Because she desired a child, Sophia was punished with imprisonment in the material world, her body being our planet, Earth or Terra, which initially had a much different form than it does today. If she could not free herself, Sophia got at least some satisfaction: revenge. During her union with Bythos, when a portion of their energies mixed, Sophia did not gain the ability to multiply like the aeons of the Ogdoad, but something surprising: the ability to create life within her prison. Not by creating it from her own energy, but by bringing it from the spiritual worlds. Thus, she brought the one who imprisoned her, known as Enlil by the Sumerians and as Authades / Ialdabaoth / Abraxas / Horos / Stauros / Nous / Monogenes / Seth / Christ by the Gnostics. Not only him was forced to descend into the „lower world”, where he was imprisoned in a material body, just like her, but also other aeons, their bodies being the planets we call today Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. As the creator of the „prison” Enlil could easily return home, to the spiritual realm, with his companions. But he could not do this without first preventing Sophia from attracting other aeons into her prison. Not just anyhow, but in the most violent way possible.
In the book The 12th Planet, published in 1976, writer Zecharia Sitchin proved that the Babylonian poem Enuma Elish does not describe the ascent of the god Marduk to the head of the pantheon after his victory over the female dragon Tiamat, but the genesis of our solar system. Here is his interpretation, as well as his own translation of the Babylonian text:
The poem, inscribed on seven clay tablets, begins with the Akkadian words „enuma elish” („When in the heights”), which became its title.
„When in the heights the heaven had not been named,
And below, the Earth had not been called by name;
Nothing but primordial Apsu, their begetter,
Mummu and Tiamat –
She who bore them all,
Their waters commingling as a single body.
No reed was yet formed, no marshland was to be seen;
When no gods whatever had been brought into being,
Uncalled by name, their destinies undetermined;
Then it was that the gods were formed within them, by Apsu, their begetter.„
Sitchin believed that, through these early verses, the ancient author of the epic describes the birth of the solar system. In the cosmic space, the gods (the planets) were about to appear, to receive a name and a fate (an orbit). At the beginning, there were only three celestial bodies: Apsu, Tiamat and Mummu. Apsu, the father of the gods, is the Sun. Mummu, his trusted aide and messenger, is Mercury, the tiny planet that rotates rapidly around its gigantic master. The Greeks and Romans also considered Hermes / Mercury as the messenger of the gods, who gave the planet its current name. Further away from the Sun and Mercury was the planet Tiamat, located where we have today the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The space between it and the Sun was not empty but full of primordial elements. Their „waters” mixed, and from the text it is understood that it was not the water in which reeds grow, but rather the primordial water, the basic element for the existence of life in the Universe. Or, more precisely, a cosmic dust cloud, according to scientists’ opinions. Those „waters” mixed, thus forming a pair of gods / planets between Tiamat and Apsu / Sun.
„The god Lahmu and the goddess Lahamu were the first-born;
And their names were called.„
These two names come from the root „lhm„, meaning „to wage war”. For the ancients, Mars represented the god of war, and Venus the warrior goddess of love. Therefore, the gods Lahmu and Lahamu were the planets Mars and Venus, located between Tiamat, Mercury and the Sun.
The process of forming the solar system continued. Lahmu and Lahamu were the first-born, but
„Before they grew older
And taller than they were supposed to be,
Anshar and Kishar were born,
And were greater than them.
As the days grew longer and years were counted,
Anu was born, their son – and became a rival to his predecessors.
And then, Anu, the heir of Anshar,
Gave birth to Nudimmud, as his equal and in his image.„
We are told that Mars and Venus did not had time to fully develop when two more planets appeared: Anshar („Prince of the Sky”) and Kishar („Prince of the Earth”), who surpassed their parents in size. Their description, titles and place identify them easily: Saturn and Jupiter.
Some time later, another pair appeared. The first was Anu, who was smaller than his parents, Jupiter and Saturn („their son„), but biger than the first pair („a rival to his predecessors„). Then, Anu gave birth to a twin planet („as his equal and in his image„), named Nudimmud / Ea, known to the Sumerians as Enki. The descriptions of Anu and Nudimmud match the following two known planets, Uranus and Neptune. The Enuma Elish refers to Anu / Uranus as being the „firstborn” of Anshar / Saturn, which means that there was at least one more god-planet born of him. The epic later mentions him, telling how Anshar sent his messenger, Gaga, on various missions. This Gaga appears as equal in stature and function to Mummu / Mercury, Apsu’s messenger. As there are similarities between Mercury and Pluto, it means that Gaga is Pluto, which was originally not located after Neptune as it is today, but rather near Saturn, whose „messenger” or satellite it was. At this point in the story, Earth and the Moon did not yet exist and they were to arise as a result of a cosmic collision.
