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The Babylonian
EPIC OF CREATION
h_ In u m ou e. 1 ; 5^
The 'Babylonian
EPIC OF CREATION
'Restored from
the recently recovered Tablets of <iArsur
Transcription
Translatioii ^ Commentary
by
S. LANGDON, M.A.
OXFORD
tAT THE CLARENDON TRESS
1923
581670
a. 4. 5-4
Oxford University Press
London Edinburgh Glasgow Copenhagen
New Tort Toronto Melbourne Cape Town
Bombay Calcutta Madras Shanghai
Humphrey Milford Publisher to the UNrvERSiTy
Printed in England
PREFACE
In the preparation of this edition of the Babylonian
Epic of Creation I have consulted the original tablets in
the British Museum upon all doubtful passages. For the
opportunity of studying these texts I am grateful to
the Keeper of the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian
Antiquities, Sir Ernest Budge, D.Litt., who has never
failed to assist my work upon Sumerian and Babylonian
Religion. I am also indebted to the late L. W.
King, Litt.D., for collating passages in the earlier stages
of my studies upon the tablets. The Rev. S. A. B.
Mercer, Ph.D., Dean of Bexley Hall, Gambier, U.S.A..
assisted me materially by copying out the transcription
of a large part of the text and by verifying many
references. For his labours in thus relievinsf me I am
grateful. In the final stages of my work I came upon
two unpublished tablets, K. 9188 and Rm. 275, in the
British Museum, which relate to the myth of the Death
and Resurrection of Bel. Sir Ernest Budge kindly
permitted me to copy and publish these also. Mr. C. J.
Gadd, M.A., Assistant in the Assyrian Department,
assisted me much by collations of doubtful passages.
Oxford,
April 20, 1923.
A 3
ABBREVIATIONS
ASKT. Akkadische und Sumerische Keilschrifttexte, by Paul Haupt.
ATU. Altorientalische Texte und Untersuchungen, edited by Bruno
Meissner.
BA. Beitriige zur Assyriologie.
Bab. Babyloniaca.
Bg.-Keui, Bogh.-Keui. Keihchri/ltexte atis Boghazkoi.
BL. Babylonian Liturgies, by S. Langdon.
Boissier, DA. Documents Assyriens, by Alfred Boissier.
Chicago Syllabary. Published in the American Journal of Semitic
Languages, vol. 33.
Craig, RT. Religious Texts, by James A. Craig.
CT. Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets, &'c., in the British
Museinn. Copied by Pinches, King, Thompson, Handcock, S. Smith,
and Gadd.
D^l. Per. D/le'gation en Perse. Texts edited chiefly by V. Scheil.
Dhorme, Choix. Choix de Textes religieux Assyro-Babyloniens, by
Paul Dhorme. Published in MVAG. 1918, Parts i and 2.
Ebeling, Quellen. Quellen zur Kcnjitnis dcr babylonischen Religion, by
E. Ebeling.
For.; Winckler Forschungen. Altorientalische Forschungen, by Hugo
WiNCKLER.
H.B. Handbuch zur Babylonischen Astronomie, by Ernest Weidnkr.
H.W. Assyrisches Handworterbuch, by Friedrich Delitzsch.
JRAS. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.
JSOR. fournal of the Society of Oriental Research.
KAR. Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiosen Inhalts, by Erich Ebeling.
KAT*. Keilschrift und Altes Testament, by Hugo Winckler and
Heinrich Zimmern.
KAV. Keilschrifttexte aus Assur verschiedenen Inhalts, by Otto
Schroeder.
KB. Keilinschriftliche Bibliothek.
King, Creat. The Seven Tablets of Creation, by L. W. King.
KL. Altsumerische KuUlicder, by Heinrich Zimmern.
Klauber, PRT. Politisch-religiose Texte, by Ernest Klauber.
Abbreviations 3
KTA. Keihchriftlexte mis Assur hisiorischeti Inhalts, by Leopold
Messerschmidt.
Legrain, Ur. Temps des Rois d'Ur, by Leon Legrain.
LIH. Letters and Inscriptions of Hammurabi, by L. W. King.
LSS. Leipziger Semitislische Studien.
Meissner, Suppl. Supplement zu den Assyrischen Worterbiichern, by
Bruno Meissner.
MVAG. Alitteilungen der Vorderasialischen GeseUschaft.
Nies, HRET. Historical, Religious, and Economic Texts and Antiquities,
by J. B. Nies and C. E. Keiser.
OLZ. Orientalistische Literaturzeitung.
Paradis. Pocme du Paradis, by S. Langdon.
PBS. Publications of the Babylonian Section of the University Museum,
Philadelphia.
PSBA. Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology.
R or Raw., R I, R II, R III, R IV, R V. Cuneiform Inscriptions of
Western Asia, founded by Major-General Sir Henry Rawlinson,
copied by George Smith, Edwin Norris, and T. G. Pinches.
RA. Revue d'Assyriologie.
REG. Recherches stir I'Ecriture ciine'iforme, by Francois Thureau-
Dangin.
SAL Seltene assyrische Ideogramme, by Bruno Meissner.
SAK. Sunierisch-akkadische Kotiigsinschriften, by F. Thureau-Dangin.
SBH. Sumerisch-Babylonische Hymnen, by George Reisner.
SBP. Sumerian and Babylonian Psalms, by S. Langdon.
Scheil, Esagil. Esagil ou le Temple de Be'l-Marduk, by V. Scheil.
Shurpu. Die Beschworungstafeln Surpu, by H. Zimmern.
Streck, Assurb. Assurbanipal und die letzten assyrischen Kmige, by
M. Streck.
Sum. Gr. A Sumerian Grammar and Chrestomathy, by S. Langdon.
Thompson, Reports. Reports of the Magicians and Astrologers, by
R. Campbell Thompson.
VAB. Vorderasiatische Biblioihek.
ViroUeaud, Astrol. L'Astrologie chalde'ewu, Sin, Shamash, Ishtar, Adad,
with Supplement and Second Supplement, by Chas. Virolleaud.
ZA. Zeitschrift fUr Assyriologie.
ZDMG. Zeitschrift der Detilschen morgenldndischen GeseUschaft.
Zimmern, Rt. Ritualtafeln fur den Wahrsager, Beschworer und Sanger,
by H. Zimmern.
INTRODUCTION
In 1902 the late Dr. L. W. King published the most
complete edition of the Babylonian Epic of Creation
which the available sources permitted him to make.
The new texts which he discovered in the recent acquisi-
tions of the British Museum nearly doubled the material
at the disposal of earlier editors. The sources which
Mr. George Smith utilized for the first publication of
this Epic were all from the Library of Asurbanipal,
discovered at Nineveh, and this means, of course, that
they were copies of the southern or Babylonian original.
George Smith's memorable book appeared in five
editions under the title The Chaldean Genesis ; the
last edition is dated in the year 1876. New fragments
of the Epic were gradually added to the Museum's
collections, and those which had been identified in 1901
were collected and published by Dr. King in volume xiii
of Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets. Perhaps
the most interesting fact which appeared from this new
textual edition was the existence of numerous late
Babylonian tablets. There could be no doubt, upon
the evidence of the colophons of the Ninevite edition,
that the Epic originated in the south. But there is no
information at all concerning the temple libraries which
Asurbanipal's scribes consulted, or where they made
their copies. One of the Ninevite texts (K. 292) seems
to have been copied at the old Assyrian capitol Assur,
where a considerable portion of the Epic has been
recovered and here utilized. But there can be no question
concerning the origin of most of the texts in the
6 Babylonian Origin of Texts
Asurbanipal edition. It was clearly taken directly from
the authentic Babylonian copy. This is extremely
important, since the scribes of the older Assyrian period
at Assur deliberately suppressed the name of the Baby-
lonian god Marduk and replaced him by Ansar (Asur),
the national deity of Assyria. This violent racial treat-
ment of a famous and ancient poem is fortunately not
consistently carried out, and the numerous tablets re-
covered from the library at Assur frequently allow the
name Jllardtik to stand. The present text of Book VI,
which is almost entirely derived from an Assur text,
has not been re-edited at all.
The numerous Neo-Babylonian tablets published in
CT. xiii and in L. W. King's The Seven Tablets of
Creation, vol. ii, probably come in part from Sippar or
Agade (Der .''). At any rate a colophon of a Babylonian
copy made in the twenty-seventh year of Darius states
that the tablet was copied from a tablet in Babylon. See
the second colophon of Book I. The valuable Neo-
Babylonian tablet Bu. 82-9-18, 3737, now No. 93016,
which carries so much of the interesting Fourth Book,
has a colophon which indicates that a pious scribe copied
it and placed it in the temple Ezida (at Barsippa). He
gives no information concerning the place where he
copied it. The colophons of all the Assur copies are
broken away with the exception of the copy of Book VI,
but of this colophon few signs remain. Although direct
evidence fails entirely in the published texts, there can be no
hesitation concerning the temple library, which possessed
the editio princcps. All copies in the south and north
were ultimately derived from the copies of the library
of Esagila, the temple of Marduk in Babylon. Although
my edition is based upon copies found in many centres
of Babylonia and Assyria, the scholar accustomed to
dealing with the ofttimes hopelessly corrupt texts of
Earlier Editions 7
Greek, Latin, and Hebrew literature, will be astonished
at the faithful transmission of the Babylonian text. In
fact the notes, which are heavily charged with variants,
almost invariably convey the same text with different
methods of phonetic spelling and choice of signs which
represent the same sound. This observation applies to
Cuneiform texts in general. It is set forth here because
the non-assyriological public do not yet fully appreciate
the trustworthy nature of the Cuneiform texts and their
great superiority in this respect over the Hebrew,
Egyptian, and Classical texts.
In the interim between thepublications of George Smith
and L. W. King, various scholars published editions of
the Epic of Creation. Savce, in the Records of the Past,
vol. i, 122-51 (1888), gave a translation of such tablets
as were known to him, including the then newly recovered
tablet (93016) of Book IV. Zimmekn, in Gunkel's
SchopfuHg und Chaos, contributed an extremely pene-
trating translation (1895), which was soon followed by
Delitzsch's edition in transcription and translation, Das
Babylonische Weltschopfiuigsepos in Abhandlungen der
Sdchsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, 1 896. P. J ensen
had already published a similar technical edition of the
most important tablets at that stage of the text in his
Die Kosmologie der Babylonier (1890); a much better
edition appeared (1900) by Jensen in his My then und
Epen, pp. 1-39, of which King made use for his monu-
mental work in 1902. After King's edition, which
contributed so much new material and restored so many
lacunae, the next serious labour bestowed upon the
philological and religious interpretation of the Epic is
Pi:RE Dhorme's edition in his Choix de Textes religieux,
2-81 (1907). A good many popular editions have been
published on the basis of King and Dhorme's editions,
among which may be mentioned Ungnad's translation
8 New Texts from Assur
in Gressmann's Texte und Bilder (1909), pp. 1-25, which
is obviously based upon an independent study of the text,
and R. W. Roger's transcription and translation In Cmiei-
form Pa7'a/lels to the Old Testament (19 12), 1-44, and
H. Winckler's translation in his Keilinschriftliches
Textbuch zum A I ten Testatnent.
Such was the condition of the text between 1901 and
1 91 9 when Dr. Erich Ebeling began the publication
of the religious texts discovered by the German exca-
vators at Assur, the old capitol of Assyria, marked by
the modern mound Kalat Sherghdt, on the Tigris, about
fifty miles south of Nineveh. The capitol of Assyria
was not transferred to Nineveh until the period of
Asurnasirpal I in the twelfth century ; the literary texts
of the old capitol probably date from about the twelfth-
tenth centuries ; at any rate the copies of the Epic of
Creation recovered there may be dated in that period.'
These were undoubtedly copied from the Babylonian
originals in the temple archives of the city of Babylon
itself. The colophons of the Assur texts, so far as
recovered, scarcely name any other southern city as the
source of their originals. See KAR. 70, 144, 150. Two
tablets, KAR. 15, 16, were copied at Nippur and Babylon,
while others were described simply as copies from the
' Land of Accad '.
The new Assur texts contribute materially to the
restoration of Book I and contain all of the lost Book VI.
Unfortunately the astronomical poem, contained in
Book V, receives no aid from Assur. It is now the
^ See the colophon of KAR. no. 14, limzc of Asur-ahi-iddina, certainly
before 911 B.C., and KAR. 220, limu of Sunu-kardu, found also at the
end of the old Assyrian letter, Schroeder, KAV. 109. Schroeder,
OLZ. 1 92 1, 21, places the beginning of the recently recovered Hmu lists
in the reign of Tukulti-Ninurta I (13th century), and Ebeling's publica-
tion contains prayers of this king, KAR. 128-9.
New Texts from Asbuf 9
only incomplete portion of the seven books. Book V
is really a prototype of the Astronomica of Manilius,
and for that reason of greater interest to Classical
scholars than any other book of the Epic. At present
only fragments of copies of the Asurbanipal edition have
been recovered for this astronomical portion of the
poem. With the material previously collected by King
and the new tablets from Assur at his disposal, Ebeling
published an edition of the entire Epic in Meissner's
Altorientalische Texte unci UntersucJmngen, vol. ii, part 4,
under the title Das Babylonische Weltschbpfungslied
(192 1). This edition contains variants and restorations
from several new fragments discovered in the collections
of the Berlin Museum after the editio princcps in
Ebeling's Religiose Kcilschrifttexte aus Asstir (abbrevi-
ated KAR), parts 1-4, had appeared. This edition is
lithographed from the editor's own handwriting, and
is so minutely written in places that its usefulness is
seriously affected. But circumstances impose great
hardship upon scholarship everywhere in post-war days,
especially in Germany. Assyriologists in all lands must
be grateful to Ebeling for his brave endeavour to
publish the results of his studies even in this undesirable
form. His copies in the ediiio princeps are admirable.
As usual ZiMMERN published a very penetrating article
on the First Book immediately after the texts appeared.
His study, which is cited frequently in my edition,
appeared in vol. i of Orientalische Studien Fritz Hommel
. . . gewidmet, under the title Marduks [Eliils, AHurs)
Gebiirt im baby lonischen Weltschopfiingsepos, pp. 213-25.
The title of Zimmern's article in itself reveals the fact
that he had discovered the substitution of Asur for
Marduk in the Assyrian redaction. A translation of
the parts of the Epic directly affected by the new A§sur
texts, accompanied by a transcription, that is Books I
lO
Date of Composition
and VI, was made by Luckenbtll in the American
Journal of Semitic Lang2iages,vo\. 38, 12-31.
The Epic was undoubtedly written in the period of
the First Babylonian Dynasty, 2225-1926. Although
no tablets of the poem have been found from that time,
the inscription of Agum-kakrime, seventh king of the
Cassite Dynasty, which followed immediately upoQ, the
First Dynasty, proves its existence in his time (17th
century). In a long inscription, of which a nearly
complete copy has been found at Nineveh,^ this king
writes of his restoration of the statues of Marduk and
Zarpanit, his consort, which had been plundered and
carried away to the ' far land, the land Hani '. The
inscription describes in great detail the works of art
with which Agum-kakrime adorned the statues and
sanctuaries of these deities. The influence of the Epic
of Creation is clearly revealed in the copper panels of
the doors of the holy chambers. Upon these were
represented the monsters of Chaos which Marduk subdued
in his combat with Tiamat. The list is almost identical
with that of the Epic. On the doors of these chapels,
restored by Agum-kakrime, the craftsmen placed the
Viper {basmti), Lahmus, the Fish-ram {kusarikkii), the
Great Lion (ugallum), the Gruesome Hound {uridimmu),
the Fish-man [kulili), the Goat-fish {snhumahT}, in all
seven monsters which, with one exception, are identical
with passages of the Epic of Creation.*
Scepticism concerning the view here taken may be
based upon the suggestion that these monsters were
common possession of Babylonian mythology, and may
have been derived from sources other than the Epic.
But the order in the two lists is so similar, and their
connexion with Marduk in the chapel of Esagila so
' V Raw. 33; translated by Jensen, KB. iii 134-53.
' Book I 140-3; II 27-9; III 31-3, 89-91.
The Epic in Art ii
characteristic, that the probability of borrowing directly
from the Epic is almost a certainty. A close parallel
exists in the bronze gates which Senecherib caused to be
made for the Bit akit scri, ' House of the New Year's
Festival of the Plain '.^ Here the bronze plates of the
ffate were cast with the scene of Asiirs battle with
Tiamat, and no interpreter has denied the influence of
the Epic of Creation as it was told in Assyria. This
scene represented the god Asur riding into battle against
Tiamat, armed with the ' cyclone ', preceded and followed
by various gods of the pantheon. The names of
Tiamat's monsters are not given here.
The reaction of the Epic upon art in all periods after
its composition, about the twenty-second century, is
undeniable. The problem here is chronological, and
from this point of view the reliefs of Agum-kakrime
are important. They constitute at present the only
direct evidence of the existence of this great poem
before the actual texts which contain the legend. There
is in the literature of the First Dynasty no reference to
the Epic at all. But an earlier Sumerian poem of
a similar kind existed, which inspired the Semitic poem,
a problem which remains to be examined. The Epic
originally contained only six books. The hymn to the
names of Marduk, which now forms Book VH, must
have existed as an independent poem ; it was finally
attached to the Epic in the late period, but it disagrees
with the poem itself at many points. For direct evidence
of its existence as a separate hymn, and probably a
bilingual hymn on the names of Marduk, see the note
on Vn 125. The arrangement of the poem in six
books was probably taken from the rules of liturgical
* K. 1356, published by Meissner and Rost in Die Bauitischriflen
Senecheribs, PI. 16, and translated pp. 98-103. A revised version is
given by Zimmern in Zum Babylonischen NeuJahrs/esP, 143-8.
12 Analysis oj Contents
compositions. When the Babylonians edited the canonical
Sumerian liturgies for their own use and provided the
Sumerian text with an interlinear Semitic version, the
material was almost invariably distributed over six
tablets.!
Further discussion of many problems connected with
the Epic of Creation must be preceded by an analysis ^J
of its contents. \
(i) Bk. I I-20. In the beginning only Apsfi the fresh
water ocean and Tiamat the salt ocean existed. They
were mingled in one. From the union of the male
Apsft and the dragon of Chaos, Tiamat, the pair Lahmu |
and Lahamu were engendered, and after many ages
Ansar. and Kisar came into being. These two deities
are the first of the gods of order, and they engendered
Anu the heaven god and Ea the water god.'^
(2) Bk. I 21-8. The gods, descended from Lahmu
and Lahamu, rebelled against the primaeval water
deities.
(3) Bk. I 29-54. Apsd and Mummu went to Tiamat
and the husband declared his wish to destroy the gods.
Tiamat, enraged, seeks advice from Mummu, who urged
ApsCl to execute his plan.
(4) Bk. I 55-78. They announced to the gods this
decision, and they wept at their fate. But Ea bewitched
Apsu and Mummu with a curse, and slew them. He
made Apsfl his abode.
(5) Bk. I 79-105. The birth of Marduk son of Ea,
or of Asur son ofJLahmu. Description of the pro-
tagonist.
' See the writer's Sumerian and Babylonian Psalms, p. xii.
' Enlil of the older Sumerian myth is completely suppressed in the
Semitic version. The earth god Enlil and his son Ninurta were replaced
by Ea and his son Marduk.
Analysis of Contents 13
(6) Bk. I 106-27. One of Tiamat's attendants reports
the death of ApsCi and Mummu to her. He urges her
to revenge her husband, and create monsters to help
in the combat.
(7) Bk. I 128-61. Description of the eleven monsters ;
nine are named ; Tiamat and her second husband make
up the eleven. • Kingu is exalted over the powers of
Chaos and receives the tablets of fates.
(8) Bk. II 1-14. Tiamat prepares for battle; Ea
discovers the plot, and reports to Ansar. [Lines 11-14
form an introduction to the repetition in § 9.]
(9) Bk. II 15-48. Ea repeats to Ansar the description
of the monsters in (7).
(10) Bk. II 49-57. Ansar is terrified, and appeals to
Ea to use his curse against Tiamat, as he had done
against Apsfl.
(11). Bk. II 58-70. Break in the text. Ea went up
against Tiamat, but fled and reported his defeat to
Ansar.
(12). Bk. II 71-85. Ansar in terror appeals unto Anu ;
he obeys his fathers and goes up to meet Tiamat, but
likewise retreats in terror.
(13). Bk. II 86-101. Ansar despairs and the gods sit
about him in tears. But he remembers the prowess of
Marduk, and Ea summoned his son into the presence
of Ansar.
(14) Bk. II 102-19. In the presence of Marduk
Ansar's confidence revived. Marduk promises to fight
Tiamat. Ansar foretells his victory.
(15) Bk. II 120-9. Marduk demands promotion to
the rank of a great god as a reward for his bravery in
the event of his victory.
(16) Bk. Ill 1-12. Ansar sends his messenger to
Lahmu to summon all the gods (the Igigi and Anunnaki)
to an assembly.
14 Analysis of Contents
(17) Bk. Ill 13-14. He charges Gaga to repeat to
Lahmu the message which Ea had made to him con-
cerning the preparations of Tiamat to destroy the gods.
(18) Bk. Ill 15-52. Ansar repeats to Gaga the
speech of Ea = II 11-48.
(19) Bk. Ill 55-7. He further charges Gaga to tell
Lahmu and the gods how Ea and Anu had been defeated,
and how Marduk had come forward to rescue them.
(20) Bk. HI 58-64. Ansar repeats to Gaga the
demand of Marduk that the gods assemble and raise him
to the rank of a god = Bk. II 123-9.
{21) Bk. Ill 65-6. He charges Gaga to tell the gods
to assemble quickly.
(22) Bk. Ill 67-70. Gaga hastens from the presence
of Ansar and goes to Lahmu and the gods.
(23) Bk. Ill 71-124. Gaga repeats the various sections
of Ansar's message = \\ 17-22; i.e. lines 71-124 =
Bk. 1 1 1 1 3-66 (fifty-four lines repeated).
(24) Bk. Ill 125-38. The gods now hear for the
first time that Tiamat had prepared to destroy them.
They wailed bitterly, and departed to assemble before
Ansar in the Hall of Fates. They sat down to banquet
and decreed the fate of Marduk.
(25) Bk. IV 1-18. They founded a chamber for
Marduk in the Hall of Fates (Ubsukkina), and he is thus
added to the sacred assembly of the highest gods. He
receives the power to declare fates and work miracles,
and they praise his power.
(26) Bk. IV 19-26. His power to work miracles is
tested by the miracle of the garment.
(27) Bk. IV 27-33. The gods saw how Marduk had
now received the mystic attributes of a great divinity
by possessing the 'word of fate'. He receives the
sceptre and weapons of battle.
They charge him to go up against Tiamat.
Analysis oj Contents 15
(28) Bk. IV 34-58. Description of Marduk's weapons.
(29) Bk. IV 59-70. He proceeds against Tiamat
and her host, and the gods went with him (as in the
inscription of Senecherib which described the scene of
Ansar's victory on the gate of a temple).
(30) Bk. IV 71-134. Defeat of Tiamat; the binding
of Kingu and the monsters.^ Tiamat is slain.
(31) Bk. IV 135-46. Marduk divides the body of
Tiamat and constructs heaven, earth, and the nether
sea, and fixes the abode of the three gods of the trinity.
(32) Bk. V. Astronomical poem on the movements
of the planets in the ecliptic, the motions of the moon,
and the positions of the signs of the zodiac as constructed
by Marduk. Only twenty-five lines of the astronomical
section are preserved. The book concludes with a song
of praise by the gods concerning the firmament made by
Marduk.
(33) Bk VI 1-28. The creation of man. Marduk
assembles the gods and orders Kingu to be brought
before Ea and slain. Ea creates man from the blood
of Kingu. Man was created to honour the gods in
worship.
(34) Bk. VI 29-35. Marduk divides the gods into
two groups, the Igigi or 600 gods of the upper world
and the heavens, and the Anunnaki or fifty gods of the
lower world.
(35) Bk. VI 36-41. In gratitude the gods decide to
build a great shrine on earth for Marduk, where they
may all assemble (on New Year's festival to declare
fates).
(36) Bk. VI 42-55. Marduk rejoices and decides to
build Babylon and its temple Esagila. The gods build
the city and its great temple for Marduk.
' Here also the gods assist in the battle with the giants, iv 92.
1 6 Ritual. Origin
They construct chapels in Esagila for themselves and'
sit down to a great feast in Marduk's temple.
{2,1) Bk. VI 56-64. They arrange the laws of the
universe and divide power among themselves. Marduk
lays down his weapons before them.
(38) Bk. VI 65-8. Ann gives names to Marduk's
bow and fixes it in heaven as Canis Major.
(39) Bk. VI 69-138. (Here several lines missing.)
Anu the heaven god defines the powers of Marduk ;
he shall be ruler of mankind, and charged with the
upkeep of temples and sacrifices. Babylon is a pattern
of the constellation Cetus and Aries. The gods give
Marduk the Fifty Names. A hymn by the gods on
a few of Marduk's titles.
(40) Bk. VI 139-44. The gods rejoiced at the powers
bestowed upon Marduk. They sat in the assembly
mentioning his names.
End of the original poem which closes with the
assembly of the gods in Babylon. P]
(41) Bk. VII. An independent bilingual hymn on the
names of Marduk, later attached to the Epic in a Semitic
version.
The Epic, therefore, closed with a scene based upon
the Babylonian celebration of the New Year's festival,
which was held during the first eleven days of Nisan or
at the spring equinox, when the gods of all Babylonia
came up to Babylon in their sacred boats to assemble
in the Hall of Fates (Ubsukkina) in Esagila. The
poem is in reality a ritualistic creation based upon an
older Sumerian myth. Two leading problems present
themselves, as the contents of this Epic now lie almost
entirely revealed before us. In the first place, what was
the nature of the old Sumerian myth, and secondly, what
was the meaning of the New Year festival which inspired
the poem ?
Stimerian Source 17
In Book IV 49, in the passage which describes
Marduk's weapons (see § 28 of the analysis), one of his
weapons is called the ' Cyclone '. From the note on
this passage it is apparent that the epithet was originally
applied to the Sumerian arm iarur, which belonged to
Ni nurt a^ the old Sumerian war-god and son of the
earth-god Enlil of Nippur. Now a Sumerian liturgy
to Ninurta, called gud nim kurra or ' Exalted hero of
the world ', of which the first two tablets have been
recovered and edited in my Sumerian and Babylonian
Psalms, 224-37, clearly refers to a Sumerian myth in
which this god defeated the dragons of Chaos. At the
beginning of tablet II the liturgy refers to some
command given to Ninurta by Anu and Enlil. The
son of Enlil, who is here identified with Ningirsu of
Lagash, is thus described :
' He who launches the " Cyclone ", to this word gave
heed.
He uttered a loud cry, to the word he gave heed.
To the Viper ^ advancing without a lord of order,
he gave heed.'
Here follow references to Ninurta^s net ^ and his riding
up to battle,^ upon which the parallel passages in the
Epic are obviously based. The liturgy then continues :
' Great champion whose word bringeth joy, O lord,
advance, ride forth.
May great Anu behold thee, O lord, advance, ride
forth.
Thou that boldest in leash the god Zii, O lord,
advance, ride forth.
> usum-gal = balmu. My reading SEP. 232, 11, BUR {usum) should
be preceded by GAL. The iasmu is the first mentioned of the dragons
of Tiamat, Book IV 140, and identified with Hydra. In the Sumerian
myth ulumgal is equivalent to Tiamat.
' Cf. IV 44. ' Cf. IV 50.
1 8 Ninurta the Original Protagonist
O lord establish thou thy foundations, yea thou
alone over thy foes, O lord.
Before thee thy feast is made glorious, advance,
ride forth.'
The liturgical style of this passage does not obscure
the mythological source if we remember that the text
was written for musical recital. The word of Ninurta
rejoices the gods, precisely as in the parallel passage
of the Epic Marduk's words restore their confidence,
Bk. II 104-10. The feast prepared for Ninurta recalls
the feast of the gods in the hall of Ansar, when they
elevated Marduk to the rank of a god,^ or more appro-
priately the feast mentioned in Book VI 54, after the
victory. In the Sumerian myth the god Zu was one
of the giants subdued by Ninurta, an aspect of the tale
which does not appear in the Epic. But a hymn to
Marduk contains a passage obviously based upon the
Epic of Creation, and here he is called the mahis miihhi
^^"Zi-e, 'smiter of the skull of the god Zu ', followed by
the names of other monsters mentioned also in the
Epic.^ Moreover, a commentary on the rituals of the
New Year's festival, in which the various features of
the ritual are mystically interpreted, mentions ''"Zil and
*^"Asakku, whom the gods bound in their midst.^ A
similar commentary which explains the occult significa-
tion of the rituals of the New Year celebration at Assur
has been recovered.* Here the sod Asur is said to
have sent Ninurta to conquer the god Zu. The evidence
' See § 24 of the analysis.
' Craig, RT. 29, 15. Zu occurs also in another hst of these monsters,
Craig, RT. 56, 6, under his ordinary Sumerian title ^^^ Im-diigud\^ii).
' CT. 15, 44, 14. The meaning of this text was discovered by
ZiMMERN, Zum Babylonischm Neujahrsfest^, 135.
* Published by Ebeling, KAR. 143, and restored from a duplicate by
ZiiiMERN, in his edition of this text, Zum Babylonischen Neujahrs/esl''
pp. 14-21. See also RM. 275.
I
Ninurta the Original Protagonist 19
for the existence of an older Sumerian version in which
Ninurta was the protagonist of the gods is, therefore,
convincing.' Although no Sumerian text which contains
' The place of the mysterious bird-god Ztl, the lion-headed emblem
of Susa and Sumer, in Sumerian mythology is obscure. From the
evidence adduced in the text above this mythical monster figured in
the Sumerian and Semitic Epic of Creation as a monster in the host
of Tiamat, and as a constellation he vtzs identified with Pegasus, the
winged horse, Zimmern, KAT.' 502, after Jensen, but Kugler, Stern-
kunde, Erganzungen, 59, says that the kakkabgf^j^ [= '^■Im-dugud-gu =:
^'■'^'■Za, VR. 46 a 20), or ' Horse star ', is only the fore-part of Pegasus
or Equuleus. Scholars agree in explaining the location of this star as
due to the identification of the 'Storm-bird' Zu with the winter sun,
for this constellation rises heliacally in the stormy season. The Sumerian
ideogram for ''"Z«? ' means the storm-bird, and he is represented on
a boundary-stone, VR. 57, by the head of a horse, but without wings.
In the omen, Boissier, DA. 207, 28, '''■ Im-dugud-'gti follows '^■Galu-gus-a,
'Raging man', and the variant, PSBA. 1914, 247, 76 f. has for the
former ^^^'■Zi-i, and for the latter sisu, horse. It is, therefore, certain that
the mythical storm-bird was associated, in astronomy at least, with the
winged horse Pegasus. Like the other monsters of Chaos subdued by
Marduk, ZQ was identified with a constellation.
A Semitic poem of considerable length, a portion of which is preserved
in bilingual form, tells how the god Lugalbanda, a cognate type of
Ninurta, god of the spring sun, subdued the ' Storm-bird ' Zu after
Ramman (the thunder god), Ishtar (the war goddess), and the god
BARA, i. e. ^ara, god of Umma, had refused to pursue this monster.
The legend runs that 7A stole the tablets of fate from Enlii, and Enlil's
son Lugalbanda (= Ninurta) recovered them. We now know from the
restoration of Book IV of the Epic of Creation that both Anu and Ea '
fled before Tiamat. The two myths present great similarity at this
point, and the similarity supports the conjecture that Enlil and Ninurta
had much the same relation to Tiamat in the old Sumerian myth. For
the legend of ZU see Jensen, KB. vi 46-57. This legend is continued
on a bilingual fragment, CT. 15, 43, where Zfi slays a wild ox in Haiur,
' the unknown land '. This Semitic version of Zu is clearly based upon
the Sumerian poem published by Poebel. PBS. v, no. 16, which, like the
fragment in CT. 15, 43, mentions ''■/m-dugud-(gu)-de', the wild ox {am)
and the nest u-ki-sig-ga of Zu, as well as ^-Lugal-banda.
A mythological scene which frequently occurs on Assyrian bas-reliefs
represents Marduk-Asur in pursuit of a dragon. The god has four
wings and holds in his right and left hands the conventional symbol of
B 2
20 A Solar Myth
the myth of Ninurta's combat with Tiamat has been
found, it is certain that some similar tale existed. In
this myth Enlil sent his son into the combat, and a
variant on Book II 5 actually has ''"En\^lil'\ for Ea,
father of Marduk, who is sent for by his father (Ea) to
rescue the gods in the Semitic Epic. It may of course be
possible that the old myth of Ninurta and the storm-
bird Zu gave the Semitic poets their inspiration for the
myth of Marduk and Tiamat, and that is very probable.
The myth of Ninurta or Lugalbanda and Zd is based
upon the conflict between the spring sun and demons
of the winter period of storms and darkness. After
Lugalbanda-Ninurta-Ningirsu, son of Enlil, conquers the
Storm-bird Zu, the monster became the symbol of this
god as a lion-headed eagle with deployed wings.
At any rate the Epic of Creation is also a solar myth
and intimately connected with the spring sun, whose
return from the region of darkness was celebrated by
a long festival at the beginning of the year. In this
New Year's festival of Nisan, which at least in the late
period extended over the first eleven days of the New
Year, the Epic of Creation was an Important factor.
For the festival, as it was celebrated from the sixth
century b. c. until the end of Babylonian civilization, that
is as late as the third century and perhaps even later, we
possess the authoritative texts for the ceremonies of the
second, third, fourth, and fifth days of Nisan. ' The
the thunder-bolt. The dragon is a male monster, a winged lion with
scaly body and bird talons. For this reason the identification of the
dragon with Zu rather than with Tiamat commands favour. For repro-
ductions of this scene see Assyrian Sctclp/ures, Kleinmann, PI. 83-4 and
PI. 85-6; Ward, Seal Cylinders, pp. 197 fif. There is an earlier repre-
sentation of this scene on a seal. Ward, no. 580, that represents Marduk
in combat with a winged horse, which is certainly ZG.
' These texts are put together and edited by F. Thureau-Dangin,
Rituels Accadiens, 127-46.
The Nezv Year Festival at Babylon 21
ceremony here described applies, of course, only to the
festival as it was observed at Babylon, the capital, and
home of the Marduk cult. The directions for the first
day are not recovered. On the second day, two hours
before sunrise, the high priest must rise and bathe, attire
himself in linen, and enter the sanctuary of Bel (Marduk).
He then recites a hymn in which Marduk's victory over
the host of Tiamat and the blessings conferred upon the
gods are mentioned.^ This hymn is to be a mystery,
not to be said by any one save the high priest, who
must be alone in the sanctuary.
Then he opened the doors and the priests and psalmists
enter before Bel and perform certain ordinary rituals.
After another rubric which refers to tlie ' crown of
Anu', the high priest (?) sings a Semitic hymn to Bel-
Marduk. Here the 'curse' of Marduk is referred to
and an irrevocable decree, but it is not clear whether the
'curse' refers to a legend that Marduk employed a
malediction in his combat with Tiamat, or to a judgement
passed on the wicked gods. Book VI 131 does mention
' This hymn, which is partly bilingual, contains lines which obviously
refer to the Epic of Creation. The Semitic version is probably original.
With line 14 of. Book VI 140 and VII 68. Line 22 refers to Marduk
having burned the mighty ones, not to a ' binding ' of the monsters
as in the Epic. In fact one of the commentaries on the ritual refers
to the 'burning of Kingu ', whereas the Epic, IV 119, states that Kingu
was bound, and Book VI 25-6 also has it that Kingu was brought bound
before Ea and slain. The repeated description of Marduk as the Fire-
god Gibil in the Epic does in fact indicate another tradition concerning
the destruction of the wicked gods. The view adhered to in the Epic
is that Marduk had mercy upon the bound gods and made them demons
of the lower world. The hymn sung by the priest after speaking of the
burning of the mighty ones goes on to say that ' he has mercy upon
them '. These disparate traditions are confused here, but the confusion
did not disturb the poets and mystagogues in the least. For the burning
of Kingu see Zimmern, Neujahrsfesl\ 131, 9, and note 2, where he
compares the burning of the animal in Daniel 7 and in the Apocalypse
of John 20.
2 2 Ritual of the Third Day
the curse as one of the weapons employed by Marduk
against Tiamat, and see also Book VII ii with note.
This hjmn is only partially preserved, and the remaining
directions for the second day are lost.
Early on the morning of the third day the high priest
must rise and bathe and say a prayer (secretly before
Bel). The text of this prayer or hymn is entirely broken
away. He then opens the doors and the priests and
psalmists enter to perform the ordinary rituals. Now
a metal-worker is summoned three hours after sunrise
who makes two statues with precious stones and gold
for the ceremony of the sixth day. Then a carpenter
is called and given cedar wood and tamarisk, and a
silversmith, to whom he gives gold. Each statue must
be seven fingers high, one of cedar, one of tamarisk,
and adorned with gold and precious stones. One statue
holds in his left hand a serpent made of cedar, and lifts
his right hand to Nebo in prayer. The other statue
holds in his left hand a scorpion, and with his right hand
prays to Nebo. They are clad in red garments and
their loins are bound with branches of the date palm.
They remain in the temple of the god Sakut ^ until
the sixth day. The tablet here anticipates the ritual
of the sixth day by saying that on that day a sword-
bearer shall smite them on the head and burn them in
fire before Nebo. The statues apparently refer to two
of the monsters bound and burned (') by Marduk, but
the meaning of Nebo's presence here is not evident.
He as god of wisdom of course came to Babylon from
Barsippa for the festival, but he had no role in the
Epic of Creation, to which these statues obviously refer.
They probably represent the bahnu (viper) and the
akrab-amelu (scorpion man) in the Epic. See the list
' A solar deity, and form of Ninurta, but also related to Marduk.
For a discussion of this deity see my Babylonian Liturgies, 120 n. 6.
Ritual of the Fourth Day 23
of the monsters of Chaos in Book I 140-2. Here again
the divergent tradition of the burning of these monsters
reappears.
On the morning of the fourth day three and one-third
hours before sunrise the high priest must rise and bathe ;
he now comes before Bel and BeHt (Marduk and Zarpanit)
and recites a prayer to Marduk and one to Zarpanit.
Here again certain passages of the Epic are clearly in
the mind of the composers.^ He now comes out from
Marduk's sanctuary into the great court, and facing north
he recites a hymn known as ' Canal star, Esagila, imita-
tion of heaven and earth '. Dilgan or Cetus (the Canal
star) was identified with Babylon, and at this hour of the
morning should be rising heliacally at the spring equinox.
He blesses Marduk's temple and opens the doors. The
priests and psalmists enter and perform the ordinary
ceremonies. On the fourth day, after the 'little meal' '^
at the end of the day, the high priest recited before
Marduk the entire Epic of Creation ; during this recita-
tion the ' crown of Anu ' and the ' throne of Enlil ' must
be covered. Here ag^ain it is Enlil the earth-orod and
not Ea, father of Marduk, who is in the mind of the
celebrant. The older myth probably told of Anu and
Enlil's refusal to wage war upon the giants of Chaos,
and the covering of their presence is intended to signify
their confusion.
On the morning of the fifth day, four hours before
sunrise, the high priest must rise and bathe, and put on
a linen garment. He enters before Bel and Belit, and
recites a prayer to each ; both prayers or hymns are in
' Line 240, ebi'r sami-e, see note on IV 141, sami'-e ebir; 1. 241, murris
eriiti, cf. VII i, siirik mtnsli.
' kutlinnu,'M\e'. So Thureau-Dangin. Ste Riluels Accadiens, "1$,
6 f. and p. 74. ' Meal ' refers here to one of the two evening sacrifices
(the little sacrifice and the great sacrifice).
24 Ritual of the Fifth Day
Sumerian. These hymns are characterized by astral
titles of Marduk and his consort, and by addresses to
various planets. In one line the title of the Seventh
Book of the Epic is cited. The hymns which inaugurate
the ceremonies of the fifth day obviously reflect the
thoughts of the astronomical poem in Book V of the
Epic, as the hymn for the fourth day was more or less
based upon Book IV of the Epic. The high priest now
opens the doors of Bel's sanctuary and admits the priests
and psalmists to perform the ordinary rituals.^ Two
hours after sunrise the high priest, after the morning
meals of Bel and Belit are finished, summons a priest
of magic to purify the temple. The kettle-drum is
sounded, torch and censer are brought to the middle
of the temple, but the priest of magic must not enter
the sanctuary of Bel and Belit. The magician then
enters the sanctuary of Nebo (who has not yet arrived
from Barsippa) and purifies it. In this ceremony a
sword-bearer slays a sheep which the magician employs
in the purificatory ceremony. The cadaver and head
of the sheep are then cast into the river, the magician
and sword-bearer standing with face to the west. Both
of these participants in the rite of purgation of Nebo's
sanctuary must then go out into the plain and not return
as long as Nebo remains in the temple for the festival,
that is from the fifth to the twelfth days of Nisan.
At three and one-third hours after sunrise the high priest,
who is forbidden to see any of this ritual of purgation,
issues from E-umus-a, the sanctuary of Bel, and summons
' The ritual of the psalmists probably consisted in singing one of the
long Sumerian liturgies assigned to the day in question. It appears
from these rubrics that the liturgy put down for each day was sung in
the early morning. Translations oF a large number of these daily
liturgies will be found in my Sumerian and Babylonian Psalms, Babylonian
Liturgies, and in my two volumes of PBS. x, nos. 2 and 4. See the
article ' Prayer' in Hastings's Encyclopaedia 0/ Religion and Ethics.
Ritual of the Fifth Day
-0
craftsmen. The golden canopy of Marduk (to be held
over his statue when he departs from E-umus-a) they
bring out from Bel's treasury and then the entire sanctuary
of Nebo is veiled.' The sanctuary of Nebo (Ezida) in
this solar ritual represents the dark season of the year
or the period when the nights are longer than the days.
Bel, the rising spring sun, is about to issue from his
sanctuary at the spring equinox. The high priest and
the artisans now sing a hymn on the purification of the
temple. The artisans then leave the temple. Later in
the day the high priest re-enters Bel's sanctuary and
prepares the table of Bel and Belit with choice food,
golden vessels, and a censer. He now recites a prayer
and tells Bel that he is about to go to the house of the
New Year festival (akifii) which stood outside the city.
The artisans now remove the table and carry it to
Nebo's sanctuary ; this god arrives presently from
Barsippa, in his ship Iddahcdu. The king now arrives, _
washes his hands, and is brought into the temple," but
* The meaning of the veiling of Anu and Enlil on the fourth day sacred
to the memory of Marduk's combat with the giants is intelligible, see p. 23,
but why Nebo's sanctuary should be veiled is not at all comprehensible.
According to the commentary on a ritual published in ZA. vi 241 by
Strassmaier and partially translated in my PBS. x 330, so far as it
concerns the myth of the summer and winter solstices, Ezida, or the
temple of Nebo, represents the half of the year when the sun is south
of the equator, or the period of night.
'^ The king was compelled to be present at this festival, as we know
from the Religious Chronicle of the thirteenth century. King, Chrotiides,
ii 74, where his absence on the fifth day is recorded as an extraordinary
event; and the Nabonidus Chronicle, KB. iii 130, 10, says that in Nisan
Nabonidus the king in his ninth year came not to Babylon for the
akitu, and Bel went not out. Nebuchadnezzar praises himself for
bringing great sacrifices before Marduk and Nebo at this festival, VAB.
iv 95, 7-17. Nabonidus also boasts of having celebrated the akitu of
B^l, ibid. 285, 41. According to another passage, ibid. 283, ix 3-10,
Bel-Marduk and the gods made the journey to the akilu, 'the house
of sacrifices on the tenth day '.
26 The King at the Ritual
apparently not permitted to enter the sanctuary. The
high priest takes from him the insignia of royal power,
his sceptre, his circle and toothed sickle, which are taken
into the presence of Bel and placed on a seat ; he returns,
and havingf smitten the king's cheek he introduces him
before Bel ; he pulls the king's ears and causes him to
kneel. Here the ritual contains a prayer by the king
in which he professes his upright conduct as king. He
is for the moment reduced to the rank of a layman.
He had received his authority from Bel and to Bel it
had returned. The sign of his temporary reduction
is the smiting of his cheek by a subject. The high
priest now speaks to the royal penitent, promising him
Bel's blessing and the augmentation of his sovereign
power. The king retires from the chapel of Bel and the
high priest brings him the sceptre, circle, and sickle.
He again smites the king's cheek ; if the king sheds
tears Bel is well pleased with him ; if tears flow not he
will lose his throne.
Forty minutes after sunset the high priest makes up
a bundle of forty reeds each three cubits (about five feet)
long and binds the bundle with a palm branch. A trench
is dug in the temple court into which the reed bundle
is placed ; a white bull is brought before the trench and
the king sets fire to the reeds. The king and high
priest recite a hymn to the ' Divine bull of Anu ', and
here the text breaks away.^
' The white bull represents the constellation Taurus, which rose
heliacally at the spring equinox when this ceremony began, that is before
1900 B.C., according to Fotheringham, and the bull thus opened the
year in ritual long after the sun had moved into Aries. Thureau-Dangin,
ibid. 146 n. i, cites a passage from the Georgics of Virgil, which indicates
that the Romans also knew the astronomical myth of the white bull who
opens the year. Naturally the star Aldebaran was associated with the begin-
ning of spring before 1900 B.C., when the Epic of Creation was written.
The Sumerian name of Taurus was 'star of the bull of heaven', often
Ritual of the Sixth to Eleventh Days 27
The authentic rituals for the days 6-1 1 are unknown.
Marduk and the gods assembled in Esagila, probably on
the sixth. The procession of all the gods from Esagila
to the akiiic house of the New Year's sacrifices, outside
the Ishtar gate to the north of the city, occurred on the
tenth, and the sacrifices were made on the last day.
This we know from historical references cited above
(p. 25 n. 2, p. 26 n. i). The great assembly of the gods
in Ubsukkina to declare fates for the New Year occurred
on the eighth before the procession, and on the eleventh
after the return to Esagila from the house of sacrifices.
This is known from an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar.^
A fragment 2 clearly contains the ritual for a later
phase of the festival, and begins with the entry of Bel
into the chamber of fates, which occurred apparently on
the eighth day. The tablet belongs to one of those
Babylonian series which contain the rituals on one set
of tablets and the prayers on another set. This frag-
ment contains only the prayers for certain days, and
first of all the prayer after the fates are determined
on the eighth day(?), which exhorts Bel and Belit,
Tasmet and Ishtar to come forth (and proceed to the
called by the Semites ^i^akkab Li-e, 'Star of the tablet (of fates)'.
According to Kugler, Sternhmde, Erganzungen, 229, the rising of the
Pleiades in Taurus marked the beginning of the solar mean year in
the time of the First Dynasty. In the late period with which we are
concerned in this ritual the mean solar year was fixed by the rising
of Alpha in Aries, Kugler, ibid. 228. The New Year festival actually
kept to the rising of the Pleiades for centuries after the sun had passed
from Taurus into Aries, and in the thirteenth century the festival actually
occurred in Ajar, King, Chronicles, ii 73, where the sacrifices at the
akilu occur on the eleventh day (see also Jfnsen, KB. vi" 24, 7). The
rising of Aries fixed the beginning of the year in the period of
Nebuchadnezzar, but the old hymns applicable to the beginning of the
year with Taurus remain unchanged.
' VAB. iv 127, 54-65.
" K. 9876, in transcription only by Zimmern, Neujahrsfest^ , 136-43.
28 The New Year at Erech
house of sacrifice). We next find the gods in the
chamber by the bend {si-hir) of the river, by which
the aki/u is clearly meant." The hymn to Marduk, here,
is in fact a survival of an older stage of the New
Year festival, when Enlil of Nippur (with his son
Ninurta) was the principal character in the Epic of
Creation. It is addressed to 'Enlil in Nippur'. After
a longf break which brincrs us near to the end of the
ceremonies of the ninth (?) and tenth (?) days, the text
begins in the midst of a hymn which suggests to the
gods that they now return to their various temples
and cities.
So much for authentic ritual of the New Year at
Babylon on the ist-iith of Nisan. A New Year's
festival at Erech was celebrated at the beginning of the
second half of the year, reckoning by a year based upon
the spring equinox. At Erech the religious calendar
fixed two New Year festivals, one as at Babylon in
Nisan and one in Tesrit, each respectively the survival
of old Sumerian spring and autumn calendars.^ The
double New Year festival survived also at Ur and
probably at most Sumerian cities. At Erech it consisted
in the procession of Anu from his temple to the house
of sacrifice {akitu), and at Ur the same ceremony cer-
tainly obtained for the god Sin. So far as they have
any relation to the Epic of Creation, naturally the Erech
spring festival has special interest. But the celebration
of the New Year of Nisan at Erech does not mention
' See Jensen, KB. vi- 35 and Thureau-Dangin, Ri'iueh, 147.
° The texis of the Erech autumn ritual are AO. 6459, Th.-D., Rituels,
iiii~1, and AO. 6465, ibid. p. 72 ; the edition of the ritual will be found,
ibid. 86-99. The Erech Nisan ritual was published by Ebeling, KAR.
132, and edited first by Zimmern, Neujahrsfest'^, 20-35. ^^^ \dXtx by
Th.-D., Riiiieh. 99-108, _who was able to restore some lines from the
parallel autumn festival.
Commentaries on the Mysteries 29
Marduk at all, makes no reference to the Epic of
Creation, nor to the older Sumerian combat between
Enlil or Ninurta and the giants of Chaos. This celebra-
tion also lasted eleven days, and the king must be
present here also.^ The Epic of Creation was probably
ignored entirely by the older cults of the south, and
regarded by their ancient priesthoods as a poem and
myth of local origin, a conceit of the new priesthood
of Babylon. The festival at Babylon consequently
differed in nearly every detail from that of the older
cities.
But now let us come to the occult- tablets on which
the mystagogues of Babylon wrote^TtTeiF^urious inter-
pretations of the festival. The most important tablet
carries thirty-six lines on the obverse, the top and
bottom being broken away, and the reverse is almost
entirely destroyed.^ It belongs to a series of tablets
which contained the secret meaning of each act of the
long eleven-day celebration. In view of the fact that
we possess less than half of the actual ritual and only
a small section of the commentary, we are of course
not likely to find the comments applicable to any known
part of the ritual. According to Zimmern's restoration
of the first line some one goes to a trench or ditch,*
stands there, and casts something into it ; this is said to
refer to [Ninurta ?] who cast him into the nether sea for
Enlil and confided hitn to the Anunnaki. It refers to
the older myth of the son of Enlil, who bound the
^ Theoretical ly the king was present at certain vital parts of every New
Year festival in each city, but that was of course impossible, and as
a substitute he sent his royal garments. See Th.-Dangin, Rituels,
57 "• 95 ^nd 146 n. 4.
'^ K. 3476 in CT. 15, 43-4. Translated by Zimmern, Neuj'ahrs/esl^,
127-36.
' biiru.
I
30 Pantomime in the Epic *
draeons and cast them into the lower world. The ritual
for the fifth day mentions a trench (1. 457) into which
the high priest casts a bundle of forty reeds and which
the king sets on fire. If the commentary really applies
to this passage, the forty reeds represent monsters bound
and cast into hell-fire. The commentary then says that
the fire, which (the king ?) lights, is Marduk, who in his
youth . . . } The next act commented upon concerns
certain participants who hurl firebrands. These persons
represent the gods, Marduk's fathers and brothers, when
they heard (of his birth?), and these gods (i.e. the
priests) kiss some object which is interpreted to mean
Marduk, whom Ninlil in his infancy raised to her knees
and kissed. Again the old myth of Enlil and his consort
Ninlil, parents of Ninurta (not Marduk), reappears.
In the ritual a fire is kindled before Ninlil and a sheep
placed upon an oven ; this means Kingu, the husband
of the dragon Tiamat, who was burned by Marduk.
Firebrands are lighted from the oven, and these mean
the arrows from the quiver of Bel-Marduk, and the gods
his fathers who bound ''"Zu and '^"Asakku ^ in their
midst. The king (whose presence at the ritual began
on the fifth day) lifts a dumaki (weapon ?) above his
head ; this means Marduk, who lifted his weapons above
his head and consumed the sons of Enlil and Ea * with
fire. The king breaks a vessel with a lisnu ; this means
Marduk, who bound Tiamat (?) in his victory (?).
The king tosses (sic !) a roasted bread ; that means
' ZiMMERN makes here the natural inference that the text refers to
some vaHant deed of the infant Marduk.
^ The bound gods were cast into the lower world and became evil
demons, the Asakku. The text is not clear at this point.
' This refers to some mythical demons not mentioned in the Semitic
version of the Epic. The seven Asakku sons of Anu, the conquest of
Ninurta, in KAR. 142 ii 9-10, are probably referred to here. «i
Ritual Acts Explained 2>i
Marduk and Nebo who . . . and Anu bound him and
broke him. The king stands at a station and into his hand
is put a . . . and a psahnist recites a hymn entitled
' Goddess Namurrit ' ; this means Marduk who ... his
feet in the . . . of Ea placed and the planet Venus. . . .
The king (?) tosses a . . . ; that means the heart of Ea
as he pondered ' and in his hands. . . . The ritual now
mentions a cavalryman who with a sweet fig . . . and
who being brought in before the god (Marduk ?) shows
the figf to the orod and to the king ; this means him who
was sent to Enlil - and whose hand Nergal took.^ He
who entered Esagila and showed his weapon to Marduk
and Zarpanit, who kissed him (or it }) ; that means. . . .
The eunuchs who shout and sing in the plain . . . who
smite the . . . and utter wails, lifting each other up and
distracting ike senses ; these mean those who against
Enlil * and Ea (uttered) loud cries and poured out their
terror against them, and whose . . . they severed and
threw into the nether sea.
Here the tablet breaks away. It is, however, quite
clear that it contains certain rituals of the festival of the
New Year based upon various creation myths, and that
it refers to the ceremonies from the end of the fifth day
onward. The hymn to Marduk on the eleventh day,
a bilingual composition arranged for choral recital, has
been recovered, but it has no bearing upon the Epic of
Creation.^
' Cf. Book I 6i or II 97.
2 iiu££_ This ideogram usually means Enlil in Assyrian and Ea in
Babylonian. But for ''«i5^ = Enlil in Babylonian, see V Raw. 47 b 6,
^■Elim-ma (i. e. Enlil) = <^BE.
' Here again there is nothing in the Epic which corresponds to the
ritual.
* Enlil here and above (n. 2) probably refers to Marduk.
' K. 4933 in IV Raw. 18, no. 2, restored from a Babylonian duplicate
by Weissbach, Miscelkn, 36-41. See also Jensen, KB. vi^ 36-41. The
32 New Year Festival at AUiir
The German excavations at the old capital of Assyria
not only provide the oldest texts of the Epic of Creation,
but they also prove the existence of a New Year's
festival there, very similar to the celebration at Babylon.
The information concerning the celebration at Babylon
was intimately connected with the myths of the Epic of
Creation which glorified Marduk. This Epic profoundly
influenced the religion of Assyria, more so in fact than
any other Babylonian poem. At Assur the priests
substituted their national deity Asur for Marduk, and
a temple for the sacrifices of the New Year's festival w
akitu was discovered outside the city wall of Assur.
A fragment of the hymn sung to Marduk on the eleventh
day of Nisan was recovered at Assur.^ Another Assur
text mentions the seven great gods who participated in
the saSJiarti «] taluku la '"'"'^Nisan, manoeuvres and
procession of the month of Nisan (Ebeling, KAR. 142
Obv. II 25-33), and among them neither Marduk nor
his Assyrian substitute Asur occurs. Ij
The ritual of the New Year at Babylon placed another
aspect of Marduk in clear light. He, like Ninurta, upon
whose cult the new Babylonian worship was based, figured
as a solar g od, and the chief significance of the Epic and |
the ritual of the spring equinox consisted in the return of
the sun from the regions of winter darkness, the victory
of light over the dragon of storm and night. 1 1 was, there-
fore, natural that a myth concerning Marduk's descent
into the lower world and his resurrection should have
arisen at Babylon. This myth, and the ritual to which
colophon says that it was sung when Bel entered Esagila from the house
of sacrifice.
' Ebeling, KAR. 106. It is probably redacted with the name
^'■^Asur for Marduk. The akitu at Assur was also situated near the river
as at Babylon, and the procession of the gods from the city to the house
of sacrifice was really a voyage in boats for at least part of the journey.
ffi!
Marduk and Tamniuz 33
it gave form, was probably inspired more or less by the
ancient cult of Tammuz, the young god of vegetation, who
died yearly, sojourned in the lower world, and returned to
the upper world.^ This parallel cult of Marduk as a solar
deity has no direct bearing upon the Epic of Creation,
but its details are so important that it cannot be omitted
here. The only source at present available for this
mystic ceremony of the death and resurrection of Bel
was not recovered in Babylonia but at Assur.^ The
text has a colophon, but it makes no mention of an
original at Babylon. It may be assumed, then, that this
mysterious rite was also practised in Assyria. The text
has attracted wide attention in theological circles, more
especially for its apparent relation to the death and
resurrection of the founder of Christianity. Zimmern,
the first interpreter, made much of this point and drew
up a parallel table of the leading features of the ritual
and the arrest, trial, scourging, crucifixion, and resurrec-
tion of Jesus. The text will undoubtedly become the
subject of much theological discussion, and an authentic
English version should not be omitted here. I give
both transcription and translation.
