Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Volume 32
Mesopotamian Incantations
and Related Texts
in the Sch0yen Collection
by
A. R. George
CDL Press
Bethesda, Maryland
2016
Table of Contents
Statement ofProvenance (Ownership History), by Martin Sch0yen .......................................... vii
Series Editor's Preface, by David I. Owen ................................................................................. ix
Preface and Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. x
Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... xii
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. I
Catalogue ............................................................................................................................... I 3
Concordances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 9
I. Descriptions ofTablets ........................................................................................................ 25
Nos. I-3. Early Dynastic Incantation Tablets ................................................................ 25
No.4· Ur III Incantation Tablet ................................................................................... 28
Nos. 5-60. Incantations and Related Texts on Old Babylonian Tablets ....................... 29
No. 6r. Neo-Assyrian Apotropaic Tablet in Amulet Form ........................................... 52
Nos. 62-71. Apotropaic Amulets in Stone and Clay .................................................... 52
Nos. 72-74. Medical Tablets ............................................................... : ....................... 54
Nos. 75-76. Hemerological Tablets ............................................................................. 54
No. 77. A Stray Babylonian Literary Text ................................................................... 54
II. Editions of Selected Texts .................................................................................................. 55
A. Incantations to Accompany Consecration .............................................................. 55
B. Incantations to Exorcise and Protect Against Demons ............................................. 78
C. Incantations to Counter the Evil Eye ..................................................................... 93
D. Incantations for Encounters with Creatures that Sting and Bite ............................... 98
E. Incantations to Relieve Stomach-ache and Other Pain .......................................... I I9
F. Incantations to Mend Broken Bones .................................................................... I39
G. Incantations to Assist Childbirth ........................................................................... I40
H. Incantations to Calm Crying Babies .................................................................... I43
I. Incantations to Arouse Love ................................................................................ I46
]. Incantations ofUncertain Function ...................................................................... I49
K. Incantation Prayers and Other Texts .................................................................... I52
L. Medical Therapies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ....... .. . .. . . . .. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 64
M. Tables of Favorable Days and Months .................................................................. I68
v
vi i\1esopotamian Incantations
The holdings of pictographic tablets, cuneiform r6. Geuthner Collection, France (r96os-8os)
tablets, and seals in The Sch0yen Collection 17. Harding Smith Collection, UK (1893-1922)
were collected mainly in the late 1980s, with r8. Rev. Dr. W.F.Williams, Mosul (ca. r85o-6o)
additional items in the I 990s. They derive from
19. Frida Hahn Collection, Berlin (1925;3)
a great variety of fanner collections and sources.
It would not have been possible to collect so These collections are the source of almost all the
many items of such major textual importance, if tablets and seals. Other items were acquired
it had not been based on the endeavor of some through Christie's and Sotheby's, where in a
of the greatest collectors in earlier times. Col- few cases the names of their former owners were
lections that once held tablets and seals now in not revealed.
The Sch0yen Collection are: The sources of the oldest collections, such as
Amherst, Harding Smith, and Cumberland
L Institute of Antiquity and Christianity,
Clark, were antiquities dealers who acquired
Claremont Graduate School, Claremont,
tablets and seals in the Near East in the I890S-
California (1970-94)
I930S. During this period many tens of thou-
2. Erlenmeyer Collection and Foundation, sands of tablets came on the market, in the sum-
Basel (ca. 1935-88) mers of 1893-94 alone some 30,000 tablets.
3- Cumberland Clark Collection, Bourne- While most of these were bought by museums,
mouth, UK (I920S-I94I) others were acquired by private collectors. In
4· Lord Amherst ofHackney, UK (1894-1909) this way some of the older of these collections
5· Crouse Collection, Hong Kong and New were the source of some of the later collections.
England (1920s-8os) For instance, a large number of the tablets in the
6. Dring Collection, Surrey, UK (I911-90) Crouse Collection came from the Cumberland
Clark, Kohanim, Amherst, and Simmonds col-
7· Rihani Collection, Irbid (ca. 193 5) and
lections. The Claremont tablets came from the
Amman, Jordan (before 1965-88) and Lon-
Schaeffer Collection, and the Dring tablets came
don (1988-)
from the Harding Smith Collection.
8. Lindgren Collection, San Francisco, In most cases the original findspots of tablets
California (1965-85) that came on the market in the r89os-I930S are
9- Rosenthal Collection, San Francisco, unkno·wn, like great parts of the holdings of most
California (1953-88) major museums in Europe and the United States.
ro. Kevorkian Collection, New York (ca. The general original archaeological context of
1930-59) and Fund (1960-77) the tablets and seals is the libraries and archives of
IL Kohanim Collection, Tehran, Paris, and numerous temples, palaces, schools, houses and
London (1959-85) administrative centres in Sumer, Elam, Babylo-
12. Simmonds Collection, UK (1944-87) nia, Assyria, and various city states in present-day
13. Schaeffer Collection, College de France, Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Many details of this
Zurich (r95os) context 'ivill not be known until all teA.i:s in both
private and public collections have been pub-
14. Henderson Collection, Boston;
lished and compared vvith each other.
Massachusetts (r9~os-5os)
15. Pottesman Collection, London (r9o4;8)
Martin Sch0yen
vii
Series Editor) s Priface
Interest in incantation texts has increased sig- It is worth noting that this volume, along
nificantly in recent years as the availability of with many others appearing frequently in the
edited texts has grown and studies have prolif- CUSAS series, has been made possible due to
erated. The addition of substantial new material the extraordinary cooperation of and collabo-
from the Sch0yen Collection published below, ration with an international group of colleagues
the fourth volume by Andrew George in the bolstered by the generous support ofjonathan
CUSAS series, now adds a body of new sources Rosen and anonymous donors, all of whom are
enhancing significantly our knowledge of this owed our profound thanks and without whom
fascinating, albeit difficult, literary genre. George's most of these texts would have been lost to
publication includes not only selected critical scholarship. While we will never recover fully
editions ofthese texts but also generously makes from the extensive losses brought on by the two
available careful copies and photos of the Iraq wars, the Syrian uprising, and the whole-
remaining unedited texts from the collection, sale destruction of archaeological and religious
thereby providing a rich resource for further sites by Da' esh, the CUSAS series functions at
study and critical editions by other scholars and least as an ongoing resource for Assyriological
students. The primary goal ofboth the CUSAS studies, preserving, recording, and publishing
and Sch0yen series is the enhancement of many dispersed or otherwise ignored sources
research opportunities in Assyriology by offer- for Mesopotamian history and culture. Those
ing critical editions, commentaries or facsimiles individuals who and organizations that do not
and photographs of texts from the Internet and support the research and publication of these
private collections, as well as from long-known resources inevitably benefit from their results
but neglected public collections so that scholars whether or not they admit to it. There is no
have access to these texts, particularly after a doubt in this editor's mind that the CUSAS
protracted and tragic disruption of work and series, now over thirty volumes, will stand as
discovery in Iraq from which we are just begin- perhaps the major scholarly achievement in Assyr-
ning to emerge. iology during a particularly difficult moment in
the history of the modem Middle East.
David I. Owen
Curator of Tablet Collections
] onathan and] eannette Rosen
Ancient Near Eastern Studies Seminar
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
January 2016
ix
Priface and Acknowledgments
The study that resulted in this book was mostly tions. As usual, many of the texts published here
completed in London during aS enior Research have been read in the London Cuneiforum.
