y was the abode of
monsters. They looked upon it as did Shakespeare's Ferdinand, when,
leaping into the sea, he cried: "Hell is empty and all the devils are
here".[173]

There can be little doubt but that in this Babylonian story of
Creation we have a glorified variation of the widespread Dragon myth.
Unfortunately, however, no trace can be obtained of the pre-existing
Sumerian oral version which the theorizing priests infused with such
sublime symbolism. No doubt it enjoyed as great popularity as the
immemorial legend of Perseus and Andromeda, which the sages of Greece
attempted to rationalize, and parts of which the poets made use of and
developed as these appealed to their imaginations.

The lost Sumerian story may be summarized as follows: There existed in
the savage wilds, or the ocean, a family of monsters antagonistic to a
group of warriors represented in the Creation legend by the gods. Ea,
the heroic king, sets forth to combat with the enemies of man, and
slays the monster father, Apsu, and his son, Mummu. But the most
powerful demon remains to be dealt with. This is the mother Tiamat,
who burns to avenge the deaths of her kindred. To wage war against her
the hero makes elaborate preparations, and equips himself with special
weapons. The queen of monsters cannot be overcome by ordinary means,
for she has great cunning, and is less vulnerable than were her
husband and son. Although Ea may work spells against her, she is able
to thwart him by working counter spells. Only a hand-to-hand combat
can decide the fray. Being strongly protected by her scaly hide, she
must be wounded either on the under part of her body or through her
mouth by a weapon which will pierce her liver, the seat of life. It
will be noted in this connection that Merodach achieved success by
causing the winds which followed him to distend the monster's jaws, so
that he might be able to inflict the fatal blow and prevent her at the
same time from uttering spells to weaken him.

This type of story, in which the mother monster is greater and more
powerful than her husband or son, is exceedingly common in Scottish
folklore. In the legend which relates the adventures of "Finn in the
Kingdom of Big Men", the hero goes forth at night to protect his
allies against the attacks of devastating sea monsters. Standing on
the beach, "he saw the sea advancing in fiery kilns and as a darting
serpent.... A huge monster came up, and looking down below where he