Atra-Hasis: A Prose Version for Young Adults Written by Patricia Hewig based on Atrahasis in Myths from Mespopotamia

Transcription

1 1 Atra-Hasis: A Prose Version for Young Adults Written by Patricia Hewig based on Atrahasis in Myths from Mespopotamia Translated by Stephanie Dalley and Introduction The story of Atrahasis tells us that thousands of years before humans inhabited this planet, the great Anunna gods came to Earth. Atrahasis does not tell us why the Anunna came, but it does tell us that for thousands of years the Anunna built canals and mined Mesopotamia s plains, valleys, and hillsides in the present-day lands of Iraq. The story also tells of the creation of humankind and provides the oldest version of the story of the Great Flood. For a somewhat detailed discussion of Atrahasis, see Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others, translated by Stephanie Dalley and published by Oxford UP in Other versions of Atrahasis, which come to us from different Mesopotamian dynasties, use different names for the characters, but still tell the same basic stories. If I have not used a name as it appears in Dalley s translation, I have used a corresponding name from another translation or glossary that provides a deeper layer of meaning to either the text or to Gilgamesh. I used Dalley s translation as the basis for the following prose version because of the translator s superior academic qualifications and the high academic repute of the Oxford University Press. Dalley also provides useful footnotes and a glossary to which coaches can refer when teaching the text of this ancient story. When Dalley s text indicates missing lines, I turned to the translation of the Eridu Genesis listed above for inspiration and when lines were missing from that translation, I inserted some narrative of my own to fill in details that could logically connect one existing line to another. Information that comes from Eridu Genesis appears in { } and lines that I provide as transitions to extant lines appear in [ ]. All other lines are based on Dalley s translation.

2 2 When the Gods Instead of Man: The Story of Atrahasis Tablet One When the gods instead of man Did all the work, bore the loads, The gods load was too great, The work too hard, the trouble too much. [But I am starting in the middle of the story. Let me begin again.] When the gods ruled the heavens, the stars, and the planets, Anu, the king of the Anunna; Enlil, his impulsive warrior son; and Ea, Anu s wiser far-sighted son, came to Earth to claim the planet and its riches as their own. To divide their holdings fairly, the three first placed three lots within a box and then began the draw. Anu drew the lot for the star world that lay beyond the Earth s atmosphere; far-sighted Ea drew the lot for the Apsu, an underground realm of sweet, fresh water; and Enlil drew the lot for the earthen crust of the planet and its surrounding atmosphere. With the drawing of lots accomplished, each of the gods traveled to his allotted domain. Anu returned to his home in the heavens. Ea journeyed to the subterranean Apsu, taking with him his lahmu-heroes to guard the dam between the fresh water of the Apsu and the salt water of the sea. Enlil took with him three other gods to help him govern his earthly realm: Ninurta, Enlil s chamberlain; Nusku, the god of light who served as Enlil s vizier; and Enuggi, who served as Enlil s canal-controller and sheriff. Enlil and these three fellow gods governed the Igigi, a less powerful group of laborer gods, who were Enlil s children. Although gods, the Igigi dug out irrigation canals, cleared channels, dug the river beds for the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers, and established the structure of the Apsu and its canopy of mountains. For 3,600 years the Igigi bore the harshest of workloads, but the work never seemed to end and became harder and harder to bear. Eventually, their workload became too much. Their leader, the fire-god Gibil, having had his fill of the backbreaking work, spoke to his Igigi brothers, goading them into rebellion. Come! Let us go to the tower of our governor, Enlil. Let us pull him from his ziggurat and fight him like warriors and then demand an easier life for ourselves, a life fit for the gods that we are! His Igigi brothers listened to his speech, growing angrier with each word until they too were ready fight. Throwing down their spades used in service to Enlil, the mob took up fiery torches as symbols of their allegiance to the fire-god Gibil and then marched to the gates of Enlil s castle to surround it and demand a meeting with Enlil. Because the mob marched during the middle of the night while Enlil was sleeping soundly, the impulsive god had no knowledge of the rebellion that was about to shake him from his comfortable bed. But Enlil s watchful gatekeeper, Kalkal, upon hearing the approach of the mob, closed the gate, locked it, and then ran to waken Nusku. Upon hearing Kalkal s news of the rebels move against the walls of Enlil s castle, Nusku ran to his master s bedroom and roused his master saying, My lord, wake up! Your castle is surrounded by an angry mob!

