Mesopotamian Texts

Contents

2 Epic of Gilgamesh Addenda – Tablet 12

4 The Babylonian Epic of Creation
7 Adapa and the Food of Life
9 Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower World
11 The Seven Evil Spirits

Notes from Kris:

● I had to find Tablet 12 on a different website, so it might have a different translation

style to the first 11 tablets. On the other hand, the notes at the beginning of Tablet 12
indicate that the style of this tablet is quite different to the first 11 anyway, so it
shouldn’t be a problem!
● I’ve included all the notes that were on the website with the texts - some had a bit,
others none.
● FYI, Adapa and the Food of Life has a full summary of the story at the beginning -
skip it if you want to read the translation first!

Mesopotamian Texts 1/13

 Epic of Gilgamesh Addenda – Tablet 12

Scholars disagree about the relation of Tablet XII to the other eleven tablets. The general
consensus is that it was an appendage added to the other Gilgamesh stories at a later date.

This tablet presents a stark contrast to the earlier eleven in style and content. The
appearance of a “resurrected” Enkidu is especially startling. In light of these inconsistencies
with Tablets I-XI, why include Tablet XII?

Gilgamesh_002Tablet XII provides further insight into some of the major themes and
questions explored in the first eleven tablets. Is there an afterlife? What is the nature of it?
What earthly behaviours are rewarded there? By the conclusion of Tablet XI, Gilgamesh was
forced to accept the limits of mortal existence and be satisfied with its attainable rewards.
Questions about the “state of being” in death had fiercely possessed him, however, and the
answers remained a mystery.

Defining and “coming to terms” with human mortality has been the province of every system
of religious beliefs throughout history. Here is our first recorded vision of an afterlife. it is for
these reasons that Tablet XII is included here.

Descent to the Underworld
The Afterlife
“If only I’d have protected our instruments in
the safe home of the drum-maker; If only I’d
have given so precious a harp to the
craftsman’s wife, she who shepherds such
jewel-like children.
God, has your heart forgotten me?
Who shall descend to Hell and redeem the
drum from where it rests unused?
Who shall risk his life to retrieve the
precious gifts of Ishtar from death?”
And for this quest his friend alone did pledge.
So Gilgamesh said this to Enkidu:
“Descend, descend to Hell where life does end
but listen now to words you need to know
Go slow to where death rules, my brother
dear, and then arise again above and over
fear.”
And, once more, Gilgamesh said this to
Enkidu:
“Let all who would be saved today, take heed,
and listen to god’s words in time of need.
When walking with the strong or with the dead,
do not wear clothes of purple or of red. Shun
make-up that presents a holy face for they
attack the phony and the base.
Leave here with me your knife and rock and
club; such weapons only add to their own
strife.
Put down your bow, as you would leave a wife.
The souls of death will soil your hands and
feet.
Go naked, filthy, tearful, when you meet.
Be quiet, mild, remote, and distant too
as those who will surround and follow you.
Greet no girl with kiss so kind upon her lips;
push none away from you with fingertips.
Hold no child’s hand as you descend to Hell
and strike no boy who chooses there to dwell.
Around you, Enkidu, the lament of the dead
will whirl and scream,
for she alone, in that good place, is at home
who, having given birth to beauty,
has watched that beauty die.
No graceful robe any longer graces her naked
self and her kind breasts, once warm with milk,
have turned into bowls of cold stone.”
But Enkidu refused to heed his friend
as he set out that day to then descend
to where the dead who-do-not-live do stay.

