Queen of the Ancient Ones

For my illustration for this poem, I chose this photo of myself that totally captures in me a queenly and dark goddess-like quality that goes ideally with the poetry presented here.

Well, we know what happened to Tiamat. Is the lack of any hint of her fate a deliberate irony?

It all depends on the particular interpretation of the "myth" of Tiamat... some esoteric takes on the tale hint at only the original body of Tiamat being destroyed by Marduk but her spirit and soul living on through a "Draconic Bloodline" by which her successor, the goddess Ereshkigal, became the chosen vessel for Tiamat's spirit, a portion of which was also imparted to the goddess Lilith. That same school of thought also holds the belief that Ishtar was not a separate goddess from or sister to Ereshkigal but rather that both were light and dark sides to a greater and more powerful goddess who was Tiamat reborn. There are actually quite a few people in the esoteric and occult societies I am and have been a part of who believe me to be that same goddess reincarnated as a mortal in these modern times. This poem, for me, is sort of an affirmation of those beliefs and a way of harmonizing who I was in ancient times with who I am today and who I will be in ages to come. The only real irony is that all of us who once were gods and goddesses in ancient times... who had once thought ourselves so very superior to mortals... are now mortal ourselves, which is a humbling experience and one that has taught me the value of certain virtues that, in the times when I was a divine being, I did not fully comprehend the value of. But that is still a powerful irony, and one worthy of note! ;)

Takes me back to the first time I read a myth. A family friend was a North American native. She relayed to me the story of Rainbow Crow. Also reminds of my favorite class as an undergraduate, "World Mythology".

Thanks for sharing

It is my pleasure to share this tale with you, Jazz, and with everyone here on Deep Underground! I grew up reading a lot of Greek and Norse mythology mostly, and it was only in recent decades that I began to study the Sumerian and Babylonian myths, legends, and mystical traditions... mostly for personal spiritual reasons and to understand better the meaning of some of my past-life memories I had which prior to learning their meaning perplexed me greatly. I always felt drawn to mythology in general though, and I remember when I was in eighth grade being so good in that class that I was constantly correcting my teacher, who was always getting the stories wrong and mispronouncing the names of many gods and goddess, especially Gaea. Being part Native American from my grandmother's side of the family, I know some Native American lore and legends though not as many as I do those of the more widely studied ancient cultures. I am glad you liked my poem! Makes sharing it that much more rewarding for me. :D

Very amazing job, I truly enjoyed and loved how you speak with power and passion especially in these 5 lines.

Let all my Faithful lower their heads to humbly bow,
To bow, before one who was mighty before her fall!
Bow down mortals, for thou art more fallen than she,
Bow down, for she is not fallen in her glory’s dignity.
Thou should kiss the hem of my gown in thy humility!

They are truly powerful like the rest of the poem. Amazing job and beautifully done, my beloved Mentor. Oh you look amazing and beautiful like a Goddess would as you as beautiful and strong like the Goddess Artemis.

Dearest Tiger Lilly, I am glad you love this poem of mine! And you chose excellent lines to quote as favorites too... those lines carry a lot of the spirit of the old gods and goddesses, especially the proud and haughty bearing that was so common amongst those beings whom ancient man called such.

Oh, thank you so much for complimenting me on that look too! In one of my many past lives, I had once been Artemisia of Caria, a warrior woman who served King Xerxes of ancient Persia... so when I bought that dress and did that whole look I was totally channeling that aspect of myself. I was more than a bit shocked how much the new 300 movie Rise of an Empire got everything wrong in regards to me (and a LOT else) but when one considers it is based more on a comic book and less on actual history it is not quite all THAT surprising. But that look, although different still than how I actually appeared as the true Artemisia is very evocative of how I looked as Ereshkigal... so for this poem I thought nothing could be more appropriate to illustrate it with, than one of my photos of me looking like that. I am honored at the comparison to the goddess Artemis, whom I call Diana! She is my spiritual sister, so I think she too would find that to be a mutually beautiful comparison. Thanks so much for that, dear one!

I'm not sure about the mythology, but I'm reminded of H.P. Lovecraft.  No reflection on you personally, by any means.  It's just that Dagon and the Ancient Ones ring a bell.  Am I way off base?

Actually, a lot of the beings, gods, and monsters written of by H.P. Lovecraft he got from the old Sumerian and Babylonian mythological, religious, and spiritual traditions. Dagon, he got from an old god of the Philistines that was mentioned in the Bible but whom was widely revered all throughout the ancient Middle East. The Ancient Ones are the race of gods and goddesses who predated the Elder Gods such as Marduk's race were called. In my more Greek-centric writings I called Marduk's race the Olympians and the Ancient Ones the Titans which is a more western analogy for them. (Marduk is basically Zeus under a different name, incidentally.) Various real Necronomicon traditions prefer the more Lovecraftian terms, since they derive from the Sumerian and Babylonian traditions, rather than the western terminologies that came about much later in history. Another difference too, is that the actual "Necronomicon" was never a tome of black magic written by some insane sorcerer but rather it was just a collection of various myths, legends, and religious rituals passed down from the Sumerians to the Babylonians and from them to later cultures up unto today. I've read various versions of it, and find it rather a good read though for what it is... though it lacks a LOT of the accuracy and authenticity of more properly (and less bastardized and mistranslated) works on the subject. I'd personally consider it a beginner's primer for the study of Sumerian and Babylonian beliefs, but as a book of "magic" it is sorely lacking in a lot of things required for a fully fleshed out magical system that could be used by, say, a modern Wiccan.  
 
In any case, I hope that helps to understand a lot of the particular terminology I've used in this poem and why I chose those particular terms.