Prometheus and Enûma Elish

8/9/2019 Prometheus and Enma Elish

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Section 008, Jason Simpson, pg. 1

David Leeming wrote a book describing the different types of creation myths that exist in

many ancient c!tres, separated into five grops bt with room for variance and crossover. "ne

of these is the wor!d parent type, which is shown in the #aby!onian $n%ma $!i& as we!! as the

'010 science fiction movie,Prometheus. (he wor!d parent myth can be represented as two gods

who are separated, creating the wor!d, or as a sing!e god whose body is separated into the

e!ements of the wor!d) bothPrometheusand the $n%ma $!i& show the !ater. $ven with the basic

*p!ot+ of the stories being simi!ar to the archetypa! creation, they are different in near!y every

other aspect. hi!e both movie and text are centered on the *wor!d parent+ myth,Prometheus is

more oriented on the re!ationship between hmans and their creators, -e.g. are yo !ike s, why

did yo create s, why did yo change yor mind/, whi!e the $n%ma $!i& is abot the

circmstances of the creation of hmanity and the importance of the creators to the created.

Leeming emphasied the vio!ent dismemberment being *trned into the varios order!y

e!ements of creation.+1(he ordered wor!d is created from the remnants of chaos.Prometheusis

abot the search for the *gods+, or more accrate!y, the beings who created hmanity. (he initia!

scene shows a sing!e member of the $ngineers, what the characters ca!! those who created

hmans, standing at the top of a waterfa!!. e ingests a b!ack !i2id and disintegrates, fa!!ing into

the waterfa!!. e see his D34 rewriting and ce!!s dividing, sggesting the initia! creation of

hmans.'(he fact that he is destroyed in the process of creating hmans corre!ates with the

#aby!onian creation myth. 5n the $n%ma $!i&, (i6mat is dismembered by 7ardk and *ha!f of

her he set in p!ace and formed the sky -therewith/ as a roof+, ths creating the earth and defining

its !imits.Later, in a response to a re2est for !enience from the servant gods, $a ki!!s 9ing

1 David 4. Leeming, Creation Myths of the World-Santa #arbara: 4#;


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Section 008, Jason Simpson, pg. '

-(i6mat@s !over/ and *with his b!ood they created mankind.+A(he creation of the wor!d begins

with a war between gods, and the !oosing !eaders are destroyed in order to create. Later in

Prometheus,the transition from chaotic to ordered is visa!!y shown when the scientists !eave

their c!ean ship for a strctre fi!!ed with a!ien bodies and monsters.B(hey see the !ife that

existed withot hmans in the chaos of the p!anet. 4nother common motif in the wor!d parent

creation myth is the mixing of b!ood or water with something e!se. 5nPrometheus, the rebi!ding

of D34 does not begin nti! the a!ien has fa!!en into the water. 5n the $n%ma $!i&, $a !itera!!y

ses the b!ood of 9ing as the starting materia! for hmanity.

4side from the motifs of dismemberment and b!ood re2irement, there are few other

simi!arities betweenPrometheusand the $n%ma $!i&. "ne difference is the existence of the time

that the $arth was created and by whom. (he gods of the $n%ma $!i& existed *when above the

heaven had not -yet/ been named, -4nd/ be!ow the earth had not -yet/ been ca!!ed by a name+.C

Simi!ar to the reek Eantheon, the #aby!onian gods existed before the creation of the wor!d, and

they were the ones who created it. 5nPrometheus, the *gods+ were a!iens who simp!y created

hmans, and the $arth was there before the a!iens arrived, thogh the initia! scene co!d be

ambigos. $ither the a!iens arrived, created hmans and !eft, or they arrived and created the

$arth, !eaving direct!y after creating hmans. 4nother difference is the re!ationship between

hmans and gods. 5n the $n%ma $!i&, the gods created hmans to serve them. $a on!y ki!!ed

9ing after the other servant gods comp!ained abot their work. 5n Prometheus, there is no

exp!anation for the creation of hmans, bt there appeared to be no expectation for servitde.

A 5bid, ?5.

BPrometheus, directed by =id!ey Scott.

C $n%ma $!i&, 5.1


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Section 008, Jason Simpson, pg.

(he a!iens even !eave soon after creating hmanity. hen the grop of scientists fina!!y meet

their creators, they are trying to ki!! hmanity) they have changed their minds abot hmans.F

Leeming described five basic types of creation myths, bt, as shown in the comparison

betweenPrometheusand the $n%ma $!i&, even two myths that are in the same category are very

different in what they portray and why.Prometheusis more focsed on the individa!

connections to the creators. (he scientists and passengers on the Gorney each have different

2estions for the $ngineers and different motives for going on the trip. (he $n%ma $!i& is

centered on the combined participation in serving the gods that are far more powerf! than

hmans. (here is a psh towards a sing!ar po!itico


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Section 008, Jason Simpson, pg. A

#ib!iography

Enma Eli. (rans!ated by 4!exander eide!. ;hicago: (he Hniversity of ;hicago Eress, 1IC.

Leeming, David 4. Creation Myths of the World. Santa #arbara: 4#;

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Prometheus and Enûma Elish