dave2008
Legend
Any particular sources you recommend? I am actually surprised none of the draconomicon's have said much on the subject.
D&D General The Dragon Queen's Consorts (Lore question)
Micah Sweet
Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
The 1e Dragonlance Adventures has good info there (if brief). 3e's Dragonlance Campaign Setting is good too.
ValamirCleaver
Ein Jäger aus Kurpfalz
There is information in the 80s Nine Hells Dragon Magazine articles, #s 75, 76 & 91. The two paragraphs following this paragraph is excerpted from the July 1983 Dragon Magazine #75, page 18, third column, bottom half of the page. I would interpret 'spawn that survive to achieve "huge adult" status serve as replacements for her consorts' (which is obviously for 1st edition AD&D) as a fully advanced chromatic dragon of the largest size with maximum hit points & powers. In the 1st edition AD&D Monster Manual, at the of the "DRAGON" article on page 22, second column, bottom half of the page, '"huge adult" status' is defined. (I greatly prefer the lore from pre-1986 sources or logically extrapolated from those aforementioned sources.)
The Chromatic Dragon spends most (90%) of her time sprawled in her lair, the great caverns known as Azharul, "The Dragonspawn Pits." Here she is attended by her bodyguards, five huge adult male dragons — one white, one black, one green, one blue, and one red (for details,
refer to the Monster Manual). She is constantly guarded by these consorts, and when not plotting, feeding, enjoying cruel sport or facing danger, Tiamat will be found mating with one of them within a protective ring formed by the other four. She bears litters of 1-4 dragonets (or "mewlings": very young dragons born conscious and in control of their feeble powers) after an average gestation period of 6 days. Tiamat occasionally (7% chance at any given time) travels via the Astral Plane or Ethereal Plane, perhaps to give birth to a litter on the Prime Material Plane (or Planes, if the multiverse of your campaign includes "parallel worlds") — sometimes grudgingly, at the behest of Asmodeus, but more often to further some plan of her own.
The scant remainder of her time is spent roaming Avernus; very rarely, she journeys to the palace of Asmodeus. Those of Tiamat's offspring that are born and remain on Avernus occupy themselves with hunting down and bringing back food for Tiamat and her consorts while the Chromatic Dragon is in her lair. These offspring/underlings are of all sizes, types, and ages of evil dragonkind, and all are aggressive, cruel, and in good health. Injured, weak, or disobedient specimens are soon eaten by Tiamat, or by others at her direction; she also dines on slain dragons, including slain consorts who have displeased her, and all newborn spawn who are multi-headed or otherwise chromatic in nature. The few of her spawn that survive to achieve "huge adult" status serve as replacements for her consorts.
The Chromatic Dragon spends most (90%) of her time sprawled in her lair, the great caverns known as Azharul, "The Dragonspawn Pits." Here she is attended by her bodyguards, five huge adult male dragons — one white, one black, one green, one blue, and one red (for details,
refer to the Monster Manual). She is constantly guarded by these consorts, and when not plotting, feeding, enjoying cruel sport or facing danger, Tiamat will be found mating with one of them within a protective ring formed by the other four. She bears litters of 1-4 dragonets (or "mewlings": very young dragons born conscious and in control of their feeble powers) after an average gestation period of 6 days. Tiamat occasionally (7% chance at any given time) travels via the Astral Plane or Ethereal Plane, perhaps to give birth to a litter on the Prime Material Plane (or Planes, if the multiverse of your campaign includes "parallel worlds") — sometimes grudgingly, at the behest of Asmodeus, but more often to further some plan of her own.
The scant remainder of her time is spent roaming Avernus; very rarely, she journeys to the palace of Asmodeus. Those of Tiamat's offspring that are born and remain on Avernus occupy themselves with hunting down and bringing back food for Tiamat and her consorts while the Chromatic Dragon is in her lair. These offspring/underlings are of all sizes, types, and ages of evil dragonkind, and all are aggressive, cruel, and in good health. Injured, weak, or disobedient specimens are soon eaten by Tiamat, or by others at her direction; she also dines on slain dragons, including slain consorts who have displeased her, and all newborn spawn who are multi-headed or otherwise chromatic in nature. The few of her spawn that survive to achieve "huge adult" status serve as replacements for her consorts.
dave2008
Legend
Very helpful, I think I have that issue somewhere. I will have to check it out. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to provide much more about her consorts than most other sources
However, I'm weaving together lore from all editions of D&D for my write up, so this will be helpful too. Thanks again for contributing!
dave2008
Legend
For any that are interested, her is the draft of my lore for Tiamat (no consort info yet): The Chromatic Dragon (Tiamat)
If anyone has any thoughts or ideas to improve it, feel free to comment here or in the other thread. Thanks!