From the second tablet we learn that the newly created godly family was far from stable. The planets gravitated toward each other and clustered around Tiamat.
„All the brothers gathered together;
They ran around, ready to shatter Tiamat.
In their wild play among the stars,
They made Tiamat’s belly tremble.
Apsu could not stand their frolicking anymore;
Before them, even Tiamat was voiceless.
Their deeds were unbearable (…)
And their movements thoughtless.„
These verses contain a reference to the disorderly orbits of the planets. They „ran around” and got too close to each other („gathered together„) and to Tiamat, whose „belly” trembled; their movements were „thoughtless„. Although Tiamat was the most affected, Apsu announced his intention to destroy their „movements„. He consulted secretly with Mummu, but their „secret counsel” was overheard by the other gods, who became frightened. The only one who remained calm was Nudimmud / Ea. He devised a plan to make „sleep fall upon Apsu„. When the rest of the gods approved his plan, he „traced a straight map of the heavens” and uttered a spell over the primordial waters. We do not know what that „spell” or power of Nudimmud / Neptune was, then the most distant planet from the Sun, whose orbit surrounded all the other planets. Did its orbit influence in any way the solar magnetism and radioactive emissions of the Sun? Or it released a strong radiation? Regardless of what it was, the epic says that „sleep fell upon Apsu„. Furthermore, „counselor Mummu could no longer move„. Nudimmud took advantage of Apsu’s slumber and „took the tiara and removed his halo cloak„, likely interrupting the immense outpouring of primordial matter from the Sun. Thus, Apsu was defeated and Mummu could do nothing about it. He was „forgotten and left behind„, a lifeless celestial body, just like his master. From that moment on, Apsu became „the abode of Ea„, who thereby gained the right to give birth to other planets.
The third tablet begins with the birth of Marduk:
„In the Chamber of Fate, the place of destinies,
A new god stood, the most skilled and wise;
In the heart of the Abyss was Marduk born.„
From the Abyss or the Depths, the most distant planet, Neptune, gave birth to the planet Marduk („He who bore him was Ea„). The new planet was far superior to all others:
„His appearance was attractive, his eyes sparkled brightly;
Proud was his gait, imposing as from ancient times (…)
And above the other gods he was, far surpassing them (…)
He was the most noble and the highest;
With his immense limbs, he surpassed them all.„
It seems that Marduk was a planet on fire, emitting radiation: „when his lips opened, fierce fire came out„. When he approached the other planets, they „directed their formidable lightning bolts at him” and he shone, „clothed in the aura of the ten gods„. We understand that his proximity set in motion the electricity and various radiations of the other planets.
The story takes us along Marduk’s journey through the solar system. First, he passes by the planet that „bore him„, Nudimmud / Neptune. As he approaches, the gravitational field of his „father” exerts increasing pressure on Marduk, rounding his trajectory („preparing him for his future tasks„). Part of him swelled, as if he „had two heads„. When he reached Anu / Uranus, pieces of Marduk broke off, resulting in four satellites: „Anu gave birth to the four winds and gave them to Marduk to rule„. The four satellites had high rotational speeds, „spinning like whirlwinds„. Continuing on his journey, Marduk confronted the immense gravitational fields of the giants Anshar / Saturn and Kishar / Jupiter. His direction of movement was deflected even further towards the center of the solar system. His approach was starting to affect Tiamat: „He made waves that angered Tiamat; the gods were no longer at peace, but were now in a fierce storm„. Although the tablets are partially destroyed, with some portions being hard to decipher, we understand that the new planet „has exhausted its powers (…) and their eyes blinked with fatigue„. The gravitational field of Marduk began to take effect on Tiamat, with large pieces breaking off from her. The text asserts that from the midst of Tiamat, 11 „monsters” emerged „growling and shaking„, a group of satellites that „went alongside her„. They were named Bashmu („Venomous Snake”), Ushumgallu („Great Dragon”), Mushmahhu („Exalted Serpent”), Mushhushshu („Furious Snake”), Lahmu („Hairy One”), Ugallu („Big Beast of the Time”), Uridimmu („Mad Lion”), Girtablullu („Scorpion-Man”), Umu dabrutu („Violent Storms”), Kulullu („Fish-Man”) and Kusarikku („Bull-Man”). Preparing them for the confrontation with Marduk, she „crowned her children with aureole„, giving them the appearance of gods (planets). In addition to Tiamat’s 11 children, there was also one of hers and Apsu’s, named Kingu, „the firstborn of the gods who made up her court„, her main satellite.
