Tiamat: Primordial Chaos

“Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty and dies with chaos”
- Will Durant

This was my entry into the "Fantasy Sci-fi Fusion" Contest. (Entries here: [link] ) Didn't win, but there was no shame in that -- entries were amazing. I'm very pleased with how this one came out, in any event!

Some days, I look around and I see the beauty of our amazing world completely destroyed by the stupidity of her "smartest" inhabitants. It makes me wonder how many other civilizations have similarly come and gone in our endless universe -- sparking to life, growing, and dying all without being noticed by anyone else.

The legend of Tiamat, the Babylonian Dragon Goddess is somewhat double-edged. Tiamat is both the primordial creator goddess, associated with the life-giving saltwater ocean, and also the monstrous bringer of chaos, sometimes pictured as a sea serpent or dragon. Her enormous creative energy can bring forth new life, yet sometimes is uncontrollable and terrifying. The cycle of creation and destruction is embodied by this myth, and is why I chose it for the title of this image.

No matter how mighty a civilization may be, nothing in this universe is without end.

Rendered in Vue8 Esprit, and Poser Pro 2010. Extensive postwork in Photoshop.

Download for details and enormous 3200 x 2000 full-view.

Special Thanks to , , and for their free smoke and fire brushes, available here on deviantart.