Fellowship generously awarded by the British Those who contributed ideas and readings will
Academy and the Leverhulme Trust for the forgive an acknowledgment of the debt owed
academic year 20r2-I3. It is my pleasure to them en masse.
thank the two institutions for giving me the My previous volumes in this series ( CUSAS
opportunity to conquer a large number of tab- ro, I7 and r8) have presented full critical edi-
lets in a short space of time. Study of tablets in tions of all the cuneifonn tablets and inscrip-
Norway was mostly funded by research monies tions published in them. The difficulty of the
placed at my disposal by the Faculty of Lan- early Mesopotamian incantations is well kno·wn.
guages and Cultures at the School of Oriental To treat all those published here in cuneiform
and African Studies, University of London. copy to an informed critical edition would
Trips to Norway have benefited from the ready occupy many years. Because of the time con-
hospitality ofMartin and Bodil Sch0yen and the straints on the research project, this volume
Sch0yen Collection's former librarian, Eliza- takes a different approach. All the tablets pub-
beth Garro S0renssen: to them, as always, my lished here are documented in a catalogue and
sincere gratitude. in the cuneiform plates, as before, but only a
It was originally envisaged that the Sch0yen selection ofthe texts inscribed on them are cho-
Collection's Mesopotamian incantations and sen for more intensive study. It is hoped that
magic texts would be prepared for publication prompt publication of the results of a one-year
by Dr I. L. Finkel of the British Museum. With project will excuse the selective editorial con-
very good grace he ceded his prior rights and tent and have the benefit of allowing early
gave his blessing to this volume. He also read access to other Assyriologists, especially those
through a draft and provided comments on sev- with greater expertise in texts relating to the
eral texts. Professor Steve Tinney of the Uni- activities of the Babylonian exorcist and healer.
versity of Pennsylvania allowed me to use his The volume thus joins]. van Dijk's three cor-
:file of early Sumerian incantations in transliter- pora of early incantations (r97r, 1976, 1985) in
ation. Professor Mark Geller (University Col- providing scholarship with a body of cuneiform
lege London and Freie Universitat Berlin) gave texts upon which much remains to be done.
me access to his database of incantation incipits In july 2015 Dr Nadezda Rudik most kind-
and rubrics. Both were hugely useful tools ly sent me a copy of her Jena dissertation, "Die
which greatly eased the research necessary for Entwicklung der keilschriftlichen sumerischen
this publication and I am very much indebted to Beschwi::irungsliteratur von den An£ingen bis
their compilers. Professor Daniel Schwemer of zur Ur III-Zeit," which presents new editions
the University ofWi.irzburg read drafts of texts of all the third-millennium incantations extant
Nos. 2ra and 6r, and made valuable interven- in 2or r. At such a late stage it was not possible
X
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
to take account of this important new study, but My companion volume on the Sch0yen
it is much to be hoped that in the print edition Collection's omen tablets appeared two years
of her book Dr Rudik will bring her specialist ago as Babylonian Divinat01y Texts (A1SCTVII =
knowledge to bear on the difficult texts on the CUSAS r8). Unfortunately the last eight plates
Sch0yen Collection's Early Dynastic and Ur III were omitted from the files sent to press by the
incantation tablets (Nos. r-4). publisher. To make good the error, the missing
Work on the Sch0yen Collection's incanta- plates are printed as an addendum at the end of
this volume.
tion tablets brought to light an Old Babylonian
Once again, I record my thanks to Dr David
literary text in Akkadian, mistakenly catalogued
I. Owen, editor of Cornell University Studies in
as an incantation. The correct identification was
Assyriology and Sumerology, for giving another
made three years after the publication of Baby- volume of the Sch0yen Collection's cuneiform
lonian Litermy Texts (jVJSCT IV= CUSAS ro). tablets a home in his extraordinary publication
The tablet is included here as text No. 77 on Pls. senes.
CL-CLI.
A.R.G.
Buckhurst Hill
January 2or6
Abbreviations
xii
Abbreviations
xiii
The ancient Mesopotamian texts that are con- tutions were established, the Flood and the era
ventionally called incantations are a heteroge- oflegendary heroes, to the present. The ancient
neous set of compositions, but they have in combat myths shared in the idea, for they pre-
common the purpose ofmanipulating reality for suppose that the world has a tendency to chaos
good through the spoken word. A mundane and order has to be regularly restored. The
water vessel needed for a ritual: an incantation ancient Mesopotamians thus acknowledged the
will give it magic purity and the power to com- problem ofentropy, though on their own terms.
municate that purity. A patient beset by pain or The phrase "In those days," one may even
illness: an incantation will drive out the demon say in illo tempore, is itself an e:A'Jlression with
causing the problem. A household plagued by Mesopotarnian antecedents: several mytholog-
accidents: an incantation will counter the evil ical compositions begin ud-ri-a ud-sud-ra-ri-a
eye responsible. Women in difficult labor, babies "in those days, in those far-off days" and thereby
1vith colic, travellers stung or bitten on the road: invoke mythical time. 1 In those days, a giant
an incantation will bring relief And would-be tamarisk joined heaven and earth, and vvith its
lovers: an incantation -vvill make them attractive innate purity made the whole universe holy. In
to the gaze of the ones they desire. those days, if a demon attacked an individual,
In many cases, the manipulation of reality Asallube the divine exorcist would chance upon
for good is done by conjuring up the archetypes the victim, take the advice ofhis father Enki, and
and precedents of mythical time, by revealing return to banish the demon and cure the victim
what Mircea Eliade in J.Vfyth and Reality called with a holy spell and a practical remedy that
the "primordial and paradigmatic curative act" reinstated the fonner purity. In those days,
(1964: 30). Mythical time is an undetermined when a snake lay in the path ofa man, the master
era in the remote past when the created world of snakes himself, the god Ninazu, would trap
was new and pristine and the gods walked the the snake and neutralize the threat. In those
earth, or as the Babylonian poem ofA tram-basis days, if a baby was stuck in the birth canal, Asal-
Puts it ' "when the 0aods were man." The ancient lube would open a path for him, and the Mother
Mesopotamian understanding of history held
Goddess stand by to take delivery. In every case,
that the world degenerated from the antedilu-
mythical time is deemed to hold the solution to
vian age to the postdiluvian era, despite the
the crisis and acts as a paradigm for the correct
knowledge of the antediluvian world brought
response in current time. The incantation, by
back from his adventures by the hero GilgameS.
evoking the archetypes and precedents ofmyth-
This speaks for a view that the universe was sub-
ject to a progressive degradation through its long
history: from the beginning, through mythical ' Recent discussions of this motif include Dietrich
time after the sundering of heaven and earth, I995, Lambert 20r3: 498-soo, Lisman 20I3: 64-67,
Rubio 20r3: ro-rr.
then the antediluvian age in which human insti-
I
2 1\!Iesopotamian Incantations
ical time, bridges with words the gap between asked his advice. Enki first exclaimed that Asal-
the pristine universe oflong ago and the degen- lub.e knew all that he knew, but then told Asal-
erate world of the present, and allows some of luhe what to do, in words that gave divine
the former's purity to work magic in the latter. legitimation to the magic ritual procedure that
It is effective in so doing because the incantation accompanied the incantation.