3 Nusku s words startled the warrior god from his peaceful slumber, but even as he left the gentle arms of sleep, he thought like a warrior and ordered his guards to bring a cache of weapons from his armory. Then, turning to his vizier, he barked, Nusku, bar the door, take up your weapons and stand in front of me to protect me from these intruders! Nusku answered, Oh my lord, your face is as pale as the tamarisk tree. Why do you fear these people? They are your children. Send for Anu to be brought down to you from the stars and have far-sighted Ea fetched here from the Apsu. They will advise you wisely and keep you from making a rash decision. Enlil saw the wisdom in Nusku s words and did as his trusted vizier advised. When Anu and Ea arrived, they joined the other great Anunna in a formal assembly to hear Enlil s complaints against the Igigi and to advise him. Enlil rose and made his case to the assembly: With my own eyes I saw this mob surround my castle. Without a doubt, their actions are intended as a threat against me personally. I am justified in taking military action against them! Anu rose and spoke to his rash warrior son. Do not be so quick to make a decision. Let us proceed slowly. Let Nusku go out and speak with the Igigi. Let us hear what they have to say. Enlil acceded to his father s wishes and turned to Nusku with stern orders as to the words his vizier should use when addressing the mob. Having received his orders, Nusku took up his weapon, bowed to his master, and exited through the door, then proceded to the steps of Enlil s fortress. He addressed the crowd of angry laborers: Your king, the great Anu; your father and governor, the warrior Enlil; your chamberlain Ninurta; and the canal-controller Ennugi have sent me to ask who is in charge of this mob. Who ordered you to take arms against Enlil? Who has declared war against the house of Enlil? Gibil, the fire-god, answered: Every single one of us Igigi gods has declared war! We have stopped our ceaseless digging. We are on strike! The work is too hard, it is too much, it is killing us! Each one of us who stand before you has a complaint against Enlil. When Nusku returned to the assembly and repeated Gibil s words, Enlil s eyes filled with tears. He turned to Anu, the king of the Anunna, and said: Noble one, take a decree with you to the sky, show your strength. While the great Anunna are assembled before you, call up this rebellious god Gibil and have the assembly vote for his destruction! Anu rose and spoke, Why should we find fault with the Igigi? Like the great Anunna, they live for centuries; but, unlike us, they work from morning till night. Their work is too hard, the burden is too much. Every day the earth echoes with their moans and groans. Their wailing has been loud enough for us to hear, but we have ignored the warning. Then far-sighted Ea rose and said, The king of the Anunna speaks truly. For thousands of years the Igigi have voiced their misery, but we great gods have chosen to ignore them. Rather than slay the Igigi, let us call Aruru, the midwife of the gods, to our assembly and from clay mixed with the blood of an Anunna have her create a new life form, one capable of bearing the yoke of Enlil s work. Let us call this new creature man and have the creature and the race created from it bear the load that has burdened the Igigi for all these thousands of years. All the assembled Anunna agreed and directed that Aruru, the Great Mother, present herself before them. Once she stood before the assembly and heard its wish, she responded, It is not within my powers to purify the clay necessary for the making of a new creature. Only Ea, the creator god, can do that. [See notes under Ea and Nudimmud in glossary in Myths from 3

4 Mesopotamia.] She continued, If Ea gives me clay that he has blessed and purified, then I will do as the assembly orders. Ea rose and spoke. On the first, seventh, and fifteenth of the month, I shall purify the clay by washing it in the holy waters of the Apsu. The Great Anunna likewise can immerse themselves in my waters to purify themselves for such an auspicious moment. Then a god shall be slaughtered, and Aruru shall mix the flesh and blood of our slaughtered brother with the clay. A god and a man shall mix together in the clay. [ But what god will sacrifice himself in such a way? asked the assemblage. Each member looked among the assembled gods, trying to discern who among them would be the best choice. Finally, Geshtu-e a god whom all respected for his intelligence and his ability to think rationally, logically, and methodically rose and offered himself for slaughter.] Wise Ea nodded his head in agreement, saying Let us forever more hear the drumbeat of Geshtu-e s heart echo in the breast of our new creature. May Geshtu-e s ettemu, the spirit that fills the flesh of our brother s living body with life, also exist in the flesh of this new creature and