Editing Marduk (section)

=== Incantations ===
Marduk features in incantations of the Marduk-Ea type formula, in which the god Ea/Enki engages in dialogue with his son Marduk/Asalluhi. The structure of the formula starts with Marduk/Asalluhi noticing a problem and reporting to his father. Ea reassures his son about his knowledge and then proceeds to instruct his son on the procedures.{{sfn|George|2016|p=2}} In later incantations from the First Millenium BC, the priests usually claim to be direct representations of Marduk/Asalluhi, replacing the divine dialogue between father and son,{{sfn|Johandi|2019|p=182}} for example in Marduk's Address to the Demons the priest starts by declaring themselves to be Marduk.{{sfn|Geller|2015|p=15}} In Neo-Assyrian Assyria, Marduk was one of the major gods that incantation-prayers were directed at, with only [[Shamash]] being invoked more than Marduk.{{sfn|Frame|1999|p=15}}
It is difficult to tell if Marduk originally had a role in incantations prior to being identified with Asalluhi.{{sfn|Cunningham|1997|p=114}} Marduk sometimes appears in the Sumerian-Akkadian bilinguals as the Akkadian name for Asalluhi,{{sfn|George|2016|p=2}}{{sfn|Cunningham|1997|p=114-115}} although Marduk and Asalluhi were also attested to appear separately in two different texts, one being the incantation against the evil Udug where Marduk captured the victim instead of helping in contrast to Asalluhi who sought out Enki,{{sfn|Geller|1985|p=15}}{{sfn|Cunningham|1997|p=114}} the other being an incantation against [[Lamashtu]] that listed Marduk and Asalluhi separately as deterrence to the demon.{{sfn|Johandi|2019|p=176}}