All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

The Fall of the Rebel Angels

Epic Cosmic Battles and the Forces of Creation and Destruction in Belief Systems around the World

Print

Stories of epic cosmic battles can be found in many world cultures. In these battles, the lines are often drawn clearly, with the forces of good on one side and the forces of evil on the other. For some cultures, the cosmic battle began at the beginning of time, and is responsible for the order of things as they are in the present. On the other hand, there are also battles set in the future, events that have not come to pass, but which may materialize at some point in time.

The ancient Mesopotamians believed that a cosmic battle of epic proportions took place at the dawn of creation. This story is recorded in the Epic of Creation, known also as the Enûma Eliš, which are the opening words of the epic. According to the myth, two primeval forces, Apsu, representing fresh water, and Tiamat, representing sea water, existed at the beginning of time. From these two gods sprang lesser gods. The resulting noise made by these younger gods caused great annoyance to Apsu and Tiamat. Although Apsu desired to kill his children, Tiamat was against his plan. This resulted in the slaying of Apsu by his children, who were led by Ea. Ea then became the chief god, and had a son, Marduk, who was given the winds to play with. This caused great annoyance to Tiamat and some of the gods still residing in her. These gods persuaded Tiamat to wage war on Ea and his supporters. As the other gods were unable to deal with Tiamat, Marduk offered to save them, provided that he was allowed to remain as their leader after the primeval goddess was defeated. A battle ensued between Marduk and Tiamat, in which the latter was slain. Additionally, Tiamat’s new husband, Qingu, was killed as well, and his body used to create the earth. Finally, Qingu’s blood was used to create mankind, who were tasked with doing the work of the gods.

The Sun God battles the Chaos Monster. Ancient Mesopotamian religion speaks of Enûma Eliš, the Epic of Creation

The Sun God battles the Chaos Monster. Ancient Mesopotamian religion speaks of Enûma Eliš, the Epic of Creation. Credit: Wikipedia

Similar stories of cosmic battles at the origin of time are present in the ‘war in Heaven’, as found in Christianity and Judaism, as well as the Titanomachy in Greek mythology. These battles served to explain the reason for the existing state of things. Yet, creation as a result of a cosmic battle is just one side of the coin. On the side, are the believers in a great cosmic battle that may one day destroy the human race.

Michael casts out the rebel angels, from Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’.

Michael casts out the rebel angels, from Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’. Credit: Wikimedia.

The most famous of these battles can perhaps be found in the Bible’s Book of Revelation. According to a literal interpretation of the book, there will be a great battle between good and evil at Armageddon, understood by some to mean the site of Meggido, an actual place in the Levant. According to this belief, the forces of evil will be defeated, and the devil will be thrown into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. After this time has passed, the devil will return to Earth, gather his army, and wage war against God for one last time. After the devil’s defeat, he will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and a new era of peace under God’s rule will commence. A similar apocalyptic battle can be found in the Norse Ragnarok, in which many of the Norse gods will be killed, and the world submerged in water. Like the Book of Revelation, Ragnarok is not the end, but a prerequisite for a brighter future, as some of the gods will survive, a new world will arise, and it will be repopulated with people.

The downfall of the Æsir

"The downfall of the Æsir". The heavens split and the "Sons of Múspell" ride forth upon the Æsir at Ragnarö. The Norse apocalyptic battle, Ragnarok. Credit: Wikimedia

To conclude, epic cosmic battles can be found in many cultures, as they help explain the world as it is, or provide a message of hope for people. Stories of such battles inherited from our ancestors will continue to be told, and new stories will be made by our society. The popularity of such works as The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, which contain epic battles fought between good and evil is proof that mankind continues to be enthralled by such tales.  

Featured image: The Fall of the Rebel Angels. Credit: Wikipedia

References

Højbjerg, M., 2014. Ragnarok in Norse Mythology. [Online]
Available at: http://www.viking-mythology.com/ragnarok.php

Morris M, 2014. 10 Universal Myths Of The Ancient World. [Online]
Available at: http://listverse.com/2014/01/16/10-universal-myths-of-the-ancient-world/

Myths from Mesopotamia, [Dalley, S. (trans.), 2000. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford: Oxford University Press.]

The Bible: Standard King James Version, 2014. [Online]
Available at: http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

Wikipedia, 2014. Armageddon. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon

Wikipedia, 2014. Enûma Eliš. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En%C3%BBma_Eli%C5%A1

Wikipedia, 2014. Ragnarök. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6k

By Ḏḥwty

 

Comments

My favorite is in the Zoroasterian myths. I find some of the myths as in the Bible that blames the female too patriarchal, so the woman is considered to be evil. In the Avesta, Ohrmazd asked his children if they would be willing to come into this world to fight Ahriman. The covenant allowed Ahriman 9000 years to have influence in this world. This story solves my question....if God is good and all powerful, why is evil in this world. We are given a time for free will, to choose and to have wisdom of good and evil

Indeed, the vedic battle are very important, I expected to find them here.

But it makes you wonder..When I first heard about the vedic battles, I wondered  what really happened. Later on I heard about the skeletons they found in India and I  read about cosmic battles in almost every corner of the wold.

If you take this all together and the Sumerian "stories", wow.

Could it happen again, if indeed something happened.?

As they say here in the Netherlands...there is no smoke without a fire...

Sunny Young

so where are the aliens now?

rbflooringinstall's picture

They are probably all battles fought by aliens for the control and future of mankind.

Peace and Love,

Ricky.

the most important epic battles are not even mentioned here, you should have researched some vedic battles before posting this article

dhwty's picture

Wu

Wu Mingren (‘Dhwty’) has a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Archaeology. Although his primary interest is in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, he is also interested in other geographical regions, as well as other time periods.... Read More

Next article