„She raised him up as Kingu,
Made him the greatest of them all (…)
And the leadership of the battle
She entrusted to him.„
Located between the gravitational fields of the two planets, the giant satellite began to move towards Marduk. The fact that Tiamat gave Kingu a „tablet of destiny„, that is his own orbit, angered the other gods. Nudimmud / Neptune went to Anshar / Saturn to complain:
„She has made an assembly of herself and she is furious beyond measure (…)
Unseen weapons she has taken and monsters she has born (…)
In all she has brought forth eleven upon the world; and of these
The gods-monsters that make up her court, she has placed Kingu,
Her firstborn, as their highest. (…)
And she gave him a tablet of destiny, making him equal to us.„
Anshar asked Nudimmud how Kingu can be killed. The answer remains unknown because the clay tablet is broken at this point of the story. The epic continues with Anshar asking Anu to fight Tiamat. But Anu / Uranus „could not fight her, so he refused the god„. One by one, all the other gods refused the confrontation.
After passing Neptune and Uranus, Marduk approached Anshar / Saturn, who had an idea: „He, who is proud and powerful, will be the one who will avenge us; he, brave as no one else in battle: Marduk, the hero!„. Approaching Saturn’s rings („Kissing Anshar’s hand„), Marduk replied:
„If it shall be, then let it be so,
Let your lives be spared, let Tiamat be struck down,
Call together the Assembly of the gods and let me be the greatest of all destinies!„
The condition imposed by the young god was simple: Marduk and his „destiny” (his orbit around the Sun) had to be the most important among the gods. Then Gaga (the satellite of Anshar / Saturn) was diverted from its orbit, becoming the planet Pluto:
„Anshar opened his mouth
And to Gaga, his counselor, gave command (…)
‘On your way, you depart now, Gaga,
And to all the gods you shall pass,
And what I tell you,
You shall repeat to them’.„
Passing by the other gods / planets, Gaga convinced them to „choose Marduk„. Happy that someone else would fight in their place, the gods agreed. „Marduk shall be king„, they said, and asked him not to waste any more time: „Go and let’s finish off Tiamat once and for all!„. In tablet four, the gods determined Marduk’s destiny; their gravitational fields determined his orbit so that he headed towards „battle”, his collision with Tiamat. Getting ready for battle, Marduk armed himself from head to toe. He took his „bright flame„, „made a bow (…) and put an arrow in it (…) and placed a lightning bolt on the tip (…) then made a net to catch Tiamat in it„. These probably represent a series of electrical discharges that accompanied the approach of the gravitational fields of the two planets. Marduk’s main weapons were his four satellites, the four „winds” that Uranus had given him: the North Wind, the South Wind, the East Wind and the West Wind. Passing by the giants Saturn and Jupiter, he „gave birth” to three more satellites: the Turbulent Wind, the Whirlwind and the Unmatched Wind. Marduk „sent forward the winds he himself had given birth to, all seven of them„, and the battle was about to begin.
„The god went forward, on his straight way;
Courageously he headed towards furious Tiamat (…)
The god approached to examine Tiamat’s kingdom,
To discover the plans of Kingu, her husband.„
As he approached Tiamat, Marduk’s course became disorderly:
„And as he looked, his path became uncertain,
His direction was lost and his deeds were confused.
Even his winds began to move strangely;
When the gods, his allies, marched alongside him,
At the sight of the brave Kingu, their vision became blurred.„
The collision, however, could not be avoided. „Tiamat murmured something (…) The god raised the thunderbolt of the storm, his most terrible weapon„. As she got closer to her opponent, her anger grew: „her feet moved in anger back and forth„. She began to curse Marduk, probably using the same kind of „spells” used by Nudimmud against Apsu. However, they had no effect on the young warrior.
„Tiamat and Marduk, the wisest of the gods,
Were heading towards each other;
Getting closer, to decide everything in battle,
They were now ready to fight.„
And the celestial battle, which created the sky and the Earth, began:
„The god cast his net to catch her.
The Wild Wind, farthest from her face, approached
As she opened her mouth, to swallow him whole –
He threw the Wild Wind into her, so she could not close it.
The Storm Wind then attacked her middle.
Her body was soft, her mouth wide open.
There he shot her with an arrow and her belly burst.
He cut all her guts, he burned her entire belly
And thus subdued her, her breath ceased.„
From the verses above it is clear that it was not the two planets that collided, but Tiamat with one of Marduk’s satellites, which split her in two. In that split, Marduk fired an „arrow„, a „divine thunderbolt„, an immense electric arc that jumped like a spark from the planet charged with energy („shining„). Entering the heart of Tiamat, the satellite „took away her breath„, meaning that it neutralized her electric and magnetic fields.
