On the Verge of Lunacy

*Note: This was a term paper for a class. Since I don't know what grade the professor gave me (or of she even read the paper at all), I decided to post it here. The Enuma Elish is also called The Seven Tablets of Creation. It documents the Babylonian creation epic. It was recorded in seven clay tablets found at various locations including the infamous library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, discovered by Austen Henry Layard. The name of the hero of the epic varies depending on where the tablet is found. The most common version tells of Marduk as the hero. In other versions, the god of the city is considered the hero. Introduction The title of the epic is taken from its opening line “When in the height, heaven was not named...” The epic chronicles Marduk’s war against Tiamat. He leads the other gods against the old divinity who had turned against her children. Besides Marduk’s exploits, the epic also tells about the birth of the gods and goddesses and the creation of the universe....

The book is an exhaustive treatise of the creation and evolution of the concept of the dragon. It is divided into three chapters which discuss  incense and libations, dragons and rain gods, and the birth of Aphrodite. The titles of the chapters might be confusing and irrelevant at first glance but the author did more than just explain the various appearances and characteristics of the dragon. He went so far as to discuss every possible theory of its creation, purpose, and models. He even included topics which are remotely related to minor subjects discussed throughout the book.  The author has a tendency to extend the discussion of even the minor topics because he considered every theory that was extant during the creation of this book. The title might be misleading and the reader disappointed in the writer's style but his exhaustive method at arriving at his conclusions is praiseworthy. His uses comparison and verification to form his own opinions and does not wholly...

This is not exactly a collection of stories and can instead be treated as an introduction to Babylonian and Assyrian history, culture, and religion. Several important subjects are covered which the student or casual reader might find useful in understanding the myths of the people sustained by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. In summary, the book discussed the following: the peoples and movements in the area collectively called Mesopotamia, these include emphasis on the Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites, Kassites, Egyptians, and the Hebrews; possible origins and ancestry of the different peoples and their customs and laws with emphasis on Hammurabi's laws; summary of the wars and succession of kings in different regions; evolution of the pantheon from "monsters" to anthropomorphic deities and their parallels in other myths; nature of ghosts, fairies, and other minor creatures; and the development of astrology and astronomy. There are separate chapters as well for t...

Two versions of the Deluge Legend is given in this book. One is taken from Berosus' account in which the name of the survivor is Xisuthrus. The other version is related to Gilgamesh by Utnapishtim and was included in the tablets of Epic of Gilgamish. The circumstances do not differ much but the details vary. The Utnapishtim version, for example, gives the number of days it took for the water to recede. The introduction given by Budge is sufficient for casual readers and students alike. He gives an account of the discovery of the tablets; description of the palaces of Nineveh and the library; physical description of the tablets; and a brief introduction of Ashur-bani-pal, to whom the famed library was credited. Budge's writing is easy to understand. The Gilgamish epic is also retold here in the last part of the book. He does not give a transliteration of the tablets but divides the story by tablet and informs the reader which parts of the narrative are undecipherable...

This book provides a translation and analysis of a fragment of the South Babylonian version of the epic on a six-column tablet. The tablet was among Ashur-bani-pal's collection. I don't recommend this as a replacement for the complete and enhanced versions of the epic as this only includes a few parts of the epic. The transliteration is also incomplete because the author left out undecipherable and missing parts of the tablet. This is great as a supplementary reading material for those who wish to read more or study the epic. Included are the introduction of the epic and the possible origin of its hero, photos of the tablet, and autograph plates.

Full title: The Babylonian Legends of the Creation and the Fight Between Bel and the Dragon Told by Assyrian Tablets from Nineveh This book is a translation of the Seven Tablets found in the library of Ashur-bani-pal at Nineveh and additionally has an analysis by E.A. Wallis Budge. He provides an account of the contents of each tablet and cites possible interpretations of the symbols used. The author also provides the different versions of the legend as told by Berosus and Damascus beforehand. For those who have had readings in mythology as well as those who are still new to this genre, the book is reader-friendly. However, I do not recommend this to those who are looking for an improved narration (where author fills in missing details because the seven tablets have missing inscriptions). The translation provided is a verbatim interpretation of the legend. Nevertheless, readers who are already familiar with the story will have no trouble grasping the content and this can be t...