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Tiamats

Tiamats, typically rendered as Tiamat in most sources, refers to a primordial goddess in Mesopotamian mythology who personifies the chaotic saltwater ocean. The name comes from the Akkadian tiāmat, commonly translated as “the sea.” In ancient texts, she is often paired with Apsu, the sweet waters, as the primal duo from which the cosmos emerges.

In the Mesopotamian creation epic Enuma Elish, Tiamat and Apsu give birth to the first generation of

Beyond the Akkadian narrative, Tiamat’s image influenced later Mesopotamian religion and was adapted in various works

gods.
After
Apsu
is
slain
by
the
younger
gods
or
Ea,
Tiamat
opposes
them,
forming
an
army
to
wage
war
against
the
divine
offspring.
The
storm
god
Marduk
defeats
her
with
the
aid
of
powerful
winds,
slaying
Tiamat
and
splitting
her
carcass
to
fashion
the
heavens
and
the
earth.
Kingu,
her
consort
and
commander
of
her
forces,
is
captured
and
his
blood
is
used
to
create
humanity.
Through
these
acts,
the
existing
order
is
established
and
Marduk
rises
as
the
head
of
the
gods.
Tiamat
is
depicted
as
a
dragon
or
ocean-serpent,
symbolizing
primordial
chaos
yet
also
the
source
of
creation
in
the
sense
of
potential
energy
within
the
sea.
of
literature
and
thought.
In
contemporary
popular
culture,
Tiamat
is
widely
recognized
as
a
dragon
goddess
in
fantasy
settings,
notably
in
Dungeons
&
Dragons,
where
she
represents
a
supreme
evil
deity
of
dragons.
The
plural
form
Tiamats
is
occasionally
seen
in
scholarship
or
media
references
to
multiple
versions
or
depictions
of
the
deity.