The battle was not over yet, as her satellites were then destroyed:
„After Tiamat, their leader, was torn to pieces,
Her troop was shattered, her army broken.
The gods who had helped her, who stood beside her,
Were seized with terror and trembling.
They turned their backs and were ready to flee,
To save their lives.„
Comets represent one of the mysteries of astronomers, who do not know where they come from or why they seem not to obey known laws. The orbits of planets are almost circular, those of comets are elongated; planets (with the exception of Pluto) move in the same plane, while the orbits of comets pass through several planes; planets orbit the Sun in one direction, comets in the opposite direction. The answer sought by astronomers is simple: the culprit for all this is the planet Marduk. It split Tiamat’s satellites, turning them into comets, throwing them in the opposite direction („they turned their backs„) and catching them in the „net” of its gravitational field.
„Thrown in the net, they were caught in a trap (…)
The entire troop that marched alongside her
He caught them in the net and tied their hands (…)
Tightly bound, they could no longer escape.„
After the battle ended, Marduk took from Kingu his „tablet of destiny” (the orbit) and tied it to his waist. Thus, his orbit around the Sun obliged him to always pass through the place of the battle. He continued his journey, circled the Sun and returned past the planetary gods. Then, his new orbit brought him back to the place of victory „to strengthen his power over the defeated gods„, Tiamat and Kingu.
In the fifth tablet, after a complete rotation around the Sun, Marduk „returns to Tiamat, whom he had subdued„.
„The god stopped to look at her lifeless body.
Then he thought to divide her in two.
And, like a shell, he split her in two.„
This time he struck her himself, separating her into two parts. One of his satellites pushed one of the parts, which became Earth, into an orbit where there had been no planet before. Marduk headed towards that piece and
„With his celestial weapon he cut off her head;
He cut through the valleys where her blood flowed;
He commanded the North Wind to carry him
And to leave him in an unknown place.„
Thus, Earth was created. The other part of the deceased Tiamat, however, had a different fate: on the next complete tour around the Sun, Marduk struck it, crushing it into pieces.
„He placed the other part of her like a screen across the sky
Binding them one to another, he set them as watchers (…)
He commanded that Tiamat’s tail become the Great Band.„
These parts from the second piece, placed between the upper planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto) and the lower ones (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars), formed the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. And Marduk declared: „I will skillfully create the paths of the gods (…) I will divide them into two groups„. Which he did by separating the planets on either side of the belt.
Earth inherited the waters from Tiamat, „the watery monster„, according to Sitchin.
„Putting Tiamat’s head in the designated place,
He made the mountain ranges appear on it.
He split the valleys, so that rivers would flow through them
Through her eyes, the Tigris and the Euphrates emerged.
From her breasts, he made the holy mountains.
He made springs from them, so that the rivers could drink.„
Enuma Elish excludes Kingu from the army that was defeated. When Marduk returned to the battlefield, he decided a different fate (orbit) for Kingu.
„And Kingu, who was greater than them, was reduced;
And the god Duggae was now his name.
And from him the tablet of destinies was taken,
Which had been unjustly given to him.„
Deprived of its own orbit, Kingu could only become a satellite again. He accompanied Tiamat’s „head”, becoming the Moon.
Having solved this problem, Marduk turned his attention to „the land of Nudimmud” to decide the „destiny” of Gaga, the former satellite of Anshar / Saturn. He established „a secret place” for the little messenger, an orbit previously unknown, facing the Depth, and named it „the confidential counselor of the Depth„. Then, Gaga was named Usmi, becoming the farthest planet, Pluto.
However convincing this interpretation of the Babylonian poem may be, we cannot ignore Sitchin’s errors, which were most likely intentional. Let us list some of them:
– Apsu, called Abzu by the Sumerians, was not the Sun in any way, but the Abyss or the Chaos, the primordial void in which matter appeared in the Universe. This Abyss was viewed in Antiquity as an ocean (such as Nun of the Egyptians), which is why Apsu had waters that gave birth to the gods after they mixed with Tiamat’s waters. Which makes sense, considering that all myths about the creation of the world begin with the primordial chaos, which is missing from Sitchin’s interpretation. In Mesopotamian myths, including this one, Apsu / Abzu became Enki’s underground house and it is unlikely that the god lived in the Sun, which would have reached inside our planet. At the same time, the Abyss / Chaos could represent a black hole in the void, from which matter emerged in the material universe. This would explain how, in Enuma Elish, Abzu was trying to swallow the young planet-gods.