constantly remind us of Geshtu-e s sacrifice. The great Anunnaki, who determine the fates, answered Yes! as if they were one. After the end of the fifteen days of purification, Geshtu-e was slaughtered in the presence of the assembly and Aruru mixed the god s flesh and blood with the sanctified clay. All heard the drumbeat of Geshtu-e s heart as it mixed with the clay, and all witnessed Geshtu-e s ettemu enter the clay, reminding them of the sacrifice Geshtu-e had made for the future of this new creature. All the Anunna, both high- and low-born, walked before the urn holding the clay and spat their spittle upon the clay, thereby becoming a part of the clay from which Aruru would fashion the new creature. Thus, the lulla-humans [see note 44, p. 38 for an explanation of this term] inherited the intelligence of the god Geshtu-e and his centuries-long lifespan. When all were once again assembled, Aruru spoke to the gods. I have carried out perfectly the work that you ordered of me. You have slaughtered a god together with his intelligence to create a being who will do the work for you. By transferring the burden of your woe and suffering to the back of mankind, I have undone the fetter of your great load of work and thereby granted you freedom from work and its stresses. The assemblage praised Aruru and exalted her name, caring little about the miserable future that lay in store for mankind. Then the great mother goddess and Ea left the great hall and entered the room of fate, where Aruru s assistants awaited her. Here, Ea trod the clay while Aruru repeated an incantation taught to her by Ea. After Ea had thoroughly mixed the clay and had called down a blessing on it with his incantations, she pinched off fourteen pieces of clay, setting seven pieces on the right and seven pieces on the left. From these pieces of clay, her assistants created seven males and seven females. She then announced the rituals that would regulate humankind during the processes of wooing, marrying, and delivering babies. Twelve hundred years passed and the country suffered from over-population. Because the humans had inherited from the gods the ability to live hundreds of years, the population had grown and grown. Cities and the countryside were filled to overflowing with the hundreds and thousands of people whose natural lives spanned several centuries. The sounds of their animals and their tools working the earth created a great din, and filth and turmoil soon followed wherever they settled. Mesopotamia was as noisy as a bellowing bull. Enlil grew more and more unhappy and restless. He addressed the great gods: The noise of these humans has become too much. It is with us day and night and fills what once were peaceful hours with the chaos that follows in the creatures wake. These humans have become a blight on our society 4

5 5 rather than the blessing that we all had in mind when we created them. I can take no more. I want our land to be what it was before these creatures came to live in it. I want them all exterminated! Give the order to Namtara, the Herald of Death, to call forth the demon of the surruppu-disease as well as Nergal s seven demonic diseases and have them kill all these lullaslaves! Namtara did Enlil s bidding and straight away, like a destructive storm, disease and pestilence blew through the door of every home inhabited by the human slaves. Fever, headache, vomiting, paralysis, leprosy, seizures all filled the land with misery and death. Now there was one Atrahasis, a devout follower of Ea who lived in the city of Shuruppak in lower Mesopotamia. He listened to every word that Ea spoke to him and Ea listened to every word that his faithful disciple spoke to him. One day, when disease had completely overtaken the land, Atrahasis walked beside the harbor of the Apsu and called out to his god Ea, Oh Lord, sickness is consuming the country. The desperate cries of your people fill the land. You are the god who created us. We are your special creatures, and we call on you to give us your special protection. Please save us! Put an end to the suffering and death that plague us! And Ea, upon hearing the plea of his faithful servant, said: Here is what you must do. Stop honoring the gods and goddesses who protect your homes. Do not pray to them, do not make offerings to them. Instead, honor only the god Namtara. Build a temple in his honor. Present flour offerings only to him. Lay your offerings at the door of his temple, making sure only he receives such honors. He will be shamed that he, who has brought such misery to mankind, is treated with such reverence by the very creatures he is torturing. His shame will cause him to lift his fearful hand from your presence. Faithful Atrahasis did as Ea ordered. He called together the elders of Shuruppak and instructed them, saying: Revolt against the gods and goddesses who protect your homes. Do not revere them, do not pray to them, do