The Rolling Stone
"Well, I couldn't say. I'm only retelling the story as it was passed down to me."
"…Fine. Sorry for cutting you off. Keep going."
When Inanna nodded, Sunya continued.
"They say the storms Marduk unleashed threw the world into chaos. The younger gods, struggling even to go about their daily lives, decided he had to be stopped — so they went to Tiamat, hoping to persuade her to rein him in."
"Why bother? Couldn't they just go to Grandpa An or Grandpa Enki and settle it?"
"My guess is the story is really a metaphor for a power struggle. There may well have been genuine trouble because of Marduk, but more than that, they used it as a pretext to drag Tiamat into the conflict and reshape the balance of power. By then, An and Enki already held dominion over the gods."
As he spoke, Sunya rubbed the back of his head with one hand.
"But the younger gods weren't exactly gifted with words. They said things like, 'Are you just going to sit still the way you did when your husband died?' — and that struck a nerve. Enraged, Tiamat transformed into a colossal dragon and set out to annihilate the gods, leading eleven monstrous beasts."
Bashmu, the venomous serpent.
Mushmahhe, the noble serpent.
Mushhushshu, the furious serpent.
Ushumgallu, the great dragon.
Lahmu, the shaggy one.
Ugallu, the storm-beast.
Uridimmu, the howling dog.
Umu Dabrutu, the violent storm.
Girtablilu, the scorpion-man.
Kulullu, the fish-man.
Kusarikku, the bison-man.
"They were called beasts, but their power rivaled that of the high gods themselves. And leading them was Tiamat's son, a being named Kingu."
Kingu wore the Tablet of Destinies like armor, rendering every attack the gods could muster utterly useless. Faced with such overwhelming might and presence, even the most arrogant among the gods trembled in fear.
But once Marduk entered the fray in earnest, the tide of war shifted. He slew or subdued all eleven beasts, and Kingu — who had seemed immortal — was torn apart by sheer force, his defenses from the Tablet of Destinies ripped open and shredded. Even Tiamat herself, called the Primordial Sea and set apart from every other god by her very nature, was rent limb from limb when Marduk unleashed his seven winds against her.
In time, Tiamat's body became the foundation of the world itself — the rivers, the earth, the sky, all said to have been fashioned from her flesh.
"And that," Sunya finished, "is the story of this world's origins."
"…I've never heard any of this."
Seeing the puzzled look on Inanna's face, Sunya added an explanation.
"Tiamat herself appears to have been real. I've heard that the Underworld is the place closest to her heart — her source."
"What? I've never heard a word of that."
"They say the younger gods know little of it, save for Lady Ereshkigal and the beings of the Underworld. The others keep quiet about it for reasons of their own. As for Marduk, even the Underworld's denizens seem largely ignorant. They only know that the gods killed Tiamat."
"Those old men would never keep something like this to themselves. The fact that I don't know means there's something shady about it."
"As I always say, stories get distorted in the telling — sometimes twisted into something entirely different. Myths especially. So please, take it as entertainment. Don't put too much faith in it."
"No. This doesn't feel like simple rumor to me. My gut says otherwise. So what happened to Marduk after that?"
"That part I couldn't find out. There are a few minor myths, but after he defeated Tiamat, Marduk barely appears in the stories at all — as if he never existed in the first place."
"That's it! Those old fossils keep quiet about this because of that Marduk guy!"
Inanna's eyes lit up. She had expected a creation story to be dull, but it had turned out surprisingly gripping. Part of her even hoped it was true — simply because it would be more fun that way.
"Anyway, you've covered the origin of the world. Now tell me what comes next. Is there anything about me?"
"Of course there is. If anything, Lady Inanna is the closest thing the myths have to a protagonist."
Just then, someone approached them as they walked across the sky.
"Inanna?"
