransom. Ereshkigal hears this and curses him. She releases Ishtar. Dumuzi comes and goes which causes the seasons like Persephone
— Jan 11, 2026 10:34AM
Mark
is on page 154 of 339
I find the connections between the extant OBV Gilgamesh tablets and Ecclesiastes to be a bit dubious but interesting nonetheless. I’ll have to do more research on their connection
— Jan 11, 2026 09:43AM
Mark
is on page 136 of 339
It’s interesting how the story of Gilgamesh fighting the lions after Enkidu’s death may actually be a retelling of a similar scene from earlier in the epic that occurs while they journey to the forest of cedar. Also I find the footnotes about lines from the epic that relate to lines from Homeric epics cool
— Jan 10, 2026 03:32PM