' The cult of Tammuz is fully described in the writer's Tammuz and
Ishtar.
- Ebeling, KAR. 143, translated by Zimmern, Neujahrs/esP-, 2-21.
Zimmern later discussed this tablet with special reference to the pre-
Christian mystery cults in a lecture delivered at Jena, September 1921,
and published under the title Bahylonische Vorslufen der vorderasiatischen
Mysterienreligionen, ZDJNIG. 76, 36-54.
THE DEATH AND RESUR-
I. [ ^ "^"Bel su-u ina hur-sa-an ik-]ka-li
2 un-ni
3 u-se-sa-as-su
4 /]-da-la amelu mar fipri sa bele-su man-
nu li-se-sa-as-su
5 il-lak-u-ni u-se-sa-as-su-ni
6 i-]ra-kab-u-ni a-na hur-sa-an su-ii il-Iak
7. ..... . il-lak-u-ni bitu su-u ina eli sap-te sa
hur-sa-an ina libbi i-sa-'-vi-lu-su
8. ['^"JVadu sa islu Bar-s\ip-{ki) il-!ak-an-ni a-na
sul-me sa abi-su sa sa-bit-u-ni su-u il-la-ka
9 sa ina su-ka-ka-a-te i-du-lu-u-ni ^^"Bel
li-ka-u'-ma ai-ka sa-bit
10 ^ sa kate-sa tar-sa-a-ni a-na ''"Sin
''"Samas tu-sal-la ma-a "'"Bel biil-li-su
I I . [bab 'Y'-- sa tal-lak-u-ni bab ka-bu-rat su-ii
tal-lak tu-ba-['a-su]
' The principal fragment, VAT. 9555, contains the upper half of the
Obverse and lower half of theT<.everse. A duplicate, VAT. 9538, which
supplies much of the missing section of the major tablet, was utilized by
ZiMMERN. For this duplicate scholars must at present depend upon
Zimmern's transcription.
^ Restorations after Zijimern, when not otherwise indicated.
' That is the ' lower world '. The month of Tammuz was known as
the arah kimiluvi ^^'^[Tammuz'], ' Month of the binding of Tammuz ',
SBH. 145 (5 13, which indicates the source of tiie m)th of the binding
and imprisonment of Marduk.
RECTION OF b£L-MARDUKi
I ; that is Bel who was confined in the
mountain.^
2. . . . .
3 .he brings him forth.
4 a messenger of his lords hastens
(saying), ' Who brings him forth ? '
5. He who goes and brings him forth.
6. He who rides ; that is he who to the
mountain ^ goes.
7. To which he goes ; that is the house on
the edge of the mountain ^ wherein they question him.
8. [Nebo who from] Barsippa comes ; that is he who
comes (to seek) after the welfare of his father (Marduk)
who is held captive.
9. The who in the streets hasten ; they seek
for Bel (saying), ' Where is he held captive ?'
10. The who stretches out her hands ; she
prays to Sin and Shamash saying, ' Give life to Bel '.
1 1 . [The gate of the ]-s, to which she
goes ; that is the gate of the grave * ; she goes there
seekincr him.
&
■* Here probably Zarpanit, wife of Marduk, corresponding to Ishtar,
who seeks for Tammuz in the lower world.
" Here is a clear reference to the grave of Bel, where he was supposed
to lie while his sou! sojourned in the lower world until the resurrection.
Strabo, Book XVH 5, mentions the grave of Bel as one of the striking
features of Babylon in the Greek period, 6 toS BryAov rac^os avroBi.
Aelian ( Variae Hislonae, xiii 3) says that Xerxes dug into this tomb and
found a glass coflin in which lay a corpse in oil, and the oil filled the
coffin up 10 within a hand-breadih of the rim. By this tumulus stood
a stela bearing this inscription, ' It will not be well with him who opens
C 2
o
6 The Death and Resurrection
12. [ ]ma-a-se sa ina Mbi sa E-sag-ila i-za-zu-
u-ni """''massare-su su-nu ina eli-su pak-du i-na-sa-[ru-su] |
13 ia ku-ri[ ]e-pi-su-ni ^ a-ki ilani
e-si-ru-su-ni ih-ti-lik ina libbi napidti'^ a
14. \_ana bit w^-]si-ri sam-[si u] nuri istu lib-bi us-si-ri- J
du-nis-[su] *
15 sa ina sapli-su ?Z'-tar-ri-ba sa lab-bu-
su-ni ^ mi-ih-si sa mah-hu-su-ni-su-nu " ina dame-su
\sar-p^i\ -i
16. [2/- *]tum sa is-[si-]su kam-mu-sa-tu-ni a-na sul-
me-su ta-ta-[rad] •■
1 7. [mar ''"As-sur] ^ sa is-si-su la il-lak-u-ni ma-a la bel
hi-it-ti a-na-ku ma-a la us-sa-ta-am-mah-[has]
the coffin and fills it not'. Having read this Xerxes feared and com-
manded oil to be poured into the coffin quickly, but it filled not up.
Again he commanded oil to be poured in, but it received no increase,
and he abandoned the task. Having closed the sepulchre he fled sorely
troubled. And the stela deceived not, for Xer.xes, ha\ing collected a host
against the Greeks, fled unhappily. Having returned, he died most
disgracefully, for by night his own son cut his father's throat as he slept.
Strabo says that Xerxes destroyed this sepulchre, which was a pyramid
made of burnt brick ; its height was a stade and each side was a stade.
Alexander desired to rebuild this pyramid, and spent much labour and
ume upon it. But the removal of the earth which had fallen occupied
10,000 men two months, and he gave it up. Disease and death befell
the king, and after him no one cared for it. Diodorus Siculus (xvii 112),
describing the entry of Alexander into Babylon, says that the seers sent
out a delegation to warn him that a king who entered Babylon would die.
But this might be avoided by rebuilding the tomb of Bel which the
Persians had destroyed. It is obvious that these traditions refer to
the great stage tower of Babj'lon, Etemenanki, whose sides are now
known to have been 180 cubits and height 192 cubits according
to the ScHEiL Esagila tablet, which apparently omits the sixth stage.
The cubit employed here equals 0.50 metre approximately, and the sides
measure 90 metres, or about 300 feet. The height is about 320 feet.
Herodotus agrees with Sirabo in giving the length of each side and the
o./"Bel-Marduk 37
12. The twins who at the gate of Esagila
stand ; these are his watchmen ; they are appointed to
guard him.
13. The who make lament; (that means)
when the gods bound him he perished from among the
living ;
14. [Into the house of bondage] from the sun and
light they caused him to descend.
15. The which touch him beneath and with
which they clothe him ; these are the wounds with which
they wound him ; with his blood \tliey are dyed\
16. The goddess who tarries * with him has descended
(to seek) for his welfare.
17. \The son o/Ahtr] who goes not with him, saying,
' Not am I a sinner', and ' Not shall I be wounded' ;
height of the pyramid as a stade, which exaggerates the real measurements
twofold. See RA, 15, 59 and 15, iii, and Weissbach, OLZ. 1914, 197.
This lofty stage tower was connected with the legend of BSl's death and
descent into the lower world in the Greek period, and the tale must have
been widely believed in Western Asia as late as our own era. Ctesias,
£pt/. Pholii, § 21, preserves a different legend of the tomb of Bel.
He says that Xerxes went to Babylon longing to see the grave of
BTjAirava, and saw it by the aid of Mardonius. But he was unable
to fill it. Bel-itanas has been explained as Bel-Etana, or ' Etana is Ber,
on the assumption that in some way the ancient hero Etana (later
deified), who is said to have ascended to heaven on the back of an eagle,
was identified with Bel-Tammuz, the dying god. So Lehmann-Haupt,
Orieiitalische Siudkn Noldeke . . . gewidmet. 998 ff. The thesis is not
convincing, and the Bel-itanas of Ctesias still remains unexplained.
' ZijuiERN construes epihi as a permansive, but cf. the subjunctive
permansive ep-ht-ti-tii, 1. 55. It appears to be for the Prs. epA, eppas,
eppus.
' ZI-JI/ES? ' For these Prm. piels, cf. Ylvisaker, LSS. v 6, p. 34.
* So ZlMMERN.
^ For kamasu, kneel, in this sense, cf. H. L. 1360, 10, ina eli ndri
hammusaku.
" Restored from 1. 19. But doubtful. One expects here the name of
some priest who acts in the ritual as representative of the ' son of Asur '.
38 The Death and Resurrection
1 8. [ ] '''"As-sur di-na-ni ' ina pa-ni-su ip-ti-u
di-na-ni i-di-nu
19. [su-u sa is]-si-su la il-Iak-u-ni mar '''"As-sur 5u-u-tu
ma-su-ru su-ii ina muh-hi-su pa-kid ilu bir-tu ina muh-
hi-su i-na-[as-sar]
20. [kakkadu sa] ina 'V«tal-li sa '''''' Be-1 it Bab-ili-(ki)
'i-la-an-ni kakkadu sa bel hi-it-ti sa is-si-su i-m[ah-ha-
su-ni] '
2 I . [u i-]da-ku-su-ni su-tu. kakkad-su ina ^"^ *] sa
'■'''" Be-lit Bab-ili-(ki) e-ta-'a-[/K]
22. \^^"Nabil ]sa a-na Bar-sip-(ki) i-sa-hur-u-ni il-lak-
u-ni '?"tal-[li] sa ina libbi-su is-sa-na-[i;rt«-«-«?]
23. \di'-kt\s.3.''"^t\ ina hur-sa-an il-lik-u-ni alu ina eli-
[su] it-ta-bal-kat ka-ra-bu ina libbi-su i-pu-sw^
24. atnati sa sahe sa ina pan harrani sa ''"Nabu ki-i
istu " Bar-sip-(ki) il-la-kan-an-ni i-kar-ra-bu-ni
25. ''"Nabu' sa il-lak-an-ni ina muh-hi i-za-zu-u-ni
im-mar-u-ni bel hi-it-ti sa itti "'"Bel su-tu-[ni su-u]
26 ki-i ' sa itti ''"Bel su-tu-ni im-[mar]
27. '""'^masmase sa ina pa-na-tu-su il-lik-u-ni si-ip-tam
i-ma-an-nu-?<-«z nise-su su-nu ina pa-na-tu-su u-na-bu-[u
28. ''""'"mah-hu-u sa ina pan ''"'Be-lit Bab-ili-(ki) il-la-
ku-u-ni amelu mu-pa-si-ru su-u a-na irti-sa i-bak-ki-
[i-ma]
29. . . . ma-a a-na hur-sa-an ub-bu-Iu-su si-i ta-da-ra ^^
ma-a ahu-u-a ahu-u-a
^ dinanu, judgement, is not well documented. Cf. di-na-an-ni-a
"i^^idaiane, Schroeder, KAV. 6 Rev. 6.
- In 1. 12 watchmen are appointed at the grave of Rrarduk-Bel, but
1. 19 probably refers to the confinement in the lower world.
' ZiMMERN restores i-rid-du-lu-ni, ' whom they lead away '.
o/Bel-Marduk 39
1 8. '[For the ] of Asur have revealed my
judgement before him and have declared my judge-
ment ' ;
19. [^T/ih one] who goes not with him, this son of Asur,
he is a watchman, he is appointed over him, he guards
the prison over him.^
20. \^Tke head -whlcW] is bound to the door of Beltis of
Babylon, that is the head of the malefactor whom they
smite,
21. and slay with him. His head they dind to the
neck (?) of Beltis of Babylon.
22. [Nebo ] who returns to Barsippa and who in the
gate was />/aa'd,
23. after Bel went to the mountain (lower world) ;
(that means) the city fell into tumult because of him and
fighting within it they made.
24. The reed pigsties which are before the way of
Nebo, as he comes from Barsippa to adore him,
25. Nebo who comes and stands over (him), and
regards him ; that means this sinner who is with Bel.
26 that he is with Bel he sees.
27. The priests of incantation who go before him'
reciting an incantation ; they are his people, who wail
before him.
28. The Magi who goes before the Beltis of Babylon ;
that is the messenger, he weeps before her,
29. . . . saying, ' Unto the mountain (lower world)
they have taken him ' ; she goes down (?) saying ' O my
brother, O my brother '
' ZiMMERN supplies gii = hsadu, neck ?
' ZiMMERN, «/>(?)-/>?< ?-«^. " ^-^^ Cf. 1. 8.
■' Perhaps a sign gone at the beginning of the line.
« Text kan ! ' Nebo.
'" For ia-ta-rad} Zimmern reads ta-ta-rad, ' she cries out ' (?).
40 The Death and Resurrection
30. . . . la-bu-su-su sa a-na '''''Belit-Uruk-(ki) u-se-
bal-u-ni ku-zip-pi su-nu It-ta-[ba-lu-ni-su]
31. lu-u kaspu lu-u hurasu lu-u abne -su sa istu libbi
E-sag-ila a-na ekurrati u-se-su-u-ni bit-su su-u-tu
■X2. •"^''''se-ir-i-tu - sa lab-bu-su-ni ina ka-dam-me
o
33. si-iz-bu sa ina pan ''"'Istar sa Ninua i-hal-li-bu-ni
ni-mi-il si-i tu-ra-bu-su-ni ri-e-mu u-ka-al-lim-us-[su-ni]
34. e-nu-ma e-lis [sa da-bi-ib-u-ni ina pan ''"B]el ina
""""-Nisanni i-za-mur-ii-su-ni ina eli sa sa-bit-u-ni su-u
35. svi-ul-li-e-su-nu u-sal-la su-ra-ri-su-nu i ^-sa-[ra-ar] '
36. [urugallu ?] su-tu i-da-bu-ub ma-a dam-ka-a-te sa
''"Assur si-na e-ta-pa-as ma-a mi-i-nu hi-[it:-ta-su]
37 sa sami-e i-da-gal-u-ni ana "'"Sin '^"Samas
u-sal-la ma-a bul-li-[ta-an-]ni
' For kuzippu, a kind of robe, see Meissner, SuppL, and Behrens,
LSS. ii I, pp. 16, 33, 91; K. 3500 i 16 in Winxkler, Forschungen
{kuzippu ina lani-kumi)\ K. 659 R. 4 ;, Harper, Letters, 11 26, 11.
"^ In the Sippar cult tablet V 44, 52, 54 ; VI 3 the se-ri-'-tu garment is
mentioned as the raiment for the sun-god, his consort, and his attendant
Bunene; V Raw. 61. K. 4211 Obv. 15 explains [ ]-/«ot by ser-
'i-tu in list of garments. Zimmern connects the word ^^^th ser'il, grain,
vegetation, and renders 'garment of grain heads', Ahrengewand. See
also 1. 53.
' Or katavunu ? a garment ? See 1. 56.
^ haldhi, denominative of hildhu, milk? cognate of Heb. 3pn^ &c.
The ritual refers to the Epic I 85-6. nimilu, sucking, probably derived
from 7iy, to nurse by suckling. The verb ewelu, emelii has not been
found in Assyrian.
" The Epic of Creation ' When on high ' was recited before Bel in the
evening of the fourth day of the New Year festival of Nisan, Thureav-
Dangin, Ritiieh, 136, 279-84. This proves that the ritual of Bel's death
and resurrection was held at the same time. The fragment Rm. 275,
o/ B el-Mar DUK 41
■^o. . . . his earments which he causes to be brought
to Beltis of Erech ; these are his raiment^ which they
[took from him].
31. Be it silver, be it gold, be it his jewels which he
causes to be brought forth from within Esagila unto the
temples ; that means his temple which
32. The hrilu garment in which he (Marduk) was
clothed ; that means in a coffin (?) (kadammii) ^
33. The milk which before Ishtar of Nineveh they
milk ; * that is she who reared him by suckling, showing
him mercy.
34. ' When on high ' which is recited and which before
Bel in the month Nisan they sing; because he was
bound it is ; he was ^
35. Their prayers he prays and their implorations he
implores.
36. This hi^h priest recites saying : ' These benefactions
for Asur I do' ; saying, ' What is his sin ? ' *
37. The who looks to heaven ; that means he
prays to Sin and Shamash saying, ' Restore me to life '; ^
discussed below, Rev. 4, has [ i-za]-mu-ru-u-su-m itia eli la sa-
bil-ii-ni hi-u\^ ]
« VAT. 9538, u.
' These prayers, together 'viih the recitation of the Epic, were said by
the high priest in Marduk's chapel E-umiis-a. The antecedent of hinu
is probably Bel and Beltis of Babylon, or in the service at Assur it refers
to Assur and his consort.
' ZiMMERN restored hi-it-tu-a. Rm. 275 has a different text ; [
damkati la] ''"Al-lur li-na e-ta-pa-al ina eh pi-lii^) ''"Al-sur la
If pi/i be the correct reading, and ' Because of the humiliation of ASur '
the right rendering, it follows that in the Assyrian ritual Ahtr is
substituted for Marduk. Then the restoration hi-il-la-lu, ' What is his
sin' in 1. 36 would be more likely.
" Rm. 275 has here, as in 1. 10, a priestess or a goddess who prays
for the resurrection of Bel ; [.' ana] ^'•^A -nim i^'^^Sin ^'■"'Samas
'^"/iamman tu-^a-al-la \ma-a bitl-lit-sul]. The As§ur text interprets the
act to mean that Bel in the lower world prays for his own release. On
Rm. 275 the god Enki now appears in the ritual.
42 The Death and Resurrection
38 sa kak-ku-ru i-da-gal-u-ni hu-ur-ni-su ina
eli-su kay-x\x-\\\ ina eli sa istu libbi hur-sa-an il-[lak-
u-]ni
39. \amchi mic-pa-si-ru sa iftf\ ^"^"Bel a-na bit d-ki-ti
la u-su-ni u sa """'^sa-ab-te i-na-as-si i-si-su
i-[ta-iaY>.
40. ['^'"'Belit] Babili-{ki) (?) sa ina libbi bit a-ki-ti /a
/a-«/-lak-u-ni zinnisat sa-ki-in-tu sa biti [si-i ?] ^
41 -ti biti tu-di-i ma-a bita us-ri ina kate-
ki u-[= ]
42. [ '''^'Belit-] Bab-ili-(ki) sa atii ina ku-tal-
li-sa-ni sipi '= sarti ^ tal-pu ina pa-ni-[sa-ni ]
43. \ina eli sa ka-t]u-us-sa da-mu sa sur-ri sa tab-
ku-ni
44 sa um 8-kam sa "'"-Nisanni saha ina
pa-ni-sa \-ta ^-\ba-lm-ni'\
45. [zinnisat sa-ki-in]-La sa biti si-i i-sa-'u-lu-si ma-]a
man-nu bel hi-it-ti ma-a
46 u-bal-u-ni bel hi-it-ti \-\>7iah-Jia-si(.-ni
]
47 il-lak-u-ni AS{>) . MUT . Z/-sa' a-ki
im-ma-ah-[ha-su-ni ]
' Bel now is about to return from the lower world. The myth of his
descent into hell is not confined to this ritual. As patron of springs
and rivers a prayer describes him as follows : hel nakbe ladi u taviati
ha-i-tu hur-sa-a-ni. Lord of the wells of the mountain and of the seas, he
that paces the mountain (of the nether world); King, Magic, 12, 28.
' Restored from K. 9138, 13.
' Space for more signs. This is Zimmern's restoration.
' Or temple? Bel descends into the lower world and a woman
(Beltis) rules in his temple ! zinmsai seems to mean Beltis here.
o/"Bel-Marduk 43
38. The who looks toward the earth ; that
means that his has been placed thereon, and
it is because he comes from within the mountain.^
39. [The herald] ^ who with Bel to the house of the
New Year's festival goes not out ; that means the
of a prisoner he bears and with him he sits.
40. The Beltis of Babylon who goes not into the
house of the New Year's festival ; that is the woman
who was placed over the house.*
41. [To her they say, 'The of the temple
thou knowest ', and again, ' Watch the temple and with
thy hands '
42 Beltis of Babylon who binds an atil
garment on her back, and a siptl of wool on her face
43. [That is because she zvith her hand'\ the blood of
the body which was poured out \wipes azvay].''
44. The before whom on the eighth of
Nisan they slaughter a pig ;
45. That is the woman who is placed over the temple ;
they question her saying, ' Who is the malefactor ? ' and
again, ' '
46 they take away and the malefactor they
stay
47. The who come as he is slain
^ ZiMMERN restores ti-su-uh-hi, remove (?).
^ Written Sig-TAB; for the reading sipti see RA. 13, 183, 28, si-pi.
am is writlen sig-gig. tal-pu for ta-la-pti from alapu ? Zimmern corrects
the text and reads sipat lab-ri-mu, ' bright wool '.
' The restorations in this line are by Zimmern, and are extremely
doubtful.
' Or i-ma-ah-ha-'iu-ni.
* So the transcription of VAT. 9538, ibid.
44 The Death and Resurrection
48 -mu * me dr-his i-za-am-[mu-ru ] 5
49. [ u-dal-]lah-hu-ni u-sar-ra-ru-u-ni me da-
al-hu-te su-nu[ ]
50 bil {?)-la (?) ba-ak-te (?) i-kar-ra-ru-ni sa
ka-du-ur-ti
51 sa ina libbi ''"^Nisanni a-na dannis
ma-'-du-ni kemu ki-i sa-bit-u-ni
52. me kate sa u-kar-rab-u-ni bi-id ih-kii-m su-u di-'i
53. •"^'''se-ir-'-i-tu sa ina muh-hi-su sa i-ka-bu-u-ni ma-a
me hi (?)nu-[/z] si-li-'-a-ti si-na
54. su-u ina libbi e-nu-ma e-lis ik-ti-bu-u ki-i sami-e
irsi-tim la ib-ba-nu-ni An-sar it-[tab-si]
55. ki-i alu u bitu ip-su-u-ni su-u it-tab-si me sa ina
eli An-sar [iu-uu-ma par-su-ma\^
56. su-u-tu sa hi-ta-su ina libbi ka-dam-me * su-tu
e-si-ip la mi la-bis ka-dam-me
57. li-is-mu sa ina """"-Nisanni ina pan ''"Bel u ma-
ha-za-ni gab-bu i-kal-[la-du-ni] ^
' VAT. 9538 -u.
' sararu, original sense, ' coil, flow in waves ", then ' flicker, glisten,
shine'. Cf. CT. 16, 24, 23, a-gim ge-im-ma-an-sur-sur ziz ki'ma me
lisrur, ' May it run away like water '.
' This is the first line on the Reverse of VAT. 9555. According
to Zimmern's edition VAT. 9538 fills in the entire break between the
end of the Obverse and the beginning of the Reverse.
* The obscure passage 52-5 refers to water employed in the ritual of
washing the body or the ler'ilu garment of Ansar = Asur = Marduk- 1 '
o/ B E L - M A R D U K 45
48. The who water quickly as they
chant
49. [The waters which] they make muddy
and cause to run away ; ' they are the muddy waters
which
50. The which they set forth which
51. The which in the month Nisan are
exceedingly plentiful ; that means when he was seized
52. The water for the hand(washing) which they bring
nigh after he has been taken away ; that is the misery
zvhich ^
53. The hritic garment which is upon him is that of
which they speak saying, ' These waters— they (mean)
sorrows '.
54. This is what they speak in the recital of ' When
on high ', ' When heaven and earth were not created
Ansar came into being,
55. When city and house were made he came into
being (and) the waters, which upon Ansar \are, were
separated ?]
56. This one whose sin is ; in a kadammil he is
and in water is he not covered ; the kadammtl
57. The race which in the month of Nisan before Bel
and all the sacred places they run in frenzy ;
Bel. The recital in 54-5 concerning the separation of the fresh waters
from the salt waters is parallel to the numerous legends of the miraculous
origin of plants and stones used in the rituals of incantations. The
object is to show the mystical origin of the water employed in this ritual.
^ Probably a Sumerian loan-word for coffin, composed of ki-dam ?
Line 56 refers to the malefactor slain with Bel. Rm. 275 has here
a verb sa u-hap-pa-tu-u-lu-ni, ' whom they plundered '.
" Restored from Rm. 275. For the meaning oS. galadu, galdtu see
Babyloniaca, ii 124 and Meissner, ATU. ii 59.
46 TJie Death and Resurrection
\
58. ki-i ''"As-sLir "'"Nin-urta ina eli ka-sa-di sa ''"Zi-i ^ |
is-pur-u-ni [''"Nin-urta] r
59. ilia pan """As-sur ik-tl-bi ma-a^ ''"Zu-u ka-si-id
"""As-sur a-na ''"[Nusku ? ik-ii-bi'] *
60. ma-a a-lik a-na ilani gab-bu pa-si-ir u-pa-sa-ar- |
su-nu u su-nu ina eli ih-[du-u-ma] ^
61. da-ba-bu gab-bu sa ina lib-bi "'""'kale \i-dd-ab-
bu-bu-ni\
62. sa ha-ba-a-te sa i-hab-ba-tu-su-ni sa u-sal-pa-tu-
su-ni su-u ilani abe-su su-nu
63. "'"Nusku sa E-sa-bad ib-bir-an-ni """''mar sipri
su-u-tu ''"'gu-la ina muh-hi-su ta-sap-pa-ra
64. subatu senu sa ina bit ''"'Be-lit Bab-ili-ki ub-bal-
u-ni [w/-]it-hu-ur ^ su-u-tu u-se-bal-as-si
65. [?]-mi-il ' a-na sa-a-su la u-sar-u-su-ni la li-su-u-ni
' Rm. 275 adds ^'■'"■Ki-m-gu '^"A-sak-ku.
'^ Rm. 275, [ma-~\a ^'"Zu-ii ''"A7-z>;-^« ^^"■A-sai-ku [kas-du].
' Rm. 275 after Airffhus probably I'/i.
* That is the psalmists participate in the race reciting chants concerning
the victory of Ninurta.
^ Temple of Gula in Babylon. The original writing is e'-sa-iad.
IR. 55 iv 40; RA. 16, 163, 29, e'-sa-bad\ see Boissier, ihid. p. 206, and
perhaps in N. Pr. E-sd-be-ba-gub, Hussey, Sumerian Tablets, 40 i 2.
» — C when read bad has the meanings pitu, to open, and nisil, reku, be
far removed. Boissier, RA. 18, 43, has already observed the passages
which confirm the reading bad. Schroeder, KAV. 42 R. 13 = 43 R. 26,
sa-bad^ pi-ta-at iizni, i. e. ' Temple of her who opens the ears ', Temple
of Gula as goddess of understanding. KAR. 109, 20, the mother
goddess in E-sa-bad is pi-la-at iizni na-ba-at ta-bi-ni, ' opening the ear,
proclaiming wisdom '. Hence sa = uziiu and bad^ pitii. For sa = uznti
see CT. xi 30, 7 b, SA (sa-a^ = uz-\7ui\, and the original meaning of
iabiuH from p3 divide, discern, is also 'ear', then 'wisdom'. See
PiiN'CKERT, Kebo, p. 22, and RA. x 74, a-bad =■ labiiui, with sjiMu, bun
zir-ri, both words for ear. Cf. K. 12056 in Meissner, Suppkmeyit,
Obv. 1-3, tabhtit, also 'side wall', King, Creal., ii, App. V 78. This
o/Bel-Marduk 47
58. That means ; when Asur sent Ninurta to co nquer
the god Zu, [Ninurta]
59. before Asur spoke saying, ' Zu is conquered' ; and
Asur spoke to the god Nusku(?)
60. saying, ' Hasten unto all the gods, announce the
tidings ' ; he announced the tidings to them and they
rejoiced.
61. All the words which therein * the psalmists recite,
62. The plunder which they take as they cause him to
be felled ; that means that the gods his fathers
63. Nusku who passes by Esabad ; ° he is the
messenger ; Gula sends him on his (Bel's) behalf.
64. The clothing and sandals which they bring into
the temple of Beltis of Babylon, this corresponds to, he
brings (them) to her.
65. A for him whom they allow not to escape
and who cannot come forth.
lale explanation of sa-bad may not be the original sense, for the scribe
in KAV. 42 R. 14 — 43 R. 27 has another explanation; sa — nasaru
and* — ( = kulmrii, and E-sa-BAD = bil jniur kuburu, 'Temple of him
who protects the grave ', hence also a temple of some god ; clearly the
explanation is based upon this ritual, and the legend of the grave of Bel.
In fact this second explanation has no sound basis in the words sa-bad.
sa = uznu, ear, is intelligible from the root sa, wisdom, counsel, Su7n.
Gr. 235, and note possible variant sa in the early name E-sd-be-ba-gub.
But sa is not a word for nasaru, and i.^ ^ = kuburu is possible only
by reading the sign as idim, well, pit. Sum. Gr. 221. In fact this
explanation is taken from the ritual without any regard to the real
meaning of E-sa-bad. Nusku seems to have been regarded as the
keeper of Bel's tomb, and Gula's temple which was drawn into this
connexion by her intimate relation to Zarpanit or Beltis, who weeps
for Bel, is made the subject of a fantastic linguistic explanation. Nusku
passes by a temple of a mother goddess, one of the women who weep
for Bel-Tammuz, and he was also keeper of the sepulc-hre of Bel until
Bel's resurrection. By pure fancy sa-bad is made to refer to Nusku as
nasir kuburi, ' keeper of the tomb '.
" Text it-hu-ur I This is also Zimmern's conjecture.
' ZiMMERN reads ni!-mi-il, but the te.\t is against this.
48 The Death and Resurrection
66. '^"narkabtu sa a-na bit a-ki-It tal-lak-u-ni ta-la-
kan-an-ni bel-sa la-as-su sa la beli ta-sa-bu-'u
67. u Hat sak-ku-ku-tu sa istu ali ta-lab-ba-an-ni ba-
ki-su si-i istu ali ta-la-bi-a
68. '^"dalat bir-ri^ sa i-ka-bu-u-ni ilani su-nu i-ta-as-
ru-su ina biti e-tar-ba '"'dalta ina pani-su e-te-di-li
69. su-nu hu-ur-ra-a-te ina libbi '^"dalti up-ta-li-su
ka-ra-bu ina lib-bi up-pu-su
70. man-nu sa dup-pu an-ni-u e-mar-ra-ku-u-ni lu-u
ina me i-kar-ra-ar-u-ni
71. u im-mar-u-ni a-na sa la u-du-u-ni ^ la u-sa-as-
mu-u-ni
72. ''"As-sur ''"Sin ''"Samas ''"Ramman u ''"'Is-tar
''"Bel ''"Nabu ''"Nergal ''"'Istar sa Ninua (ki)
73. ''"'Istar sa alu Arba-ili ''"'Istar sa Bit-kit-mur-ri
74. ilani §a sami-e irsi-tim u ilani mat Assur(ki)
ka-li-su-nu
75. ar-rat la nap-su-ri ma-ru-us-tu li-ra-ru-su-ma a-di
lime bal-tu ai ir-su-su ri-e-ma
76. sum-su zer-su ina mati li-se-lu-u sere-su ina pi-i
sa kal-bi lis-kun-nu
' lahil, r\'h form of lahdbu. Cf. Craig, RT. ii 16, Gula la-ba-at uz-
za-al, and K. 164, 5, ina irsi ta-lab-bi-a.
^ For birrti, window, see Haupt, ASKT. 93, 27, ina ajili bir-ri at
erub-su, By the aperture of the window may it not enter unto him ; and
Meissner-Rost, BauinschrifUn Sanherib's, 10, 22, birri upatta, I made
o/Bel-Marduk 49
66. The chariot which goes speeding to the house of
New Year's sacrifice without its master ; that means that
without a master (Bel) it runs swiftly.
67. And the dumbfounded goddess who from the
city (goes) waihng ; that is his woman wailer who from
the city (goes) weeping.^
68. The ' door with aperture ' as they call it ; that
means that the gods confined him ; he entered into the
' house ' and before him one locked the door ;
69. They bored holes into the door and there they
waged battle.
70. Whosoever erases this tablet or puts it in water,
71. and (whosoever) reads it for whom it is not lawful
(to read it), whom one must not permit to hear it,
72. him may Asur, Sin, Shamash, Ramman and Ishtar,
Bel, Nebo, Nergal, Ishtar of Nineveh^
T2,- Ishtar of Arbela, Ishtar of Bit-kitmurri,
74. the gods of heaven and earth and the gods of
Assyria, all of them,
75. curse him with a curse without deliverance and
with trouble ; and as long as he lives may they have no
mercy upon him.
76. His name and his seed from the land may they
cause to depart and may they place his flesh in the
mouth of dogs.
open light holes, windows. See Meissner, ibid. p. 26; from bar dm,
shine, shed light, birru = any aperture through which light enters,
here the aperture in the door of a sepulchre.
' Root mi, ii' Prm.
D
50 Ritual o/Bel-Marduk
This Assur tablet is only a commentary on the ritual
in which the death and resurrection of Bel was com-
memorated. The ritual itself has not been recovered.
It is not clear that the ceremony, which obviously
accompanied the New Year's festival of Nisan, supposes
the annual death and resurrection of Bel : the Tammuz
ceremonies are based upon the annual descent of Tammuz
into the lower world, and his annual resurrection with
the spring vegetation. The text leaves us to conjecture
upon this point, but the Bel myth is obviously borrowed
from the older and more widely practised cult of
Tammuz, and it is extremely probable that this mystic
ritual of Bel is only a local transformation of the
Tammuz cult. Not satisfied with making their city-god
Marduk the hero of the Epic of Creation instead of the
older Sumerian Ninurta, the priests of Babylon, envious
of the most powerful and attractive cult of Sumerian and
Accadian religion, transformed Tammuz into Marduk.
The result is that the ritual of death and resurrection
is brought into intimate relation with the New Year's
festival at Babylon, and consequently with the Epic
of Creation. The mystic ritual of Bel's death, descent
into hell, and resurrection, when transferred to Assyria,
naturally represented the god Asur as Bel. Of its
original home in Babylon, the myth of Bel's tomb at
Babylon and the numerous references to Beltis of
Babylon in the ritual admit no doubt. The extraordinary
grammatical comments upon the name of Esabad,
temple of the mother-goddess Gula, in Babylon, in
which the myth of Bel's tomb is introduced, adds sub-
stantial evidence.*
The religious ceremonies which arose out of the new
cult of Marduk-Bel were not recognized in the older
' See note on 1. 63 of the Assur tablet.
I
Nezv Texts from Nineveh 5 1
cities of Babylonia, but they obtained wide acceptance
in Assyria. The small fragments Rm. 275 and K. 9138
from Nineveh prove that the mystic ritual of Bel was
also practised there.
Like the Assur tablet, they are written in the colloquial
dialect of Assyria, best known from the large collection
of letters of the period of the seventh and sixth centuries
excavated at Nineveh. The cult must have been
practised from a much earlier period, for the Assur
tablets must be dated before the tenth century. Both
are fragments of a very large tablet, at least 10 or
1 1 inches wide. They are also commentaries upon
the ritual as practised at Nineveh, and appear to have
contained more details and explanations of the mysteries ;
the order of events is also slightly different. They
preserve but few lines, and the new information is slight ;
nevertheless they afford evidence of the great influence
of the cult in Assyria, a point of special importance for
its transmission to Syria and Judea. The texts are
published at the end of this volume ; the transcriptions
and restorations from the Assur tablet (in brackets)
follow here.
Rm. 275. Obverse.
(i) sa subat ''"BeH>) (3)
kt (?) i-za su-ii-ni su-ii (3)
-su-u-ni su-ii a-te su (4) [e-nu-ma
e-lis sa da-bi-ib-u-ni ina pan ''"Bel ina """"JNisanni i-za-]
mu-ru-u-su-ni ina eli sa sa-bit-u-ni su-u (5) \tirii-
gallu su-tu i-da-bu-ub ma-a dam-ka-a-te sa] ''"As-sur
si-na e-ta-pa-as ina eli pi-// (?) ''"As-sur sa
(6) [ sa sami-e i-da-gal-u-ni ana] "^"A-nim
'■'"Sin ''"Samas ''"Ramman tu-sa-al-li (?)
(7) [ ameln OT//-]pa-si-[ir] a
^'"En-ki ? ?
D 2
52 New Texts from Nineveh
Reverse.
(i) (2) sa li-hap-pa-tu-ii-su-ni su-u
(3) [li-is-mu sa ina '^''''-Nisanni ina pan '''"Bel
u] ma-ha-za-ni gab-bu i-kal-[la-du-ni] (4) [ki-i '^"As-sur
^'"Nin-urta ina eli ka-sa-di sa] "'"Zi-i ''"Ki-in-gu ''"A-sak-
ku [is-pur-u-ni '^''Nin-urta] (5) [ina pan '^"As-sur ik-ti-bi
ma-]a '^"Zu-ii ''"Ki-in-gu '^"A-sak-ku [kas-du '^"As-sur]
(6) [a-na ''"Ntisku ik-ti-bi ma-a a-lik a-na ilani gab-bu]
pa-si-ir u-pa-[as]-sa-ar-su-nu su-nu ina eli ih-[du-u-ma]
(7) ? ma ? ku ha-ri-ib-su ? ? «/(?)-/««(?).
K. 9138.
(2) [ a-na] ''"A-nim
"■"Sin (3) si-ip-tu (4)
eli vii-e-ti (5) sa a-ki-im-
su (6) [ ^c, A-pa-\i-rtl-'ii-ni'^ pa-ha-a-
...... (7) [ u-ie-]s7({?)-t{-nz iSaiamiJ) ti-Sa-
? . . (8) 'a-du-7i-ni sa ki-i (9)
ni-bi-it ib-hi-u ^ (10) \enuma eliS
sa dabibiini ina pan ''"Bei] ina '"'"• Nisanni i-za-am-mu-
ru-u-su-[ni ina eli sa sa-bit-u-ni su-u ^ ] (11) \uru-
gallil su-tu idabub ma-a] dam-ka-a-ti ia '^"AMur^ \li-7ia
e-ta-pa-ai ina elipi-li{}) ^'"Ai-hcr sa ] (12) [
.?a satnS idagaluni a-^na '^"AS-hir ''"A-nim ''"Sin [''"Samas
''"Ramman tu-sa-al-li^ ] (13) [ ^a
kakknru idagaluni ina eli Sa iilu libbi hursan]
il-lak-n-ni ? -ma ? anielu mu-pa-si-\_ru ^ ] (14) \Ja
itti ""Bel ana bit akiti la n-sii-21-ni \ka-bu-um
[ ] (15) ^«-
' Cf. Rm. 275, Obv. 7 and Rev. 6, and KAR. 143, 60.
'^ ' The wailing: which they uttered.'
» Cf. KAR. 143, 34, and Rin. 275, Obv. 4.
« Cf. KAR. 143, 36.
» Here the te.xt corresponds to Rm. 275, Obv. 6, and KAR. 143, 37.
' This line corresponds to KAR. 143, 38 f.
Reconstruction of the Ritual 53
A reconstruction of the principal acts in this ritual
may be made from the commentary, but it is perforce
scanty and deficient by the very nature of our sources.
The priests naturally choose only the salient features of
the ritual for their explanations, and the acts whose
meanings are explained are not chosen in the actual
order of their occurrence. That is evident from the
small fragment given above. Taking the large Assur
text as a basis of the sequence of the acts of the ritual,
the following analysis may be made, but it only provides
a defective substitute for the real ritual, which will
undoubtedly be recovered in due time.
(i) Bel is imprisoned in the lower world and the
celebrants seek to bring him forth. A celebrant rides
in haste to some kind of sepulchre (?). That means
Nebo, who hastens to the lower world to comfort Bel,
held captive in the lower world. 1-8.
(2) Celebrants hasten in the streets crying, ' Where is
Bel ? ' and a priestess prays to the moon-god and the
sun-god to restore Bel to life. She goes to a gate, which
represents Bel's sepulchre. She probably represents
Bel's wife or his mother. 9-1 1.
(3) Watchmen stand at the gate of Bel's temple, who
represent the guardsmen of Bel's sepulchre. 12.
(4) Celebrants lament, because Bel was bound and
slain, and because he descended into hell. 13-14-
(5) A celebrant (?) is clothed with . . . (?), which repre-
sents Bel's wounds, by which he died ; they are coloured
with his blood, i 5.
(6) A goddess (Bel's consort ?) descends to hell to be
with him; some deity (Nebo? Bel's son?) refuses to
descend to Bel, for Assur (= Bel) has declared that he
should not be wounded, but he stands guard over Bel's
prison. 16-19.
(7) A head or effigy of a head is fastened to the door
54 Reconstruction of the Ritual
of the temple of Beltis, Bel's consort. This means the
malefactor who was slain with Be], and whose head was
hung on the neck of the statue of Beltis. 20-1.
(8) Nebo returns to Barsippa, which means that, after
the slaying of Bel, tumult and strife arose in the
city. 22-3.
(9) Nebo comes again to Babylon to do homage to
the dead Bel and to behold the slain malefactor, who
is symbolized by a swine. The malefactor has gone to
the lower world with Bel. 24-6.
(10) Celebrants go before Nebo; they symbolize the
people who weep for Bel. 27.
(11) A magi goes wailing before Beltis, who descends
to hell seeking Bel. The magi brings Bel's garments
to Ishtar of Erech. These symbolize Bel's garments
which were taken from him after his death. Beltis of
Erech or Ishtar is here brought into the ritual from the
parallel cult of Tammuz, in which Ishtar, mother of
Tammuz, descends to the house of the dead seeking
Tammuz. 28-30.
(12) Treasures are taken from Bel's temple. This
means that as his body was denuded of clothing, so also
even his chapel was denuded of its adornment. 31.
(13) Bel's ieritu cloth appears in the ritual; this
means the cloth in which he was wrapped in the sepul-
chre (? ?). 32.
(14) Milk before Ishtar of Nineveh is placed (?), which
symbolizes his nursing by the mother goddess. 33.
(15) The Epic of Creation is sung before Bel, prayers
are said, and the celebrant cries, ' What was Bel's
sin ? ' This describes Bel's unjust suffering and death.
34-6.
(16) A celebrant looks to heaven in prayer. This
symbolizes Bel in the lower world, who implores the gods
of heaven for life. The Ninevite text, however, explains
Reconstriidton of the Ritual 55
the act as symbolical of the mother goddess, who prays
to the heaven-gods for Bel's resurrection. 34-7.
(17) A celebrant looks toward the lower world in
prayer. This means that Bel, who has been laid in a
sepulchre (.^) will rise from the house of death. 38.
(18) Some deity (?) refuses to go with Bel to the house
of sacrifice at the New Year's festival of Nisan, which
means that Bel bears the . . . ? of the malefactor, who
was bound and sits with him in the lower world. 39.
(19) Also Beltis, Bel's consort, goes not with him to
the house of sacrifice at the New Year's festival, and
celebrants pray before Beltis, asking her to guard the
temple during Bel's imprisonment. This means that
Bel's wife rules the temple until his release. 40-1.
(20) Beltis puts on garments of mourning. This
means that she cared for the wounded body of Bel.
42-3.
(21) On the eighth day of the New Year's festival
a pig is slaughtered ; this symbolizes the malefactor
concerning whom they question Beltis, asking who was
this malefactor slain with Bel. 44-6.
(22) Certain celebrants come. They seem to symbolize
certain attendants i^.) of Bel who, when he was bound
and wounded, [came to comfort him ? ?]. 47-
(23) The use of water in the ritual is now mentioned,
the water is stirred up, made muddy, and poured away ;
the symbolic meaning cannot be detected, but the act
refers to some phase of Bel's wounding and death.
48-52.
(24) The ieritu garment (in which Bel was wrapped .-*)
again appears in the ritual in connexion with the water
used in the ritual ; these are said to symbolize Bel's
suffering. The ritual introduces hymns on the divine
origin qf water. 53-5.
56 Reconstnictwn of the Ritual
(25) The next act is obscure and refers to Bel In the
sepulchre (?). 56.
(26) Celebrants run a race in the streets in frenzy.
Here the ritual symbolizes a part of the myth of creation,
having no relation at all to the death and resurrection of
Bel. The race symbolizes Ninurta ( = Bel of the Semitic
Babylonian myth), sent to conquer the dragons, who
returns to tell the gods of his victory, and the messenger
who hastened to the gods with the glad tidings. 57-60.
(27) Psalmists participate in the race, carrying Bel's
relics plundered (from the temple ?) when he was slain.
This is said to symbolize how the gods his fathers
[permitted him to be bound and wounded ?]. 61-2.
(28) The messenger-god Nusku hastens past Esabad,
temple of Gula. This means that the mother-goddess
Gula sent Nusku [to tell the gods of Bel's death ? }\ 63.
(29) Bel's clothing and sandals are brought to Beltis
his consort. This means that Nusku (i*) brought them
to her, so that he cannot escape from the lower world.
64-5-
(30) A chariot and horses are sent out recklessly to
the house of sacrifice, speeding headlong, without a
driver. This signifies Bel's disappearance. 66.
(31) A goddess goes out of the city weeping, which
symbolizes the women who wept at Bel's wounding. 67.
(32) The ritual now introduces a door slit with an
aperture to let in the light. This symbolizes the door
of Bel's sepulchre, where the gods imprisoned him. But
the gods at last break down the door, battle (with the
gods of the lower world ?) and bring Bel back to life
and the upper world.
The colophon at the end of this tablet says that the
explanations of the mystic meanings of these acts in the
ritual are not to be read by those not lawfully initiated
into the priesthood of this cult. The incongruous details
Origin of the Sakaia 57
of the commentary render both translation and exegesis
singularly difficult and hazardous. It is true that the text
does not expressly refer to Bel's death, but only to his
binding, wounding, and confinement, and to his sepulchre.
1 hat is, of course, attributable to religious timidity.
Lines 57-60 seem to have some connexion with the
Persian festival called to. aaKccia, SaKaia 77 SkvOckt) iopr-q,
' Sakaia the Scythian festival ' (Hesychius). According
to Strabo xi* the Sakai, a Scythian tribe, built a temple
to Anaitis and the Persian deities Omanus and Onadatus,
and celebrated yearly the sacred festival to. SaKaia. But
Strabo adds another explanation for the origin of the
Sakaia in Persia. Cyrus, having made an expedition
against the Sakai, and being defeated, conceived a wily
plan to destroy them. Simulating defeat, he fled,
leaving his camp full of provisions and wines. The
Sakai pursued him, captured the camp, and gorged them-
selves with food and drink. Cyrus quickly returned,
fell upon the Sakai, stupified and drunk with orgy, and
utterly destroyed them. Cyrus, attributing the victory to
the intervention of his national deity, instituted a yearly
feast called Sakaia in memory of this day. ' Wherever
there is a temple of this (Persian) goddess, there is
instituted the bacchic festival of the Sakai (i? Twr SaKieov
eo/or?;), when men and women drink day and night in Scythian
custom, toying with each other in lascivity.' Athenaeus,
Dipiiosopliistae 639 c. quoting Berossus, says that in the
month Acooj (Macedonian), corresponding to the Attic
month ^orjSpoixidiv (September), or feast of the running,
in memory of Theseus and his expedition against the
Amazons, was celebrated the festival Sakaia, at Babylon,
on the sixteenth day. At this time the masters were
ordered about by slaves, and one of them governed the
house, and was clothed like a king. This bogus slave-
master was called ^wydprjs, Soganes, which Zimmern
58 Origin of the Sakaia
identified with the Sumerian loan-word sukallu, mes-
senger, viceroy. But Dion Chrysostomus, De Regno,
iv 67, says that the 17 tcoj' Sukwv ioprrj, or festival of the
Sakai,' was a Persian institution. At this time they
choose a prisoner, condemned to death, and set him on
the king's throne, clothing him as a king, and permitting
him to ride the land, drink and misconduct himself with
the king's wives. None might prevent him, but afterward
they take him away, scourge and hang him.
There is much in the combined rituals of the New
Year's festival and the death of Bel to suggest that the
Persian festival may be derived from Babylon. Berossus,
undoubtedly the best of our Greek sources, assigns it
primarily to Babylon, but he places it in the autumn, and
apparently connects it with the Attic festival of the
running as symbolic of Theseus's victory over the
Amazons. The running in the streets of Babylon, and
at Assur and Nineveh, was a symbol of Ninurta-Bel's
victory over the dragons of Chaos. Now in the ritual
of the New Year's festival of Nisan, on the fifth day,
the king went to Bel's chapel, where the high priest took
from him his royal insignia, pulled his ears, and smote
his cheek.- Here, at any rate, is the sure source of the
temporary abdication and humiliation of the king, as
described by Dion Chrysostomus in his account of the
Persian Sakaia.
In fact, on the basis of these notices in the Babylonian
sources and with the aid of the Greek accounts of the
Sakaia, it seems probable that a minor aspect of the
Nisan festival at Babylon consisted in a putting to death
of a bogus king who was a condemned malefactor, and
in a frenzied race in the streets ; both of these acts seem
' ^ ar. o-aKKQiv. A var. on the Athenaeus passage iop-njv SaKai'a has
croKfav, i. e. a form ioprrj craKta is presupposed.
'' See above, p. 26.
Tlic Myth and the Gospels 59
to have been erroneously combined into one festival and
imported into Persia. But the Persians claim to have
derived it from the Scythian tribe Sakai. But numerous
variants in Greek texts ^ as sakkat, saka, sakea, leave the
impression that they have confused some Babylonian
word like sakkic with the name of the tribe Sakai. The
well-known word sakku means a dumb or stupid person,
but its application to a bogus king and malefactor in this
festival has not been found.
In the discussion of this mysterious ritual of the
wounding and imprisonment of Bel, I have written in
the conviction that the Assyriologist should confine
himself strictly to his sources. His labour must be
bestowed primarily upon a correct edition and interpreta-
tion of the text. The place of this ritual in the intricate
system of Babylonian religion is within his province, and
he is bound to undertake to explain its implications in
that aspect. But writing now as an Assyriologist, with
severe conception of his restrictions, the author refrains
from entering into any discussion of the New Testament.
In fact, he is not quite convinced that these sources, as
presently known, warrant a discussion of these problems
which at first thought seem to demand explanation. So
many apparent analogies in the history of religion have
proven themselves fallacious, and so many scholars have
broken their strength upon the impregnable rock of truth,
that the maxim nc sutor supra C7-cpidam is particularly
applicable here. The wider application of these texts
is the affair of theologians. The above edition of the
Bel ritual aims at giving a dependable source.^
' See Stephanus. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae under SaKat'a, Saxai.
^ There is one striking parallel between these Bel's mysteries and the
ritual of the Christian Church in Holy Week. In the litual of the New
Year (see pp. 23 and 25) the Crown of Ann and the Throne of Enlil
are veiled, and in the mourning for the dead Bel (p. 54, § 12) the
ornaments of Bel's temple are removed.
6o
List of Texts
In making use of this edition, the very large number
of tablets cited necessitates a key to their place of publica-
tion. Following the system introduced by King, and
followed by Deimel in his edition of a composite text
as known to him in 1912,^ I have composed a table of
the tablets, and one for the sources of the text.
K.
Place of Publication.
292
CT. 13, 6.
2053
King, Great, ii 59-60
2107
„ ii 60-2.
2854
» i 159-
3437
CT. 13, 7-9.
3449 a
CT. 13, 23.
3473
CT. 13, 16-19.
3567
CT. 13, 22.
3938
CT. 13, 3-
4406
King, Creal. ii 54-5.
4488
,. i 185-
4832
CT. 13,5.
5419^
CT. 13, I.
5420 <r .
CT. 13, 21.
6650
CT. 13, 9.
7871
King, Creai. i 183.
8299
„ ii 60.
8519
„ i 165-
8522
CT. 13, 26-7.
8524
CT. 13, 12.
8526
CT. 13, 23.
8575
CT. 13, 12.
9267
CT. 13, 28.
10008
King, Creal. i 187.
11641
„ i 192.
1 2000 3
CT. 13, 24.
12830
King, Great, i 163.
13337
„ i 166.
13761
„ i 164.
13774
„ i 190.
' ' Enuma elis ', stve Epos Babyhnkum de Creatione Mundi, by
P. Antonil's Deijiel, S.I., Rome, 1912.
I
List of Texts
6r
Rm.
Place of Publication.
366 King, Creat. ii 56-8.
395 .. ,.. ii 62.
982 CT. 13, 31.
2. 83 CT. 13, 19.
Sm. Place of Publication.
II King, Cr^aA ii 51-3.
1416 .. „ ii 55-
BM. Place of Publication.
79-7-8, 178 .... CT. 13, 6.
79-7-8, 251
CT. 13, 20.
81-7-27, 80
CT. 13, 2.
82-3-23, 151
King, Creat. ii 54.
82-9-18, 5448
„ ii 34-
82-9-18, 6879
„ ii 12-13.
82-9-18, 6950
„ ii 29.
351.34 •
„ ii 7-
35506 .
„ ii 46-8.
36688 .
„ ii 7-
36726 .
„ ii 8.
38396 .
CT. 13, 4.
40559 •
King, Creaf. ii 14-21.
42285 .
„ ii 30-2.
45528 .
„ ii 1-6.
46803 .
„ ii 9-1 1.
54228 .
„ ,, ii 63.
61429 .
„ ii 25-8.
91139 .
„ ii 38-45.
92629 .
.. ii 35-6.
92632 .
„ ii 22-4.
93015 •
CT. 13, 1+3.
93016 .
CT. 13, 14-15.
93017 •
CT. 13, lo-ii.
98909 .
CT. 34, 18.
VAT. Place of Publication.
2553 Unpublished.
9668 KAR. iii 118.
9676 „ iii 164.
9677 .
„ iii 117.
62
References to Sources
VAT.
Place of Publication.
9873
9971
Unpublished.
KAR. i 5.
IOI52
„ iii 162.
10346
Unpublished,
'0579
10585
it
10592
10652
KAR. iii 163.
10663
T0898
„ iii 173.
Unpublished.
10997
I295I
KAR. iii 162.
Edinbur
ghFr
agme
nt— BL. PI
. IX.
REFERENCES TO THE SOURCES
TABLET I.
K.
Km.
BM.
3938 = Lines 33-42+147-62.
4488 = 50-62.
5419^ = 1-16.
7871 = 33-47-
982 = 60-101.
31-7-27, 80 = 31-56+ 137-61.
82-9-18, 6879 = 112-36.
35134= 11-21.
36688 = 38-44.
36726 = 28-33.
45528 = 1-48 + 130-61.
46803 = 46-67 + 104-21.
93015 = 1-16+ 143-61.
98909 = 45-53 + 159-61.
VAT. 9668 = 2-25 + 132-58.
9677 = 53-78 + 79-103-
9873 = 84-111.
10152 = 1-18 + 52-80+ 140-9.
10346= 34-51 + 107-1 16.
10592 + 12951 in break on 10152, Obv. IL
10652 = 16-26 + 71-80.
10997 = 50-68.
References to Sources
TABLET 11.
K. 292 = Lines 120-9.
4832 = 32-58 + 93-127.
BM. 79-7-8, 178 = 69-85.
38396 = 11-29 + 95-117.
4°559 = 1-40+ io°-29-
92632 = 14-29+ 103-17-
98909 = 1-6.
VAT. 2553 = 5-23 + 33-48 + 98-1 29.
9971 = 33-48 + 88-102.
10585 = 105 ff.
TABLET in.
K. 3473 = Lines 1-85 + 86-138.
6650 = 38-55 + 96-113.
8524= 75-86-
BM. 82-9-18, 1403 = 5-15 + 52-61 + 62-76+ 124-8.
82-9-18, 5448 = 64-72.
82-9-18, 6950= 19-26+77-84.
42285 = 46-68 + 69-87.
93017 = 47-77 + 78-105-
VAT. 10663=1-13 + 127-38.
TABLET IV.
K. 3437 = Lines 36-83 + 84-119.
5420 f= 74-92 + 93-119-
Rm. 2, 83 = 117-29.
BM. 79-7-8, 251 = 35-49+103-7-
93016 = 1-44 + 116-46.
93051 = 42-54 + 85-94.
VAT. 10579 = 53 ff-
10898 = 39-54 + 105-21-
TABLET V.
K. 3567 = Lines 1-26.
8526 = 1-18.
11641 = 14-22 + (l28)-(l40).
13774 = 6-19-
64 References to Sources
TABLET VI.
K. 3449<z = 53^-72-
I2000 b = 16—22.
BM. 92629=1-20 + 145.
VAT. 9676 = entire tablet.
TABLET VIL
K. 2854 = Lines 1-18.
8519= 74-88.
8522 = 15-45+106-38-
9267 = 40-7 + 111-18 + 124-38.
12830 = 89-95.
13337 = 78-83.
13761 =63-78.
35506= 14-36 + 106-42.
9H39 = 3-40+ 106-42.
J
THE
BABYLONIAN EPIC OF CREATION
FIRST TABLET
1. e-nu-ma e-lis ^ la na-bu-u sa-ma-mu ^
2. sap-lis ^ am-ma-tum su-ma ^ la zak-rat ^
3. Apsfl-ma * res-tu-u za-ru-su-un
4. Mu-um-mu " Ti-amat mu ''-al-li-da-at gim-ri-su-un
5. me *-su-nu ' is-te-ni§ i-hi-ku-ma*
6. gi-pa-ra^ la ki-is-su-ra '" su-sa-a" la se-'a^^
7. e-nu-ma ilani la su-pu-u ma-na-ma
8. su-ma " la zuk ^^-ku-ru si-ma-tu la si-mu "
9. ib-ba-nu-u-ma '* ilani ki-rib-su-un ^'
* 45528, li-il; KAR. 162, mt.
