Tiamat, Goddess of the Primordial Sea

Tiamat is a goddess who is present in Sumerian and Babylonian mythology, as the primordial goddess of the seas and salt waters, and her opposite, Apsu, the primordial god of fresh waters. She is the symbol of chaos and primordial creation. In her time of worship, Tiamat was considered the mother of the elements and other mystical creatures, such as dragons, serpents, mermaids and anthropomorphs.

Much of Tiamat's story has been lost, and what little can be found is a patriarchal view. In the Enuma Elish tale, Tiamat, along with Apsu, created the world by coming together in a watery chaos. All other gods were their children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren.

Apsu decides to kill his children Lachmu and Lachamu, who were annoying children to his eyes. Ea (or Enki) discovers the plan and kills his father first. Tiamat, in anger and rage, swears to avenge the murder of her consort, so she decides to marry her son Quingu, and creates an army of eleven monsters for her revenge, leaving her current husband as leader.

Knowing of her plan for revenge, Enki decides to confront his mother and is defeated. Anu (god of the constellations) also challenges his mother and meets the same fate as Enki. His sons begin to fear their mother's wrath and hold a council, where they decide to name a champion to represent them, and choose Marduk, Enki's son. In the war that ensues, Marduk, armed with arrows of the wind, a net, a staff and an invincible spear, kills Tiamat with an arrow to her heart and cuts Tiamat in half. From Tiamat's ribs he creates the void between heaven and earth, from the goddess's tearful eyes emerges the source of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and her tail becomes the Milky Way. Also in this myth, it is said that, after Marduk murders Quingu, his spilled blood mixes with the red clay of the earth, and from there the first humans are born.

Tiamat, like others, is a goddess who has been incorporated into pop culture, and one can find references to her in cartoons, games, and countless other forms. Her most famous representation is in the 80s cartoon called "Dragons' Lair" as a five-headed red dragon, which popularized her image in this concept in the "nerd" universe.

Co-authors: Eric Borges and Carlos Simão