Occasionally, it seems, the Abzu was identified with a river (the Hubur) that one had to cross in order to reach the Underworld. The Underworld was located beneath the Abzu. As Ea’s son, the Babylonian chief god Marduk was often designated “firstborn son of the apsû“. After Ea’s killing of Apsû, he erected his dwelling on Apsû’s body, the dead creature’s name being transferred thereafter to Ea’s residence. On another level, according to the Babylonian Epic of Creation, Apsû was a primal being, the lover of Tiamat. The temple of Enki at Eridu was known as E.ABZU, “the house, or temple, of the Abzu”. (Enki was believed to have ruled the Abzu prior to mankind’s creation). The Abzu was the domain of the god Enki/Ea, his consort Damgalnuna (Damkina) and his mother Nammu, as well as being the home of a number of his peculiar creatures. The Abzu therefore served as the source of all wells, springs, rivers, streams and lakes. The Inscribed Ivory Pomegranate from the “House of the Lord”Īccording to ancient Mesopotamian belief, the Abzu (or engur) was the vast freshwater ocean that lay beneath the earth (as opposed to the salt sea, which was thought to surround the earth).Tel Rehov 2003: Flyer – Call for Dig Volunteers.The Speos Artemidos Inscription of Hatshepsut.Egyptian Museum exhibits additional mummies.
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Next Section Glossary Previous Section The Enuma Elish Summary How To Cite in MLA Format Anonymous "The Enuma Elish Characters". He appears as a deity only later and is mentioned in only one source, the ancient Babylonian creation myth, Enuma Elish. Abzu also known as Apsu and Absu initially represented a vast underground freshwater ocean that, according to Mesopotamian belief, existed beneath the underworld.
Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. Abzu god was an ancient Mesopotamian water deity worshiped in Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria. You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. Ea is warned by Tiamat of the eminent attack and allows a chance for the children to overthrow their murderous father. Ea and his brothers were the loud children who annoyed their parents enough to provoke a war of the gods. EaĮa is the father of Marduk, who created the world. It was Mummu who helped Abzu decide to kill the gods, against the will of Tiamat. In the wake of her husband's death, Tiamat remarries to Kingu and raises a legion of primordial beings, mostly serpents, to raise her new husband to the throne where Abzu had been. She warned Ea of Abzu's plan to kill them, which prompted the revolt that took Abzu's life. Her defeat by her grandson, Marduk, is a tragedy, because it was her own actions that incurred her destruction. Tiamat is the matron goddess, the mother of the gods. This led Abzu to want to murder the new gods to restore his peace, but Tiamat loved her children and didn't want them to die. When they conceived new life, they were annoyed, because the new gods were rowdy and disturbed the peace of their parents. Abzu is the fresh waters and Tiamat is the oceanic waters. AbzuĪbzu is the patron god who fathers the second generation gods, Ea and his brothers, with his wife Tiamat. He then subjects her serpents to service on the earth as natural forces. In the end of the conflict, Marduk slays Tiamat by ripping her in half, which constitutes the creation of the waters of the earth and the sky (and by proxy, also the atmosphere between them). Marduk is similar to Zeus from Greek mythology, because they're both third-generation gods, and they both rise to power by slaying their ancestral deities.įor Marduk, this meant conquering Tiamat and her legion of titanic serpents. Abzu and Tiamat are disputing, because Abzu wants to kill the gods who have been born within the body of his wife, Tiamat. Marduk is a third-generation god in the Enuma Elish, the son of Ea who is the son of Tiamat and Abzu. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Abzu God: The Mysterious Ancient Deity That Resided Beneath the Earth How the Discovery of Enuma Elish, the Babylonian Creation Myth, Changed History Who Is.