The earliest gods were Apsu, the god of fresh water, and Tiamat, the goddess of salt water. Tiamat gave birth to other primordial gods and helped shape the early world. However, she planned to destroy the younger gods, so the god Enki killed Apsu and later Marduk killed Tiamat. Marduk then used Tiamat's body to help form the earth and established order in the universe.