^ 45528, h-is; 93015, mu; KAR. 162, zak-ru. Here begins KAR.
118.
' For am-ma-tu, KAR. 162 has ai-tia-tu, dwellings, see 1. 79 below.
The word avunatu has the meaning ' forearm ', and developed the
meaning ' door sill, threshold ', precisely as Heb. HES ' forearm ', em-
ployed there in the sense ' cubit ', obtained also the meaning ' door
sill ', Is. 6, 4. The definition ' door sill ' follows from the Sumerian
equivalent d-sug ■= idi ush', 'arm of the foundation', V R. 20 a 18.
amvialu then obtained the meaning ' home '. See also Holma, Korper-
teile, 1 15-16.
* 93015, apsti-u; KAR. 162, apsu-um-ma. The Commentary, CT.
13, 32, begins here.
° According to Sumerian thought, water is the first creative principle,
and through its indwelling creative reason (mummu) all things proceed.
Apsil, a loan-word from Sumerian ab-zu, 'house of wisdom', designates
the ocean of fresh water beneath the earth from which springs, fountains,
and wells derived their supplies. See the writer's The Babylonian
Concrplion 0/ the Legos, JRAS. 1918, 433-49. ApsH is employed
indifferently for the ocean beneath the earth and for the personification
of the ocean, the deity ApsQ (never with determinative for god), and
in Daraascius's account of Babylonian cosmogony Apsfl and Tiamat
FIRST TABLET
1. When on high the heavens were not named,
2. And beneath a home ^ bore no name,
3. And Apsil ^ primaeval, their engenderer,
4. And the ' Form ', Tiamat, the bearer of all of them,
5. There mingled their waters together ;
6. Dark chambers were not constructed, and marsh-
lands were not seen ;
7. When none of the gods had been brought into
being,
8. And they were not named, and fates were not fixed,
9. Then were created the gods in the midst thereof;
are written 'A-Traa-wv and Tau^iy. See Cory, Ancient Fragments,
318.
* Mummu, ' Word ', the Logos of Babylonian thought, is the creative
principle and messenger of ApsQ. See 11. 30-1.
' 93015, mu-um-via-al-li-da-at\ KAR. 162, -a/ at end.
* 45528, mu-ti; 93015, iu-un; KAR. 162, i-hi-ik-kii-ma\ K. 5419, c,
-ku-tl-ma.
^ gi-pdr-ra, 93015; [ \ru, KAR. 162. Loan-word from ^;^-
barra, ' dark chamber '. It is invariably employed of sacred buildings,
particularly of the rooms in the interior of the stages of towers. The
ordinary writing is gig-pdr, Br. 8934, but gig-par occurs, Legrain,
Temps des Rois d'Ur, 337, 9; Langdon, Archives of Drehem, 49, 10;
e'-ge-par was a cloister for nuns at Erech, Clay, Miscellaneous Inscrip-
tions, no. 45 R. 4. See for further discussion, Langdon, BL. 109 ;
Landsberger, Der kuUische Kalender, 74, n. 3.
'" 93015, ku-zii-ru, a better reading; KAR. 118 and 162, -ru.
" su-sa-a, 93015.
" le-'e-u, KAR. 118, Obv. 5; h-'-i, KAR. 162.
'' su-um, 93015; zu-uk, ibid.; KAR. ii8,1!fi-z-»«<.
" 93°i5 and 45528 omit ma; KAR. 118 omits u.
^^ ' In their midst', i.e. in the Apsu and Tamtu, fresh- and salt-water
oceans.
E 2
68 Tablet I
10. ''"Lah-mu^ '^'"'La-ha-mu us-ta-pu-u su-mi iz-zak-ru -
11. a-di * ir-bu-u i-si-hu '
12. An-sar^ "''"'Ki-sar ib-ba-nu-u " e-li ®-su-nu at-ru
1 3. ur-ri-ku * ume us '-si-pu sanati
14. '^"A-nu" a-pil-su-nu sa-ni-nu '^ abe-su
15. An-sar "'"A-num '^ bu-uk-ra-su u-mas-si-il ^'^
' u, 'and', is inserted by 93015; 45528.
" Text from KAR. 162 ; KAR. 118 has lu-ta-pu-u lu-nti iz-zak-ru.
' Lahmu and Lahamu are the first deities descended from the Chaos.
Damascius reports the tradition correctly, but his te.xt (see Cory, op. cit.
318) has been corrupted as Aa;^^!' (cat t^ai(pv for Aa;^r/i' koX Aa;^^ ;
Lahe is the male and Lahha the female, and for these original (?) forms
see Book III 125. For the formation cf. Almu and Alamu, father-
mother names of Nergal, IV R. 21045; ^ ^- ^^ '"25 f.; AJSL. 33,
188, 19-20. Lahmu and Lahamu have a double role in Babylonian
mythology. On the one hand they are the first of the gods of order
and ancestors of these gods, Book III 68, and they counsel their children
against Tiamat, III 125. They, therefore, become father-mother names
of Anu, CT. 24, I, 15; 20, 9. On the other hand Lahama, Lahha, is
a dragon of Chaos and belongs to the monsters of Tiamat, Book I 137 ;
II 27; III 31, 89. Her fifty servants seize Innini at the command
of Anu, Poeme du Paradis, 235, 28. Lahha or Lahamu also became
a demon, and is described as a sea-serpent of Ea, CT. 17, 42, 14-24 ;
in another form he is a bird demon of a deity whose name is broken
away, CT. 17, 43, 49-61 ; as demon of the water-god Lahmu is part
bird with lion feet and is named ipperu, 'Calamity', CT. 17, 43, 64-
44, 74. He is also a demon of Gula, half man and half dog, CT. 17,
44, 83-90. But Lahmu is also a protecting genius, and images of him
adorn the gates of buildings, VAB. iv 222, 16 ; Messerschmidt, KTA.
75, 24 ; BA. iii 266, 9. He is represented, on a gate, by Agu-kak-rime,
among the monsters of Tiamat, V R. 33, IV 50. The latter reference
from the period immediately following the First Babylonian Dynasty
proves that the Epic of Creation is at least as early as the age of
Hammurabi. A hymn to Marduk associates the Lahmus, a general
Creation of the gods 69
10. Lahmu and Lahamu ^ were brought into being
and they were named.
1 1. For ages they grew up and became lofty.
1 2. Ansar and Kisar were created more excellent than
they.'
13. The days lengthened themselves and the years
increased.'"
14. Anu their son, the rival of his fathers,
15. Ansar made Anu his first-born equal (to him-
self),
name for the monsters of Tiamat, with Ea and Damkina, BA. v 310, 37.
■An obscure reference to Lahama of the sea in PBS. x 113, 5. This
first pair of deities waver between the old order of Chaos and the new
order of the gods. In 1. 78, below, they are the first of the gods, and
inhabit the ocean. When the Assj-rian scribes substituted Asur for
Marduk in this epic they replaced Ea, father of Ma.rduk, by Lahmu,
father of Ahir. See Book I 78, 83, 84. This substitution followed
logically enough, for the Assyrian god Ahir had been identified with
Ansa!'.
' KAR. 118, a-di-ma; 93015, a-di-i. adz, pi. of adii. In any case
adu, to which Deliizsch assigned the meaning 'time', H. W., 24, does
occur in that sense; d-dii-a-bi =^ add-sunu, 'their fixed periods', said
of the sun and moon, RA. 11, 145, 28, and Thureau-Dangin's note,
p. 156. A derivation from tiadil, fix, ordain, is possible, and perhaps
more probable, in which case there is no connexion with Hebrew 15?
eternity.
^ Here begins 35134, King, Great., ii PI. 7.
^ 35134; 45528 insert u, 'and'; 45528 ib-ba-nu-ma ; KAR. iiS,
3[U({ for eli.
' This line is either omitted on 93015 or this text carried 11. 11 and
1 2 as one.
* u-ur-ri-hi, u-ur-ri-ku, 45528; 35134; ti-ri-ki, 93015.
' «-«)■-, 45528.
'" On the use of the piel to express condition of the subject see
Brockelmann, Vergkichende Grammatik, i 509.
" iiiim, 93015; 45528; 35134; mt-um,KKR. ii8; niii, KAR. 118.
'" nu-ttm, KAR. 118; si-il-ma, KAR. 162.
70 Tablet I
1 6. u "'"A-num 1 tam-si-la-su u-lid '^"Nu-dim-mud ^
1 7. "^"Nu-dim-mud sa abe-su sa-lit-su-nu su-u *
18. pal-ku 5 uz-nu ^ ha-sis e-mu-kan pu-ug-gu-uP
19. gu-us-sur ma-a-di-is * a-na a-lid abi-su An-sar
20. la i-si sa-ni-na ' i-na ilani at-hi-e-su ^
21. in-nin-du-ma'*"at-hu-u ilani ^^
22. e-su-ii '^ Ti-amat u (?) na-sir-su-nu is-tap-pu "
23. da-al-hu-nim-ma sa Ti-amat kar-as-sa '*
24. i-na su-'-a-ru ^^ ki-rib an-duru-na
25. la na-si-ir Apsu-ii ''' ri-gim-su-un
26. u Ti-amat [su-]ka-am-mu-[ma-at] su-nu '^
27. im-tar-sa-am-ma ip-se-ta-su-un [e-li-sa]"
28. la ta-bat al-kat-su-nu su-nu-ti i-ta-til-la ^^
' nii-um, KAR. 118; 35134.
' Title of Ea, as he who created man from clay. The name
means ?m ■=■ amehi, dim = biimidnu, mud — ianu, i. e. ban bunnani ameli,
' fashioner of the form of man '. A variant is Na-dim-mud ■= Ea (ban)
kalama, CT. 25, 48, 17, and cf. Ea as mumniu ban kalama, BA. ii 261, 5>
and ''^^'■Na-mu-ud-mu-ud =: ilu musabni ameli, CT. 25, 33, 18. See
Poeme du Paradis, 38.
' Here begins KAR. 163.
' KAR. 162, su-ma; KAR. 163 omits su-u.
^ ka, KAR. 118; 45528. " KAR. 118, 17, ni.
' KAR. 162; 163; pu-un-gul. « ma-a-dii, KAR. 118.
' 7iin, KAR. 118 ; KAR. 163, abe-hi, ' his fathers'.
'" 35i34> du-ti; ildnu {nu), KAR. 163.
" Niph'al of emedu) cf. Code of Hammurabi, § 176, 80, in-ne-im-du,
where it has the sense of ' to lie together ', to unite.
'^ M« conceals two roots in Assyrian ; {a) esu, to do evil against,
destroy, rebel against, Arabic "jls ; (b) to be dark, confused, Arabic ^J^i.
Both meanings are employed in translating the Sumerian SUH. The
meaning ' destroy ' is documented in the Commentary, King, Creal.
ii 62, 34, HA-A {^^=. hulluku)-HAB ■=\niuhallik rag-^gi■. esu rag-gi ;
and in kakku esi2 sa ''"^//.
" IIP of apii; read us-ta-pu-ul Text from KAR. 163, 7 and 118,
Obv. 21. The sign at the end of 118, 21 is pu. Luckenbill reads
Revolt of the gods 7 1
1 6. And as to Anu he begat Nudimmud his equal.^
1 7. Nudimmud, champion of his fathers was he,
18. Wide eared, the wise, mighty in strength.
19. He was made exceedingly strong, even more than
his father Ansar.
20. He had no rival among the gods, his brothers.^
2 1 . They were banded together," the brothers, the gods.
22. They rebelled against Tiamat, and glorified their
defender.
23. They troubled the thoughts of Tiamat,
24. With singing in the midst of Anduruna "
25. Apsil diminished not their clamour,
26. And Tiamat lapsed into silence at their
27. Their deeds were obnoxious unto her.
28. Their way was not good, for they had become
powerful.^^
liiahbu, V of lab-d, ' they overpowered their guards ', but in that case
sunu has no obvious antecedent ; the same editor reads the doubtful sign
kisiat, and Ebeling treats it as an erasure, and derives istappu from
sapdpu. Cf. CT. 15, 5 ii 3 !
" ka-ras-sa, KAR. 163, 8.
^^ su'aru is probably a cognate of siru (TB'), strophe, ballad, both
from the root -m. See KAR. 158, Rev. II 39; and JRAS. 1921,
188 n. 7.
'^ A title oi AralU, Craig, RT. ii 13, 3. This Sumerian term means
' the abode ', a noun formed from durtin with prefix an. A minor deity
of the underworld is ^-Aiiduriina, an attendant of Ea (uiukki ^Ed),
CT. 24, 2, II. For the formation see Sum. Gr., § 150a. The text
of KAR. 118 is assured by KAR. 163, Obv. 9.
" The end of this hne on KAR. 163, 10, [apsu-]u, &c. ; apsil 45528.
" Last sign on KAR. 163, Obv. I.
" Cf. KAR. 45, 17, sa marisi e-li-ka, and 1. 37, below. Correctly
read by Ebeling.
*° The verb is here derived from atdlii, etelu, be manly ; cf. i-te-it-lu,
KB. vi 292, 17. The root is entered edeltt in the lexicons, but see 1. 96,
below.
" Here begins 36726, a series of extracts from Book I; King, Creat.
ii, PI. 8.
72 Tablet 1
29. i-nu-su Apsu za-ri ilani ra-be-ii-tim
30. is-si-ma ''"Mu-um-mu ' suk-kal-la-su i-zak-kar-su
31. ''"Mu-um-mu - suk-kal-lu ^ mu-tib-ba ka-bft-tl-ia
32. al-kam-ma si-ri-is ^ Ti-amat^ i ni-lik
33. il-li-ku-ma ku-ud ■*-mi-is Ti-amat* sak-pu
34. a-ma-ti im-tal-li-ku as-sum ilani bu-uk-ri-su-un ^
35. Ap-[su] pa-a-su i-pu-[sam-]ma izakkar-si
36. a-na [Ti-amat] el-li-tu-ma i-zak-kar-su ^
37. im-ra-as al-kat-su-[nu] e-li-ia
38. ur-ra la su-up-su-ha-ak ' mu-si la sa-al-la-ku
39. lu-us-hal-lik-ma al-kat-su-nu lu-sap-pi-ih
40. ku-ii *-lu lis-sa-kin-ma i * ni-is-lal ni-i-nu '
41. Ti-amat an-ni-ta i-na se-me-e-sa "
42. i-zu-uz '- -ma il-ta-si e-li ^^ har-mi ''^-sa
43. [mar] '"-si-is ug-gu-gat '^ e-dis-si-sa
44. li-mut-ta " it-ta-di a-na kar-si-[sa]
45. mi-na-a ni-i-nu sa ni-ip-pu-sam nu-us-hal-lak '^
' So 36726, but 45328 omits ilu. Mummu is an ordinar}' word for
' form ', which was personified as creative reason, and inherent in the
first principle, water. Mummu in Babylonian thought was usually
identified with Ea, the god of the Apsij, or with his son Nabfi. The
literature on this subject and a study of the theory of the Mummu as
Logos will be found in The Babylonian Conceptioti of the Logos, JRAS.
1918, 433-49. There the writer derived this word from emA. to speak,
and this derivation was sustained by a syllabar which explains mumviu by
rigmu. See p. 74 n. 3. Mummu or ' word ' then came to mean cosmic
reason, and as such it was translated into Greek by Xoyos. Th.-Dangin,
RA. 16, 166 ii 3, suggests that mummu is a loan-word from a Sumerian
(hypothetical) mumma ■= ummuku, wise. In this epic Mummu is the
messenger of the primaeval water-god, and he belongs to the monsters
of Chaos, who were said to have been bound and confined in Arallu
or chained to the stars. Hence ^^'"^Mu-um = ^^"■Papsukkal (the messenger
god) in one version of this legend, and he is one of the seven Enlils
who were subdued, RA. 16, 154. Mummu is t he sea and hom e of
Tasmet (consort of Nabii), Ebeling, KAk. 122, 9. In the Epic of
Creation Mummu is certainly not emploj'ed in a philosophical sense, but
he is simply the messenger of ApsQ.
Apsii and Tiamat enraged 73
29. Then Apsu, engenderer of the great gods,
30. Cried aloud caUing unto Mummu, his messenger :
31. ' O Mummu, messenger, who rejoicest my mind,
32. Come, unto Tiamat let us go.'
^2)' They went and before Tiamat they sat down.
34. They consulted plans with regard to the gods
their first-born sons.
35. Apsil opened his mouth speaking unto her.
36. Speaking unto Tiamat the clean one :
2,"]. ' Their way has become grievous unto me.
38. By day I am rested not, by night I sleep not.
39. I will destroy them and confound their ways.
40. Let tranquillity " reign, and let us sleep, even us.'
41. When Tiamat heard this,
42. She raged crying out to her husband.
43. In pain she raged, she alone.
44. She planned evil for herself:
45. ' How shall we destroy that which we have made?
° 45528 omits z/«, and reads suk-kal-li. Here begins 81-7-27, 80;
CT. 13, 2.
' CT. 13, 2, Obv. 2, ril; 36726, Ta-d-wa-lu; CT. 13, 2, Obv. 2,
Hat \Ti-amat\
* CT. 13, 2, kud-mis; 36726, Ta-d-iva-ti.
^ Here begins K. 7871 in King, Creal. i 183, and also VAT. 10346
(unpublished). K. 3938, CT. 13, 3, Obverse, carries the beginnings of
11- 33-41-
' So VAT. 10346. ' CT. 13, 2, ku.
' So 36688, but CT. 13, 2, and K. 3938 omit li. CT. 13, 2 omits i.
' For 1. 40 b, the Var. VAT. 10346 has [w«]-M ni-hi-it, ' by night
let us rest(?)'. The root is uncertain, hardly hdtu, watch, do sentry
duty. But cf. mi-a-du-du = hditii, ' he that stands sentry by night '.
^° Hlti from kdlu = sakd/u, be tranquil, ZDMG. 74, 178.
" VAT. 102^6, se-mi-t-}u.
" CT. 13, 3, K. 3938, Obv. 9, z!z; K. 7871, 3fUff (or eli, but VAT.
10346, e-lu\ VAT. 10346, har-me-la.
" No sign before ynar if one may judge from CT. 13, 2, Obv. 13;
but King, Great, ii, PI. 3, clearly leaves room for a word here. The sign
gat is Br. 2701.
" 36688, ti. " VAl'. 10346, m-hal-lak.
74 Tablet I
46. al-kat-su-nu lu sum-ru-sa-ma i ni-[is]-du-ud ta-bis ^
47. [i-]pu-ul-ma '^"Mu-um-mu Apsam ^ i-ma-al-lik
48. [rag-gu] u la ma-gi-ru ^ mi-lik Mu-um-me Mu
49. [a-]lik li-'-at al-ka-ta e-si-ta*
50. [iir-]ris lu sup "'-su-hat mu-sis lu sal-la-at "
5 1 . [is-me-]sum-ma Apsli '' im-me '-ru pa-nu-us-su ^
52. [sa] Hm-ni-e-ti ' ik-pu-du a-na ^^ ilani ma-ri-e ^"-su
53. ''"Mu-um-mu i-te-dir" ki-sad-[su]
54. us-ba-am-ma bir-ka-a-su u-na-sa-ku ^^ sa-a-su
55. mim '^-mu-u '^ ik-pu-du pu-uh ^^-ru-us-[sun]
56. a-na ^* ilani bu-uk-ri-su-nu us-tan-nu-ni
57. id-mu-nim-ma " ilani i-duPMu
58. ku-lu is-ba-tu ^^ sa-ku-um-mi-is " us-bu
59. sn-tilr uz-ni ^* it-pi-sa "" te-li-'-e ''
60. """E-a ha-sis mi-im-ma-ma ^* i-se-'a me-ki-su-un ^'^
' Here begins Th. 1905-4-9, 415 = 98909 in CT. 34, 18. VAT.
10346, Dug-iL
^ 98909, ap-sa-a. So perhaps King, ii, PI. 3. Here begins 46803 =
King, ii, PI. 9.
' 46803, ra. King, ii, PI. 3, mi for me, but VAT. 10346, mu-u-um-
me-su, which is important for the derivation, indicating a lost weak,
consonant before urn, and proving the word to be Semitic.
' 98909, i-st-la. The interpretation is doubtful, and li-'-at is not
certain. For esita, VAT. 10346 has e-pi-ta. 46803, e-si-\ta\.
' VAT. 10997, su-up.
^ VAT. 10346, ni-hiit; see 1. 40.
' VAT. 10997, ap-su-u; 46803, mi.
' Here begins K. 4488; King, i 185.
' Here begin KAR. 162, Obv. II and 117, Obv. I.
"' K. 4488, an; 98909 and K. 4488, mare.
" K. 4488, di-ir. For ederu, cling to, enclose, see JRAS. 1921,
178, 19.
'° KAR. 117, u-na-as-sak ; K. 4488, u-na-sak.
I
Mummu gives counsel to Apsu 75
46. Let their way be made troublesome but let us
travel happily.'
47. Mummu replied giving counsel to Apsll.
48. Wicked and not favourable was the advice of his
' Mummu '.
49. ' Go, thou art able, even upon a gloomy way (go),
50. Mayest thou have rest by day and by night
mayest thou sleep.'
51. Aps0 hearkened unto him and his countenance
brightened,
52. At the injuries which he planned against the gods
his sons.
53. The neck of Mummu he embraced.
54. He lifted him upon his knees as he kissed him.
55. Whatsoever they planned in their assembly,
56. Unto the gods their first-born they repeated.
5 7. The gods wept ^^ as they hastened.
58. Silence reigned" and the)'' sat whispering.
59. The exceedingly wise,^" the clever in skill,
60. Ea, who knoweth all things, perceived their plan.^*
^^ VAT. 10997, mi-im\ KAR. 162 ii 4, an-nu-u, 'this they planned'.
King, ii, PI. 9, via pu-uh-ri-su-un ; KAR. 117, 4, ina puhru-us-\sun].
" KAR. 162 ii 5, 071 Hani.
'^ Ibid, ii 6, ii-[mu-nim-ma\, 'they heard and hastened'. King, ii,
PI. 9, du-ul followed by ku-lu, &c., 1. 58.
'^ The verb damii = damamu occurs in SBP. 86, 46, where it renders
Sumerian se-du.
" VAT. 10997, is-sa-kin; KAR. 117, mes.
" Literally ' silence they observed '.
" KAR. 162 ii 8, na; K. 4488, il-pi-su; 46803, te-li-e.
"" Cf. aiar-hasisi. The reading lu-iUr is obtained by combining
KAR. 117, Obv. 8 with 162, Obv. II 8.
',' VAT. 10997, ^^•
" meku, 'plan', not 'muttering'. It denotes primarily a part of the
body, the open jaw, gaping mouth, and is a synonym of libbu, hence
also ' maw ', ' belly ', and by metonymy it also means ' thoughts ', ' plan '.
See PSBA, 1909, 113; Holma, Korperteile, 158; SAK. 180, note f;
Delitzsch, H. VV., 407.
" Here begins Rm. 982, in CT. 13, 31.
76 Tablet I
6i. ib-sim-ma iis-rat^ ka-li u-kin-[su]
62. u-nak-kil-su ^ su-tu-ru ta-a-su el-lum ^
63. im-ni *-sum-ma ina* me u-sab-si
64. sit-tam ir ^-te-hi-su sa-lil tu ''-ub-kit-tum
65. li-sa-as-lil-ma Apsa-am ri-hl sit-[tam]
66. "'"Mu-um-mu ut-la-tus da'-la-bis ku-u-ru
67. ip-tur rik-si-su is-ta-hat a-ga-[su]'
68. me-Iam-me-su it-ba-Ia su-u u-ta-di-[ik] ^^
69. ik ^'-me-su-ma Apsa-am i-na-ra-as-su "
70. [''"iMu-]um-mu i-ta-sir eli^^-su ip-tar-ka
71. [u]-kin '^-ma eli Apsi su-bat-su
72. ''"Mu-um-mu it-ta-mah li-dan^' sir-rit-su
73. ul-tu "^ llm-ni-e"-su ik-mu-ii i-sa-a-du"
74. [''"E-a] " us-ziz-zu -° ir-nit-ta-su 20 eli ="> ga-ri-su
' KAR. 162 ii 10, u-su-ral.
^ Text from KAR. 117, Obv. 11 and K. 4488, 12.
' KAR. 117 omits hi; 46803, ki-il. Text from KAR. 162 ; K. 4488,
el-lu.
* KAR. 162 and VAT. 10997, "^ >' VAT. 10997, ana.
^ This reading is required by the context ; of. K. 3650 ii 2 (ZA. 4, 33),
irihhiiu-ma si/la.
' 46803, /«.
' See for this meaning of tubkinu, tubkittu, Zimmern, MVAG. 191 6,
216.
* 46803, dal. ^ VAT. 10152, a-ga-a-'iu.
" The last sign on 46803 appears to be ik/k. King read tiam. The
form iitadik I take to be IP of eieku, tear away. In Arabic this verb
hataka has the meanings, tear away a veil, expose to shame, to dishonour.
For the original sense, break, lacerate, see IV R. 29, no. 3, 5 and V R.
47, 49. utadik<uttattik is due to dissimilation of surds. Ebeling reads
u-ta-ti-i from etu.
Ea subdues Apsii 77
6 1. He devised for himself a curse (having power
over) all things and he made it sure.^
62. He made skilfully his pure incantation, surpassing
all.
63. He recited it and caused it to be upon the waters.
64. He bewitched him in sleep as he reposed in a
cavern.''
65. Apsii he caused to slumber, bewitching the sleep.
66. Of Mummu who se manly parts frightfully he
jevezcd,
67. He severed his sinews and tore off his crown.
68. His splendour he took from him, and he was
dishonoured.
69. Then he bound A^sfljind slew^him.
70. Mummu he tied and his skull he crushed.
71. He fixed upon Apsu his dwelling."
72. Mummu he seized and strengthened his bands.
73. After he had bound his enemies and had slain
them,
74. And he, Ea, had established his victory over his
foes,
" Restored by VAT. 10 152. Ibid., i-nar-ma.
" VAT. 10 1 52, e-li. The text above has MUQ = miMa, skull, ehc
has clearly the same meaning. See also KB. vi 204, 4, e-lu-hi-nu, 'their
heads '. This passage elucidates the origin of the preposition di, ' upon '.
Cf. HoLMA, Korperteile, xi n. i.
" KAR. 163 has the numeral X on the margin, i.e. 1. 70 on that
tablet.
" Under the title Nudimmud, Ea is said to have made the sea his
abode, ibnu apsdlubat-su, Weissbach, Miscel. 32, 25.
'= Sic ! Read H-KALAG = udannin and cf. uddannin viarkassi-lunu,
BE. 31, 35 n. I, and stbilla-su udannin, Book IV 127.
'" Restored from Rm. 982.
" KAR. 163, Obv. II 40 omits e.
'* See also Book IV 123.
" ilu ... on Rm. 982. Cf. Book IV 125.
-" KAR. 163, za; lul for la-lu; c-li.
78 Tablet 1
75. kir-bis kum-mi-su ^ sup '-su-hi-i§ i-nu-uh-[hu]
76. im-bi-sum-ma Apsam u-ad-du-u es-ri-e-ti ^
77. as-ru-us-su ge ^-pir-ra-su u-sar-sid-ma
78. """Lah-mu* '^"'La-ha-mu hi-ra-tus ina rab-ba-a-te '*
us-bu
79. ina ki-is-si simati at-ma-an " usurati '
80. li-'-u li-'-u-ti abkal ilani ilu ' us-tar-hi
81. ina ki-rib Apsi ^ ib-ba-ni ''"Asur
82. ina ki-rib elli Apsi ib-ba-ni ''"Asur^"
83. ib-ni-su-ma ''"Lah-mu ^^ a-ba-su
84. "''''La-ha-mu umma-su har-sa-as-su ^^
85. i-ti-nik-ma sir-rit Istarati
86. ta-ri-tu ^^ it-tar-ru-su pul-ha-a-ta us-ma-al-li
87. sam-hat ^' nab-nit "-su sa-ri-ir ni-si e-ni ^'-su
^ kummii has the special sense ' chamber of Ea ', Sumerian, i-nun-na,
ASKT. 104, 24; RA. 8, 162, 13; and is ordinarily employed for the
chapel \vhere the rituals were performed, CT. i6, 36, 36; 38, 7;
IV R. 18*, no. 6 R. 12. KAR. 163, ku-um-mi-sii. For sup, KAR. 163
ii 6 has falsely ka.
' K. 10008 in King, i 189 contains a selection of lines from this Epic.
Line i on K. 10008 = 1. 76 above. See Zimmern, ibid. 223.
M^AR. 163,^-/.
* Rm. 982 has il^E-[a] after my collation, and KAR. 163, *'.£-«.
For the Assyrian redaction which substitutes Lahmu and Lahamu for
Ea (and Damkina?) see below, 1. -83, and above, 1. 10 and note.
^ PI. of rabbutu; cf. hidutu and hiddli, and Delitzsch, Assyrische
Grammatik, § 95.
" Root foi, see Landsberger, ZA. 25, 384 ; RA. 14, 166, 11.
' Text from Rm. 982, Obv. last line and KAR. 117 R. i.
* i.e. JMarduk, or in Assyrian redaction Ahtr. abkal ildni is the
ordinary title of Marduk; King, Magic, 12, 114; PSBA. 1912, 71, 5;
Book IV 93. In 11. 81-2 the Bab}lonian version undoubtedly read
Marduk, not Asur.
Birth of Marditk 79
75. And in his chamber he had become composed as
one who is soothed,
76. He named it Apsll and they determined the holy
places.
77. Therein he caused to be founded his secret
chamber.
78. Lahmu and Lahamu his wife abode (therein) in
majesty.
79. In the shrine of fates, the dwelling of concepts,
80. The wisest of the wise ones, the adviser of the
gods, a god, was engendered.
81. In the midst of the nether sea was born_ Asur .
82. In the midst of the pure nether sea was born Asur.
83- Lahmu his father begat him,
84. Lahamu his mother was his bearer.
85. He sucked at the breasts of goddesses.
86. A nurse tended him and filled him with terrible-
ness."
87. Enticing was his form, the gaze of his eye was
brilliant.
' See note on Book VII 83. " This line is omitted on Rm. 982.
" The Babylonian version has «'"£-a and omits 1. 84; VAT. 10652
also '^'"E-a.
'^ VAT. 9873, har-hs-su. harislu, fem. part, of harasu, give birth to,
Ethiopic harasa, lie in child-birth, aharasa, aid a woman in child-birth,
harsa, child-birth; Arabic harasa in piel, to give food suitable for
a woman in child-birth. In Babylonian h'r-ri lu-har-ri-sa ramdn-la,
May she herself (without help) bring forth a child, KB. vi 286, 19 =
CT. 15, 49 iv 19, where the Van in my Poime du Paradis, PI. X R. 21,
has [le-yr-ri u-te-lu-u raman-la. alitti haristi, the mother who brought
him forth, KB. vi 286, 15; PI. harsati, with tardti (midwives), IV R. 58
iii 33 == ZA. 16, 180; kima ^"^h'lrilti, Th.-Dangin, Sargon, 151. See
also IV R. 29* 4 C Rev. I 2 and Craig, RT. 4 Rev. 8.
" tdritu, fem. part, of tarH, to watch, tend. See Zimmern, Hommel-
Festschrift, 217.
" This line in K. 10008, 2.
^^ So Rm. 982; KAR. 117 R. 9, kal. Note also the words lamhdtu,
iamkdtu, harlot.
" Rm. 982, ni. " VAT. 9873, i-ni.
So Tablet I
88. ut-tu-lat^ si-ta-su mu-sir ul-tu ul-la
89. i-mur-su-ma '^"Lah-mu ^ ba-nu-u abi-su *
90. i-ris im-mir lib '-ba-su hi-du-ta * im-la
91. us-te-is *-bi-sum-ma ^ su-un-na-at' ili us-si-ip-su
92. su-us-ku * ma-'dis* eli-su-nu a-tar^ mitn-mu-[ma]
93. la lam-da "-ma nu-uk-ku-la mi-na-tu-sii
94. ha-sa-si-is'^ la na-ta-a a-ma-ris pa-as-ka
95. ir-ba ena-su ir-ba uznS-su
96. sap-ta ^^-su ina su-ta-bu-li ''"gibil [it-tan-pah] "
97. ir-bu-'u ^* 4-ta-am ha-si-sa
98. u ena ki-ma *' su-a-tu i-bar-ra-a gim-ri-e-ti
99. ul-lu-ii "-ma ina ilani su-tur la-a-an-su
100. mes-ri-tu ^^-su su-ut-tu-ha ^^ i-li-tam su-tur
loi. ma-ri ia-ii-tu ma-ri ia-H-tu'''^
"^ n
' KAR. wjja-al.
- A verb ahiru, synonym of elelu, be manly, is required here.
ZiMMERN happily compares I'meru atana ul usara, Dhorme, Choix, 334, 7 ;
and cf. also Arabic vaihara in this sense. A parallel is uUii ulla zakrata,
' thou (Asur) hast been manly from the beginning ', BA. v 595, 25.
^ Rm. 982, Rev. 8 has ^^^E-a; for this writing see Strassm.'MER,
Cyrus, 168, II.
' VAT. 9873, a-bt-iu. » Rm. 982, lib; VAT. 9873, lam.
" Rm. 982, la-au For the root sapi2, Arabic dafaiia, see VAB. iv 359 ;
Ham. Code, ii 64. usl(sbi-ma, of completing a building, Messerschmidt,
KTA. no. 2 iii 5. Ham. Code, § 233, ustesbi, (His work he did not)
complete well. Harper, Letters, 283, 14, The service of the king
as-si-bi, I completed.
' Cf. Zimmern, Ishtar und Saltu, p. 18. VAT. 9873 has su-un-na-at
Ham.
Marduk's Youth 8i
88. Virile became his growth, he was given to pro-
creation ^ from the beginning.
89. Lahmu, the begetter, his father beheld him.
90. His heart rejoiced and was glad ; he was filled
with joy.
91. He perfected him and double godhead he added
unto him.
92. He was made exceedingly tall and he surpassed
them somewhat.
93. Not comprehended were his measurements, and
they were skilfully made.
94. They were not suited to be understood, and were
oppressive to behold.
95. Fou r were his eyes, four were his ears.
96. When he moved his lips fire blazed forth.
97. Four ears grew large.
98. And the eyes behold all things, even as that one."
99. He was lifted up among the gods, surpassing all
in form.'*
100. His limbs were made massive, and he was made
to excel in height.
loi. Son of son of
* KAR. 117 R. 14, ki; tb'd., ma-dih
' Cf. ell ^i^Igigi a-!ar milikka, KAR. 32, 24, and for atar, Perm, of
aiaru, see VAB. v 279, 15.
1° KAR. 1 1 7, da-a. " KAR. 117, sii. See Book IV 28.
" KAR. 117, ti. " Restored by K. 9873.
" ir-ti-bu-u, KAR. 117. Rm. 982 perhaps ir-bu-u-\ii.
" Rm. 982, GIM.
'° i.e. even as Ea or Lahmu. Line restored by VAT. 9873.
" KAR. 117, ul-lu-ma\ '» Restored by VAT. 9873.
" VAT. 9873, //.
'"' laldhu, Sum. tu^, Syn. eli, CT. 12, 11, 22, is probably a denomina-
tive verb from sutahu, root idhu.
" At the beginning ma-ri ia (?) on Rm. 982, but Eb. 117 T(7J? lA-
AN and VAT. 9873, ma-ri m-u-tu ma-ri ia-H-tu. iaulu =.ilutu{i^;
see p. 82 n. 2.
2887 F
8.2 Tablet I
V
1 02. mari * ''"Samsu '^"Samsu ^ ia AN.
103. la-bis me-lam-me * es-rit ilani sa-kis it-bur*
104. [ ]-ha-a-ti ha-mat ®-si-na e-li-su kam-ra
105 ma sare irbitti^ u-al-lid ''"A-num
ic6 la a-ma-a-ri-si mil-li
107 fl-ga-am-ma i '-dal-lah ''"'Ti-amat
108 -mi-i du-ul Mi
109 da-a-ri-sam '^
1 10. li-mut-tum '"
III tur-sa" iz-zak-kar
1 1 2. [Apsa-am har-]ma-ki " i-na-ru-ma
113. [mar-si-is tab-b]a-ki-ma " ka-li-is tu-us "-ba
114 ia pu-luh-tum
1 1 5. [a-di nu-te-ru gi-mil-la-su] ul ni-sa-al-lal ni-i-ni
116. [in-na-nu im-ma-has-su] Ap-su-ii har-ma-ki ^*
117. u ''"Mu-um-mu sa ik-ka-mu-ii la e-dis as-ba-a-ti"
118. [ur-ru]-hi-is ta-du-ul-li
' So Eb. 117 R. 24, but VAT. 9873, via-ri; this text restores the
line.
^ Or ilu-tu ? Then iauiu, Syn. t'Mlu ?
^ K. 10008, 4, mi-lam-mi. Text from VAT. 9873 + Eb. 117 R. 25.
' First sign on BM. 46803, Rev.
° hamtu, hantu, occurs as a noun in BA. iv 520 R. 2, 'fever', and
ZA. 24, 348; 31, 264, 'summer'.
« IM-TAB-TAB-BA. Marduk employed the imhullu and izzite sdre
in his combat with Tiamat, iv 98 f.
' Var. VAT. 9843, w. ' Ibid., dul.
' Sic 46803, but VAT. 9873, bi-ku la gi-mil-\li\
"> VAT. 10346, ^u.
" So 46803 and VAT. 10346. But VAT. 9873, ->iu-/u iz-
zak-rti (?).
I
Tiamat's IVraih 8
J
1 02. Son the sungod, sungod of Anu (?).
103. He was clothed in splendour of ten{}) gods,
powerful was he exceedingly.
104. The loaded their fieriness upon him.
105 the four winds did Anu beget.
106.
107 disturbing Tiamat.
108.
109 for ever.
1 10 evil.
III. [Unto Tiamaf) ? he related it.'^
112.' [Apsu] thy husband they have slain.'
113. [Bitterly she wept] and she sat down as one
wailing.
1 14 terror.
115.' Until we shall have brought about his revenge,
verily not shall we sleep.
116. And now although they are slain, Apsfl thy
husband
1 1 7. And Mummu, who has been bound, not alone
sittest thou.
1 18. Quickly hasten thou.
" Here one of Tiamat's host reports the destruction of Apsu and
Mummu, but in the variant, ' they related ', the whole troop of her
demons seems to be Indicated. But in 1. 124 her informer is described
as ilu ellu, perhaps Kingu. Possibly the gods themselves report the
defeat of Apsu to Tiamat ; the corresponding situation occurs in 1. 56,
where the gods of Chaos report tlieir own plan to the gods whom they
intend to destroy.
" Text from King, Cr. ii, PI. 12, 2 + 46803. VAT. 10346, [ha-'i-'\
ra-ki.
" For baM, IV', see Thompson, Reports. 90 R. 17 ; KAR. 26, 26.
1^ So King, Cr., PI. 12 and VAT. 10346, but 46803 iihbu.
" Text from King, Cr. ii, PI. 12 + 46803 R. 14 a. Text ku{^);
read ki.
" VAT. 10346, al-ha-ti. LI. 116 f. form one line on 46803.
F 2
84 Tablet I
119. [nu-ta-ar gi-mil-la-su-nu] i nl-is-lal ni-i-ni'
120. [tab-ku ma-'-ni] hu-um^-mu-ra e ^-na-tu-u-[ni]
121. [nu-ta-ar gi-mil-la-su-nu] i ni-is-lal ni-i-ni
122 gi-mil-la-su-nu tir-ri
123 a-na za-ki-ku su-uk-[ki-si]
124. [is-me-ma Ti-amat]^ a-ma-tum i-lu el-[lu]
125 lu ta-ad-di-nu i ni-pu-us [mus-ma-hu]"
126 ilani ki-rib [an-duru-na] '
127. [ ij-tah-ha' an ilani ba-ni-[ ]
128. [im-ma az-ru-]nim "-ma i-du-us Ti-amat ti-bi-
[d-ni]
129. [iz-]zu kap-du la sa-ki-pu mu-sa u [im-ma]"
1 30. [na-]su-u tam-ha-ri na-zar-bu-bu la-ab ^^-bu
131. ukkin-na sit-ku-nu-ma i-ban-nu-u" su-la-a-ti
132. um-ma hu-bur^^ pa-ti-ka-at ^' ka-la-[ma]
133. [us-rad-di] kak-ku " la mah-ru it-ta-lad mus-
mahhe
' So 46803, but King, Cr. ii, PI. 12 has ul la-ra-mi-na-\^f\.
' K. 10008, hum.
' Var. /. For hummura see Holm a, Die Assyrisch-Babylonisclun
Personennamen der Form kuttulu, p. 56. The hne is restored by
K. 10008, 5; see ZiMMERN, I.e. 223.
* The speech in 11. 115-23 is, of course, spoken by one or all of
Tiamat's host. The speaker seems to be referred to in 1. 124.
^ This is King's restoration. Read Ti-amat ina leme-la (?).
* Kingu ? or Lahmu ? The demons of Tiamat's host have not yet
been created.
' King restored sasma from iv 86.
' Cf 1. 24. Dhorme supplied same, but the 'heavens' were not yet
created.
° Here begins KAR. 163, Rev.
'" Cf. ii 15; iii 19; iv 77. The old reading immasru adopted by
Delitzsch and again by Ebeling has no philological defence. The
usual translation with this reading is, ' they separated themselves, re-
Tiamat creates the Monsters 85
119. [We will bring about their revenge] and let us
repose.
120. Poured out are our bowels, dazed are our eyes.
121. [We will bring about their revenge] and let us
repose.
122 take vengeance for them.
123 unto the whirlwind annihilate.'*
124. Tiamat heard the words of the brigfht ood.'=
125. ' verily give ye and let us make
[monsters].
126 the gods in the midst of Anduruna,
127 shall draw nigh against the gods '
128. [They cursed the day] and went forth beside
Tiamat.
129. They raged, they plotted, without resting day
and night.
130. They joined battle, they fumed, they raged.
131. They assembled forces making hostility.
132. Mother Hubur, the designer of all things, ■= W^
133. added thereto weapons which are not withstood ;
she gave birth to the monsters.
belled ', but the verb masdru has itself doubtful existence. It is said
to occur in II R 19, i, gu gur-ru-ui-dug-dug gir-gal ■= mussi'r kisadali
namsaru, 'sword severing the neck', for which Delitzsch, H. W. 422,
and Muss-Arnolt, Lexicon, 573, assumed mussir = viumassir, and
a root masarti, sever, without any reason. A root eseru, sever, alone
explains the forms. The other examples of a root masdru in the
lexicons belong to eseru, to outline, design. Zimmern first suggested
the correct interpretation in Gunkel's Schopfioig und Chaos.
" Restored from ii 16 ; iii 20. On K. 10008 another text, bi
ap-la-na la sa-ki-pa.
'^ KAR. 163, M. " m-d. om.
" Hubur is the world-encircling stream of salt water. This line is in
keeping with Sumerian philosophy, which considers water the creative
principle. Cf. Babylonian Liturgies, p. 115 n. 2.
" KAR. 163, kal.
'" Lbid., gis-ku. Text from 45528 Rev. 4 — King, Cr. ii, PI. 4. Here
begins KAR. 118, Rev.
86 Tablet I
1 34. [zak-tu-ma] sin-ni ^ la pa-du-ii at-ta-'a ^
135. [im-tu ki-ma] da-mu zu-mur-su-nu us ma-al-la
1 36. [usumgalle] na-ad-ru-tum ^ pu-ul ^-ha-a-ti u-sal-
[bis-ma]
137. [me-lam-me]us-tas-sa-sa-a i-li-is* [um-tas-si-il]
138. [a-m]ir-su-nu sar-ba-ba^ lis-har-mi-mu ^ ^
139. zu-mur-su-nu lis-tah-hi-tam-ma la i-ni-'ii [i-rat-
su-nu]
140. us-ziz'' ba-as-mu* musrussli ' u ''"La-ha-mu "
1 KAR. 163, na.
• Vars. an-la-'u, la-al-'-u; see iii 83; ii 21. Hommel, Grundriss,
132 n. I, discovered the cognate mallahet (in Ethiopic), maxillary, teeth,
jaw, see Dillmann, Lexicon Linguae Adkiopicae, 45. He also cited the
Hebrew maltdoth. The Arabic root lalag, ladag, wound, bite, is repre-
sented in Babyl. by kta, cheek, jaw, and km, to lacerate, Syl. C. 65 ;
CT. 1 2, 5 a 9 ; 15 3 45 ; note the piel part, mulatti saksi, He that crushes
the wicked, K. 1349, 7 in Winckler's Keilschriftkxk. tus-lai-ti (HI")
in KAR. 92, 22, atta'u ■= alta'u>aniau. The form tala'u is probably
an error for atla'u (so King). On alta'u see Holma, Korperieik, 151,
and for ktd, p. 33, which he connected with Heb. Vi^.
^ KAR. 118, R. 4, linTidpul.
' Cf. i-lis (Var. e-m) umaHil, IV R. 60* C 9 = B 31 ; pikid-su i-lis
ha-ni-lu, entrust him to his god, his creator, IV R. 54, 44. Here begins
CT. 13, PI. 2 Rev.
= 45528, bi-il.
* Ibid., li-ih-kar-lnii-iml, ' Verily he shall be banned as one in terror '.
' 45528, zi-iz.
" Here begins the legend of the Titans who were bound and chained
to the stars by IMarduk (Asur in the Assyrian version). Basmu probably
represents Hydra. This identification is based upon the fact that Hydra
was associated with the goddess of childbirth, Ninmah, Ninharsag,
Nintud. Note that Nintud is described as a serpent from waist to feet,
and her upper parts are those of a child-nourishing mother ; Tammuz
and hhtar, 123. Now one of the Sumerian words for bdimu is mus-
sag-litr, 'serpent womb', a title of Ninmah, JSOR. iii 15, 7, and in a list
of these monsters viuhsag-lUr replaces basmu, Zimmern, Rt. no. 50, 3.
If nais-sag-lw, a title of Ninmah, came to be employed for balmii.
A
Description of the Monsters 87
1 34. Sharp of tooth, they spare not the fang.
135. With poison hke blood she filled their bodies.
136. Gruesome monsters she caused to be clothed with
terror.
137. She caused them to bear dreadfulness, she made
them like the gods.
138. Whosoever beholds them verily they ban him
with terror.
139. Their bodies rear up and none restrain their
breast.
140. She established the Viper, the Raging-Serpent _ ,^
and Lahamu,
' viper ', in the ordinary sense, and for Hydra in astronomy, that only
proves the influence of mythology and astronomy upon language, mul
Nin-mah is identified with Hydra, Kugler, Sternkunde, i 252, but in his
comments on CT. 33, 5, 22 and 3, 21 in Ergdnzungen, 28 + 67,
Kugler withdrew the identification ; Weidner, H. B. 83, identifies
Ninmah with the tail of Hydra ; see also ibid. p. 69, and the astronomical
name of Hydra is "^^'■hnu^, Jeremias, Haridbuch, 247 ; Kugler, Stern-
htnde, i 230, no. 6, Rev. 2. See iv 49.
' mus-ruL The identification of musrusM with a constellation is
doubtful. The serpent dragon (head of a serpent, scaly body, scorpion
tail, forefeet of a panther, and hind-feet of an eagle) on the walls of
Babylon is called musrusht, VAB. iv 86 ii 9, &c. See for reliefs of the
musrussH, Koldewey, Das wiedercrskhende Babylon, Abb. 32. This
dragon persistently accompanies Marduk, see Gressmann, Altorientalische
Texte und Bilder, II, Abb. 98, and is repeatedly associated with his
symbol on kudtirrus, ibid. Abb. 102, &c. The viiisriishi of the sea is
mentioned, II R. 19 b 15; cf. Gudea, Cyl. A lo, 20, ?nid-n/s-gim ki-sur-
ra, 'like a raging serpent in the abyss'. [For kisurrH, abyss, Syn.
hirHtu, well, see SBP. 66, 14, and {nir) KI-GAL = biriliu, II R. 44,
no. 7, 10.] Hence musrussH is a sea-serpent and associated with
Marduk because he had subdued this monster. Zimmern, KAT'. 503,
identified musrussii with Tiamat, and Tiamat was identified with the
Milky-Way, JRAS. 1920, 329-31, and Scorpio in the Milky-Way is kabis
irat tamlim, Th.-B., I?i/ttels, 138, 313. The mus-sag-lur (basmu) and
mul-rtu adorned the doors of the temple at Lagas, Gud. Cyl. A. 26, 24.
Therefore musrusM = Milky-Way (?).
'" KAR. 118, Rev. 8. Here L. a dragon of Chaos, and cf. La Amu
88 Tablet I
141. ugallum ^ uridimm<j ^ u ^ akrab-amelu {^irtablili) *
142. u-mi da-ap-ru-te* kulilu ^ u ku-sa-rik-ku ''
143. [na-]si kak-ku * la pa-du-ii la a-di-ru [ta-ha-zi]
144. gap-sa te-ri-tu-sa la mah-ra si-na-[a-ma]
145. ap-pu-na-ma^ is-ten es-rit '" kima " su-a-ti us-
[tab-si]
146. i-na ilani bu-uk-ri-sa ^^ su-ut^^ is-ku-nu-[si pu-
uh-ri]
hit iamtim la viaM puluh/a, Gray, Shamash, 20 iv 3 (= i 38). Lahmu
(Ja^-nte) the male on the gates of Esagila, KB. iii 144, 50.
' CT. 13, 2 and KAR. 118, ud-gal-md = ugalle, but KAR. 162, R. 3,
u-gal-lum, as in ii 28, u-gal-la, iii 32 + 90, Ugal-him, great storm, angry
spirit, PES. x 283, 36 = thnu rahu, KAR. 14 ii 13, where it is the name
of a monster. Hmu also means ' lion ', and ud-gal — uggal = uggallu,
great lion, so read, not nergallu, or urgaM. The ordinary word for Leo
is mul ur-gu-la, but there is a possibility that ugaM, uggalM also means
Leo here. This monster was represented on the doors of Esagila,
KB. iii 144, 52. Leo or ur-gu-la is identified with ''"Latarak, CT. 33,
I, 8, and in lists of these monsters, where ud-gal is expected, there is
*'Latarak, Zimmern, Rt. 50, 7.
"^ ur-idim-mu-u, KAR. 162 ; CT. 13, 2, and 45528, ur-idim-mel. The
plural in all these variants is erroneous. This monster is the constellation
Lupus, KuGLER, Slernkunde, Ergatizungen,'\ 28+41; Weidner, Z^a«rf-
buch, 69.
' So 45528. KAR. 162; CT. 13, 2; om.
* gtr-lab-lu-gdl-lu, cf. ii 28; iii 32, universally identified with the
archer Sagittarius. He is represented in art as a scorpion-man with
drawn bow, V R. 57 ; King, Boundary Stories, PI. 29, &c. The ordinary
name of Sagittarius is mul-pa-bil-sag, CT. 33, 3, 33.
^ 45528, turn. A list of these monsters has fi-mu sa pan beli puluh/a
harbalu . . ., ' The t/mu who before the lord terror and woe . . . (causes) ',
KAR. 30, 8 ; Shurpu viii 8 (ZA. 30, 200). ^mu (plural) also in ii 29 ;
iii 33 ; where it is a collective or pluralis majestalis, and refers to the
personified words of the gods {cnem = amdtu), often called ud = umu.
See the article ' Word ' in Hastings's Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.
Description of the Monsters 89
141. The Great-lion, the Gruesome Hound, the
Scorpion-man,
142. The destructive spirits of wrath, the Fish-man
and the Fish-ram,
143. Bearers of weapons that spare not, fearing not
the battle.
144. Prodigious were her designs, not to be opposed
are they.
145. In all eleven were they and thus she brought
them into beine.
146. Among the gods her first born who formed her
assembly,
Here the wrathful word is represented as a primaeval monster and
opponent of the gods. A constellaiion is hardly intended.
^ Var. KAR. 162, ku-li-li, but KAR. 118; CT. 13, 2; ku-lu-gal-lu;
but ku-lu-Iu, Craig, RT. 56, 6. ^^'^Kulili, RA. 14, 171, 4 and '■^'•■Kulili,
Craig, RT. 29, 16. The fish-man is Aquarius, Kugler, Siernkunde,
i 261; Erganzungen, 26 + 67; Jeremias, Handbuch, 117; Weidner,
Handbuch, 72. For designs oi Kulili set Ward, Seal Cylinders, nos. 657-
61. This monster is mentioned in parallel lists, KAR. 30, 7; Craig,
RT. 29, 16; 56, 6; KB. iii 44, 54.
' Cf. ii 29; iii 33. But CT. 13, ii, 91 has ffA-DAR-rak-ki^:zku-
dar-rakki =z kusarakku>kusarikku, loan-word from kii-ddr, fish-ram,
Capricorn. For the origin of this word see AJSL. 31, 283-4. The
earlier identification with Aries was false. For k. as a constellation see
II R. 47, 38, i.e. Capricorn. The ordinary name of Capricorn is mul
suhurmasu, and this is the name employed in the lists, KAR. 30, 7
(with kusarikku\), Zimmern, Rt. 50, 8; Craig, RT. 56, 6; VR. 33 v i.
For designs of the Fish-ram see Jeremias, Handbuch, 107, fig. 80. The
Var. 45528 has gud-alim, the name of Ophiuchus, Weidner, Handbuch,
113 ff. gud-alim is confused with Capricorn also in CT. 15, 42, below
1, 12, and Craig, RT. 56, 6; 29, 16.
* KAR. 162, na-as ^^Hakki la pa-di-e, ibid. 118, pa-di-i.
' 93015 (= CT. 13, 3) -tta-a-la and es-ri-e-ti.
"" Assyrian, like Hebrew and Syriac, forms the feminine of the word
for 'ten' in the numerals 11-19 by adding the feminine ending a^ >(( + /)^
hence nnby esret.
" 45528, ki-ma. " 93015. iu-nu; KAR. 5, su.
" su-ul is an emphatic form of i«; cf. AJSL. 31, 271 ff. Ungnad
regards hci as a plural, ZDMG. 69, 379 ff.
90 Tablet 1
147. u-sa-as-ki ^ ''"Kin-gu^ ina bi-ri-su-nu sa-a-su us-
rab-[bi-is]
148. a-li-kut* mah *-ri pa-an um-ma-ni * mu-'-ir-ru-tu
pu-uli-[ri]*
149. na-as^ kakki * ti-is-bu-tu' te-bu-u ^» a-na-an-ta
I
150. su-ut tarn ^--ha-ru ^^ ra-ab^* sik-ka-tu-tu ''
151. ip-kid-ma ka-tus "-su li-se-si-ba-as-su ina kar-ri ^*
152. a-di " ta-a-ka ina^° puhur'^' ilani u-sar-bi-ka I
153. ma-li-kut -^ ilani gim-ra-at-su-nu ka-^z<>^-ka ^^ us
mal-li
154. lu^* sur-ba-ta-ma -^ ha-'-i-ri^^ e-du-ii at-ta
155. li-ir-tab-bu-u zik-ru-ka eli kali-su-nu ''"A-nu-
uk-ki "
156. id-din-su 2^-ma dupstmati i-rat-tus ^^ u-sat-mi-ih
157. ka-ta^" kibit-ka la in-nin-na-a ^^ li-kun [si-it pi-i-
ka]
158. e-nin-na^- '^"Kin^^-gu su-us-ku "* li-ku-u [''"An-
nu-ti] ^^
' 45528; 93015, ka; CT. 13, 2, ki. Here begins K. 3938, Rev. i.
^ KAR. iii, ga. ' 93015; 45528; ku-tu.
* 45528, ;«a-<7/4-ra; gjoi 5, igipa-m. = 93015, ««.
" KAR. 118 R. 15, UKKIN. ' 45528, se; K. 3938, se-e.
' KAR. 5, kakke. « 45528, turn.
'" KAR. 1 1 8, di-ku-u, and CT. 13, 2 R. 14, di-ku-H.
" Vars. 'to summon'. " la-am, 45528; 93015.
" ta-am-ha-a-la, 93015; from tarnahu. KAR. 5, ri.
" rab, i.e. GAL, 93015.
'^ 93015, lik-kat-hi-tti. From iakakii, see PSBA. 1908, 266 ff.
" KAR. 118 and 93015 have 11. 150-1 in one line.
" tu-ui, 45528.
" A mourner's garment in memory of the death of ApsQ.
Creation of Kingit 91
147. She exalted Kingu ; in their midst she magnified
him.
148. As for those who go before the host, as for those
who direct the assembly,
149. To undertake the bearing of arms, to advance'^
to the attack,
150. As to matters of battle, to be mighty in victory,'®
151. She entrusted to his hand, and she caused him to
sit in sack-cloth, (saying),
152. 'I have uttered thy spell ; in the assembly of the
gods I have magnified thee.
153. The dominion of the gods, all of them, I have
put into thy hand.
154. Verily thou hast been exalted, O my husband,
thou alone.
155. May thy names be greater than all of the names
of the Anunnaki.'
156. She gave him the tablets of fate, she caused
them to be fastened upon his breast, (saying),
157. 'As for thee, thy command is not annulled ; the
issue of thy mouth is sure.'
