Dragons of the Cosmos: Timeless Chaos

Dragons of the Cosmos are a part of the fabric of the Universe. According to many myths, these Dragons have either created the world or plotted to destroy it. They have an intense unbounded energy to accomplish their aims. Because of the danger They pose, these dragons are best to be avoided. Moreover, Cosmos Dragons only have relations with the Gods, and usually ignore humans.

The Great Mother Dragon, Tiamat of Babylon (pictured above) is one of the best known of the Cosmos Dragons. As the Creator, She formed the first Heaven and Earth with Her Body. Tiamat is also called the Lady of the Primeval Chaos, who avenges her spouse’s murder. According to Babylonian myth, She tried to rid the Earth of both Gods and humans, and nearly succeeded.

Mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, the Leviathan is another world destroyer. According to the prophet Isaiah, the Leviathan will run amok during the Final Days. Middle Eastern lore says that the God of the Old Testament created two Leviathans. Because He realized that the Two together would destroy the Earth, God had to kill the Mate. When upset, the surviving Leviathan will cause devastating tidal waves. To console Em (Leviathan is multi-gendered), God plays with Em at sunset every day.

According to Norse lore, Jormungand, the World Serpent is the offspring of Loki, the Trickster God and Angrboda, the Giantess. (His siblings are Hel, the Queen of the Underworld and Fenrir, the Wolf.) To prevent Jormungand from destroying the earth, Odin, the All Father, threw this dragon into the sea to contain Him. Encircling the world, Jormungand lays on the bottom of the sea and plots his revenge. Every time that He considers the injustices done to Him, Jormungand writhes thereby causing tidal waves and earthquakes. At Ragnarok, Jormungand will flood the land in seeking his vengeance on the Gods.

The sworn enemy of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God, Apep is the Dragon of Destruction and Chaos. When Ra goes go forth in his solar barge, Apep tries to kill Him, but is usually thwarted by Ra’s allies. On the few times that Apep appears to be successful, a solar eclipse occurs.

Dragon of the Cosmos are dangerous to people. If you think that you may encounter one, be prepared to offer the Cosmos Dragon, gold, silver, or platinum. Then praise Them, “Oh, Great Dragon of the Central Cosmos, Great Dragon, upon You rest the bones of the Universe. I exalt You.” In addition, people who have Sturgeon or Sperm Whale as their animal teachers can call upon these animals for help, as well. It is best to avoid Cosmos Dragons all together. These Dragons do have the wisdom of divine knowledge, but They keep it to Themselves.

Because They threaten the Order which is maintained by the Gods, Cosmos Dragons embody the attributes of chaos. When these Dragons communicate, They do so by lightning, tidal waves, and earthquakes. This alone creates havoc on the earth and elsewhere. In myths, They are the creators and the destroyers of worlds. Cosmos Dragons are indeed The Beings of the Timeless Chaos.

Babylonian Creation Myth retold for Modern Times: The Mobsters (1991) (part 1 of 2)

Rothstein (F. Murray Abraham) and Luciano (Christian Slater)

In the Babylonian Creation Myth (Enuma Ellish), the world is first created by the two original Gods – Apsu of the Sweet Water and Tiamat of the Salt Water. These Gods mingled their waters and gave birth to the next generation of Gods. Chaffing under the rule of Apsu and Tiamat, these “New” Gods decide kill Them. After the murder of Apsu, her mate, Tiamat wages war against Them. In desperation, the leaders of the “New” Gods, Anu, Enlil, and Enki seek out Marduk, the principal God of the Babylonians for his help. He, only, agrees to fight Tiamat, if They will make Him their ruler. Then after defeating Tiamat, Marduk remakes the world from her body, and assumes leadership over all the Gods.

 The Babylonians recited this myth every New Year, reminding themselves of their place in the universe. The subtext of the creation myth is that other peoples (including the Sumerians) ruled Mesopotamia before the coming of the Babylonians. After constant warfare by the others, the Babylonians came to establish law and order in the region. Mesopotamia was then recreated into a Babylonian construct.

 The movie, “Mobsters” (Michael Kabankoff, 1991), tells a similar story. Obviously, it is about the rise of Charles (Lucky) Luciano from a poor Sicilian immigrant to the boss of the new National Commission of the American mob. Although the film purports to depict an historical person and his deeds, the director and writer instead chose to only highlight certain elements of his life, and omit others. Moreover, they also added fictional elements to highlight their plot points. The result was a mythic retelling of Luciano as Marduk.

 At first glance, the pairing of the activities of American mobsters in the 1920s to the Creation Epic of the Babylonians seems absurd. However, there are subtle similarities such as two original bosses ruling the criminal underworld of New York City. Furthermore, the subtext of both are the same – the overthrow of the old order, a period of disarray, and finally the establishment of the new order. The original world that Luciano inhabits is ruled by two Sicilian bosses – Joe Masseria and Salavatore Faranzano. Like Tiamat and Apsu, these two bosses spawn other bosses, who chafe under their rule. Fearing usurpation, Masseria and Faranzano kill off the others first. The war between the two finally ends when Luciano kills them both, and recreates the Mob as his own construct.

 In both stories, ethnicity is stressed since new groups of peoples are moving in to replace the original groups. This is implied in the Babylonian epic with the Gods of the Sumerians becoming ruled by the Gods of the Babylonians. In Luciano’s world, Arnold Rothstein, who is Jewish, is the middle generation of bosses. Like Anu, Rothstein takes the next generation under his wing. He grooms the mixed ethnic group of Luciano, Frank Costello (Sicilian), Meyer Lansky (Russian Jew), and Bugsy Siegel (Ukrainian Jew) to be the future bosses.

Archetypes in Myths: Babylonian and Meso-American Creation

Tiamat and Marduk

Marduk and Tiamat (Assyrio-Babylonian)

Read Myth at Myth Encyclopedia (new window) 

This myth explains how the present world was created. The original “primordial” Beings, Tiamat and Apsu (both Dragons) were overthrown by the “New Gods.” Chaffing against the rule of these two Beings, the “New Gods” seek to kill both. Angered over Apsu’s death, Tiamat became the Destroyer, leading her army of monsters. Meanwhile, the Sun God, Marduk, becomes both Rebel and Hero, after agreeing to fight Her. Rebelling against Tiamat’s rule, He kills and dismembers Her, creating the present world from her body. Then, Marduk, the Creator, assumes the Rulership as well.

Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca

Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca (Meso-American)

Read Myth at Quetzalcoatl (new window) 
 
This myth explains how the present world was created. The Gods, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, became Dragons to kill the Earth Monster, who was the Destroyer. These two Gods could be considered Warriors since They stopped Tlaltecuhtli (Earth Monster) from creating more destruction. From her body, the other Gods created the present world.  Meanwhile, Tlaltecuhtli is the source of Creations since both halves of her body are the earth and the sky.