Mesopotamian Texts 2/13

He wore bright clothes of celebrative red,
the sight of which offended all the dead.
His colored face made him seem fair and good
but spirits hate the flesh that would dare
remind us of the beauty they have lost.
He brought with him his club and rock and
knife and did cause strife with those whom he
did mock.
There, too, is where he showed off;
where he went clothed among the naked,
where he wasted food beside the starving,
where he danced beside the grief-stricken.
He kissed a happy girl.
He struck a good woman.
He enjoyed his fatherhood.
He fought with his son.
Around him, the lament for the dead arose; for
she alone, in that sad place, is at home who,
having given birth to beauty,
has watched that beauty die.
No graceful robe any longer graces her naked
self and her kind breasts, once warm with milk,
have turned into bowls of cold stone.
She never even dreamed once of letting him
return to life. Namtar, the decision-maker,
would not help Enkidu. Nor would illness help.
Hell became his home.
Nergal, chief-enforcer, would not help.
Dirges and laments rose all around.
Not even the soldier’s death-in-battle,
with all its false and phony honor,
helped Enkidu. Death just swallowed him,
unrecognized.
So the great son of Ninsun, proud Gilgamesh,
cried for his beloved friend and went to the
temple of Enlil,
the savage god of soldiers, to say: “My god,
when death called for me, my best friend went
in my place and he is now no longer living.”
But the savage god of soldiers, Enlil, was
mute.
So Gilgamesh turned next to one who flies
alone, and to the moon he said: “My god,
when death called for me, my best friend went
in my place and he is now no longer living.”
But the moon, who flies alone, was also mute;
so he went next to Ea, whose waters fill the
desert oasis even when no rain falls.
Mesopotamian Texts
“My god,” he cried, “when death
called for me, my best friend went
in my place and he is now no longer living.”
And Ea, whose waters keep us alive as we
journey over desert sands, said this to Nergal,
great soldier in arms.
“Go now, mighty follower; free Enkidu to speak
once to kin and show this Gilgamesh how to
descend halfway
to Hell through the bowels of earth.”
And Nergal, accustomed to absurd orders,
obeyed as soldiers do.
He freed Enkidu to speak once to kin
and showed Gilgamesh how to descend
halfway to Hell through the bowels of earth.
Enkidu’s shadow rose slowly toward the living
and the brothers, tearful and weak,
tried to hug, tried to speak, tried and failed to
do anything but sob.
“Speak to me please, dear brother,”
whispered Gilgamesh.
“Tell me of death and where you are.”
“Not willingly do I speak of death,”
said Enkidu in slow reply. “But if you wish to sit
for a brief time, I will describe where I do stay.”
“Yes,” his brother said in early grief.
“All my skin and all my bones are dead now.
All my skin and all my bones are now dead.
“Oh no,” cried Gilgamesh without relief.
“Oh no,” sobbed one enclosed by grief.
“Did you see there a man who never fathered
any child?”
“I saw there a no-man who died.”
“Did you see there a man whose one son
died?”
“I saw him sobbing all alone in open fields.”
“Did you see there a man with two grown
sons?”
“I did indeed and he smiles all day long.”
“Did you see there a man with three of his own
boys?”
“I did, I did; and his heart’s full of joys.”
“Did you there see a king with four full kids?”
“I did see one whose pleasure is supreme.”
“Did you see there anyone with five children?”
“oh yes, they go about with laughs and
shouts.”
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“And could you find a man with six or seven
boys?”
“You could and they are treated as the gods.”
“Have you seen one who died too soon?”
“Oh yes; that one sips water fair and rests
each night upon a couch.”
“Have you seen one who died in War?”
“Oh yes; his aged father weeps and his young
widow visits graves.”
“Have you seen one buried poor, with other
homeless nomads?”
The Babylonian Epic of Creation
When on high the heaven had not been
named,
Firm ground below had not been called by
name,
Naught but primordial Apsu, their begetter,
(And) Mummu-Tiamat, she who bore them all,
Their waters commingling as a single body;
No reed hut had been matted, no marsh land
had appeared,
When no gods whatever had been brought
into being,
Uncalled by name, their destinies
undetermined-
Then it was that the gods were formed within
them.
Lahmu and Lahamu were brought forth, by
name they were called.
For aeons they grew in age and stature.
Anshar and Kishar were formed, surpassing
the others.
They prolonged the days, added on the years.
Anu was their son, of his fathers the rival;
Yea, Anshar's first born, Anu was his equal.
Anu begot in his image Nudimmud.
This Nudimmud was of his fathers the master;
Of broad wisdom, understanding, mighty in
strength,
Mightier by far than his grandfather, Anshar.
He had no rival among the gods, his brothers.
The divine brothers banded together,
They disturbed Tiamat as they surged back
and forth,
Yea, they troubled the mood of Tiamat
By their hilarity in the Abode of Heaven.
Mesopotamian Texts
“Oh yes; that one knows rest that is not sure,
far from the proper place.”
“Have you seen a brother crying among
relatives who chose to ignore his prayers?”
“Oh yes; he brings bread to the hungry from
the dumps of those who feed their dogs with
food they keep from people
and he eats trash that no other man would
want.”
Apsu could not lessen their clamour
And Tiamat was speechless at their ways.
Their doings were loathsome unto (. . .).
Unsavory were their ways; they were
overbearing.
Then Apsu, the begetter of the great gods,
Cried out, addressing Mummu, his vizier:
"O Mummu. my vizier, who rejoicest my spirit,
Come hither and let us go to Tiamat!"
They went and sat down before Tiamat,
Exchanging counsel about the gods, their first
born.
Apsu, opening his mouth,
Said unto resplendent Tiamat:
"Their ways are verily loathsome unto me.
By day I find no relief, nor repose by night.
I will destroy, I will wreck their ways,
That quiet may be restored. Let us have rest!"
As soon as Tiamat heard this,
She was wroth and called out to her husband.
She cried out aggrieved, as she raged all
alone,
Injecting woe into her mood:
"What? Should we destroy what we have
built?
Their ways are indeed troublesome, but let us
attend kindly!"
Ill wishing and ungracious was Mummu's
advice:
"Do destroy, my father, the mutinous ways.
Then shalt thou have relief by day and rest by
night!"
4/13

