which En-lil holds in his
possession. Whoever has these tablets is invincible. But En-lil is
unable to resist the attack of Zu. The tablets are taken away from him,
and it is left for Marduk to recapture them. The tablets once in
Marduk's possession, En-lil's supremacy comes to an end, and the triumph
of Marduk is complete. To substantiate this interpretation of the myth,
an analysis of the text is necessary. The beginning of the story is
unfortunately missing. It appears to have been devoted to a
glorification of the god who controls the fate of the universe. The
second column opens as follows:

And the oracles of all the gods he determined.

From the context it is clear that Bel of Nippur is meant. Up to this
point, the myth reflects the old view according to which it was En-lil
who succeeded in overcoming Tiamat or at any rate, in snatching the
tablets of fate from the breast of Kingu. Nippur's god lays claim to
being the one who established 'order' in the universe. His authority
could only be threatened if he were robbed of the tablets which
symbolize absolute control over the course of affairs. Zu boldly
attempts this:

His eyes saw the mark of rulership,
The crown of his[1072] sovereignty, the garment of his[1072] divinity.
Zu saw the divine tablets of fate.
He looked at the father of the gods, the god of Dur-an-ki,[1073]
Desire for rulership seizes hold of his heart.[1074]
'I will take the tablets of the gods
And decree the decisions [of all the gods.]
I will establish my throne, I will proclaim laws.
I will give all orders to all the Igigi.'

Zu proceeds to the dwelling-place of En-lil and waits for a favorable
moment to make an attack.

His heart was bent on the contest.
With his gaze directed toward the entrance of the dwelling,[1075] he
awaits for the beginning of day.
As En-lil poured forth the brilliant waters,
Took his seat on his throne and put on his crown,
He[1076] snatched the tablets of fate out of his hands,
Seized the authority--the promulgation of laws.
Thereupon Zu flew off and hid himself in his mountain.

On seal cylinders a god is frequently pictured pouring forth streams of
water from jars placed on his shoulders. This is generally the sun-god,
but the symbol also seems to belong to other deities[1077] and is
appropriate to Bel of Nippur, who as the god of the atmosphere above the
earth, controls the upper waters. As long as these are poured o