With his flesh and his blood
Let Ninhursag mix clay.
God and man
Shall […] therein,…in the clay!
Unto eternity […] we shall hear.”
[remainder of obverse too fragmentary for translation]
[reverse]
[…] her breast,
[…] the beard,
[…] the cheek of the man.
[…] and the raising
[…] of both eyes, the wife and her husband.
[Fourteen mother]-wombs were assembled
[Before] Nintu.
[At the ti]me of the new moon
[To the House] of Fates they called the votaries.
[Enkidu…] came and
[Kneel]ed down, opening the womb.
[…]…and happy was his countenance.
[…bent] the knees [ . . ],
[ . . ] made an opening,
She brought forth issue,
Praying.
Fashion a clay brick into a core,
Make…stone in the midst of […];
Let the vexed rejoice in the house of the one in travail!
As the Bearing One gives birth,
May the mo[ther of the ch]ild bring forth by herself!
[remainder too fragmentary for translation]
ASSYRIAN VERSION [beginning mutilated]
[…they kis]sed her feet,
[Saying: “The creatress of mankind] we call thee;
[The Mistr]ess of all the gods be thy name!”
[They went] to the House of Fate,
[Nin]igiku-Ea (and) the wise Mama.
[Fourteen mother]-wombs were assembled
To tread upon the [c]lay before her.
[…] Ea says, as he recites the incantation.
Sitting before her, Ea causes her to recite the incantation.
[Mama reci]ted the incantation; when she completed [her] incantation,
[…] she drew upon her clay.
[Fourteen pie]ces she pinched off; seven pieces she placed on the right,
[Seven pie]ces she placed on the left; between them she placed a brick.
[E]a was kneeling on the matting; he opened its navel;
[…he c]alled the wise wives.
(Of the) [seven] and seven mother-wombs, seven brought forth males,
[Seven] brought forth females.
The Mother-Womb, the creatress of destiny,
In pairs she completed them,
In pairs she completed before her.
The forms of the people Mami forms.
In the house of the bearing woman in travail,
Seven days shall the brick lie.
…from the house of Mah, the wise Mami.
The vexed shall rejoice in the house of the one in travail.
As the Bearing One gives birth,
May the mother of the child bring forth by [her]self.
[remainder destroyed]
—E. A. Speiser (trans.). “Akkadian Myths and Epics.” In James B. Pritchard (ed.). Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1950, pp. 99–100.
When Anu Had Created the Heavens
This Babylonian myth formed part of an incantation that accompanied the rebuilding of the temple. As part of the ceremony, offerings were made, hymns sung, and this creation story recited. Given the importance of the temple as a microcosmic universe, a symbolic home of the gods in human scale modeled on their true universal home, it was necessary ritually to sacralize the building process and to act as the gods acted when they created the world.
This myth devotes itself directly to the sacred process of temple building. It begins by depicting Anu (the sky god) as creator of the heavens and Nudimmud (or Ea, god of waters) as the builder of the Apsu (the abyss of primeval waters) and the maker of men. With these introductions completed, the main part of the myth describes the origin of several minor deities (and the natural elements they represented) that were required in temple construction: gods of carpenters, smiths, and builders (Arazu); goldsmiths, engravers, and miners (Ninkurra); grain (Lakar); offerings and wine (Siris); and finally the god Kusiga (the high priest of the gods). In addition, Ea made a king to maintain the temples (as Anu maintained the world.)
The implication throughout is that the world was created so gods might be properly housed and praised.
WHEN ANU had created the heavens, (And) Nudimmud had built the Apsu, his dwelling,
Ea nipped off clay in the Apsu,
He created the brick-god for the restoration of [temples];
He created the reed and the forest for the work of building [temples];
He created the god of the carpenter, the god of the smith, and Arazu, to complete the work of bu[ilding];
He created the mountains and the seas for all kinds of . […]
He created the god of the goldsmith, the god Ninagal, the god of the engraver, and the god Ninkurra, for the works of […. ],
And their great riches for offerings . […];
He created Ashnan, Lahar, Siris, Ningizzida, Ninsar, […. ],
To provide abundant regular offe[rings];
He created Umunmutamku (and) Umunmutamnak, to maintain the offe[rings…. ];
He created the god Kusiga, the high priest of the great gods, for the performance of rites (and) ce[remonies(?)];
He created the king, as the maintainer of [the temples(?)];
[He create]d mankind for the doi[ng of the service of the gods(?)]. [rest destroyed]
—Alexander Heidel. The Babylonian Genesis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1942, pp. 53–54.
The Worm and the Toothache
The Assyrians recognized the importance of origins in determining the sources and limitations of an enemy’s power, and so, in this incantation (c. 1000 B.C.), which accompanied the cure of toothaches, they traced the history of the cause of the pain—the offending worm. When they understood its derivation and place in the universal order, the chanters then could appeal to the appropriate gods for relief. This chant is augmented by remedies for treatment—mixtures of second-grade beer and oil.
The cosmology here includes Anu (the sky god) as the original creator and Shamash (the sun god) and Ea (the god of water) as assigners of function.
