(14) Anu, Antum, Adad, Shala, Ea, Damkina, (15) Belitilâni, Ninib; these are the gods, who go behind Ashur. [The following words are on the left margin] (1) The victorious Prince, seated upon Ashur's chariot. (2) Tiamat with the creatures within her. Gam-lat (14) (ilu) A-nim (ilu) An-tum (ilu) Adad (ilu) Ša-la (ilu) E-a (ilu) Dam-[ki-na] (15) (ilu) be-lit ilâni (ilu) Ninib an-nu-ti ilâni sa arki (ilu) [Aš-šur illa-ku] MARGIN: (1) [mal]-ku ka-ši-du ina narkabti (ilu) Aššur šak-nu (2) [Ti]-amat a-di nab-nit kir-bi-šu. 9 AN ADDRESS TO THE RIVER OF CREATION1 O thou River, who didst create all things, When the great gods dug thee out, They set prosperity upon thy banks, Within thee Ea, the king of the Deep, created his dwelling, 5 A deluge unparalleled to thee they gave. Fire and wrath, and splendor, and terror O great river, exalted river, river of sanctuaries. 1 Published and translated by King, The Seven Tablets of Creation, i, 128, 129, 200, 201, and translated also by Ungnad in Gressmann, Altorientalische Texte und Bilder, i, 30, 31. The passage is found upon two duplicate tablets and is used to introduce two different incantations. See King's note, op. cit., p. 128, and compare Sayce, Hibbert Lectures, p. 403. As King suggests, "this mystical river of creation was evidently suggested by the Euphrates." šiptu at-ti nâru banat(at) ka-l[a-mu] ina a-hi-ki [iš-ku-nu] dum-ka ina libbi-ki (ilu) E-a šar ap-si-i ib-na-[a šu-bat-su] 5 a-bu-ub la ma-har ka-a-ši iš-ruk-[ku] i-ša-tum uz-za na-mur-ra-ti pu-lub-t[i] (ilu) E-a u (ilu) Marduk iš-ru-ku-nik-kim-ma d[i]-ni te-ni-še-e-ti ta-din-ni at-ti nâru rabîti (ti) nâru șir-ti nâru eš-ri-e-ti II. THE DRAGON AND DEMONS 1. ELLIL AND THE LABBU A curious variation of the creation myth is afforded by a small text which gives a story of a contest between Ellil and a great sea monster, whose name may be read Labbu, that is, Lion. The name might also be read Kalbu (dog), or even Ribbu; if this latter reading could be authenticated, it would form a most interesting parallel to the Rahab of the Old Testament (Job 9. 13; 26. 12; Psa. 89. 10; Isa. 30. 7). In this fragment the monster is represented as of great size, for his length is fifty biru' (line 8). The biru is the distance that may be covered in two hours' travel, about six or seven miles, and this would make the dragon three hundred or three hundred and fifty miles long, and the height which it reared the head out of the water six or seven miles. (So King.) The blood of the dragon flowed for three years when slain (line 8, reverse), which seems quite consistent with this estimate of its size. The ideogram is KAS-PU, which is to be read bîru as Landsberger has just shown. See Zeitschrift für Assyriologie, xxv, 385, 386. 1 ELLIL AND THE LABBU 1 The cities sighed, men [. . .] Men uttered lamentation, [they To their lament To their grief not [. . . not [. 5 Who had [borne (?)] the dragon [. J . . ?] 