158. And now Kingu who had been exalted, who had
received Anuship,
" ad-dt, 45528; KU= nadii, 93015. KAR. 5, ad{i)-dt.
■"• i-na, 45528. " pu-Aur, 45528.
" ku-u/, 45528. " So KAR. 118 R. 19, and cf. iii 102.
" /u-u, 45528; KAR. 5. ''^ -ta-a, 93015.
'* -a-ri, 93015; ha-i-ri, KAR. 5.
" A-nu-uk-\ki\ KAR. 118; cf. CT. 13, 5, Obv. \\=Cr. ii 42. For
the various writings of Anunnakki see Bab. vi 106, and E-nu-uk-ki,
CT. 25, 18 R. 8 ; E-nu-na-ki, RA. 13, 168. See note on iii 104.
'" 930150m. la; 45528, «</«. ^' KAR. \\%,i-ra-tui.
^ ka-at-ta, 93015. '^ la-a en-na-a, KAR. 5.
'^ in-na-nu, 93015; m-tia-an-na, 45528.
" {ki-'\in, CT. 13, 2 R. 23. ^* -hu-u, 93015.
" This line on K. 10008, 7.
g2 Tablet I
I 59. ina ^ ilani [ma-]ri-e-su - si-ma-ta [is-ti-mu]
160. ip-sa^ pP-ku-nu '^"GiblP li-[ni-ih-ha] J
161. gasru ina« kit-mu-ru ma-ag-sa-ru lis-[rab-bi-ib] ''
u-kab-bit-ma Ti-a-ma-tum [pi-ti-ik-su] ^ f
Colophon I ^^
1. duppu e-nu-ma e-lis ri-es ki-ma la-bi-[ri-su sa-tlr-
ma]ii
2. duppi^P'^ ''"Naba-balat-su-ik-bi mar-su sa Naid-
'''''Mar[duk]
3. sa kat ''" Naba-balat-su-ik-bi mari-su sa Na'id-
''"Mar[duk]
Colophon IP^
1. duppu isten-kam e-nu-ma e-lis ul-tu ell [duppi]'^
2. gab-ri Bab-ili-(ki) ki-ma la-bir-ri-sii satir-[ma]
3. duppi^P')''''Nabu-mu-se-ti-ik-umi mar
4. pa-lih ''"Marduk u "'"Zar-pa-[ni-tum ina sar-tu la
ustesir-su]
5. u [ina?]" mi-ris-tum la ikalli ^°
6. arhu aiaru fimu 9-kam sattu 27-kam Da-[ri-ia-mus]
' a-na, 45528. " mare-lu, 45528.
= lu, 98909. ' pi-i, 45528.
^ BIL-GL, 93015; KAR. 5 ; GIS-BAR, 45528; CT. 13, 2. Here
Marduk is meant. For Marduk = Gibil see Reisner, SBH. 64, 3 =
BA. V 659, 26, mu-bar-ra — ^'■"■Gibil, title of Marduk.
« 93015 + 45528 om. 'Cf. ii52.
' gahu is the most probable rendering of IM-TUK, but kabtu is
a possibility.
^ Catchline on 45528. Om. on 93015.
Colophons of Tablet I 93
159. Among the gods her sons fixed the destinies,
(saying),
160. 'Open ye your mouths; verily it shall quench
the fire-god.
161. He who is strong* in conflict may humiliate
might.'
Tiamat strengthened her handiwork.
Colophon I ^^
1. First tablet of Enuma Elis, according to its original
it was written.
2. The tablet of Nabu-balat-su-ik-bi son of Naid-
''"Marduk,
3. by the hand of Nabu-balat-su-ik-bi, son of Na'id-
^'"Marduk
Colophon IP^
I. First tablet of Enuma Elis, taken from upon a tablet
2. a copy from Babylon, according to its original it
was written.
3. The tablet of Nabu-musetik-flmi, son of
4. worshipper of Marduk and Zarpanitum ; [In fraud
did he not edit it]
5. and in wisdom he withheld nothing
6. Month Ayyar, 9th day, 27th year of Darius.
" From the Babylonian text 93015.
" See 'Syllabar in the Metropolitan Museum', JSOR. i 19 ff. ; also
Colophon II 3.
'^ From the Babylonian text 45528.
" Q)x gis\li-ii-um}\
" The preposition ina is suggested by CT. 12, 317 29.
'= Sign KUL = kaia, restrain, SAI. 6721. Cf. CT. 12, 7, Colophon,
ina me-ri-es-tt la KUL, with ibid. PI. 3, ina me.-ril-twn la i-kal-li and
PBS. X 329, 25, ina me-ris-tum la u-sa-bi. kalil, to restrain, is, therefore
certain in this obscure passage.
94 Tablet II
SECOND TABLET
1. li-kab-bit-ma Ti-a-ma-tum ^ pi-ti-ik-su
2. ta-ha-[zi ^ ik]-ta-sar a-na ilani ni-ip-ri-su
3. ah ^ tur [gi-mil]-li Apsi u-lam-mi-in Ti-amat
4. a-na-an-ta - ki-i is-mi-da a-na ''"E-a ip-ta-sar
5. is-me-ma ''"E-a a-ma-tum su-a-tim*
6. [mar-si]-is us-ha-ri-ir-ma sa-ku-um-mi-is us-ba^
7. [tjme u-]ri-ku-ma uz-za-su i-nu-hu
8. [ur-ha-su as-ri]-is An-sar a-bi-su su-u us-tar-di '
9. [il-lik]-ma mah-ru a-bi ' a-li-di-su An-sar
10. [mim-mu-]u Ti-amat ik-pu-du li-sa-an-na-a a-na
sa-a-su
11. [um-ma] Ti-amat a-lit-ti-a-ni * i-zi-ir-ra-an-na-a-ti
12. [pu-]uh-ru ' sit '-ku-na-at-ma ag-gi-is la-ab-bat
13. [is-]hu-ru-sim-ma ilani gi-mi-ir '"-su-un
14. [a-di]" sa at-tu-nu tab-na-a i-da-a-sa al-ka ^^
15. im-ma az-ru-nim-ma i-du-us Ti-amat te-bu-ii-ni"
16. iz-zu kap-du la sa-ki-pu mu-sa u im-ma"
1 7. na-su-u tam-ha-ra ^^ na-zar-bu-bu la-ab-bu ^*
' K. 10008, 1. 8, Ti-a-iva-ii.
^ Restored from 98909 = CT. 34, 18.
' ah is probably a preposition derived from a/iu, arm, side ; then ' for
the sake of. Cf aA kitti lardm, 'Thou lovest the part of justice',
RA. 15, 64, 19.
* Rm. 395, in King, ii 62, seems to have this line, but for Ea it has
iluEN, i. e. Enlil (?). We have here a trace of the older Sumerian myth.
^ One expects ba.
* Restorations in 11. 6-8 were made by King.
i
Ea reports to the Gods i 95
SECOND TABLET
1. Tiamat strengthened her handiwork.
2. Battle she arrayed against the gods her offspring.
3. For the sake of avenging Apsu Tiamat did evil.
4. How she joined up hostility, unto the god Ea one
revealed.
5. Ea heard of this matter,
6. Painfully he became faint, like one who lapses into
silence he sat down.
7. The days lengthened and when his anger cooled,
8. To AnsaLJii^ ^3ther he pursued his way.
9. He went before the father his begetter, Ansar.
10. Repeating to him what Tiamat had plotted,
1 1. Saying : ' Tiamat our bearer has cursed us.
12. She hath called together a host, angrily raging.
13. All the gods have turned away unto her,
14. Except those whom you created ; they go at her
side.
15. They cursed the day-light and at the side of
Tiamat they go up."
16. They raged, they plotted, without resting night
and day.
17. They raised the standard of battle, fuming and
' VAT. 2553, ma-har a-hi-la.
« VAT. 2553, -ta-jii. Cf. Book III 73.
° Here begins 38396 = CT. 13, 4 ; 38396, li-it.
" VAT. 2553, mir.
" adi means (i) 'up to and including', and (2) 'up to and not
including ', i. e. all except. This second meaning probably occurs here.
'^ 38396, ku. " 38396, -bi-u-nu.
" Cf. i 128. Here begins 92632 = King, ii PI. 22.
" 92632, mil. '* 38396, ri; 92632, bi.
li
96 Tablet II
18. ukkin-na sit-ku-nu-ma i^-ban-nu-u su-la-a-tum '
19. um-ma^ hu-bu-ur^ pa-ti-ik-ka-at ^ ka-Ia-mu
20. us-rad'-di kak-ku la mah-ru *it-ta-lad mus-ma-hu ^
21. zak-tu-ma sin-nu la pa-du-ii at-ta-'-um*
I
22. im-tu ki-ma da-am* zu-mur-su-nu us-ma-al-lu ^
23. usumgalle na-ad-ru-ti pu-ul-ha-a-ti u-sal-bis-ma
24. me-lam-mu us-tas-sa-a i-li-is um-tas-si-il *
25. a-mi-ir-su-nu sar-ba-bi-is li-ih-har-mi-im
26. zu-mur-su-nu lis-tah-hi-ta-am'' -ma la i-ni-'-e * i-rat'-
su-un
27. us-zi-iz-ma ba-as-mu '^"musrus" u ''"La-ha-mu
28. fi-gal-la ur-idim-me u ''"akrab-amelu
29. 1i-me da-ap-ru-ti kulilu " u ku-sa-rik-ku f
30. na-si kak-ku la pa-du-u la a-di-ru ta-ha-zi
31. gap-sa te-ri-tu-sa la ma-har-ra si-na-ma
32. ap-pu-na-ma is-ten es-rit ki-ma su-a-ti us-tab-si
33. i-na ilani bu-uk-ri-sa su-ut is-ku-nu-si pu-uh-ru ^-
' 38396, a\; 92632, -/;".
'^ 38396, vm ; bur ; both Vars. omit ik.
^ 38396, ra-ad; ma-har; 92632, mus-mah; 38396, vitismahhe.
' <)2(s'^2, at-ta--am; ^S^^S, ai-/a-'-u-am.
^ 92632, da-mi; 38396, da-mu; both Vars. la for lu.
* So 38396 and 92632, but 40559, ir for il. For the change />r
i
Description of Ttamafs Host 97
18. They have collected forces, making hostility.
19. Mother, Hubur, the designer of all things,
20. Has added thereto weapons, which are not with-
stood, she has given birth to monstrous serpents.
21. Sharp of tooth are they and they spare not the
fang.
22. With poison like blood has she filled their bodies.
23. Gruesome monsters she caused to be clothed with
terribleness.
24. She caused them to bear dreadfulness, she made
them godlike.
25. Whoever beholds them, lo he is banned as one in
terror.
26. Verily, their bodies reared up and none restrain
their breast.
27. She has established the Viper, the Raging-Serpent,
and Lahamu,
28. The Great-lion, the Gruesome Hound, the Scorpion-
man,
29. The destructive spirits, the Fish-man, and the
Fish-ram,
30. The bearers of weapons that spare not, fearing not
the battle.
31. Prodigious were her designs; not to be opposed
are they.
32. In all eleven were they; thus she brought them
into being.
33. Among the gods, her first-born, they who formed
her assembly,
cf. beli>beri, Amama Letters, ed. Knudtzon, 286, 7; 15, 32. Also
cf. palasdhu>parasahu, Ebeling, Quellen, 10, 58, and dumaVsar =
tumasial, Boghazkeui, i 3, 61.
' 92(>i2, dam. « 38396, i-7«-'-2>;z ; 92632, z-«z-'-«.
° 92632, ra-at. i" 92632, PI. mulrulh^
" Sec note on i 142. '= K. 4832 = CT. 13, 5, ra.
2687 Q
98 Tablet II
34. li-sa-ds-ka ''"Kin-gu ina bi-ri-su-nu sa-a-su us-rab-
bi-is ^
35. a-H-ku-ut mah-ru pa-ni um-ma-nu mu-ir-ru-tum ^
pu-uh-ru *
36. na-se-e kak-ku ti-is-bu-tum te-bu-ii a-na-an-tum *
3 7. [su-u]t ta-am-ha-ra ra-ab sik-kat-u-tum ^
38. [ip-kid-m]a ka-tu-us-su li-se-si-ba-as-si i-na ^ kar-ri
39. [a-di ta-a]'-ka i-na pu-hur ilani u-sar-bi-ka
40. [ma-li-kut] ila[ni gim-rat-su-nu ka-tuk-ka] us-mal-li
41. [lu-u sur-ba-ta-ma ha-'i-ri e-du-u a]t-ta
42. [li-ir-tab-bu-u zlk-ru-ka eli kali-su-nu '^"E-nu]-uk-
ki'
43. [id-din-su-ma dupsimati i-ra-tu-us] u-[sat-m]e-ih
44. [ka-ta kibit-ka la in-nin-na-a] li-kun s[i-i]t pi-i-ka
45. [e-nin-na ''"Kin-gu su-us-ku]-u ll-ku-u "'"A-nu-ti
46. [ina ilani mare-sa] si-ma-ta is-ti-mu
47. [ip-sa pi-ku-nu] ''"GIS-BAR li-ni-ih-ha
48. [gasru ina kit-mu-ri] ma-ag-sa-ra lis-rab-bi-ib
49. [is-me-ma ''"An-sar sa Ti-a-ma]-tu dannis dal-hat"
' K. 4832 om. = K. 4832, tti. 3 K. 4832, puhru.
" K. 4832, ti. ^ K. 4832, tu-n-ti. " K. 4832, ina.
' Cf. I 152. » See Tablet I, 153. » K. 4832, Obv. 11. Cf. i 155.
Description of Kingu 99
34. She exalted Kingu ; in their midst she magnified
him.
35. As for those who go in the front of the host, as
for those who direct the assembly,
36. To undertake the bearing of arms, to advance to
the attack,
37. As to the matters of battle, to be mighty in
victory,
38. She entrusted to his hand, and she made him sit
in sackcloth, (saying) :
39. ' I have uttered thy spell ; in the assembly of the
gods I have made thee great.
40. The dominion of the gods, all of them, I placed
into thy hand.'
41. Verily, thou art exalted, O my husband, thou
alone.
42. May thy names be greater than all of the names
of the Anunnaki.'
43. She gave him the tablets of fate ; she caused
them to be fastened upon his breast, (saying) :
44. ' As for thee, thy command is not annulled ; the
issue of thy mouth is sure.'
45. And now Kingu who had been exalted, who had
received Anuship,
46. Among the gods, her sons, fixed the destinies,
(saying):
47. ' Open ye your mouths : verily, it will quench the
fire-god."
48. He who is strong in conflict, may humiliate
might.'
49. [Ansar heard that Tiamat] was mightily working
confusion ;
'" Or, verily, may it quench the fire-god; cf. i i6o.
" Text only on K. 4832, Obv. 18. Restored so by Jensen, King, and
Dhorme.
G 2
lOO
Tablet II
50. [siin-su im-has-ma sa-p]at-su^ it-tas-ka
51. [a-di-ir libba-su] la na-hat ka-ras-su
52 su sa-gi-ma-su us-tah-ha-ah ^
53 u tu-ku-un-tu
54. [kakka sa te]-pu-su i tas-si at-ta
55. ['^"Mu-um-mu u] Apsfi ta-na-ra
56. [u-sa-as-ki """KinJ-gu a-ll-[ik]^ ma-har-sa
57 e ta-sim-ti
58. [i-pul-su-ma ma-lik ilani] '^"N[U]-DI[M-MUD] *
69 -ta
70. ...... ni
71. [An-sar iz]-zi-is [il]-si '
72. [a-na ''"A-nim] ma-ri-su [a-ma-tum i]-zak-kar
73. [as-tu-ma a]n-nii-u k[a]-su-[su] kar-ra-di
74. [sa sa-ka-a e-mu]-ka-a-su la ma-har te-bu-su
75. [al-kam-m]a '' mut-tis Ti-amat i-ziz-za at-ta
76. [lip-sah] kab-ta-tas lib-bu-us lip-pu-us *
77. sum-ma]* la se-ma-ta a-mat-ka
78. [a-ma-t]u-ni at-me ^°-sim-ma si-i lip-pa-as-ha
' Restored by Delitzsch after CT. 15, 46 R. 21 ; Var. KAR. i R. 16,
pi-en-sa or uznefi-sa.
' sahdhu, Arabic sahka, pour out, in Bab., bend, be limpid. A man's
head isahhuh, ' is weak witli feebleness', CT. 23, 33, 22 ; 32, 8. Hence
'be faithless, untrue', isahhuhu, Bg. Keui, i 17, 14. Syriac sahjha, limp.
seri tslahka. My flesh is flabby, KAR. 108, 11. Cognate of Hebrew
nnty. See the Canaanitish forms ushihen, ihihihen, &c., in BQhl, Sprache
der Amarnabriefe, 64.
' Text a-Ji; Jensen, to whom the recent texts were unknown, rendered
a-li as a form of the verb leu and mah ir as the verb mahdru, ' I am able
to go against her '. King regarded ali as the word ' where ', i. e. ' where
is one to oppose her ? ' With King's reconstruction the reading rna-hir-
sa would be preferable. For my restoration cf. 1. 35 above.
Defeat of Ea. Appeal to Anu loi
50. [He smote his loins ;] he bit his lips ;
51. [He was gloomy in his heart;] his soul was not
at rest.
52 his crying faltered.
53 battle.
54. ' [The weapons which thou hast made] verily mayest
thou bear.
55. [Mummu and] Apsu thou hast smitten.
56. [She hath exalted] Kingu, who goeth before her.
57 wisdom.'
58. The counsellor of the gods, Nudimmud, answered
him (and said),*
69. .....••• .
70- • • _ • _
71. Ansar angrily cried out,
72. Unto Anu, his son, addressing a word :
73. ' Harsh is this one, the cruel power of a hero.
74. [Whose] strength is [pre-eminent]," whose advance
is unopposable.
75. Go and in the presence of Tiamat stand.
76. May her soul repose ! May her heart be glad.
77. [If] she will not have hearkened to thy word,
78. Speak our word to her. Verily, she will be
appeased.'
* The break in the sources at this point was estimated at only ten
lines by King, but it is probably greater. The text is next taken up
by ^c)-7-8, 178, end of Obverse, which on this calculation would have
seventy-five lines on the Obverse. The break contained Ea's refusal to
meet Tiamat, although he had defeated Apsfl and Mummu with his
curse.
^ CT. 13, 6, 3. " King's restoration. ' Jensen, a-lik-ma.
* napaiu, same root as rapam ; see Brockelmann, Vergleichende Gram-
matik, 231 (e). Cf. viuUppik kabitii mu-nap-pii lib-bi, ' He who encourages
the soul, and gladdens the heart ', BA. x, p. 96, 4. See below, 1. 99.
' Restored by Jensen.
'« P Imp. of e?/i/!. The restoration is King's, but doubtful.
102 Tablet II
79. [is-me-e] ' -ma zik-ri abi-su An-sar
So. [us-te-sir] ^ har]-ra-an-sa-ma u-ru-uh-sa us-tar-di
81. [it-hi-ma]^ ''"A-num me-ku-us* Ti-a-wa-ti i-si-'-am-
ma
82. [ul i-li-'-a ma-har-sa]^ i-tu-ra ar-kis
83. [il-li-kam-ma sar-ba-bis a-na a-bi a-li-di]-su An-sar *
84. [a-na Ti-amat ki-a-am i]-zak-kar-su
85. [i-mat]-ti ka-ti sa ka-mi-ki ina muh-hi-ia ^
86. us-ha-ri-ir-ma An-sar kak-ka-ri i-na-at-ta-[al]
87. i-kam-ma-am a-na ''"E-a li-na-si * kakkad-[su]
88. pa-ah-ru ' ma-an-za-za ka-li-sii-nu '^"A-nu-u[k-k]i
89. sapte-su-nu ^° ku-ut-tu-ma-ma ka-I[i-is us-bu] "
90. iki ai-um^^-ma uP^ ia-ar ki-[;-z'^ tam-ha-ri]'*
91. ma-ha-ri-is Ti-amat ul us-si i-[na napisti^^]
92. be-lum An-sar a-bi ilani ra-bi-[is u-sib]^^
93. [us-]tab-il lib-ba-su-ma [a-na '^"A-nu-uk-]ki iz-[zak-
kar] »'
' Restored by Delitzsch. '^ Restored by King.
' So King after IV 65. Jensen, ik-rib-ma.
* On meku, see note on I 60.
^ So Jensen from III 53. Cf. Smith, Saiecherib, 22, ul i-li-'u ma-
har-he.
'' For a restoration of lines 83-101, cf. also Zimmern's article, ' Marduks
(Ellils, Assurs) Geburt im babylonischen Weltschopfungsepos ', in the
Homnul-Festschrift, p. 224.
' Immediately before this line Zimmern conjectures \ana Ti-amal ki
u-nias-si-ru-si ki-am ak-bi-si\ ' Unto Tiamat, when I kft her, thus I said
to her'. A tablet, first published by Sayce in PSBA. 1911, 6, and now
in the Royal Scottish Library, Edinburgh, supplies lines 85-92. Sayce's
fragment was discussed in The Expository Times, 19 11, 278, and a later
]
Defeat of Ami 103
79. [He heard] the command of his father Ansar.
80. [He directed straight] (his) path to her ; he pur-
sued her way.
81. Anu [approached] and he perceived the plan of
Tiamat,
82. [But he could not withstand her], and he turned
back.
83. He fled as one in terror unto the father, his
begetter, Ansar,
84. Saying unto Tiamat in this manner,
85. ' My hand is too weak to bind thee by myself!
86. Ansar lapsed into silence, looking upon the ground,
87. Moaning, and shaking his head at Ea.
88. They assembled unto the place, all of them, the
Anunnaki.
89. Their lips were closed ; they sat down moaning :
90. ' Not any god proceeds into battle.
91. From the presence of Tiamat not one escapes
with his life.'
92. The lord Ansar, father of the gods, sat in
majesty.
93. He pondered in his heart and to the Anunnaki
said :
collation of the text was used by Rogers in his Cuneiform Parallels.
For the text see Babylonian Liturgies, PI. 9. MUH-ia is still to be
seen at the end of 79-7-8, 178.
' ZiMMERN derives from 7idsu, to tremble, and cites nil's kakkadi, a syn.
of kamdmu, in CT. 18, 26, K. 10014. The form undsi for unds is
difficult. Perhaps the same root in the form naM, exists. Cf. Kuchler,
Med. 54, 5, libba-su na-hi-u, 'His inwards heave ', and Boissier, DA.
56, 7, lianma ku-li-li na-su-u, ' If flies whirl in swarms '.
» ru on KAR, 5 R. i
'» KAR. 5 R. 2, un. Cf. kalam sap-li-sa, IV 98. " Cf. I 113.
1^ So KAR. 5 R. 3. " Jbid., la-a.
" ZiMMERN restores Ti-amat. "^ So Zimmern.
" Z. ii-bi. " Here begins K. 4832, Rev.
I04 Tablet II
94. [sa e-mu-ku-]us ga-as-ra mu-tir gi-mil-lu ' 3.-bi-
[su]
95. [su-u] ha-la-as tuk-ma-te "'"Marduk kar-du
96. P^Marduk] il-si-ma '^"E-a a-sar pi-ris-ti-su
97. [il]-li-[k]a-ma ^ ak lib-bi-su i-ta-mi^-sa
98. '^"Marduk te-mi* mil-ka se-mi abi-ka
99. at-ta-ma ma-ri ^ mu-nap-pi-su lib-bi-su
100. mut-ti-is An-sar kit-ru-bi-is '' ti-hi-e-ma*
loi. [i-pu]-us pi-i-ka^ i-zu-za^" e-ma-ru-uk-ka'^ ni-i-
102. ih-du-ma be-lum a-na a-ma-tum a-bi-su
103. it-hi-e-ma it-ta-zi-iz ma-ha-ri-is" An-sar
104. i-mur-su-ma An-sar lib-ba-su tu-ub-ba-a-ti '* im-la^^
105. is-si-ik sap"ti-su a-di-ra-su ut-te-is-si ^'
106. [An-sar] la suk-tu-mat" pi-ta" sap-tu-uk^"
107. lu-ul-lik-ma lu^^-sa-am-sa-a ma-la lib-bi-ka
108. [An-sar] la suk-tu-mat pi-ta^^ sap*^-tu-uk
109. [lu-ul-]lik-ma lu-sa-am-sa-a ma-la lib-bi-ka
1 1 o. di-u zik-ri ^* ta-ha-za-su u-se-si-ka ^*
' K. 38396, Rev. I. The name of Marduk taken from this text in
CT. 25, 47, 16 is mu-lir gi-mil ahi-\lu\. Cf. also II 74. Zimmern
reads a-\7ia 7ia-a-'ii'\ at the end.
"^ VAT. 2553-l-KAR. 5 R. II. The line occurs on K. 10008, 9.
' K. 4832, me. ' VAT. 2553 + KAR. 5 R. 12.
^ KAR. 5, ru.
' One of the titles of Marduk, CT. 25, 47, 18. ' K. 4832, lis.
* 40559 (King, Cr. ii, PI. 18), ti-hi-ma. The beginning of this line is
restored by VAT. 2553.
Appeal to Marduk 105
94. 'He whose strength is mighty will be the avenger
of his father.
95. He is the scourge of conflict, even the valiant
Marduk.'
96. Ea summoned Marduk to the place of his counsel.
97. When he came he spoke to him according to his
heart.
98. # O Marduk consider a plan ; hear thou thy father ;
99. Thou art my son, "He that gladdens his heart"
(is thy name).'^
100. Into the presence of Ansar approach in reverence.
1 01. Speak and stand forth ; when he beholds thee he
will be comforted.'
102. The lord rejoiced at the word of his father,
103. He approached and stood before Ansar.
104. Ansar beheld him and his heart was filled with
happiness.
105. He kissed his lips causing his fear to be far
away.
106. ' Ansar, remain not dumb ; open thy lips.
107. Verily I will go; I will cause to be attained the
fulness of thy heart.
108. O Ansar mayest thou not remain dumb, open
thy lips.
109. Verily I will go, I will cause to be attained the
fulness of thy heart.
no. What man is it who has brought battle against
thee ? '
» Restored by VAT. 2553. '° 38396. "3-
" K. 4832, om. ha. '^ K. 4832; ni-ih-ha; 40559, ni-i-hu.
" 39396 ; K. 4832, ris. " 40559. -ba-i'^- '' 1^^^., -It.
" 40559, sa-ap. " Jbid., -su.
" VAT. 10585, lu-uk-tu-ma-at.
" K. 4832 ; 38396, -ti. ^KY. 10585, pi-i-ii.
=" 38396, sa-ap-tu-uk ; K. 4832, sap-Ink. " VAT. 2553, Iti-u.
^■^ Vars. ti. " 38396, ia-ap.
" VAT. 10585, zi-ik-ru; 2553, zik-ru. " 40559. ?'-""^-
io6 Tablet II
HI. [ma-ri]i Ti-amat sa si-in-ni-sa-at ^ ia-ar-ka i-na
kak-ku 5
112. [a-bi] ba-nu-u * hi-di ^ u su-li-il ^
113. ki-sa-ad Ti-amat ur-ru-hi-is ta-kab-ba-as at-ta
114. [a-bi] ba-nu-u hi-di ^ u su-li-il *
115. [i-sid] '' Ti-amat ur-ru-hi-is ta-kab-ba-as at-ta
1 1 6. ma-ri ' mu-du-ii gim-ri uz-nu '
1 1 7. [Ti-amat] su-up-si-ih ^° i-na te-e-ka " el-lu ^^
118. [""narka]bat ^^ flme ur-ru-hi-is'* su-tar-di-ma
1 19. [ri-su]-us-su '^ la ut-tak-ka-su '^^ te-e-ri '' ar-ka-nis "
1 20. [ili-du-ma] be-kim " a-na -° a-mat a-bi-su
121. [e-]Ii-is ^' li'b-^-ba-su-ma a-na a-bi-su-^ i-zak-kar^*
122. [<56'-]lum ^^ ilani si-mat ^"^ ilani rabuti
123. sum-ma-ma ana-ku -'' mu-tir gi-mil-li-ku-ma
124. a-kam-me Ti-amat-ma ^'^ u-bal-lat ka-a-su-un
125. suk-na-ma pu-uh^^ra su-te-ra i-ba-a" sim-ti^''
' Ansar addresses Marduk as 'my son' in 1. 116 below. But Ea is
the father of Marduk and son of Ansar. The word mdru is employed
in a loose sense here. Note that Rlarduk is also called son of Lahmu
and Lahamu, III 55.
^ A noun employed as a predicate has the construct form, hence
-sa-tum, 38396 is not good syntax. VAT. 2553, sin-nis-lai.
' K. 4832, Gli-KU. ' So VAT. 2553.
^ VAT. 10585, hu-u-du. ' K. 4832, //•/. ' Cf. IV 129.
* VAT. 2553, ma-a-ru. ' K. 4832, ^/-w«>- uz-7ii.
" VAT. 2553, sup-si-ha. " 38396, ki. " K. 4832, h:
" VAT. 2553 has after the break UD-MES, Ebeling, Weltschopfungs-
lied, 32. At the end of the break Ebeling saw a sign which resembled
J*"! and he restored ^^^'narkabat, for which cf. IV 50. The sign may
possibly be ^T][^I {uh), which would impose the reading [u-ru]uh.
» VAT. 2553, M.
''^ So VAT. 2553. Ebeling lesiores pa-nu-us-su, and derives uttakkalu
I
I
I
Mardiik's Demands 107
111. ' My son, it is Tiamat who is a woman ; she will
come against thee with weapons.'
112. ' My father, creator, rejoice and be glad.
113. The neck of Tiamat straightway shalt thou tread
upon.
114. My father, creator, rejoice and be glad.
115. The hinder parts of Tiamat straightway shalt
thou tread upon.'
116.' My son, wise in the totality of understanding,
117. Cause [Tiamat] to cease with thy pure incanta-
tion.
1 1 8. The chariot of storms quickly drive.
119. Her [helpers] will not tarry for her; turn (her)
back.'
120. The lord rejoiced at the command of his father.
121. His heart exulted as he spoke unto his father;
1 22. ' Lord of the gods. Destiny of the great gods,
123. If I, your avenger,-'
124. Bind Tiamat and keep you alive,
125. Convene the assembly, announce again ^^ my fate.
from ekesu, drive out, cf. IV, Prt. lillaku, Zimmern, Shtirpu, iv 66 and
p. 56. He translates 'sein Antlitz(?) werde nicht vertrieben', which
is not convincing. My restoration is suggested by IV 107 and uttakka-
lu {sa) is explained as IP of wakil, wait for, protect, Arabic tiakiia.
Cf. ana sit pi-iji ulaggd, ' O wait upon my command ', Imp. IP, Mas.
PI., KAR. 38, 10.
'° VAT. 2553; 92632, sa. " Sic! Imp. Fem. for /e-tr.
'* VAT. 2 55^,ar-Aa-nu-us; K. 4832, ar-ia-nis. " VAT. 2553, //.
'" K. 4832, I'na. Cf. above, 1. 102. " e/esi/, see VAB. iv 314.
" K. 292 (= CT. 13, 6) begins here and has lib-lia-sit.
" K. 4832, AB-su. " Last word on the edge of 3B396.
" So apparently K. 292, but VAT. 2553 iantt i.e. KAK. Read
ba-7ium{i), and for LUM {nu, man) see Vocabulary Scheil, 46.
^^ 40559. NAM-ME^. " 40559, a-na-ku.
'' Cf. Ill 58. " 40559. -am-ma. » 40559, M.
" Ibtd., su-te-ir ba-'a. ^'^ Ibid., turn.
" lutera, a helping verb, Imp. of tcataru. For this helping verb
io8 Tablet II
126. ina Ub-su-ukkin-na-ki ^ mit-ha-ris^ ha-dis ^ tis"-
ba-ma
127. ip-su pi-ia ki-ma ka^-tu-nu-ma si-ma-ta^ lu-si-im
128. la ut-tak-kar mim''mu-u a-ban-nu-u a-na-ku
129. ai i-tur ai i°-in-nin-na-a se-kar sap''-ti-ia
ilu
An-sar pa-a-su I-pu-sam-ma
Colophon I ^
[duppu] 2-kam e-nu-ma-e-lis ki-i pi-i [duppi]
gab-ri ""^'Assur^i
Colophon II '
[ki-ma la-bi-ri]-su sa-tir-ma barim duppi '^"Nabii-
ahe-iddina
[mari-su sa] Etir-'^"Bel mar ""^^sangu "'''Mas [ina
mi-ris-tum] la ikalli
TABLET III
1. An-sar pa-a-su i-pu-sam-ma'
2. a-na "'"Ga-ga ^'' sukkalli-su a-ma-tu i-zak-kar
cf. kuit kail enu tttliru, ' He who changed the agreement repeatedly ',
Knudtzon, Gehete, 148 R. 7. liilkun lutlir, AJSL. vol. 28, 221, 46.
sutera may be equally well III" of tdni, also a helping verb. Cf. itur
enah-ma, 'It fell to ruins again', Messerschmidt, KTA. 51 II 20. ibd,
ba , Imp. oi naM. VAT. 2553, ib-ba-a.
' 40559, kam. ^ Ibid., ri-ts, di-is, and li-is.
^ Ibid., ka-a ; turn. * Ibid., mi-ivi.
^ Ibid., om. * Ibid., la-ap.
' From the Assyrian tablet K. 292.
* From the Babylonian tablet 40559.
' Text from KAR. 173 and K. 3473 (CT. 13, 7).
Colophons 109
126. In Ubsukkinaku seat yourselves together glad-
fully.
127. If my mouth be opened may I decree fates even
as you,
128. And whatsoever I create shall not be changed.
129. May the speech of my lips not return and be
made of no avail'
Ansar opened his mouth.
Colophon I '
2. Second tablet of Enuma Elis according to a tablet
of
3 a copy from Assur.
Colophon II ^
2. Accordinsf to its orig^inal it was written. The tablet
of Nabfl-ahe-iddina,
3. Son of Etir-bel, son of the priest of Mas. In
wilfulness he withholds nothing.
TABLET III
1. Ansar opened his mouth
2. And unto Gag-a his messenger he addressed a word :
'" Gaga messenger of Ansar in the third book of enuma elis is men-
tioned in a ritual with ''"Asur, Bu. 91-5-9, 104, Zimmern, Neujahrs/esi'^,
p. 131. The ritual introduces these deities of the myth of Creation so as
to interpret certain aspects of the service as having mystic reference to
the Epic of Creation. Among the gods whom Senecherib caused to be
represented upon a bronze door of the temple of Bit akit seri in the
scene of the conflict of Asur and Tiamat is Gaga, K. 1356, R. 11 in
Meissner-Rost, Bauinschriften Sanheribs, p. 100. In the Chicago
Syllabary, 26, Gaga = Pap-sukkal, i.e. general name of a messenger
god. But CT. 24, 20, 21 Gaga = Ninsubur, messenger of Anu. He
is mentioned with Ninurta (MAS) among the seven gods mare napl/i?
no Tablet III
3. '^"Ga-ga suk-kal-lum ^ mu-tib ka-bi't-ti-ia
4. as-ris "'"Lah-mu '^"'La-ha-mu ka-a-ta- lu-us-pur-ka
5. [si]-te ?-'a-a ' mu-da-a-ta te-is-bu-ra * te-li-'i
6. ilani abe-ia su-bi-ka ana ma-ah-ri-ia*
7. //-bu-ku-nim-ma ilani ^ na-gab'-su-nu
8. li-sa-nu lis-ku-nu ina ki-ri-e-ti lu-us-bu *
9. as-na-an li-ku-lu lip-ti-ku ku-ru-na ^
10. a-na ''"Marduk " mu-tir ^^ gri-mil-li-su-nu li-si-mu
sim-tum '^
11. 'i-ir a-Hk ''"Ga-ga ku-ud-nii"-su-nu i-zi-iz"-ma
1 2. \id\ ^* a-zak-ka-ru-ka su-un-na-a a-na sa-a-su-un
13. An-sar ma-ru-ku-nu " li-ma-'-i-ra-an-ni
1 4. [te-rit] libbi-su u-sa-as-bi-ra-an-ni ia-a-ti "
15. [um-mu Ti-]amat a-lit-ta-nu '^ i-zi-ir-ra-an-na-a-ti '^
16. [pu-uh-ra sit-ku-]na-at"-ma ag-gis lab-bat
1 7. is-hu-ru-sim-ma ilani gi-mir-su-un
18. a-di ^^ sa at-tu-nu tab-na-a i-da-sa al-ka
(diimu-mei-zi, Tammuzes?), KAV. 42 I 14. He is mentioned in a list
of deities, Shurpu, 8, 15, more or less closely associated with Nergal and
Ninurta, and in the inscription of Senecherib cited above he is again
associated with Ninurta and similar types (Sarur, Sargaz). The divine
name Gaga in N. Pra. is rather Gaga — ISIinkarrak, the mother goddess,
CT. 25, 3, 55.
' So CT. 13, 7, 3; KAR. 173, LUff. ' KAR. 173, -h.
' Cf. IV R. 12, 12, si-te--a mudH. * K. 3473, -ru.
^ King, Cr. ii, P). 25, begins here and has the correct text. K. 3473,
mah-ri-ka is erroneous. Last sign on KAR. 173 is doubtful.
■^'k. 3473.^A^-^^- I
' King, ii, PI. 25, ga-ab. Both Vars. ht-un. "
' K. 3473, lil-bu. Cf. 1. 133. According to 1. 126 this refers to the
' King, ii, PI. 25, -Jiu.
Mission of Gaga 1 1 1
3. ' O Gaga, messenger that gladdenest my mind,
4. Unto the place of Lahmu and Lahamu I will send
thee.
5. To seek for thou knowest, thou art able to compre-
hend.
6. Bring the gods my fathers unto me.
7. And let them bring to me the gods — all of them.
8. Let them converse, at a banquet may they sit
down.
9. May they eat bread and prepare wine.
10. For Marduk their avenger let them decree fate.
11. Hasten, go, Gaga, and stand thou before them.
12. That which I tell thee repeat unto them ;
13. " Ansar your son sent me.
14. He caused me to comprehend the purpose of his
heart.
15. Mother Tiamat our procreaturess cursed us.-"
16. She has assembled a host, angrily raging.
1 7. They turned away unto her, the gods — all of them,
18. Except those whom you created, and they have
gone to her side.
"> The Assur text, KAR. 173, has Alur {AN-SAR\ but the Babylonian
originals obviously read Marduk here.
" King, ii, PI. 25, -Hr-ri. " K. 3473, -ta.
'^ K. 3473, kud-me. " Ibid., ziz.
'^^ King restored mim-mu-u, and he is followed by Dhorme and Ebeling,
on the authority of Tab. II 10. The traces on KAR. 173 are against
this reading.
'" KAR. l^z,ka. " Cf 1. 72.
'* K. 3473, -ni; zir; st for //'. annati, the accusative, is correct.
Cf. 1. 74. Here King, ii, PI. 25 ff., which contains only selections, omits
11. 16-51.
" Cf. II 12; III 74.
"" Gaga now repeats Ea's report to Ansar, II 1 1-48.
" See note on adi, II 14. On the contrary a-di la-a ^^'^Ahir Ti-amat
i-kam-mu-u, in Meissner-Rost, Bauinschriften Sanheribs, 100, 14, pro-
■I
112 Tablet III
19. im-ma az-ru-nim-ma i-du-us-su^ Ti-amat te-bi-
u-ni ^
20. Iz-zu kap-du la sa-ki-pu mu-sa u im-mu "
21. na-su-u tam-ha-ru ^ na-zar-bu-bu la-ab^-bu
22. ukkin-na si-it* -ku-nu-ma i-ban-nu-u su-la-a-tum
23. um-mu Hu-bu-ur pa-ti-ka-at ka-la-mu^
24. us-ra-ad-di kak-ku la ma-har-ra ^ it-ta-lad mus-mah
25. zak-tu-ma si-in-na'' la pa-du-ii an-ta-'-u[m]
26. im-tu ki-ma da-me ^ zu-mur-su-nu us-ma-al-li
27. usumgalle na-ad-ru-u-ti pul-ha-a-ti u-sal-bis [ma]
28. me-lam-me us-tas-sa-a e-lis um-tas-[sil]
29. a-mir-su-nu sar-ba-ba lis-har-mi-im
30. zu-mur-su-nu lis-tah-hi-tam-ma la i-ni-'i-u i-rat-su-
[un]
31. us-ziz ba-ds-mu mus-rus-su u '^'''La-ha-[mu]
32. u-gal-lum uridimmu u akrab-amelu (girtablili)
33. tj-mi da-ap-ru-ti ^* kulili u ku-sa-rik-[ku]
34. na-as kakke la pa-di-i la a-di-ru ta-ha-[zi]
bably means not ' except ', but ' Before A. had bound Tiamat '. Note
also adina Id i-ra-si, ' Before he obtains (children) ', Bogh.-Keui, i no. 8,
34. Both particles govern the present tense.
^ Here begins King, ii, PI. 29. K. 3473 om. su and reads -bu.
" K. 3473, -ma.
' K. 3473, -ri and -lab. On the syntax of these permansives see
Meissner, Assyr. Grammalik, § 51, (1).
Description of Tiamafs Host 113
1 9. They have cursed the day, and have gone up to
the side of Tiamat.
20. They have raged and plotted, resting not night
and day.
21. They have joined battle, fuming and raging.
22. They have collected forces, making hostility.
23. Mother Hubur the designer of all things,
24. Added thereto weapons not to be withstood, and
gave birth to monstrous serpents.
25. They have been made sharp of tooth, sparing not
the fang.
26. With poison like blood she filled their bodies.
27. Gruesome monsters she caused to be clothed with
terror.
28. She caused them to bear dreadfulness, she made
them godlike.
29. Whosoever beholds them lo ! he is banned with
terror.
30. Their bodies rear up and none restrain their
breast.
3 1 . She established the Viper,'' the Raging-serpent ^"
and Lahamu,
32. The Great-lion, ^1 the Gruesome-hound,^^ the
Scorpion-man,"
33. The destructive spirits of wrath, the Fish-man*'
and the Fish-ram,*^
34. Bearers of weapons that spare not, fearless of
battle.
* K. 3473, sit. ^ Ibid., -bur; kat.
" K. 3473; rad; ka-ak-ki: mah-ri.
' K. 3473, siti-ni. Cf. II 21. ' Ibid., mi.
' Hydra; see I 140. " Milky-way. " Leo, see I 141.
'^ Lupus. " Sagitarius. " Cf. I 142.
'^ Aquarius. "■ Capricorn.
H
114 Tablet III
35. gap-sa te-ri-tu-sa la ma-har si-na-a-[ma]
36. ap-pu-un-na-ma es-ten es-ri-tum kima su-a-tu us-
tab-[si]
2,T. i-na ilani bu-uk-ri-sa su-ut is-kun-si [pu-uh-ra]
38. u-sa-as-ki ''"Kin-gu ina bi-ri-§u-[nu sa-a-su] us-rab-
[bi-is] >
39. a-Ii-kut mah-ri pa-an um-ma-ni [mu-'i-ir-ru-tu pu-
uh-ri]
40. [na-]as kakke ^ ti-is-bu-tu ti-[bu-ii a-na-an-ta]
41. [su-ut] tam-ha-ri ra-ab sik-[ka-tu-tu]
42. [ip-kid]-ma ka-tus-su u-se-si-[ka-as-su ina kar-ri]
43. [ad-]di ta-a-ka ina puhur ilani [li-sar-bi-ka]
44. [ma-]li-kut ilani gi-mir-[su-nu ka-tuk-ka us-mal-li]^
45. [lu] sur-ba-ta-ma ha-'i-i*-[ri e-du-ii at-ta]
46. li-ir-tab-bu-u zik-ru-ka eli kali-su-nu [''"A-nu-uk-ki]
47. id-din-sum-ma dupsimati i-ra-[tus u-sat-mi-ih] '
48. ka-ta kibit-ka la in-nim-na-a li-kun si-it pi-i-ka "^
49. in-na-nu '^"Kin-gu su-us-ku-ii li-ku-u e-nu-ti '
' Here begins K. 6650, CT. 13, 9. » K. 6650, kakki.
' K. 6650, gim-ral-su-nu ka-lus-lii. This version, therefore, did not
regard 1. 44 as part of Tiamat's speech, but its text is more likely a scribal
error. It continues in the second person in the next line.
* K. 6650, om.
I
Exaltation of Kingu 1 1 5
35. Prodigious are become her designs, unopposable
are they.
36. In all eleven are they and thus she brought them
into being.
37. Among the gods her first-born who formed her
assembly,
38. She exalted Kingu ; in their midst she magnified
him.
39. As for those who go before the host, as for those
who direct the assembly,
40. To undertake the bearing of arms, to advance to
the attack,
41. As to matters of battle, to be mighty in victory,
42. She entrusted into his hand ; and she caused him
to sit down in sack-cloth, (saying),
43. ' I have uttered thy spell ; in the assembly of the
gods I have magnified thee.
44. The dominion of the gods, all of them, I put into
thy hand.
45. Verily thou hast been exalted; O my husband,
thou alone.
46. May thy names be greater than all of the names
of the Anunnaki.'
47. She gave him the tablets of fate, she caused them
to be fastened upon his breast, (saying) :
48. ' As for thee, thy command is not annulled ; the
issue of thy mouth is sure.'
49. And now Kingu who had been exalted, who had
received Anuship,
^ Here begins 42285, King, Cr. ii, PI. 30. Ibid., i-ra-tu-ul. K. 6650,
-lu-ma. Cf. II 43; I 155.
' 42285, -lu\ Same error as above, 1. 44. Var. Here begins 93017,
CT. 13, 10.
' So 42285, where II 45 lias ^'■"A-nu-li.
H 2
ii6 Tablet III
50. an ilani mare-sa ^ si-ma-ta ^ us-ti-sam
51. ip-su pi-ku-un^ "'"Gibil* li-ni-ih-ha
52. gasru kit-mu-ra^ ma-ag-sa ri lis-rab-bi-ib
53. as-pur-ma ''"A-num " ul i-li-'i-a'' ma-har'-sa
54. ''"Nu-dim-mud i-dur*-ma i-tu-ra ar-kis*
55. 'i-ir ''"Marduk abkal' ilani ma-ru-ku-un
56. ma-ha-ris *" Ti-a-wa-ti '" lib^^-ba-su a-ra ub-la
57. ip-su pi-i-su i-ta-ma-a a-na ia-a-ti
58. sum-ma-ma a-na-ku mu-tir" gi-mil-li-ku-un
59. a-kam-me Tam-tam-ma^- li-bal-lat ka-su-un .
60. suk-na^^-ma pu-uh-ra ^* su-ti^^-ra i-ba-a sim-ti
61. ina up-su-ukkin-na-ku ^^ mit-ha-ris ha-dis" tis-ba-ma
62. ip-su pi-ia ki-ma ka'*-tu-nu-ma si-ma-tam " lu-sim-
ma"
63. la ut-tak-kar mim^^mu-u a-ban-nu-ii a-na-ku
64. ai i-tur "' di in-nin-na-a se-kar sap-ti-ia ^^
65. hu-um-ta-nim-ma si-mat-ku-nu ar-his ^' si-ma-su
66. lil-lik lim-hu-ra -^ na-kar-ku-nu dan-nu
67. il-lik
iln
Ga-o^a ur-ha-su u-sar-di-ma
1 K. 6650, DUMU-DUMU. 93017, tna-ri-e-sa.
" 42285, //'; 93017, iam and il-ii-[mu'\.
' K. 3473, nu; 6650, pi-t-ku-nu.
* BIL-GI; K. 3473; 42285, gCs-BAR. See note on I 160.
' K. 3473, ina kit-mu-rt; K. 6650, sit-mu-ra, but see King, Cr. 45,
n. 16. KiiNG, Cr, ii, PI. 26, kit-mu-ni; and li-ra-ab-bi-ib.
* K. 3473, nu-um; K. 10008, 10, 71am.
' 42285, omits a and has ha-ar. See for the defeat of Anu, II 72-85.
King, ii, PI. 26, i-li-i-im.
* 42285, ar-ki-is. K. 10008, II has diir. King, ii, PI. 26, du-ur.
The summons to Ea and his defeat were related in II 54-70.
° K. 3473, ab-kal-lu. '" King, ii, PI. 26, ri-il; Ti-amai; li-ib.
%
Defeat of Anu and Ea 1 1 7
50. For the gods her sons fixed the destinies
(saying),
51. ' Open ye your mouths ; verily it shall quench the
fire-god.
52. He who is strong in conflict may humiliate might.'
53. I sent Anu but he was not able to withstand her.
54. Nudimmud feared and turned back.
55. But Marduk, sage of the gods, your son, came
forward.
56. Against Tiamat his heart has prompted him to
proceed.
S"]. Having opened his mouth he says unto me :
58. ' If I, your avenger,
59. Bind Tiamat and keep you alive,
60. Convene the assembly, announce again my fate.
61. In Upsukkinaku seat yourselves together gladly.
62. Having opened my mouth may I decree fates
even as you.
63. And whatsoever I create shall not be changed.
64. May the speech of my lips not return and be
made of no avail."
65. Hasten ye and fix for him your fates quickly.
66. May he go and meet your powerful enemy.'
67. Gaga went, he pursued his way.
" King, ii, PI. 26, -ri. Here begins the quotation of II 123-9.
'' K. 3473, Ti-amat-ma; King, ii, PI. 26 and 42285, Ti-amat-am-ma.
" K. 3473, -na-a.
" Ibid., ru. King, ii, PI. 26 and 42285, -uh-ru.
'^ Ibid., PI. 26, -te.
" K. 3473, ki; King, PI. 26, kam; and mi-ii-ha-ri-ih
" 42285, di-is and ta-as-ba-ma. " King, ii 27, ka-a-.
" 42285, turn; lu-U-im. ^° King, ii, PI. 27, mi-im.
" King, ii, PL 27, tu-ur. " 42285, i.
" hi-ii., King, ii, PI. 27 ; 42285.
■* 42285, hur. Here begins 83-1-18, 2116, CT. 13, 12.
ii8 Tablet III
68. as-ris '^"Lah-mu u "'''''La-ha-me ^ ilani abe-su^
69. US-kin-ma is-sik - kak-ka-ra sa-paP-su-im
70. ik-mis* iz-ziz'-ma i-zak-kar-su-un
71. An-sar-ma ma-ri-ku-nu * li-ma-'i-ir-an-ni
72. te-rit Hb-bi-su u-sa-as-bir'-an-ni ia-a-ti
"^l- um-ma Ti-amat a-lit-ta-ni i-zir'-ra-an-na-si '
74. pu-uh-ra ^^ sit"-ku-na-at-ma ag-gis^^ la-ab"-bat
75. is-hu-ru-sim-ma ilani gi-mir"-su-un
76. a-di sa at-tu-nu tab-na-a i-da-sa" al-ku^"^
77. im-ma az-ru-nim-ma i-du-us''' Ti-a-ya-ti '' te-bu-ni ^'
78. iz-zu kap-du la sa-ki-pu mu-si u im-ma *"
79. na-su-ii tam-ha-ra ^^ na-zar-bu-bu la-ab'^^-bu
80. um-ki-en-na ^' sit-ku-nu-ma i-ban-nu-u ^^ su-la-a-tum ^^
81. um-mu Hu-bur pa-ti-kat -" ka-la-ma
82. us-rad-di kakka"^ la ma-har -' it-ta-lad mus-mah-i ^'
%2). zak-tu-ma sin-ni la pa-du-u at-ta-'a-i ^''
' King, ii, PI. 27, -ha-mu, 42285; 83-1-18, 2116, ah-hi-e-lu,
' li-ik, King, ii, PI. 27.
' ma-har, 42215; King, ii, PI. 27; 83-1-18, 2116.
* t-hr, K. 3473; \j-h'\-ir, King, ii, PI. 27. ih'r from asdru, give
heed to, muster. See PSB.\. 1910, 122-3, ^"d cf. Zimmern, Rt. p. 102,
1. 100. The passage as in Rt. ibid, demands rather the root IB'I. It is
probable that tjasdru, descend, be inclined (see RA. 19, 142 n. 5), has
also a ^orm iasaru. Cf. RA. 14, 123, 24.
^ iz-za-az, King, ii, PL 27; 42285; 83-1-18, 21 16.
° K. 3473, An-sar ma-ru-; King, ii, PI. 27, ma-ru. Here begins
K. 8575, CT. 13, 12.
' bi-ra, 42285; King, ii, PL 28; K. 8575; 83-1-18, 2116.
' zi-ir, 42285; King, ii, PL 28. ' //', ibid.; -a-ti, 42285.
I
Recitation of Gaga 1 1 9
68. In the presence of Lahmu and Lahamu the gods
his fathers,
69. He kneeled and kissed the ground before them.
70. He bowed down, he stood up and addressed them
(saying) :
71. " Ansar your son sent me.
72. He caused me to comprehend the purpose of his
heart.
73. Mother Tiamat our procreatress cursed us.
74. She has assembled a host, angrily raging.
75. They turned away unto her, the gods — all of them.
76. Except those whom you created, they have gone
to her side.
77. They have cursed the day and have gone up to
the side of Tiamat.
78. They have raged and plotted resting not night
and day.
79. They have joined battle, fuming and raging.
80. They have collected forces, making hostility.
81. Mother Hubur the designer of all things,
82. Added thereto unopposable weapons, and gave
birth to monstrous serpents.
83. They have been made sharp of tooth, sparing not
the fang.
'» K. 3473, ni. " si-il, King, ii, PI. 28.
■» gi-u, 42285. " lab, K. 8575.
" mi-ir, 42285 ; King, ii 28. Here begins K. 8524.
'^ i-da-a-su, K. 8575. '" ka, 42285.
" Here begins 83-1-18, 1868, i-du-us-hi.
i« Ta-d-ua-ii, K. 8524 and K. 8575 Rev. 8. 13-1-18, 1868, Ti-amai
and k-bu-u-ni.
" te-bi-ni\ 42285. ™ mu, 83-1-18, 1868; 42285.
" r|-,K. 3473; 8575- " &/5, K. 8575.
" ukkin-na, K. 3473. " 42285, -nu-ma. '^ //, ibid.
^^ ka-at, 42285, and -mu at end as on 83-1-18, 1868.
" K. 3473, kakke. ^ mah-ri, 8524 ; 8575.
-' mtismah- PI. 42285, mus-mah. ^ ta-at-i'-im, 42285.
I20
Tablet III
84. im-tu ki-ma da-mi zu-mur-su-nu us-ma-al-li ^
85. nhim-galli na-ad-ru-ti pul-ha-a-ti* li-sal-bis-ma
86. me-lam-me us-tas-sa-a i-lis ' um-tas-sil *
87. a-mir-su-nu sar-ba-ba li-ih-har-mi-im
88. zu-mur*-su-nu lis-tah-hi-tam-ma la i-ni-'-u-ni irat-
su-un
89. us-ziz ^ ba-as-mi * ''"musrusse ® u ''"La-ha-mi
90. fi-galle ur-idimme * u akrab-amelu (girtablili)
91. dme da-ap-ru-ti kulili u ku-dar-rik-ki
92. na-as kak-ku " la pa-di-i la a-di-ru ta-ha-zi
93. gap-sa te-ri-tu-sa la ma-har si-na-ma
94. ap-pu-na-ma is-ten es-rit ki-ma su-a-tu us-tab-si
95. ina ^^ ilani bu-uk-ri-sa su-ut is-ku-nii-si pu-uh-ri
96. u-sa-as-ki '^"Kin-gu ina bi-ri-su-nu sa-a-su us-rab-
bi-is
97. a-li-kut" ma-har ^^ pa-an um-ma-ni mu-ir-ru-tu
puhri
98. na-se-e kakki " ti-is-bu-tu te-bu-u a-na-an-tam
99. su-ut tam-ha-ra^' ra-ab sik-ka-tu-ti
2 -la, K. 8524. ' K. 8524, e-hl
^ K. 3473, mir.
' la, 42285.
* 42285, h'-i7.
* K. 3473, Sing, -mu, also Sing, mus-rus-su. Tlie plurals in 93017
are false. K. 3473, us-ziz.
Description of Tiamafs Host 1 2 1
84. With poison like blood she filled their bodies.
85. Gruesome monsters she caused to be clothed with
terror.
86. She caused them to bear dreadfulness, she made
them godlike.
87. Whosoever beholds them, lo ! he is banned with
terror.
88. Their bodies rear up and none restrain their
breast.
89. She established the Viper(s), the Raging-serpent
and Lahamu(s),^
90. The Great-lion(s), the Gruesome-hound(s), and the
Scorpion-man,^
91. The destructive spirits of wrath, the Fish-man
and the Fish-ram,"
92. Bearers of weapons that spare not, fearless of
battle.
93. Prodigious are become her designs, unopposable
are they.
94. In all eleven are they and thus she brought them
into being.
95. Among the gods her first-born who formed her
assembly,
96. She exalted Kingu ; in their midst she magnified
him.
97. As for those who go before the host, as for those
who direct the assembly,
98. To undertake the bearing of arms, to advance to
the attack,
99. As to matters of battle, to be mighty in victory,
' See 1. 31. ' K. 3473, H-gal-lum and itr-idimmu, correctly.
' See 1. 32. "> See 1. 33. " K. 3473, kakM.
" K. 3473, i-na. '' K. 3473, ku-ut ■&'c\A -ri,
" Ibid., na-as kakki. '^ Ibid., ri.