When Apsu heard this, his face grew radiant
Because of the evil he planned against the
gods, his sons.
As for Mummu, by the neck he embraced him
As (that one) sat down on his knees to kiss
him.
(Now) whatever they plotted between them
Was repeated unto the gods, their first born.
When the gods heard (this), they were astir,
(Then) lapsed into silence and remained
speechless,
Surpassing in wisdom, accomplished,
resourceful,
Ea, the all wise, saw through their scheme.
A master design against it he devised and
setup,
Made artful his spell against it, surpassing and
holy.
He recited it and made it subsist in the deep,
As he poured sleep upon him. Sound asleep
he lay.
When Apsu he made prone, drenched with
sleep,
Mummu, the adviser, was impotent to move,
He loosened his band, tore off his tiara,
Removed his halo (and) put it on himself.
Having fettered Apsu, he slew him.
Mummu he bound and left behind lock.
Having thus upon Apsu established his
dwelling,
He laid hold on Mummu, holding him by the
nose rope.
After he vanquished and trodden down his
foes,
Ea, his triumph over his enemies secured,
In his sacred chamber in profound sleep he
rested.
He named it "Apsu," for shrines he assigned
(it).
In that same place his cult hut he founded.
Ea and Damkina, his wife, dwelled (there) in
splendor.
In the chamber of fates, the abode of
destinies,
A god was engendered, most potent and
wisest of gods.
In the heart of Apsu was Marduk created,
Mesopotamian Texts
In the heart of holy Apsu was Marduk created.
He who begot him was Ea, his father;
She who conceived him was Damkina, his
mother.
The breast of goddesses did she suck.
The nurse that nursed him filled him with
awesomeness.
Alluring was his figure, sparkling the lift in his
eyes.
Lordly was his gait, commanding from of old.
When Ea saw him, the father who begot him,
He exulted and glowed, his heart filled with
gladness.
He rendered him perfect and endowed him
with a double godhead.
Greatly exalted was he above them,
exceeding throughout.
Perfect were his members beyond
comprehension,
Unsuited for understanding, difficult to
perceive.
Four were his eyes, four were his ears;
When he moved his lips, fire blazed forth.
Large were all hearing organs,
And the eyes, in like number, scanned all
things.
He was the loftiest of the gods, surpassing
was his stature;
His members were enormous, he was
exceedingly tall.
"My little son, my little son!
My son, the Sun! Sun of the heavens!"
Clothed with the halo of the ten gods, he was
strong to the utmost,
As their awesome flashes were heaped upon
him.
Disturbed was Tiamat, astir night and day.
The gods, in malice, contributed to the storm.
Their insides having plotted evil.
To Tiamat these brothers said:
"When they slew Apsu, thy consort,
Thou didst not aid him but remaindest still.
Although he fashioned the awesome Saw,
Thy insides are diluted and so we can have no
rest.
Let Apsu, thy consort, be in thy mind
And Mummu, who has been vanquished! Thou
are left alone.
5/13
Then joined issue Tiamat and Marduk, wisest
of gods,
They swayed in single combat, locked in
battle.
The lord spread out his net to enfold her,
The Evil Wind, which followed behind, he let
loose in her face.
When Tiamat opened her mouth to consume
him,
He drove the Evil Wind that she close not her
lips.
As the fierce winds charged her belly,
Her body was distended and her mouth was
wide open.
He released the arrow, it tore her belly,
It cut through her insides, splitting the heart.
Having thus subdued her, he extinguished her
life.
He cast down her carcass to stand upon it...
The lord trod on the legs of Tiamat,
With his unsparing mace he crushed her skull.
When the arteries of her blood he had
severed,
The North Wind bore (it) to places
undisclosed.
On seeing this, his fathers were joyful and
jubilant,
They brought gifts of homage, they to him.
Then the lord paused to view her dead body,
That he might divide the monster and do artful
works.
He split her like a shellfish into two parts:
Half of her he set up and ceiled as sky,
Pulled down the bar and posted guards.
He bade them to allow not her waters to
escape.
He crossed the heavens and surveyed (its)
regions.
He squared Apsu's quarter, the abode of
Nudimmud,
As the lord measured the dimensions of Apsu.
The Great Abode, its likeness, he fixed as
Esharra,
The Great Abode, Esharra, which he made as
the firmament.
Anu, Enlil, and Ea he made occupy their
places.
Mesopotamian Texts
When Marduk hears the words of the gods,
His heart prompts (him) to fashion artful works.
Opening his mouth he addresses EA
To impart the plan he addresses EA
To impart the plan he had conceived in his
heart:
"Blood I will mass and cause boned to be.
I will establish a savage, 'man' shall be his
name.
Verily, savage man I will create.
He shall be charged with the service of the
gods
That they might be at ease! The ways of the
gods I will artfully alter.
Though alike revered, into two (groups) they
shall be divided."
Ea answered him, speaking a word to him.
To relate to him a scheme for the relief of the
gods:
"Let but one of their brothers be handed over;"
He alone shall perish that mankind may be
fashioned.
Let the great gods be here in Assembly,
Let the guilty be handed over that they may
endure."
Marduk summoned the great gods to
Assembly;
Presiding graciously, he issued instructions.
This utterance the gods pay heed.
The king addresses a word to the Anunnaki:
"If your former statement was true,
Do (now) the truth on oath by me declare!
Who was it that contrived the uprising,
And made Tiamat rebel, and joined battle?
Let him be handed over who contrived the
uprising.
His guilt I will make him bear that you may
dwell in peace!"
The Igigi, the great gods, replied to him,
To Lugaldimmerankia, counsellor of the gods,
their lord:
"It was Kingu who contrived the uprising,
And made Tiamat rebel, and joined battle."
They bound him holding him before Ea.
They imposed on him his guilt and severed his
blood (vessels).
Out of his blood they fashioned mankind.
He imposed the service and let free the gods.
6/13
 Adapa and the Food of Life

