The Role Of Tiamat In Beowulf
I know we read in the lecture about the fall of the matriarchal society, and I recall noticing a theme with a similar effect in Beowulf. However, the brash display seen in the Enuma Elish surprised me. The background stated that Tiamat had been previously known as the loving mother who was the ruler of the universe, implying that she was beloved by her people and accepted as a mother figure (4-5). Though, by the end of the myth, it is clear tides for her had changed. Tiamat’s death is gruesome; Marduk not only causes her to blow up like a balloon, but he also crushes her legs, mutilates her skull, and “divide[s] Tiamat’s body into two parts like a shellfish,” all of which show that she is being, not only dethroned, but dehumanized (9-10).