122 Tablet III
lOO. ip-kid-ma ka-tus-su u-se-si-ba-as-su ina kar-ri
loi. ad-di ta-a-ka ina piihri ilani u-sar-bi-ka
1 02. ma-li-kut ilani gim-rau-su-nu ka-tuk-ka us-mdl-li
103. lu-u sur-ba-ta-ma ha-i-ri e-du-ii at-ta
104. li-ir-tab-bu-u zik-ru-ka eli kali-su-nu ilani rabuti ^
"'"A-nun-na-[ki]
105. id-[din-]sum-ma dupsimati [i-ra-tus u-sat-mi-ih] "
106. ka-ta kibit-ka la in-[nin-na-a li-kun si-it pi-i-ka]
107. in-na-na '^"Kin-gu su-us-[ku-u li-ku-u ''^"A-nu-ti] '
loS. an ilani mare-sa si-[ma-ti us-ti-sam] ^
109. ip-su pi-i-ku-nu ''"Gibil '^ [li-ni-ih-ha] ||
no. gasru ina kit-mu-ru ma-[ag-sa-ra lis-rab-bi-ib]
111. as-pur-ma '^"A-nu-um ul i-[li-'i-a ma-har-sa]
112. '^"Nu-dim-mud e-dur-[ma i-tu-ra ar-kis]
113. 'i-ir ''"Marduk ab-kal [ilani ma-ru-ku-un]
114. ma-ha-ris Ti-amat [lib-ba-su a-ra ub-la]
115. ip-su pi-i-su [i-ta-ma-a ia-a-ti]
1 1 6. sum-ma-ma a-na-ku[mu-tir gi-mil-li-ku-un]
1 1 7. a-kam-me Ti-amat [u-bal-lat ka-su-un]
118. suk-na-a-ma pu-uh-ru [su-ti-ra i-ba-a sim-ti]
119. i-na up-su-ukkin-na-ki [mit-ha-ris ha-dis tis-ba-
ma]
> Read AN-GAL-MES. ' Last line on CT. 13, 1 1.
' Restored from I 156. " Cf. 1. 48.
Demands of Marduk
12-
lOO. She entrusted into his hand ; and she caused him
to sit down in sack-cloth, (saying) :
loi. 'I uttered thy spell; in assembly of the gods
I magnified thee.
102. The dominion of the gods, all of them, I put into
thy hand.
103. Verily thou hast been magnified, O my husband,
thou alone.
104. May thy names be greater than all of the names
of the great gods, the Anunnaki.' ^
105. She gave him the tablets of fate, she caused
them to be fastened upon his breast (saying) :
106. 'As for thee, thy command is not annulled ; the
issue of thy mouth is sure.' *
107. And now Kingu who had been exalted, who had
received Anuship,
108. For the gods her sons fixed the destinies (saying) ;
109. ' Open ye your mouths ; verily it shall quench
the fire-god.
1 10. He who is strong in conflict may humiliate might.'
111. I sent Anu but he was not able to withstand her.
1 1 2. Nudimmud feared and turned back.
113. But Marduk, sage of the gods, your son, came
forward.
114. Against Tiamat his heart has prompted him to
proceed.
115. Having opened his mouth he says unto me :
116. ' If I your avenger,
1 1 7. Bind Tiamat and keep you alive,
1 18. Convene the assembly, announce again my fate.
119. In Upsukkinaku seat yourselves together gladly.
Cf.I 158; 1145.
gii-BAR.
Cf. II 46 ; III 50.
124 Tablet III
1 20. ip-su pi-ia ki-ma ka-[tu-nu-ma si-ma-tam lu-sim-
ma]
121. la ut-tak-kar mim-mu-u a-ban-nu-u [a-na-ku]
122. ai i-tur di z«-nin-na-a se-kar [sap-tl-ia]
123. hu-um-ta-nim-ma si-mat-ku-nu ar-his [si-ma-su]
1 24. lil-lik lim-hu-ra na-kar-ku-nu dan-nu ^
125. 25-mu-ma ''"Lah-ha '^ '^'^'La-ha-mu is-su-ii e-li-tum
126. ''"Igigi nap-har-su-nu i-nu-ku mar-si-is
127. mi-na-a nak-ra a-di ir-su-ii* si-bi-it te-[mi su-
a-ti]
128. la ni-i-di ni-i-ni sa Ti-amat' e-p[is-ta-sa] '^
129. ik-sa-su-nim-ma i-lak''-[ku-ni]
130. Hani rabtJti ka-li-su-nu mu-sim-mu simati
131. i-ru-bu-ma mut-ti-is An-sar im-lu-u [ub-su-ukkin-
na-ki]
132. in-nis-ku a-hu-u a-hi ina puhri [in-nin-du] »
133. li-sa-nu is-ku-nu ina ki-ri-e-ti [us-bu]"
134. as-na-an i-ku-lu ip-ti-ku [ku-ru-na]
135. si-ri-sa mat-ku u-sa-an-ni ^^ pit-ra-di-su-[un]
136. si-ik-ru ina sa-te-e ha-ba-su" zu-um-[ru-su-un]
* Here begins King, ii 28, last section.
' Also King, ii 28 has Lah-ha. ' Here begins KAR. 173, Rev.
* For this restoration cf. zibi't temim risi, ' make a decision ', Ungnad,
VAB. vi 192, 16-17 ; 225, 29 ; 226, 30.
^ KAR. 117, ni-i-iiu Ti-a-ua-ti.
^ King's restoration. Ebeling, e-gtr-ri-sa, which is not so likely.
' KAR. 173, la-[ak\ » Cf. above, 1. 61.
^ Cf. i 21. Van KAR, 173, aM u ahu ina pu-uh-ri.
'» Restored from 1. 8.
" Cf. 1. 9. Lines 134 f. also on K. 10008, 11. 13 f.
" sanA, metathesis for nasil.
" hahasu is regarded by all editors of this text as a permansive for
habsu, but Delitzsch, H.W., 267, expressed doubt concerning the form.
I
Assembly of the Gods 125
120. Having opened my mouth may I decree fates
even as you.
121. And whatsoever I create shall not be changed.
122. May the speech of my lips not return and be
made of no avail.'
123. Hasten ye and fix for him your fates quickly.
124. May he go and meet your powerful enemy."
125. When Lahha and Lahamu heard this they cried
aloud.
126. The totality of the Igigi wailed bitterly ;
127. "Why have they become hostile until they have
conceived [this device ?]■*
128. We knew not of the deed of Tiamat."
129. They assembled together and departed,
130. They the great gods all of them deciders of fates.
131. They entered into the presence of Ansar, and
filled the [Upsukkinaku]'
132. They kissed one another and united in assembly.
133. They conversed together as they were seated at
the banquet.
1 34. They ate bread and prepared wine."
135. The sweet drink put far away their cares.
136. As they drank liquor their bodies became sati-
ated.
Jensen, K.B. vi 323, cites ttakkadal and Var. nakdat in Zimmern, Rt. 104,
112, wherefore he regards /;a'i5ffj?/ as equivalent to habbasu. It is difficult
to find any other explanation unless an adjective habbam = hdbam be
assumed, conjugated as a verb, habdsu means firstly ' be satisfied, full,
contented', and secondly 'to rejoice, be glad'. For the original sense
see beside Jensen, ibid., ''"'Nidaba hi-it-bu-sa-at, 'grain became abun-
dant', CT. 15, 36, 4. For the secondary meaning see, beside previous
entries in the lexicons, Imp. hu-bu-u^, rejoice, Bg. Keui, i, PI. 48, 15;
lu-uh-bu-us, 1. 17. P hi-it-bu-zu tukiinti, ihey rejoice in battle, Zimmern,
KL., 214 III 16; cf. Ebeling, Quelkn, i 59, 26 ; irdla Bdb-ili hi-it-bu-
\us . . .], BA. V 310, 29. G. R. Driver suggests another root, Arabic
hdbdda, pulsate, for this passage, for which cf. hibsu libbi-sa, Harper,
Letters, 1194 R. 14.
126 Tablet IV
137. ma-'-dis e-gu-ii ^ ka-bat-ta-su-un i-te-el-[li]
138. a-na '^"Marduk^ mu-tir gi-mil-li-su-nu i-sim-mu
sim-[ta-su]
139. id-du-sum-ma pa-rak ru-bu-ii-ti
TABLET IV 3
1. id-du-sum-ma pa-rak ru-bu-tum
2. ma-ha-ri-is ab-bi-e-su a-na ma-li-ku-tum ir-me
3. at-ta-ma kab-ta-ta i-na ilani ra-bu-tum
4. si-mat-ka la sa-na-an se-kar-ka ''"A-num
5. '^"Marduk kab-ta-ta i-na ilani ra-bu-tum
6. si-mat-ka la sa-na-an se-kar-ka ''"A-num
7. is-tu fi-mi-im-ma la in-nin-na-a ki-bit-ka
8. su-us-ku-u u su-us-pu-lu si-i lu-u ga-at-ka
9. lu-u ki-na-at si-it pi-i-ka la sa-ra-ar se-kar-ka
10. ma-am-ma-an i-na ilani i-tuk-ka la it-ti-ik
11. za-na-nu-tum ir-sat pa-rak ilani-ma
' Assyrian possesses at least two roots egit, to be lazy, negligent, VA'
and murmur, babble, error, sin, HAH murmur, Arabic, hagau, haga, read
in whispers. For the use of egii, murmur, of ghosts, see Maklu I 41,
mimtnu kaisapati-ia ippula e-ga-a. Therefore Arabic secondary form
higd\ Satyr. Dhorme connected e-gu-u in Creal. iii 137 with njJA, cry,
roar, which is also possible, and cf. RA. 15, 175, 26 (Ishtar) ^a-a-a/ with
ra'imat (thunders).
'^ Assur version, KAR. 173, Ansar.
' The sources for the Fourth Tablet are published in CT. 13, 14-22,
and a small Assur fragment, VAT. 10898, is utilized by Ebeung,
Marduk made a great god 127
137. Much they babbled and their mood was exalted.
138. For Marduk their avenger they decreed the fate.
139. (Catch-line).
TABLET IV ^
1. They founded for him a princely chamber.*
2. Before his fathers for consultation ^ he took his
place.
3. " Thou hast become honoured among the great
gods.
4. Thy destiny is unparalleled, thy commandment is
(like) Ann's.
5. O Marduk honoured hast thou become among the
great gods.
6. Thy destiny is unparalleled, thy commandment is
(like) Anu's.
7. From this day shall thy word not be changed.
8. To exalt and to humble — this is thy power.
9. Verily the issue of thy mouth is sure, not uncertain
is thy commandment.
10. Not one among the gods shall transgress thy
boundary.
11. Restoration is the need of the chambers of the
gods.^
Weltschopfungslied, p. 6. BM. 93016 = CT. 13, 14-15 is a Babylonian
tablet.
* Text of 11. 1-43 on 93016.
" malikuhim is taken by all editors in a subjective sense, referring to
Marduk's advice to or dominion over the gods. The view taken in
the translation above interprets malikiitum as referring to the following
decree of the assembly of the gods by which he received the rank of one
of the great deities.
* The line refers to Marduk as the patron of the upkeep of temples.
Cf. VII 7 ; VI 88.
128 Tablet IV
12. a-sar sa-gi-su-nu lu-ii ku-un as-ru-uk-ka
13. ''"Marduk at-ta-ma mu-tir-ru gi-mil-li-ni
14. ni-id-din-ka sar-ru-tum kis-sat kal gim-ri-e-ti
15. ti-sam-ma i-na pu-hur lu-ii sa-ga-ta^ a-mat-ka
16. kak-ki-ka ai ib-bal-tu-vi ^ li-ra-i-su na-ki-ri-ka
17. be-lum sa tak-lu-ka na-pis-ta-su gi-mil-ma
18. u ilu sa lim-ni-e-ti i-hu-zu tu-bu-uk nap-sat-su
19. us-zi-zu-ma i-na bl-ri-su-nu lu-ba-su is-ten
20. a-na ''"Marduk bu-uk-ri-su-nu su-nu iz-zak-ru
21. si-mat-ka be-lum lu-u mah-ra-at ilani-ma
22. a-ba-tum u ba-nu-ii ki-bi li-ik-tu-nu
23. ip-sa* pi-i-ka li-'-a-bit lu-ba-su
24. tu-ur ki-bi-sum-ma lu-ba-su li-is-lim
25. ik-bl-ma i-na pi-i-su 'i-a-bit lu-ba-su
26. i-tu-ur ik-bi-sum-ma lu-ba-su it-tab-ni
27. ki-ma si-it pi-i-su i-mu-ru ilani ab-bi-e-su
28. ih-du-u ik-ru-bu ''"Marduk-ma sar-ru ^
' For the meaning of sagH, see PSB A. 1 9 1 o, 118, and sa-gi-e-a, my
sanctuary, Syn. ahrtu, King, Great. App. V 75. See also Meissner,
MVAG. 1905, 78.
' For examples of 3rd Fern. Sing, -aia see Delitzsch, Assyr. Gram-
matik, p. 268.
" Certainly for ibbaltu. See Del. HW. 175, and dib = na-bal-tu-u.
Miracle of the Garment 1 29
12. (And so) thy place has been fixed wherever are
their shrines.^
13. Thou Marduk art our avenger,
14. We have given thee kingship of universal power
over the totality of all things.
1 5. Sit thou in the assembly, verily thy word is become
eminent.
16. May thy weapons not flee but may they annihilate
thy foes.
17. O lord of him that puts his trust in thee, spare
thou the life.
18. And as for the god who has conceived evil, pour
out his breath of life."
19. They caused to be placed in their midst a garment,
20. Saying unto Marduk their first-born :
21. "Thy fate, O lord, verily has been made equal to
that of the gods.
22. Command ' to destroy and to make ' and they shall
be fulfilled.
23. Speak thou thy word and let the garment be
destroyed.
24. Command again and let the garment be whole."
25. He commanded and at his word the garment was
destroyed.
26. Again he commanded and the garment was remade.
27. As the gods his fathers saw the issue of his
mouth,
28. They were glad and did homage (saying) " The
king is Marduk ".
Syn. ba'ti, RA. 13, 188, 20. Restore Streck, Assurb. 336 R. i, ib-bal-
tu-u (?).
* Usually regarded as an imperative with a energeticus.
° larru is not the predicate of this nominal sentence but the subject ;
nouns as attributes have the construct or indeterminate case.
130 Tablet IV
29. u-us-si-pu-su ""hatta ""kussa u pala-a ^
30. id-di-nu-su kak-ku la ma-har-ra da-'-i-pu za-ja-ri
31. a-lik-ma sa Ti-amat nap-sa-tu-us '"^ pu-ra-'-ma
32. sa-a-ru da-mi-sa a-na pu-uz-ra-tum li-bil-lu-ni
33. i-si-mu-ma sa ''"Bel si-ma-tu-us ilani ab-bi-e-su
34. u-ru-uh su-ul-mu u tas-me-e us-ta-as-bi-tu-us har-
ra-nu
35. ib-sim ma '^"kasta kak-ka-su u-ad-di*
36. mul-mul-lum us-tar-ki-ba u-kin-su ma-at-nu*
37. is-si-ma ""mitta ^ im-na-su u-sa-hi-iz
38. '^kastam u """-""^is-pa-tum i-du-us-su I-lu-ul '
39. is-kun bi-Ir-ku * i-na pa-ni-su
40. nab-lu ^ mus-tah-mi-tu zu-mur-su um-ta-al-la ^*
' The paM of Marduk is also referred to in a bilingual hymn to him
sung in the Nisan festival at Erech ; tamih hattu kippal u pa-la-a,
' Holder of the sceptre, ring, and palu', Thureau-Dangin, Ritueh
Accadiem, p. 108, 2. Here palii is represented in Sumerian by bal, and
is a loan-word. paM as an emblem is certainly derived from 9^^bal =
pilakku, axe, hatchet ; see SBH. 123, 14, ff'^'^a/ = i-na pala-a (BL. 9, 18).
For Marduk represented with his palu see Menant, Glyp/igue, ii, p. 60.
' napiltu perhaps here 'throat'. Cf. Holma, Korperleile, 42.
' Literally, 'hearing', being heard by a superior, i.e. obtaining what
one seeks from a god or superior.
* Root (i')adu, not to be confused with idtl, against Jensen, KB. vi
346, and Ylvisaker, LSS. V, p. 46 n. 5. The verb yT know, although
it appears in Assyrian as JJTI, is distinct from mi fix, decree. The latter
meaning of adu in the I' form is well attested ; see Ungnad, Babylonische
Brie/e, 294; Streck, Asurb. ii 431.
" viatnu, Arabic matnun, Heb. matnaiim, Syr. matndlka, hip, hip-sinew,
sinew, has been shown to mean ' bow-cord ' by Holma, Korperleile, 6
n. 3, and for mulmuUu, arrow, see in addition to Jensen, KB. vi 328,
Meissner, OLZ. 1913, 216, on the basis of CT. 15, 43, 10, mulmulU
Mardiik prepares for Battle 131
29. They added unto him a sceptre, a throne and
hatchet.
30. They gave to him the unopposable weapon over-
whelming the hateful.
31. " Go and cut off" the breath of life of Tiamat.
32. May the winds bear away her blood to a secret
place."
33. The gods his fathers determined the fate of Bel.
34. They caused him to take up a journey — a way of
success and attainment.^
35. He made ready a bow and decreed it as his
weapon.
36. The arrow he caused to ride thereon and the
bow-cord he fixed.
37. He lifted the toothed-sickle and grasped it in his
right hand.
38. The bow and quiver he hung at his side.
39. The lightning he set before him.
40. With a burning flame was his body filled.
la padM la ^V^^ilpat «'"^//, ' The unsparing ariows of the quiver of Bel '.
Var. K. 3437, cm. lum and reads u-kin-si . mul-mul-la is said to be the
weapon of the hand of Marduk in V R. 46(7 26, where the word is not
to be confused with the name of Pleiades, ""*^ot?//, as Weidner maintains,
Handbuch, i6g. In this astronomical text = CT. 33, 3, 23 f., the
constellation 9'^gan-iir is called the weapon of the god A-tnal, for which
the gloss has 'arrow of Marduk'. Kugler, Sternkunde, Erganziingtn,
68 ; 176 ; 222, identified the constellation gan-ur or makaddu, maskakkalu,
i. e. ' harrow star ', with Crux or the Southern Cross. There is a slight
resemblance to an arrow in the form of Crux and possibly to a harrow
also. The passage proves that Marduk's arrow was identified with Crux,
a star in the ' Way of Ea', and if A-mal and not Mar-biti be the true
reading, this ancient god of Babylon is identical with Marduk.
* See RA. 12, 78. 1. 13. Var. ibid., mit-la, and see R. 395 Obv. 8,
King, ii 62.
' K. 3437, M. » Ibid., NIM-GIR.
' 79-7-8, 251 (CT. 13, 20), 1. 5, nab-/a.
" K. 3437, -//, and me for mi.
I 2
132 Tablet IV
41. i-pu-us-ma sa-pa-ra sul-mu-u kir-bi-is tam-tim^
42. irbit-tim ^ sare us-te-is-bi-ta ana la a-si-e mim-
mi-sd ^
43. sdtu * iltanu sadfl amurru
44. i-du-us sa-pa-ra^ us-tak-ri-ba ki-is-ti ^ abi''-su
'■'"A-nim
45. ib-ni ini-hul-la sira lim-na me-ha-a" a-sam-su-tum
46. im-tab-tab-ba " im-imin ^^ imsuhhil itn-nu-di-a "
47. u-se-sa-am"-ma sare" sa ib-nu-ii si-bit-ti-su-un
48. kir-bis'^ Ti-amat su-ud-lu-hu ti"-bu-u arkP^-su
49. is-si-ma be-lum a-bu-ba" kakka^^-su raba-a '*
50. '^"narkabta fi-mu la mah-rP" ga-lit-ta'" ir-kab "^
' K. 3437, kir-bil Ti-amat. Here begins VAT. 10898.
^ ir-bil-li sa-a-ri, K. 3437 + 79-7-8. 251.
' 93015, mi-im-me-ia. * VAT. 10898, su-u-ti.
' 93°5i (CT. 13, 20), -ru. " Ibid., a-na \ki-il-ti\
' 93016, [a-](J?-. abd in a loose sense, for at any rate in Babylonian
religion Marduk was the son of Ea.
' The Var. a-na hlli contains a rare example of ana in a pregnant
sense, similar to the Hebrew 3 essentiae. Cf. also Th.-Dangin, Rit. Akk.
65, 33, a-na sa-al-ka, ' as roast meat '.
' 93051, ia-ar lim-nu me-hu-u.
" For the seven winds see BE. 31, 17, 11. 93051. im-imin-bi-im and
im-di-a-nu-[di-a'\ ; VAT. 10898 at the beginning of the line, im-
lammu-bi.
" VAT. 10898, om. am; 93051, sa-a-ri.
'" 93051, le, and ar-ki. VAT. 10898, kir-bi-i^.
" 93051, bu and kak-ka. Cf. 1. 75. abubu, cyclone, flood-storm, Sum.
a-ma-rii, a-ma-ru, viar-ru, is employed regularly as an epithet of Idr-ur,
weapon of Ningirsu-Ninurta and of Innini, see Gudea, St. B V 37 ;
Cyl. A, X 2 ; Cyl. B, 7, 14 and PBS. x 274, 18. The sdr-ur is an
I
I
1
Marduk's IVeopons 135
41. He made a net to enfold the belly of Tiamat.
42. He caused the four winds to come under control
that nothing of her might escape,
43. The south-wind, the north-wind, the east-wind, the
west-wind.
44. At his side he brought near the net the gift * of
his father Ann.
45. He created Imhullu, the evil wind, the Tempest,
tile Hurricane,
46. The Fourfold-wind, the Sevenfold-wind, the Devas-
tating-wind, the Unrivalled-wind.
47. He caused to come forth the winds which he
created — the seven of them.
48. To trouble the inward parts of Tiamat they went
up behind him.
49. The lord took up the ' Cyclone ' ^^ his great
weapon.
50. He drove the chariot of the storm the unopposable,
the terrible.
eagle-headed club on monuments of the later period, symbol of Ninurta-
Ilbaba, DiH. Per. i, 379, and a kind of spear, Gud. Cyl. A, 22, 20.
By association with names of weapons amaru = abubu came to mean
a weapon, more especially the weapon of Ninurta in his combat with
Tiamat, see SEP. 232, 8-12, later transferred to Marduk in Semitic
legend. It also means quiver, ^^a-md-ru ■= ispalu, K. 441 1, Rev. 18;
RTC. 222 II 8; Ishtar mar-ru lu-lu-il-la 'carries in her hand the
alubu ■=■ ispatu' , SBH. 105, 22. Jensen's theory to account for the
application of abubu, ' flood-storm ', to a weapon, ' the cyclone ', is
expounded in KB. vi 332 : 563. He suggested that the original meaning
of abubit is 'light waves', storm of light rays, and then took on the
meaning ' rain-storm '. That is probably erroneous. The word abubu
(amaru) came to mean weapon because the spear or quiver were spoken
of as the ' cyclone of battle '.'
" 93051 adds -am.
'^ See the description of Asur in Meissner-Rost, Bauinschrifttn
Sanheribs, 98, 7.
" 93051, ru, ium, ka-ab. For this line cf. II i8i, and Meissnek-Rost,
ibid., ilia narkabli la rakbu abubu \sa pa-'\ak-du, ' How he rode in a
134 Tablet IV
51. is-mid-sim^ -ma ir-bit^ na-as-ma-di ' i-du-us-sa i-lul'
52. [sa]-gi-.su - la pa-du-u ra-hi-su mu-up-par-su ^
^ 8cu^.
55. [ ]-zi-gis im-[ha]-sa^ ra-as-ba' tu-ku-un-tum
56. su-me-la " a na '^ a i-pat-/?< en-
57. na-ah-lap-tP- ap-luh-tP- pul-ha-ti ha-lip-ma
58. me-lam-mi ra"-sub-ba-[ti a-]pi-ir ra-su-us-su
59. us-te-sir-ma be-lum [ur-]ha-su li-sar-di-ma
60. as-ris Ti-amat sa [a^-]gat^* pa-nu-us-su is-kun
61. i-na sap-ti-[sii ] sarserrP^ u-kal-lu
62. sam-mi im-ta bul-li-i '" ta-me-ih rit-tus-su
chariot, liow he was master of the "cyclone"'; description of ASur's
combat with Tiamat.
' 93051, sum, IV, du, lu-ul. VAT. 10898, is-mi-is-si.
' VAT. 10898, sa-ag-gi-su. ' K. 3437, sd.
* Restored by 10898. Ebeling, Wellschdp/ungslied, p. 86, mentions
a new fragment, VAT. 10579, which begins here.
'^ sinnu first Mas. then Fem. PI. ! ?iasd, Prm. Fem. PI. in circumstantial
clause.
" 93°5i>/«»'-
' a- -ha on VAT. 10579+ 10898. The restoration ardha is made
by Ebei-Ing, probably not ardha, hasten, but ardhu, consume, eat up.
On this root see PSBA. 19 14, 28. See also Maklu, i 116, aruh limndti-
ia, and VI 54, urrihamii ; SBP. 4, 14.
' Restorations from VAT. 10579.
' raidbii, blaze, see JRAS. 1921, 573.
'" VAT. 10579, ^'Z'"-
" So 10579, but K. 3437, MUff{}) = eli.
"^ Var. \f.''-^<^iTIG]-UD-DU. The gH-en = kaunakes is the ancient
53. zak-tu-ti* sin-na-su-nu na-sa-a^ im-ta''
6-ay<, 54- a-[ra-]ha^ i-du-u sa-pa-na lam-du a
Mardiik's Equipment 135
51. He yoked up for it four span and hitched them
beside it,
52. ' The destroyer', ' The Merciless', 'The Stormer',
' The Swift-pacing ',
53. Sharp were their teeth, bearing poison ;
54. They knew how to consume and they learned to
trample down.
55. Like they smote, being fiery in battle.
56. On the left
57. He was clad in a kaunakes, a panoply of terrible-
ness.
58. With a sheen of ilames was his head clothed.
59. The lord proceeded swiftly and pursued his way.
60. Toward the place of Tiamat who was enraged he
set his face,
61. Holding in his lips a o{ red paste.
62. Grasping in his hand the ' Plant of extinguishing
poison.'
heavy garment woven to imitate a fleece, see JRAS. 1920, 373. For
apluhtu, shield, coat of mail, and also javelin or toothed sickle, see
RA. 12, 79 n. I. The kaunakes serves as a coat of mail in ancient
warfare, and it is worn by Eannatum and his warriors as represented on
the Stele of the Vultures. See Heuzey and Thureau-Dangin, Restitution
mate'rielle de la Stele des Vautours, PI. II.
" Also CT. 13, 16, 58, probably after otz' read ra-iub. Restored from
VAT. 10579.
" Cf. I 43, ug-gu-gat, but there is not space enough for this word.
VAT. 10579, ta-mi-a-ti la [....]
'* So restored by Zimmern from K. 10008, 15, in Hommel- Festschrift,
223. VAT. 10579, [Jap-ye-e-su. The restoration eni, or enam, by
Zimmern is suggested by H. Schneider, who refers to the importance
attached to the Horus-eye in Egyptian. This conjecture is not plausible
in an Assyrian text. The broken text has only IM-DIRIG, which
may represent urpatu, storm-cloud.
" Restored from K. 10008, 16, and VAT. 10579, hu-ul-li-\i\, ibid.,
im-ti.
136 Tablet IV
63. i-na u-mi-su i-dul-lu-su ilani i-dul-lu-su^
64. ilani abe-su i-dul-lu-su ilani i-dul-lu-su
65. it-hi-ma be-lum kab-lu-us ^ '^"'Ti-a-ua-ti i-bar-ri
66. sa '^"Kin-gu ha-'i-ri-sa i-se-'e-a me-ki-su '
67. i-na-at-tal-ma e-si ma-lak''su
68. sa-pi-ih te-ma-su-ma si-ha-ti ^ ep-sit-su
69. u ilani ri-su-su a-li-ku i-di-su
70. i-mu-ru-[ma] kar-da a-sa-ri-du ni-til-su-un i-si
71. id-di [ta-a-sa]® Ti-amat ul u-ta-ri ki-sad-sa
72. i-na sap-ti-sa lul-la-a ' u-kal sar-ra-a-ti
73. [ka]b-ta-[ta as-]ru sa be-lum ilani ti-bu-ka
74. [as-]ru-us-su-un * ip-hu-ru su-nu as-ruk-ka
75. [is-si-]ma° be-lum a-bu-ba kakka-su raba-a
76. \a-7na-ta ana Ti-]amat sa ik-mi-lu ki-a-am is-
pur-si
77. [ka-a-ti-ma ra]^''-ba-a-ti e-lis na-sa-ti-[ma]
^ ddlu, Prt. idul, Prs. iddl, Muss-Arnolt, Lexicon, 247. Naturally
a derivation from natdlu, see [Delitzsch, King, Dhorme, Ebeling], or
dalalu, adore, is impossible, see Jensen's protest in KB. vi 334. According
to ZDMG. 66, 770, the late Hebrew b'Ci, |3?t3 is the cognate. See
Gesemus-Buhl under ^1D, and Zimmern, Akkadische Fremdivbrter, 7.
The Assyrian root is tdlu, for which ddlu is a corrupt form. Note that
1. 69 also defends the view taken here of 1. 63.
''■ kablus and kirbis (1. 41) are really prepositions, see PSBA. 1909, 113.
' See note on I 60.
* malak is taken for mdlaku, way, walk, by King, Ungnad, and
Dhorme, and as Inf maldku, to counsel, plan, by Jensen. Also
Marduk challenges the Dragon 137
63. Then they hastened unto him, the gods hastened
unto him.
64. The gods his fathers hastened unto him, the gods
hastened unto him.
65. The lord drew nigh peering into the inward parts
of Tiamat.
66. He perceived the open jaws of Kingu her husband,
67. Gazing, and his self-control faltered.
68. Distracted was his will, disordered became his
actions.
69. And the gods his helpers, they that went beside
him,
70. Saw the hero, the champion, and faint became
their sisfht.
71. Tiamat cast her curse turning not back her neck,
72. Upon verbose lips maintaining rebellion, (saying) :
'J2i- ' Thou hast been honoured to the place of lord of
the gods who rise up for thee.
74. From their places they have assembled in thy
place.'
75. The lord took up the ' Cyclone ' his great weapon.
76. Unto Tiamat who raged he thus addressed her :
77. " As for thee thou art become great, thou hast
been lifted up on high.
vialdku, tongue, AJSL. 30, 77 ; ZA. 33, 18, 10 is a possibility, mdlaku,
way, course, cannot be employed for the act of walking, and only maldkti,
to counsel, seems to accommodate the verb dd, for which see I 22.
^ Probably an adjective and a nominal clause. For saM, Adj., see
Streck, Assurlt. iii 573.
* Or restore TU, Br. 779(?). Cf. 1. 91. Dhorme supplied ri-ig-ma.
' Cf. lu-la sa pi-ia, Craig, RT. 8, i o.
' For the ending il in the sense of islu, see Delitzsch, Assyr. Gram.
p. 226, and Meissner, Assyr. Gram. p. 62, g. First line on K. 5420,
C(CT. 13, 21).
° Cf. 1. 49. " Ebeling restores hir-ba-a-ii.
138 Tablet IV
78. [ub-la lib-]ba-ki-ma di-ki a-na-an-[ti]
79 ^ abe-su-nu i-da-
80 su-nu ta-zi-ri ^ ri-e
81. [tu-sa-as-ki "'"Kin-]gu a-na ha-'-i-ru-/?'-wa (?)
82. [tu-sar-bi par-sa]-su a-na' pa-ra-as (ilu) an-nu-ti
83- [ep-se-e-ti lim-]ni-'e-ti te-es-['e*-e-ma]
84. [a-na] ilani abe-e-a li-mut-ta-ki ^ tuk-tin-ni
85. [lu sa]-an-da-at ^ um-mat-ki lu rit-ku-su su-nu
kakke-ki
86. en-di-im-ma a-na-ku u ka-a-si ^ ni-pu-us sa-as-ma
87. Ti-amat an-ni-ta i-na se-mi-sa '
88. mah-hu-tas ^'' i-te-mi u-sa-an-ni " te-en-sa
89. is-si-ma Ti-amat sit-mu-ris " e-li-ta
90. sur-sis ma-al-ma-lis it-ru-ra '^ is-da-a-[sa] *^
91. i-man-ni sip-ta it-ta-nam-di ta-a-sa ^^
92. u ilani sa tahazi u-sa-a'-lu'* su-nu kakke-su-[un] '"^
93. in-nin-du-ma Ti-amat abkal ilani ''"Marduk
94. sa-as-mes it-tib-bu kit-ru-bu ta-ha-zi-is
' Jensen, \ilani rise-kila\ and at end i-da-as-fu-ma. Ebeling, i-da-su
Dhorme, i-da-lah.
^ K. 5420, zir-ri.
' For ana with comparative force (= eW) cf. K. 1290, 3, "sukiir zikir-
sina ana Istdrdli, 'Their name is made more precious than goddesses'.
askupti biti ana tarbasi isM, ' The hntel was higher than the court ',
K. 196 IV 14.
* K. 3437, le-le- e-e-ma. ° K. 5420, ka\
' For samddu in this general sense, see Del. //. W. 570 b. Cf. Ungnad.
VAB. vi 368.
' 93051 R. 2, su.
The Dragon defies Marduk 139
78. Thy heart has prompted thee to summon to
conflict.
79 their fathers
80 their thou hast cursed
81. Thou hast exalted Kingu unto marriage.
82. [Thou hast made his decree greater] than the
decree of Anu.
83. [Evil deeds] thou seekest and
84. Against the gods my fathers thou hast established
thy wickedness.
85. Let thy host be equipped and let thy weapons be
girded on.
86. Stand thou by and let us, me and thee, make
battle." *
87. When Tiamat heard this
88. She became like one in frenzy and her will was
unbalanced.
89. Loudly cried Tiamat like one raging.
90. Unto her foundations her limbs trembled equally,
91. As she recited an incantation, and uttered a curse,
92. And the gods of battle sharpened '^ their weapons.
93. They clashed — Tiamat and the counsellor of the
gods.
94. They went up to battle, they approached in
combat.
' sasmu in list of words for battle tahazu "sa sdbe, mahdsu sa sdbe,
lubarum, all explanations for Sumerian sagdudu, SAI. 7773; CT. 12,
26037-41 =CT. 35, 3, 4.
' 93051, tna se-me-e-su. '" Ibid., li-il and nu.
" Ibid., ri-il '^ Ibid., ru, su. " Ibid, su.
" K. 5420, H-sa-'-a-lu, i.e. Prs. ^^ 93051. kak-ki-su.
'° selu, be sharp, is certain. Note especially maseldu, whetstone,
Knudtzon, Amarna Lett, cited by Ebrling, Quellen, ii 62, and selUlu,
sharpness, KB. i 164, 42; Th.-D., Sargon, 18; ulme seluti, sharp
javelins, Lehmann-Haupt, .S'//a;«(2j^ shumukin, L* II 17; leltu, blade of
a sword, Th.-D., Sargon, 99, 393.
I40 Tablet IV
95. us-pa-ri-ir-ma be-lum sa-pa-ra-su u-sal-mi^-si
96. im-huP-lu^ sa-bit ar-ka-ti ■* pa-nu-us-su ^ um-tas-sir
97. ip-te-ma pi-i-sa Ti-amat a-na la-'-a-ti-su *
98. im-hul-la us-te-ri-ba a-na la ka-tam sap-ti-su
99. iz-zu-ti '' s^re kar-sa-sa i-sa-nu-ma
100. in-ni-haz' lib-ba-sa-ma pa-a-sa us-pal-ki
1 01. is-suk ^' mul-mul-la'^ ih-te-pi ka-ras-sa
102. kir-bi-sa u-bat-ti-ka u-sal-lit lib-ba
103. ik-mi-si-ma nap-sa-tas '^ u-bal-li
104. sa-lam-sa " id-da-a eli-sa i-za-za'*
105. ul-tu Ti-amat alik pa-ni i-na-ru
106. ki-is-ri-sa up-tar-ri-ra pu-hur-sa is-sap-ha
107. u ilani ri-su-sa a-li-ku i-di-sa
108. it-tar-ru ip-la-hu u-sah-hi-ru ^^ ar-kat^'-su-un
' K. 5420, me. ^ So read, CT. 13, 18, 96 for «.
' K. 5420, la znd pa-fiu-us-sa.
* Cf. 1. 45 and 1. 48, ii'iu arki-su.
* K. 5420, sa. la'dlu = la'diii, Virh, late Hebrew Dj;5'. See Meissnek,
MVAG. 1910, 515.
° Var. ' for her consuming (him) '.
' K. 5420, lum.
* Jensen regards tsdmi as a Prs. in circumstantial clause and the final
u as 'overhanging u', and compares ukallu, 1. 61, &c.
' So Delitzsch, Dhorme, Zimmern (?), on analogy of na-an-hu-uz,
he is obsessed (with pain), IV R. 54, 19. Jensen suggests in-ni-kud
from tiakddu, be anxious, but offers no translation. Ebeling, in-ni-szl,
' was lamed ', from eselu. bind, for which meaning see Holma, Pcrsonen-
namen der Form kuttulu, p. 31, but hardly applicable to the heart.
A reading innihas from nahdsu, be satiated, would suit the context best,
but tiakdsu is used only in the sense of ' be satiated with happiness^
riches '.
^
Marduk slays the Dragon 141
95. The lord spread out his net and enmeshed her.
96. The Imhullu, following after, he let loose in her
face.
97. Tiamat opened her mouth to consume him.^
98. He caused Imhullu to enter that she could not
close her lips.
99. The raging winds filled ' her belly.
100. Obsessed was her heart '*• and she extended wide
her mouth.
loi. He let loose an arrow, it tore her belly.
102. It severed her inward parts, it rent asunder the
heart.
103. He bound her and quenched her breath of life.
104. He cast down her corpse, standing upon her (it).
105. After he had slain Tiamat the leader,
106. Her troops" were disseminated, her host was
scattered.
107. And the gods, her helpers, who went beside her,
108. They trembled, they feared, they turned their
backs.**
'" i. e. with pain i ?).
" For nasdku, throw, let fall, cf. ktrbanam izzuk, VAB. v 276, 4 ;
lisuku-su lirbanu, KAR. 114, 7 and ZA. 31, 116, 25 f.
" mulmullu, certainly arrow. In a pantomime taken from this poem
the mulmullu are carried in a quiver {sa '^ts-pai ''^"Bel), CT. 15, 44, 10 f.
" K. 5420, ius.
" liid., ia-tam-tal; iz-zi-za (he stood). 79-7-8, 251, Rev. also
ia-lam-tas.
" Here the kuru or troops of Tiamat are first mentioned and distin-
gfuished from the eleven monsters, the Hani hukri-sa, who formed her
host, I 146, and below, I. 115. For the meaning of kisru see Manitius,
ZA. 24, 114 IT. VAT. 10898, ^/'-»;f-ri<-ia.
'* K. 5420, ra and al-kai-su-un. For r>/ before k cf. birku>bilku,
RA. 9, 77 n 13.
" For arkatu, back, see Holma, KorperteiU, 64.
1* Var. ' They turned back their course', is not likely. See n. 17 for
alkatu, ' back '.
142 Tablet IV
109. u-se-su-ma nap-sa-tus' e-ti-ru
no. ni-ta^ la-mu-u na-par-su-dis la li-'e-e *
111. i-sir-'su-nu-ti-ma kakke-su-nu u-sab-bir
1 1 2. sa-pa-ris ^ na-du-ma ka-ma-ris us-bu
1 1 3. en-du tiib-ka-a-ti ' ma-lu-ii du-ma-mu
1 14. se-rit-su * na-su-u ka-lu-u ki-suk-kis
115. u^" is-ten es-rit nab-ni-ti su-ut pul-ha-ti i-sa-nu"
116. mi-il-la^^ gal-li-e a-li-ku ka-a[rt'-r?'i /«-]ni-sa
' The ending I in cases of this kind serves as a determinative ending
as the 3rd Per. pronoun hu serves as a definite article in Ethiopic, for 1
both singular and plural. Cf. Brockelmann, Vergleichende Grammatik, I
p. 470 )8 and p. 409 k, on the ending itu. l in Assyrian naturally
represents lu. Nouns ending in s determinate are not to be confused
■with the adverbial and prepositional forms -is, -us, as in b'r&is, libhus,
tdus, iduVsti, for the origin of which see PSBA. 1909, no.
'^ ' They caused (their souls napSiVi-sunu) to come away.' For this
reflexive use of causative forms see Brockelmann, opus laud. 527. ii
^ On the expression nita lamii see Streck, Assurb. ii 329 n. 8. VAT. i
10898, ni-i-ta. 1
* K, 5420, di-il. leu is usually followed by the infinitive in accusative,
but here in ace. with s determinative, -is for -ai, by analogy with
adverbial ending is.
^ VAT. 10898, -si-ra-lu-nu. ' Ibid., ri-is.
' Ibid., en-du tu-[ub . . .]. tubkatu certainly same root as lubktnu,
tubkitlu, cave, secret chamber (I 64), from Arab, labak, cover, obscure.
Note Sum. ub = tubku, ' chamber of the earth, region, and luttatu, Sec.
cave, cavern; see Sum. Gr. 250. For this passage cf. tubkati e-mid,
KB. vi 298, 22.
' VAT. 10898; se-ri-is-su.
* Lines 106-14 describe the troops of Tiamat who were bound and
imprisoned. These seem to be referred to in the fragmentary poem,
published by Pinches, PSBA. 1908, 80-2, and cf. my BE. 31, 35 and
ZiMMERN, Zum Babylonischen Neujahrs/esl"-, 49. Here they are called
The Host of Ttantat captured 143
1 09. They sought to extricate themselves - that they
might save (their souls).
no. They were encircled by restraint so that it was
not possible to flee.
111. He bound them and broke their weapons.
112. Into a net were they thrown and in the snare
they sat down.
113. They stood in secret chambers, being filled with
lamentation.
1 14. They bore his punishment being bound in prison."
1 15. And the eleven creatures whom she had equipped
with terribleness,
116. The host of demons who went impetuously defoi'e
her,
the ildni sablulu, ' The captured gods ', the seven sons of Enmesana
who are set free by Nergal, but Marduk again threatens to afflict them.
ZiMMERN also refers to a passage SBH. 146, 42, where Enmesana
himself was bound and wept for by Gula. The seven children of
Enmesarra, god of the lower world and of vegetation are also lower
world deities (see RA. 16, 151 f.). They are referred to in CT. 17, 37, i
as tldm kamiiti iltu kabrim itdiuni, ' The bound gods who ascend from
the grave'. And again in a ritual IV R. 21* a 16 they are referred to
in this way; ana ^^^Ningiszida . . . Hani kamiltu h'l-/i {?)-ku {?). Ningis-
zida, a deity of vegetation, also belongs to the underworld pantheon.
These deities of the underworld, who were originally followers of Tiamat,
were bound and cast into Arallfi by Marduk, or in the original version
by Ninurta. They are also called asakku, or the seven asakkt viar
^■Anim kiliUi ^-Ninurta, sons of Anu and conquest of Ninurta, KAR.
142 II 9 f . Their names as pest demons (asakku, see Sian. Gr. 204)
were given, ibid. I 39-41 ; III R. 69, no. 3 gives their number as
nine. Their names as pest demons are, of course, different from their
names as sons of Enmesarra and patrons of vegetation. In Tablet
VII 27 Marduk is said to have had mercy upon these bound gods of the
underworld, and to have created mankind out of compassion for them.
This meaning of the place of mankind in the divine order probably refers
to the land of the dead to which men finally pass and become the
subjects of the gods of the lower world.
" VAT. 10898 omits u. " K. 3437, sa-[jiu\, Prm. PI.
" VAT. 10898 has SAB-ni =■ ummdni, host. But CT. 13, 15, i,
144 Tablet IV
117. it-ta-ad'-di sir-ri-e-ti i-di-su-nu
1 1 8. ga-du tuk-ma-ti-su-nu sa-pal-su [ik]-bu-us ^
119. u ''"Kin-gu sa ir-tab-bu-u ^ ina [3?Vz] *-su-un
120. ik-mi-su-ma it-ti ''^"Digge-e su-a-[ti] im-ni-su
121. i-kim-su-ma dupsimati [la si-ma]-ti-su ®
122. i-na ki-sib-bi ' ik-nu-kam-ma ir-tu-us^ it-mu-uh
123. is-tu lim-ni-su ik-mu-ii i-sa-du
1 24. ai-bu * mut-ta-'i-du * u-sa-bu-u su-ri-sam '
125. ir-nit-ti An-sar e-li" na-ki-ru'° ka-li-is us-zi-zu
1 26. ni-is-mat " '^"Nu-dim-mud ik-su-du "'"Marduk
kar-du
127. e-li ilani ka-mu-tum '- si-bit-ta-su u-dan-nin-ma
gal-ld-mel, i. e. galle; millu was omitted on this text. Zimmern translated
the word by host, troop, and his suggestion is confirmed by the new
variant.
' K. 3437 omits. First line on Rm. 2, 83 (CT. 13, 19).
- On 93016. ' Rm. 2, 83, ir-ta-bu-u.
* King, e-li, but on CT. 13, 21 the sign may be bi. Cf. I 147.
5 tiujfig.g^— Diggil, Semiticized. Digga is a name of Nergal, and hence
Kingu was also counted among the bound gods in Arallu. For '^■Dig-ga
see PBS. x 130, 37 and '^^Dig-ga, CT. 26, 42 II 14, star of Nergal.
In a ritual, RA. 16, 154, <*-Kin-gu-gu is identified with the original deity
of the under-world, Enmesarra = Enlil, and is one of the seven Enlils
or under-world gods (kisitti) ' of conquest ', i. e. captured by Ninurta-
Marduk. In a mystic pantomime, CT. 15, 44, 8-9, a sheep which is
burned in fire represents Kingu who had been burned. See Zimmern,
Neujahrsfest^, p. 131. Hence a legend concerning the burning of Kingu
existed, and Zimmern believes that the vision of the burning of one of the
four beasts which represents the heathendom in Daniel 7, 11, and the
casting of the devil into a lake of fire in the Apocalypse of St. John 20,
10, are based upon this form of the legend of Kingu.
i
Marduk binds the Dragons 145
1 1 7. He laid cords upon their hand(s) he
1 18. Them together with their opposition he trampled
under foot.
119. And Kingu who had become chief among them
120. He bound and he counted him with the god
Diggu.5
121. He took from him the tablets of fate which were
not his rightful possession.
122. He sealed them with a seal and fastened them to
his breast.
123. After he had bound his foes or had slain them,
124. And had overpowered the arrogant foe like a
bull{}),
125. And had fully established the victory of Ansar
over the foes,
126. And had attained the desire of Nudimmud — he
the valiant Marduk,
127. Upon the bound gods he strengthened his
durance.
' Rm. 2, 83, la si-ynal-lsti]. ' VAT. 10898, ba. Rm. 2, 83, ir-tus.
' Rm. 2, 83, ai-bi miit-ta-du.
' usabu, here taken for IP of sabit, overpower, is usually read ii-la-pu-d
by other editors, III' of apH, but iHpil cannot be used in a factitive sense
' to make into '. Dhorme reads katrtsam ' il [les] fit en battus ', but where
does /:a/ru have this sense f and his rendering of M/?? is not possible.
Also Ebeling commits the same error with his reading usapii-hi ri-sam,
' he made them into slaves '. muttdidu naturally P Part, of naadu,
boast, praise, sunlam might be from sHru, wind, tiiru, bull, silru,
harvested reed, or perhaps surnsam, quickly.
'» Rm. 2, 83, eli, ri. Cf. Tab. I 74.
" The root meaning of fiismatu can perhaps be determined from the
Sumerian equivalent hir-zid-da, CT. 21, 50, 15, kur-zid, CT. 15, 11, 6,
Var. kur-zi{d), KL. 2 R. 28. This word contains apparently the root
zid>zt ^Tiapislu, breath. A variant is na-si-mal {ilitti-ka), BA. V 673,
1 2. Despite the violation of the rule of sibilants nismatu and ni-\Js-mu ?]
PSBA. 1910, 20, 20, appears to be the cognate of Arabic nasamun,
breath, soul, Hebrew neidmd. See SEP. 198 n. 5.
'^ Rm. 2, 83, ka-mu-H-ti. Cf. ud-dan-nin mar-kas-si-hi-iiu, BE. 31,
iS8T K
146 Tablet IV
128. si-ri-is Ti-amat^ sa ik-mu-u i-tu-ra ar-ki-is
129. ik-bu-us-ma be-lum sa ti-a-ma-tum i-sid-sa
1 30. i-na mi-ti-su la pa-di-i u-nat-ti ^ mu-uh-ha
131. u-par-ri-'i-ma us-la-at da-mi-sa
132. sa-a-ru il-ta-nu a-na pu-uz-rat us-ta-bil
133. i-mu-ru-ma ab-bu-su ih-du-u i-ri-su
134. igisi-e sul-ma-nu li-sa-bi-lu su-nu a-na sa-a-su
135. i-nu-uh-ma be-lum sa-lam-tu-us i-bar-ri
136. sir ku-pu* u-za-a-zu i-ban-na-a nik-la-a-ti
137. ih-pi-si-ma ki-ma nu-nu mas-di-e a-na sina-su
138. mi-is-lu-us-sa is-ku-nam-ma sa-ma-ma u-sa-al-lil
139. is-du-ud par-ku ma-as-sa-ru u-sa-as-bi-It.
140. me-e-sa la su-sa-a su-nu-ti um-ta-'i-ir
141. sami-e i-bi-ir ' is-ra-tum i-hi-tam-ma
142. us-tam-hi-ir mi-ih-rat * apsJ su-bat ''"Nu-dim-mud.
35 n. 4, I. Here the 'bound gods' include the kisru (106) who were
cast into the lower world and became the sons of Enmesarra and the
pest demons (asakke^, as well as the eleven monsters who were chained
to the stars. For the constellations to which these monsters were bound
see Tab. I 140-2. In a hymn to Marduk, Craig, RT. 29, 15-17,
which refers to these constellations with a few variant readings, the list
ends u-za-iz-su-nu-ii, ' he apportioned them ', i. e. assigned them to
constellations.
' Rm. 2, 83, Ti-d-ua-ti.
" A reading u-lat-ti also possible, but less probable, from /<?//?, break,
crush, Sum. dar, iar, Syl. C, 65; CT. 18, 32019-21; 12, 509; 12,
15 £45. See on this root. Tab. I 134.
^ Tiamat's blood is taken to the far south, wherefore Jensen suggests
that the legend may be connected with the origin of the name ' Red Sea ',
originally applied by the Greeks to the Arabian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
upper and Lozvcr Firmament Created 147
128. Unto Tiamat whom he had bound he returned
again.
129. The lord trod upon her hinder part,
130. With his toothed sickle he split (her) scalp.
131. He severed the arteries of her blood.
132. The north-wind carried it away unto hidden
places.^
133. His fathers saw and were glad shouting for joy.
134. Gifts and presents they caused to be brought
unto him.
135. The lord rested beholding the cadaver,
136. As he divided the monster, devising cunning
things.
137. He split her into two parts, like an oyster.^
138. Half of her he set up and made the heavens as
a covering.
139. He slid the bolt and caused watchmen to be
stationed.
140. He directed them not to let her* waters come forth.
141. He explored the heavens, he paced the spaces.
142. He set over against (the heavens) the abode of
Nudimmud on the face of the Deep.
* ^"Mpu, loan-word; see Thureau-Dangin, RA. 19, 81, and Holma,
Korperieile, p. 2.
' nunu masdil, ' The closed fish ', probably mussel-fish or oyster,
ZiMMERN, OLZ. 191 7, 104.
' sa is taken by King and Ungnad to refer to Tiamat. Dhorme takes
lamama as the antecedent, but samdmu is probably of masculine gender.
' The word may be taken from eberu, to cross, eberu, bind, or bdru,
examine, see. For ebiru, bind, cf. Marduk e-bir sami-e sdpiku irsi-tim,
' who secures the heavens and heaps up the earth ' ; and Zarpanit e-bi-rat
sami-e Idpika-at irsi-tim, Th.-D. Ritueh, 134, 240 : 254. A verb bdru =
bard is well authenticated, and for its use as a synonym of Mlu,
pace across, guard, examine (Streck, Bab. ii 56 fF.), see Winckler, For.
ii 40, 28, a-hi-it a-bi-ir-ma. It is difficult to decide concerning these
alternatives. See Book VII 109.
' Same expression for the foundation of a temple on the water-level
or 'face of Apsu', VAB. iv 86 ii 18. hcbat \Nudimmud\ in apposition
K 2
148 Tablet V
143. im-su-uh-ma be-lum sa apsi bi-nu-tu-us-su
144. 6s-gal-la tam-si-la-su u-ki-in E-sar-ra *
145. [es-gal-la E-sar-ra sa ib-nu-u sa-ma-mu]
146. ''"A-nim '^"En-lil u '^"£-a ma-ha-zi-su-un us-
ram-ma
Colophon.*
146 — am sumati duppu ^-kam-ma e-nu-ma e-lis la
gamir
ki-l pi-i '^"li-u-um sa a-na pi-i sa-ta-ri su-ul-lu-pu
sat-ru ""Nabu-bel-sLi [mar®] Na'id-Marduk apil amel
nappahi ana balat napsati-su
u balat (?) ° biti-su is-tur-ma ina E-zi-da u-kfn
FIFTH TABLET
I. u-ba-as-sim ma-an"-za-za an ilani ra-bi-ii-tum
with apsu, King, Creal. i 199, 24, but here rather the object of the verb.
In defence of my rendering of the passage Tab. I 7 i should be com-
pared.
' Esarra = bil kishili, KAR. 122, 5 ; ' House of the universe ', a name
for the earth and Syn. of Ekur. Cf. II R. 59, 21. ''■Sahan rabis £-sdr-
ra, with Var. CT. 24, 8, 11, E-kur (1. 15). As name of part of the
temple Ekur at Nippur, see SBP. 221 n. 7.
' All editors render ' as or like heaven ', but that conveys no meaning,
and there is no word for as or like here. Or if lamamu be taken in apposi-
tion with Esarra, i. e. ' E. which he built as (a canopy of) heaven ', the
interpretation violates the meaning of Esarra = earth. Since in the late
period Esarra was also the name of a part of Eanna, temple of Anu
in Erech, Th.-D. Ritueh, "ii Rev. 2, and a temple in Erech, centre of
the cult of Anu, was also called ^^'es-gal, the line appears to be a late
gloss to explain esgal not as earth but as heaven, or a title of an Anu
temple.
' i. e. Samamu, Es arra, and Apsu, the abodes of Anu, Enlil, and Ea
respectively.
Nether Sea Created 149
143. The lord measured the dimension of Apsu.
144. A vast abode its counterpart he fixed — even
Esarra.
145. [The vast abode Esarra which he built is heaven]."
146. He caused Anu, Enlil and Ea to occupy their
abodes '
Colophon.*
146 h'nes. Tablet 4 oi Eimtiia elis : not finished.
According to a tablet which was damaged in its text.
Writing of Nabubelshu [son] of Na'id-Marduk the
smith. For the life of his soul
and for the life of his house he wrote it and put it in
Ezida.
FIFTH TABLET
I. He constructed stations for the great gods.'
* From 93015. ^ The sign TUR = inaru is omitted.
* Text zi-hi\ error for zi-din.
' Text from catch-line of 93016; K. 3567 (CT. 13, 22) has gal-gal
for rabiiti; K. 8526 (CT. 13, 23) gal-mes. Bezold in Boll's Antike
Bcobachlungen reads manzdzdn Hani.
' The word manzazu, station, when used of the planets has the same
meaning as the Greek v\j/w/jia, ' exaltation ', that is the sign of the zodiac
in which any given planet was supposed to be most influential upon
nature and the affairs of mankind. The Babylonian ' stations ' appear
to have been fixed arbitrarily, and as such they were borrowed by
the Greeks. The word bf/u, ' house ', seems to have been used in
the same sense, see Weidner, OLZ. 191 2, 115, where M ^-Dilbat, or
' House of Venus ' apparently = kakkuru bit ri-\ik-si n{inf\, ' Region
of the house of the Band of Pisces', and the Hypsoma of Venus was
Pisces in Babylonian and Greek astrology. But b/Zu usually means-
simply ' sign of the zodiac '. In Greek astrology the ' Houses ' of the=
planets are entirely different from the Hypsomata. Weidner, OLZ.
191 3, 208, commenting upon the text in King, Great, ii, PI. 69, has
I50 Tablet V
2. kakkabani tam-sil-su-;i« lu-ma-si us-zi-iz
convincingly proven that kakkar ninrtum, or ' sign of the mystery ' of the
moon corresponds to the constellations Sugi (Perseus) and Mul-mul
(Taurus), and the Hypsoma of the moon in Greek astrology was also
Taurus. The same text gives the constellation Kii-Mal (Aries) as the
'sign of mystery' of the sun, which also agrees with the Greek Hypsoma
of the sun. The same text gave the Hypsoma of Mars as Enzu (?)
(Capricorn), which is also the Greek Hypsoma. [The remaining argu-
ment of Weidner based upon Harper, Letters, 519, is erroneous.]
