We’re digging into the Old Gods today, folks. Buckle up!
Tiamat is a Goddess from Babylon. She is the Goddess of the sea, magic and primordial chaos. Together, Tiamat and Abzu (the Sweet Sea, or fresh water) mingled and made the Gods. Tiamat is often depicted as a giant serpent or snake, though no true representation from Mesopotamia exists as far as we know. The Hellenistic version of Tiamat shows her as having the upper body of a woman but has legs made of snakes. Other interpretations of her are of a woman with a human upper body and the body of a snake, a dragon, as well as a half reptilian woman.
as well as monsters known as Tiamat’s Creatures:
Musmahhu, Usumgallu, Basmu – three horned snakes, Furious, Exalted, and Venomous
Umu-dabrutu – a raging storm
Mushussu – a snake-dragon
Lahamu – a hairy beast-man
Uridimmu – a lion-human hybrid
Girtablullu – a scorpion-man
Kulullu – a fish-man (merman)
Though there weren’t any cults dedicated to Tiamat, her fight with Marduk was important during the Akītu festival and some believe that a performance of this battle was held during the festival.
Tiamat was known as a Mother of the Gods first in the Enuma Elish, but later became the story’s antagonist after her husband was murdered by the younger gods. In this latter half she embodied primordial chaos. It is in this myth that she takes on the form of a sea serpent or dragon.
The younger gods killed Abzu because he had planned on killing them in some stories, in others they overheard a conversation between him and Tiamat where he suggests she do away with them since she was the one who created them. Tiamat says no to this and urges her husband to not fight with the younger gods.
She set dragons who’s bodies where filled with poison against her opponents.
Tiamat and Nammu/Namma aren’t really the same deity, Tiamat took on the role of Nammu/Namma later. The two are very different in literature, however.
It was said that after her defeat, Marduk tore Tiamat’s body in half to create heaven and earth.
Her crying eyes became the Tigris and Euphretes rivers and her tail became the Milky Way
Her name may come from the word tiamtum meaning “sea”.
Since there were no cults specifically dedicated to Tiamat, and there aren’t too many resources on modern day worship/deity work with her, here are a few things I found while researching her.
Sea water and sea related things
Research her culture and stories
References and Further Reading
Tiamat - World History Encyclopedia
Tiamat - Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses
The Seven Tablets of Creation by Leonard William King (via Sacred-Texts)
Katz 2011, "Reconstructing Babylon"
Lambert 2013 Babylonian Creation Myths
Vanstiphout 1992, "Enuma Elish as a Systematic Creed"
Namma - Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses
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romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