– Marduk was not a planet, but the Sun itself. In Babylonian texts he was also called the „Great Heavenly Body” or „The One Who Illuminates” and it was said that he „measures the distant heights of the sky (…) wearing a halo whose radiance is thrilling„. The same text states that „he watches over the lands like Shamash„, the god of the Sun, an alter ego of Marduk. In Enuma Elish he shone, „clad in the aura of the ten gods” and „when his lips opened, fierce fire came out„. One of his arrows burned Tiamat („he burned her belly„). Additionally, Marduk became the ruler of the gods; since the gods were celestial bodies, who else could be considered their ruler if not the Sun, around which they all orbit? A Babylonian text even places Marduk in the „markas shame” („center of heaven”), which clarifies the issue of his equivalence with the Sun.
– Tiamat did not offer Kingu a „tablet of destiny” but three, which he wore as a breastplate. Therefore, it cannot be about an orbit, considering that there were three objects.
– Sitchin skipped the last clay tablets of Enuma Elish, in which Kingu’s end is found. According to the Babylonian poem, Marduk killed him and mixed his blood with clay to create the first humans. Therefore, Kingu could not become the Moon, which continued to guard Tiamat, who became Earth.
– In the epic, Tiamat’s tail transformed into the Milky Way, not into the asteroid belt.
– The translation of the poem is questionable and criticized by experts. Many parts seem intentionally misinterpreted (not only here but in all of Sitchin’s writings), so the author manipulated readers by changing the ancient text to fit his hypothesis.
– Sitchin believed that the Sumerians named Nibiru the planet represented by Marduk in this text. The existence of this imaginary planet has not been proven and the word „nibiru” did not exist in the Sumerian language. It is true that a similar one was found in Akkadian, „neberu„, which was translated as „crossing” or „transition point”, referring specifically to rivers. In Babylonian astronomy, „neberu” or „nibirum” is a term that represented the highest point of the ecliptic (the apparent annual path of the Sun through the constellations of the zodiac), that is the moment of the summer solstice. In Enuma Elish it has other meanings: Jupiter (and once Mercury), a star and the god Marduk are called Neberu. None of these four meanings, however, refers to a planet beyond Pluto, where Sitchin believed the gods live. Akkadian „neberu” actually originated in ancient Egypt. „Nebheru” was one of the epithets of the goddess of love, Hathor, the wife of Horus. It was conventionally translated as „House of Horus”, although a very important detail is ignored: the ancient Egyptians used the same word for „house” and „wife”. Therefore, „nebheru” means „the wife of Horus”, a role that the goddess Hathor held.
However, we cannot ignore Sitchin’s version, if only for the simple reason that science seems to support it. In 1975, a hypothesis was proposed that the Moon formed 4.527 billion years ago due to the collision of proto-Earth with a planet the size of Mars. In 2000, researcher Alexander Norman Halliday proposed that the planet be named Theia, after the Titan who, in Greek mythology, gave birth to Selene (Moon), Helios (Sun), and Eos (Aurora). Since this hypothesis was launched a year before the publication of his first book, it is possible that Sitchin adopted it in interpreting the Enuma Elish poem. However, this does not make it any less true. In the past four decades, scientists have collected numerous pieces of evidence supporting the theory that Earth collided with another planet in the past. And although it was modified by Sitchin, the Babylonian poem suggests that the gods were planets, not deities with human-like physical forms as they typically appear in religions. From the beginning, it tells us that the action takes place in cosmic space: „When in the heights the heavens had not been named, and below, the Earth had not been called by name„. About the young gods, whom Sitchin considers to be planets, the poem states that „in their mad play among the stars, they made Tiamat’s belly tremble„. If the gods were playing among the stars, that is the cosmic space, then Enuma Elish does indeed consider them to be planets. This is precisely what emerges, moreover, from the hidden myth of Sophia.