Herzfeld, OLZ, 1919, 213, cites the Arabic system of the Hypsomata,
taken from pillars of a bridge at Djazirat ibn 'Omar on the Tigris, north
of Mosul. These agree with the Greek scheme with the exception of
the sign for the sun's Hypsoma, which is here given as Leo (the House
of the sun in Greek astrology). On the basis of this information it may
be assumed that the Babylonian system was the source of all the ancient
theories of 'exaltations', 'signs of mystery', or in Arabic the sdra/un,
' top '. The Hypsoma of Jupiter can be fixed by Thompson, Reports,
no. 187. Here the astronomer states that Jupiter arose heliacally before
the sign Al-lul (Cancer), and later in his report he says that 'Jupiter
appeared I'na manzazi-hc kini, in his true or faithful station ', and since
Cancer was the Hypsoma of Jupiter, obviously manzazu k'lnu means the
station in which a planet was most powerful with respect to divination.
For vianzazu used in the sense of Hypsoma note also Virolleaud,
Ishtar, V 4, Venus a-hi-is manzaz-su ulallam-ma izzaz-nia, completes her
station to the border and stands still, i.e. Venus passed through her
Hypsoma (Pisces) and halted to turn backward. Venus manzaz-za
ukut, ' established her station ', i. e. stood in her Hypsoma and revealed
true oracles, Thomfson, Reports, 206, 5. Venus in the month Ajar
manzaz-za ul-ta-na-ki, • attains her station ', Virolleaud, Astrol. Suppl?
xlix. 35. This is probably the meaning of manzazu in Thompson,
Reports, 176, i, 'If the sun stands ina vianzazi '^"Si'n, in the Hypsoma
of the moon, i. e. Taurus '. For the full term manzazu kinti = Hypsoma,
see ibid. 27, R. 6; 37, R. 3; 87 A, 2-I-R. 3. Cf. CT. 34, 10, 19,
Jupiter vianzaz-su us-sa-lim 15 iime maliiti izziz, 'completed his station
and stood 1 5 full (?) days '. Certainly ' station ' in Babylonian does not
have the meaning of o-r);piy/ids, ' standing still ', of Greek astronomy,
i. e. the point of the apparent turning backward or forward of a planet.
For this idea Babylonian employs the noun turu or the verb tdru. See
Jastrow, Religion, ii 656 n. 6 after Kugler. The Hypsoma of Venus
is proved to be Pisces by Vir. Ishtar, ii 73 f., where she stood ina
jnanzazi-la = ina ''"^'^Dilgan. See Weidner, H. B. 159.
The word manzazu when applied to the moon usually has the meaning
Astrondmical Poem 151
2. The stars their likenesses he fixed, even the
Lumasi.^
of station in the sense of one of the stellar sectors assigned to each
day of the moon's course ; so the astronomers speak of his ' first station ',
ViROLLEAUD, AstroL, Sin. iii 66. These stations of the moon are called
Houses in Sumerian astronomy as early as the twenty-fifth century. So,
for example, we find sacrifices to the eud- 15, ' House of the fifteenth day ',
CT. 32, 26 II 15; Legrain, Ur, in, 3, and for the / ud-sar, 'House
of the new moon', 1. 10. In some texts of the Sumerian period the
moon's stations are called si^gigir, or the ' Wagon '. So we find
sacrifices to the Wagon of the sixth and eighth days, PSBA. 1918, PI. IV.
In the creation of the world Marduk now proceeds to the construction
of the constellations, and the positions of the Hypsomata are regarded
as of first importance, which proves the great influence of astrology in
the period of the composition of the Epic. From the Greek the entire
seven stations here referred to may be restored : Libra station of Saturn,
Cancer of Jupiter, Capricorn of Mars, Aries of Shamash, Taurus of Sin,
Pisces of Venus, Virgo of Mercury. For a full discussion of the
Hypsomata, Houses, and Stations of Greek astrology see Bouche-
Leclercq, L' Astrologie grecque (1899), i8o ff"., 192 ff.
A Babylonian representation of the Moon in his ' station ' in Taurus
and of Jupiter in his ' station ' in Cancer to the west of Leo may be seen
in Jeremias, Handbucli, 247.
' lu-ma-si or udu-ma-si, loan-word lu(iidu)-7nahi (CT. 26, 41 V 17),
designates the constellations Perseus (Sugi), Cygnus (Udkadua), Orion
(Sibzianna), Canis Major (Kaksidi), Centaurus (Entena-maslum), Aquila
(NaSru), Sagittarius (Pabilsag), and are spoken of as the 'seven lumasi' ,
CT. 26, 45, 7-10. But in KuGLER, Babyl. Mondrechnung, p. 72, the
lu-mal-mes designate the signs of the zodiac through which the sun
proceeds (^i = feiit) on his course, or they mark the path of the moon
(ina kabal lu-mas gabbi), ibid. 146. The word, therefore, was extended
to mean ' constellations ' in general, each of which was identified with
a deity, and that is apparently the sense of the loan-word lumasi in the
passage above. 'Boi.i.jAtilike Beobachtungen, Abh. der Kgl. Bay. Akademie,
vol. 30, p. 149, believes that the seven lumasi were selected on the
principle of the resemblance of their colour to that of Jupiter (planet
of Marduk). Bezold in Boll's Ariiike Beobachtungen, 154, says that the
sign after su is not NU but MUL, and he reads tam-lil-lu ™''^Uu-ma-si,
i.e. the seven lumasi are his likenesses, or the likenesses of Jupiter =
Marduk, which interpretation supports Boll's theory of the connexion
between Jupiter and these constellations. Unfortunately the traces da
not support the reading MUL. (New collation by Mr. Gadd.)
152 Tablet V
3. u-ad-di satta mi-Is-ra-ta u-ma-as-sir ^
4. 12 arhe kakkabani 3-ta-dm * uS-zi-iz
,' K. 8526, u-at-st'r. ' Root wadu, not //<//?.
' misrti, PI. ?iii-is-ral (Messerschmidt, KTA. 17, 15), and viisriii,
boundary, is probably derived from eseru, to confine, Arabic hasara.
The word misrata in this passage is a hapax, whose singular may be
misrti, misirtu, design, sign of the zodiac, and certainly identical in
meaning with usurlu, sign of the zodiac, Sum. S'^HAjR-RA. 1 1, 145, 24 ;
A-aA-;co6,^j.„;./,^_ constellation, Virolleaud, Aslrologic, Sin. iii 137; Thomp-
son, Reports, 114, 8. For the unusual plural in dta for ait cf. mindla,
KAR. 175, 10.
For lam, distributive, see Sum. Gr. § 177. This passage is uni-
versally regarded by Assyriologists as referring to the so-called astrolabes
of the Babylonians, which divide the heavens into twelve sectors, each
of which corresponds to a month of thirty days and an arc of thirty
degrees of the sun's course. For each month the astrolabes assign three
stars which were at first interpreted as based upon their order of heliacal
risings, being so chosen that they rose heliacally at regular intervals of
,ten days, the whole system beginning with a star in Cetus (Dilgan)
, jwhich rose about the first of Nisan and governed the first ten days of the
^first month. This was the view elaborately worked out by Kugler in
his Stertikwide, i 230 ff., where he assigned the astrolabes to a late period,
and determined the heliacal risings of the thiity-six stars or the so-called
decans of Greek astronomy, and identified many of them with their
classical equivalents. But in his £rganzungen, 201-6, Kugler withdrew
his astronomical interpretations of the decans and substituted a purely
astrological theory, making no reference to the puzzling figures which
foUovv each of the three stars for each month in geometrical progression.
Kugler here interprets the well-known names of constellations as
designations of planets. The astrolabes are well described by Weidner
in his Handbuch der Babyloiiischcn Asironomie, 62 if., where he contributes
a new astrolabe in the Berlin INIuseum, now published by Schroeder in
KAV. no. 218. This text assigns the first star of each month to the
Ea stars, or in other texts the ' Way of Ea ', the second star of each
month to the Anu stars or ' Way of Anu ', and the third star of
each month to the Enlil stars or ' Way of Enlil '. Weidner violently
rearranges the three stars of each month so as to correspond to the three
lists of twelve stars each which correspond respectively to the twelve stars
of Amurru, the twelve of Elam, and the twelve of AkUad. He assumes
that the stars ot the first decan of each month or the outer ring of the
astrolabes (see CT. 33, 11-12) should correspond to the twelve stars
Astronomical Poem 153
3. He fixed ^ the year and designed the signs (of the
zodiac).^
4. For the twelve months he placed three stars each.
assigned by the astrologers to Amurru, the stars of the second decan of
each month should be the twelve stars of Elani, or the ' Way of Anu ',
and the stars of the third decan of each month should be the twelve stars
of Akkad or the ' Way of Enlil '.
It is obvious from the names of the constellations which are assigned
to each section of the months that the signs are not chosen from the
zodiac exclusively as in the Egyptian and Greek system of decans, but
include signs of the so-called TrapavarlKkovTa or stars outside the zodiac
which rise heliacally at the times of the months to which they are
assigned, or if we accept the thesis of Lindl, Orientalische Studim Friiz
Hovimel . . . ge'juiJmet, ii 346 ff., the three constellations of each month
belong to three concentric spheres. All rise heliacally in that particular
month, and are arranged in order of distance from the earth. Weidner
also assumes the principle of three concentric spheres, and explains the
figures after each decan as distances in right ascension along the celestial
equator, and with his drastic rearrangement he is able to prove that the
thirty-six stars of the astrolabes rise heliacally in order each approximately
ten days after the other, so that the three stars of each month are real
' time regulators ' {xpovoKpanop). A passage in Diodorus often cited by
writers on the subject (see Weidner, Handbuch, 63; Boll, Sphaera, 335)
states that the Babylonians assigned thirty (read thirty-six) stars to govern
the course of the planets, and that every ten days one of those visible
descends as messenger to those invisible (sets heliacally) and one of
those invisible ascends as messenger to those visible (rises heliacally),
which appears to be convincing proof that the Babylonians did devise
a system of decans on the principle of heliacal risings ; the constellations
of the astrolabes as now identified, and whose risings are controlled by
the great star chart published by King 1-8 (see Kugler, Erganzungen,
21 if.), do not always conform to this principle, and consequently Kugler
has attempted to interpret the Babylonian system of three decans to each
month along lines very similar to the astrological system of the Greeks
as found in Firmicus. See Boucnfe-LECLERCQ, opus cit. 228. Here
a planet is said to rule a decan or three planets rule an entire sign of
the zodiac. For example, when the sun is in the first third of Aries the
governing planet is Mars, when in the second third of Aries the sun
himself is the ruling power, and for the last third of Aries, Venus rules.
But line 4 of Great, v can hardly be interpreted in this sense, and there
is no evidence in the extensive astrological literature that the Babylonians
knew of a planetary decanal system. The Egyptians arbitrarily assigned
154 Tablet V
5. is-tu fi-mi * sa satta us-[si-ru i-nd\ u-su-ra-tl
6. u-sar-sid man-za-az ''"Ni-bi-ri ana^ ud-du-u rik-si-
su-un
thirty-six deities to these divisions of the track of the sun, and the names
will be found in Boucnfe-LECLERCQ, 232-6. In fragments preserved by
later writers from a lost work of Teucer, the Babylonian, are given the*
stars outside the ecliptic (wapavarcAAoi'Ta) assigned to each decan of each
sign of the zodiac; see Boll, Sphaera, 16-21. Dr. Fotheringham of
Oxford agrees with Lindl in his interpretation of the figures on the
astrolabes, but for other reasons. His conclusion which I communicate
in his words is, ' The stars of the decans indicate the position of the sun
at each point in the zodiac '. From statements of Lindl and Fothering-
ham it follows that the three stars of each month succeed each other
in heliacal rising, and are real time indicators. There is no trace of
such a scientific system of decans in Greek astrology. It must, however,
be admitted that the texts of the astrolabes require drastic revision to be
made to conform to this scheme. For Kugler's former interpretation
of our passage, which agrees with the view taken here, see Siernkunde,
ii 13.
Dr. Fotheringham communicates the following note : ' In my view
the figures (after each star on the astrolabes) indicate the distance of the
sun from the south poles of the three concentric spheres after he has
completed each sign of the zodiac. I believe Lindl and I agree in
postulating three concentric spheres, but not in our interpretation of the
figures. I do not mean to assert that the stars of the decans (Trdpava-
riXkovTo) are more accurately selected than in Greek astrology. My
theory is perfectly consistent with Kugler's former interpretation ; if the
names given in the texts will not fit into their proper decans it tells as
strongly against Kugler as against me.'
' Cf. ii.tu umi la . . . tizu, Ungnad, VAB. vi 131, 24, 'After I had
gone up '. itmi sa ialli is usually rendered ' days of the year ' by previous
editors.
" For usurtu employed in the technical sense of sign of the zodiac,
constellation, see note on murata, 1. 3, and Weidner, Handbuch, 149.
Cf. ussiru usuraii rabbali, in a somewhat different sense, Langdon,
Paradis, 54, 24-5; 52, 18.
^ K. 13774 (King, Creat. i 191) r« a-na.
4 il>ij\~,i),yj^^ '"'■''^A'ibtru. Nibiru has a double signification in astrono-
mical texts. In the first place it is the name of the planet Jupiter when
it crosses the meridian by night. This is clear from Thompson, Reporls,
94 Obv. 7-R. I, 'The star of INIarduk at his heliacal rising is called
Astronomical Poem 155
5. After he had defined the days of the year by signs,''
6. He established the place of Nibiru * to fix all of
them.
''"Sulpae, when he is one-and-a-half (or one or Iwo, text broken) hours
{30 degrees — i biru) high (45 degrees, or 30° or 60°) he is called
''"Sagmegar, and when he stands in the midst of the heavens {ina kabal
"same) he is ^^^^Nibirti.' See Kugler, Sternkimde, i 2i5f. ; Weidner,
H.B. X 26; Jastrow, Religion, ii 489. CT. 33, 2, 37, kakkabu rabd
uddasu da'amai sami-e umailil-tna {^) izzazti kakkabu ^^^'■Marduk Ni-bi-ri:
' The great star whose light is brown-red, which divides the heavens and
stands is the star of Mafduk-Nibiru '. This note at the end of the group
of Enlil stars clearly refers to Jupiter, for it is followed by '"^"■^Sagmegar
manzazu tinakkir iami ibbir, 'Jupiter changes his position and crosses
the heavens.' Again at the end of a list of Anu stars on the Berlin
astrolabe Schroeder, KAV. p. 122, 29-32, kakkab da'aniu la ina tibi
Itiii arki Hani miiliti ugdamirunimma same umassiiu-ma izzazu kakkabu
hi '■^"Nibiru ^^'"■Jllardiik, ' The brown-red star which to the southward
after the gods of tlie night are completed divides the heavens and stands
still — that is the star Nibiru-Marduk.' Weidner, Haudbiich, p. 41,
contends that the AVfo'r«-point indicates the summer solstice. The
' Way of Anu ' corresponds roughly to the ecliptic. Hence all the
planets belong to the Anu way, and despite the fact that Kugler has
not explained the figures on the astrolabes which seem to indicate
concentric spheres rather than three parallel bands of stars, Enlil Way =
Northern band, Ea Way = Southern band, Anu Way = Equatorial band,
I am convinced that he is right (Sknikunde, Ergcinzungen, p. 207), and
that Weidner and Lindl's theories of concentric spheres are erroneous.
In the London astrolabe ''"'''■"''Marduk governs the last decan of Adar,
but on the Berlin astrolabe the second decan of Adar, where it is
assigned to the Anu Way. The London astrolabe assigns it then to
the Ea Way, and in the corresponding stars of Amurru, Elam, and
Akkad, '"*^^'^Ni-bi-rum is the last star of Akkad. It is equally clear
that the star Marduk-Nibiru is here a constellation which rose immediately
before or at the spring equinox, and is identified by Weidner with
Perseus, Bandbuch, 73, but his reckoning is for 4000 b. c, which is
improbable. At any rate Nibiru also indicates a fixed star at or near
the intersection of the equator and the ecliptic near Pisces and Aries.
^^"^Nibiru is also said to be the name of Jupiter in the seventh month
Tesrii (Sm. 777 = Weidner, Handbuch, 24), hence also a constellation
■which rose at the autumn equinox near Libra and Scorpio. Or does
this term simply imply that at the vernal and autumn equinox Jupiter
156 Tablet V
7. a-na la e-pis an-ni la e-gu-u ^ ma-na-ma
8. man-za-az "'"Enlil u ''"Ea li-kin it-ti-su
9. ip-te-ma abulle ina si-li ki-lal-la-an
10. si-ga-ru ■• ud-dan-ni-na su-me-la u im-na
is called the ' Nibiru ', the ' star of the crossing ', as any planet might be
then called whatever its actual position ?
It seems on the whole clear that Nibiru (the crossing) refers to the
intersection of the celestial equator and the ecliptic, and that the name
was applied to Jupiter as representative of the planets which cross from
the southern to the northern part of the Way of Anu and vice versa
twice in the periods of their orbits (disregarding the accidents of a planet's
apparent backward and forward movement or planetary ' knot ' at the
equator). Hence ' Jupiter Nibiru ' simply means a planet which crosses
the equator, ' the celestial plan of the movements of the planets in the
ecliptic ', and in Book VII the scribe explains the name, " Nibiru the
holder of its middle '. ' Of the stars of heaven may he uphold their ways ',
11. iiof. The planet Jupiter is designated by "'"^Marduk = wf-iJe-ra,
II R. 51, 61, a writing which suggests that neberu may not be Semitic,
and cf. ni-bi-ri, name of a weapon, RA. 16, 152, 18. In K. 3507 Obv.
"•"'Ne-bi-ru is mentioned in a list of fixed stars, Orion, Ursa Major,
the Kidney Star, Boar Star, Dilgan, Musirkesda, and also Sulpae,
usually a name of Jupiter, and they are also called ' gods of the night '.
The astronomical lists assign some of these ' gods of the night ' to the
Enlil Way, some to the Anu Wa}-, and some to the Ea Way. Since
in this list two names of Jupiter appear as designations of fixed stars
it may be supposed that Nibiru originally meant a constellation in or
near Libra, and Hulpae, after Nibiru had been associated with Jupiter,
came to designate some constellation at the opposite intersection of the
celestial equator and the ecliptic, i. e. a constellation in or near Aries.
My conclusion is that Nibiru is Semitic, and means 'place of crossing',
originally the place of the crossing of the equator by the sun and
planets, and then applied to Marduk, ' god of the crossing ', as the chief
planet, and also to two constellations in these two celestial regions. That
I take to be the meaning of the passage under discussion. See Book
VII 108.
' K. 8526, u. egii, probably not egil, babble, meditate, sin, but egi2
(j)V), be weary, loiter. The line refers to the fixed points of the ecliptic
or path of the sun, which to the ancients seemed to pass around the
earth once a year with invariably the same relative inclination to the
equator.
t
Astronomical Poem 157
7. In order that none transgress or loiter.
8. He appointed the place(s) of Enlil and Ea ^ with
him, (i.e. beside the Anu way).
9. He opened gates on both sides. ^
10. He made strong the lock-rails left and riuht.
- This refers surely to the northern band of stars parallel to the central
band of equatorial stars or the Way of Enlil, and to the corresponding
southern band or Way of Ea. Since in lines 6-7 the manzaz ^^^Nibiri
means in a large sense the band of stars which fix the course of the
planets which cross the equator, this interpretation of line 8 follows.
The Var. K. 13774 has ''"A-ni'm for '^"Fa, an error which proves clearly
enough that the scribe had these three bands of stars in mind. Weidner,
Handbuch, p. 33 f., e.xplained the manzaz ''■^'■JliiUI as the north pole of
the ecliptic, and the ?nanzaz '■^"■Ea as the point of the winter solstice.
Jensen, Kosmologie, 16 ff., held similar views, but he withdrew his
argument in KB. vi 347 in favour of the view taken here. Lindl's
argument in his article Zur babylonischen Astronomic, pp. 351 f, in which
he sees here the ' Kenntnis von regelmiissigem Vorwartswandern des
Nibirupunktes ', i. e. the Precession of the equinox, is not convincing.
For Enlil associated with the north and Ea with the south, see the names
of the gates of the northern and southern sides of Sargon's palace,
KB. ii 50, 68 + 70 (Dhorme, Choix, p. 59).
^ For si-li kilalhln, the two ends, or eastern and western sides, opposed
to pa-nu u ar-ka or ina rest u arkaii, in front (north) and behind (south),
see CT. 26, 27, 71, and Delitzsch, H.W. 566. The line refers to the
mythological gates at sunrise and sunset through which the sun entered
and departed. Early seals frequently represent the sun-god opening the
gate of sunrise which consists of two doors swinging upon posts. He
holds in his hand a key adapted for insertion into a lock with falling
bolts, and the scene is technically described by F. von Luschan in
Primitive Tilren und TiirverschlUsse, Orientalische Studien Fritz Hommel
. . . gewidmet, ii 357-69, with illustrations of what he conceives to have
been this old Babylonian gate and lock.
' Sumerian sigar = sigaru, is probably the long narrow block fastened
on each door of a gate. In the mortise of the left block was placed the
lock (namzabi), which consisted of a pin or pins [saggul or gag =
sikurru, sikkatu) which fell into holes in a sliding bolt (sudes, sagil =
medilu) to the level of the top of a long slot in the bolt. Into this slot
was inserted the key {gag ni-tu'g = muse'lu, the lifter) with prongs to the
same number as the pins, and working like a lever. The key when
pushed downward lifts the prongs under the pins and raises them to free
158 Tablet V
11. ina ka-bat-ti^-sa-ma is-ta-kan e-la-a-ti''
1 2. "'"Nannar-ru us-te-pa-a mu-sa ik-ti-pa ^
13. u-ud-di-sum-ma su-uk-nat mu-si a-na ud-du-u
6
1 4. ar-hi-sam la na-pdr-ka-a ina a-gi-e * u-sir
15. i-na res arhi-ma na-pa-hi e-Qi]'' ma-a-ti
the bolt or bar. This bar passes across the central part of the two doors
sliding into a lock rail or block on the right door. For illustrations
of this kind of door fastening and lock see the Egyptian lock in
Encyclopaedia Britannica under ' Lock ' and F. von Luschan in Orient.
Studien F. Hommel . . . gewidmet, ii 362. By synecdoche sigaru is
extended to mean door and door fastening. So in King, Magic, 52, 22,
lisbat ^?"h'gar namzaki-mnu, ' [May the god Neduh] take his place at the
door of their lock '. Mgaru is certainly not ' key ' as Mkissner translates,
ATV. i 39 ; cf. SBP. 206, 20, where the sun-god enters by drawing
back the sigaru, i. e. here door ( = dallu, of which sigaru is a part), and
the sigaru may have bas-reliefs of monsters, Gudea, Cyl. A, 26, 24.
'Left and right' may possibly refer to the east and west if the orienta-
tion be taken from the south, or west and east if the orientation be
north.
• Literally 'liver', but also 'belly'; see Holma, Korperleile, 79.
^ eldti is certainly a technical term connected with an-pa = elat lame,
and means something more definite than the ' upper regions ' (Dhorme).
ZiMMERN and King render ' zenith ', which is impossible. Jensen, KB.
vi 348 f., shows that elat same always means the western horizon where
the new moon appears, and the new moon is referred to in the next line.
Note that elat lame in KB. ii 10, 4 = Tamtim sa sulmi samsi, i.e. the
west, and Tiranna (milky-way?) stretches from AN-fiR {= ihd lame,
eastern horizon) to the an-pa, western horizon. Note also that si-bad-
NA = elat same, where Nannar or the new moon stands, SBH. no. 83 R.
38, that is in Sumerian 'horn of the wall of heaven (?)'. Ungnad in
Altorientalische Texie und Bilder, 20 n. 11, without hesitation renders
'north pole', and that seems to be Lindl's view, I.e. 355. The
Sumerian an-pa can hardly admit of more than two interpretations,
kippat same, ' wing or quarter of heaven ', an-gad = hatti lame, ' sceptre
of heaven ', or namdra la lame, ' shining forth in the heavens '. This
Astronomical Poem 159
11. In her belly he placed the ' heights ',
12. (And) caused the new moon to shine forth,
entrusting (to him) the night.
13. He fixed him as a being of the night to determine
the ' days '.
14. Monthly without ceasing he magnified him with
a crown :
15. 'At the beginning of the month, (the time) of the
shining; forth ^ over the land
&
designation for the west where the new moon is first seen, ' wing (?) of
heaven, heights of heaven', depends upon some obscure conception
which has not been discovered. Jensen, ibid. p. 577, was inclined
to associate elat same with htpuk same, both terms for western
horizon (?).
' Cf. Harper, Letters, 44, 14, itia eli ahitc amiiti ik-ti-pti-ni-ka, 'Over
this matter they entrusted thee'. On K. 13774 before ultepd the text
has MUL {})-su = kakkab-lu (?), so King and Dhorme, i. e. Of Nannara
his star, &c. With this reading ''"Nannar is not identified literally with
the new moon, but the meaning is 'The star of the god Nannar'. But
there are no examples of the moon being designated a§ a star.
* K. 8526, 7111. ami, Unu is clearly a plural, and 'days' can hardly
mean ' time ' as Zimmern and Jensen translate. Ungnad, I.e., translates
' days ', but adds ' days = dates '. I do not know of a passage which
supports this view, timu can mean ' time ' in an abstract sense, see
Ungnad, Briefe, 257, but hardly in the plural. Shamash determines
the days, but the moon's period is the principal time unit in Babylonia.
K. 13774 reads suk-nat. See 1. 16.
* K. 13774, AGA. agd, crown, designates the ashen light of the
moon during its first quarter. See the exhaustive data in Weidner,
BA. viii, pt. 4, 24-8, and Kugler, Stemktmde, i 274; ii 101-3.
' usir is probably IP of seru. Cf. gu-mu-ni-ma^ = lu-u-si-ir, he
magnified, King, LIH. i 203, 77.
' Here begins K. 11 461 in King, Great, i 192.
' Jensen suggests that napahu (technical term for the daily rising of the
sun and moon, or heliacal rising of a fixed star) is an infinitive employed
as an imperative. Dhorme construes napahi as Inf. of purpose. The
word is construed as in apposition to res in my text and by Ebeling and
Weidner, BA. viii* p, 28. Ungnad agrees with Jensen, but see note on
nabata, 1. 16.
i6o Tablet V
1 6. kar-nl na-ba-a-ta ana ud-du-u 6 u-mi^
17. i-na um 7-kam a-ga-a [ma-as-]la^
18. [sa]-pat-tu' lu-u su-tam-hu-rat mes-li " [ar-hi-]
sam
1 9. [e-]nu-ma ''"Samas ina i-sid sami-e ' [ik-su-du]-ka
20 -ti sLi-tak-si-ba-am-ma bi-ni ar-ka-[nu]-
us *
' K. 8526, -mu. This line also fixes the meaning of 1. 13, 'to deter-
mine the days (of the phases of the moon) '. Here the shape of the
moon is described in the first quarter with horns and a pale disk for
the remaining part of the moon or the ashen light.
' nabata is naturally permansive o{7iabu, blaze, shine, see Th.-Dangix,
RA. 10, 224.
^ This restoration is certain from K. 2164, 11, iimu i-ham \aga ma-'\
al-la, and the commentary, 1. 12, ES ■=■ rnilil, Babyloniaca, vi 8;
Weidner, ibid, and BA. 8* p. 28, reads bi-i-la, extinguish, but the
' crown ', or dark part of the moon is only half extinguished on the
seventh day. Jensen's reading him-si-la, divide, makes good sense, but
K. 2164 has \tna-]as-la clearly. See also CT. 25, 50, 2, mas-lum agit
"j-kam. The half crown is the seventh day.
* K. 13774 has a version for lines 17-18 or the phases of the moon
during the first fifteen days. The major texts are all based upon a week
of seven days, but K. 13774 has a version based upon the five-day week.
An Assyrian and Cappadocian week of five days was established by
Sayce, and see more evidence for a possible secondary Sumerian week
of this kind in Landsberger, Kaknder, 96.
K. 13774, which is restored by III R. 55, no. 3, and CT. 26, 41, 16 ff.
in Weidner's Handbuch, p. i8, has the following version:
\iltu Umi \-kam adi umi\ ^-kam 5 ii-mi \azhiru '^"Ami]
\is/u ilmi 6-ka??i adi umi lo-^kain 5 u-\jni ka-U-titm '''^£a'\
[isiu umi ii-kam adi u-mi 15 kam 5 t2-mi agu tdi-ri-ih-ti ip-pir
■<l"Enlil]
' From the ist day to the 5th, five days, (it is called) the sickle. It
belongs to Anu.
'From the 6ih day to the loth, five days, (it is called) the kidney. It
belongs to Ea.
'From the i ith day to the 15th, five days, (with) a crown of brilliance
he is clad. It belongs to Enlil.'
Here each of the first three weeks is assigned to one of the three
supreme gods of the Trinity as regent.
Motions of the Moon i6r
1 6. Thou shalt shine- with horns to determine six days,
17. And on the seventh day with a half crown.*
18. At the full moon verily thou art in opposition (to
the sun), monthly,
19. When the Sun on the foundation of heaven has
overtaken thee,
20. The keep and shine thou (in thy course)
backward.
^ Cf. arham sibiitam u sa-pa-at-lam. First day of the month, seventh
day and the full moon, Th.-Dangin, Lcllres et Con/rals, 50, 28-g, in
Ungnad, Briefe, 246, corrected by Landsberger, KuUkaknder, 98. ma
arhi sibilli u sa-pa-al-ti\ CT. vi 5 (5 20 ; cf. Landsberger, ibid. ; la-pat-tu,
Craig, RT. ii ii, 25 = iim i$-kam on Var. K. 8447 in BA. x', p. 81,
Rev. 5. labatiu, lapattu is the technical name of the day of the full
moon, the fifteenth of the month, PSBA. 1904, PI. 0pp. p. 56, 1. 13.
Like sibdlu, ' seventhness ', saballu is an abstract noun from sabdtu, be
complete, literally ' completion ', i. e. ' full moon '. It is explained as ilm
7iuh libbi/Azy of the making peaceful the heart', CT. 18, 23, 17, i.e.
by pra3'er and sacrifice, and hence zztr, to sacrifice, worsiiip, is explained
by sapallu, Meissner, SAL 6829, and note leg = sapatiu, SAL 5677, and
teg = ndhti, passim. Hence not 'day of rest', but day whose ceremonies
bring peace to the worshipper. On the entire question of lapattu
and the Hebrew Sabbath see Landsberger, ibid. 131-5. At the begin-
ning of the line Jensen, King, Dhorme, Ungnad, and all earlier interpreters
read fanii i^-tu, but Zimmern's reading sa-pat-tu is certain.
'• K, 11641, mi-sili^.).
' The east or sunrise, see note on elati, 1. 11. Jensen's restoration
iksudu is certain. The sun seems to revolve around the earth once in
24 hours and the moon once in 24 hours 50 minutes, and hence it may
be said that, when the sun rises and the full moon has not yet set in the
west in the early morning, the sun in the east has overtaken the moon.
This may occur the morning before opposition or the first or second
morning after opposition, depending upon the position of the moon in its
orbit. The phrase eniima sin samas iksudamma itti-su ittintu means
' When the sun overtakes the moon and with him marches ', Thompson,
Reports, 124, i ; 127, i; Virolleaud, Sin, iii 51, refers always to this
period of the moon's phases. On nittl, march, v. Babylonian Wisdom, 47, 40.
* K. II 64 1, ar-ka-nis. For bi-ni arkamis cf. Thompson, Rep. 272,
Rev. 4-5 ; enuma '""^'■Sag-me-gar iklud-am-via '"^^'■^Lugal ittetik-ma ib-
ni-su arka-nu '"'^^'^Lugal la '"'■'^'^Sag-me-gar ittetiku-lti-via ib-nu-lu
ikalladamma '""'■^Sag-me-gar ittetik-ma ana ribi-lu illak, ' When Jupiter
2687 L
1 62 Tablet V
21. [um bu-ub-bu-]lum a-na har-ra-an '^"Samsi su-tak-
rib^-ma
2 2. [um 29-]kam lu su-tam-hu-rat ''"Samas lu sa-na-
23. [ *]///« ba-'-i u-ru-uh-sa
24. [ su-]tak-ri-ba-ma di-na di-na
25 ha-ba-la
26 -ni ia-a-ti
(128) lu-su
(129) -su-nu-ti nu
(130) -su e
(131) -su-nu-ti
(132) be{J)-\\x hu
(133) ilani i-kab-bu
(134) kakkabani
(135) ma-a-ru-»/
(136) ni it
(137) ■\x-\)2\-\\-ta\an-na-li\
has overtaken and passed beyond Regulus and has illuminated him
again (Regulus which Jupiter passed and illuminated overtakes Jupiter
and passes him) and he Jupiter goes into obscurity'. Here a 'knot'
of Jupiter's orbit occurs at Regulus, and the retrograde movement is
expressed by ibni arkanu. After the moon's opposition on the western
horizon in the morning this satellite each succeeding morning stands
higher in the west at sunrise with increasing shadow ; finally at the end
of the month it disappears totally in the sun's rays for two to three days
beneath the eastern horizon. It has during the waning period ' shone
backward ' or decreased from west to east.
' K. II 64 1, rim; see also K. 2164, 24.
^ The astronomical commentary on the motions of the moon, K. 2164
in Babyloniara, vi 8-28, after defining the moon's position on the twenty-
seventh day has [ud-nd-a] ana /larran ''"Sarnh' lu-lak-rim-ma lu-tam-hit\
' [At the period of darkness] approach the way of the sun and stand in
opposition ', i. e. the Babylonians spoke of two oppositions of the moon,
the first (in 1. 18) at the full moon directly opposite the sun, and the
second when the moon stood between the earth and the sun at the end
Motions of the Moon 1 6
21. At the period of darkness* approach to the way
of the sun,
22. [And on the 29th day] verily thou standest in
opposition to the sun a second time.
23 omen, enter upon her way.
24 approach and render judgement,
25. [To honour or] to disgrace.
26 thou me.
5
(128)
(129) he them
(130) his
(131) he them
(132) the lord
(133) -cd the gods, saying
(134) the stars he
(135) our son has
(136) us he has
(137) he left us in life.
of the period of invisibility (28th-29th days of the month), just before
the sun overtakes it on the western horizon before sunset (new moon).
Weidner restored [ilin 28-~\kam, but the traces favour luni, and Lands-
BERGER Kaknder, 142, suggested the reading adopted here.
^ So ZiMiMERN from the traces on K. 11 641; the form la-nu-lam is
required or sanCtesu or ^a-ni-a-nii.
' Landsberger suggests that irsitu stood here as antecedent of la at
the end.
' The fragment K. 3449 a (CT. 13, 23) was first assigned to the
Fifth Tablet by George Smith, and his view has been adopted by all
later editors without much hesitation. Approximate position is certain.
But it is now found to belong to the Sixth Tablet by the discovery
of nearly the entire text of that portion of the epic. See the text VI 53 ff.
For the remainder of Tablet V we possess only the fragmentary lines
on the reverse of K. 11641, which belong toward the end of this book.
The missing portion of Tab. V undoubtedly contained more astronomical
poetry, and the entire book is a Babylonian prototype of the Astronomica
of Manilius.
L 2
1 64 Tablet VI
(138) z-h'?n-me me . . us
(139) la 7(m nu
(140) i'/ain ni-i-nti
[''"Marduk zik-ri] ilani ina se-mi"-su
Colophon on K. 3567.
diip-pi ^-kam-nie e-nu-ma e-lis
mat "^"Asur-bani-apli sar kissati sar mat ''"Asur-(ki).
SIXTH TABLET^
1. [''"Marjcluk zik-rl ilani ina se-mi-su
i^. [ub]-bal lib-ba-su i-ban-na-a nik-la-a-te
2. [ep-]su pi-i-su a-na """E-a i-[zak-kar-ma]
2^^. [sa] ina libbi-su us-ta-mu-u i-nam-din mil-ku
3. da-mi lu-uk-sur-ma \^-^\-\m-tum lu-sab-si-ma
4. lu-us-ziz-ma lila^ lu a-me-lu sum'-su
' Here begin a few lines from the end of K. 8526 and K. 3567.
^ Catchline from K. 8526. Var. 11641, -me.
» The principal text for this tablet is KAR. 164 (VAT. 9676).
Lines 1-20 were previously known from BM. 92629 (King, Great, ii,
PI- 35-7).
* Not ' my blood ' as first rendered by King after Berossus. See also
my Pohne Stune'rien du Paradis, 34. Berossus has been misinterpreted
by all of us. He does not mean to say that Marduk commanded one of
the gods to cut off his (Marduk' s) head but his own head, and to mix the
outpouring blood with the earth so as to fashion men and animals capable
of breathing the air. The passage in Berossus is so constructed and
compressed that it is incomprehensible. From the restored text of
Tab. VI it now appears that Marduk commanded the bound Kingu
to be brought before Ea ; he was slain and from his blood Ea created
man. See commentary on line 26.
* essimlu is a difficult form. The singular of this word is eu'mlu,
Th.-Dangin, Lettres el Centrals, 9, 7; CT. 12, 13010. The Semitic
Mardiik creates Man i6s
(138) hearing ' . . .
(139) ....
{140) we the gods.
Colophon on K. 3567.
Fifth tablet of Enuma eliL
Land of Asurbanipal king of universal dominion, king
of Assyria.
SIXTH TABLET^
1. When Marduk heard the words of the eods,
i^. his heart prompted him as he devised clever
things.
2. He opened his mouth speaking unto Ea,
2^. that which he conceived in his heart, giving him
counsel.
3. ' Blood * will I construct, bone ° will I cause to be.
4. Verily I will cause Lihl (man) to stand forth, verily
his name is man.
word is a katlu form, in Hebrew {esem), Arabic {'aznn/>!). Ethiopic ['asem,
'(idem); Babylonian esi'm/u, Cstr. ep/it'/, PI. esmdti (Harper, Lett. 348,
II, esmetu, CT. 23,16, 13); esem-siri, 'backbone', Ungnad, Briefe,
269, is based upon the form killii, kiiiltii, Delitzsch, Assyr. Gram.
p. 167, 4. esnmtu is apparently a kiitil form, cf. milliku, and appar-
ently an intensive of kilil., and a modified form of katil due to the
influence of the guttural 'ayin. Hence the base of the Babylonian
e^simtu would be 'asim, the usual Semitic form for parts of the body.
See Brockelmann, Vergkichende Gram. p. 336; kiitil, the Hebrew
form for bodily defects, is really as Barth maintained, an intensive katil,
see Brockelmann, ibid. p. 360 d). Hence Assyrian has two base forms
for this word, kitlit {esmu) and katil>kitlil (essimtii).
^ The word for 'man', homo, is lili, loan-word liM, see Tab. I 142.
■Yt-niLU-GAL-LU-a.
' King's copy of 92629 has here the Neo-Bab. form of TAK, ^UM
KAR. 164, MU.
1 66 Tablet VI
5. lu-ub-ni-ma lila a-me-lu
6. lu-u 1 en-du dul-lu ^ ilani-ma su-nu lu-u pa-as-hu
7. lu-sa-an-ni-ma al-ka-ka-ti * ilani lu-nak-ki-[il] ^
8. is-te-nis lu kub-bu-tu"-ma a-na ' si-na lu-ii-zi-zu
9. i-pul-su-ma '^ '^"E-a a-ma-tam i-kab-bi-su
10. as-su tap-su-uh-ti * sa ^ ilani u-si"-an-na-as-su te-e-
mu
11. li-in-na-ad-nam-ma is -ten a-hu-su-nu
Ilk su-ii li-ab-bit-ma nise lip-pat-ku
12. lip-hu-ru-nim-ma ilani ^^ rabiiti
12^. an-ni '^ li-in-na-din-ma su-nu lik-tu-nu
13. '^"Marduk u-pah-hir-ma ilani rabuti
13''. ta-bis li-'a-ar'" i-nam-din ter-tu
14. ip-su pi-i-su ilani u-pak-kad
14k sarru a-na '^"A-nun-na-ki a-ma-ta i-zak-kar
15. lu-ii ki-nam-ma mah-ru-ii nim-bu-ku-un
' KAR. 164, ?/(?)and//.
- The idea that man was primarily created for the service of the gods
finds frequent expression in religious texts. See the Assur version of
man's creation from the blood of two minor gods, Poeme du Paradis,
47, 27 ff. and especially p. 59.
^ KAR. 164, kal, kil.
* iusamii, a ' helping verb ', to return to the task, to go on with a task.
Cf. j'snil arh'u, ' the wise undertook (to repair) again ', Nies, Historical,
Religious, a?id Eco?iomic Texts, 31, 7. as-ni-ma alptit, VAB. iv 238, 45.
King, Dhorme, and Luckenbill (AJSL. 38, 21) render 'change the
ways of the gods ', which is also possible and makes good sense, but
fhe syntax is against this view. Ebeling renders the line in the sense
adopted here.
^ KAR. 164, til, ana.
'^ This rendering is based upon II R. 47, 22, ana sini-su izzazu, and
CT. 27, 26, 7, ana Una zi-iz, see Ungxad, ZA. 31, 253-5, but the
The Slain God 167
5. I will create Lilii, man.
6. Verily let the cult services of the gods be imposed,
and let them be pacified.^
7. I will moreover * skilfully contrive the ways of the
gods.
8. All together let them be honoured and may they be
divided into two parts.' ^
9. Ea replied to him^ speaking to him a word ;
TO. For the pacification of the gods he imparted to
him a plan :
11. ' Let one of their brothers be given.
11^. He shall perish and men be fashioned.
12. Let the great gods assemble,
12b. Let this one be given and as for them may they
be sure of it.'
13. Marduk assembled the great gods,
13'^. Kindly he ordered them giving instruction.
14. He opened his mouth charging the gods,
14^ The king speaking a word to the Anunnaki."
15. 'Verily the former thing which we foretold to you
is become true,^^
meaning is obscure. The line refers to a division of the gods of the
lower world and the upper world into two groups; see 1. 29.
' 92629, i-pu-id-lu-hi-ma. * 92629, -iih-tum.
' Ihid., hi-tit. "> la. " Var. 92629, AN-AN.
" annu usually refers to something just mentioned. Ebeling, having
in mind the punishment of Kingu which follows, takes anni for annu,
punishment; see line 25 and note on an-?iam.
" 92629, ji-'a-a-ra.
" The ' great gods ' in 1. 1 2 mean the Annunaki and Igigi, and that
is the usual meaning of ild>7i rabuli, and these spirits here include the
highest gods of the pantheon.
^'' Marduk here refers to his oaih made before the assembly of the
gods that he would bind Tiamat if he received the power to determine
fates from them. Luckfnbill reads u-tiim-bu = unabbH, but 7iab/i, II',
is used only for ' to wail', but it avoids the difficulty of the ist PI.
for 'I'.
i6S Tablet VI
16. ki-na-a-ti a-ta-ma-a i-nim-ma-a it-ti-ia
17. [w?fl]-nu-um-ma sa ib-nu-ii tu-ku-un-tu
18. "'"'Ti-amat ^ u-sa-bal-ki-tu-ma ^ ik-sur-ru ta-ha-zu
19. li-in-na-ad-nam-ma sa ib-nu-ii tu-ku-un-tu
20. ar-nu-us-su lu-u-sa-as-sa-a pa-sa-his tus-ba*
21. i-pu-lu-su-ma ''"Igigi ^ ilani rabuti
22. a-na '^Lugal-dim-me-ir-an-ki-a ma-lik ilani be-la-
su-un
23. '^"Kin-gu-ma sa ib-nu-ii tu-ku-un-tu
24. Ti-amat us-bal-ki-tu-ma ik-su-ru ta-ha-zu
25. ik-mu-su mah-ris """E-a u-[se-bi-ku-]su '
25^. an-nam * i-me-du-su-ma da-me-su ip-tar-'-u '
26. ina da-me-su ib-[na] ^" a-me-lu-tu
26b. i-na [dul]-li ilani-ma ilani um-tas-sir
' Cf. inimme kahlali-ha, 'Thy serious oaths', PSBA. 19 16, 136, 32.
inimmii is a loan-word having a collective sense of ' words taken under
oath', hence construed ad setisum in Fem. PI. For lamil itti-ia cf. Heb.
If nisbdti. Gen. 22, 16, &c. Here begins K. 12000b (CT. 13, 24).
^ Text restored by K. 12000 b. For Hat T. see Tab. I 107. The
spacing demands this reading.
' K. \2000h, u's-\bal-ki-iu\
* So read with Ebeling, tulha = tilha.
" For the derivation of Igigi = ia-gil-gu = 5 X 120, or the ' six
hundred', see Babyloniaca, iv 236 n. 2.
* Title of Marduk, ' King of the gods of heaven and earth '. See
VAB.iv72,5o; 90,34; 126, 58 ; Th.-Dangin, i?//. 137, 301 ; Ebeling,
KAR. 142, 5; Deimel, Paiiiheo?i, 1908.
' Cf. Ill 6. Ebeling restored ii-lbi-ht] ; Luckenbill ii-[ni]-su ;
cf. ur-ra-hi asris di-i-[ni'\, IV R. 54, 30.
* In line 1 2'' the word an-ni may perhaps be taken for ' my sentence
of punishment', but the phrase annam 7iaddnu cannot be otherwise
illustrated.
" Abbreviated expression for tislat dami parau; cf. IV 131. The
Hebrew D"iN ' be red ', and its cognates (see Holma, Kbrperteik, 7) is
a triliteral form derived from damu, and the derivative 'addm, man, may
Kingii slain to create Man 169
16. Swearing true oaths ^ by myself.
1 7. Who was it that made war ?
18. That caused Tiamat to revolt and joined battle ?
19. Let him that made war be given.
20. I will cause him to bear his transgression, but
dwell ye in peace.'
21. The Igigi the great gods replied,
22. Unto Lugal-dimmer-anki,'' counsellor of the gods
their lord.
23. ' It was Kingu that made war ;
24. That caused Tiamat to revolt and joined battle.'
25. They bound him and brought him before Ea,
2^^, Punishment they imposed upon him, they severed
(the arteries) of his blood.
26. With his blood he (Ea) made mankind,
26^. In the cult service of the gods, and he set the
gods free.
be connected with this legend of the creation of man from the blood of
a god.
" This restoration seems certain from the regular phrase employed
in some legends of the creation of man. Ebeling restores ib-lul, and
liil clearly suits the traces on the tablet, and the legend preserved by
Berossus says that man was made by mixing clay with blood, see Pohiic
du Paradis, 34. In the Nippur version the mother-goddess Aruru
(Mami, Nintud) created man, see ibid. 20 if., from clay only or gave
birth to him directly, but a Semitic legend (ibid. 37) states that Mami
made man from clay and blood at the order of Ea (Enki), who com-
manded that a god be slain and that Ninharsag ina liri-lu u ddiui-su
liballil tittam (ibid. p. 38). This passage supports the reading iblul.
On the other hand, Marduk in this same Epic VII 29 is said to have
created man ibnu ainelulu, whereas in reality he only instructed Ea to
do it, and a late bilingual incantation also attributes the creation of
mankind to Marduk {amelCiti ibtani) assisted by Aruru. There were
in fact two Sumerian traditions, one from Nippur in which the earth-
goddess created man from clay, and one from Eridu in which Ea created
man in the same manner. The legend of the slaying of a god and
mixing his blood with clay is probably later and worked into both
versions. Marduk had originally no connexion with the tale. This
i7o" Tablet VI
27. ul-tu a-me-lu-tu [ib-]nu-u^ ''"E-a-ma
27^. dul-lu ilani i-mi-du a-sa-a-su^
28. sip-ru su-u la na-tu-u ha-sa-sis
28^ ina nik-la-a-ti sa ''"Marduk \ti ni-me-ki] '■'"Nu-
dim-mud
29. ''"Marduk sar ilani u-za-'-iz
2gb_ '^«A-nun-na-ki [u '^"Igigi] e-Hs u saplis
30. u-ad-di a-na '^"A-nim te- " na-sa-ru
30^ ma-sar-tu
31. us-tes-ni-ma al-ka-kat irsitim \i-\_nak-kir\
3 it", \ildni hi\ sami-e u irsi-tim
32. ul-tu te-ri-e-tim ildui li-ma-'-i-ru \_'" Mardu/i\ Sarru
-ma
■^l. '^"A-nun-na-ki sa sami-e
34. ''"A-nun-na-ki [sa irsi-tim \ht,-nu \-pu-su
35. a-na '^"Marduk be-la-su-nu su-nu iz-zak-[ka-ru]
36. i """Nannaru be-li sa ussura-ni ' tas-ku-nu-ma
Assur copy of Tab. VI does not substitute Assur for Marduk, but is
a copy from Babylonia. The version of the creation of man in Assyria
has no connexion with the Epic of Creation ; see Pohtie du Paradis,
40-57. Here all the great gods assist in making man from the blood
of two ' artisan gods ' (sons of Ea !). In any case the legend of a god
who was sacrificed to create man is extremely old. Luckenbill reads
ib-na, and cf. ina da-me-su-mi i ni-ib-tia-a a-me-lu-ta, Poeme du Paradis,
46, 26.
' Ebeling, ib-ba-nu-u ^^'"■Ea ul-zib ; Luckenbill, a-me-lu i-ib-ba-nu-u
il"Ea ir-te-sib. ZIB is clearly for the caesura. See Ebeling p. 56 note.
"^ For ana salii.
' The passage recalls Tab. I 94. Literally ' not suited to the under-
standing'.
* Nudimmud, title of Ea as creator of man, Ea sa nabniii, CT. 25, 48, 4,
and Na-dim-mud = Ea sa (ban) kalama, 1. 5. The name means
NA (nti) = amelu, dim = bunnanu, mud = banii, i. e. ban-bunnani-ameli,
' Creator of the form of man '.
The Gods receive their powers 1 7 1
27. After Ea had created mankind and (?)
27^. had imposed the cult service of the gods upon
him,
28. That work was past understanding,^
28^. Through skill of Marduk and the wisdom of
Nudimmud.*
29. Marduk king of the gods divided
29^". the Anunnaki and the Igigi * above and beneath.
30. To Anu he decreed the watching of the
30^^ a watch.
31. Moreover the ways of the lower world he contrived
skilfully.
31^. The gods of heaven and earth he
32. After Marduk the king had issued the laws of the
gods, and
2,2,. The Anunnaki of heaven he and
34. Of the Anunnaki of earth their had made
35. Unto Marduk their lord they said :
36. ' O Nannar ^ my lord, thou who hast brought about
our deliverance,
' The gods were divided into the Igigi, who included all deities of the
upper world, and the Anunnaki or deities of the lower world. Most
extraordinary uncertainty prevailed about the numbers of these two
groups. The sign ner = 600, Br. 10146 is employed for the Igigi,
IV R. 60 a 32, but for the Anunnaki, IV R. 33 n. 14 and Craig, RT.
30, 26. Igigi means '600', and in SEP. 164, 36 the name is replaced
by ''•A-nun-na an-na, 'The Anunnake of heaven', where they are 300
and the Anunnaki of earth are 600, 1. 37. The gods of the lower world
are said to be 50 in Bab. vi 107, 4, and of. SEP. 164, 33. The two
groups are often spoken of as ' gods of heaven and gods of earth '.
" Ebeling, te-rit-su.
' Text "su-bar-ra-ni. Perhaps a loan-word subarrdi Cf. iHg-lal
lu-bar-ra-da = kasd tilsuru, to free the bound, IV R. 17 a 36. See the
Sumerian hymn to Sulpae = Marduk, Zimmern, KL. 78 Obv. 24, galu
su-bar-bar-ra me-en, thou ait a deliverer, and 1. 26, hi-bar-ra. See also
PBS. X 256, 16.
' Nannaru, the ordinary title of Sin of Ur, is here employed in the
172 Tablet VI
37. mi-nu-u du-muk-ka-ni ina mah-ri-ka
38. i ni-pu-us pa-rak-ki sa na-bu-u zi-kir-su
3c
39. ku-um-mu lu [nu]-bat-ta-ni i nu-sap-si-ih ki-rib-su
40. i nid-di pa-[rak] ni-me-da a-ia-sa ^ f
41. ina u-me sa ni-kas-sa-da nu-sap-sah kir-bu-us
42. ''"Marduk an-ni-tu ina se-me-e-su
43. [ki-ma] u-mu im-me-ru zi-mu-su ma-'a-dis
44. kima sa-[^-i'«] Bab-ilani-(ki) sa te-ri-sa si-pir-su
45. Yih-ha-na alu lip-pa-ti-ik-ma pa-rak-ka ib-ra
46. "'"A-nun-na-ki id-ru-ki al-lu *
46''. sat-tu is-ta-at ' li-bit-ta-su [il-bi-nu]
47. sa-ni-tu sattu ina ka-sa-di
47^. sa E-sag-ila mi-ih-rit apsi *^ ul-lu-u ri-[sa-su]
1 1
48. ib-nu-u-ma zig-gur-rat apsa e-li-ti ill
48^ a-na ''"Marduk "'"En-lil """E-a h^a-sn li-kin-nu
sub-tam
sense of Nusku, god of the new moon and fire-god. Marduk is
repeatedly referred to in this Epic as the fire-god; see I 160 and note.
Cf. the title of Marduk, na-an-na-rti ba-nu-u a-pa-a-ii, Craig, RT. 52, 42.
' Ebeling's reading appears to be sound. The gods are now fulfilling
the promise made at the beginning of Book IV. See also RA. 14, 166,
23, nimedu =z parakku.
^ The reference is to assembly of the gods at Babjlon on New-
Year's Day, whither they came in their sacred boats to convene in
the Ubsukkina of Marduk's temple.
^ tiru from eiiru, surround, fortify. See note on IV 141 and d/u
e-ib-ru, a fortified city, Keilschrifttexte aus Boghazkoi, i p. 24, 33 ; 25, 41 .
To this root belong certainly abaru, enclosure, and aburris, securely,
in security. Luckenbill reads I'p-ra, covered (?).
* idrtiki, also /, / possible in this root, is dissimilated from idniku, see
Brockeljiann, Vcrgl. Gram. p. 253f. allu certainly not ' basket ' or ' yoke ",
The Gods build Babylon
/ j
37. What shall be our sign of gratitude before thee ?
38. Come let us make a shrine whose name is called
39. " A chamber it is verily of our night rest " : come
let us repose therein.
40. Come we will found a shrine as an abode for thee.
41. On the day when we shall arrive^ we will repose
therein.'
42. When Marduk heard this,
43. His countenance beamed profusely as the sun.
44. ' So shall Babylon be whose undertaking ye have
desired.
45. Let a city be built, a well-protected^ shrine be
erected.'
46. The Anunnaki seized the pickaxe ;
\(^. For one year they were making its bricks.
47. When the second year arrived
47k they raised the top of Esagila the imitation of
the nether sea.
48. They built the lofty stage-tower on the nether-
sea.''
48^ For Marduk, who is Enlil and Ea,' they estab-
lished his temple as his abode.
as the lexicons and even recent writers admit. The word is not only
associated with daraktt, Delitzsch, H. W. 228 ; Streck, Assurb. ii 186
n. I, but with saba/u and iiaM; sdbii al-lu nds '■?^marri zabil iuphkku,
' Holders of the pick (.'), bearers of the spade, carriers of the trencher
basket', VAB. iv 240, 53, and iisaVsi ifal-lu, 68, 26. ai/u is certainly
a loan-word from y-rf/, see the remarks by Genouillac, OLZ. 1908,
469, and Foeme du Paradis, 41, 30. The word al-dii, 9^^al-du = aldu,
VR. 24, 15 = ATU. ii 70, 8, is a general name for farm implements.
See Code Ham. §§ 253, 254, and nig-al-di — eriltu, irrigation, farming,
and al-du, to excavate, Sum. Gr. 202.
* Luckenbill's reading is naturally correct.
* Cf. Streck, Assurb. 300, 10, Esagila . . . gabri apsf.
' Cf. VAB. iv 106, 23.
« For Marduk with title Enlil see VAB. iv 60, 2 ; CT. 24, 50, 47406
Obv. 6. Or read ' Enlil and Ea established &c.' (?).
174 Tablet VI
49. ina tar-ba-a-ti ^ ma-har-su-nu u-[sat-]ba-am-ma
49^. sur-sis E-[sag-i]la i-na-at-ta-lii kar-na-a-su
50. ul-tu E-[sag]-ila i-pu-su si-pir-su
50^. """A-nun-na-ki su-nu pa-rak-ki-su-nu ib-tas-mu
51. a-na '^-sag-i[d\ kup-paf^ apsi kali-su-nu pah-ru
51b i-na paramahhi ' sa ib-nu-u su-bat-su «
52. Hani abe-su ta-su us-te-sib I
52^. an-nam Ba-ab-i-H ' su-bat na-ar-me-ku-un
53. nu-ga-a * as-ru-us-su ^ ta-sw
53*^. li-si-bu-ma ilani rabuti
54. zar-ba-bu i' is-ku-nu ina ki-ri-e-tl [us-sa-bu]
54b. ul-tu ^- ni-^?^-tam is-ku-nu kl-rib-su
55. ina E-sag-ila Hkara " ii-tu-u :
SS^. \ip-pat-tar ma-'\kal-tvi
56. kun-na te-ri-e-ti iis-sii-i'-a ^^ u-su-ra-a-te
^ Luckenbill's restoration n-sat-ba-avi-ma demands rather tabrdti,
and this I take to be the meaning, iarbati being due to metathesis.
