In the Beginning

An ancient Mesopotamian creation myth, not just of the antideluvians, but of the world.

by Suleiman A. Russell (Vampire: The Masquerade | Resources)

In the time before Time, there were Three. Timeless, Endless, Ageless,
there were Three.
Tiamaat, Changing Woman, Mother of Chaos, Beast of a Thousand Faces,
Timeless, Endless, Ageless, moved upon the face of darkness.
Apsu, Typhon, Father of the Void, Devouring God, Timeless, Endless,
Ageless, moved upon the face of darkness.
Mummu, Juno, Burning Water, God of Twilight, Lord of Spaces neither Here
nor There, Timeless, Endless, Ageless, moved upon the face of darkness.

The Three moved upon the face of the darkness, joining together and
separating apart according to their own motives. And so it was that the
Three begat the Ancient Ones, and with them the infinite universes.
En Ki and Nin Ki they begat, and also En Mul and Nin Mul. En Ul and Nin
Ul they begat, and En Nun and Nin Nun as well. En Kur and Nin Kur, En
Kingal and Nin Kingal, En Sar and Nin Sar, En Hal and Nin Hal, En Bulug
and Nin Bulug, En Giris and Nin Giris, En Da Surimma and Nin Da Surimma,
En Amas and Nin Amas, En Dukugga and Nin Dukugga, En Anna and Nin Anna,
En U'Tilla and Nin U'Tilla, En Me Sarra and Nin Me Sarra they begat, and
many more besides.

Upon the face of the waters moved the Ancient Ones, and in their union
and in their council they begat the Younger Three, who were shapers of
the universal Me, and who began the shape of what was to come.
Ansargal, called The Great Heavenly Horizon, called Lord of the
Primordial City. Ansargal, who begat Order, and shaped the world's form.
Uras, who is called Great Mother of All Earths, who gathered land out of
the sea.
Erishkegal, called the Queen of Namtar, the Great Land of Desire, who
begat Death in all it's many forms, so that the land may never become too
crowded.

And again, the younger three came together for council and for pleasure,
and from their union came the Imin-namtar-ede-abba, who were the Seven
who Keep the Fates. From among the Imin-namtar-ede-abba came the Fifty
Who Are the Anunna, who would guard the creations of the Ancient Ones,
and the myriad Iggi, who would carry out their desires.

But Hearken, for the beginning is also the end!
In Her belly, Tiamaat felt the Ancient Ones move. Upon Her waters,
Tiamaat felt the Young Ones move. Within Her firmament, Tiamaat felt the
Anunna move.
"Who is this that pains me so?" Cried the First Mother in the darkness.
"What is this to move within me?" she called out to the void.
"Stop what you are doing!" Cried the First Mother "Your creations pain
me so!"

In her belly the rebellion continued. In her belly the creation
continued.
"Remove these children from my belly!" cried Tiamaat to Mummu. "Place
them outside! They are growing too large!"
Yet Mummu could not birth these rebellious children

"Quiet these children!" cried Tiamaat to Mummu. "Let me have peace!"
Yet Mummu could not cause the children to become quiet.

"They are content where they are," said Mummu to Tiamaat. "I cannot get
them to leave. They are busy where they are," said Mummu to Tiamaat. "I
cannot cause them to grow silent."
"My pain is so great, how can this be so?" asked Tiamaat of Mummu. "How
many are there, who are content with their ways?"
"There are more, so many more, than I can give count." Said Mummu to
Tiamaat. "All of the world is inside of your belly."

"The pain is too great!" cried out Tiamaat from the void. "I can bear
them no longer. I must force them Out!"
With a heave of her belly, Tiamaat tried to force out her rebellious
children. With groaning labor did the First Mother try to birth them.
"Ah! The Pain!" cried the Mother of all Oceans. "Ah! My Back! Ah, My
Belly! Why do my children pain me so!"

Labor as she might, though the effort should split her in twain, Tiamaat
could not expel the Young Gods. Try as she might, she could not birth
them into the void.

Mummu could not quell their clamor, these Young Gods in the belly of
Tiamaat. Apsu could not silence them, nor the void take them. The Three
were speechless to their ways, this clamorous rebellion. The Young Gods
would not quiet, would not cease. Their clamor rang out into the void.

"If they will not come out into the void, The Void shall take them!"
cried Apsu.
As an evil wind, Apsu moved upon the face of the waters. As an evil
wind, Apsu crept in by stealth. As an evil wind, Apsu crept among the
gods. As an Evil Wind, death came among the deathless.

In the void, Tiamaat cried, for her solace had gone from her. In the
darkness, Tiamaat wept, for weep was all she could do. Apsu, her consort,
had gone to find the upstart gods. Apsu, her comfort, had gone to make
war. Apsu, her lover, would now devour her children.

Apsu did not return, for the spells of the Ancient Ones are powerful.
Apsu, Lord of the Fathomless Depths, was slain by the might of the 50.
Apsu, called the Abyss, was overcome by the strength of the 500. Apsu,
father of the void, would not return.

