Hea (Saturn). Davkina (Davke). Elum. Beltis. │ │ │ │ └——┬——————————————-┘ ┌——————-┴——————————-┴——┐ │ │ │ Merodach. Zirat-panit. Sin. Ningal. Ninip. │ │ │ │ ┌————┴——————————┴——-┐ ┌——┴———————┴———┐ │ │ │ │ Nebo. Tasmit. Samas. Istar. FOOTNOTES: [7] Though Lakhmu properly represented Anu or Anatu, he sometimes takes the place of the Solar hero Ninip as husband of Gula, “the great” goddess. CHAPTER V. BABYLONIAN LEGEND OF THE CREATION. Mutilated condition of tablets.—List of subjects.—Description of chaos.—Tiamat.—Generation of Gods.—Damascius.—Comparison with Genesis.—Three great gods.—Doubtful fragments.—Fifth tablet.—Stars.—Moon.—Sun.—Abyss or chaos.—Creation of moon.—Creation of animals.—Monotheism.—Hymn to Merodach.—The black-headed race or Adamites.—Garden of Eden.—The flaming sword.—The fall.—The Sabbath.—Sacred tree.—Hymn to the Creator. It is extremely unfortunate that the legend of the Creation in days has reached us in so fragmentary a condition. It is evident, however, that in its present form it is of Assyrian, not of Babylonian, origin, and was probably composed in the time of Assur-bani-pal. It breathes throughout the spirit of a later age, its language and style show no traces of an Accadian original, and the colophon at the end implies by its silence that it was not a copy of an older document. No doubt the story itself was an ancient one; the number seven was a sacred number among the Accadians, who invented the week of seven days, and kept a seventhday Sabbath, and excavations in Babylonia may yet bring to light the early Chaldean form of the legend. But this we do not at present possess. So far as the fragments can be arranged, they seem to observe the following order:— 1. Part of the first tablet, giving an account of the Chaos and the generation of the gods. 2. Fragment of subsequent tablet, perhaps the second on the foundation of the deep. 3. Fragment of tablet placed here with great doubt, possibly referring to the creation of land. 4. Part of the fifth tablet, recording the creation of the heavenly bodies. 5. Fragment of the seventh? tablet, recording the creation of land animals. These fragments indicate that the series included at least seven tablets, the writing on each tablet being in one column on the front and back, and probably including over one hundred lines of text. The first fragment in the story is the upper part of the first tablet, giving the description of the void or chaos, and part of the generation of the gods. The translation is as follows: 1. At that time above, the heaven was unnamed: 2. below the earth by name was unrecorded; 3. the boundless deep also (was) their generator.