not make offerings to them. Instead, build a temple to honor Namtara. Gather round the door of his new temple. Bring a baked loaf into his presence. May the flour offering shame him and cause him to wipe away his hand. The elders listened to Atrahasis and did his bidding. They built a temple to Namtara and brought a baked loaf into Namtara s presence. The flour offerings so shamed the Herald of Death that he withdrew his hand. Disease left the land. And soon the people resumed making offerings to their household gods. Tablet Two Another 1,200 years passed. Overpopulation once again caused suffering and chaos, making Earth and its gods miserable. Enlil once again rued his decision to allow Ea and Aruru to create mankind. He longed for the days before mankind inhabited Earth, when only gods trod the planet and only the voices of the gods could be heard. He called the assembly of Anunna gods together and declared: The noise of mankind has become too much. The diseases we visited upon mankind had no lasting effect. There are more people now than ever before. The numbers of those who survived and those who were born after the pestilence place too great a burden upon the peace the gods desired when they agreed to create mankind. The country is as noisy as a bellowing bull. I am losing sleep because of their racket. Cut off food supplies to the people! Let a drought kill off all the vegetation. Let Adad wipe away his rain and have Anu keep the air above earth locked. Let Sin and Nergal keep the middle earth locked and allow no water to feed the underground springs. As for the dam that bars the sea, Ea and his lahmu-

6 creatures will keep it locked and they will allow no water from the Apsu to make its way to the surface of the earth. Let no water flow from the springs, let the wind dry out the land and strip it bare. Let Nissaba, the goddess of grain, turn her back on these disgusting human creatures and feed them no more. Let only death keep these people company. And it was as Enlil ordered. The demons of misery once again walked the earth. The fields of rich, dark earth became white with alkali, no vegetation sprouted, no grain grew. The second year came and went, leaving only empty storehouses. When the third year arrived, starvation had hollowed out the faces of Ea s creatures and shriveled their bodies. When the fourth year arrived, the people walked bent over, too weak to walk upright, and when the fifth year arrived, daughters would look resentfully at their mothers when their mothers came to visit, knowing that every morsel of food her mother ate meant one morsel less for her. Mothers would not even open their doors when their daughters came to visit, so determined were they to save every crumb for themselves. Mothers sold their daughters and daughters sold their mothers. When the sixth year came, a mother served up a daughter for a meal or served up a son for food. [Only a few households remained, one of which was the house of Atrahasis. One night, Atrahasis left his house and walked beside what was left of the river that ran to the banks of the Apsu. He put his bed beside the nearly dry river and cried as he thought of the suffering of the land and the people of Mesopotamia. Half-way through the night, on the edge of the river bank, he made a sacrifice to Ea and prayed, May the waters that are left in this river carry my gift to Ea, my lord. May Ea see my offering and remember me. He wept again and faced the river as his offering and his prayer were carried toward the Apsu.] Ea heard the pleas of Atrahasis and summoned his lahmu-creatures to him. When all stood before him, he addressed them, saying: This man whose prayers the river has brought me go quickly and bring me word from him. Ask him to give me a report of conditions in his country. Meanwhile, Atrahasis waited patiently for word from his lord Ea. Finally, the lahmucreatures arrived at the harbor of the Apsu and found Atrahasis waiting for them. Lord Ea has sent us to bring back word on the conditions in your country. What report can you give us? [Atrahasis recounted the sufferings of the past six years, ending with the stories of cannibalism among his people. The lahmu-creatures committed all the story to memory and returned to Ea with their report. Upon hearing the report of his lahmu-creatures, wise Ea reflected,] The state of the country is according to their behavior. If water has left the canals, if grain has left the fields, it is because the people have been such disappointments to Enlil and to me. Because the lullu have created so much noise, they have disturbed the gods, and the gods have abandoned them, taking their rain and their crops with them. But not all should be punished, and certainly not my faithful servant Atrahasis. Ea called his vizier Usmu to him and gave him directions as to the message he should carry to Atrahasis. Not long afterward, Usmu, carrying his lord s instructions, appeared to Atrahasis and relayed Ea s words to him. The state of the country is according to the behavior of its people. That is why the country has been shaken off like a dried fig onto the ground. That is why the sealed skies offer no rain and why the water below is dammed so it does not flow. That is why the dark ploughland has whitened and why the pastureland does not sprout. Usmu then directed Atrahasis and his people as to what they must do to relieve their suffering. [ But Ea knows you 6