[Summary: Adapa, or perhaps Adamu, son of Ea, had recieved from his father, the god Ea,
wisdom, but not eternal life. He was a semi-divine being and was the wise man and priest of
the temple of Ea at Eridu, which he provided with the ritual bread and water. In the exercise
of this duty he carried on fishing upon the Persian Gulf. When Adapa was fishing one day on
a smooth sea, the south wind rose suddenly and overturned his boat, so that the was thrown
into the sea. Angered by the mishap, he broke the wings of the south wind so that for seven
days it could not blow the sea's coolness over the hot land. Anu calls Adapa to account for
this misdeed, and his father Ea warns him as to what should befall him. He tells him how to
fool Tammuz and Gishzida, who will meet him at the gate of heaven. Ea cautions him not to
eat or drink anything in heaven, as Ea fears that the food and drink of death will be set
before Adapa. However, the food and drink of eternal life are set before him instead, and
Adapa's over-caution deprives him of immortality. He has to return to Earth instead.]

TABLET NO.1
He possessed intelligence . . . ,
His command like the command of Anu ...
He (Ea) granted him a wide ear to reveal the
destiny of the land,
He granted him wisdom, but he did not grant
him eternal life.
In those davs, in those years the wise man of
Eridu,
Ea had created him as chief among men,
A wise man whose command none should
oppose,
The prudent, the most wise among the
Anunnaki was he,
Blameless, of clean hands, anointed, observer
of the divine statutes,
With the bakers he made bread
With the bakers of Eridu, he made bread,
The food and the water for Eridu he made
daily,
With his clean hands he prepared the table,
And without him the table was not cleared.
The ship he steered, fishing and hunting for
Eridu he did.
Then Adapa of Eridu
While Ea, ... in the chamber, upon the bed.
Daily the closing of Eridu he attended to.
Upon the pure dam, the new moon dam) he
embarked upon the ship,
The wind blew and his ship departed, With the
oar, be steered his ship Upon the broad sea . .
.
TABLET NO. 2
.................
The south wind .... when
He had driven me to the house of my lord, I
said,
O South wind, on the way I shall to thee ...
everything that,
Thy wing, will I break." As be spoke with his
mouth,
The wing of the South wind was broken, seven
davs
The South wind blew not upon the land. Anu
Called to his messenger Ilabrat:
Why has the South wind not blown upon the
land for seven davs?
His messenger Ilabrat answered him: "My lord,
Adapa, the son of Ea, the wing of the South
wind
Has broken."
When Anu heard these words
He cried, Help!" He ascended his throne,
"Let some one bring him,"
Likewise Ea, who knows the heaven. He
roused him
... he caused him to wear. With a mourning
garment
He garbed him, and gave him counsel

