it was created by portioning out sections of the slayed corpse of Tiamat. An act of destruction must preceed an act of creation. Later, Marduk says, Let one, their brother, be given to me. Let him be destroyed so that people can be fashioned. Here, humankind is created through the act of killing the rebellious god Quingu. Perhaps, being created in such a way, human life was tainted from the beginning, requiring them to suffer the same destructive act by which they were created. This is the fate of mankind.Everythings gotta die. In early Mesopotamia death must have been prevalent. It must have come often and unpredictably. The Tablet of Destinies, upon which (it is assumed), the time of death for every person was established, seems to get passed around alot. In the Enuma Elish, it is given to Quingu by Tiamat, and is eventually retrieved by Marduk who presents it to Anu. Traditionally, it was supposed to reside in the netherworld with Ereshkigal. Yet, In Ishtar Queen of Heaven, it is Ishtar in collaboration with Anu, Enlil, and Ea, who decree destinies. Now, in establishing a destiny, the time of death would necessarily be included. Or perhaps not. In Gilgamesh, Utanapishtim tells the despondent hero, the Annunaki, the Great Gods (in which Ishtar, Anu, Enlil, and Ea are included), assembled. Mammetum (Earth Mother), she who fashions destiny, determined destiny with them. They established Death and Life, but they did not make known the days of death. Well, whether through the conflicts of the gods or simply by its ommission, The time of a persons death cannot be known. In Gilgamesh, No one can see death, no one can hear the voice of death, yet there is a savage death that snaps off mankind. No fair! Good people die! In Gilgamesh, Enkidu is fated to die for transgressions in the eyes of the gods that he committed with Gilgamesh. Enkidu did not actually commit any of these acts (I did not kill the cedar!), but nonetheless it is he who bea...
