Enuma Elish
A Babylonian creation myth from the late 2nd millennium BCE, recovered from the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh.
Enuma Elish is the Noble Phantasm of Enkidu, where they transform their own body into a Divine Construct to fire a giant amount of energy that pierces and binds the opponent in one hit. Originally, Enkidu was a weapon dispatched by the gods to restore Gilgamesh to the heavens, and this Noble Phantasm is the reason Enkidu can manifest as a Lancer-class Servant. Since Enkidu draws its power from the Counter Force, its power is increased in response to things that threaten the destruction of the planet or Humanity.
Quick Facts
- Activation requirement
- Using the divine sword Ea
- Primary function
- World Severing; Reality Reshaping
Lore & Background
Over the seven tablets, Enūma Eliš describes the creation of the world, a battle between gods focused on the offering to Marduk, the creation of man destined for the service of the Mesopotamian deities, and it ends with a long passage praising Marduk. The rise of Marduk is generally viewed to have started from the Second Dynasty of Isin, triggered by the return of the statue of Marduk from Elam by Nebuchadnezzar I, although a late Kassite date is also sometimes proposed. It may have been recited during the Akitu festival. Some late Assyrian versions replace Marduk with Ashur. The earliest manuscript of the myth was excavated from Assur and dated to the 9th century BCE, though may have been recited as part of oral tradition prior to this date.
Reader's Guide
Clay tablets containing inscriptions relating to analogues of biblical stories were discovered by A. H. Layard, Hormuzd Rassam, and George Smith in the ruins of the Palace and Library of Ashurbanipal (668–626 BCE) during excavations at the mound of Kuyunjik, Nineveh (near Mosul) between 1848 and 1876. Smith worked through Rassam's find of around 20,000 fragments from 1852, and identified references to the kings Shalmaneser II, Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and other rulers mentioned in the Bible.
Furthermore, he discovered versions of a Babylonian deluge myth (see Gilgamesh flood myth), as well as creation myths. On examination it became clear that the Assyrian myths were drawn from or similar to the Babylonian ones. By 1875 Smith had returned and began publishing accounts of these discoveries in the Daily Telegraph from 4 March 1875. Smith speculated that the creation myth might originally have spanned at least nine or ten tablets.
In 1898, the trustees of the British Museum ordered publication of a collection of all the Assyrian and Babylonian creation texts held by them, a work which was undertaken by L. W. King. King concluded that the creation myth as known in Nineveh was originally contained on seven tablets. This collection was published 1901 as Part XIII of Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum. King published his own translations and notes in two volumes with additional material 1902 as The Seven Tablets of Creation, or the Babylonian and Assyrian Legends concerning the creation of the world and of mankind.
Did You Know?
- Enūma Eliš has about a thousand lines and is recorded in Akkadian on seven clay tablets, each holding between 115 and 170 lines of Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform script.
- Most of Tablet V has never been recovered, but aside from this lacuna, the text is almost complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Enuma Elish?
Enuma Elish is Gilgamesh's ultimate Noble Phantasm, named after the Babylonian creation epic. It manifests as a massive golden gate that opens to unleash a torrent of light capable of erasing existence.
How does Enuma Elish function in battle?
Unlike standard weapons, this Anti-World artifact rewrites reality by returning all matter within its range to nothingness. Its activation requires Gilgamesh to open the Gate of Babylon to its absolute limit.
What happens when Enuma Elish is fully activated?
Upon activation, a golden gate appears in the sky and releases a beam that rewrites reality, effectively resetting the world to a state before creation. This process threatens to erase the entire battlefield and everything within it from existence.
Is Enuma Elish a physical weapon or something else?
It is not a conventional blade but a conceptual authority that functions as a reality-rewriting tool. Its power stems from its connection to the origin of creation, allowing it to undo the fabric of the world itself.
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