Chapter 81
And unto Tiamat, whom he had conquered, he returned.
And the lord stood upon Tiamat's hinder parts,
And with his merciless club he smashed her skull.
He cut through the channels of her blood…
While he divided the flesh ... and devised a cunning plan.
He split her up like a flat fish into two halves;
One half of her he stablished as a covering for heaven.
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—Sumerian Creation Epic, Enûma Eliš
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MIKHAIL
We put the mountain behind us, along with its water, foliage and wildlife. There was barely enough game for a single night, but Dhat-Bhataan's sanctuary allowed us to regain our strength. I feel far more optimistic than I have in days even though the bādiyat ash-shām still appears as hot and empty as ever, not a watchfire, not a village, no hint of water glistening in t