is itself a holy product of mythical time that has The evidence for this formula was collected
made the same transition: many incantations by Falkenstein (I 9 3 I: 44-76) at a time when few
e:Arplicitly claim to have been first mouthed by Sumerian incantations from the second millen-
gods and goddesses. nium were extant, and Old Sumerian spells
SL'::ty-one tablets of incantations are pub- from Fara were not understood at all. Since that
lished in the present volume: three are Early time the identification and publication of Old
Dynastic, one Ur III or Isin period, fifty-SL':: Old Babylonian incantations, particularly by van
Babylonian and one Neo-Assyrian. Only two Dijk (I97I, I976, I985), has much enlarged the
tablets are previously published. Also included extant corpus, and the pioneering studies ofUr
are ten amulets, ofwhich one is Middle Assyrian
III incantations by van Dijk and Geller (2003),
and the rest later. Half of the Old Babylonian
and of the third-millennium incantations from
incantation tablets are collective tablets, inscribed
Fara andEbla by Krebernik (I984), have pushed
with one or more incantations, and yielding a
back the history of Mesopotamian incantations
total of at least 239 incantations, whole or as
by many centuries. 2
fragments. Twenty-one smaller Old Babylo-
nian tablets contain a further twenty-four in- Early Dynastic precursors of the Asallub.e-
cantations and spells. The language ofthe incan- Enki formula occur in four incantations from
tations is mainly Sumerian and Akkadian, -vvith Fara and Ebla. They have been discussed by
a small presence also of the foreign languages Krebemik (I984: 2rr-25), who calls them the
identified as Elamite and Hurrian. "lu-gi4-Formular," because the communica-
Forty-one incantations and spells are either tion between junior god and senior is not direct
already known or have close relatives in the but conducted through a messenger. The senior
extant corpus (ca IS%). The great bulk of the god in the Fara texts is not Enki but Enlil. The
incantations and related texts published in this junior is unnamed, but presumed to be Ningir-
volume is thus an addition to knowledge. In due imma, because in one of the four incantations
course, much new information will be won she is involved in the subsequent ritual proce-
from it. The remainder of this introduction will dure. The interaction ofEnlil and, supposedly,
call attention to some of the more important Ningirimma in Old Sumerian incantations
matters that have already emerged. made the mythology of third-millennium mag-
ic seem very different from succeeding periods.
On the Antiquity cifthe Asalluhe-Enki Formula
A further example of Krebernik's "lu-gi4 "
A standard narrative form in Sumerian
formula occurs in one ofthe Early Dynastic tab-
incantations is the Asallub.e-Enki formula, often
lets published here, collective tablet No. r. The
called the Marduk-Ea formula because in bilin-
incantation is to counter stomach disorder:
gual incantations the two deities Asallub.e and
Enki are translated in the Akkadian line into
Marduk and Ea. The formula occurs as part ofan 1
This term seems to have been introduced to Assyri-
introductory historiola, 1 which describes how ology by Sandars zoor.
long ago in mythical time, a problem arose, A new study of the Early Dynastic and Ur III-period
Asallub.e came across it and, not knowing how incantations is being prepared for publication by Na-
to respond, went home to his father Enki and dezda Rudik.
Introduction 3
rdumu1 -mu nig-i-za-am za-e in-zu practical therapy: poultices, lotions and salves
u za-e i-zu!-am ga-me-en i-zu for external application, purges, potions and
suppositories for internal application. In the first
No. r9b: 19-20
millennium, incantations for some of these
Other syllabic spellings of the Old Babylo- themes were embedded in medical compendia,
nian formula occur in the incantations from Tell in which they were accompanied by therapeutic
Haddad, a provincial centre on the Diyala (Cav- remedies and magico-medical procedures: a
igneau..'\: andAl-Rawi 1993: r8o L 38; 1995a: 23 partnership of dicenda et agenda. As dicenda spells
MA 29; 1995b: r7r L 24, r86 MA 19, r96 L 17). and incantations lent magic power to the agenda.
The two sets of spellings demonstrate convinc- The agenda in these compendia are usually
ingly that understanding of the formula was introduced by one of two Sumerian technical
severely limited. In some Babylonian scribal terms, either in their original forms (du-du-bi,
centres in the early second millennium a high kid-kid-bi),' or as loanwords in Akkadian. The
degree of confusion and incomprehension Old Babylonian is kikkitasa "its (i.e. the spell's)
attended the writing of even standard forms. kid-kid. These words are conventionally trans-
The problems that beset these two lines of lated in English as "rituals," the most appropri-
the Asallul}e-Enki formula are endemic in the ate one-to-one correspondence.
non-canonical incantations. They provide a
Ritual procedures as responses to ailments
clear example of what van Dijk meant when he
are attested in the small corpus of Old Babylo-
wrote as follows ofOldBabylonian incantations
nian medical texts (see additionally tablets Nos.
generally (1973b: rro): "ces incantations son
72-73, edited in Part II as ILL.r and 2). Hith-
tres difficiles. Et cela non seulement a cause d'un
erto, however, few separate rituals have been
lexique qui prete a 1' equivoque, mais aussi a
found inscribed alongside Old Babylonian in-
cause d'irregularites en ce qui concerne la gram-
cantations after the manner of first-millennium
maire dues partiellement a une transmission
texts. The list in Table I is not exhaustive but
orale et partiellement au syllabaire de la tradition
gives a fair representation of problems and re-
ecrite des temps presargoniques insuffisament
medial strategies.
connu des scribes babyloniens-anciens." Cor-
ruptions arising from confused oral transmission The number is now substantially increased
and scribal incompetence hinder the under- by the several Old Babylonian tablets in the
standing of many tablets published in this book. Sch0yen Collection that set rituals alongside
incantations. Between them, six tablets hold
On the Partnership if 1\!Iagic and lv1edicine nine examples of an incantation accompanied
A major context for the deployment of by a ritual, in one case by two rituals. 2 The new
incantations in ancient Mesopotamia was in the additions to the corpus are tabulated in Table 2.
treatment of the sick. Sickness was often attrib- Of especial interest is No. 30d (ed. ILD.ro),
uted to attack and possession by demons, to which gives tvvo remedies for scorpion-sting.
which the response was exorcism by incantation The first is a common therapy involving rub-
and magic ritual. More empirical aetiologies bing softened dough on the sting and on other
could be attributed to other problems. Into this parts ofthe body. It can be supposed to have had
category fell not only snake-bite and scorpion- a practical function, to relieve pain, but also
stirrer
b'
broken bones and childbirth, but also
stomach -ache, which was put down to the con-
sumption of something bad (e.g. eating "heart ' On these technical terms see Maul 2009.
grass"), as well as to unprovoked attack by un- Disregarding No. 52: r6-2o (Pl. CXXI), which may
seen malicious powers. The response here was be a ritual but is too damaged to be understood.
