fter God had created the Heavens and the birds to fly in them, the Seas and the fish to swim in them, and the Lands and the beasts to walk on them, he created Tiamat, the Great Mother, the first of all the Dragons.  Tiamat had the ability to become pregnant and give birth without a mate and so she brought forth alone the entire Draconian race.  The first of her sons was called Apsu who lived in the rivers and Fresh waters.  She then gave birth to Lachmu and Lachamu, who gave birth to Ansar and Kiser, who gave birth to Anu and Ea.  Apsu grew weary of listening to the commotion of the younger dragons and so he besought his mother Tiamat and asked her: "O Great Mother, Queen of All  Dragons, Founder of our Race, let us not be forever plagued with the jabbering and yammering of the lesser generations of dragons.  Let us slay them and regain the peace that was before they were."  At Apsu's words the Great Mother Tiamat grew fierce with rage and told Apsu that never would she condone the destruction of the very beings that drew their life from her.  Apsu fearing Tiamat’s anger fled from her and went to consult his brother Mummu.  Mummu was much of the same mind as his brother and together they begot a plan to slay the entirety of the younger generations and regain the quiet that existed before.  However, Ea, great-grandson of Tiamat, the Great Mother, heard of their plan and called the first Grand Council of the Dragons.  There it was decided that Ea, who was the first of the Dragons to learn of the mystical arts, would cast a powerful spell on Apsu and Mummu and stop their evil plan.  So Ea went unto Apsu and Mummu and cast upon them a spell of Sleep Everlasting.  After this was done Ea was overcome by grief that he should have had to do such a thing to ones who were his relatives.  In mourning he retreated to the Marshes with his faithful wife Damkina to a place that he called Apsu in honor of his great-uncle.  It is because of this retreat of Ea, the first magic worker, that to this day all dragons who learn the mystic arts seek the solitude of lonely places.

hortly after Ea cast his spell, Huber, sister of Apsu and Mummu, grew wroth at the younger dragons who sent her brothers to eternal slumbers.  She created from the river waters her brother Apsu so recently abided in, creatures of fearsome visage.  Of the fresh waters she created giant snakes with venom in the stead of blood, cloaked monsters that bore mantles of radiance, a horned serpent, a mushussu, a lahmu-hero, an ugallu-demon, a rabid dog, a scorpion-man, umu-demons, a fish-man, a bull-man, and the deadliest of them all Qingu, her champion.  The Dragons were much afraid of Hubur and her army and wondered how such mighty foes could be defeated.  Tiamat, seeing that the race that she brought forth was in mortal peril, summoned the greatest hero of the dragons to fight the evil forces of Huber.  The great hero Marduk answered her call.  Marduk, son of Ea and Damkina, born to them in Apsu-on-the-Marshes, strode forth and said “I shall challenge Hubur and her army, I shall fight and defeat her champion Qingu, I shall restore peace to the Dragons.”  And with these mighty words Marduk went forth with Tiamat’s blessing to do battle with Qingu and Hubur.

fter a battle which lasted seven days and seven nights Marduk defeated Qingu and all of Hubur’s mighty army.  Seeing she was defeated Hubur ran into the mountains and wept in shame.  She wept so greatly that two rivers flowed from her eyes.  Men called one of these rivers the Tigris and the other the Euphrates and began great civilizations betwixt them.  In is in one of these civilizations that our next chapter begins.

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