If anyone has any thoughts or ideas to improve it, feel free to comment here or in the other thread. Thanks!
ValamirCleaver
Ein Jäger aus Kurpfalz
Abzu/Apsu & Kingu/Qingu
"When above the heavens did not yet exist nor the earth below, Apsu the freshwater ocean was there, the first, the begetter, and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, she who bore them all; they were still mixing their waters, and no pasture land had yet been formed, nor even a reed marsh." This resulted in the birth of the younger gods, who later murdered Apsu in order to usurp his lordship of the universe. Enraged, Tiamat gives birth to the first dragons, filling their bodies with "venom instead of blood", and made war upon her treacherous children, only to be slain by Marduk, the god of Storms, who then forms the heavens and earth from her corpse.
Tiamat was the "shining" personification of the sea who roared and smote in the chaos of original creation. She and Abzu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters. She is "Ummu-Hubur who formed all things".
In the myth recorded on cuneiform tablets, the deity Enki (later Ea) believed correctly that Abzu was planning to murder the younger deities, upset with the noisy tumult they created, and so captured him and held him prisoner beneath his temple, the E-Abzu ('temple of Abzu'). This angered Kingu, their son, who reported the event to Tiamat, whereupon she fashioned eleven monsters to battle the deities in order to avenge Abzu's death. These were her own offspring: Bašmu ('Venomous Snake'), Ušumgallu ('Great Dragon'), Mušmaḫḫū ('Exalted Serpent'), Mušḫuššu ('Furious Snake'), Laḫmu (the 'Hairy One'), Ugallu (the 'Big Weather-Beast'), Uridimmu ('Mad Lion'), Girtablullû ('Scorpion-Man'), Umū dabrūtu ('Violent Storms'), Kulullû ('Fish-Man'), and Kusarikku ('Bull-Man').
Tiamat possessed the Tablet of Destinies and in the primordial battle she gave them to Kingu, the deity she had chosen as her lover and the leader of her host, and who was also one of her children. The terrified deities were rescued by Anu, who secured their promise to revere him as "king of the gods". He fought Tiamat with the arrows of the winds, a net, a club, and an invincible spear.
Abzu - Wikipedia
Abzu - Ancient Near East
According to ancient Mesopotamian belief, the Abzu (or engur) was the vast freshwater ocean that lay beneath the earth (as opposed to the salt sea, which was thought to surround the earth). The Abzu therefore served as the source of all wells, springs, rivers, streams and lakes. The Abzu was the...
www.ancientneareast.net
Who is Apsu: The Mesopotamian God Explained - Old World Gods
Apsu, the Mesopotamian god, is a prominent figure in ancient mythology. According to the Babylonian creation myth, Enuma Elish, Apsu and Tiamat, the
oldworldgods.com
Kingu - Wikipedia
Kingu | God, Tiamat, Marduk, & Mythology
Kingu, in Mesopotamian mythology, the consort of Tiamat. The creation epic Enuma elish tells how Tiamat, determined to destroy the other gods, created a mighty army and set Kingu at its head. When Kingu saw Marduk coming against him, however, he fled. After Tiamat’s defeat, Kingu was taken captive
www.britannica.com
Discovering the Fascinating World of Kingu Mythology: Exploring Mesopotamian Legends - Old World Gods
Kingu mythology holds a significant place in Mesopotamian legends. In the epic Enuma Elish, Kingu is portrayed as the consort of Tiamat and leader of her
oldworldgods.com
KINGU - the Akkadian Goddess of Dragons (Mesopotamian mythology)
Godchecker guide to Kingu (also known as Qingu), the Akkadian Goddess of Dragons from Mesopotamian mythology. Dragon-God consort of Tiamat
www.godchecker.com
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dave2008
Legend
Thank you very much for your response! I was actually already very familiar with Tiamat's RL origins / mythology. If I wasn't clear in the OP, I was specifically asking about her D&D lore.Abzu/Apsu & Kingu/Qingu
"When above the heavens did not yet exist nor the earth below, Apsu the freshwater ocean was there, the first, the begetter, and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, she who bore them all; they were still mixing their waters, and no pasture land had yet been formed, nor even a reed marsh." This resulted in the birth of the younger gods, who later murdered Apsu in order to usurp his lordship of the universe. Enraged, Tiamat gives birth to the first dragons, filling their bodies with "venom instead of blood", and made war upon her treacherous children, only to be slain by Marduk, the god of Storms, who then forms the heavens and earth from her corpse.