Introduction 5
TABLE I
OLD BABYLONIAN INCANTATIONS WITH APPENDED RITUALS ALREADY PUBLISHED
another, more magical purpose, to transfer the la, already discussed, in which a historiola con-
harm of the sting from the victim to the dough cludes with Enki giving his son instructions to
with the aid of a spell (see the introduction to cure the problem; and the Akkadian mannam
ILL. I). The second remedy is purely magic: the luspur formula, in which a historiola concludes
power of the incantation is transferred to water, with the search for a messenger who will fetch
which the victim of the sting drinks, and then the desired remedy from the gods (Farber
the healer asserts his recovery by telling him, I99ob). As one might expect, there is often a
"you are alive and well!" The assessment of match in :first-millennium texts between the
these new prescriptions for the history of med- remedy prescribed by the gods in an incantation
icine will have to await eA'}lert judgement, but and the instructions set out in the ritual that
here it is enough to observe that magical and accompanies the incantation. A good example
medical remedies are very clearly already work- from the second millennium is No. 42 (ed.
ing in tandem in these Old Babylonian incan- II.H.I), to calma crying baby. In the incantation
tations, and can be presumed to operate equally Enki tells Asallub.e, "Pour [out some beer,] take
in other instances too. [the froth,] mix it with milk sucked from his wet
The partnership between magic and medi- nurse and give it to the human child ofhis god,
cine is othenvise best represented by those and sleep will come, slumber will follow!" The
incantations which legitimate ritual by ascribing appended ritual has similarly, "Take beer froth
it to divine intervention. These fall mainly into and mix it vvith the wet nurse's milk. The baby
two forms: the Sumerian Asallub.e-Enki formu- will drink it and quieten down." The ritual is
6 1\!Jesopotamian Incantations
TABLE 2
OLD BABYLONIAN INCANTATIONS WITH APPENDED RITUALS IN THIS VOLUME
easily recognizable as a briefer, more matter-of- strongly that, already in the Early Dynastic peri-
fact Akkadian version of Enki's Sumerian in- od, healing techniques attributed to the gods in
struction. It confirms Irving Finkel's thesis, that incantations were literary manifestations of
incantations of the Asalluhe-Enki type were remedies drawn from actual medical practice.
vehicles "for the preservation and transmission They also provide further evidence for the sur-
ofmedicalpra.'Ci.s" (Finkel 1980: 51), and gives vival of third-millennium magical and medical
a glimpse of the process which resulted in the lore into later periods.
splitting of this transmission into two sets of Salt as a PUJgative in Babylonian 1VIedicine
instructions: "incantation" and "ritual." Another example of a healing ritual embed-
The match between the two sets of instruc- ded in an incantation and ostensibly (but not
tions can now be observed much earlier. The e),.rplicitly) prescribed by Enki occurs in the
Old Sumerian Asallub.e-Enki incantation on the well-known Sumerian incantation against
Early Dynastic tablet No. rf (ed. II.D .2), against "Gall," studied in several versions by Bendt
snake-bite, has Enki imparting to Asalluhe a Alster (1972a) and Piotr Michalowski (1981).
completely intelligible prescription (vii r-2): Gall was formerly thought to be jaundice, but
"Pour out for me water of Tigris and water of Michalowski observed that it gave rise to a
Euphrates, give it to the bitten person to drink!" "form of intestinal disorder" (1981: 9). Texts
The administering ofholy water is prescribed as published in this volume confirm that Gall was
the gods' remedy for snake-bite in several Ur III a Babylonian aetiology of pain in the digestive
and Old Babylonian Sumerian incantations tract.
(Finkel 1999: 23 r-p). The Akkadian ritual In the Sumerian Gall incantation studied by
appended to an Old Babylonian incantation Alster and Michalowski the remedy is to treat
against scorpion-sting prescribes the very same the sufferer with a lump of salt activated by a
remedy (No. 30d ii 22-23, ed. II.D.ro): "You magic spell and administered by mouth:
cast the spell over water and he drinks it." These lag mun-na su u-me-ti nam-sub u-me-sl. ka-
passages of incantation and ritual suggest very ka-na u-me-o-ar
l::>
se 10-cin
l::>
he-dur-re bu-lu-
7 -
Introduction 7
Ionian period. A short spell against Gall explains A first-millennium copy of a medical com-
the reason why, in its concluding line (VAS pendium of remedies for digestive disorders
XVII r iv 17): mun sim an-ki im-mi-i[n]-b.u- includes among many prescriptions several for
lub.-ha "it is salt that terrifies the plants ofheaven salt (or its herbal counterpart) taken on an empty
and earth." The relevance of this strange attri- stomach, dissolved in water or beer:
bute is explained by the Babylonians' aetiology
DIS amelu(na) marta(ze) maru~(gig) . . .
of Gall, which is given in the first lines ofseveral
tabta(mun) tasak(sud) ina m~(a) la pa-tan isat-
related Sumerian Gall incantations: that quoted ti(nag) tabta(mun) tasak(sud) ina sikari(kas) la
earlier (ed. Alster 1972a: 350), VAS XVII 24 pa-tan isatti(nag) ... 6 kirbanQ.ag) tabti(mun)
(edited below sub ILE.3), VAS XVII 25 (ed. sammi(u) marti(ze) ina sikari(kaS) i.Satti(nag)
Alster 1972a: 3 52), and two more published here
(ILE.3 No. 7h, ILE.4 No. 7i). These incanta- BAA1VI 578 i 14-24
tions explain that in mythical time Gall broke lj[ (If) a man suffers from gall: ... you pound
through the surface of the earth "like a plant." salt and he drinks it in water without eating;
It is thus the counterpart ofthe "Heart Grass" of you poundsaltandhe drinks it in beerwithout
Akkadian incantations, which was conceptual- eating; . . . he drinks Salt-Lump, a herbal
ized as a malign plant and considered to cause (remedy) for gall, in beer.
stomach-ache in those who ate it (see II.E.8).
The version of the Old Babylonian Sume-
The effect of salt on plants is deadly, a fact well
rian Gall incantation published here already
knovvn to the people ofsouthern Mesopotamia,
indicates that the salt is taken in solution. Enki
where salt is a prominent feature of the rural
tells Asallub.e (ILE.4 No. 7i v 3-6), "Take a
landscape and salinity has adversely affected
lump of salt, drop it into a litre of best ale, cast
agriculture for millennia. So salt "that terrifies
the spell over it and give it [to that man] to drink
plants" was a nuisance to farmers but a natural
[while] the sun is (still up)." The successful out-
ally in countering ailments attributed to Gall.
come is expressed in both versions of the incan-
New evidence makes it clear that salt had
tation as a prediction that the Gall will be ex-
more than a magic application in Babylonian
pelled by mouth or anus in the form of gas, as
medicine. It was a practical remedy for stomach
already quoted (Alster 1972a: 350 ll. r8-2o;
complaints. One instance of the use of saline
ILE.4No. 7i v7-9). Thismaybeacliche, for the
solution as a remedy for sickness comes from a
lines occur in several unrelated incantations
curious Old Babylonian document about a sto-
against digestive disorders and are a standard
len pig (CT 48 23: 7-rr, cf Romer 1971:203-
form.
4): mds£n(suen) -i-ri-ba-am mari(dumu) ba-za-ak-
There is another, more particular outcome.
nu-um im-ra-~-ma bu-ub-ra-am i-ri-is-ma a-na
In the other Gall incantation published here
me-e em-mu-tim ta-ab-ta-am mnu-tu-up-tum marat
(ILE.3 No. 7h iv r6'), and in the parallel VAS
(dumu.munus) sa-la-lum i-di-i-ma u-ul is-q£-i-su
XVII 24, the salt is addressed as the gods'
"S1n-iribam, son of Bazaknum(?),' fell ill and
"mouth-opener": mun ka-duh-a dingir-re-e-
askedforsomeporridge, so Nuttuptum, daugh-
ne. This phrase alludes to the successful out-
ter ofSalalum, put salt into hot water but did not
come envisaged in the incantation VAS XVII
give him any to drink." The Sumerian Gall in-
cantation quoted above confirms that the salt is 25: 8-9 (ed. Alster 1972a: 352): lag mun-na su
um-me-ti ka-bi in-duh-a "make him take a
to be taken orally 0.- 15).
lump of salt, it will open his(!) mouth." The
implication of opening the mouth in this conteA.'i:
1
An improbable personal name: perhaps emend to zu- becomes clear when one reflects that drinking salt
za-{ak}-nu-um = Zuzarmm? in beer is a sure way to induce vomiting. Probably
Introduction 9
in all cases the taking of salt by mouth required On Sumerian namgispa ''Incantation SpeW)
liquid assistance, even where none is explicitly The Sumerian word written nam-RU and
mentioned, as in the passage that opened this dis- conventionally transliterated nam-sub is a com-
cussion. The ingestion of saline solution as an mon technical term in Sumerian incantations,
emetic is a common and long-known remedy usually translated "incantation spell" or similar
but possibly signifying some more concrete
for purging the stomach. The evidence shows
) object that can be thro·wn (see Finkel 1980: 51-
that its history begins in Babylonia. 52); the translation "spell" will be used here.