Ebeling reads u-h'-ba-am-ma, and regards Marduk as the subject.
^ The ' horns ' are employed only of ziggtirats in the inscriptions of
Asurbanipal, see Streck, Assurb. 52 n. 4. One expects, therefore,
E-levien-an-ki, but Esagila is probably employed in a comprehensive
sense. In the tablet which gives the measurements of this temple and
its tower only the name Esagila occurs, Scheil, Esagil, 10-14.
^ Here A. means the great gods for whom chapels were added in the
temple.
' Cf Craig, RT. ii 13, 7, sabit kippat kigalli, 'who holds the bowl of
hell ', bowl being used to describe the shape of the lower world, and for
kuppalti, bowl, see CT. 4, 30 A 7. Uncertain. Luckenbill, sa pat
apsi; Ebeling, ana i^) pat apsi. One expects mihrit apsi, see line 47b
'' Here paramahhu refers to the central chapel dedicated to Marduk,
Feast of the Gods 175
49. In admiration before them they caused it to
rise up,
49^^. Beholding the horns - of Esagila from the base
upward.
50. After they had done the work of Esagila,
50^. These Anunnaki ^ built themselves chapels.
51. Unto Esagila 'the bowl of the nether sea' they
assembled,
Si'^. In the great chapel which they built as his abode.
52. The gods his fathers he caused to dwell in his
52b 'This Babylon is the abode of your dwelling
place.
53. Make glad sound in its place and its
53^^. And so the great gods sat down.'"
54. A feast they made as they sat down to the
festival.
54''. After they had made music therein,^^
55. and had drunk beer in Esagila,
55^*. the table was cleared azvay.
56. Laws were fixed and plans designed.
and in the inscriptions usually named £-nmu{s)-a = bil iemi; see VAB.
iv 302 under E-KU-a, and KAR. 109, 16 for the reading.
' LucKENBiLL, sur-la-su, ' his board '. I cannot find a reason for this
rendering-.
' NI-NIQ). * IP Imp. energeticus of nagH.
^ Apparently same sign in 1. 52, sur (?).
'" Line one on K. 3449 a, Obv., CT. 13, 23.
'' zarbabu, a dish, like passuru, platter, developed the meaning table,
vunsa, and cf. paUura rakasu, to prepare a table for a meal. Cf. ZA.
27. 239-
'* K. 3449 a, is-tu.
" nigilia sakaiiu is a well-known phrase for celebrating a feast, see
Delitzsch, H. W. 447, and cf. JRAS. 192 1, 187, 27.
" KAS often for KAS = likaru. Text entirely conjectural.
" So also Ebeling, but the text seems to have more words. Read
ana da-ri-il after upural cf. Polme du Paradis, 48, 28-9, and 52, 18.
176 Tablet VI
57. man-za-az sami-e u irsi-tim sak-\iiTi-ma\ \-na ilaiii
gim-ra-su-un
58. ilani rab(iti ha-am-i^r/-^z^-«z^ u-si-bu-ma
59. ilani simati sibitti-su-nu a-iia \kal nise simati\
' uk-tin-nu
60. na-si-ma "'"En-lil "■"\mitta-sii 71 ina] pani-su-nu
id-di
61. sa-par sa i-te-ip-pu-su '^ i-mu-ru ilani abe-su
62. i-mu-ru-ma '-"kasta ki-i nu-uk-ku-lat bi-nu-su
63. ep-sit i-te-ip-pu-su i-na-a-du abe-su
64. is-si-ma' ''"A-num ina puhur ilani i-kab-bi
65. ""kasta it-te-si-ik * si-i
66. im-bi-ma sa '"'kaili ki-a-am [i//wi'-]sa
67. i-su'' a-rik il-ti-nu-um-ma^ sa-nu-[um-ma sa ]
67^ sal-su sum-sa ''"^'"^^'BAN^'^ ina same
68. li-kin-ma cris"-oral-la-sa
o o
' Stations refers here to the places assigned to the two groups of gods
described in Hne 29.
^ Cf SBP. 164, 33, and Bab. vi 107, 4. The gods of the lower world
are meant, i. e. the Anunnaki.
' These seven gods of fates follow the fifty Anunnaki in SBP. 164, 34,
and clearly refer to the Igigi or to part of them. The Igigi include the
great gods of the upper world, and are sometimes in a technical sense
identified with the seven Pleiades. The gods of the seven planets,
Shamash, Sin, Marduk, Ninurta, Nergal, Ishtar, and Nebo are probably
meant here. For the fifty gods and the seven gods who cause Enlil
to take his place in Kenur, chapel of Ninlil in Nippur, see also my
edition of Ni. 9205, Obv. II 21-3 in R. A. vol. 19, p. 72.
* i. e. Marduk.
^ K. 3449a, im-kur-ma, 'he received'. Cf. IV 37 and note.
" Cf IV 41. K. 3449 a, sa-pa-ra.
' illi for issi, from lasH, is another example of the Assyrian pronuncia-
Astronomy and MardiiUs Weapons 177
57. The stations^ of heaven and earth were arranged
amotig- the gods all of them.
58. The great gods who are fifty sat down,^
59. The gods of fates who are seven fixed the fates
for alt ineii.^
60. Enlil * lifted '" his toothed sickle and laid it before
them.
61. The" net which he had made for himself the eods
his fathers beheld.
62. They saw the bow, how skilfully was its construc-
tion made.
63. The deed which he did his fathers praised.
64. Anu lifted up his voice, speaking in the assembly
of the gods ;
65. He kissed the bow (saying), ' This is '
66. He named the titles of the bow thus ; —
67. 'Long wood' is the first (name); the second
(name) is
67^. Its third name is the ' Bow Star in heaven
68. He fixed its location {in the heavens )
tion of s as j. See also lil-si-ma with Babylonian variant li-is-si-e-ma,
VII 115.
' K. 3449 <z, il-ia-lik.
' K. 3449 a, ii-su and lu li-te-nu-um-ma. BM. 54228, 4, is-iin-nti-
\um-ma\. King, ii 63.
'» Usually called ^''■^^"■^kak-BAN, Br. 5294. Canis Major, Kugler,
Siernkunde, ii 86, but another kakkah£j^]\i is identified with Spica by
Kugler, ibid. The Bow Star was usually identified with the war-goddess
Ishtar, and even her planet Venus was called the Bow Star, Virolleald,
hhtar. xxix 15. Technically Sirius in Canis Major was known as
KAK-Sl-DI, and the Bow Star is €, o-, 8, t, of Canis Major + <c,
X Pup|iis, Kugler, S/ernkunde, Ergdnzungen, 26, and for the Bow Star
identified with Ishtar, see p. 62, 12 and p. 219; PSB.\. 1909, PI. IV 3.
This seems to be the only passage in which the bow-shaped star is
assignc'l to Marduk. See also Tammuz and Ishtar, 169 f.
" K. 3449 «,^'-"-
2687 M
178 Tablet VI
69. ul-tu si-ma-a-ti sa [ u-U-mii\
70. [id-]di-ma 'V"kussa-]i/(; ]
71. [ -]nu- um ina
72. «)i-hu-ru-ma [ilani rabuti
73 '^"Marduk
74 u KI-RU^
75
76
77
78. ......••••
79. u-sa-tir
80. a-na z^-x\-^^x-nu
81. ip-su pi-[su amatam izakkar\ li din''-
82. Ut-bi-ku fii-
82^^ u an-ni
83. lu-u su-Lis-ku-ma ma-ru[kar-ra-du]
83b li-is-
84. e-nu-su * lu-u su-tu-rat ni ru za
85. li-pu-us-ma ri-e-ut sal-mat kakkadi ^ bi na
86. ah-ra-tas tj-me la ma-se-e ^ dd-li-li-lu
87. li-kin' ana abe-su nin-[da-bi-]e (?) \i'a-bii-te\\'^
88. za-nin-us-su-un \\-pu-rd su-
89. li-se-si-in kut-[rin-na] sa \ta-a^bu \_na-'\pis-\_su a-na-
a-si\ ^
' "same u irsi-tim ?
^ Ebeling, li-sik-\ku\. Clearly more signs at the end.
' Anu.
" Cf. Ill 49, enuti, Var. of i^'^Anuii. Ebeling and Luckenbill,
' his rule '.
^ LucKENBiLi^ ri-e-ut-ni, ' sovereignty over us'. Ebeling's restoration
is sal-ma/ [SAG-']DU, and at end ia-bi-na-as-su lilliku, 'may they come
into his protection'. For sal-mat SAG-DU see VII 32. In defence
&
Gods praise Mardiik 1 79
69. After he had fixed the fates of
70. He founded his throne
71
72. The great gods assembled
11
74
75-
76.
n-
78.
79. He made to exceed
80. For his {their) titles
81. He ^ opened his mouth saying a word; 'May
82. Let them pour out
82b
83. Verily he has been exalted, he the heroic son and
may he
83b
84. His Anuship verily is made surpassing
85. May he shepherd the dark-headed peoples
86. Forever that his praise be not forgotten
87. May he establish for his fathers the great cult
offeringfs.
88. Their upkeep may \i& perform
89. May he cause to be smelled incense whose odour
is pleasing unto us.
of reiii-ni, Tab. VII 1 1 1 may be cited. See also CT. 25, 47, 9, Marduk
'ia kima rei{i) i lu-ru Hani, 'Who like a shepherd has mustered the gods ';
and VAB. iv 60, 3. See note on 1. 93, and PSBA. 1910, 164.
' Cf. la mase" da-U-lt-ku-nu, PSBA. 191 2, 77, 40, Or restore du-
bi = kdli-si-na ip-le-ia-su, 'that all his deeds be not forgotten', and
cf. VII18? Or VII 30 f.?
' The text has an erasure (?) here. * Cf. BA. v 319, 13.
" napisu, odour. See KAR. 158 R. 16 = JRAS. 192 1, 177 and n. 4.
M 2
i8o Tablet VI
90. tam-sil ina sami-e i-te-ip-su[*''**''*Iku Bab-ilani] ^
91. li-ad-di-ma E-sag-[iIa ina irsiti ana ]-su
92. la 2.-si-i -ta-su gur ? HI
93. ip-su pi-su l-iahri^" li-sik-ku ^
94. nin-da-bi-e li-in-na-sa-a ilu-si-na '''^'is-tar-si-na
95. al im-sa-a ila-si-na li-kil-la
96. ma-«-na lis-te-pa-a pa-rak-ki si-na li-tep-sa
97. lu-mes-sa-ma * sal-mat kakkadi i-la-ni
98. [a-na «/-]a-si ma-la su-ma ° ni-im-bu-u su-u lu-u
el-ni
99. [ i ] nim-bi-e-ma ha-sa-a ^ su-me-e-su
100. si-ka-tus '' lu-ii su-pa-a ip-se-tus lu-u mas-la
loi. ''"Marduk sa ul-tu si-ti-su im-bu-u-su a-bu-su
'■'"A-num
102. sa-ki-in me-hu-uh-ku-tu^^ mu-dah-hi-du li-ri-sun "
' Restored from Thureau-Dangix, Ritueh, 136, 274, '^^'^Iku Esagila
iarnhl same u irsiti. The star DIL-GAN(iku) is identified with Cetus-f-
Aries, and the name means Canal Star, see Weidner, Handbuch, 85,
col. I I, and Kugler, Slernkunde, Erganzungen, 217, star of Babylon.
Everything on earth was supposed to be a replica of something in
heaven, and the heavenly pattern of Esagila was the Canal Star.
'^ Read su-iu-ris ? lisikku ? hh'kktt ? lipikku ? My translation rests
upon a doubtful derivation, III' of iiakii. The renderings of Ebeling
and Luckenbill are most doubtful. A root sdkti, sdku, would explain
the form better.
' Lines 93-7 clearly refer to Jtise or amelizti, and it is possible that
w'-p?'] is the correct reading in 1. 85, re'ut ni-h'Q).
* mastl, be wide, is employed in exactly the opposite sense with salmat
kakkadu in SB P. 134, 44.
' mala = as many as, is really a noun governing the genitive, and
.
The Names of Marduk i8i
90. As an imitation of what he has made in heaven,
[that is of the Canal Star (star) of Babylon,]
91. May he design Esagila [upon earth for his ],
92. Not to depart
93. If he uttered command let them ^ 7nake offerings in
abundance.
94. May cult offerings be brought to their god and
goddess.
95. May they not forget their god but support (him).
96. Their land (?) may they adorn and their abodes
may they make.
97. And may the gods make wide the dark-headed
people.'
98. As for us by as many names as we have named
him verily he is our god.
99. Let us name his fifty names.
100. His triumph verily is glorious and his deeds ^ are
comparable,
loi. Marduk whom from his origin^ his father Anu
had named,
102. ' The institutor of enricher of their store-
house,'
means ' fulness of. See Ungnad, Briefe, p. 218 note b on no. 249, and
p. 334. The full construction here should be mala hime siima.
* For hamsd; of. VII 123. See line 117 below for restoration.
' Probably for hkka/ii, as Ebeling renders the word, h'kkalti, peak,
eminence, and victory, Delitzsch, H. W. 659, has clearly a s, as the
derivative sakikis, SBP. 234, 6 testifies. In PSBA. 1908, 266 ff., I con-
nected the root iakaku, pierce, harrow, with this word, and cf. Streck,
Bab. ii 32 and 234.
" ipsctu probably refers to the creation of the world and the con-
stellations.
^ The word refers to Marduk's being begotten by Ea in I 78 ff., but
line I 102 preserves a tradition that Anu (father of the gods) was his
father. Anu as father of Enlil and Ea is spoken of in this sense
frequently, i. e. as father of any one of the gods.
^'' Reading extremely uncertain.
" For hit uril, building attached to a temple for retaining sacrificial
1 82 Tablet VI
103. sa ina kakki-su a-bu-bu ^ ik-mu-ii sa-bu-ti ^
104. ilani abe-su i-ti-ru ina sap-sa-ki
105. lu-u ma-ru-ti-su sa ilani ni-bu-ii-su-ma
106. ina nu-ri-su nam-ru lit-tal-la-ku su-nu ka-ia-na
107. nise sa ib-nu-u si-kit-ti nap-iz^^
108. dul-li ilani i-mid-ma su-nu ip-pa-as-hu
109 MUL (?) e-ni-nu
110. lu-u ut-nin-na mit-\_ha-riS\ nap-lu-su-su-nu * sa-
a-su
111. ^'"yi^L-xw-duk^ lu-u ilu ba-\iii ilani ka-ya-ma.
1 1 2. mu-tib lib-bi ''"A-nun-na-ki mu-sap-[sih ]-a
1 1 3. "'"Ma-ru-du-uk-ku ** lu-u tu-kul-tu mat-su [unise-]su
1 1 4. sa-a-su-ma lit-ta-'-da i-su ' nise
115. ''•Bara-sag-kus-u " iz-zi-iz u sir-ri-sa kas-\sii it-
rmiJi\
116. ra-pa-as lib-ba-su la-a-'i-it '- ka-ras- [su]
animals, see Clay, Miscellaneous Insp-iptions, no. 46, 2, and VAB. iv
94, 25 wiih note.
' For abubu, name of a weapon, see Tab. IV 49.
- Note the commentary K. 2107, 30, ''^Zi-st = ndsik la-hi-ti, King,
Creat. ii, PI. 62, and cf. Tab. VII 41. For j? = lubbil, cf. CT. 15, 11, 9,
S!-si-gi, with SBP. 48, 49, sig-sig-gi = usibbanni.
^ For napsafi Or read nab-nitl
" Sic! One expects -li-7ia. ^ Cf. ZA. 10, 295, 21.
* Sign KU perhaps with value duk here. So Ebeling. Luckenbill
reads ma-ru-tus, and a decision between these two readings is difficult.
' Cf. K. 107, 24.
* This title of the older god Asaru or Asar-ltt-dug is a late fabrication
of the scribes to devise a title which would describe the new god of
I
i
Gods praise Marduk 183
103. Who with his weapon the ' Cyclone ' bound the
oppressors,
104. And saved the gods his fathers from distress.
105. ' Verily his sonship is of the gods ' is his name.
106. In his bright light may they walk constantly.
107. Upon the peoples whom he created, the creation
of the breath of life,
108. He imposed the service of the gods and these
were pacified.
109 to implore,
no. Verily they shall implore him in unison' to look
upon them.
111. Marduk verily is the divine creator of the gods
altogether.''
112. Who gladdens the heart of the Anunnaki and
makes to repose the
113. Truly Marduk is the help of his land and of his
people.
114. Him may they praise, the support of the people
115. He the god Barasagkusu stood up and held her
rein (? ?) in his hand}^
1 16. Wide is his heart, warming is his compassion.
Babylon in the role of Ninurta, the original hero of the combat with
Tiamat. Ninurta was a sun-god and amar-ud means ' youth of the sun ',
whence Marudukku, Marduk.
" Probably cognate of Hebrew uld, ulua.
'" This title of Marduk has not been found in the theological vocabu-
laries, and is not preserved in the text of Tab. VII. The name means
sail parakke, ' He who is solicitous for sanctuaries', cf. Shurpu, ii 122 ;
Gudea, Cyl, A 29, 2.
" Reading conjectural; cf. BA. V 311, 8.
'^ Root DH?, to blaze, burn. Note the N. Pr. Nusku-la-it-ildni, and
Mitu, light, in la-it-ka islahhatia, ' Thy heat warms (the orphan and
widow) ', K. 2132, 6.
1 84 Tablet VI
1 1 7. '^"Lugal-dim-me-ir-an-ki-a ^ sa sum-su i nim-bu-u
pu-hur-ni
118. zik-ri pi-i-su nu-sa-as-ku-u eli ilani abe-sii
119. lu-u be-lum ilani sa sami-e u irsi-tim ka-li-su-nu
1 20. sarru ia ina tak-pi-ti-su ^ ilani lu-u -us
sab(j))-%xii
121. '^"na-ri-dim^-nie-ir-an-ki-[a] sum-su sa-ni iz-kur
a-sir ilani ka-la-ma
122. sa ina sami-e u irsi-tim it-ta-ad-du-u su-bat-ni
ina pu-us-ki
123. ana ''"Igigi u ''^"A-nun-na-ki u-za-'i-zu man-za-zu
124. ana su-me-su ilani lis-tar-i-bu li-nu-su ina sub-ti '
125. ^^" K'izx-Wx-diig ^ sum-su sa im-bu-u a-bu-su ''"h-
num
126. su-u lu-u nu-ru sa ilani gis-tu-u '' dan-nu
127. sa ki-ma sedi ^ la-mas-si uballitu mati
128. ina sa-as-me dan-ni e-ti-ru su-bat-ni ina puski
' le-el ilani sa same u initim, K. 2107, 19. Cf. VAB. iv 72, 50.
See 1. 119.
^ For takbitul Cf. lahbati (PL), K. 1290 R. 15. Luckenbill reads
iak-pir-ii. At the end us-lab-lu IIP of basH is hardly possible.
^ The sign is dim. Sum. Gram. p. 265, Var. ol dim, 1. 117.
* Na-ri = asdru. See the same title of Marduk in Weissbach,
Miscel. 37, 49, na-ri ''■■Ammtiaki-ge =■ asir '^"Afiumiaki, and dsir ilani,
K. 2107, 14, 'Convener of the gods'.
^ A reading ai-ru-ti is possible, PI. of asm, submissive, but the parallel
passage in a text published by FiscuES, Journal of the Victoria Institute,
vol. 29. p. 58, 23, disproves this. There we read i-nu-ul ina sub-ti
ip-lah amelii nakru, ' The enemy trembled in (his) habitation and feared '.
\
Heroic deeds of Marduk 185
117. He is 'Lord of the gods of heaven and earth'
whose name let us proclaim in our assembly.
118. We have exalted the commands of his mouth
above those of the gods his fathers.
119. So he is lord of the gods of heaven and earth —
all of them.
1 20. The king at whose cotnmand the gods
121. ' Nari-dimmer-anki ' * as a second name he called
him, the musterer of all the gods.
122. Who in heaven and earth appointed our dwelling-
place in time of distress.
123. Who allotted locations to the Igigi and Anun-
naki.
124. At his titles may the gods tremble and may they
quake in (their) dwelling-places.
125. Asarludug is his name which his father Anu
called him.
126. He is the light of the gods,* the mighty
champion.
127. Who as consoling satyr and the protecting satyr
gave life to the land,
128. And in mighty combat saved our dwelling-place
in distress.
* The reading of the last sign is doubtful ; lar is possible. The
meaning of this title of Marduk remains unknown. Asar or asaru is
said to mean hirik vierisli, bestower of verdure ; lu = belu, and the last
element (if dug) may mean tabtu or (if iar) kiVsdti. The title is explained
by Marduk la h'pti, ' Marduk of judgement', CT. 24, 42, 97, which is
probably false.
' Loan-word from {gi-es-lu) IGI-DU = alaridu, Syl. B', Assur text
unpublished.
* Marduk as god of light is certainly not the meaning of his oldest
title Asaru. See 1. 113.
" The sign is miscopied for gidim-ma, and for the form of. PBS. v
126, 7.
1 86 Tablet VI
129. ''"Ks2ir\h.-dtig ''^"namtilaku 1 sa-nis im-bu-u ilu ?
man-na
130. sa ki-ma bi-nu-ti-su-ma ik-se-ru-ni ^ ilani ab-tu-ti
131. be-lum sa ina sip-ti-su elli-tim li-bal-li-tu ilani
mittiti ^
132. mu-ab-bit ig-ru-ti'' za-'i-r?^
133. '^"As2ir-\n-dug^ ''"Nam-ru^ sa in-na-bu-[u sal-]su
sum-su
134. ilu el-lu mu-ul-lil a-lak-ti-ni
135 ik(?)-bu-u An-sar '^"Lah-mu u '^"La-ha-
mu
136. B.-na [ilani mare-]su-nu iz-zak-ru
137. ni- ni-it-ta-bi ' sume-su
138. ki-na* zuk-ra
139. ih-du-u-[wfl: is-tc-ynu-A zi-kir-su-un
140. ina^ ub-su-ukkln-na ka us-ta-ad-flf/-su-nu is-kat-
su-un
141. sa ma-ru kar-ra-du mu-tir gi-mil-li-ni
142. ni-i-nu sa za-ni-ni " nu-ul-li sum-su
' Loan-word; cf. CT. 24, 27, 24.
2 kiseru, to restore, usually with abidtt (ruins), VAB. iv 335. See
Th.-Dangin, RA. II, 95- See VII 28.
' See note on VII 11.
* igru, Sumerian gab, Syn. Mlu, &c., Meissner, SAI. 7637, where
read the sign 7784. e-gir pa-ni, plotters, IV R. 54, 30.
■^ Represented by ditto mark as in CT. 24, 15, 133.
^ Apparent Semitic as explained in 1. 134.
' Here begins 92629 Rev. in King, Creat. ii, PI. 37.
» 92629, ki-i-na. ' Ibid., i-na.
'° Portions in the sense of spheres of influence in the pantheon. This is
also the meaning in the title of Marduk, mu-za-'iz is-ki-e-lu, Th.-Dangin,
Rituels, 129, 14. uku has invariably the form isketi in the PI. ; cf. mu-
ad-du-u is-ki-e-ii, VS. i 36 I 19; here the subject is ■^■A-MAL (1. 17)
or Mar-Mlii^). H^'Mar-biti {DUMU E) was a god of Maliki near to
or a part of Der, Harper, Leiiers, 1063 Rev. 6-7, and for Mar-biti as
Titles of Marduk 187
129. And secondly they named Asarludug 'god
Namtilaku ', the god
130. Who restored the destroyed gods to be even as
his own creation.
131. The lord, who by his holy incantation made to
live the dying gods.
132. Destroyer of plotters, hater of. .... .
133. And Asarludug 'god Namru' which was called
his third name,
134. The bright god who brightens our way.
135 commanded Ansar, Lahmu and Lahamu,
136. Speaking 7mto the gods their sons;
137. We have , we have proclaimed his names.
138 speak.
139. They rejoiced as they heard their speech.
140. In Ubsukkinaku he assigned them their portions."
141. ' Of the heroic son our avenger,
142. We have extolled the name, even of the care-
taker, '
god of Maliki see Streck, Assitrb. ii 187. But ^^^'■A-MAL is apparently
a god of Der, VS. i 70 IV 27, and a certain ^'•'^A-MAL-ibni was a citizen
of Der, Harper, Letters, 430, 5. Since the late Babyl. texts do not
distinguish MAL from E, it seems safe to render both ideograms by
Mar-Biti. It is surprising to find a minor deity of Bar-Sippa described
as the god who assigned the powers of the gods of heaven and earth.
Cf. KAR. 80, 14, Shamash, mu-us-si-ku ukeli, and 35, 18 + 36, 5, Ea,
Shamash and Marduk mmekkts isketi la lami-e u irsitim, who allot the
portions of heaven and earth. A Mar-bili of MaUki and another at
Barsippa are established so far as our present information warrants
a conclusion. ^^^A-MAL or Mar-biti in V R. 46, 25 f. is identified with
Marduk, and it may well be that the late DUMU-fi and A-£ are falsely
derived from the oldest god of Babylon, A-mal, with whom Marduk may
have been identified.
" 92629 has, za-ni-nu ul-lu-\u nu-id-li l?<«-^z/], ' We whom the care-
taker has lifted up ', etc. See VII 7 and IV 1 1 .
i88 Tablet VII
143. u-si-bu-ma ina ukkin-na^-su-nu i-nam-bu-u si-
ma-a-su -
144. ina mi-e-si ^ nag-ba*-su-nu u-zak-ka-ru-ni sum-su
145. -'^"Asaru^ sa-rik mi'-rls-ti [sa is-]ra-a-te* u-kin-nu
Colophon,
\_djip-pu'\ 6-katn e-mi-ma e-lii gil-tu-u
On BM. 92629 there remains only the name of the
owner of the tablet, Nabu-balat-su-ikbi.
SEVENTH TABLET
1. ''"AsARU sa-rik mi-ris-ti sa is-ra-a-ti u-kin-nu'
2. ba-nu-u se-am u ki-e mu-[se-su-u ur-ki]"
3. *'"AsARU-ALiM sa ina bit mil-ki kab-[tu ina mil-ki
at-ru] "
* 92629 omits na and rea.A puhri.
^ A word simu, fate, is unknown. The example cited by Muss-
Arnott, Lexicon, p. 1053, rests upon a misreading. Craig, RT. 54, 20
has h-ma-/us. But no better interpretation is apparent. Luckenbill
regards the word as simu, price, worth.
^ Cf. King, Boundary Stones, 117, 4.
* So read. VAR. 92629, na-gab.
^ Tablet VII contains the names referred to here.
« ASAR-RI {asaru), CT. 24, 15, 68. '' 92629, me.
* iiraiu, map, city Doomsday-book; see Gautier, Dilbat, no. 13, 8;
cf. CT. ii 45, 9, ina sasarim, upon the cadaster (?).
' Te.xt from K. 2854 in King, Creal. i 159, and catch-line of Tab. VI.
This title is cited in a hymn to Marduk, Th.-D., Rituch, 138, 304.
For a study of the commentaries on the Seventh Tablet see King, ibid.
vol. i 157-81; Langdon, PSBA. 1910, 115-23; 159-67; Ungnad, ZA.
31, i53~5- The commentaries seem to have dissected each old Sumerian
title into fanciful elements, and to have explained in a cabalistic manner
the Semitic lines of the Epic which also consist in free interpretations
of the Sumerian titles. Ungnad, ibid., attempted to explain all of the
I'a
I
Commentary on Marduk's Titles 189
143. They sat in their assembly proclaiming \\isfale,
144. All of them mentioning in the sanctuary his
name(s).^
145. Asaru bestower of husbandry, who has fixed the
property boundaries.
Colophon.
Sixth [tablet] of Enuma elis
SEVENTH TABLET
1. Asaru bestower of husbandry, who has fixed the
boundaries of estates.
2. Creator of grain and plants, causing the grass to
spring up.
3. Asaru-alim who in the house of counsel is powerful,
in counsel excellent.
Sumerian elements in the commentary by fanciful dissection of the titles,
but it is evident that many of the comments of the scribes are based
upon the Semitic interpretations of the lines of the Epic. The com-
mentary is cited here by C. with reference to the plates in King, vol. ii.
Thus, the comments on line i will be C. 51 I 1-5. See also King,
ii 63, 6. The god Asaru written simply REC. 387 was originally
a deity of yabur at Eridu (Langdon, Archives of Drehem, p. 25 n. 8),
and he has, ibid., the longer title Asaru-lh-dug ; see also Huber,
Hilprecht Anniversary Volume, 220, 12 + R. 9. He seems to have been
translated to Babylon in the period of the First Babylonian dynasty.
Cf. the exegesis niir iUmi =^- Asaru, CT. 29, 45, 26; Schroeder,
KAV. 51 R. 17 = ^amal\
" C. 51 I 6-10, where asaru is separated into ru — bauu, sar = se'u +
ku and also sar {ma) = asu + urku. Kojg, ii 63, 8 has se-im u gu-e and
a comment, gu-um = si-hir-iu.
" The title is explained by la baldti, CT. 24, 42, 98, 'he of life', as
god of healing. The explanation here is purely imagmative, based upon
absurd analysis oi asaru. C. 51 I 11-16.
I90 Tablet VII
4. ilani li-tak-ku-u a-dir-[tam it-ta-ha-zu] ^
5. "'"AsARU-ALiM-NUN-NA ka-ru-bu nu-ur [a-bi a-li-di-
su]2
6. mus-te-sir te-rlt ''"A-nim ''^"En-lil [u '^"E-a]
7. su-u-ma za-nin-su-nu mu-ad-du-u [su-bat-sun] *
8. sa su-ku-us-su ^ hegallu ^ us-sa-[a ® ana kali-hi-titi]
9. ''"Tu-TU ' ba-an te-dis-ti-su-nu [su-u-ma] *
10. li-lil sa-gi^" su-nu-ma su-nu lu-u [pa-as-hu]
' C. 51 I 17-20. Here begins BM. 91 139, King, Creat. ii, PI. 38.
^ Restored by King, Creat. i 216, 3. The title is followed by maru
rehii sa apsi, IV R. 3*5 26; Nies, HRET. 22, 25 + 184.
' karubu is apparently a translation of a!im-nun-tia ; ka-ru-bu, title
of Ea, KAR. 59, 31, and alim-nun-na =■ Ea, CT. 24, 14, 31 ; alim =
kusarikhi, fish-ram, symbol of Ea, see Tab. I 142 and note, karubu
has the same meaning as karibu, ' one who prays ', an image of a
mythical monster placed at the gates of temples and palaces ; ^'■^ka-ri-bu
sa imitti bdb papahi, King, Chrotiides, ii 84, 16, and see Scheil, Bel.
Perse, iv 167, 6, the images at the gates of a temple in Susa, lamazati
u karibdii. The word kuribu has the same sense ; Messerschmidt,
KTA. 75, 24, ^^"Lahme ^^^ku-ri-bi, at the two sides of a gate. The
derivation of all these forms from kardbu is certain. Cf. Sum. alam
sub-sub-be, a statue which prays (for the king and people), i. e. karibu,
PBS. X 152. The meaning 'interceding statue', more especially statue
of the mythical fish-ram of Ea, then came to mean 'intercessor',
protector, and in CT. 18, 27, 13 karubu = rubu. This 'intercessor', a
figure of a mythical monster, is clearly identical with the Hebrew kerub,
cherub, and possibly to be identified with the fish-ram, which also
appears on the Zodiac of Dendera in Egypt for Capricorn. See Hinke,
A New Boundary Stone, p. 102. The statements concerning this word
in the lexicons is erroneous.
* This restoration from VI 122 suits the context better than iskett,
VI 140.
^ sukultu has the meaning ' house ', as well as ' treasures '. See the
gloss on TE-UNU{^ukutta) = Mat, BL. 32, 24.
^ gii'^g, Aegat- /a u-us-si.
' tu-tu (REC. 147, tud) appears first in the time of the First
i
Commentary on Mardiik's Titles 191
4. The gods waited (for him) as they fell on sorrow.
5. Asaru-alim-nunna, intercessor,^ I'ght of the father
his begetter.
6. Who directs the ordinances of Ann, Enlil and Ea.
7. He is their caretaker, who determines their
[abodes].
8. From whose store hotise goes forth abundance to
all of them.
9. He is Tutu, maker of their restoration.^
10. Let him purify their sanctuaries and let them be
at peace.
Babylonian Dynasty and generally without the determinative dingir.
The early Sumerian title is du-du. In Ham. Code, iii lo the king is nardm
Tu-tu, where this Sumerian word (= muallidu) is already a divine title,
and here it designates Nabfi of Barsippa. For Tu-tu and ^-Tu-tu in
n. pra. of this period see Ranke, Personal Names, 208 ; it then dis-
appears in onamastica until the late period where it has been found
in only three names, Erba-^-T; Ina-kibi-^-T; Gahal-^-T. The title has
not been found at all in Assyrian names. In a commentary on incan-
tations ''•7z^-/a la me ellilti idii (' who knows the pure waters') he is iden-
tified with Kug-sud, a lustration god, and with Urbadda, one of the seven
sons ofEnmesarra, RA. 16, 150, \2. Here Marduk, god of incantation,
is of course intended. The title tu-iu or muallidu, 'begetter', is clearly
not of Sumerian origin, and never occurs in Sumerian religious texts.
The title is admitted into the list of Marduk titles, CT. 24, 27, 30, and
a commentary K. 2107, 21 has '^- Tu-tu = mu'allid Hani muddis Hani.
This title carries complete evidence for the Semitic origin of the Seventh
Tablet.
* C. 56 I 1-4. See also King, ii 63, 10 = i 176, 5, where a com-
mentary cites this line, and Var. Rm. 395 [ibid, ii 62), 1. 4, ba-ni te-dis-
ti-su-nu. 54228 has the note a-lid Q) [King, MU] Hani sa mahazi-
\su-nu uddusu'], and Rm. 2538, sa ina Bdb-ili [tediltam eppusu\, and
ibid, ii 63, 16, 'i-TU+TU sdpik ladi. and '^TU+TU <i-Marduk i^sa)
iam-tum i- . . .
' This explanation, which refers to rebuilding temples, is a false
interpretation of Tu-tu.
'" 91139, sag, C. 56, 5-9, where du — sagil, see PSBA. 1910, 118.
Here the Sumerian text obviously explains a Semitic line and has
no connexion with the title Tu-tu.
193 Tablet VII
11. lib-ni-ma sipti ^ ilani li-[nu-hu]
12. ag-gis - lu--te-bu-u li-ni-'-u [i-rat-sun]
13. lu-ii su-us-ku-u-ma ina puhur^ ilani
14. ma-am-man ina ilani su-a-su * la um-[das-sal]
15. (''"Tu-tu)° '^"Zi-UKKiN-NA na-pis-ti um-ma-ni [ilani]^
16. sa li-kin-nu an ^ ilani sami-e el-lu-[ti]
17. al-kat-su-un is-ba-tu-ma ^^ li-ad-du-ii [rik-si-su-un]
18. ai im-ma-si i-na " a-pa-ti ip-se-ta-[su kullati-si-na] ^-
19. P"Tu-tu) 13 ^'"Zi-KUG sal-sis" im-bu-ii mu-kil te-
lil-tii5
20. ili sa-a-ri ta-a-bi be-el tas-me-e u ma-ga-ri
21. mu-sab-si si-im-ri u ^' ku-bu-ut-te-e mu-kin hegalli '*
* £N; 91139, sip-li. C. 56, 10-13. The line may refer to the
rituals of incantation in which the curse of Marduk is uttered against
the demons whereby the gods, enraged against man because of his sins,
are appeased and the demons expelled. At any rate there is no reference
in Book IV to Marduk's use of the ' curse ' in his combat with Tiamat.
A title of Marduk in K. 5233 does refer to this aspect of Marduk's
character, Marduk sa iu-u-su . . ., King, i 180. ^Tu-tu is also explained
as a god of incantation, ibid. 1. 4, ^-Marduk h ina mii-kug-gi-su. . . .
In VI 131 there is a clear reference to a legend that IMarduk did employ
a curse in his combat with Tiamat, as his father Ea had done in subduing
Apsfi. If VII II refer to this part of the ancient myih, omitted in
Book IV, then the translation is ' Verily he created the curse and the
gods reposed '.
' Jhd., pu-hur. C. 56, 19-23, for which see PSBA. 1910, 119.
^ Ibid., sa-a-hi.
^ Omitted on K. 8522, i (CT. 13, 26), or represented by MIN.
° K. 2107, 29 has naphar for ummanu. Here begins 35506 (= King,
ii 46).
' This title appears only here and CT. 24, 27, 31.
The Titles of Mardiik 193
1 1 . Let him create the curse and verily the gods
shall be calmed.
12. Lo, they came up in rage and lo, they turned
back [their breasts].
13. Verily he was lifted up in the assembly of the
gods.
14. Among the gods not any one makes himself like
unto him.
15. (Tutu) Zi-ukkin/ life of the host of the gods,
16. Who established the pure heavens for the gods,
17. And who controlled their paths fixing [their
regulation].''
18. Let not his deeds, all of them, be forgotten among
pale-faced men.
19. Tutu they named thirdly Zi-kug who maintains
lustration,
20. The god of sweet breath,'" lord of grace and mercy.
21. He who causes to exist treasures and riches,"
establisher of plenty.
' 35506, a-na.
" See Tab. V 6. The line refers to Jupiter as Nibiru and his supposed
control over the movements of the planets.
'" 35506. iu-^- " K. 8522, ina.
'^ C. 61 II 1-7 + 69, 3-9. " K. 8522 omits or has MIN.
" i. e. the third name of Tutu.
^^ C. 61 II 8-13, which reads the title ^^'^'■Tu-tu-an-jiu zi-kug-ge, and
for viukil this text had mukin.
'* Idru tabu is a free translation of Zi-kug (napilti elliti), ' holy breath
of life '. The breath of a god was supposed to bring assistance to men.
So Asurbanipal says sa ana sdr-ka tdbi upaliliu, ' (I am he) who waits
for thy sweet breath ', Klauber, PRT. i i 2 R. 4, and a prayer to Marduk
has the line lublul ina sdri-ka, BA. v 312, 21. See also the prayer
to Tutu, King, Magic, 18 R. 3, sdr-ka tabu lizikamma napiltim lirik,
' May thy sweet breath blow and lengthen (my) life '.
" 91139 and 35506 omit. '* 91 139, hega^-^a-
" simru from iamaru, heap up. See VAB. iv 360. Same root as
Heb. "IDD, JOD. In Babylonian the root occurs as saramu, Bab. iv
no, 15.
2687 N
194 Tablet VII
22. sa mim-ma-nP i-su^ a-na ma-'a--di-e u-tlr-ru
23. i-na pu-us-ki ^ dan-ni ^ ni-si-nu sar*-su ta-a-bu
24. lik-bu-u Ht-ta-i'-du ^ lid-lu-la^ da-li-li-su
25. (''"Tu-tu) ^'"Aga-kug ina ribi-i' li-sar-ri-hu * ab-
ra-a-te *
26. be-el sip-tu '" elli-tim " mu-bal-lit mi-i-ti
27. sa an" ilani ka-mu-ti " ir-su-u ta-ia-ru ^'
28. ap-sa-na en-du " u-sa-as-si-ku ^* eli " ilani na-ki-
ri-su ^^
29. a-na pa-di-su-nu ib-nu-u a-me-lu-tu^^
' 91 139 and 35506, mi-im-rna-ni i-si.
' 91139, a. ' -/!■«, tm, 91139 : 35506, -ka and om. dannu.
" Vars. .((7-ar. ^ 35506, 2(/ (j/c !). '^ 91139, /a.
' 91 139 and 35506, ri-bi-i. * 9ii39i ^"^> ^'•
' ' God of the holy crown ' ; or Ligir-kug, ' Holy prince ' (?). The
following titles make no explanation of the name, and it has not been
found elsewhere.
'" 91139,//; 35506, «-?}!i-/;'. " Vars. f/-//-//.
" Literally ' the dead ', those in extremis. "911 39 omits.
" Vars. tu. '* 911391 ri. " See note on Tab. IV 114.
" 35506, di. '* 9 II 39, ka. '^ Vars. e-li.
"" 91139-^'''! " 91139, -a/-/?/w; 35506,//.
^' This extremely cryptic line has received many interpretations. The
solution of the problem depends upon the meaning of padii and the
antecedent of sunu. If -hmu refers to the bound gods in line 28 and
not to amelUlu the line cannot be interpreted as a Babylonian doctrine
of the redemption of man by the mediation of Marduk. In VI 27
ameMlu is regarded as a singular and referred to as sasu, ' him ', and
salmat kakkadi in VI 85 is referred to by the Fem. PI. in VI 94, but
in VI no niie is referred to by sunu. The bound gods or the
'destroyed gods' (VI 130) who became the deities and demons of
the lower world (VI 114) can hardly be said to have been set free or
ransomed by the creation of mankind, but from one point of view man
was created to ' enrich the field of the Anunnaki ', i. e. to inhabit the
lower world after death; see Poeme du Paradis, 51 n. i. padti, as in
Hebrew and Arabic, has primarily the meaning ' to purchase one from
slavery', ransom, set free, although its most common meaning is ' spare,
have mercy upon ' in Babylonian. Note the derivative pidu, ' ransom
Mardiik as Aga-kng 195
22. Who turned everything deficient into largeness.
23. Whose sweet breath we smelled in sore distress.
24. Let men speak and praise and sing his praise.
25. Tutu fourthly may the totality of mankind glorify
as Aga-kug.'
26. Lord of the pure curse, who restores unto life the
dying.'^
27. He who had mercy upon the bound gods.^"
28. The yoke imposed upon the gods his enemies he
caused to be removed,
29. And who created mankind that he might purchase
their ransom. ^-
money', apparently certain in IV R. 54(747, but doubtful in Harper,
Lell. 437 Obv. 12, ana pi-di-hi-mi, for their pardon (?) ; cf. immer
hi-di-li{>), Ungnad, Briefe, 251, 5. The most positive argument for
the meaning 'ransom' is the Sumerian tts-kur = padil, CT. 19, 42, 35,
&c. This ideogram seems to mean reddm or tiebdm iiMkil, ' He caused
the pursuer or seizer (creditor) to eat (silver)', i.e. he paid the creditor
and released the person seized for debt {niputu). Cf. the Sumerian
phrase sam-kur, 'eater of the price', for a seller, Thureau-Dangin,
RTC. 13 II 14; 14 III I ; 15 III 3; NiES, op. cit. 217, &c. Perhaps
here a-kul pi-di Q) = lip-la-am {}), ZA. x 196, 8. Hence ed, -de=fadu.
'To cause to come forth', CT. 19, 42, 38, and Meissner, SAI. 5893.
Vi pada be taken in this sense and ham for 'men', the line must
be taken to mean that Marduk created man in order to ransom them
from evil. That seems to be Jensen's view when he suggested 'urn
sie zu erlosen ' as a translation. Ungnad in Gressmann, ibid. 23, also
takes padii in the sense 'ransom', but interprets the line to mean that
Marduk created man as a ransom on behalf of the bound gods. But
a ransom to whom ? Or if in a weaker sense ' to set free ', how can
the creation of man set free the bound gods.? Is it that they are spared
to rule over the dead.? That is a conceivably true explanation. Dhorme,
ibid. 73, says that these gods are set free by the intermediation of men.
and supposes that this was told in Book VI, but the recovered text
of Book VI states that man was made to serve the cults of the o-ods.
King seems to overlook the difference between the gods and the ' bound '
gods, when he infers that man was created for their forgiveness (in
order to serve them, the bound gods). In fact I cannot understand
King's translation ; it does not grapple with the problem.
But if Marduk, the Demiurge, created man that he might ransom him,
N 2
196 Tablet VII
30. ri-me^-nu-u sa bul--lu-tu ba-su-u it-ti-su
31. li-ku-na-ma ai im-ma-sa-a a-ma-tu-su
32. ina pi-i sal-mat kakkadi * sa ib-na-a ka-ta-a-su
33. ('^"Tu-tu) '''"Mu-KUG ina hassi(si) " ta-a-su ellu '
pa*-si-na lit*-tab-bal
34. sa ina sipti'^-su elli-tim '^ is-su hu na-gab lim-
nu-ti ^*
35. ''"Sag-zu mu-di-e lib-bi ilani sa i-bar-ru-u '* kar-su
36. e-pis lim-ni-e-ti la u-se-su-ii it-ti-su '*
the problem is still more difficult. Have we here a reference to a pre-
gnostic and mystic doctrine of Marduk's death and resurrection? At
any rate the Babylonians did possess a mystic ceremony which told
of Marduk's imprisonment, death, descent into the lower world, and
resurrection, and the Greeks reported a legend of Bal's grave in Babylon.
This ceremony is only a recasting of the older Tammuz cult, in which
the myth of the winter and spring sun and the Epic of Creation are the
principal factors. There is nothing either in the ceremony itself or
in later religious te.xts to prove that any doctrine of mystical redemption
existed; certainly nothing which would suggest that Marduk paid a
ransom for man. The ceremony will be found at the beginning of this
volume.
I am unable to come to any definite conclusion about this line. It
has been translated literally, but the most probable interpretation is that
pada means 'to set free', and that Marduk created man in order to
exercise his power over evil by freeing them from the demons with his
curse. This view is supported by the next line.
' 91 139 and 35506, ot/. 2 gii^g, iu-ui.
' The natural inference is that Marduk gave instructions to man, and
these are referred to here, but it seems evident now with the complete
text of Book VI before us that no such instructions existed. Ziudsuddu,
the survivor of the Flood, did receive instructions from a deity, Poeme
du Paradis, 213. Perhaps amatu refers to Marduk's commands to the
gods to create man and his implied injunction that they should serve
in the cults.
* 91 139, kak-ka-di.
^ This contradicts Book VI, which says that Ea created man, but
it agrees with later Babylonian tradition, CT. 13, 35-8. Book VII
I
Mii-kug mid Sagzu 197
30. Merciful one in whose power it is to give life.
31. May his words ^ endure and not be forgotten,
32. In the mouth of the dark-headed peoples, whom
his hands created.'
II. Tutu is fifthly Mukug; ' upon his holy curse may
they meditate.!"
34. Who with his holy incantation removed all the
evil ones.
35. He is Sagzu, knower of the thoughts of the gods,
who perceived '^ the plan.
36. Who permitted not the evil-doers to escape from
him."
reveals many other traces of its late composition. See Poeme dii
Paradis, 29-31.
^ 91139, /m-o[ot-]^/J ; j^^^ob, i-im ha-an-su.
' 35506, ^-/-/z^. * 9 1 1 39, /(7-a- and //-:'/.
' This reading is proven by the bihngual commentary K. 5233, 4
(King, i 180), '^■Tu-iu mu-kug-bi = ^^^Marduk la ina mukuggi-su.
'" See IV R. 54, 24, In-ub-la pt-sii. Ungnad probably having in mind
Ham. Code, Epilogue 56, atlahal-linati, 'I ruled them', renders the line
'May Tutu guide (?) their mouth with his pure curse'; also possible.
Dhorme and Ebeling read litlappal, ' May their mouth proclaim ', which
is most improbable.
" 91139, iz>-/z'. " Vzvs. el-li-li.
" 91 139, tu. The line contains another reference to Marduk's use of
a curse in his battle with Tiamat and her followers.
" 35506, ib-ru-\_u. This variant gives the line a specific sense, and
proves that it refers to Marduk's discovery of the plot of Tiamat and
Kingu. See Book II 4, where the discovery is attributed to Ea,
and cf. Ea's title miida libbi ildni rabiili, which refers to his discovery
of Anu's plan to bestow eternal life upon Adapa, Pokme du Paradis,
86, 10. This line is commented upon in K. 2107, 28, '^■Sag-zu = mtlde
libbi ildni, Var. Sag-su{d) = libbu ruku, ' He of unsearchable heart '.
See also Rm. 2538 (King, i 176), where a second comment is bane
libbi \ildni\ and K. 5233, '^■Sag-zu ^-Su'g-gab — <^-Marduk mubalhl aibi
(King, i 180 -|-K. 2107, 31).
"> Historical present. Var. ibril.
'« For itli= islu, see Delitzsch, H. W. 154 and ASKT. 94, 42 =
Sum. da-la, ' Away from the side of '.
" Cf. Book IV 108-9.
1 98 Tablet VII
■^"j. mu-kin puhri^ sa ilani [mu-tib] lib-bi-su-un.
38. mu-kan-nis- la ma-gi-ri [ ^]
39. mu-se-sir klt-ti na-[ ]* su-u
40. sa sa-ar-ti \\ ki^
41. (§ag-zu) ''"Zi-si mu-se-[ib-bi-i sa-bu-ti]
42. mu-uk-kis su-har-ra-tu
43. ('^"§ag-zu) ''"SuH-HAB sal-sis na-sih [ai-bi]''
44. mu-sap-pi-ih kip-di-su-nu .
45. mu-[bal-]li [nap-]har rag-gi '
46 lis
47. [(''"Sag-zu) "'"Suh-g]u-hab \e-su-ic nap-har rag-g{\
63. ''"Gil
64. rab-bu .......
65. '''"A-gil-[ma na-si-ih sa-ki-i a-sir sal-tum iar
a-gi-f\ "
66. ba-nu-u \irsi-ti7n viuUdiru elati 7nu-kin Sami-e] '-
' 91139, /■«-«7z-[r/]. Commentary K. 8299 in King, ii 60, Obv. 1-5 ;
rSBA. 1910, 121. The break appears to leave room for ia u-ti-bu.
- 91 139, m-!l
^ K. 8299 has two words for this break [. . .]-/« and [. . .]-/a (?)-i«.
* The last word in this line ended . . . su-u, K. 8299, Obv. 12. The
Commentary on 1. 39 is ZI = kit-turn ; ZI — i-sa-rum ; ZU = . . . su-u ;
ZU= . . ., made up by S. 11 (PI. 51) III 1-4 + K. 8299 Obv. 10-13
(PI. 70).
^ Here begins K, 9267, CT. 13, 28. The Commentary on 1. 40 is
ZU= sar-tum ; ZI - kdnu ; ZU=^; ZI=h made up by S. 1 1 Obv.
Ill 5-8 + K. 8299, 14 . . .
" '^■Zi-si — nasih IcMli, K. 2107, 30; cf. Schroeder, KAV. 59, 5.
' Restored from K. 2107, 31.
" For kip-di cf. KAR. 80 R. 13, kip-di-m-nu upatlar-su-nu-ti, and
ibid. Obv. 7. Cf. Book IV 68, sapih tema-su.
' This phrase really explains a title omitted here, ''■■Suh-gH-hab, or
Sagzu, Siihhab and Agilma 199
37. Confidence he restored to the assembly of the
gods, and he gladdened their hearts.
38. The subduer of the disobedient
39. Administrator of justice
40. Who perversity and
41. Sag-zu is Zisi, conqueror of oppressors.''
42. Who dispels misery
43. Sagzu is thirdly Suhhab who annihilates the
enemies.
44. Confounder of their plots *
45. Who puts an end to the totality of evil ones
46
47. Sagzu is (fourthly) Suhguhab, destroyer of the
totality of the wicked.
10
63
64 • • • . •
65. ''"Agilma, [uprooter of the proud, organizer of
victory, lord of the crowti\ ;
66. Creator \of the earth, director of the beings on hi^h,
fixer of the heavens\.
•^■gA-A-gu-hab, K. 2107, 32 ff. = Schroeder, KAV. 59, 7 ff. Cf. Rm.
395 R- 5-
>" The Obverse of each commentary PI. 51 +K. 8299; PI. 56, and
PI. 59 originally carried four columns and commented upon about sixty-
five lines. This was arranged to agree approximately with the lines on
the Obverse of Tablet VII, as arranged on K. 13761 (King, i 164).
Now on PI. 54 of vol. ii King gives the last traces on the Obv. ; he gives
[ ] Gil as the last sign and beginning of a new section. This
corresponds clearly to ^Gil . . ., four lines from end of Obv. on
K. 1 3761, and K. 4406 (the Rev. of Sm. 11) PI. 54 continues the
commentary. Dr. King erroneously placed K. 12830 in the break here
(vol. i 100), and Ebeling copied the mistake after it had been rectified
in PSBA. 1910, 116, over ten years ago. The Commentary on 1. 62 has
. . . pu-u; . . . ka-nu and . . . u, PI. 54 note.
" Restored from C. 54 I 1-7 ; PSB.\. 1910, 122.
'2 C. 54 I 8-13; PSBA. 1910, 159.
200 Tablet VII
67. ''"Zu-LUM ^ mu-ad-di [kir-ba-a-ti - ]
68. na-din is-ki u nin-da-\bi-e (?) ia Hani abc-hi\ *
69. ''"Mu-UM-MU ba-an \ka-la '^" Mu-um-mu na-din ti--
u-ti\
70. ilu mu-lil sami-e
71. sa ana du-un-ni
72. ''"GiS-NUMUN-AB-BA
73. a-bit ilani \lint-nu-ti ]
74. "'"LUGAL-ES-DUBUR " -tim
75. sa i-na su-me-sa
76. ^^"PA-[gal-gu-en-na rabit e-til-luina\ nap-har be-
lim
77. sa ina [ilani ahe-su sur-ba-]a* e-mu-ka-su
78. ''"Lugal-dur-mah mar-kas ilani be-el dur-ma-hi '
79. sa ina su-bat sarru-u-ti sur-bu-u ^^
80. ina ilani ma-'-dis si-ru "
81. "'"A-Du-NUN-NA *^ ma-lik ''"E-a ba-an ilani abe-su.
' This title occurs in the line sar-hu ^^"^Zu-lum-mar (Var. ma-ru)
ka-ri-su ti-il-tt-sin, Craig, RT. 52, 43, which refers to a legend of
Marduk's having created man from clay. Cf. zu-lum-via-ra, title of
Tammuz, SBP. 332, 25.
"The Commentary 55, 15 ff. has ZU =\ad{i\ and KIB{ut) —
\kirbitu'f\. For ul = kirbitu see Chicago Syllabary, 282.
' ' See VII I.
* Commentary 55 I 23 has KU{zi),\.e. zi(J)=-kemu, mea.] ^m'ndabu?
For nadi'n the C. has MC/; for I'sku, BA ; for tldta', AN; and for abi-su,
AD. 'Portions', here in the sense of 'portions of sacrifices'. Cf.
VI 140.
° Mummu = Logos, creative word, was originally a title of Ea. For
Ea as mummu ban kala see JRAS. 1918, 437, and for the conjectural
restorations see C. 55 I 27-9, and cf. the Commentary 82-3-23, 151
on PI. 54 with CT. 13, 32, R. 10. For the Babylonian theory of the
Logos and its identification with Warduk see JR.\S. 1918, 433-49.
Titles of Mardiik 201
67. ''"Zulum defining [the fields ]^
68. Bestower of portions and [fixed offerings of the
gods his fathers].
69. MuMMir, creator of [all things, Miimmu giver of
foody
70. God that cleanseth heaven
71. Who for the security of
72. GiSNUMUN-ABBA
73. Who overthrew the evil ^o^^
74. ''"LUGAL-E§-DUEUR
75. Whose names in
76. ''"Pagalguenna \great hero i)i\ the totality of
lords.^
77. Whose strength has been extolled among the gods
his brothers.
78. ''"LuGALDURMAH, leader of the gods, lord of the
' far-famed band '.
79. Who has been magnified in the abode of kingship,
80. Among the gods he is pre-eminent.
81. ''"Adununna, counsellor of Ea, creator of the gods
his fathers,
^ Restored from K. 4210, 9 in CT. 25, 43 = II R. 59^49 = Ki.
1904-10-9, 14 1. 20. For the value of the last sign DUG + BUR see
CT. 24, 6, 36; 25, 17, 37; 12, 24^23-4. Here begins K. 8519,
King, i 165.
' Restored from K. 4210, 10.
' Restored from C. 54 II 1-7, which includes a comment on eiiUum
and naphanan (of 1. 76).
' C. 54 II 8-13. dur-mah, literally markasu siru, a theological term
in which markasu, ' band ', means ' creative reason ', divine thought which
guides the world ; this word often obtains the concrete meaning ' leader '.
Hence dur-mahu is really equivalent to ' divine plan '. On the philoso-
phical import oi markasu see JRAS. 1918, 433-49.
'" C. 54 II 14-18. A small fragment, K. 13337, in King, Great, i 166
begins here.
" C. 55 II 19-22, which read ana Hani.
" The title occurs in the Commentary 54228, 21, King, ii 63, where
202 Tablet VII
82. sa a-na tal-lak-ti ^ ru-bu-ti-su la u-mas-sa-lu ilu
ai-um-ma
2>2,- ['^"Dumu-du-kug]2 sa ina du-kuggi u-ta-da-su
84. \ina ki-is-si Simaii i/^-]bat-su el-lit
85 wai(?)-la has-su "'"Lugal-du-kug-ga
86 sa-ka-a e-mu-ka-su
dtj -i« (?)-iiu kir-bis tam-tim
88 a-bi-ka^ tahazi
89. [sa ina ir-bi kib-ra-a-te] sal-mat* [kakkadi ib-
nu-u]
90. [e-li sa-]a-su te-[e-mi sa fim ili u-ta-du-u]'
91. ["'"GiJBiL" mu-[kin ]
92. sa^ Ti-amat . .
