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Apsû

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Primordial waters and divine progenitor in Enuma Elish.

Enuma Elish tablet K.3473, from Nineveh, Neo-Assyrian period; British Museum. A witness to the poem’s transmission, not its first composition
Enuma Elish tablet K.3473, from Nineveh, Neo-Assyrian period; British Museum. A witness to the poem’s transmission, not its first compositionZunkir / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SALicense · Image source

Text

In Enuma ElishEnuma ElishBabylonian Akkadian composition celebrating Marduk’s elevation and cosmic/divine ordering. Human creation is in VI, Nibiru in VII; a Tablet I reference cannot document those passages.Glossary · Click to read the explanation, Apsû is a divine progenitor associated with primordial waters. He plans to destroy the younger gods to silence their disturbance, and EaEnkiMesopotamian deity associated with deep fresh water, wisdom and Eridu, known as Ea in Akkadian tradition. The earliest preserved written mention does not date his cult’s origin or identify Ubaid Eridu’s deity.Glossary · Click to read the explanation acts against him. The name also designates deep waters and Ea’s dwelling; context matters when distinguishing deity and cosmic location. The tablet illustrates textual transmission, not Apsû’s appearance. [1]

References and notes

  1. The seven-Tablet translation was read in full; used for the ancient narrative with checks against a recent edition. The whole book was not read; this is not the latest critical edition. Alexander Heidel, The Babylonian Genesis, 2nd ed. (1951), pp. 18–60; Tablets I–VII Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 12 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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IL Archive, «Apsû», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/apsu