A final piece of evidence for salt as a purga- The present corpus contains tvvo Old Babylo-
tive comes from an Akkadian incantation against nian texts that provide evidence for an alterna-
another serious digestive disorder: bloat in cattle tive spelling of this nam-RU as (nam)-gis-pa.
andsheep (II.E.roNo. 8d). Thespellisfollowed The first is the big collective tablet No. 7:
by a remedy in Akkadian, as follows: "You put II.D.6 No. 7fiii 7': tu 6-dug4 gis-pa eriduki-ga
one-third litre ofsalt into one litre ofwater, give "incantation spell ofEridu"
it to (the animal) to drink and place a funnel ILE.4 No. 7i iv 30': nam-gis-pa reridu1 ki-ga
(mudabbibum, literally "speaker") in its mouth. "spell ofEridu"
You insert your finger in its bottom, cast the II.E-4 No. 7i v 5: [nam]-r gis-pa1 u-me-ni-sub
spell over it 1:\vice and it \vill void (the solution) "cast the spell"
from its anus." This therapy reveals the practical II.E.5 No. 7j v r8: nam-gis-pa I I No. 8k iv 26
counterpart of the divinely sanctioned prescrip- nam-RU
tion handed down in Sumerian incantations, Note also II.K.4 No. 54: 3: nam-gis-pa(d)
and illustrates the point made in the preceding With the benefit of this unequivocal evi-
section, that the partnership between incanta- dence it can be seen that the tenn nam-RU is
vocalized (nam)-gis-pu and similar in at least
tion and ritual was well established in the early
four other extant texts:
second millennium.
(a) The Old Sumerian incantation that
As a medical response to digestive problems,
begins Ur-Nanse's inscription 49 can
purging with highly salted water in Babylonia is
now be understood to end with an early
an early, if extreme, example of a technique example of divine legitimation that has
known today as a "saltvvater flush," a do-it- not nam-RU but gispu (Sollberger 1956:
yourselfremedy in which a saline solution is tak- 7 no. 49 iii 6;): den-ki gis-bu 10 (BULUG)
en by mouth to purge the gut and colon. Ac- se-sub "Enki has cast the spell!" 1
cording to the many internet sites that advocate (b) Two versions of an early snake incanta-
this practice, modem practitioners use warm tion juxtapose syllabic and conventional
water and much less salt, and achieve the desired spellings of nam-RU: YOS XI 32: ro
outcome in as little as thirty minutes. In Baby- (OB) nam-gis-pu i-ri-du I I PBS I/2 r 3 r:
20 nam-RU eriduki-ga (Ur III; van Dijk
lonia the practical remedy was enhanced and
1969: 542-43 and 545 C).
legitimated, while waiting for the solution to
work, by the recitation and repetition of a spell
1
of divine origin. Previous suggestions for gis-BULUG in this incanta-
tion are "(magic) circle" (Civil 1967: 2II n. 33), and
"(magic) hoop" or "magician's wand" (Cooper
1986: 33). None works so well with the verb sub as
gispu "spell."
IO 1\1esopotamian Incantations
relief to their victim. The two tenns surely refer tors occur in several other incantations ofthe Ur
to the same beings (see further Annus 2012: I8- III and Old Babylonian periods, usually in the
2o). It seems very probable that the Seven Sons context of exorcism as authorities by whom
ofAbzu, who purifY water and heal the sick, and demons are forced to swear (zi-pad: Cav-
the seven sages of Abzu (or Eridu), who have igneau.,-c and Al-Rawi I994: 74 ll. 9-rr; eid.
similar functions, are none other than the same I995b: I97; Peterson 2009). They are common-
figures under different titles. ly deployed in this function in later exorcistic
The seven benign sons ofAbzu have malign texts (examples collected by Lambert 20 I 3: 409-
counterparts, a heptad of demons from Abzu IO). Their connection with Enki's cosmic do-
that are the topic of incantations beginning main is eA.rplicit in SB Udug-hul XIII-XV 232'-
irnin-na-me-es imin-na-me-es "They are sev- 34' (ed. Geller 2007: 176), where they are "lords
en, they are seven," one published here (No. I oi of du 6-ku-ga," and "dwell in Eridu."
viii 3'-I8') and two in Udug-hul (Geller I985: The Old Babylonian texts published here
42-47ll. 400-so; see further Caplice I973: 303). add considerably to the presence of Enlil' s
The "Enki-gods and Ninki-goddesses" of ancestors in early incantations. In No. I6 iii s'-
the incantation edited in Part I LA. 5 are ancestral 9' they occur in zi-pad formulae, summarized
deities drawn from the theogony of Enlil, of as ama a-[a de]n-l[ll-la-k]e4-ne "female and male
whom Enki and Ninki (also Nunki, Numunki) 1 ancestors ofEnlil" (see Part I), and in ILK.2 No.
constitute the first pair. They appear in a wide 59 ii 3'-9' they appear in a similar context,
variety of texts (Westenholz 20io: 308-I4; u
included as en den-ill nu-mu-un "Lord Enlils
Lambert 20I3: 405-I7; Lisman 20I3: I6s-68). and Lady (Ninlils)." Text No. ud iii 4' also has
Some of them are given netherworld functions, ancestral Enki in a zi-pad context. Aside from
presumably because they are reckoned to be acting as passive authorities invoked in exor-
defunct themselves. This suggests that they are cism, Enlil's ancestors also play an active role in
in much the same category as the enigmatic
rites of purification with water. They act in this
groups of netherworld gods reckoned to be
capacity alongside Enki's servants: the lahama-
dead, bound or captive, one ofwhich is tellingly
monsters of Abzu (ILA.4 No. si v I7'-I8': den-
called the "seven conquered Enlils" (Lambert
ki dnin-ki etc.), the Sages ofEridu (II.A.s No. 6c
20I3: 2I6-I7)- As regards incantations, the pair
ii I9; II.A.S No. 6i iv 33: both den-ki-ne dnin-
Enki and Ninki first appears in Old Sumerian
ki-ne), but also alone (II.A.6 No. 6e iii 2I: a-a
spells, where they are subterranean deities
den-hl-la-ke 4 "ancestors ofEnlil"). The text pre-
anchoring the roots of the archetypal tamarisk
sented in II.A.I3, which is related to OB Udug-
(Krebernik I984: 228). In Old Babylonian Udug-
hul s6-s8, invokes them in the plural alongside
hul s6-s8 they occur in the plural, den-ki-e-ne
a-ta-a-ba eriduki-ke4-e-ne "the Adapas (i.e. sag-
dnin-ki-e-ne, alongside another ancestral pair,
es) ofEridu" (No. I7b obv. 23-24), probably as
Enkum and Ninkum, and a third plural group,
guarantors of the exorcist's effectiveness.
as authorities invoked by the exorcist in a rite of
self-legitimation (misunderstood in SB Udug- Gods of the netherworld were often under-
hul III 79-80). Another Sumerian incantation of stood to reside in the Abzu (Horowitz I998:
this period, to consecrate the torch, associates 342-44), and no doubt for that reason, as well as
them with a scapegoat made pure by prince Enki for their authority as primeval cosmic beings,
(VAS XVII 19: I: en-ki-ne nin-ki-e-ne, ed. Enlil's defunct ancestors were often invoked in
Cavigneaux 1995a: 63). Groups ofEnlil's ances- exorcism and held to be experts in purification.
