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The Babylonians had a complex pantheon of gods and demons, with many myths explaining the creation of the world and events on Earth. The gods were led by Apsu and Tiamat, with Marduk eventually becoming ruler. Notable gods include Sin, Shamash, Nintu, Anu, Kingu, Damkina, Ea, Mummu, Enlil, and Ishtar.
The Babylonians were polytheists heavily influenced by Sumerian culture, creating a complex pantheon of gods, demons, and others. Many Babylonian myths were designed to tie into this pantheon in some way, describing how the gods created the world and providing explanations for the events of life on Earth. Some of these legends and myths have become quite famous in their own right. For example, The Epic of Gilgamesh, which describes the deeds of some gods, is a notable piece of Mesopotamian literature.
As with most pantheons, the Babylonian gods were led by two gods, in this case Apsu and Tiamat. All of the Babylonian gods are descended from this original pair, with an interesting twist. According to legend, these Babylonian gods did a poor job of caring for their children, leading to a revolt that ended when Ea killed Apsu while Tiamat did nothing.
Supposedly, each successive generation of Babylonian gods was superior to the last, culminating in Marduk, the god of wisdom, who became the eventual ruler of the gods. The Babylonians celebrated Marduk’s death and rebirth each year as part of their religious faith. Marduk also eventually surpassed Tiamat’s forces when she was finally stirred into action, and in conquering Tiamat and her forces, led by the god Kingu, Marduk created the world, along with people to live in it.
To name all the Babylonian gods and their complex relationships would require much more space, but some of the gods are particularly notable or interesting. Sin, for example, is the god of the moon, and the father of Shamash, the god of the poor and travellers. Nintu and Anu are both creating gods, with the ability to create things like winds, while Kingu’s blood was used to create humanity. Damkina is the Babylonian earth mother, wife of Ea, another god of wisdom who also oversaw the arts. Mummu was another god who gained fame as a craftsman.
The god of the air was Enlil and he was also in charge of the weather. Ishtar, the goddess of both love and war, became famous for venturing into the underworld to win back her lover, mirroring a number of other myths from around the Mediterranean in which someone makes the sacrifice to enter the underworld to redeem the life of somebody else. It is also intriguing to note that while love and war seem antithetical to many modern eyes, Ishtar was far from the only goddess of love and war in the Mediterranean, suggesting that early civilizations in this area recognized the intense emotions that could accompany both experiences.
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