MARDUK, whose name is written Amarud or Silik-mu-lu-dug, or phonetically Mar-duk, and is the Hebrew מארדך, was the son of Hea and Dav-kina, and the father of Nebo or Nabu, and the presiding deity of Eridu.  The philosopher Damascius says that from Aus and Dauce came Belus the demiurgus, from whence it follows that Dauce is clearly Davkina.  Marduk appears to partake of two natures: one as the servant of Anu and Elu or Bel, and also of his father Hea, in which he appears to resemble the Classic Mercury (Hermes); another attribute of his which would connect him with this deity was that of the guide of the souls of the deceased in Hades.  In an Assyrian hymn he is spoken of as "He who raises the dead to life" and in cases of magic spells on a man it is Marduk who, with the aid of his father Hea, delivers them.  In his character of the warrior he resembles the Classic Zeus, in the "War of the Gods," especially where he fights against the evil and rebellious spirits as his Classic proto-type did against the Titans.  It is Marduk also who in the creation legends plays the part of the archangel Michael, and fights against Tiamtu and her allies, being armed by Anu in the presence of the other gods, with a saparra or sword (comp. sabre) and a bow.  Astronomically he is identified with the star Dil-gan or Mercury.  In the later Babylonian empire Marduk became the chief object of worship in his famous temple of Bit-saggal at Babylon.  From the great importance of his worship in their times the Greek authors identified him with Zeus, and made him the head of the Babylonian pantheon.  Marduk's consort was Zirat-banit, who may be identified with the Succoth-banit of the Bible. (An Archaic Dictionary, Cooper, 1876).

... The god Marduk became the patron deity of the city of Babylon, and as such was greatly glorified.  He was not really one of the older gods.  He became prominent in the days of Hammurabi, and from this time grew more and more powerful.  The result of this was that to him were transferred qualities and powers which previously had belonged to other gods.  In the Epic of Marduk, for instance, he is more important than the members of the first triad, Anu (q.v.), and Ea (q.v.).  He is the creator of the heavenly bodies.  It is he who, by defeating Tiamat (q.v.), brings order out of chaos.  True, he is the child of Ea, but he is the first-born son who has inherited all the virtues of his father and more.  His name is even used as a title of other gods.  Nergal (q.v.) is described as "the Marduk of warfare"; Nebo as "the Marduk of earthly possessions"; Ninib (q.v.) as "the Marduk of strength."  Marduk is the "lord of the Anunnaki and Igigi."  To Nebuchadrezzar he is the all-wise creator and king.  The Epic of Marduk represents Bel and Ea as voluntarily transferring their own names to Marduk.  Originally Marduk was a solar deity.  It is natural therefore that he should be associated with the sun-god, Shamash (q.v.).  He is also associated with Ramman (q.v.), but during the Cassite dynasty, Ramman seems to have been more prominent.  Marduk does not appear even in the second triad.  This consists of Sin (q.v.), Shamash, and Ramman.  The consort of Marduk was Sarpanitum.  Her name has been explained as meaning "silvery bright one."  Marduk's great festival was the New Year's Day.  The Zagmuk was converted into a Marduk festival.  The Zu myth (q.v.) describes how Marduk recaptured the tablets of fate from the bird Zu. (An Encyclopedia of Religions, Canney, 1921)