Things are not what they seem, especially in religions, and the epic of Marduk is no exception to this rule. Several researchers have concluded that Enuma Elish is not an original text but an adaptation of a much older Sumerian one. In 1942, the American Assyriologist Ephraim Avigdor Speiser even noted: „It has long been recognized that the Marduk epic, because of its local color and probable elaboration by Babylonian theologians, reflects in substance an older Sumerian material„. Although the Sumerian original has not yet been discovered, it’s references from Antiquity support the idea that Enlil was the hero who defeated the primordial goddess, fashioning the sky and Earth from her body. Enuma Elish tells how Marduk „lifted the lightning, his most terrible weapon„, but lightning and thunder were Enlil’s weapons in most cultures. This means that Marduk’s priests took the story of the god of storm and modified it, placing their own divinity at the center of events. They adapted it to their religion, while retaining its essence. Even the names of the characters were replaced with those from Babylonian religion, such as Anu and Nudimmud / Ea. Thus we understand why Marduk, who usually represented the Sun, is the planet that collided with Tiamat in Enuma Elish. Also, Apsu, which was usually matched with the primordial void, represents the Sun here. The replacement of Enlil with Marduk is also obvious from the fact that the god of storm, part of the supreme Sumerian triad, is completely absent from the story, although the other two members of the triad, Anu and Ea / Enki, are present.
We have already identified Tiamat, the primordial goddess, with Sophia of the Gnostics. A myth in which the first gods are planets and Enlil attacks Sophia, who becomes Earth, represents the continuation of the Gnostic story, which contains the events after her imprisonment in the material world. As we have seen, Sophia was drawn into Chaos / Abyss (the primordial void), where she became a planet – not the Earth we know today, but rather a proto-Earth. Seeing that she had no escape, she settled for revenge against the one who imprisoned her. Thus, using the ability she gained during her brief union with the Heavenly Father, Bythos / Anu, she managed to lure Enlil and some of his followers into her prison. Like her, they received enormous material bodies, becoming the planets of our solar system.
Enuma Elish claims that, in the beginning, there were only Apsu (the primordial void), Tiamat (Sophia) and Mummu. The name of the latter comes from the Sumerian „umun„, which translates as „main body”, „knowledge” or „creator life force”. He was the vizier of Apsu and Tiamat, sometimes considered their son as well. For researchers he symbolizes the mental world or Logos, and Logos was one of the names attributed by the Gnostics to Enlil. Therefore, Mummu could be an emanation of Enlil left in the Universe to guard Sophia, whom she used to create life in her prison. The poem says that „their waters” mixed, giving birth to the first gods, which may bring to mind the ubiquitous water in space, encountered not only on Earth but also on other planets, on their satellites, on comets, meteorites and clouds of gas and dust in the interstellar space. However, in this case, it is a metaphor. The mixing of Apsu, Tiamat and Mummu’s „waters” means that Sophia succeeded in giving birth to the planet-gods in the primordial void, using the „creator life force”, the energy that Enlil left in the void to attract Sophia. From the second tablet we deduce that the imprisoned aeons did not fare well with their material bodies, having chaotic, disorderly orbits: „they ran back and forth„, coming too close to each other („they gathered together„) and to Tiamat, whose „belly trembled” because of their „movements thoughtless„. Most likely they were frightened, unable to understand how they got there, how to free themselves or how to maneuver their new bodies. Apsu announced his intention to destroy them because their noise bothered him, from which we understand that the aeons were in danger of being destroyed and swallowed up like in a black hole by the void where they suddenly found themselves captive. Or perhaps even by a black hole in the void. One of them managed to „put to sleep” Apsu and Mummu, meaning that he interrupted the life-creating energies that Sophia had used to attract the aeons into the material world. Immediately after this their leader appears, he being the last one dragged by Sophia into her jail. „In the heart of the Abyss was Marduk born„, Enuma Elish claims, announcing the appearance of Enlil, according to the original Sumerian myth, also emerging from the Abyss / Chaos / void. Filled with hope, the planetary gods asked him to destroy Sophia / Tiamat („he, who is proud and powerful, will be the one to avenge us; he, brave like no one else in battle„), giving him various „weapons” to ensure his victory. Sitchin believes that these were probably natural satellites. Most likely, each planetary god sacrificed himself, giving up a portion of his own energy converted into matter, which Enlil used to significantly increase his planetary body. Enuma Elish even states that he „exhausted their powers (…) and their eyes flickered with fatigue„. This did not impressed Sophia in any way, who prepared to confront her opponent. The text claims that 11 „monsters” „snarling and writhing” emerged from her, a group of satellites that „walked beside her„. Alongside them was the twelfth, Kingu, her son and Apsu’s, „the firstborn among the gods who made up her court„. The Gnostics had an identical version; for the Sethians, Sophia gave birth without anyone’s consent to entities smaller than the aeons: angels, archangels, powers, dominions and lords. In the Gospel of the Egyptians she created Sakla and Nebruel, who gave birth to 12 angels who reign over Hades and Chaos, the exact number of Tiamat’s children in Enuma Elish. As she prepared for the confrontation, she „crowned her children with auras„, giving them the appearance of gods (planets). The fight began and the giant Enlil struck Sophia first with his satellites, then he collided with her himself „and, like a clamshell, he split her in two„. He smashed 11 of her children, leaving only Kingu intact, whom he captured, probably transforming him into his own satellite. Sophia remained inert in space, a part of her becoming Earth, and Enlil was proclaimed the hero of the captive aeons.
