Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

TIAMAT

Literally, the "Dragon of Bitter Waters", Tiamat is the Babylonian/Sumerian dragon Goddess of the chaos of the primal ocean.

Tiamat is a powerful creative force (for she gave birth to the first gods and is the mother of all that exists), and can be a patient and just one (for she did not initially side with Apsu to attack the younger gods, her children, for their insolence, but advised that the older gods wait to see what transpired).

However, she is vengeful. Upon the murder of her consort Apsu by the younger god Ea, she made monsters, and waged war upon the upstart gods. Upon her defeat by Marduk, her body was split in order to make the world.

According to the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation myth, Marduk cleaved her body in half, and from the upper half he created the sky and from the lower half he made the earth. Her tears became the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates.

She is associated with the west.

see also: GODDESS

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc

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