AFTER ANU had created the heaven, (And) the heaven had created the earth,
(And) the earth had created the rivers,
(And) the rivers had created the canals,
(And) the canals had created the morass,
(And) the morass had created the worm,
The worm went before Shamash, weeping,
His tears flowing before Ea.
“What wilt thou give me for my food,
What wilt thou give me for my drink?”
“I will give thee the dried fig
(And) the apricot.”
“What are these to me? The dried fig
And the apricot!
Lift me up and among the teeth
And the gums let me dwell!
The blood of the teeth I will suck,
And of the gums I will eat away
The roots of the teeth(?)!”
Fix the pin and seize the foot!
Because thou hast said this, O worm,
May Ea smite thee with the might of
His hand!
Incantation against toothache.
Its treatment: Second-grade beer…and oil thou shalt mix together;
The incantation thou shalt recite three times thereon (and) shalt put (the medicine) upon his tooth.
—Alexander Heidel. The Babylonian Genesis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1942, pp. 60–61.
Another Version of the Creation of Man
This fuller version of the Assyrian account of creation of man (c. 800 B.C.) was used in ceremonies for the religiously initiated. It envisions Anu (god of sky), Enlil (god of storms and earth), Shamash (god of sun), Ea (god of water)—air, earth, fire, and water—and the Anunnaki (the great sky
gods) sitting in their exalted sanctuary and discussing the progress of creation. Heaven and earth have been created and the water courses established. What remains to be done? The Anunnaki, fixers of destiny in heaven and earth, suggest the creation of man to increase abundance and celebrate festivals. And, as in Babylonian myths, the raw material to be used for this creation is the blood of slain deities.
With this divine heritage, Ulligara (“the establisher of abundance”) and Zalgarra (“the establisher of plenty”) are created and charged with maintaining and increasing the fertility of earth and its creatures. Day and night they are to “celebrate the festival of the gods” and teach others of this mystery of their origin.
[obverse]
WHEN BOTH heaven and earth had been completely finished, (And) the mother of the goddesses had been brought into being;
When the earth had been brought forth (and) the earth had been shaped;
When the destinies of heaven and earth had been fixed;
(When) trench and canal had been given their right course;
(And) the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates had been established,
(Then) Anu, Enlil, Shamash, (and) Ea,
The great gods,
Seated themselves (with) the Anunnaki, the great gods,
In the exalted sanctuary
And recounted among themselves what had been created.
“Now that the destinies of heaven and earth have been fixed;
Trench and canal have been given their right course;
The banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates
Have been established;
What (else) shall we do?
What (else) shall we create?
O Anunnaki, ye great gods,
What (else) shall we do?
What (else) shall we create?”
The great gods who were present,
The Anunnaki, who fix the destinies,
Both (groups) of them, made answer to Enlil:
“In Uzumua, the bond of heaven and earth,
Let us slay the Lamga gods.
With their blood let us create mankind;
The service of the gods be their portion,
For all times
To establish the boundary ditch,
To place the spade and the basket
Into their hands
For the dwelling of the great gods,
Which is fit to be an exalted sanctuary,
To mark off field from field;
For all times
To establish the boundary ditch,
To give the trench (its) right course,
To establish the boundary,
To water the four regions of the earth,
To raise the plants,
…[…. ].”
[reverse]
TO ESTABLISH the boundary,
To fill(?) the granary,
[Destroyed]
To make the field of the Anunnaki produce,
To increase the abundance in the land,
To celebrate the festival of the gods,
To pour out cold water
For the great house of the gods, which is fit to be an exalted sanctuary,
Ulligarra (and) Zalgarra
They called their names.
(That Ulligarra and Zalgarra should) increase ox, sheep, cattle, fish, and fowl,
The abundance in the land,
Enul (and) Ereshul
Decreed with their holy mouths.
Aruru, the lady of the gods, who is fit for rulership,
Ordained for them mighty destinies:
Skilled worker to produce for skilled worker (and) unskilled worker for unskilled worker,
Springing up among them like grain from the ground,
A thing which, (like) the star(s) of heaven, shall not be changed forever.
Day and night
To celebrate the festival of the gods,
(These) mighty destinies,
Among themselves
Did Anu, Enlil,
Ea, and Ninmah,
The great gods, decree (for them).
In the place where mankind was created,
There Nisaba was firmly established.
Let the wise teach the mystery to the wise.
—Alexander Heidel. The Babylonian Genesis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1942, pp. 56–60.
The Eridu Story of Creation
This myth from the Neo-Babylonian period (c. 60 B.C.) was found in the ruins of Sippar (modern Abu Habba), but probably came from Eridu, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. There, silt from the Euphrates continually added to the land and presumably gave rise to this explanation of the origin of the earth.
Before any city had been made or any of their great temples (Ekur at Nippur, Eanna at Erech, or Esagila at Eridu) had been constructed, all the lands were sea. The great god Marduk built a reed frame over the waters and poured dirt into it to make the beginning of solid ground. With the goddess Aruru he produced mankind, and then made animals (the beasts of Sumugan, god of cattle and vegetation) and plants, and set the Tigris and Euphrates on their courses. Finally he built the great cities of Mesopotamia and their temples.