7 have been faithful in your duties to him and knows that you do not deserve to suffer along with all the other lulla who make life miserable for the gods. And thus he sends you these directions. After delivering Ea s directions, Usmu returned to the Apsu, and Atrahasis returned to his people. Atrahasis called a meeting of the elders and recounted Ea s plan: We must build a temple to Adad, the storm god. Then we must abandon our household gods, no longer honoring them, praying to them, or presenting offerings to them. Instead, all our offerings must be given to Adad. We must make flour offerings to him and present the baked loaves at the door to his temple. He will be shamed by our presents and remove his hand so that rain can once more nourish the earth. He will make a mist form in the morning and at night he will steal out and make dew drop. The fields will produce ninefold the yields that they did before the drought and famine. Atrahasis and his neighbors did as Ea instructed, and Adad soon lifted his hand from the rainless skies. Drought and famine left the land and the people of Mesopotamia once again returned to worshiping their household gods. Fury filled Enlil s heart. The gods had made their plans, and if all had done as Enlil had ordered, humankind would no longer populate the land, filling it with the chaotic sounds of their miserable existence. He called Anu and Ea along with all the other great gods to an assembly and lay before them the reasons for their failed mission. [ When we first drew our lots, we had a plan. We, the great Anunna, all of us agreed to a plan. Anu was to rule the star realm, I was to rule the middle earth below, and Ea was to reign over the Apsu in the inner earth. Anu and I respected the boundaries between our kingdoms. We fulfilled our part of the agreement. But you, Ea, did not. Although you rightly created your lahmu-creatures to help you reign below in the Apsu, you overstepped your boundaries by creating mankind, a creature that lives above the ground in my realm, not yours. ] When he heard these words, Ea grew nervous, worry gnawed at him. But then, when he heard Enlil s next words, fury linked to disbelief filled his heart. [ Twice, Ea, the assembly has devised plans to destroy these pesky creatures, but each time you have betrayed us and devised your own plans to save them once by devising your own plan to placate Namtara and persuade him to stay his deadly hand, and a second time by having your human creatures with their flour offerings placate Adad by softening his heart toward mankind to such a degree that he released his rains. And the purpose of these betrayals? To save your human creatures -- creatures of my realm, not yours rather than follow the assembly s plans to destroy these bothersome pests!] Now you will pay the price for overstepping your boundaries and for your betrayal of our trust. Now you will have to use your power against the very creatures that you created and twice saved. You will create a flood that will destroy all mankind! There is no way that you can wiggle your way out of this! You will take an oath, swearing that you will send a flood to destroy the creatures you once so proudly created. There is no escaping your duty! You will make this promise and keep it and never divulge the assembly s plan to mankind! ] Ea rose, voicing his opposition. Why should you make me swear to an oath? Why should I use my power against my people? This flood that you mention I have never made a flood. My job has always been to control the water under the ground, not the water above it. That is the realm of Enlil. I know nothing about how to create a flood. Let Enlil choose other gods to do his bidding. Let Shullat, the servant of the sun god, and Hanish, the servant of the weather god, march ahead to prepare for the deluge that is to come. Let Erkal move from his kingdom in the underworld to tear out the mooring poles from their seats and let Ninurta march 7