The incantation edited in ILA.s, however,
offers a clue to the ancients' understanding ofthe
1
See the textual note in ILK.2 on No. 59 ii 3'. matter, for, as quoted above, it reports that the
I2 1\!Iesopotamian Incantations
Enki-gods and Ninki-goddesses, also known as ished from heaven and earth, and found new
Enlils and Ninlils, fled to the "quay of Eridu," tasks in their refuge in the subterranean levels of
i.e. the Abzu. I understand this detail to be an the cosmos. Such would seem to be the impli-
allusion to a myth. Several Babylonian mytho- cation of the verb kar "fled" in I LA. 5.
logical narratives relate the fate of the primeval As stated at the outset, Mesopotamian in-
deities at the hands of a new order of gods. Best cantations routinely locate the archetypal pre-
known is Enuma eliS, which radically adapts cedents of adversity in the mythical past, in illo
much older mythology in telling what became tempore, a time when Enki, the god of magic,
of Abzu, Ti'amat and Qingu. Other narratives handed dovvn effective remedies to his son Asal-
feature ancestors ofEnlil whose names occur in lul}e, the original exorcist. The projection ofthe
the theogony: Enmesarra alone, whose doom exorcist's work into the furthest past acknowl-
was imposed by Marduk (Lambert 2013: 281- edges the superiority of that lost world. As sur-
98), or together with his father Enutila, when vivors ofthe earliest world order, the Enki-gods
and Ninki-goddesses represented the cosmos in
Ninurta executed both (pp. 326-69). Many
its original form. Their presence in Sumerian
variants of the myth seem to have been current
incantations is an invocation ofthat pristine uni-
in ancient Mesopotamia. Another elaboration
verse, in which the forces of good held absolute
of it may well have told how the most ancient
sway over the forces of evil.
gods were spared execution and instead ban-
Catalogue
3 Clay tablet, portrait format, right-hand portion, 7+7 cols., 150X230X50 4550
6+15+13+15+15+16+13, 4+5+6+2+4+8+2 cases
Old Sumerian incantations, Early Dynastic: various
7 Clay tablet, portrait format, lower portion, 4+4 cols., 250X240X50 3097
28+24+25+43, 45+37+35+27ll.
Sumerian and Akkadian incantation collection, OB: varied
contents, partly dupl. No. 8
8 Clay tablet, portrait fonnat, near complete, 2 +2 cols., 45+ 40, 93X16SX32 3085
44+32ll.
Sumerian and Akkadian incantation collection, OB: varied
contents, partly dupl. No.7
9 Clay tablet, middle portion, 4+4 cols., ro+15+24+ 27, 220X140X54 3088
22+17+16+5 ll.
Sumerian incantation collection, OB
154X107X32 3089+3 102
10 Clay tablet, middle portion, 3+3 cols., 17+18+13, 17+18+18ll.
Sumerian incantation collection, OB
I3
I4 lVIesopotamian Incantations
II Clay tablet, landscape(?) format, lower portion, 3+3 cols., 230XI55X45 309I+3092+3 IO
26+25+2o, 23+3I+2sll.
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: Udug-bul
I2 Clay tablet, square format, lower portion, 3+3 cols., 205XI70X45 3096
30+33+34, 30+37+34ll.
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: Namtar
I3 Clay tablet, portrait fonnat, top missing, 4+4 cols., I98X220X33 3IOO
24+3o+37+37ll. on obv.
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: Namtar
I4 Clay tablet, fragment of right col., II+II ll. 35X52X29 3I05h
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: demons
IS Clay tablet, portrait format, comers missing, 2 +2 cols, I4 +3 3, I50X220X40 3095
32+3 5 ll.
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: zi-pad
I6 Clay tablet, middle portion, I+3 cols., 20, 28+23+3 ll. I45XI20X45 3090
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: zi-pad, :field pests
I7 Clay tablet, portrait format, top portion, I+I cols., 25+23 ll. 72XI37X32 3087
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: purification
I8 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I cols., 24+25ll. 60XI40X26 3427
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: consecration(?)
I9 Clay tablet, portrait format, complete, I+I cols., 28+2 55XI49X30 2353
(edge)+3 I ll.
Sumerian incantation collection, OB: scorpion
20 Clay tablet, portrait format, lower part, I col., 32 ll. 65xi55x28 3086
Sumerian and Akkadian incantation collection, OB: various
2I Clay tablet, portraitfonnat, near complete, I+ I cols., 34, 40ll. 95XI85X30 3084
Sumerian and Akkadian incantation collection, OB: various
22 Clay tablet, portrait format, middle portion, 3+I cols., I30XI50X30 3 Ioslr
27+25+II, II ll.
Sumerian and Akkadian incantation collection, OB: various
23 Clay tablet, portrait format, complete, I+I cols., I7+ro ll. 45XI20X26 3062
Sumerian and Akkadian incantations, OB: bone, love
24 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I cols., 45X57X22 3059
8+7+2+311.
Sumero-Akkadian incantation(s), OB: scorpion
Catalogue I5
25 Clay tablet, portrait format, complete, I+I cols., I4+8ll. 49x68xi7 2780
Sumero-Akkadian and unidenti£ed incantations and Akka-
dian ritual, OB: stomach upset, snake-bite
26 Clay tablet, fragment from middle, 2 cols., I5+I5 ll. 52X57X20 3387
Akkadian and Sumerian incantation collection, OB: child-
birth, toothache
27 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I col., 28+25ll. 70XI50X30 279I
Akkadian and Sumerian incantation collection, OB: snake,
bone, scorpion
28 Clay tablet, portrait fonnat, near complete, I+ I cols., 23+I 2ll. 50x98x26 3067
Akkadian and unidenti£ed incantations, OB: childbirth,
Lamastu
29 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I col., 34 ll. 75xi85x33 3082
Akkadian incantations and ritual, OB: dog, childbirth
30 Clay tablet, portrait format, upper portion, 2+2 cols., 26+28, I20XI35X32 3093
25+Io 11.
Akkadian incantation collection and ritual, OB: gut, scorpion,
bone
3I Clay tablet, portrait format, lower portion, 2+2 cols., 3+24, II5XI25X35 3103
27+2411.
Akkadian incantation collection, OB: evil eye, crying baby
32 Clay tablet, portrait format, lacking bottom edge, I+r cols., 60XIOOX3I 2822
22+I6ll.