What happened to the second half of Tiamat? Sitchin believed that it became the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. If one half became Earth, the other could be not the asteroid belt but the „twin sister” of Earth, Venus, which has similar dimensions and composition to our planet, indicating a common origin. In most cultures Venus has been highly respected and even worshiped, being one of the most important celestial bodies for the ancients. We can understand why if we take into consideration the possibility that it is the lost half of proto-Earth.
If things really happened this way, what planet was Enlil’s body? Sitchin believed it was a giant planet, Nibiru, which only exists in his imagination. The supporters of Theia Hypothesis believe that the planet was much smaller, the size of Mars. Enuma Elish (and most likely the original Sumerian myth) claims that it was the largest planet in our solar system: „and above the other gods he was, far surpassing them (…) He was the noblest and the tallest; with his immense limbs he surpassed them all„. The largest planet is Jupiter, with which Enlil has been associated since ancient times, a planet which still bears the name attributed by the Romans to the god of storm. Jupiter has a diameter 11 times larger than that of Earth, a mass 318 times larger and a volume 1300 times larger. According to current hypotheses in science, Jupiter played an important role in shaping the solar system, destroying the first protoplanets and thus freeing up space for the terrestrial planets, namely Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury. And, based on the Mesopotamian creation myths, we have concluded that Jupiter split the proto-Earth in two and destroyed its moons, which were the size of dwarf planets. The giant planet of our solar system has 67 known natural satellites, the largest being the four discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei: Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. They correspond to the „four winds” that Anu gave birth to in the Babylonian poem and gave them to Marduk „to rule over them„. The first three are named after some earthly mistresses of Zeus from Greek myths, while the last one is named after a man whom the king of gods kidnapped from Troy and took to Mount Olympus, where he made him his lover and the cup-bearer of the gods. It is possible that Ganymede is Kingu, Tiamat’s satellite in Enuma Elish, which Enlil / Jupiter captured after the battle. The name „winds„, attributed to satellites in the Babylonian poem, was not chosen randomly, as data sent by the Galileo probe indicate that winds with speeds of 400 meters per hour blow on Jupiter, extending for thousands of kilometers inside the planet. Jupiter’s atmosphere is very turbulent, meaning that the winds are driven, for the most part, by the planet’s internal heat and not by that of the Sun, as is the case with Earth. Around Jupiter, high-speed winds form in two broad latitude belts, similar to the rings of Saturn. Small differences in temperature or chemical composition are responsible for the different coloring of the belts that have been known to humanity for some time, although the complex vortices located in their boundary regions were first observed by the Voyager probe. On the surface of the planet there is an anomaly first noticed over three centuries ago, with its discovery attributed to either Cassini or Robert Hooke in the 17th century. It is the Great Red Spot, an oval of approximately 12,000 by 25,000 kilometers, large enough to engulf three planets the size of Earth. When the Voyager 2 probe passed by Jupiter in 1989, it discovered that the spot is a gigantic storm, the largest in the solar system, a cyclone that rotates with hundreds of kilometers per hour, whose clouds rise to eight kilometers above the atmosphere. These strong winds on Jupiter, which give rise to unique super-storms in our solar system, may be the reason why Enlil, in most world religions, was considered the god of storm and wind.
Babylonian, Sumerian and Gnostic writings have suggested that the planets of our solar system were the bodies of aeons brought by Sophia into her prison; to prevent her from imprisoning more aeons, there was a „star war” which led to the collision between Enlil, imprisoned on the planet Jupiter, and proto-Earth, Sophia’s body. Can this version be real? Unfortunately, we cannot verify its authenticity. However, Gnostics, Sumerians and Babylonians were not the only ones talking about a war in cosmic space. The Book of Dzyan from Tibet, mentioned by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society, claims that „battles were fought between Creators and Destroyers and the fights were for space„. For cosmic space, it seems. „There was a great war between the sons of heaven who joined the Father and those who opposed him. These enemies were driven away and we, the good ones, were appointed as guardians of the Earth„, says an alleged 50,000 years old inscription, discovered by Professor Philippe Garoche in a French cave in the summer of 1999. In the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, Jesus confirms the war in space: „I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (10:18). Also in Revelation, the last biblical book, John noted: „And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (12:7-9). Michael was Enlil and the „great dragon„, „that old serpent” can only be Tiamat, the female dragon from Mesopotamian myths, that is the Gnostics’ Sophia. According to Christian mythology, this war in heaven took place after the „dragon” attacked the Heavenly Father, an episode that reminds us of Sophia’s attack on Bythos mentioned in Gnostic writings.