This account of the creation was part of an incantation used to purify Ezida, the temple of Nabu at Borsippa.
NO HOLY HOUSE, no house of the gods, had (yet) been made in a holy place;
No reed had sprung up, no tree had been created;
No brick had been laid, no brick-mold had been built;
No house had been made, no city had been built;
No city had been made, no living creature had been placed (therein);
Nippur had not been made, Ekur had not been built;
Erech had not been made, Eanna had not been built;
The Apsu had not been made, Eridu had not been built;
No holy house, no house for the gods, its dwelling, had been made;
All the lands were sea;
The spring which is in the sea was a water pipe.
Then Eridu was made, Esagila was built—
Esagila, whose foundation Lugaldukuga laid within the Apsu—
Babylon was ma[de], Esagila was completed;
The Anunnaki gods he created at one time.
The holy city, the dwelling of their heart’s delight, they called (it) solemnly.
Marduk constructed a reed frame on the face of the waters;
He created dirt and poured (it) out by the reed frame.
In order to settle the gods in the dwelling of (their) heart’s delight,
He created mankind.
The goddess Aruru created the seed of mankind together with him.
He created the beast of the field (and) the living things of the field;
He created the Tigris and the Euphrates and set (them) in (their) place;
Their names he appropriately proclaimed.
He created the grass, the rush of the marsh, the reed, and the woods;
He created the green herb of the field;
The lands, the marshes, the canebrakes,
The cow (and) her young, the calf; the ewe (and) her young, the sheep of the fold;
The orchards and the forests;
The he-goat, the mountain goats….
Lord Marduk piled up a dam at the edge of the sea;
[…. ] a swamp he made into dry land.
[…. ] he caused to be;
[…. he crea]ted, the tree he created;
[…. ] in (that) place he created;
[Bricks he laid,] the brick-mold he built;
[The house he built,] the city he built;
[The city he made,] living creature(s) he placed (therein);
[Nippur he built,] Ekur he built;
[Erech he built, Eann]a he built.
—Alexander Heidel. The Babylonian Genesis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1942, pp. 50–52.
From Berossus’ Account of the Babylonian Genesis
Berossus was a priest of Bel Marduk (the Lord Marduk) at Babylon who wrote a
history of Babylonia around 250 B.C. Although his writings are now lost, they were recorded by Alexander Polyhistor in the first century B.C., and in turn were noted by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, whose work, in its turn, was included in the monk Synkellos’ account, from which we get the following explanation.
Berossus envisions a time when all was a dark, wet chaos ruled over by the sea goddess Omorka (similar to the primordial Tiamat). Strange creatures came into being there—animals with human features and mammals with reptile limbs—as if, in the raw potentiality of the place, creation was going on without direction. Bel provided that direction: he clove Omorka into two parts and made one heaven and the other earth. Having destroyed all the creatures of the dark with this act, he ordered the gods to cut off his own head, to mix its blood with earth, and so to make people and animals capable of living in the ordered world.
HE SAYS there was a time in which all was darkness and water, wherein strange and peculiarly shaped creatures came into being; that there were born men with two wings, some also with four wings and two faces; (some) also having one body but two heads, the one of a man, the other of a woman, being likewise in their genitals both male and female; and that there were other human beings with legs and horns of goats; that some had horses’ feet; that others had the limbs of a horse behind, but before were fashioned like men, resembling hippocentaurs; that, likewise, bulls with the heads of men bred there; and dogs with fourfold bodies and the tails of fish; also horses with the heads of dogs; and men and other creatures with the heads and bodies of horses and the tails of fishes; and other creatures with the shapes of every species of animals; that besides these there were fishes, and reptiles, and serpents, and still other wondrous creatures, which had appearances derived from one another; that of these are set up appearances derived from one another; that of these are set up images in the temple of Bel; (and) that over all these (creatures) ruled a woman named Omorka. This in Chaldean is thamte, meaning in Greek “the sea,” but in numerical value it is equal to “moon.”
He says that all things being in this condition, Bel came and clove the woman in two; and that out of one half of her he formed the earth, but with the other half the sky; and that he destroyed the creatures within her; but that this was an allegorical description of nature; for while the whole universe consisted of moisture and such living creatures had been born therein, Bel, who is identified with Zeus, divided the darkness in two, separated heaven and earth from one another, and reduced the universe to order; but that the living things, not being able to bear the strength of the light, perished; that this Bel, upon perceiving that the land was desolate and bearing no fruit, commanded one of the gods to cut off his head, (that he also commanded the other gods) to mix the blood which flowed forth with earth, and to form men and animals capable of bearing the air; that this Bel also formed the stars, the sun, the moon, and the five planets. These things, according to Alexander Polyhistor, Berossus told in his first book: that this god cut off his own head, and that the other gods mixed the blood which flowed forth with earth and formed men; that on this account they are rational and partake of divine understanding.
Primal Myths Page 18