At the familiar voice, Inanna turned. Her mother Ningal and her father Nanna had spotted them and were coming over. The couple often went out for walks, so running into them was hardly strange. The sky was wide open, after all — nowhere to hide.
"I never thought I'd see you out for an ordinary stroll."
Ningal covered her mouth with her hand, looking startled.
"And who is this beside you?"
Nanna turned his gaze on Sunya.
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Sunya, bound to Lady Inanna as her husband — though we have not yet held a formal ceremony. Haha…"
Sunya offered a polite smile.
"This is the husband I told you about! Handsome, right?"
"Ah… but wasn't he said to be imprisoned in the Underworld?"
At Nanna's question, Sunya answered readily.
"My sister-in-law was kind enough to look favorably on me. She released me without hesitation, and so I was able to reunite with your daughter."
"That child did?"
"So you were the one!"
Leaving Nanna's confusion behind, Ningal stepped forward and seized Sunya's hands, shaking them with open delight.
"You should have heard how much she boasted about you."
"Did she, now?"
"I know full well that Inanna's recent quiet spell is all thanks to our son-in-law. Because of you, we've finally been able to stretch our legs and rest easy!"
"Haha…"
Momentarily at a loss for words, Sunya managed an awkward smile.
"If you don't mind my asking — what is it that you do?"
"Mother!"
Inanna shouted at Ningal's question. Sunya himself, however, answered without hesitation.
"I'm embarrassed to say it, but I'm nothing more than an idle wanderer. I don't particularly do anything."
"Ah…"
Ningal was briefly speechless. She was a mother, after all — and the news that her son-in-law was unemployed left her with nothing to say.
As the atmosphere grew suddenly uncomfortable, Inanna's brows twitched.
"He may not have a job, but you should hear how well he speaks! He's so brilliant that humans call him a sage. And he's strong, too — a fantastic fighter —"
Sunya laid a hand on Inanna's shoulder. She frowned for a moment, then met his eyes and closed her mouth.
Nanna and Ningal watched in astonishment. Their daughter was a wild thing no one could rein in — and yet this man quieted her with nothing more than a touch. They could only marvel.
"It is true that I am a man of many shortcomings. But my feelings for Lady Inanna are sincere. To me, she is as precious as my own heart. There may be little of grandeur I can offer her — but I strive every day so that she will never regret choosing me."
There was nothing particularly grand in the words, and yet they carried a force that was hard to name, sinking deep into the heart. Inanna, standing beside him, found herself moved by his sincerity as well.
"…Ahem. Standing here talking like this is a bit awkward. Shall we move somewhere else?"
Nanna lowered his voice, trying to project gravity. But his youthful features and gentle air lent him no real authority. Put unkindly, he looked rather like a child putting on airs.
Regardless, they made their way to Nanna's palace. Seated across a table, they poured wine. Sunya and Inanna had eaten not long before, but it was no great matter.
"Who are your parents, young man?"
Nanna's abrupt question about parentage had a certain old-fashioned stiffness to it, but that was simply how things were. In that age, lineage mattered far more than it ever would in the twenty-first century.
It was a distinctly disadvantageous question — yet once again, Sunya answered without hesitation, telling the truth.
"Due to certain circumstances, I do not remember my parents well."
"You don't remember them?"
What god in the world did not know his own parents? Nanna's brow furrowed. He was every bit the father — the expression called Inanna and Ereshkigal both to mind.
"Not that you cannot speak of them, but that you do not remember?"
"Yes. It is a shameful truth, but I felt I owed my father-in-law honesty."
"…Very well. Setting that aside — how did you meet our daughter?"
"I was living at the summit of Mount Ebih when Lady Inanna arrived to destroy the mountain. We met then, and through the many conversations that followed, we grew close — and arrived at the relationship we share now."
"Surprisingly ordinary."
Ningal spoke. Given how her daughter had carried on as if she would die without him, she had expected something far more extraordinary.
"Then tell me — what is it about our daughter that you like so much?"