Some Egyptian legends speak of the battle between solar deities and the giant crocodile Maha, which they pierce with their spears. Shu-Onuris always accompanies his father, Ra, during his journey on the celestial Nile (which is the cosmic space), standing with his spear at the prow of the Sun’s boat to guard the ruling god from the giant crocodile (once again a reptile, just like Tiamat). In other legends, in the Boat of Millions of Years, Ra is accompanied by Uadjet, the royal cobra, Seth, who carries a lance and two sharp knives, Ma’at, the goddess of truth, and 1,000 small genies armed to the teeth. Every night, the Sun’s boat is attacked by the Great Serpent Apophis. „Suddenly, the attack takes place. The Great Serpent Apophis springs forth. He unfurls his countless coils and attempts to capsize the boat with its passengers. Seth rushes forward and, along with the small genies, impales the serpent with their knives, causing its body to writhe without loosening its grip. When necessary, they shoot arrows with their bows or spit on it, whatever it takes. Apophis is defeated. The boat can continue on its way„, wrote Claude Helft in Egyptian Mythology. This battle is a daily reenactment of one from the distant past, when the serpent Apophis attacked Ra, the leader of the gods, being saved by other deities led by Seth, the god of storm and desert, none other than Enlil. Ra was Anu of the Mesopotamians or Bythos of the Gnostics, so we already know the reason why he was attacked by Apophis / Sophia. As for the Egyptians, since Ra represented the Sun, Apophis could only attack him in cosmic space, where he was defeated by Seth / Enlil. Later, when Apophis was replaced by Osiris, it was said that he was imprisoned in a box by Seth and thrown into the Nile. If we are still talking about the celestial Nile, then that box could be the body in which Sophia, or the proto-Earth, was imprisoned. As Osiris began to create life by growing a tree from the box in which he was imprisoned, Seth cut him into pieces and scattered them throughout Egypt, probably a reference to the collision between the two planets, which led to the formation of the Earth as we know it today.
According to Aztec codices, Ometeotl, an androgynous entity, emerged from darkness, creating itself out of nothingness. It gave birth to the first four gods: Quetzalcoatl, Xipe Totec, Huitzilpochtli and Tezcatlipoca. The four gods had difficulties trying to create the world because of the female crocodile Cipactli, who ate or destroyed everything they made. Her association with a reptile, like Tiamat, Apophis and Maha, indicates her identity: none other than Sophia of the Gnostics. Enraged, the four gods attacked Cipactli and killed her, making the world out of her corpse. Just like Marduk did with Tiamat in Enuma Elish (or Enlil in the original Sumerian myth). Terrestrial exile also appears in Aztec myths, which claimed that the god Quetzalcoatl hit Tezcatlipoca with a stone club, throwing him from the sky to Earth.
In Chinese mythology, Gonggong, the god of water, rebelled against the ruling gods. This human-faced god with red hair and a dragon body was eventually defeated by the god of fire. As fire was one of Enlil’s elements and Gonggong’s dragon body and association with water resembles Tiamat, we also have here the account of the first divine war.
In the Norse creation myth, Earth was made from the body of the giant Ymir (also known as Aurgelmir, Brimir or Blainn), killed by Odin and his brothers, a legend similar to the Babylonian and Aztec ones.
The myths of many ancient cultures speak of this war in heaven, in which a rebellious divinity was defeated. Enlil, trapped in the planet Jupiter, managed to stop Sophia from attracting more aeons into the material world, diminishing her power by destroying a large part of her body, the proto-Earth. Then, together with the aeons that were with him, he returned home to their original spiritual dimension. Sophia’s torn body continued to float in space around the Sun, alongside the bodies left behind by the aeons, the planets of our solar system. Perhaps Jesus referred to her inert body in the Gospel of Thomas, where he said: „Whoever has come to know the world has found a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world„. According to scientists, this happened about 4.5 billion years ago, when Earth resembled a massive fireball. Although defeated, Sophia was not dead. Wounded and weakened, deprived of the ability to attract her enemies into the material world and sentenced to eternal imprisonment, she had no choice but to lick her wounds in silence. Gradually, over an immense period of time, the Earth cooled down, escaping its infernal aspect. And at some point Sophia managed another „miracle”, meant to bring her long-awaited revenge: in her waters she created life.
Lasă un răspuns