The first dragon story on record is found in the Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elish. First called Labbu by the Sumerians in 3000 BC, this dragon came to be known as Tiamat when that civilization gave way to the Babylonians and their mythologies blended. Broken down, Tiamat's name means "life-mother," and this she-dragon was indeed the creator of all.
Part animal, part serpent, and part bird, Tiamat was revolting in appearance and certainly did not possess the nurturing qualities we now regard as motherly; for she, along with her husband Apsu, was terrible, vengeful, and full of malice toward the gods, which were her and Apsu's descendants. Tiamat was the very spirit of chaos, and she reigned with Apsu in troubled confusion and disorder.
The Creation
In the beginning, according to the Enuma Elish, there was nothing but Tiamat (salt water) and Apsu (fresh water) swirling together in primordial chaos. From their mingling, the first gods were born — young, vibrant, and full of energy that stood in stark contrast to their ancient, static parents.
The noise and activity of the younger gods infuriated Apsu, who plotted their destruction. Learning of his plan, the young gods struck first — killing Apsu before he could act. Tiamat, enraged at the death of her husband, declared war on her divine children.
The Battle
Tiamat assembled a terrible army — dragons, serpents, and monsters of every kind. She crowned Kingu, her new consort, as commander of her forces and fastened the Tablet of Destinies to his chest, granting him supreme authority over the cosmos.
The gods sought a champion willing to face Tiamat. Only Marduk, the great storm god, agreed — on the condition that he would become king of all the gods if victorious. Armed with winds, a net, and his great weapon the Imhullu, Marduk faced Tiamat in single combat.
When Tiamat opened her enormous mouth to swallow him, Marduk drove in the winds so she could not close it, then split her in two with his spear. From her body he fashioned the heavens and the earth; from her eyes flowed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. From the blood of the slain Kingu, mankind was created to serve the gods.
Legacy
Tiamat stands as the oldest dragon in recorded human history — a primordial force of chaos that had to be defeated before order and civilization could exist. Her story influenced every dragon myth that followed, from the serpents of Greek mythology to the world-serpent Níðhöggr of Norse legend. The archetypal struggle of order against chaos, hero against monster, finds its earliest expression in the waters of ancient Babylon.