Mesopotamian Texts 7/13

Saying: " Adapa, before the face of Anu the
King thou art to go
... to heaven
When thou comest up, and when thou
approachest the door of Anu,
At the door of Anu, Tammuz and Gishzida are
standing,
"they will see thee, they will ask thee; 'Sir,'
For whose sake dost thou so appear, Adapa?
For whom
Art thou clad in a mourning garment?' 'In our
country two gods have vanished, therefore
Am I so.' 'Who are the two gods, who in the
land
Have vanished?' 'Tammuz and Gishzida.' They
will look at one another and
Be astonished. Good words
They will speak to Anu. A good countenance
of Anu
They will show thee. When thou standest
before Anu
Food of death they will set before thee,
Eat not. Water of death they will set before
thee,
Drink not. Garments they will set before thee,
Put them on. Oil they will set before thee,
anoint thyself.
The counsel that I have given thee, forget not.
The words
Which I have spoken, hold fast." The
messenger
Of Anu came: "Adapa has broken
The wing of the South wind. Bring him before
me."
The road to Heaven he made him take, and to
Heaven he ascended.
When he came to Heaven, when he
approached the door of Anu,
At the door of Ann, Tammuz and Gisbzida are
standing.
When they saw him, Adapa, they cried: " Help,
Sir, for whom dost thou so appear? Adapa,
For whom art thou clad in a mourning
garment?"
In the country two gods have vanished;
therefore am I clad
In mourning garments." "Who are the two
gods, who
have vanished from the land?"
"Tammuz and Gishzida." They looked at one
another and
Mesopotamian Texts
Were astonished. When Adapa before Anu,
the King,
Drew near, and Anu saw him, he cried:
"Come hither, Adapa. Why hast thou broken
the wings
Of the South wind? " Adapa answered Ann:
"My lord,
For the house of my lord in the midst of the
sea,
I was catching fish. The sea was like a mirror,
The South wind blew, and capsized me.
To the house of my lord was I driven. In the
anger of my heart,
I took heed." Tammuz and Gishzida
Answered ... "art thou." To Anu
They speak. He calmed himself, his heart was
...
"Why has Ea revealed to impure mankind
The heart of heaven and earth? A heart
... has created within him, has made him a
name?
What can we do with him? Food of life
Bring him, that be man, eat."Food of life
They brought him, but he ate not. Water of life
They brought him, but he drank not. Garments
They brought him. He clothed himself. Oil
They brought him. He anointed himself.
Anu looked at him; he wondered at him.
" Come, Adapa, why hast thou not eaten, not
drunken?
Now thou shalt not live." ... men ...Ea, my lord
Said: "Eat not, drink not."
Take him and bring him back to his earth.
... looked upon him.
TABLET NO. 3
"When heard that
In the anger of his heart
His messenger he sent.
He who knows the heart of the great gods
............
To King Ea to come,
To him, he caused words to be borne.
... to him, to King Ea.
He sent a messenger
With a wide ear, knowing the heart of the great
gods,
... of the heavens be fixed.
A soiled garment he made him wear,
With a mourning garment he clad him,
A word he spoke to him.
"Adapa, before the King Anu thou shalt go
8/13
Fail not the order, keep my word
When thou comest up to heaven, and
approachest the door of Anu,
Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower World
To the land of no return, the land of darkness,
Ishtar, the daughter of Sin directed her
thought,
Directed her thought, Ishtar, the daughter of
Sin,
To the house of shadows, the dwelling, of
Irkalla,
To the house without exit for him who enters
therein,
To the road, whence there is no turning,
To the house without light for him who enters
therein,
The place where dust is their nourishment,
clay their food.'
They have no light, in darkness they dwell.
Clothed like birds, with wings as garments,
Over door and bolt, dust has gathered.
Ishtar on arriving at the gate of the land of no
return,
To the gatekeeper thus addressed herself:
"Gatekeeper, ho, open thy gate!
Open thy gate that I may enter!
If thou openest not the gate to let me enter,
I will break the door, I will wrench the lock,
I will smash the door-posts, I will force the
doors.
I will bring up the dead to eat the living.
And the dead will outnumber the living."
The gatekeeper opened his mouth and spoke,
Spoke to the lady Ishtar:
"Desist, O lady, do not destroy it.
I will go and announce thy name to my queen
Ereshkigal."
The gatekeeper entered and spoke to
Ereshkigal:
"Ho! here is thy sister, Ishtar ...
Hostility of the great powers ...
When Ereshkigal heard this,
As when one hews down a tamarisk she
trembled,
As when one cuts a reed, she shook:
Mesopotamian Texts
Tammuz and Gishzida at the door of Anu are
standing.
"What has moved her heart [seat of the
intellect] what has stirred her liver [seat of the
emotions]?
Ho there, does this one wish to dwell with me?
To eat clay as food, to drink dust as wine?
I weep for the men who have left their wives.
I weep for the wives torn from the embrace of
their husbands;
For the little ones cut off before their time.
Go, gatekeeper, open thy gate for her,
Deal with her according to the ancient decree."
The gatekeeper went and opened his gate to
her:
Enter, O lady, let Cuthah greet thee.
Let the palace of the land of no return rejoice
at thy presence!
He bade her enter the first gate, which he
opened wide, and took the large crown off her
head:
"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove the
large crown off my head?"
"Enter, O lady, such are the decrees of
Ereshkigal."
The second gate he bade her enter, opening it
wide, and removed her earrings:
"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove my
earrings?"
"Enter, O lady, for such are the decrees of
Ereshkigal."
The third gate he bade her enter, opened it
wide, and removed her necklace:
"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove my
necklace? "
"Enter, O lady, for such are the decrees of
Ereshkigal."
The fourth gate he bade her enter, opened it
wide, and removed the ornaments of her
breast:
"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove the
ornaments of my breast? "
"Enter, O lady, for such are the decrees of
Ereshkigal."
9/13
The fifth gate he bade her enter, opened it
wide, and removed the girdle of her body
studded with birthstones.
"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove the
girdle of my body, studded with birth-stones?"
"Enter, O lady, for such are the decrees of
Ereshkigal."
The sixth gate, he bade her enter, opened it
wide, and removed the spangles off her hands
and feet.
"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove the
spangles off my hands and feet?"
"Enter, O lady, for thus are the decrees of
Ereiihkigal."
The seventh gate he bade her enter, opened it
wide, and removed her loin-cloth.
"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove my
loin-cloth ?"
"Enter, O lady, for such are the decrees of
Ereshkigal."
Now when Ishtar had gone down into the land
of no return,
Ereshkigal saw her and was angered at her
presence.
[The second half of the poem, the reverse of the tablet, continues as follows:]
The countenance of Papsukal, the messenger
of the great gods, fell, his face was troubled.
In mourning garb he was clothed, in soiled
garments clad.
Shamash [the sun-god] went to Sin [the
moon-god], his father, weeping,
In the presence of Ea, the King, he went with
flowing tears.
"Ishtar has descended into the earth and has
not come up. The bull does not mount the cow,
the ass does not approach the she-ass.
The man does not approach the maid in the
street,
The man sleeps in his apartment,
The maid sleeps by herself."
Ea, in the wisdom of his heart, formed a being,
He formed Asu-shu-namir the eunuch.
Go, Asu-shu-namir, to the land of no return
direct thy face!
The seven gates of the land without return be
opened before thee,
May Eresbkigal at sight of thee rejoice!
After her heart has been assuaged, her liver
quieted,
Mesopotamian Texts
Ishtar, without reflection, threw herself at her
[in a rage].
Ereshkigal opened her mouth and spoke,
To Namtar, her messenger, she addressed
herself:
"Go Namtar, imprison her in my palace.
Send against her sixty disease, to punish
Ishtar.
Eye-disease against her eyes,
Disease of the side against her side,
Foot-disease against her foot,
Heart-disease against her heart,
Head-disease against her head,
Against her whole being, against her entire
body."
After the lady Ishtar had gone down into the
land of no return,
The bull did not mount the cow, the ass
approached not the she-ass,
To the maid in the street, no man drew near
The man slept in his apartment,
The maid slept by herself.
Invoke against her the name of the great gods,
Raise thy head direct thy attention to the
khalziku skin.
"Come, lady, let them give me the khalziku
skin, that I may drink water out of it."
When Ereshkigal heard this, she struck her
side, bit her finger,
Thou hast expressed a wish that can not be
granted.
Go, Asu-sbu-iaamir, I curse thee with a great
curse,
The sweepings of the gutters of the city be thy
food,
The drains of the city be thy drink,
The shadow of the wall be thy abode,
The thresholds be thy dwelling-place;
Drunkard and sot strike thy cheek!"
Ereshkigal opened her mouth and spoke,
To Namtar, her messenger, she addressed
herself.
"Go, Namtar, knock at the strong palace,
Strike the threshold of precious stones,
Bring out the Anunnaki, seat them on golden
thrones.
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Sprinkle Ishtar with the waters of life and take
her out of my presence.
Namtar went, knocked at the strong palace,
Tapped on the threshold of precious stones.
He brought out the Anunnaki and placed them
on golden thrones,
He sprinkled Ishtar with the waters of life and
took hold of her.
Through the first gate he led her out and
returned to her her loin-cloth.
Through the second gate he led her out and
returned to her the spangles of her hands and
feet
Through the third gate he led her out and
returned to her the girdle of her body, studded
with birth-stones.
Through the fourth gate he led her out and
returned to her the ornaments of her breast.
Through the fifth gate he led her out and
returned to her her necklace.
Through the sixth gate he led her out and
returned her earrings.
Through the seventh gate he led her out and
returned to her the large crown for her head.

