Marduk

The chief god of the Babylonian religious pantheon. Marduk was originally a local deity, the patron god of the city of Babylon. He was possibly conceived as an agricultural god because one of his symbols was a hoe. Over time, however, Marduk’s status and prestige increased. The circumstances of his rise to power over the universe and the other gods were laid out in the Babylonian myth expressed in writing as the Epic of Creation. in that tale, Marduk defeats Tiamat, goddess of saltwater, who helped spawn the race of gods. From the eighteenth century b. c. on in Babylonia, Marduk began to supplant the Sumerian deity Enlil as chief god, a process that was completed in the twelfth century b. c.

Temples of Marduk existed all over Babylonia. And shrines to him and his son, Nabu, were also erected in many Assyrian cities. Marduk’s main temple, however, was the Esagila in Babylon. There rested his primary cult statue, which was stolen by the Elamites circa 1185 b. c. and also by the Assyrians in the seventh century b. c. It was seen as essential to win back this sacred image because the prestige and prosperity of Babylon and its realm were tied directly to worship and appeasement of Marduk. Among the numerous hymns and praises written to and for Marduk over the centuries was this one, which invokes the deity’s blessings for a person to live a long and peaceful life:

May Marduk grant life! May he. . .

Decree life for you! May he prolong your life, and may he let you keep it for everlasting days! May you live, and may you have peace! May it last forever! May life be your lot, and may a life of contentment be your share! When you lie down to sleep, may your dreams be propitious [promising], and when you rise, may your omens be favorable! Wherever you walk, may you be established in peace!