Battle of the Gods

Summary

This is a literary chronicle of the earliest times, when even the angels did not yet understand their role in the cosmos. Drawing on numerous ancient myths and sagas, it portrays the conflict between earthly and heavenly beings, between the human and the angelic race. Both laid claim to a freedom that was never meant to be theirs. As a result, they brought devastation to heaven and earth.

Yet this is not merely a tale of doom and gloom. Time and again, righteous figures emerge, bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders and refusing to believe that a creature can defeat the very source from which it drinks.

First excerpt

One late evening, Semiramis glimpsed Kenan through a crack in the door, diligently taking notes in a book. Her curiosity was instantly piqued. But the moment Kenan heard someone approaching, he looked up in alarm and quickly closed the book. This only deepened her curiosity. Pretending not to have noticed anything, she waited until Kenan had fallen asleep. Then, she quietly slipped into his study and began reading the book.

For the first time, Semiramis encountered the knowledge the Guards had left inscribed on the monuments: the powers and meanings of the sun, the moon, and the stars; spells, magical plants, and other arcane mysteries. She had also heard the teachings of Noah and Melchizedek, and she did not share what she discovered. Yet she became so captivated by what she read that she copied parts of the book every night between three and five o’clock. At last, the day came when Semiramis, too, was initiated into the heavenly mysteries.

Then she began to put her knowledge into practice. She grew skilled in clairvoyance and divination. Through her spells, she could bring prosperity or adversity into the lives of others. She experimented with herbs and potions, and the shadows appeared ever more clearly, beginning to accompany her. Eventually, she delved so deeply into the spirit realm that even the Stoicheia guided her along her course through life.

Second excerpt

Early in the morning, Abraham went to the place where he had stood before God. He gazed down upon Sodom and Gomorrah and the entire Siddim valley, and saw a smother rising from the earth, like smoke from a giant oven. He also saw the pillar of salt, and sorrow fell upon him.

“Is this then the fate that awaits the world?” Abraham thought. “One reduced to a heap of ashes by God’s wrath, the other a pillar of salt through His presence. What God is this, who looks upon me with endless mercy, yet allows these to succumb to His majesty?”

Then a song of lamentation resounded from the heavens. Harmonies of unprecedented beauty mingled with cries of grief. Suddenly, Abraham realized that the sorrow of God was being revealed. Never before had he felt such heartbreak for the fate of a beloved, and it weighed upon his soul like an overwhelming burden. Drained of all strength, he collapsed, stretched out on the ground. As he lay there, arms spread, nothing could lift him, and even crying had become too much.

Third excerpt

Humbaba, an ogre, was one of the most fearsome monsters the Guards had ever created. To give him purpose, the angels appointed him guardian of the cedars of Lebanon—a forest of such breathtaking beauty that it was like a home for the angels themselves. Its towering trunks soared skyward, and its treetops reached toward the heavens, so that even the angels found renewal in the shade of its foliage.

Over time, however, Humbaba had grown so cruel and unruly that even the Guards saw no benefit in his continued existence. The giant Gilgamesh became aware of this and saw an opportunity—not only to adorn Uruk, the city he ruled, but also to secure eternal fame. He petitioned the Guards for permission to slay Humbaba in exchange for cedar wood.

The Guards agreed, and Gilgamesh set out for the cedar forest. From afar, he heard Humbaba roar, and at once his courage wavered. But then a Guard appeared. He bound the monster with a whirlwind of winds, leaving Humbaba with nowhere to flee, and the ogre begged for his life. Gilgamesh was moved to pity and hesitated to strike. The angel, however, cried out: “Remember why you came here!” With that, Gilgamesh beheaded Humbaba and returned to Uruk, carrying both the monster’s head and the prized cedar wood.