93 uz-[na
94. ir-[ba ]ru-u-ku[ *]
95. \^^''En-bi-lii''\lu
!
5
9
it is explained ili-lu hanla (?) ilu hansa ib . . . An incantation begins
with this title, KAR. 76 Obv. 26, and it is given in K. 4210, 11. See
also K. 2107, 20, ^-A — vialik il^Enltl u '^^Ha.
^ C. 55 II 29-35, which has a-lak-tu; also 54228, 23.
'^ Marduk the ' Son of Du-kugga ' corresponds to the title of his father
'^■Lugal-du-kug — i^'^^ETi., King, Magic, 12, 25. But Lugal-dii-kug, or
'Lord of the holy chamber', is originally Enlil, RA. iO, 145, i ; 148
n. I ; CT. 24, 5, 37. Du-KUG, 'holy chamber', is by origin a throne-
room in the assembly-hall of the gods (Ubsukkina), and located in the
under-world, hence Ekur at Nippur and other temples, after the pattern
of the cosmos, possessed a du-kug, SBP. 293, 13; SBP. 248, 7 ; 289, 14
(at Nippur), and see VAB. iv 301 for this chamber in the temple of
Marduk at Babylon. On the other hand, dii-kug was identified with
the nether-sea (dwelling-place of Ea), CT. 18, 28, 7; 11, 29, 31, and
in Book I 79-82 the Babylonian version has an account of how Ea
(and Damkina) created Marduk in the kissi simati in the apsil. Now
du-kug, where the gods met in Esagila yearly to decree fates, is
repeatedly called asar h'vidli. This title, therefore, refers to Book I 78-
83. The title in 1. 83 follows Adununna, K. 4210, 12. Dhorme, Choix
de Texies, 77 m, en oneously explained Lugal-du-kug as a title of Marduk.
Dumu-du-kiisf: and G'lb'il
&
82. The way of whose princely power no god equals.
83. ''"DuMU-DU-KUG, whom in the holy chamber (Ea)
ordained,
84. [In the chamber of fates], his holy dwelling-place,
85 the wise Lugal-du-kugga (Ea).
86 whose might is supreme.
"i"] in the inward parts of Tiamat.
88 overthrows battle.
89. Who in the four regions created the dark-headed
peoples.
90. And who for him (mankind) decreed the plan of
the ' day of the gods ',
91. ''"GiBiL, who establishes
92. Who the ^t/ Tiamat
93 his ears
94. Four (?) unsearchable
95 •
' On K. 8299 R. 2 read a{'>)-[ba-ku']'> PI. 60, and here follows
PI. 52 II with the Commentary on 1. 89.
' Text from K. 12830, King, Creal. i 163. For the Commentary
made by the join, see PSBA. 1910, 161.
"■ C. 52 II 4-11-I-K. 8299; see PSBA. 1910, 161. The verb at the
end may be adii, ' determine, ordain ', and to be read utaddu, u-ad-du-u.
The ' day of god ' is a common expression for ' sacred festival '. See
the references in Landsberger, Dcr Kultische Kalender, p. 12, where
this reference is omitted.
'■ On the close connexion between Marduk and Gibil, the fire-god,
see Tallquist, Maklu, p. 22, and note that this title follows Dumu-dii-
kug = mar-du-kiig = mar apsi, and IV R. 14, no. 2 R. 9, Gibil mar
ap-si-i.
' Commentary, Pi. 52 II 18, has gain - \}a\ See PSBA. 19 10, 162
on 11. 92-3.
« Commentary 53 II 28-344-57 II 3-9. Cf. Book I 95.
* C. 57 II 10. For this title in Book VII see the Commentary,
King, ii 63, 14, mu-dis mati-su . . ., and na-mad su-'tc mu-sa6-lu{?} . . .
See also King, i 181, 6.
204 Tablet VII
98
99. [''"E-]zuR Sa ina bit ik-ri-bi i-ra-mu-u hib-ta ^
100. i-hi hi ina e-ri-bi-Su kat-ra-a i-7nah-ha-ru
•••••■■•
106 sa-a-su '
107. '^"Ni-Bi-RU kakkabu sa ina same su-pu-u ^
108. lu-u sa-bit resu-arkat*-su-nu sa-a-su lu-u pal-su.
109. ma-a sa kir-bis '" Ti-amat i-tib-bi-[ru " la a-ni-hu]
no. sum-su lu^" "'"Ni^-bi-ru a-hi-zu " kir-bi-su.
III. sa kakkabani" sa-ma-me " al-kat-su-nu li-kil-lu"*
112. kima " si-e-ni'* li-ir-ta-a" ilani gim-ra-su-un "
113. lik-me-^ Ti-amat ni-sir-ta-sa ^^ li-si-ik^^ u lik-ri
1
' C. has traces of . . . rti, . . . bu, ... tu. 1
' In the break which now follows before the first lines on 35506 Rev.
and K. 8522 Rev. belong the fragments of the Commentary K. 4406
R. Ill, King, Creal. ii 54-5, left edge. The numbering of the lines and
extent of the break is approximately certain.
5 C. 55 III 8-14 and VAB. iv 282, 8. The line refers to the journey
of Marduk on the tenth day of Nisan at the New Year's festival to the
bit akiti outside the city of Bab)ion.
' C. 55 III 15-18.
^ BM. 35506 Rev. I a; K. 8522 Rev. i ; traces on 91139 R. i.
« C. 52 III 1-6.
' Title of Marduk as Jupiter; see Book IV 6.
« All the texts have KUN-SAG-GI. C. 52 III 7-12.
' The line refers to Nibiru as a constellation at or near the intersection
of the celestial equator and the ecliptic, and when it rose heliacally it
indicated the time of the crossing of the sun and planets from south
to north of the equator or from north to south.
" 91 139, i-na kir-bi, and also C. 52 III 13-21.
Ezttr and Nibini 205
2
98
99. [''"E-JztJR, who takes up his abode in the house of
sacrifices,
1 00. God zvho ill his entering therein receives presents.^
106
107. 'God of the Crossing'/ star which in heaven is
glorious.
108. Truly he holds the front and the rear; him they
look for ; "
109. Saj'ing, ' He who bound the inward parts of
Tiamat without wearying.
1 10. Lo, his name is god Nibiru who holds her middle
part.
111. Of the stars of heaven may he uphold their
courses.
1 1 2. May he shepherd the gods all of them like sheep. ^*
113. Verily he bound Tiamat, distressed her soul and
cut it off.
" For ebir same see Book IV 141 note. The Commentary has sir =
eient, which admits no doubt concerning the meaning. The scribe
of 91 139 has z-^/-[iV], which proves that he had in mind j-ki-tam in
IV 141, and was confused by the similarity of ibir and itibhiru. The
scribes absurdly connect nibiru, crossing, with eberu, bind.
" 91 139, lu-ti.
" 35506, Ne and a-hi-iz. C. 52 III 22 has luYsu = sum-lu.
'* 91 139, kakkabu, and C. 53, 26-30.
'^ 91 139, 35506, mi. Also K. 9267 R. i.
" li-ki-il-lu, 35506, but C. likin or lukin.
" ki-ma, 91 139, 35506. " 91 139, nil and U-ir-'a-a.
" C. 53, 31-7 seems to have ina'i libbi piifiri-lunu.
™ The line refers to the courses of the planets and their relation to
the equator.
" 91 139, li-ik-mi.
'- 91 139; 35506; Is.. <)26-j, 7ia-pihla-hi. Chm si = ita-[pis-/u\.
^ C, 53 III 42, KIL -^^ sa-\a-ku\. On the root sdku see Streck,
Assurb. iii 581. lisik is IP precative.
I
206 Tablet VII
114. ah-ra-tas^ nise la-ba-ris u-me^
115. lis-si-ma^ la uk-ta-li li-bi-il ana* sa-a-ti
116. as-su" as-ri ■^ ib-na-a ip-ti-ka ' dan-ni-na '^
117. be-el * matati sum-su it-ta-bi a-bi ' '''En-lil
118. zik-ri ^ ''"lofip-i im-bu-u na-gfab-su-un '
119. is-me'^-ma ''"E-a ka-bat-ta-su i-te-en-gu^"
120. ma-a sa abe"-su u-sar-ri-hu zik-ru-u-su ^^
121. su-ii ki-ma ia-a-ti-ma '^"E-a lu-u sum-su
122. ri-kis par-si-ia ka-li-su-nu li-biP--ma
123. gim-ri te-ri^'-ti-ia su-ii lit^^-tab-bal
124. ina zik-ri hansa^* ilani rabuti
125. hansa ^' sume^'-su im-bu-u u-sa-ti"-ru al-kat-su
Epilogue ^'^
126. li-is-sab^'-tu-ma mah^*-ru-u li-kal-Iim
' la-as, 91 139. '^ 35506, mil.
' h'-ts-si-c-ma, gi 1^9; 355o6. ' a-;M, 91139.
^ See note on VI 64.
" King reads 91 139 [h'-ry-ii, 'May they lengthen', i.e. carry on the
tale for ever. If this reading be correct then /ibil is to be taken from
aidlu, ' May they carry it to eternity '. lissi, Itsse from Tiasii}
' 91139, hem, rti. ku, nu; K. 9267. as-ra; 35506, dan-ni-na. C,
Rm. 366. King, ii 57 has as-ru = samtl, and danyiinu = irsitim. See
also CT. 13, 32 R. 10, danjiinu = irsitum.
6 iUEN, 91139; 35506; hu 91139. C. 57, 8-12.
' 91139, z'«a s/X'-r/; 35506, «^-;7Z/.
" 91139; 35506, OTt'-^; c,\\j,f), ii-la-an-gi. C. 57, 17-22 has 7iagu,
Syn. hidil.
" 91139, ah-bi; 91139, 355o6, zi-hr. '^ 9ii39, bi-il.
" 91 1 39, ri-e: li-it. C. 58, which after the comments on 1. 120 has
the text in extenso, at the beginning of 1. 123 inserts u.
" 91 139; 35506, /i(z-i2«-la-a; C. 58, has also 50-(f///. On the misuse
of the ending -am after cardinal numbers, see Suvierian Grammar. § 176.
K. 9267 omits lines 119-24 and reads 'The Igigi named the titles all
Epilogue 207
114. In the future may the peoples when days grow old,
1 1 5. Proclaim ° unceasingly, " Let him rule * for ever ".'
116. Since he created the places (of heaven) and
fashioned the firm (earth),
117.' Lord of the Lands ', father Enlil named him.
1 18. All of the titles which the Igigl named,
119. Ea heard and his spirit rejoiced,
120. Saying, ' He whose titles his fathers have made
glorious,
121. Shall be even as me, "God Ea " is his name.
122. The totality of my decrees shall he direct, yea
all of them.
123. All of my laws shall he carry out'.
1 24. By fifty titles the great gods,
125. As his fifty names, named (him) and they made
his way pre-eminent.
Epilogue "
126. May they be held in remembrance; verily an
ancient " taught them.
of them, his fifty names they named, &c.' The insertion of 11. 119-24
was obviously made with reference to the incantation rituals in which
Marduk acts as the messenger of Ea. Note the ingenious method of
the redactors in 1. 124 where Igigi in 1. 118 is repeated under the guise
of Hani rabuti. C. 58 has ?>/a zi-kir.
'' ha-an-la-a, 91139; lu-mi-e-lu, 91 139, 35506. '° C. 58, te.
" With 1. 125 the text on the Commentary, King, ii 58, ends, and hence
King concluded that 11. 126 and following form a late addition. The
contents of these lines support his view. Rm. 366 has here a curious
note whose obscurity is increased by the loss of the ends of the lines.
It reads, an-nii-H-tu ul kal-a a [ ] la 51 lume [ ] la ina
lib-bi '^^Asar-n' [ ], ' These (names) are not complete and
which 51 names which from (the book) ^^^Asaru [Idri'k merilti
nashu ?), i. e. these names are extracted from a composition which was
known under this title, and which is the first line of Book VII. If this
restoration be correct it proves that Book VII is really an extract from
a well-known hymn concerning the names of Marduk.
'* 91139, a-t73; ma-ah.
" mahrti, ' The first one ' ; whether in time ' the ancient ' or in rank,
2o8 Tablet VII
127. en-ku ^ mu-du-u mit^-ha-ris^ lim^-tal-ku
128. li-sa-an-ni-ma a-bu ^ ma-ri - li--sa-hi-iz
129. sa '""''Ve'i ^ u na-ki-di ^ li-pat-ta-a uz-na-su^-un
130. li*-ig-gi-ma a-na ''"En-lil ilani "'"Marduk.
131. mat-su lid-dis^-sa-a su-u lu ^ sal'-ma
132. ki-na-at a-mat-su la e-na-at ^ ki-bit'^-su
133. si-it pi-i-su la ut-te-pi-il * ilu ai-um-ma
134. ik-ki-lim-mu^-ma ul u-tar-ra ki-sad^-su i|
135. ilia sa-ba-si-su uz-za-su ul i-mah-har-su ilu ma-
am "-man
136. ru-u-ku lib'"-ba-su su-'i-id '" kar-as-su "
137. sa an-ni u kil-la-ti ^^ ma-har-su i-[ba-'-«i'] ^ '
138. tak-lim-ti mah-ru-u id-bu-bu pa-nu-us-su
139. \Ji-ii-Yur-\_ma /zi-/a]-kan a-na i&-\ri-i{ ur-kif\
' the most learned ', remains uncertain. For mahru as ' first in rank ',
cf. sag = mahru, CT. 19, 42 a 25.
' 91139 inserts conjunction ii; 35506, u; 91139, rni-it; ri-u ;
li-im.
^ 91139 and 35506, ma-n'-i's, 'his son'; K. 9267, man, and /«- ;
35506, a-6d.
' 91 139, [/7- '«]-/' ; I'iid. and 35506, Ju ; 91 139, ttz-ni-su; K. 9267,
uzjid. tiz7id is obviously the subject of lipalld, 11', piel of internal
condition. See Book I 13 note. K. 9267 has na-kid.
*■ King sees la 'g-\gi\ on 91 139, i.e. Arabic la.\ ,
^ 91139, li-id-\di-~\es ; ibid, and K. 9267, lu-u ; 91139, la-al. B
■^ K. 9267, -tia-l'i.
' 355061 l''-'^- Fi'om line 132 onward the reference is again to Marduk.
1^
Epilogue 209
127. May the wise and the knowing consider them
together.
128. May father repeat them and teach them to
son.
1 29. Let the ears of shepherd and pastor open them-
selves,
130. And may he rejoice in Enlil of the gods, even
Marduk.
131. So may his land thrive and may he be pros-
perous.
132. His word is sure and his command is unalter-
able.
133. The utterance of his mouth no god annuls.
134. If he looks he turns not away his neck.'"
135. In his anger no god withstands his rage.
136. Unsearchable is his heart, tried is his mind.
137. Before whom transgression and frivolity are an
abomination.
138. The instruction which an ancient thought out in
former times,
139. May one write down and -make accessible for
instruction in future days.
* 91 139 adds ma. utleptl, with negative la should be preterite.
' 35506 adds -u; K. 9267, kisad-.
'" The line refers to Marduk's sign of favour in answer to prayer.
" K. 9267, 7?ian-. " 91 139' ^'-'*-
" 91 139; 35506; K. 9267, ra-pa-as. hi id is probably III" Prm
of IIV ' repeat, recur ', in Hebrew hipKil, ' impress upon, assure '. Here
II' uwidu-si, ' he bequeathed to her, certified to her ', VS. viii 3, 7 ; P
Inf. itudu, 'prayer, intercession '. Ebeling, KAR. 105 R 6.
'* 35506, -Ja-ra-fli-j-a; 91 139, /(•«-[ ] ; K. 9267, /-a-raH ].
'* 91 139, luvi.
^^ liid., da-[ ]; K. 9267, (5a-V[ ]. The restoration was made
by Jensen.
l«B7 O
2IO
Tablet VII
140. ...... a/ ''"Marduk lu-ii ilani
141 -mat-tu-u su-um
142 il-ku-u ma
1
' King believes that this is the last line on the tablet. At any rate
the line numbered 80 above cannot be much in error, and it is the last
on the Obverse on K. 8519, but naturally the contents of the Reverse
may not have occupied all the space, and a long colophon may have
followed On K. 13761 the last line on the Obverse is 66 above, which
Epilogue 2 1 1
140 of Marduk verily the gods
141. ........
142
proves that it could have contained not more than 130 lines; but it may
belong to K. 9267, which omits six lines. Tablet I, the longest in the
epic, has 161 lines. Dr. King's estimate of 143 lines for Tab. VII must
be nearly accurate.
O 2
P J=^ ?^ >^ ^^
55
(U
i_
>
JO
o
ilm'tti-is^
1^4
^
1^
it
iSt
Stt5
^
in
Obverse
»^i>>f Wf »: te: ^^^:
^ ^^ »: tiii^ )^^^
K. 9138
03
ADDENDA
I
In vol. viii of Ebeling's KeilschrifUexte aus Assur, which reached
me after this book was in print, a number of tablets referred to as
unpublished on p. 62, are given.
VAT. 9873 = KAR. viii 314.
VAT. 10152 is restored by 12951 + 10392 under KAR. viii 313.
VAT. 10346 = KAR. viii 317.
VAT. 10659 = KAR. viii 316.
VAT. 10898 = KAR. viii 318.
VAT. 10997 — KAR. viii 315.
KAR. 162 II 4 = Tablet I 55 has not an-nu-u, but ^^'^'■Mu-um-mu,
which is an error of diitography from line 53.
Line 58. KAR. 313 has ku-la rightly.
Line 59. su-tiir is correct.
Line 64. KAR. 313, ir-ti-hi-lu.
Line 69. KAR. 313, ik-mi-su-ma.
Line 70. KAR. 313, ^^'^Mu-um-ma e-ln-sir.
Tablet I 92 at end, read, after KAR. 314, 10, mim-mu-su, 'he
surpassed them in every way '.
Line 94. KAR. 314, a-ma-ri-es.
Tablet I 53. KAR. 315, 4, ^'■''Mii-um-vta.
KAR. 315 omits lines 61-2.
Line 34. KAR. 317, ild?ni(}iii).
Line 39. KAR. 317, lu-sa-ap-pi-ih.
Line 41. KAR. 317, in for ina.
Lines 108-17 are partially preserved on KAR. 317, Reverse.
Line 109. KAR. 317 Rev. 3, read da-ri-il and correct p. 82
n. 9.
Line no. KAR. 317, U-mut-ta.
Line 1 13. KAR. 317, ka-lis tul-bi.
KAR. 317 Rev. 9, 7iu-uk-ki, read su-uk-ki, and see 1. 123.
KAR. 316 = VAT. 10659 is a new duplicate of Tab. IV 18-26,
Line 19, us-ziz-zu-ma.
Line 23, tp-su.
Line 24, iu-ri (sic !).
Line 26, i-tur.
Addenda 215
II
New light on the myth of the Death and Resurrection of Bel-
Marduk has come to hand after this volume was in print. In the Revue
d'Assyriologie, Vol. XIX, 175-185, M. Thureau-Dangin has published
a remarkable hymn concerning the god Liilu, 'La Passion du Dieu Lillu'.
Here the god Lillu, which means the 'feeble one', or the fool, imbecile,
cripple, is described as one imprisoned in the lower-world, and his sister
Egi-me (queen of lamentation) and his mother Gasanhar-sagga lament
for him, precisely as in the more familiar cult of Tammuz the sister and
mother of Tammuz laments for Tammuz.' Lillu and his sister in the
new text conduct a dialogue in the same manner as Tammuz and his
sister-mother Ishtar. He beseeches her to release him from his bondage ^
in the infernal regions and to prepare for him a funeral feast in the land
of the living. Now it is remarkable that Lzllu, who in SBP. 222, 9 is
undoubtedly a name for the older Bel or the earth-god Enlil of Nippur,
is also transformed into a type of Tammuz in the cult of the earth-mother
at Adab in this new text. See also SBP. 24 Rev. 3: '^■Aruru ama dumu
'^■Lil-ra-ge, 'Aruru mother of the child Lil'. Here Adab and its temple
are mentioned, as in the Louvre hymn. Aruru is only another name of
the earth goddess Ninharsagga or Gasanharsagga, for whom the Sumerians
had many other titles, especially Nintud or Nintur, Ninkarrak, Gula, Bau,
Nimmag, and Dingir-mag. In the Weld-Blundell dynastic prism of
the Ashmolean Museum (W-B. 444) the father of Gilgamish is named.
He is there called Lil-ld. Now in this list of the kings of the first
dynasty of Erech, the deified man Tammuz ^ is the fourth king of Erech
and his successor was Gilgamish. If Lilla means here simply ' the
' See Tammuz and Jsktar, 18 ff.; 42 ff. et passim.
' silag, simlag in KA. 19, 179, 18-19; 1^°. 25-6 is probably identical with si-lam,
dialectic for silag, sila'^ = limitu, BL., No. 8, Rev. 5.
' The god Tammuz I take to be in reality a deified prehistoric king who was
identified with the old dying god Abu, Damu. See Tammuz and Ishtar, pp. 26, 40,
64. The dynastic tablets published since that book was written (1914) show that
Sir James Frazer was partially rigiit when he saw in the cult of the dying god an
association with living kings. I do not believe, however, with him that the cult of
Tammuz in Sumer arose out of the practice of slaying a king as a sacrifice to the
divine powers of nature. This cult of a dying god in Sumer was much older than
* Dumu-zi (Tammuz) the fisherman ' who became king of Erech. For some reason
the Sumerians chose him as the prehistoric king to typify the relation between man
and nature, a relation which they always particularly attributed to kings from the
earliest times as chief representative of the society. The Sumerians and Babylonians
undoubtedly attributed peculiar divine relationship to kings. They were supposed to
be sons of the earth goddess and consequently an identification of them with the dying
god, son of the same goddess, was inevitable.
2i6 Addenda
feeble one ' it is only a title of Tammuz father and predecessor of
Giigamish.
A book of a mother goddess liturgy, which I published in Babylonian
Liturgies, No. 8, mentions Giigamish as a dying god and a type of
Tammuz. It goes on to say : u-mu-zi-da me-ir-si si-lam-la = Umuzida
ina limit girse, that is, ' The faithful lord in the bonds of imprisonment ',
and it speaks of the brothers of Tammuz. Umuzida is only another title
of Tammuz and this text clearly reveals the fact that the frail young god,
who died yearly with the summer flowers, was supposed to have been
bound in the lower world, and that other deities suffered the same fate,
or were associated with the same cult. Other te.xts prove that at the
yearly lamentations for the dying god in the hot month Tammuz, this god
was believed to suffer imprisonment in the lower world.^
Another Bel or local form of the earth-god was made the subject of
the same myth ; he was Ningirsu or Egigirsu, god of the ancient city
Lagash. The word girsu or mirsu in Sumerian means nakmt2, bondage,
and e'-gir-su is explained in syllabars by bit nak?ni, hit ^Lil-li, bit '^■Ningirsu
and mersfi (loan-word). See AJSL. 33, 197, 260; CT. 12, 22, B.M.,
36991 Rev. 10-13. That is, 'house of bondage', 'house of the god
Lillu ', 'house of the god Ningiisu', or 'bondage'. The god Damu
(older name of the dying god) is called umiin gir-su-a, ' lord of imprison-
ment', PBS. X 306, 28 ; SEP. 160, 14 {umun me-ir-si), KL. S Rev. II 6.
A lament to the god Tammuz has me-ir-si id Zimbir(ki)-ge = ina girse
sa ah Puratti, ' By bondage, on the shore of the Euphrates (why hast
thou destroyed him from me) .? ' So speaks his mother Ishtar to the
demon of the nether-world, who had bound and taken away the young
god.'^ This ancient earth-god at Lagash was, therefore, another form of
the Bel who died and was bound for a time in the vast tomb of nether
darkness. His name actually means ' Lord of bondage '.
These nature gods whose strength failed them and who perished for
a time seem to have been more numerous than we have supposed. They
all seem to have been named 'the cripple or feeble one'. Tammuz was
identified with the constellation Orion under the title "^^'' Sib-zi-an-na,
the faithful shepherd of heaven ', and, in fact, the Hebrew name for
Orion is ?''pD, which probably means 'the fool'. As a constellation he
was supposed to have been a god chained to the stars, and the entire
myth, together with its details, seems to be reflected both in the Hebrew
name and in the passage of Job 38, 31, 'Dost thou fasten the bands of
' See Tammuz and hhtar, i.^ n. 2, and the Berlin Astrolabe, Weidner, H. B. 85 :
araj} re'ti ^-Dumu-zi iJtkami), ' Month when the shepherd Tammuz is bound.'
^ BL. 96, 3.
Addenda 217
the Pleiades (?), or loosen the cords of Orion ? ' See the comment on
Job 9, 9 in Driver and Gray's Job, p. 86. The same myth was known
to the Greeks. [A new prism, unpublished, proves that the Ke§ Liturgy,
PBS. X 311-23, belongs really to cult of the dying god.]
All this new information is important in forming a correct judgement
concerning the similar myth of the imprisonment and release of Marduk-
BSl, edited on pages 34—49. It i s clearly a form of the Tam muz_£ult.
The persistent epithet of ' the fool ' or ' the cripple ' applied to the
' bound god ' has obviously a bearing upon the Sacaea festival discussed
on pages 57-59. The word may be connected with sakku, 'dumb,
stupid ', and the bogus king, Soganes, may represent the ' fool-god '.
Ill
The root elelu, ' to be possessed of a strong fair body', Mr. G. R. Driver
connects with the Arabic root 'atila, magna corpore praeditus fuit, 'atilun,
pulchro corpore praeditus. See p. 76, 66 and 80, 88.
For hi-ut tamhari, 90, 150, Driver suggests lu-ud, and supposes a
noun Mdu, 'leadership', from the Arabic SlI 'to be a \e.zA(ix' , sMun,
leadership. This well-known Arabic root is to be expected in Babylonian
but it cannot be established at present. (Doubtful.)
The phrase sekar-ka ^^^ Anuvi, 126, 4. 6, Driver compares with a
similar e.xample of coviparatio compendaria in Hebrew. In Ps. 45. 7
n-lihvi 1ND3 ' thy throne is god ', which is exactly parallel to ' thy
command is Anu ' in this epic. This proves that the Hebrew text
is correct and that no emendation is required. Mr. Driver refers to
the intuitive discussion of this phrase by his father, Professor S. R.
Driver, in Hebrew Tenses, § 194 (Observation).
mu-al-li-da-at, or var. mummallidat (IP fern, part of ualadu), 66, 4,
'the woman who bears', 'the bearer', is the original of the Greek name of
Ishtar, MvAirra, Mylitta, as Zimmern has already discovered, Keilschriflen
und das Alte Testament'-^, 423 n. 7. Mr. Driver with Jensen compares
the Greek goddess WCkdBvia. (Ilithyia), who aided women in childbirth.
[The Arabian name for the same goddess 'AXtXar, Herodotus I 132 ;
III 8, is undoubtedly taken from the epithet of the Babylonian goddess
of childbirth, alidat, 'she that bears', by textual corruption. Cf. the
title of Gula (= Nintud), the goddess of childbirth, ummu a-li-da-at
salmat kakkadi, ' Mother who gives birth to the dark-headed people ',
IV R. 54 b 27. The casus rectus is alittu, a common word for 'child-
bearing woman '.]
Mr. Driver makes a comment upon the verb uapH, which is surely
21 8 Addenda
correct and solves the difficulties hitherto connected with this verb. The
verb has two different senses in Babylonian, (i) to come into being,
become visible, and (2) to be beautiful, glorious, to excel. Root (1)
Driver connects with Arabic ua/a'un, full-grown, adult, and ia/aa,
he grew up, iafdun, adult, and Hebrew JJQ'', in hipKil, to shine forth, or
cause to shine forth. Root (2) he connects with Arabic Jj, to be com-
plete, in aph'el (IV), ' he overtopped ', cviinuit. The connexion of this
South Semitic root (Arabic, Ethiopic, Sabean), which is also Syriac, with
Hebrew HB' , to be beautiful, is denied by Barth. See Gesenius-Buhl,
Handworlerbuch, sub voce.
For root (i), ua/a'a, see 66, 7, la su-pu-u, 'they had not been brought
into being', and for root (2), ua/aia, IIP u{us)tappii, they glorified, 70, 22.
For the P form of root (i), see Boissier, Choix II 59, 15 : ektl luatu
i-ua-pi-i, ' that field will attain unto full growth ', field being used by
metonymy for its produce. For P of root (2), cf. i-na t-ir-ti-su nu-pi-e-ma,
against him we have triumphed (?), Vale Oriental Series II 93, 18. See
also for IIP, Imp. suppi, make thyself beautiful, JRAS. 1921, 186, 19;
IIP ui-ta-pa-a, he is brilliant, Thureau-Dangin, Riluels, 67, 17. In
the sense of glorify IIP, lisdpil zikri-ka, RA. 8, 43, 9.
INDEX A
Adununna (god), 201.
Agakug (god), 195.
Agilma (god), 199.
Agumkakrime, his door panels,
10.
Akitu, house of New Year's festival,
25; 27; 28; 32; Marduk's
journey to, 204 n. 3.
A-MAL (god), 186 n. 10 ; identified
with Marduk, 130 n. 5.
Analysis of the Epic, 12-16.
Anduruna, cosmological concept,
71; 85.
Anu (god) : in ritual of festivals,
23 ; 28 ; Way of Anu is the
central band of stars or ecliptic,
155; other references, 69; 83;
loi; 117; 123; 133; 139;
149; 171 ; 191-
Ansar (god), 69; 95; 99; loi ;
103; 105; 109; hi; 119;
125; 145; 187.
Anunnaki (gods), 91; 99; 103;
115; 123; 167; 171; 173;
175; 176 n. 2; 183; 185;
A-nu-uk-ki, 91 n. 27; 102, 88.
Apsfl (god, and nether sea), 67 ;
71; 73; 75; 77; 79; 83; 95;
loi ; 147; 149.
Asakku, one of the bound gods,
30; 52; the seven asakku, 142
n. 9.
Asar-lu-dug (god), 185; 187.
Asaru (god), 189.
Asaru-alim (god), 189.
Asaru-alim-nunna (god), 191.
A§ur, god of Assyria, substituted for
Marduk, 32; 41 n. 8; 47; 79.
Babylon, 173; 175.
Bara§agkusu (god), 183.
Bgl (god), 131, 33.
Belitanas, 37.
Beltis, of Babylon, 39 ; 43 ; of
Erech, 41.
Bound gods, 142 n. 9; 144, 127;
194, 27.
Bull, white bull of Taurus, 26 n. i.
Burning of bound gods, 30, and
see Kingu.
Canal star, 23; 181, 90.
Cyclone, name of a weapon, 1 7 ;
132 n. 12; 183, 103.
Decans of the twelve signs of the
zodiac, 152-4; not a planetary
system, 153.
Diggia, name of Nergal, 145.
Dumudukug (god), 203.
Ea (god): Lahmu for Ea, 78 n. 4 ;
79 n. II ; Way of Ea, southern
band of stars, 157, 8 ; creator of
man, 169, 171; in ritual, 31;
149; other references, 75; 77;
105; 165; 167; 169; 191;
207.
Eastern horizon, 158 n. 2; 161
n. 7. See elati.
Enlil (god), in old Sumerian myth
of Creation, 28; 29; 30; 31;
94 n. 4 ; precursor of Ea in the
myth, 20; 23; in the ritual,
23 ; Way of Enlil, northern band
of stars, 157, 8; stands for
Marduk-Bel, 177; other refer-
ences, 191.
Erech, two festivals of New Year,
28.
Esabad, temple of Gula in myth of
Bel, 47, 63.
220
Index A
Esagila, temple of Bel-Marduk,
173; 175; 181 ; 36, 12.
Esarra, 149; originally a poetical
term for earth, also for heaven,
148 n. 2.
Etir-Bel, 109.
E-umusa, chapel of Marduk, 24.
Ezur (god), 205.
Five-day week, 160 n. 4.
Four winds, 132, 43. 46.
Gaga (god), messenger of the gods,
109, 2 ; 109 n. 10 ; in ; 117.
GAN-UR, constellation. Crux, 130
n. 5.
Garment, miracle of, 129.
Gibil (god), fire-god identified with
Marduk, 92, 160 and n. 5; 98,
47; 122, 109; 203.
Gisnumunabba (god), 201.
Houses of the moon, 151; of the
planets, same as their stations,
149 n. I.
Hubur, mother Hubur, 85, 132;
~97, 19; III, 15; 113, 23; H9-
Hypsoma in astrology, 149 n. 8.
Igigi, gods of the upper-world,
125, 126.
Imhulla, 133; 141; 185; their
number, 176 n. 3; 169, 21;
171.
KAK-BAN (star), 176, 67.
KAK-SI-DI (star), 177 n. 10.
King at the festival, 25-6 ; 29.
Kingu (god), husband of Tiamat,
52; burning of, 21 n. i; 22;
30; see 90; 99; loi ; 115;
121; 123; 137; 139; 145;
169.
Kisar, 69, 12.
Kugsud (god), 190 n. 6.
Lahamu (goddess), 69; 79; 87;
III ; 119; 121 ; 125 ; 187.
Lahmu (god), 69; 79; 81; m;
119; Lahha, 125, 125; 187.
See Ea.
LilO, man, 167, 5.
Lugal-dimmer-anki (god), 169.
Lugal-dukugga (god), 203; 202
n. 2.
Lugal-durmah (god), 201.
Lugal-esdubur (god), 201.
Lumasi (stars), 151 n. i.
IMalefactor, slain with Bel, 43 ; 45 ;
56.
Maliki (city), 186 n. 10.
Mar-biti (god), 186 n. 10.
Marduk (god), astral titles of, 24 ;
his curse, 21 ; as solar deity, 32 ;
as Tammuz, 33 ; 50 ; his death
and resurrection, 194 n. 22 ; 34-
56 ; birth of, 79-83 ; title muzdiz
iske/i, 186 n. 10; ransoms man-
kind, 195 ; as fire-god, 203 n. 6 ;
171 n. 8; see Gibil; other refer-
ences, 105; 117; 123; 127;
129; 165; 167; 181; 183;
209; 211; as Enlil and Ea,
173, 48; derivation of name,
182 n. 8.
Moon, motions of, 160-4; oppo-
sition of, 162 n. 2.
Mukug (god), 197.
Mummu, creative form, 67, 4 ; as
deity, 72,30, and variant sukkallu,
messenger, 73 n. 2 ; see 72 n. i ;
messenger of ApsO, 75, 47. 53;
76, 66. 70. 72; 83, 117; 101,
55 ; title of Marduk, 200, 69.
Nabu-ahe-iddin, 109.
Nabu-balatsu-ikbi, 93.
Nabu-bel-su, 149.
Nabu-musetik-Qmi, 93.
Na'id-Marduk, 93 ; 149.
Namru (god), 187.
Namtilaku (god), 187.
Nannar, god of new-moon, 158,
12 ; as Marduk, 171, 36.
Naridimmer-anki (god), 185.
Nebo (god), 35; 39; i" Nisan
ritual, 22; 24; 25; represents
winter darkness, 25.
Index A
221
New Year's festival, at Babylon,
20-8; at Erech, 28; rituals of,
29-31.
Nibiru (god), name of Jupiter at
meridian, 156 ; constellations at
equinoxes, 155," intersection of
celestial equator and ecliptic,
156 ; 205 ; 204 n. 9.
Ninurta (god), son of Enlil and
original protagonist of the Epic,
18-19; 30; 47.
Nisan festival based on Epic of
Creation, 20 ff.
Nudimmud (god), 71; loi ; 117;
123; 145; 147; 171-
Nusku (god), keeper of Bel's tomb,
47.
Pagalguenna (god), 201.
Raiment taken from Bel, 41.
Ransom of mankind, 194 n. 22.
Recitation of Epic at New Year's
festival, 23.
Red Sea, origin of name, 146 n. 3.
.Sagzu (god), 197.
Sakaia, Persian festival, 57.
Sakut (god), in Nisan festival, 22.
Senecherib, bronze gates of, 11.
Seven winds, 132, 46. 47.
Shamash (god), 35; 41.
Sin (god), 35; 41.
Soganes, 57.
Solar myth, 20.
Suhguhab (god), 199.
Suhhab (god), 199.
Sumerian origin of the Epic, 11;
16 ff.
Stations, in astrology, 149 n. 8 ;
means hypsoma, ibid. ; stations
of moon, ibid.
Tammuz (god), 34 n. 3 ; 215.
Taurus, rising of the constellation,
fixed the New Year when Epic
was written, 26 n. i.
Tiamat, dragoness of chaos, 67 ;
71; 73; 83; 85; 95; 99; loi ;
103; 107; 113; 117; 123;
25; 131
'33; '37; 141;
147 ; 169; 203; 205.
Tomb of Bel, 35 n. 5 ; 47 n. 5.
Tutu (god), 191; 190 n. 6; 192,
15; 193 n. 16.
Ubsukkinna, assembly hall, 27;
109; 117; 123; 125; 187.
Urbadda (god), 190 n. 6.
Veiling of holy objects, Anu, Enlil,
Nebo, 23, 25 ; 59 n. 2.
Western horizon, 158 n. 2,
Zikug(god), 193.
Zisi (god), 199.
Zi-ukkinna (god), 193.
ZQ, mythical monster in original
Sumerian Epic, precursor of
Tiamat, 19 n. i ; figured on
Assyrian monuments in combat
with Asur, 19 n. i ; in astrology,
Pegasus, ibid. \ other references,
30; 52-
Zulummar, Zulum (god), 200 n. i.
INDEX B
a'drti, to proceed, u! ia-ar, io2,
go; m-ar-ka, io6, iii; Prt. V-
ir, ii6, 55; 122, 113; Imp.
'/-/r, 1 10, II.
abalu, with saplu, 80, 96 ; with pii,
196, 33 ; with libhu, 102, 93 ;
116, 56; 122, 114; 158, 78;
164, I.
abaru, be powerful. P Prm. ilbur,
82, 103.
abatu, to destroy, abit Hani, 200,
73; abtu, destroyed, 186, 130.
abrali, mankind, 194, 25.
abubu, cyclone, name of a weapon,
i32> 49; 136, 75; 182, 103.
adi, Prep., except, 94, 14; 95 n. 11 ;
no, 18; III n. 21; 118, 76.
Until, 124, 127.
adH, age, cycle, 69 n. 4.
d:^/?, crown. Phase of the moon,
158, 14; agd masla, 160, 17.
akti, side, ah, Prep., for the sake
of, 94. 3-
akrabu-amelu, Scorpion-man, Sagi-
tarius, 88, 141; 96, 28; 112,
32 ; 120, 90.
dlu, to bind. P, e-ta-a-lu, 38, 21.
alkatu =■ arkaiu, 1 4 1 n. 16.
allu, pickaxe, 172, 46.
amaru, to behold, amaris paska,
80, 94.
ammalu, threshold, 66, 2.
a«a, more than, 70, 19; 138 n. 3.
Comparative preposition. In
sense of as, 132 n. 8.
anantu, hostility ; with samddu,
94. 4-
annu, punishment, 168, 25.
anta'ii, fang, 86 n. 2 ; 112, 25.
appuna, appundta, altogether, 89,
145; 96, 32; 114.36; 120,94.
arahu, to consume, 134 n. 7.
aniku, be long. IP Prt., ume uriku,
94, 7 ; urriku ume, 68, 13 ; Vars.
u-ur-ri-ku, u-ri-ki.
arkanus, astronomical term, 161
n. 8.
asdru, to muster, dh'r Hani, 184,
121 ; cf. 198, 65.
asris, Prep., 94, 8; no, 4.
a/ta'u, fang, 96, 21; 118, 83; 86,
134-
atu, a garment, 42, 42.
atdlu, ctelu, be manly. P, itatilla,
' 70, 28 ; IP, uttulat, 80, 88 ;
utlatu, manly parts, 76, 66.
atnatu, dwelling, 66 n. 3 ; atmatu,
78. 79-
azaru, to curse. Prt. izirrannati,
94, 11; no, 15; 118, 73;
idziri, 138, 80 ; Prm. azruninuna,
84, 128; 94.15; 112, 19; 118,
77-
ba'u. III", usbamma, 74, 54.
baki2, to weep. IV ', tabbaki, 82,
113-
balta, to flee. IV', ibbaM, 128,
16.
bdrii, to explore. Prt. i-bi-ir lame,
146, 141.
basmu. Viper, Hydra, 1 20, 89 ; 86,
140; 96, 27; 112,31. See also
p. 10 and 17 n. i.
bel hitti, sinner, malefactor, 36, 17 ;
38, 20. 25; 42, 45. 46.
birru, window, 48, 68.
bubbulu, period of moon's darkness,
162, 21.
dabdbu, plan, think, speak, idabub,
40, 36 ; dabibum, 40, 34.
Index B
22-
Jdmu, blood, 96, 22; 112, 26;
13°. 32; 146. 131 ; 164, 3;
168, 25. 26; ddme-lu sarpu, 36,
15; (/got?/ ^(7 surri, 42, 43.
dandnti, IP, i/o^Jw, 76, 72.
£/a«;«>i«, earth, 206, 116.
dardku, to lay hold of, 172. 46.
dindnu, judgement, 38, 18.
dumukku, gratitude, 172, 37.
durmahu, 200, 78.
'eddu, 'euddu, to repeat. Ill" Prm.
iiiid, 208, 136.
eberu, to bind. P, itibhiru, 204,
109; ebir same, 146, 141.
^(//ra, to bind. P, itedir, he em-
braced, 74, 53.
f^K, to loiter, 156, 7.
<'^«?, to murmur, babble, 126, 137
and n. i.
ekesu, to dispel, mukkisu, 198, 42.
elali, elat same, western horizon,
158, II.
ele.iu, to exult, 107, 121.
elu, skull, 76, 70.
emd, speak. P, Imp. alme, 100,
78.
emedu, stand upon, attain, meet.
IV^, innindu, 124, 132 ; 138, 93 ;
70, 21.
eninnu, erihitta, innanu, innanna,
now. See 91 n. 32; 98, 45;
114, 49; 122, 107.
enulu, Anuship, for aniitu, 1 14, 49 ;
178, 84.
epelu, with pii. Prt. emphatic, epsu
pi-lu, n6, 57; 122, 115; 164.
2; 166, 14; 178, 81 ; 117, 57;
122, 115; pd-lu ipusamma, 108,
I. Prm. Subjunctive, ep-su pi-ia,
116, 62; 108, 127; 124, 120.
Imp. epsa pi-ku>!ti, g2, 160; 122,
109 (f/)-i«); 98,47; 116,51;
iptts pi-ka, 104, 1 01 ; epla p'l-ka,
128, 23.
eseni, to bind. P, ilasir, 76, 70.
essimtu, bone, 164, 3 and n. 5.
eigalla, 148, 144-5.
esA, be dark, confused. alkata
esita, var. es'ita, 74, 49 ; esi
tna!ak-su, 136, 67; nitil-sun ih',
^ 136, 70-
«/?, to rebel, do evil. eM Tiamat,
70, 22. See n. 12, ibid,
ehelu, ten, in word for eleven, 89
n. 10; 96,32; 114, 36; 120,94.
e/eku, to tear. IP, utadik, 76, 68.
eijalu, emelu, to suckle, 40 n. 4.
See nhnelu.
galddu, to run in frenzy, 44, 57 ;
52. 3-
giparu, 67 n. 9; 66, 6; 78, 77.
girtablilu. Scorpion-man, 88, 141 ;
1 12, 32 ; 120, 90.
giigallu, location, 176, 68.
gistil, champion, 184, 126.
GUD-ALIM, Ophiuchus, 89, 142,
variant.
hdiru, husband, 90, 154; 98, 41;
114, 45; 122, 103 ; 136, 66.
For hauiru cf. hamru. }}diriltu,
iss/si.
habdsu, to be satiated, 124 n. 13.
hddu, to rejoice. Imp. hidi, Mdu,
106, 114.
Mkti, to mingle, ihtku, 66, 5.
haldbu, to milk (?), 40, 33.
halasu, scourge, 104, 95; halat
lukmale, 104, 94.
hamdni, II', hummura endlUni,
dazed are our eyes, 84, 120.
hamiu, fieriness, 82, 104.
harasu, lie in childbirth, 179 n. 12.
haristu, midwife, woman in child-
birth, 79 n. 12 ; harsatu, harsitu,
78, 84. ' . "
harmu, husband, 82, 112. 116; 72,
42.
harmamu, to ban. Ill", lisharmimu,
86, 138; 112,29; IV^, sarbabis
Iihharmim, 86 n. 8 ; 96, 25 ;
120, 87.
hasiisti, to understand, hasdsi'^ la
natd, 80, 94.
hasisu, ear, 80, 97.
h'lratu, wife, 78, 78.
hursanii, mountain, lower-world,
38, 23. 29.
224
Index B
J, exclamation with Prl. 172, 38.
40; 100, 54.
iaiilu, mari iautii, 80, loi.
ibru, fortified, 172, 45.
?^r«/, plotting, 186, 132.
im-itnin. Seven-winds, 132, 46;
im-iminbi, 132 n. 10.
immu, heat of day, 84, 128.
im-nudia. Unrivalled-wind, 132, 46.
imsuhhii, iJevastating-wind, 132,46.
imtu, poison, lainmi imta bulli,
134. 62.
inimmu, oath, 168, 16.
irsatu, need, desire, 126, 11.
isu arik, long bow, 176, 67.
nratii, survey, map, 188 n. 8.
is, us, adverbial ending, 142 n. i.
See also s determinative.
2M, help, 182, 114.
isid same, eastern horizon, 160, 19.
ishi, portion, 186 n. 10; 200, 68.
z'tii, boundary, law. itukka la ittik,
126, 10.
itti, from, 196, 36.
iasaru, isdru, move straightly.
uWiir harran-la, 102, 80.
kadatnmu. coffin (.'), 40, 32 ; 45 n. 5.
kanidsu, to tarry, kammusa/uni,
36, 16.
karru, sackcloth, 90, 151 ; 98, 38;
1 14, 42 ; 122, 100.
karubu, intercessor, 190, 5.
kasasu, to assemble, tksahinimma,
124, 129.
katamu, cover. With saptu, 102,
89; 140, 98; IIP, la sukiumal,
104, 106. 108.
ktsiru, to restore, 186, 130.
kulilu, Fish-man, Aquarius, 88,
142; 96,29; 112,33; 120,91;
89 n. 6. See p. 10.
kummii, chamber, 78, 75.
kupu, monstrosity, 147 n. 4.
kusarikku. Fish-ram, Capricorn, 88,
142; 96, 29; 112, 33; kitdar-
rikku, 120, 91; 89 n. 7. See
p. 10. Cf kusarihhu, Bg. Keui,
I 52.
kuzippu, raiment, 40, 30.
kaburtu, grave, 34, 11.
Xawa/««, to moan, ikammam, 102,
87.
karabu, fighting, 38, 23 ; 48, 69.
karnu, horn. Said of a stage-
tower, 174, 49.
kamru, with tahazu, 94, 2; 168,
18. 24.
kipdu, plot, 198, 44.
kisru, kisru, troops, 140, 106.
kiidmi, before, kudmi-sunu, no,
1 1 ; kudmis, 72, 33.
Mill, tranquillity, 72, 40; 74, 58.
k'u, be able, td i-li-'-a mahdr-sa,
102, 82; 116, 53; 122, III ;
cf. 100, 56; 116, 53; tisbtira
teli'i, no, 5; Wat, 74, 49.
ladiu, to consume, 140 n. 5. To
blaze, burn, 182, 1 16.
labu, to wail, 48, 67.
lanidnu, IP, to do evil, ulammin,
94. 3-
libi, man, 88, 142 ; 164, 4 ; 166, .5.
See kulili.
Hsmii, running, 44, 57.
lubahi, garment, 128, 19. 23. 24.
25. 26.
lullu, with lapiu, 136, 72.
via!u, bowels, labku md-ni, 84,
120.
inahdrii, WV- , suiamhir , sutamhurat,
160,18; 162, 22 and n. 2. Astro-
nomical term for 'opposition'.
mahdsu, to wound, mahhusunisunu,
36, 15; iissatammahha^, 36, 17;
cf. 38, 20; IVi, 82^116.
manzazu, station, 148, i; 154, 6;
156, 8; 176, 57; 184, 123.
maram, to be obno.xious. With
eli, 70, 27; 72, 37.
markasu, 200, 78.
masuru, watchman, 38, 19.
maldru, for masdlu, 96, 24.
masdlu, IP, umaisil, 68, 15.
masdu, oyster, 146, 137.
matnu, bow-cord, 130, 36.
meku, plan, 102, 81 ; 74, 60; open
jaws, maw, 136, 66,
Index B
225
7nesu, sanctuary, 188, 144.
mesiru, bit mesiri, 36, 14.
mihsu, wound, 36, 15.
mitlu, host, 82, 106; 143 n. 12.
tnhirlu, sign, 152, 3.
miitu, toothed sickle, 130, 37;
146, 130.
mu/jhu, cranium, 146, 130; Prep.
ina muhhi-ia, 102, 85.
imdmulhi, arrow, 1 30 n. 5 ; identi-
fied with Crux, ibid.; 140, loi.
inupasirii, messenger, 38, 28 ; Rm.
275, 7-
7nusehi, key, 157 n. 4.
miih'ru. lustful, 80, 88.
mtismahu, 96, 20; 112, 24; 118,
82; 84, 125. 133.
mtisrulM, a dragon, Milky Way,
86, 140; 96, 27; 112, 31 ; 120,
89; 87 n. 9.
niullis, in the presence of, 100, 76 ;
104, 100; 124, 131.
7iabu, to proclaim, nimbu-hm, 166,
15; nimbd, 180, 98; 184, 117;
nimbe, 180, 99; IV', innabii,
186, 133.
nagu, to shout, sing. IP, Imp.
nugd, 174, 53-
tiahlapiu, mail, kaunakcs, 134, 57.
namzaku, lock, 157 n. 4.
tiapdsu, be wide, glad. libbus
lippus, 100, 76; of. 104, 99.
nap'saiu, PI. of napihu, 130, 31 ;
142 n. 2; napsatai, 140, 103.
Reflexive, napsatus, 142, 109.
narkablu, 132, 50; 48, 66; narkabat
iime, 106, 118; cf. 132, 50.
nasdku, to let fall, 141 n. 11.
nasirtu, soul, life, 204, 113.
nahi, to tremble. IP, unali kakkad-
su, 102, 87.
nasdku, to bite. With 'iaptu, 100,
50-
Tiasaku, to kiss. With laptu, 104,
105.
tialu, to split, 146, 130.
nimedu, sacred abode, 172, 40.
nimelu, suckling, 40, 33.
nipru, offspring, 94, 2.
nismaiu, desire, 145 n. 11.
nitu, restraint, 142, no.
nuballu, repose, 172, 39.
padil, to ransom, 194 n. 22.
palii, hatchet, 130, 29; 130 n. i.
paldsu, to bore, 48, 69.
paramahhu, 174, 51.
pasahis, 168, 20.
pasdru, to announce tidings, 46,
60; 52, 6.
penu or i/sncn(J), 100 n. i.
piiradu, fear, 124, 135.
rdbti, to tremble. IIP, liharibu,
184, 124.
rabdbti, to quench, lirabbib, 1 1 6,
52 and n. 5. See sarbdbu.
rabbaiu, majesty, 78, 78.
ralbu, fiery, 134, 55.
reM, to engender. IIP, ultarhi,
'78, 80.
reM, to bewitch, 76, 64; ri-hi,
'76. 65.
m?c, to annihilate, 128, 16.
resH, helper, 136, 69; 140, 107;
risulsu, 106, 119.
sabu, to run swiftly, 48, 66.
sddu, to slay, isddu, 76, 73 ; 144.
123.
sagti, shrine, 128, 12; igo, 10.
sakiuku, dumb, sakkukufu, 48, 67.
sdku, to confine, 204, 113.
santi = naszl, to be far away, 124,
'35- .
si/iu, disorderer. sihdti eph'l-sii,
'136, 68.
sikka/u, lock-pin, 157 n. 4.
sikurru, lock-pin, 157 n. 4.
siii'lu, sili'dli, sorrows, 44, 53.
sipii, a garment, 42, 42.
suhurmalu, goat-fish, 10.
sukaku, sukakdti, streets, 34, 9.
suraru, imploration, 40, 35.
saldpu, to spoil, damage. IP Prm.
suUupu, 148, colophon. sapil,
be complete, IIP, to perfect.
u tesbi-lumma, 80, 91.
sardru, to flow, usanarum, 44,
226
Index B
49. To shine, ^arir nisi eni-su,
78, 87.
seru, be lofty. II', Prt. usir, he
magnified, 158, 14.
siblu, sibil temi rasu, to come to
a decision, 124, 127.
silu, side, sili kilalldn, 156, 9.
simru, treasure, 192, 21.
siris, Prep, unto, 72, 32.
sirritu, breast, 78, 85.
j', determinative, 142 notes i and 4.
Mi5/?, oppressor, lahilii, 182, 103;
198, 41.
sahil, pig. alnati la sake, pigsties,
38, 24; cL 42, 44.
sahdhu, be limp, 100, 52.
sahararu, to become faint, 94, 6.
sahatu, to leap. P, hllahhitamma,
86, 139; 96, 26; 112, 30; 120,
88.
sdliiu. champion, 70, 17.
samaku = lamahu, 78, 87.
sanit, IP, to double. Noun lunndtu,
80, 91.
lanzl, helping verb, 166, 7 ; 170, 31.
saninu, a rival, 68, 14.
sapattu, full moon, 160, 18.
sdru, breath, 192, 20; 194, 23;
sdru, wind ; sdre irbitli, four
winds, 82, 105.
sarbabu, to quench, lisrabbib, 92,
161 ; 116, 52 ; 122, no.
sarlerru, red paste (?), 134, 61.
sasmu, battle, 184, 128; 138,86;
sasmil, 138, 94.
saidhu, be high, secondary form of
M/iu, 80, 100.
selu, to be sharp, 139 n. 16.
seritu, a garment, 40, 32 ; 44, 53.
sigaru, lock-rail, 156, 10.
hkkalu, v'xcloxy. hkkalus, 180, 100.
simu, fate, i88, 143.
sina, two. With zdzu, to divide
into two parts, 166 n. 6.
su, demonstrative, Fem. h'-i, in
abstract sense, 126, 8.
hi dm, singing, 70, 24.
lukullu, 190, 8.
lurilam, 144, 124.
lurlii, 174, 49.-
lut, emphatic demonstrative of su,
90, 150; 98, 37; 114,41; 120,
99. Relative pronoun, 89 n. 13 ;
96, 33; 114, 37; 120, 95. In
accusative, 142, 115. Genitive
particle, 166, 10.
idlu, ddlu, to hasten, 136 n. i.
tubkatu = tubkinu, cavern, 142 n. 7.
lubhitlu, cavern, 76, 64.
lamil, to swear. With i/li atama
itti-ia, 168, 16.
iakbUu, command, 184, 120.
larii, to nurse. P, itlarru-su, 78,
86.
tarbdiu, for iabrdtn, 174, 49.
larllu, nurse, 78, 86.
tat'u, fang, 118, 83 n. 30.
teFu, skill, 74, 59.
tl2, curse, 136, 71 ; 138, 91; 76,
62; 90, 152; 98,39; 106, 117;
114, 43; 122, loi; 196, 33.
ugallu, great lion, Leo, 88, 141;
96,28; 112,32; 120,90. See
p. 10.
ukkinnu, assembly, 96, 18; 112,
22 ; 118, 80.
iimu, spirit of wrath, ilmi daprtili,
88, 142; 96, 29;^ 112, 33; 120,
91 ; umu, day ; «/w Hi, feast day,
202, 90.
uridimmu, hound. Lupus, 88, 141 ;
96, 28; 112, 32; 120, 90. See
p. 10.
urU, store-house, 180, 102.
urugallu, high-priest, 40, 36 ; Rm.
275> 5-
usurlu, plan, curse, 76, 61 ; sign,
152 n. 3; 154, 5.
usumgallu, 120, 85; 86, 136; 96,
23; 112, 27.
iiadtt, to be lawful, la udu-ni, 48,
71. W, io Attermme, u-ad-du-u,
78, 76; 130, 35; 152, 3; 158,
13; 170. 30; 192, 17- Inf'
uddu, 154, 6; 158, 13; 160, 16.
li-ad-di, 180, 91 ; muaddu, 190,
7; 200, 67. P, ittaddu, 184,
122. IP, uluJa-hi, 202, 83.
Index B
227
uakH, to wait for. IP, la utlakka-
su, 106, 119.
uapii, to be conspicuous. Ill'-,
ultappii, 70, 22 ; ustapu, 68, 10.
See p. 218.
tiarddu, to descend. ladara(d') ! 38,
29; IIP, Hssiridunissu, 36, 14.
udrti, uii'dru, maaru, to send. IP,
Prs. u-a-ar, 1 66, 13; Prt. umdiru,
170. 32-
uasdrti, to set free. Prs. usaru-
suiii, 46, 65.
iiasdru, to be lustful, fall upon,
80 n. 2. Also iiisdru, Prt. th'r,
118, 70.
luitdrti, to repeat itself, helping verb,
107 n. 33; 116,60; 122,118.
zarii, begetter, 66, 3; 72, 29.
zarbabu, feast, 174, 54.
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Enuma elish
The Babylonian epic of
creation restored from the
recently recovered tablets
of Assur; ed. and tr. by
Langdon.