Tiamat was the "shining" personification of the sea who roared and smote in the chaos of original creation. She and Abzu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters. She is "Ummu-Hubur who formed all things".
In the myth recorded on cuneiform tablets, the deity Enki (later Ea) believed correctly that Abzu was planning to murder the younger deities, upset with the noisy tumult they created, and so captured him and held him prisoner beneath his temple, the E-Abzu ('temple of Abzu'). This angered Kingu, their son, who reported the event to Tiamat, whereupon she fashioned eleven monsters to battle the deities in order to avenge Abzu's death. These were her own offspring: Bašmu ('Venomous Snake'), Ušumgallu ('Great Dragon'), Mušmaḫḫū ('Exalted Serpent'), Mušḫuššu ('Furious Snake'), Laḫmu (the 'Hairy One'), Ugallu (the 'Big Weather-Beast'), Uridimmu ('Mad Lion'), Girtablullû ('Scorpion-Man'), Umū dabrūtu ('Violent Storms'), Kulullû ('Fish-Man'), and Kusarikku ('Bull-Man').
Tiamat possessed the Tablet of Destinies and in the primordial battle she gave them to Kingu, the deity she had chosen as her lover and the leader of her host, and who was also one of her children. The terrified deities were rescued by Anu, who secured their promise to revere him as "king of the gods". He fought Tiamat with the arrows of the winds, a net, a club, and an invincible spear.
Abzu - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Abzu - Ancient Near East
According to ancient Mesopotamian belief, the Abzu (or engur) was the vast freshwater ocean that lay beneath the earth (as opposed to the salt sea, which was thought to surround the earth). The Abzu therefore served as the source of all wells, springs, rivers, streams and lakes. The Abzu was the...www.ancientneareast.netWho is Apsu: The Mesopotamian God Explained - Old World Gods
Apsu, the Mesopotamian god, is a prominent figure in ancient mythology. According to the Babylonian creation myth, Enuma Elish, Apsu and Tiamat, the
Kingu - Wikipedia
Kingu | God, Tiamat, Marduk, & Mythology
Kingu, in Mesopotamian mythology, the consort of Tiamat. The creation epic Enuma elish tells how Tiamat, determined to destroy the other gods, created a mighty army and set Kingu at its head. When Kingu saw Marduk coming against him, however, he fled. After Tiamat’s defeat, Kingu was taken captiveDiscovering the Fascinating World of Kingu Mythology: Exploring Mesopotamian Legends - Old World Gods
Kingu mythology holds a significant place in Mesopotamian legends. In the epic Enuma Elish, Kingu is portrayed as the consort of Tiamat and leader of herKINGU - the Akkadian Goddess of Dragons (Mesopotamian mythology)
Godchecker guide to Kingu (also known as Qingu), the Akkadian Goddess of Dragons from Mesopotamian mythology. Dragon-God consort of Tiamat
Veltharis ap Rylix
Legend
For what it's worth, Forgotten Realms lore equates D&D Tiamat with the IRL Tiamat through her presence in the Untheric pantheon, who are/were essentially the ancient Babylonian(?) pantheon transplanted to Toril in the same way and for the same reasons as the Mulhorandi/Egyptian pantheon: i.e. ancient Imaskar kidnapping large populations from other world(s) and relocating them to Toril to serve as slaves, unintentionally bringing their gods with them.
So there's both room and precedent to integrate aspects of Tiamat's IRL Babylonian lore into her D&D character, if you so choose.
Unrelated, while not one of Tiamat's consorts in the traditional sense, an article from Dragon #260 states that one of the pit fiends of the Dark Eight spawned a child with Tiamat at some point - the half-fiendish, two-headed dragon Mordukhavar the Reaver. The original article doesn't specify which member of the Dark Eight, but a line from Tiamat's entry in Dragon #359's "1d20 Villains" article assigns fatherhood to Cantrum, the group's one-time leader back before his assassination, when it was known as the Dark Nine.
EDIT: Going over Tiamat's entry in Dragon #359 in more detail, it mentions that Etiol (already named in a wiki entry brought up earlier) was Ephelomon's successor as Tiamat's (presumably red) consort, as well as giving him an epithet: Etiol the Abandoned.
It's admittedly not much more context than we already had - just a single line in the backstory of an artifact associated with Tiamat, gifted by Zariel to Etiol sometime after Ephelomon's death - but I thought I'd mention it.
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