Akkadian incantation collection, OB: "bre-vvingjar"
33 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+ I cols., I 6+4ll. 50XI02X25 2844
Sumerian incantations, OB: consecration of tamarisk
34 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, r+r cols., I6+3+311. 59x85x20 2757
Sumerian incantation, OB: consecration of torch
Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+ I cols., 23 + I2ll. 76XI30x30 3083
Sumerian incantation, OB: consecration of divine statue
Clay tablet, portrait format, lower portion, I+I cols., 45x63x25 2283/r
I2+I3+2ll.
Sumerian incantation, OB: exorcism by divine oath
Clay tablet, portrait format, complete, I+ I cols., I 3+ 3+2 ll. 43X74X22 3074
Sumerian incantation, OB: exorcism by divine oath
Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+ I cols., I I+ 3 ll. 39X74X2I 228312
Sumerian incantation, OB: exorcism by divine oath
r6 lv1esopotamian Incantations
39 Clay tablet, landscape format, near complete, I+I cols., 12+811. 82X60X28 3069
Sumerian incantation, OB: exorcism by divine oath
40 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I cols., 52XIIOX26 3056
I9+I+I9+211.
Sumerian incantation, OB: exorcism by divine oath
4I Clay tablet, portrait format, complete, I+I cols., 9+911. 50X65X22 3063
Sumerian incantation and colophon, OB: snake
42 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I cols., 2I+I211. 54X95X23 338I
Sumerian incantation and Akkadian ritual, OB: crying baby
43 Clay tablet, square, near complete, I+I cols., 9+211. 54x46xi8 337I
Sumerian incantation, OB: function uncertain
44 Clay tablet, portrait format, lowerportion, I+I cols., rr+3+I 11. 69X7IX20 3306
Sumerian incantation, OB: function uncertain
45 Clay tablet, portrait format, lowerportion, I+I cols., I8+2I 11. 60XI02X28 3068
Sumerian incantations(?), OB: function uncertain
46 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I cols., 55X93X25 240I
I6+I8+211.
Sumerian, OB: exorcistic ritual against Namtar(?)
49 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I cols., 44X75XI4 3060
I6+I8+I 11.
Akkadian incantation, OB: scorpion 58X49X22 3073
so Clay tablet, landscape format, near complete, I+ I cols., s+811.
Akkadian incantations, OB: scorpion, wasp(?)
5I Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I col., I3 11. 43x78x23 306I
Akkadian incantation, OB: wasp(?)
52 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+ I cols., I o+ I+ 811. 45X59X23 2662
Incantation in an unidentified language, Akkadian ritual(?),
OB: function uncertain
53 Clay tablet, portrait format, near complete, I+I cols., I I+211. 57x85xi6 232I
Presumed incantation in an unidentified language, OB: func-
tion uncertain
Catalogue I7
54 Clay tablet, landscape format, complete, r+r cols., 4+411. 54X40X23 3072
Sumerian and Akkadian exorcistic phrases, OB: school exer-
cise?
55 Clay tablet, oval landscape format, near complete, r+r cols., IOOX72X23 3388
r3+r+ro 11.
Pseudo-Sumerian and Akkadian, OB: self-praise ofNingirsu's
weapon
56 Clay tablet, landscape format, near complete, r+r cols., I r+ro n. rrox66x2o 3380
Pseudo-Sumerian and Akkadian, OB: self-praise ofNingirsu's
weapon?
57 Clay tablet, oval landscape format, lower portion, 41l. IOOX55X27 3334
Pseudo-Sumerian and Akkadian, OB: self-praise ofNingirsu' s
weapon?
58 Clay tablet, landscape format, complete, 6 11. 80X72XI8 3323
Pseudo-Sumerian and Akkadian, OB
59 Clay tablet, portrait format, middle and lower portion, 3 cols., I40XI90X30 3419
29+30+3211. +fragment, 2 n.
Incantation-prayer, Akkadian, OB + account, Ur III
6o Clay tablet, landscape format, complete, r+r cols., 4+1+3 11. 53X36X2I 3949
Akkadian spell or riddle, OB: scorpion
6r Clay tablet, portrait format with pierced lug, near complete, 6IX208X23 3187
r+r cols., 29+1911.
Incantation-prayer, Akkadian, Neo-Assyrian period: apotro-
paion for a named individual
62 Stone tablet, portrait format with pierced lug, complete, 6 11. 39X59X5 I9I3
Amulet with Sumerian incantation, Middle-Assyrian period:
Lama5tu
63 Stone tablet, portrait format with pierced lug, complete, I 3 11. 47X62XI2 2779
Amulet with label and Akkadian incantation, Neo-Assyrian
period: Lama5tu
64 Stone tablet, portrait format with pierced lug, complete 5IX68xro 28!9
Lama5tu-type amulet, uninscribed, first millennium BCE.
65 Stone tablet, portrait format with pierced lug, complete 44x67x6 2049
Lama5tu-type amulet with pseudo-inscription, date unknown
66 Stone head with pierced lug, complete, ro 11. 22X34XI3 2447
Pazuzu-head amulet with Akkadian and Sumerian incanta-
tion, Neo-Assyrian period: ]Julbazizi
,,
,,
r8 lviesopotamian Incantations
73 Clay tablet, landscape format, complete, I+ I cols., 2 3+ 3+20 11. rr8x8ox27 3277
Medical remedies in Akkadian, OB
74 Clay tablet, portrait format, complete, r+I cols., I5+I611. 58x74x23 4575
Medical remedies in Akkadian, Late Babylonian period
75 Stone tablet, landscape fonnat with lion-shaped pierced lug, I72X7IXI7 278I
near complete, 6+6 11.
Hemerological table, Middle or Neo-Babylonian period
76 Clay tablet, portrait format, lower left portion, I+2 cols., 69X8IX26 2226
I8+I7+I8ll.
Tabulated Iqqur ipuS, hemerological table and colophon in
Akkadian, Neo-Assyrian period
77 Clay tablet, portrait format, lowerportion, I+I cols., I4+I5ll. 72XIIOX34 308I
Praise poetry and refrain, Akkadian, OB
I
Concordances
r. Concordance of tablet numbers in the Sch0yen Collection and text numbers in this volume.
1\IJS No. Text No. iviS No. Text No. 1\IJS No. Text No.
I9I3 62 3063 4I 3I02 see 3089+
2049 65 3067 28 3I03 3I
2226 76 3068 45 3I05/r 22
36 3069 39 3I05/2 I4
228312 38 3070 48 3I87 6r
232I 53 3072 54 32I2 4
I9 3073 50 3272/r 69
46 3074 37 327212 70
66 308I 77 3273 7I
52 3082 29 3277 72
34 3083 35 3306 44
63 3084 2I 3323 58
25 3085 8 3334 57
75 3086 20 337I 43
5 3087 I7 3380 56
27 3088 9 338I 42
47 3089+3I02 IO 3387 26
64 3090 I6 3388 55
32 309I+3092+3 IOI I I 34I3 73
33 3092 see 309r+ 34I9 59
68 3093 30 3427 r8
67 3095 I5 3949 6o
40 3096 I2 4549/r I
24 3097 7 454912 2
49 3098 6 4550 3
5I 3IOO I3 4575 74
23 3IOI see 309r+
19
..
20 .iVIesopotamian Incantations
24 Mesopotamian Incantations
6. Concordance of text numbers in this volume and entry numbers in the database of the Cune-
ifonn Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), which offers color images of all the objects published
in this book, sometimes in a fuller photographic record. The URL of an individual tablet at
CDLI is the domain address http:/ /cdli.ucla.edu/ followed by the CDLI entry number, e.g.
text No. I has the URL http:/ /cdli.ucla.edu/P253640.