8 8 ahead and make the dams overflow. [But do not send me! I know nothing about how to create a flood! ] Enlil refused to bend. { The assembly of the Anunna has given you an explicit command and touched their throats. You know what this action signifies. If you do not keep your oath, you will be beheaded. You must obey or surrender your life. There is nothing left to discuss! You must obey! } But Ea was already making plans of his own for mankind. Tablet Three Atrahasis sought Ea day and night, waiting to hear his god s voice. But Ea, bound by his promise not to communicate with humankind, remained silent. [Finally, one night, Ea visited Atrahasis in a dream in which the god spoke to a reed wall. Not able to fathom the reason for Ea s odd behavior in the dream or the portent of the dream, Atrahasis, while still dreaming, prayed to Ea to reveal its meaning.] All that Ea would say was Wall, listen constantly to me. Make sure you attend all my words! [Although Atrahasis did not understand the dream, he did recognize the wall of reeds as a wall encircling his house In the morning, Atrahasis made his way to the reed wall that he had recognized in his dream and waited for the scene he had seen in his dream to manifest itself in the reality of the bright morning. Finally, he heard the whisper of Ea s voice coming from the other side of the reed wall,] Wall, listen constantly to me. Make sure you attend all my words! Atrahasis placed his ear next to the reed wall and listened closely to Ea s whispered commands. Dismantle your house, build a makurru, rid yourself of your possessions, but save living things. Roof your boat in such a way that it is like the Apsu, which the sun cannot see inside. Make upper and lower decks, and make sure the ropes inside the boat are strong. In addition, make sure the bitumen with which you seal the boat s seams is thick and strong so that no water can penetrate its decks or walls. [I am bound by my word to the gods to make rain fall on the earth for seven nights, so laden your ship with a wealth of birds and a hamper of fish. Atrahasis left the wall, not understanding the gods decision to visit a flood upon the Earth, but fully understanding Ea s directions.] He called the elders to his door and spoke to them, concealing the true reason for his decision to build a boat. My god is out of favor with your god. Ea and Enlil have become angry with each other. Enlil is determined to drive me from my house, but Ea, the god whom I have always favored and obeyed, has warned me of Enlil s coming actions against me. I can no longer stay here and must never set foot in Enlil s territory again. I must go down to the Apsu and stay with my god. I therefore must build a boat and take the rest of my household with me. The elders heeded the words of their pious neighbor and soon the carpenter brought his axe, the reed worker brought his stone, children carried tar, and the poor assisted as they could. [When the makurru stood finished, Atrahasis loaded his boat with supplies, including a sand clock, and then brought the animals on board.] The birds of the sky, the cattle of the field, the wild animals of the open country all were brought on board and tethered. When all was in readiness, Atrahasis invited the members of his house to a feast on board the ship. But while the other family members feasted, Atrahasis paced nervously, sick at heart and sick in body. Soon the face of the weather changed. Adad bellowed from the clouds and the winds began to rage. Atrahasis mounted the upper deck of the boat, watching the waters rise higher

9 and higher, until the moment when the mooring ropes were taut. Then Atrahasis took his long knife and cut the mooring ropes, setting the boat free to ride the wild waves. Anzu tore at the sky with his talons and water poured from the rent clouds. Ea opened the dams of the Apsu and its waters inundated the land. The Flood roared like a bull, the wind screamed like a wild ass, sounding like the kasusu-weapons used by the army of the gods. There was no sun. On land, no one could see even a few inches ahead and no one could hear the voices of others. The rain continued, sweeping away all signs of human life from the face of the Earth. Soon, no one remained to make offerings of bread to the gods and soon the gods began to suffer from the early stages of starvation. Anu, crazy with hunger, called the other gods to an assembly to discuss what should be done. Aruru, the Great Mother, entered the great hall, her lips encrusted with putrid scabs. Seeing her misery reflected in the suffering faces of her fellow gods, she began to cry and sobbed as she looked to Anu for help. Let the sun shine once more. Let daylight return to the Earth, she begged. Then she turned to the assembly. How could I, how could we, have agreed to allow Enlil to bring such destruction to Earth? [His plan was reckless and wicked.] The creatures that I brought to life have become sacrificial white sheep, killed by Enlil s wicked orders, yet it is I against whom my creatures level their accusations as they face the deadly waters of the flood. [I have heard the blame in their voices and have seen the recrimination in their eyes as they sink beneath the waters.] They hold me responsible for their destruction and are heartbroken that I would betray my own offspring in such a way. Without mankind s gifts of bread, without their