[The following lines are in the form of an address - apparently to someone who has sought
release for a dear one from the portals of the lower world.]

"If she (Ishtar) will not grant thee her release,

To Tammuz, the lover of her youth,
Pour out pure waters, pour out fine oil;
With a festival garment deck him that he may play on the flute of lapis lazuli,
That the votaries may cheer his liver. [his spirit]
Belili [sister of Tammuz] had gathered the treasure,
With precious stones filled her bosom.
When Belili heard the lament of her brother, she dropped her treasure,
She scattered the precious stones before her,
"Oh, my only brother, do not let me perish!
On the day when Tammuz plays for me on the flute of lapis lazuli, playing it for me with the porphyry
ring.
Together with him, play ye for me, ye weepers and lamenting women!
That the dead may rise up and inhale the incense."

The Seven Evil Spirits

Raging storms, evil gods are they
Ruthless demons, who in heaven's vault were
created, are they,
Workers of evil are they,
They lift up the head to evil, every day to evil
Destruction to work.
Of these seven the first is the South wind...
The second is a dragon, whose mouth is
opened...
That none can measure.
The third is a grim leopard, which carries off
the young ...
The fourth is a terrible Shibbu ...
The fifth is a furious Wolf, who knoweth not to
flee,
The sixth is a rampant ... which marches
against god and king.
The seventh is a storm, an evil wind, which
takes vengeance,
Seven are they, messengers to King Anu are
they,
From city to city darkness work they,
A hurricane, which mightily hunts in the
heavens, are they
Thick clouds, that bring darkness in heaven,
are they,
Gusts of wind rising, which cast gloom over
the bright day, are they,
With the Imkhullu [2] the evil wind, forcing their
way, are they,

