Tiamat: The Mother Goddess of Creation

“When skies above were not named nor earth below pronounced by name, Apsu, the first one, their begetter  and maker Tiamat, who bore them all,  had mixed their waters together, … Then gods were born within them.”

The story of Tiamat is derived from the Babylonian Creation Epic, the Enuma Elish which was named after its opening words” When in the height”. In ancient Babylonian religion, Tiamat is referred to as a primordial goddess of the salt sea. She is the sacred mother of creation. Although she is a life bringer, she is also very destructive. She fell in love with Abzu (also spelt as Apsu), the god of freshwater and they got married. Together, they lived in the abyssic waters. When they mated, younger gods were produced. The first two deities created from the union of Apsu and Tiamat were Ilu and Limnu, the great spirits of darkness.

Description of Tiamat:

Different sources gave a different description of this goddess. She is often described as a woman, the glistening one.  In the beginning, Tiamat personifies young and fertile motherhood, having given birth to generations of gods. At this stage, she was a calm, loving, and caring mother. However, when her off springs became murderous, she decided to deal with them by transforming into a vengeful monster with five independent heads.

Another source says Tiamat possesses a head, skull, eyes, mouth, nostrils, lips, tail, thigh, belly, ribs, neck, heart, arteries, and blood. Tiamat is also recognized as a sea dragon with the head of a griffin or tiger. She has wings, claws, four feet, and a scaly tail. This figure signifies both the power and hideousness of this great goddess.  Other sources identify her with images of a sea serpent.

Tiamat Battles with Her Offsprings:

At that time, the offsprings of Tiamat (these were younger gods) were celebrating their material existence by throwing an elaborate party. The whole environment was filled with noise and drumming and this made Absu angry. He assumed his offsprings were planning to kill him and take over his throne.  He decided to destroy them but when he complained to Tiamat, she asked him to ignore them. Despite her warnings, Absu went ahead with his plans.

When those younger gods learned of his intention, Ea, one of them cast a sleeping spell on Apsu, and whilst he was asleep, they killed him. When Tiamat heard that her husband had been killed, she was very angry.  She took the form of a massive sea dragon to war against her husband’s murderers. 

After the death of Absu, Tiamat chose Kingu as her new partner. When they joined together, they created 11 monsters of the Mesopotamian pantheon and filled their body with poison instead of blood. The names of the monsters are Lahmu, Ugallu, Girtablullu, Uridimmu, Umu dabrutu, Mushussu, Usumgallu, Basmu, Kulullu, and Kusarikku.  She made Kingu the commander of the other gods and gave him the Tablet of Destinies. Her blood infused immortality into Kingu thus his form would change and appear as Azag or Asakku, a great demon.

Enki and Anu initially attempted to stand against Tiamat but they were repelled by her ferocious forces. Then they beseeched Marduk to fight against her and he accepted but on one condition. He said he would be given rulership over the gods if he won the battle. This was accepted. During the fight, he used the winds to incapacitate her then he shot an arrow into her belly which split her in the middle. Tiamat was sliced in half and her ribs were used to make the vault of heaven and earth.

Below is an excerpt as described in the New World Encyclopedia:

“The entirety of the material creation was thus generated, with half of her body as the sky, the other half as the earth, her ribs (or thigh bones) as the vault of heaven and earth, her monstrous udder as the mountains, her weeping eyes as the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates and her poisonous spittle as the earthly moisture (clouds, winds, rain, and fog).”

Marduk captured Kingu and took the Tablet of Destines from him. He also crowned himself the head of the Babylonian deities. Later on, Kingu was slain and his red blood was mixed with the red clay of the Earth which was used to create mankind. In another version of this story, it was stated that Tiamat was killed by Enlil, not Marduk.

Abilities of Tiamat:

Tiamat can shapeshift into different forms according to her needs and desire. When Tiamat joined with Kingu, they became one great beast, with one female head and one male head. Together they begat the monsters. Tiamat is the foundational force of chaos that uplifts and gives power to fiends and Adversarial Powers of the Abyss. She is the Mother of All. She offered clues to the gods and humanity. Her children are descendants of Kingu and they carry his blood within them.

 

In Modern Chaos Magick and Vampyric circles, she is regarded as the primal deity that holds the collective power of the primordial subconscious and the primal urge for satisfying our desire for continued existence. She is a symbol of our predatory instincts and potentials as creators.  The truth is that she didn’t die during the battle with Marduk, she simply evolved and was cast into further darkness of the abyss.  She remains slumbering under the foundations of the world, ready to awaken and rise, to shake and devour the creations of gods and the civilizations of man, for she is the one who gives birth to all things and swallows them in the eternal cosmic cycle.

After all these years, Tiamat still stirs through the subconscious of humanity. Those who listen to her call shall resonate as her priesthood. Her voice sounds deep within the darkness and she is known to be a perfect guide. She is the eternal hunger for life and the immortality of power. She is the goddess of the Coiling Serpent, and those who join her priesthood shall utilize the Chaos and Darkness to create their worlds according to their Will alone.

Amazonite is a bright green gemstone that is used to call upon the creative power of Tiamat. This stone also symbolizes new beginnings and can be used to find new paths in life. Call upon this mother goddess whenever you are dealing with difficult situations.  Using Emerald gemstone, you can call her to your side while dealing with mental and physical difficulties. When you invoke her, you must do it well and listen to your instincts. Just like every good mother, she will always be there for you.

Sources:    

• Maskim Hul Babylonian Magick by Michael W. Ford
• https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/tiamat-mesopotamia-0010565
• https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Tiamat
• Grimoire of Tiamat by Asenath Mason