love, where am I to live? Could I go away to Anu s kingdom and live separated from these creatures whom I love so much? What was Anu s intention when he agreed to Enlil s plan? What was he thinking when he ordered the enactment of Enlil s plan and created such a flood? Would a true father have ordered the destruction of his own children, knowing that he would watch as their corpses clogged the river like dragonflies? To him, their bodies are no more than flotsam washed upon the shore, but to me, they are my children! Shall I ever finish weeping for them? Her tears moved the other gods to a grief of their own, a grief so deep that it went beyond words. Their sobs caught in their throats, stifling their words so that they could not speak at all but only emit sounds that sounded like the bleating of sheep. With the Great Mother, they wept for the country. [For seven days and seven nights the storm ravaged the earth, and for seven days and seven nights, Atrahasis did not sleep as the ship rode the torrents of water that kept rolling over the lands of Mesopotamia. Every day Atrahasis checked the sands in his sand clock to gauge how many more days he, his family, and his animals must endure until the rains would cease. On the eighth day, when Atrahasis consulted the sand clock, joy flooded his heart. The sands had run their course. He opened the hatch of the boat and saw that Shamash, the sun god, had emerged from behind the clouds. Atrahasis knew that he must curb his elation. After all, several days remained until the waters would recede and reveal dry land, and who knew where the ship would find its resting place? In a few days, his patience was rewarded. His boat had come to rest upon the great plains of Sumeria. He looked about him and was filled with grief as he saw the corpses of his fellow humans, smelled the stench of decay, and heard the buzzing of the carrion-eating flies created by Anu to remove the grizzly remains of the carnage that lay everywhere. 9

10 But then Atrahasis grief turned to joy. His family had been spared and he silently thanked the god Ea for his care and protection. He then kissed the ground where the rays of Shamash shone, warming and drying the land. After releasing the animals from the boat, he set his family to work unloading wood and kindling from the boat. At a distance from the boat, upon a small hillock, he began to build a pyre on which to burn an offering.] {As the flames began to rise from the pyre, Atrahasis butchered some oxen and then some sheep and ordered his wife to make barley cakes. When all was in readiness, he placed a few boughs of fragrant juniper upon the fire and made offerings to the gods.} [The aromas of roasting meat, baking bread, and sweet juniper wafted on the gentle breezes and tickled the noses of the gods. All but Anu and Enlil gathered on the hillock upon which Atrahasis had built his pyre, gathering like flies around the offerings, eating until their bellies were beyond full. In disgust, Aruru, the Great Mother, looked around the circle at the gods who lay in various stages of satiety, wondering how the gods could feast so gluttonously on the offerings made by the very creatures whose mass destruction they had so callously ordered just a few days earlier.] She rose to speak. Whatever came over Anu to make him decide to destroy mankind? Why would he go along with Enlil s plan without taking time to deliberate and to think about the consequences? And all of you sitting here agreed to Enlil s plan too. Because of you, the bright faces of my offspring are dark forever. [Then she pointed to Atrahasis in the distance, bent over with grief as he walked among the corpses.] His destiny is mine. My destiny goes with his! [She walked toward the pile of bones left over from the gods feast, pointing to the flies swarming there,] and cried out, Anu must deliver me from this evil, he must quiet my grief. Let these flies be the lapis lazuli of my necklace so that I can remember my dead children every day! [ So may it ever be, spoke a deep voice. Aruru, recognizing the deep-timbred tone, turned and bowed her head before Anu as he cleared the brow of the hillock. When she raised her head, she saw that another god followed in Anu s wake Enlil. Aruru turned on him and furiously asked, Enlil and Anu, how dare you come so eagerly for this smoke offering you who gave no thought to the effect your orders would have on your fellow gods? How ironic that you so willingly accept the food and drink offered to you here, but just a few days ago happily ordered the death of the good creature who so generously offers his food and drink to us today. As she spoke, she pointed to Atrahasis and his boat resting on the broad lap of the plain. Although the storm clouds had cleared from the sky, lightning flashed from Enlil s eyes and clouds of rage roiled across his face. He pointed to the plain and to the boat that had come to rest on