But why not take the epic at face value, as nothing more nor less than the statement of cosmologic facts as known to the Sumerians, as told them by the Nefilim? Using such a bold and novel approach, we find that the "Epic of Creation" perfectly explains the events that probably took place in our solar system.
The stage on which the celestial drama of Enuma Elish unfolds is the primeval universe. The celestial actors are the ones who
create as well as the ones being created. Act I:
When in the heights Heaven had not been named,
And below, Earth had not been called;
Naught, but primordial APSU, their Begetter,
MUMMU, and TIAMAT - she who bore them all;
Their waters were mingled together.
No reed had yet formed, no marshland had appeared.
None of the gods had yet been brought into being,
None bore a name, their destinies were undetermined;
Then it was that gods were formed in their midst.
With a few strokes of the reed stylus upon the first clay tablet - in nine short lines - the ancient poet-chronicler manages to seat us in front row center, and boldly and dramatically raise the curtain on the most majestic show ever: the Creation of our solar system.
In the expanse of space, the "gods" - the planets - are yet to appear, to be named, to have their "destinies" - their orbits - fixed. Only three bodies exist: "primordial AP.SU" ("one who exists from the beginning"); MUM.MU ("one who was born"); and TIAMAT ("maiden of life"). The "waters" of Apsu and Tiamat were mingled, and the text makes it clear that it does not mean the waters in which reeds grow, but rather the primordial waters, the basic life-giving elements of the universe. Apsu, then, is the Sun, "one who exists from the beginning."
Nearest him is Mummu. The epic's narrative makes clear later on that Mummu was the trusted aide and emissary of Apsu: a good description of Mercury, the small planet rapidly running around his giant master. Indeed, this was the concept the ancient Greeks and Romans had of the god-planet Mercury: the fast messenger of the gods.
Farther away was Tiamat. She was the "monster" that Marduk later shattered - the "missing planet." But in primordial times she
was the very first Virgin Mother of the first Divine Trinity. The space between her and Apsu was not void; it was filled with the
primordial elements of Apsu and Tiamat. These "waters" "commingled," and a pair of celestial gods - planets - were formed in
the space between Apsu and Tiamat.
Their waters were mingled together. . . .
Gods were formed in their midst:
Gor LAHMU and god LAHAMU were brought forth;
By name they were called.
Etymologically, the names of these two planets stem from the root LHM ("to make war"). The ancients bequeathed to us the tradition that Mars was the God of War and Venus the Goddess of both .Love and War. LAHMU and LAHAMU are indeed male and female names, respectively; and the identity of the two gods of the epic and the planets Mars and Venus is thus affirmed both etymologically and mythologically. It is also affirmed astronomically: As the "missing planet," Tiamat was located beyond
Mars. Mars and Venus are indeed located in the space between the Sun (Apsu) and "Tiamat." We can illustrate this by following the Sumerian celestial map.
The process of the formation of the solar system then went on. Lahmu and Lahamu - Mars and Venus - were drought forth, but even
Before they had grown in age
And in stature to an appointed size -
God ANSHAR and god KISHAR were formed,
Surpassing them [in size].
As lengthened the days and multiplied the years,
God ANU became their son - of his ancestors a rival.
Then Anshar's first-born, Anu,
As his equal and in his image begot NUDIMMUD.
With a terseness matched only by the narrative's precision, Act I of the epic of Creation has been swiftly played out before our very eyes. We are informed that Mars and Venus were to grow only to a limited size; but even before their formation was complete, another pair of planets was formed. The two were majestic planets, as evidenced by their names - AN.SHAR ("prince, foremost of the heavens") and KI.SHAR ("foremost of the firm lands"). They overtook in size the first pair, "surpassing them" in stature. The description, epithets, and location of this second pair easily identify them as Saturn and Jupiter. Some time then passed ("multiplied the years"), and a third pair of planets was brought forth. First came ANU, smaller than Anshar and Kishar ("their son"), but larger than the first planets ("of his ancestors a rival" in size). Then Anu, in turn, begot a twin planet, "his equal and in his image." The Babylonian version names the planet NUDIMMUD, an epithet of Ea/Enki. Once again, the descriptions of the sizes and locations fit the next known pair of planets in our solar system, Uranus and Neptune. There was yet another planet to be accounted for among these outer planets, the one we call Pluto. The "Epic of Creation" has already referred to Anu as "Anshar's firstborn," implying that there was yet another planetary god "born" to Anshar/Saturn. The epic catches up with this celestial deity later on, when it relates how Anshar sent out his emissary GAGA on various missions to the other planets. Gaga appears in function and stature equal to Apsu's emissary Mummu; this brings to mind the many similarities between Mercury and Pluto. Gaga, then, was Pluto; but the Sumerians placed Pluto on their celestial map not beyond Neptune, but next to Saturn, whose "emissary," or satellite, it was.
As Act I of the "Epic of Creation" came to an end, there was a solar system made up of the Sun and nine planets:
SUN - Apsu, "one who existed from the beginning."
MERCURY - Mummu, counselor and emissary of Apsu.
VENUS - Lahamu, "lady of battles."
MARS - Lahmu, "deity of war."
?? - Tiamat, "maiden who gave life."
JUPITER - Kishar, "foremost of firm lands."
SATURN - Anshar, "foremost of the heavens."
PLUTO - Gaga, counselor and emissary of Anshar.
URANUS - Anu, "he of the heavens."
NEPTUNE - Nudimmud (Ea), "artful creator."
Where were Earth and the Moon? They were yet to be created, products of the forthcoming cosmic collision.
With the end of the majestic drama of the birth of the planets, the authors of the Creation epic now raise the curtain on Act II, on
a drama of celestial turmoil. The newly created family of planets was far from being stable. The planets were gravitating toward
each other; they were converging on Tiamat, disturbing and endangering the primordial bodies.
The divine brothers banded together;
They disturbed Tiamat as they surged back and forth.
They were troubling the "belly" of Tiamat
By their antics in the dwellings of heaven.
Apsu could not lessen their clamor;
Tiamat was speechless at their ways.
Their doings were loathsome. ...
Troublesome were their ways.
We have here obvious references to erratic orbits. The new planets "surged back and forth"; they got too close to each other ("banded together"); they interfered with Tiamat's orbit; they got too close to her "belly"; their "ways" were troublesome. Though it was Tiamat that was principally endangered, Apsu, too, found the planets' ways "loathsome." He announced his intention to "destroy, wreck their ways." He huddled with Mummu, conferred with him in secret. But "whatever they had plotted between them" was overheard by the gods, and the plot to destroy them left them speechless. The only one who did not lose his wits was Ea. He devised a ploy to "pour sleep upon Apsu." When the other celestial gods liked the plan, Ka "drew a faithful map of the universe" and cast a divine spell upon the primeval waters of the solar system.