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The overflowing of Adad [3] mighty destroyers,
are they,
At the right of Adad stalking, are they,
In the height of heaven, like lightning flashing,
are they,
To wreak destruction forward go they ,
In the broad heaven, the home of Anu, the
King, evilly do they arise, and none to oppose.
When Enlil heard these tidings, a plan in his
heart he pondered,
With Ea, exalted Massu of the gods, be took
counsel. Sin, Shamash, and Ishtar, whom he
had set to order the vault of heaven,
With Anu he divided the lordship of the whole
heaven,
To these three gods, his offspring
Day and night, without ceasing, he ordained to
stand,
When the seven evil gods stormed the vault of
heaven,
Before the gleaming Sin, they set themselves
angrily, [4]
The mighty Shamash, Adad the warrior, they
brought on their side,
Ishtar, with Anu the King, moved into a shining
dwelling, exercising dominion over the
heavens,
[Nearly ten lines here are unreadable.]
Day and night he was dark (i.e., Sin), in the
dwelling of his dominion he sat not down,
The evil gods, the messengers of Anu, the
King, are they,
Raising their evil heads, in the night shaking
themselves, are they,
Evil searching out, are they,
From the heaven, like a wind, over the land
rush they.
Enlil saw the darkening of the hero Sin in
heaven,
The lord spoke to his minister Nusku,
O My minister Nusku, my message unto the
ocean bring,
The tidings of my son Sin, who in heaven has
been sadly darkened,
Unto Ea, in the ocean, announce it."
Nusku exalted the word of his lord,
To Ea, in the ocean, he went quickly,
To the prince, the exalted Massu the lord
Nudimmud.[5]
Nusku, the word of his lord there announced
Ea in the ocean heard that word,
He bit his lip and filled his mouth with wailing;
Ea called his son Marduk, and gave him the
message:
"Go, my son Marduk,
Son of a prince, the gleaming Sin has been
sadly darkened in heaven,
His darkening is seen in the heavens,
The seven evil gods, death-dealing, fearless
are they,
The seven evil gods, like a flood, rush on, the
land they fall upon, do they,
Against the land, like a storm, they rise, do
they,
Before the gleaming Sin, they set themselves
angrily;
The mighty Shamash, Adad the warrior, they
brought on their side.

NOTES:
[1] This story is the sixteenth tablet of a series called the "Evil Demon Series," of which we have an
Assyrian with a parallel Sumerian text. Presumably, therefore, it was a very ancient legend.
[2] The Imkhullu appears also in the Creation Epic.
[3] Adad is god of storm, Anu of heaven, Enlil of storm, Sin of the Moon, Shamash of the Sun, and
Ishtar of love and fruitfulness. The meaning of Massu is unknown; but Ea was long the chief ruler.
[4] The evil gods darken the moon by an eclipse, Shamash helping them by withdrawing his light from
the moon, and Adad by sending cloudy weather.
[5] A name for Ea.

DESCRIPTIONS OF "THE SEVEN"

I A storm of evil, forerunner of the baneful

Destructive storms and evil winds are they, storm.
A storm of evil, presaging the baneful storm, Mighty children, mightv sons are they,

Mesopotamian Texts 12/13

Messengers of Namtar are they,
Throne-bearers of Ereshkigal. [1]
The flood driving through the land are they.
Seven gods of the wide heavens,
Seven gods of the broad earth,
Seven robber-gods are they.
Seven gods of universal sway,
Seven evil gods,
Seven evil demons,
Seven evil and violent demons,
Seven in heaven, seven on earth.
II
Neither male nor female are they.
Destructive whirlwinds they,
Having neither wife nor offspring.
Compassion and mercy they do not know.
Prayer and supplication they do not hear.
Horses reared in the mountains, Hostile to Ea.
Throne-bearers of the gods are they.
Standing on the highway, befouling the street.
Evil are they, evil are they,
Seven they are, seven they are, Twice seven
they are.
III
The high enclosures, the broad enclosures like
a flood they pass through.
From house to house they dash along.
No door can shut them out,
No bolt can turn them back.
Through the door, like a snake, they glide,
Through the hinge, like the wind, they storm.
Tearing the wife from the embrace of the man,
Snatching the child from the knees of a man,
Driving the freedman from his family home.

[1 ]The mistress of the netherworld, while Namtar is the god of pestilence.

CHARM AGAINST THE SEVEN EVIL SPIRITS

Seven are they, seven are they!

In the channel of the deep seven are they!
In the radiance of heaven seven are they!
In the channel of the deep in a palace grew they up.
Male they are not, female they are not.
In the midst of the deep are their paths.
Wife they have not, son they have not.
Order and kindness know they not.
Prayer and supplication hear they not.
The cavern in the mountain they enter.
Unto Hea are they hostile.
The throne-bearers of the gods are they.
Disturbing the lily in the torrents are they set.
Baleful are they, baleful are they.
Seven are they, seven are they, seven twice again are they.
May the spirits of heaven remember, may the spirits of earth remember.

Mesopotamian Texts 13/13