1 The text is published by Delitzsch, Assyrisches Wörterbuch, p. 390f., and by King, in Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets, etc., xiii, pp. 33ff., and translated by him, Seven Tablets of Creation, i, pp. 117ff. It has also been translated by Zimmern in Gunkel, Schöpfung und Chaos, pp. 417ff.; Jensen, Keilinschriftliche Bibliothek, vi, 1, pp. 44ff.; Hrozny, Mittheilungen der Vorderasiatischen Gesellschaft, 1903, p. 265; Jeremias, Das Alte Testament im Lichte des alten Orients, 2te Auf., pp. 138, 139; Weber, Literatur der Babylonier und Assyrer, pp. 63ff. Compare also Jensen, Das Gilgamesh-Epos in der Weltliteratur, pp. 56ff.; Gressmann, Altorientalische Texte und Bilder, i, pp. 31, 32 Fifty biru in his length, one biru [his height?] Six cubits is his mouth, twelve cubits [his 10 Twelve cubits is the circuit of his [ears For the space of sixty cubits he [. .] birds All the gods of heaven [. .] The border of Sin's robe they hasti[ly grasped]: "Who will go and [slay] the Labbu (?) And deliver the broad land [from And become king [over 20 Go, Tishpak, [slay] the Labbu (?) And deliver the broad land [from And exercise kingship [over Thou hast sent me, O Lord, of the offspring of the i-na mê IX ammatu i-šad-da-[ad u-še-ik-ki zi-im-bat-su i-[. J ilâni ša šamê(e) ka-li-šu-nu [. . 15 ina šamê(e) ilâni ka-an-šu ana pân [. u ša (ilu) Sin ina ulinni-šu ur-ru-[. man-nu il-lak-ma lab-b[i ma-a-tum ra-pa-aš-tum u-še-iz-[zab u šarru-u-ti ip-pu-u[š 20 a-lik (ilu) Tišpak lab-bi d[uma-a-ta ra-pa-aš-ta šu-zi-b[a u šarru-u-ta e-pu-uš [. } [The remainder of the Obverse illegible, as well as the beginning of the Reverse] ] opened his mouth and [spake] to the "Let cloud arise and storm [stir up] The seal of thy life [hold] before thy face, For three years and three months, one day and 2. THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN EVIL DEMONS1 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 This legend forms the sixteenth tablet of the Evil-Demon series. It is published IV R., 2d edition, p. 5, and Cuneiform Texts, xvi, pp. 19ff. It is translated by R. C. Thompson, The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia, i, pp. 88ff. See further, Winckler, Altorientalische Forschungen, iii, pp. 58ff.; Jastrow, Die Religion Babyloniens und Assyriens, i, pp. 361ff.; Jeremias, Das Alte Testament im Lichte des Alten Orients, p. 102f., English Translation, p. 111; Ungnad in Gressmann, Altorientalische Texte und Bilder, i, pp. 32ff. ûmê mut-tak-pu-tum ilâni lim-nu-tum šu-nu1 še-e-du la pa-du-tum ša ina šu-puk šame(e) ib-ba-nu šu-nu mu-kil kakkad limuttim(tim) ša ûmi (mi)-šam-ma ana limutti The lines are numbered to correspond to the translation at the top of the page. The Sumerian text of the original is not here given, and the Semitic is consequently numbered conventionally. Of these seven the first is the South wind That none can measure. The third is a grim leopard, which carries off the The seventh is a storm, an evil wind, which takes vengeance, Seven they, are they, messengers of King Anu are 15 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,' the evil wind, forcing their way, are they, 1 The Imkhullu appears also in the Creation story, col. iv, 45, 96. ma-am-ma [la] šal-šu nim-ru iz-zu ša pi-i-ri e(?)-[ki-mu] 10 ri-bu-u šib-bu gal-ti ha-aš-ša ab-bu na-ad-ru ša ana arki-šu ni-'-a la [. šiš-[šu] -u ti-bu-u ša ana ili u šarri si-bu-u me-hu-u ša-a-ru lim-nu ša gi(?)-iš [. 15 a-li ana a-li da-um-ma-ta i-šak-ka-nu šu-nu a-šam-šu-tum ša ina šame(e) iz-zi-iš iş-şa-nun-du šu-nu ir-pi-tum ša-pi-tum ša ina šame(e) da-um-ma-ta i-šak-ka-nu šu-nu zi-ik ša-a-ri te-bu-tum ša ina ûme(me) nam-ri e-ṭu-ta i-šak-kanu šu-nu it-ti im-hul-li ša-a-ri lim-ni i-šur-ru šu-nu |