What is the Babylonian creation epic featuring the god Marduk called?
Answer
Enūma Eliš
Answer
Enūma Eliš
The Babylonian creation epic featuring the god Marduk is called Enūma Eliš.
The title comes from its opening words in Akkadian, meaning “when on high.” The poem describes the origins of the gods, the conflict between the younger gods and the primordial goddess Tiamat, and Marduk’s rise as Babylon’s chief deity. After defeating Tiamat, Marduk creates the ordered cosmos from her body and assigns roles to the gods.
The surviving version is written on seven clay tablets and was probably shaped during the late second millennium BCE, although parts of its tradition may be older. It was associated with Babylon and was recited during the city’s New Year festival, the Akitu.
Enūma Eliš is not the same work as the Epic of Gilgamesh or Atrahasis. Those texts also contain creation or flood traditions, but Enūma Eliš is specifically Babylon’s major cosmic creation narrative.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026