Tiamaat, Insane with grief. Tiamaat, Alone in her pain. Tiamaat, Mad
with anger. In the furthest crevice, she made a crypt. In the darkest
pit, she made a tomb. In the deepest shadow, she swore an oath. Apsu
would be avenged.

From his seed she took thirteen parts. From his corpse she took thirteen
pinches. From his blood she took thirteen drops. From his lips she took
thirteen breaths.
From the flesh of Apsu, Tiamaat made the instrument of Apsu's revenge.
Thirteen warriors did she make, each from the bones of Apsu, each from
the breath of Apsu. From his seed were these warriors born, and from his
flesh, and from his blood.
Gavonshi the first was named, and to him was given the power of clear
sight.
Enikkimu was the second named, and to him was granted swift and silent
death.
Uttukku was the third named, and to her was given power from the waters.
Gayal was fourth, whose power was over the false creations of the
Ancient Ones.
Maromen fifth was named, and to him was given the keys to Eriskighal's
realm.
Uborus was sixth, whose gift was to the passage of the stars and fates.
Pelvor was the seventh born, to whom rulership was given.
Strigorus was the eighth, who was master of the hunt.
Vouldalag was ninth, whose beauty was awful to behold.
Nalapos was the tenth, who was cloaked in the darkness of the abyss.
Tzokalak was the eleventh, whose charms and spells were swift, mighty
arrows.
Asvank was the twelfth born child, who knew of Apsu's ways.
Ropizdhomen was the last, and blessed with his mother's madness.

Then did Tiamaat, filled with an evil motion, move upon the waters. Then
did Tiamaat, filled with an evil wind, begin to work her charm. Then did
Tiamaat, filled with awful incantations, say, "Let us create monsters, to
do battle with these ill-wrought Sons of Iniquity. Let us make demons, to
rend the evil doers. Let us make an end, to that which was made endless."

From her arose Hubur, who fashions all things. Hubur, whose power is
like that of En Ki, made matchless weapons.
Dragons did Hubur make, at her mother's bidding, and worms from the
bones of Apsu. Lions did Hubur make, at her mother's bidding, whose
bodies were as fire. Demons did Hubur make, and so arose the Azonei, who
dwell beyond the stars.

Kingu, lord of the Azonei, arose at his mistress' bidding. Kingu, who
walked among the stars, swore the Ancient Ones would die. Kingu, general
to the armies of Tiamaat, was clad in the Tablets of Destiny, whose
raiment would make him safe from harm.

To Kingu, said Tiamaat, "Go upon the waters, and howl as an evil wind.
Go, into the realms of the gods, as a locust upon the fields. Go forth,
and take your armies with you. Leave none of the deathless living."
But to Pelvor, Mistress among the Great Ones, did Tiamaat say, "Go, and
creep upon the waters. Go, and follow Eriskigal's realm. Go, to that
place of last refuge, where the deathless dwell in death. For when the
armies of Kingu are victorious, there shall the Ancient Ones go. There,
when the armies of Kingu are victorious, shall you slake your hunger for
revenge."

And so it was that the Great Ones were spared from the destruction
wrought by En Ki, and his son Marduk. Marduk, arraigned in the vestments
of Kingu, clad in the armor of Destiny, slew Tiamaat, as he slew Kingu
before. In the realm of bitter darkness, the Thirteen Great Ones wept
tears of dust. Even in the Great Land of Desire, the death of Tiamaat
could be felt. She from whom all is made, was herself unmade. She from
whom all was born, was slain by her first sons and daughters. She who was
uncalled by name, whom no geometer could measure, whose destiny was
unknown and undetermined, was ended at last.

Yet hark, for in his madness, Ropizdhomen spoke a simple truth. "Death
is but a transformation," spoke the Idiot God, "eternal for all but One.
For She-Who-is-Chaos-Incarnate, transformation is inevitable. For
She-Who-is-Without-Ending, ending must give way to beginning. She who is
the Mother of all Creation shall again be mother to herself, for death
has no power over her. Tiamaat shall awaken once more!"

With a cry, it was declared that this must be so. After an age, the
Thirteen Great Ones climbed the seven tiers of darkness, emerging in the
world-above. There they found that, in mockery of their own birth,
thirteen tribes had been made of the flesh of Mummu. Man was made to
serve the gods, but within man was the blood of Kingu, used by En Ki to
quicken their beginning. Within man were the seeds of Tiamaat's revenge,
and within man was the Amaranth to keep the Ancient Ones strong - for
without their Mother, nothing could be endless, and even the gods might
die.

Among the thirteen tribes of man, each among the Thirteen took their
place. In secret and in stealth, the Thirteen took their place. To each
was given some part of the world, and there did the tribe make it's home.
Hidden from the watchful eyes of the Gods, the Thirteen took their place,
for the Gods watched the firmament, that the Azonei might forever be kept
at bay. Even Erishkegal had no knowledge that another knew the ways of
her realm. Even Erishkegal had no knowledge of the end.