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Enuma Elish β€” The Babylonian Creation Epic

The Enuma ElΓ­Ε‘ (named after its opening words meaning "When on high") is the Babylonian creation epic, inscribed on seven clay tablets dating to approximately the 12th century BCE. It was discovered in the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal in Niniveh and first translated in the 19th century. For Zecharia Sitchin, this text was the single most important document supporting his cosmological theory.

The Text According to Sitchin

The epic describes a primordial cosmic struggle between two primeval entities: Tiamat (the saltwater ocean, personified as a dragon-goddess) and Apsu (the freshwater ocean). When the younger gods disturb the cosmic order with their activity, Apsu plots to destroy them, but is killed by Ea/Enki. Tiamat, enraged, creates an army of eleven monsters led by her consort Kingu, and wages war against the gods.

The younger gods rally behind Marduk, who defeats Tiamat by splitting her body in two β€” creating the heavens (one half) and the Earth (the other half). From Kingu's blood, Marduk creates humanity to serve the gods.

Sitchin's Interpretation

Sitchin radically reinterpreted this text as a celestial rather than mythological account:

"The Enuma Elish is not a myth. It is a scientifically accurate account of the creation of our solar system, encoded in the language of myth." β€” Zecharia Sitchin, The 12th Planet

His reading included the following revisions:

  1. Tiamat is not a goddess but a primordial planet that existed between Mars and Jupiter
  2. Apsu is the Sun
  3. Mummu (mentioned in the text) is Mercury
  4. Lahmu and Lahamu are Mars and Venus
  5. Anshar and Kishar are Saturn and Jupiter
  6. Anu is Uranus
  7. Ea/Nudimmud is Neptune
  8. Marduk is Nibiru, the invading planet from outer space
  9. Kingu is a moon of Tiamat that became the asteroid belt

Sitchin argued that Nibiru/Marduk's elliptical orbit brought it into the inner solar system, where its gravitational pull shattered Tiamat, creating the Earth (one half) and the asteroid belt (the debris). The "tail" of Nibiru became the "winds" that the text describes Marduk using as weapons.

The Celestial Battle

Sitchin pointed to the detailed description of Marduk's weapons in Tablet IV:

"He created the evil wind, the hostile wind, the storm wind, the dust storm, the fourfold wind, the sevenfold wind, the confused wind..."

These "winds" were, in Sitchin's reading, electromagnetic and gravitational forces. The "net" with which Marduk ensnared Tiamat was a gravitational capture field.

Scholarly Reception

Mainstream Assyriologists reject Sitchin's astronomical interpretation. The epic is universally understood as:

  • A theological document legitimizing Marduk as the supreme god of Babylon
  • A political text justifying Babylon's supremacy over other Mesopotamian city-states
  • A mythological narrative with parallels to other creation stories

Scholars such as Lambert and Heiser have pointed out that Sitchin's translations often depart significantly from standard Sumerological consensus.

Key Passages

Tablet Content Sitchin's Interpretation
I Origin of the gods, Tiamat's preparation for war The primordial solar system
II-III Marduk's rise to leadership Nibiru's approach
IV Marduk's battle with Tiamat The celestial collision
V Marduk establishes the heavens Formation of the solar system
VI Creation of humanity Genetic engineering of Adamu
VII Hymns to Marduk Marduk's fifty names

See Also

Sources

  • Sitchin, Z. (1976). The 12th Planet. Chapters 4-6.
  • Sitchin, Z. (1990). Genesis Revisited. Chapter 1.
  • Lambert, W. G. (1965). "A New Look at the Babylonian Background of Genesis." Journal of Theological Studies.
  • Heidel, A. (1942). The Babylonian Genesis. University of Chicago Press.