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“And the ruined gods which settled inside the Sea...are present; the viper, snake-dragon, great dragon, Anzu-bird, and scorpion-man.”
Mythical creatures listed as populating the earth, sea, and sky on the tablet known as the “Babylonian Map of the World” britishmuseum.org/research/colle…
Mythical creatures listed as populating the earth, sea, and sky on the tablet known as the “Babylonian Map of the World” britishmuseum.org/research/colle…
Some may be familiar with the image on the “Babylonian Map of the World”, which shows a bird’s eye view of earth, encircled by an ocean (marratum) and eight regions. But the tablet also includes descriptions.
On the map, Babylon, Assyria, marshland, and more are labelled.
On the map, Babylon, Assyria, marshland, and more are labelled.
The mythical (and other) creatures listed on the “Babylonian Map of the World” tablet are described as “beasts that Marduk created atop the rolling sea”.
Among them are the dragon (mušhuššu), Marduk’s symbol animal
Among them are the dragon (mušhuššu), Marduk’s symbol animal
The Anzu-bird in Mesopotamian mythology is a half-lion, half-eagle who features in several myths and legends, including one in which he battles the god Ninurta.
“Broad earth conceived him, he is one born from the rocks of the mountain.”
“Broad earth conceived him, he is one born from the rocks of the mountain.”
The girtablullû, or “scorpion-man”, is the word for a supernatural being with a human head and body, but legs with talons of a bird and the tail of a scorpion.
Scorpion-people guard the gate of Mount Mašu in the epic of Gilgamesh and elsewhere greet the dead in the Underworld
Scorpion-people guard the gate of Mount Mašu in the epic of Gilgamesh and elsewhere greet the dead in the Underworld
Other creations of Marduk listed in the “Babylonian Map of the World” include the gazelle, lion, wolf, monkey, ostrich, and cat.
The mythical and the mundane are created atop the “restless sea”, populating the earth in this unique tablet that shows and describes the whole world
The mythical and the mundane are created atop the “restless sea”, populating the earth in this unique tablet that shows and describes the whole world
Anyway, I was reminded of this tablet today randomly.
It was one of the first cuneiform tablets I ever saw in person, and it figuratively (literally) drew me into the world of ancient Babylonia and Assyria, kinda changing the course of my life. Hope you love it as much as I do
It was one of the first cuneiform tablets I ever saw in person, and it figuratively (literally) drew me into the world of ancient Babylonia and Assyria, kinda changing the course of my life. Hope you love it as much as I do
The “ruined gods” in the sea referenced in the tablet known as the “Babylonian Map of the World”, may refer to the creatures of the goddess Tiamat who are defeated by Marduk in the Enūma eliš epic...so funnily enough, they are part of the intro to an epic!
Of course, there’s a typo. That first tweet should read, “And the ruined gods which *he settled inside the Sea”.
I hereby give up trying to make a whole thread without including at least one typo
I hereby give up trying to make a whole thread without including at least one typo