its surface.] We, the great Anunna, all of us agreed that no form of life should escape! How could any man survive the catastrophe unless he had been warned of the impending flood in time to make preparations for his survival? Anu made his voice heard.] Enlil, who but Ea would do this? Who else could devise a way to disclose our plan without breaking his oath? He made sure the reed walls of the hut disclosed our plan. [Enlil s face clouded with anger. Then Ea must die! He knew the consequences if he did not keep his oath to the Anunna! ] I did it in defiance of you! [All of the gods turned to see who had spoken, and there, coming over the rise in the hill, strode Ea himself. In your usual reckless way, Enlil, you did not think about the long-term consequences of your decision to slaughter all of humankind. If all 10

11 the lulla had died, who would have provided the gods with food and drink? I made sure that life was preserved! You should thank me. You can exact your punishment from the sinner who contradicted your orders, but I am not the sinner. I spoke to a reed wall of your decree that a Flood kill all of humankind; I never purposely shared your plan with a human. Thank goodness Atrahasis overheard my conversation with wall. Because of that happy accident, I saved Atrahasis and his family; and with their offerings today made from the provender he stored with great trouble and courage on his makurru, they have saved you. How would you have survived if it had not been for the offerings of food and drink that Atrahasis and his family sacrifice for you now? If Atrahasis had been swept away in the flood waters, how would you have survived without anyone here to roast meat or bake bread? The very first act of this man upon reaching dry land was to make an offering that proves he is your devoted servant, not your enemy! Exact your punishment upon the sinner, but Atrahasis is no sinner. He is, as he has ever been, the servant of the gods. Anu and Enlil felt their hearts warm toward Ea and Atrahasis. A look of revelation lit their eyes. Anu spoke first. You are right, Ea. Without Atrahasis and his gifts to us, Enlil would be forced to abandon his realm. Don t you agree, Enlil? Enlil begrudgingly nodded his head. Anu continued, As for myself, I agreed to Enlil s plan too quickly. My decision was rash and ill-advised. I see now that Atrahasis, although human, is our ally and not our enemy. I am ever your servant, Enlil and Anu, attested Atrahasis, stepping forward from behind the assembly of the gods] {and kissing the ground in front of Enlil and Anu. Ea spoke once more. You, Anu, the king of the star world, do you swear by the life s breath of heaven that you and Atrahasis are allies? I do, rumbled Anu in his deep baritone voice. And you, Enlil, the king of the earth, do you swear by the life s breath of earth, that Atrahasis is your ally? } I do, Enlil reluctantly answered. [ Then, as your ally, Atrahasis is your equal and deserves to live the life of a god. Anu and Enlil looked at each other and reached a silent agreement. Anu spoke, So shall it ever be. Step forward, Atrahasis, and kneel before us. Atrahasis followed the star king s bidding and knelt before the king of the skies and the king of the earth. Atrahasis, spoke Anu, we grant you the gift of immortality. And the two gods each placed a hand upon the good man s head] {and from them the lasting breath of life, like a god s, descended upon him. Rise, Atrahasis, preserver of the seed of mankind, and live forever in the mountains of Dilmun. } [Atrahasis rose and stood before Anu, Enlil, Ea, and Aruru. But what will happen to my wife, to my children, and to their descendants? What will happen to them? asked Atrahasis. Ea stepped forward and answered, Your wife may share in your immortality and live with you in the mountains of Dilmun. But your children cannot. No, humankind can no longer live for centuries; we must limit their time on Earth and thereby control the problems caused by their overpopulation of Enlil s domain. From this day forward, people will decline in old age and eventually leave this earth, making room for a new generation.] Aruru added, And among the women of the earth, let there be three kinds: those who bear, those who do not bear, and those who do not give birth successfully. Let there be a demon 11

12 12 that snatches children from their mother s lap and a group of priestesses who take a vow of chastity. In all these ways, the population will be controlled. And thus it was that the gods sent the Flood, but a man survived the catastrophe. On Enlil s orders, Ea created conflict. Let the Igigi listen to this song so that they may praise the gods and let the people record the greatness of the gods. The End. Third tablet of When the gods instead of man 390 lines, Total 1245 for the three tablets. Written by the hand of Ipiq-Aya, junior scribe. Month Ayyar, In the year Ammi-saduqa was king.