Episode 27 : Enuma elish

This text is an introduction to and a complete transliteration and translation of the Babylonian creation myth, Enuma elish. The text was written in 1902 by Leonard William King, who was a scholar of Babylonian and Assyrian literature. He notes that the myth was discovered in fragments and the full text was reassembled by scholars like George Smith, Oppert, Schrader, and Sayce. He explains that the myth recounts the creation of the gods from chaos, the defeat of the forces of disorder by the god Marduk, and the creation of the world and mankind. King discusses the origin of the myth, its possible Sumerian roots, its composite character, and its connection to the Hebrew account of creation in Genesis. The bulk of the text consists of the transliteration and translation of the seven tablets, which detail the creation myth, including the birth of the gods, the rebellion of the sea goddess Tiamat, Marduk's victory over her, and the creation of the world and man.