Nos. 1-3. Early Dynastic Incantation Tablets 2006). A tablet excavated at A dab remains un-
Sumerian incantations of the Early Dynastic published (Michalowski I992: 322 no. 3) and
(pre-Sargonic) periods are the earliest in the still other unpublished examples have been not-
Mesopotamian record. They have mainly de- ed in private hands (e.g. van Dijk and Geller
rived from tviTo sources: (a) four tablets excavat- 2003: I6).
ed in Early Dynastic IliA buildings at Fara, The Sch0yen Collection holds three Early
ancient Suruppak, by the German e:;;,:pedition of Dynastic incantation tablets: two collective
Koldewey and Andrae in I 902-3, split between exemplars-tablets with several incantations-
the museums of Berlin and Istanbul and pub- and one inscribed with a single incantation. Ear-
lished between the wars by Deimel (I923) and ly Dynastic incantations, like other pre-Sargon-
Jestin (I937); and (b) eleven tablets, slightly later ic Sumerian literary texts, are notoriously
in date but in the Early Dynasxtic tradition, from difficult to understand and these are no excep-
among the archives excavated in I975 in room tion. No. I (Pls. I-II) is a fine oblong tablet,
L 2769 at Tell Mardikh in Syria, ancient Ebla or rebuilt from many pieces, small and large, but
Ibla, by the Italian team led by Matthiae, and almost complete. It is inscribed with six columns
published by Pettinato (I979), Edzard (I984) of text on the obverse and four and a half on the
and Krebernik (I996). A single Early Dynastic reverse, written in a beautiful, elegant hand.
incantation tablet derives from excavations at al- They contain the text of nine incantations, all
Hiba, ancient Lagas, conducted by Crawford beginning en(su.AN)-e-nu-ru, except the first,
and Hansen in the season I97G-7I and pub- which has AN-e-nu-ru. 1 The text becomes more
lished by Biggs (I976). parsimonious with rubrics as it proceeds. Incan-
The Sumerian incantations on those ofthese tations (a) and (b) have rubrics that consist of the
pre-Sargonic tablets that were identified by the standard attribution to Ningirimma, also ap-
early I9Sos, together with the Semitic-language pended to incantations from Fara, but in addi-
incantations copied at Ebla alongside them- tion they have a further line that seems to be an
some on the same tablets-benefited from a pio- abbreviated counterpart ofthe later ka-inim-ma
neering edition by Manfred Krebernik, Die Bes- rubric, giving the incantation's topic or func-
chworungen aus Para und Ebla (I984). Since then,
other Early Dynastic Sumerian incantation tab-
lets have been published: two more from Ebla I In i I en was surely intended, for the sign is right in
the corner and the first two strokes of the stylus, that
(Krebernik I996; see further Catagnoti and
distinguish en from AN,. may not have made much
Bonechi I998), another excavated in a lavatory impact on the clay. However, note e-AN-rnu-ru1 in
drain at Abu Salabikh in the I988-89 season an Early Dynastic Akkadian text from Mari (Bonechi
(Postgate I990: IOI and pl. XV d; Krebernik and and Durand 1992: 155 sub 4') and AN-e-nu-ru in an
Postgate 2009: I I and 3 I lAS 549), and a third Old Babylonian copy of the Sumerian "gall" incan-
of no provenance, now in Brussels (V eldhuis tation (Alster 1972a: 357 obv. 1).
25
1\!Iesopotamian Incantations
tion. 1 Incantations (c) and (d) have only the girimma": Sumerian incantation against
attribution to Ningirimma; the next four incan- demonic forces, edited in Part ILB.r.
tations make do with a hatched case consisting (d) iv 7-v 3, incipit KAK GI BAR NE TUR,
of four or five KAS-signs-these seem to be a rubric KAxUD dnin-girill\c "spell of Nin-
notation to mark the end of the incantation girimma": Sumerian incantation of uncer-
without having to append the standard rubric. tain topic; the key words are KAK and amar
The last incantation is followed by a colophon KAK, which like many evil things are
(on a new column). described as (iv 9) ki-ta e-a "coming forth
The collection is noteworthy for the from the netherworld." The evil is coun-
appearance ofAsarre (dasar), i.e. Enki's sonAsal- tered by Asarre (iv 12): dasar zu:ab giri 1-
lub.e, in the role of an agent who counters evil ma-TAG "A. hastened (cf giri-ul4) (from)
(iv 12) and asks his father Enki for help in its the Abzu."
expulsion (vi 8). Enki's son is omnipresent in (e) v 4-vi 6, incipit IGI GIS mu-sub, rubric
this function in later incantation traditions, but replaced by 4 x KAS: Sumerian incantation
until now his name has been conspicuously of uncertain topic. The phrase MUNSUB a-
absent from Early Dynastic incantations (see the gi6 mu-du7-du7 "blood charges forth (like)
introduction to this volume). a flood wave" (v Io) can be compared with
The nine incantations are as follows: Kreberffik I984 no. 6 A vii 6 MUNSUB ga-
(a) i I-ii 2, incipit dumu ME.TE.MA, rubric gin7 GU4 .GU4 I I B vi 4 MUNSUB rx1 du 7-
KAxUD dnin-~(A.BU.B.A.DU) ki-ME.TE. du7. The pair IGI IM mir IM (vI I-12, vi 3-
MA-kam4 (LAK29): Sumerian incantation 4) suggest IM-u5 IM-mir "south vvind,
of uncertain topic (the key word ME.TE. north wind" in Krebernik I984 no. 4 A iv
MA is undeciphered), includes adjuration I-2, s-6; Veldhuis 2006 i 4-5, iii 3-4, rev.
by An and Enlil (i 6-7). i s-6.
(b) ii 3-iii 7, incipit UNU KI ANTAB AMAR AB (f) vi 7-vii 4, incipit dasar mu-nun mu-gir-gir
SI GAR AN GAR, rubric KAxUD dnin-girill\c "Asarre (was out walking): a big snake was
gir-gir "spell ofNingirimma, scorpions": slithering along," rubric replaced by 4 x
Sumerian incantation against scorpion and KAS: Sumerian incantation against snake-
snake, edited in Part ILD. I. bite, edited in Part ILD .2.
(c) iii 8-iv 6, incipit es gar dingir su, perhaps (g) vii s-ix 2, incipit sa-gig mu-ak sa-gig libis-
gig mu-ak "stomach-ache was active,
"the house is in place, the (sun)-god is set,"
stomach-ache and gut-ache were active,"
rubric KAxUD dnin-girill\c "spell of Nin-
rubric replaced by 5 x KAS: Sumerian in-
cantation against internal pain, edited in
' Comparable rubrics, without the phrase ka-inim-ma, Part ILE.I.
occur in Ur III incantations, e.g. sa-gi4 for sa-gig
"(against) stomach-ache" (Sigrist 1980: 159 i 12); a- (h) ix 3-X 4, incipit sa-gig Sa-ga-ni an-na-e-e
tu5-kam "(for) ablution" (VASX 190: 28); lu mus ka "stomach-ache came forth against him, his
ba-NI a-bi lu kur-ra na8-na8-da-kam "a man having insides," rubric replaced by 5 x KAS: Sum-
been bitten by a snake, (spell to accompany) the bit- erian incantation against internal pain,
ten person drinking the respective potion" (VAS X partly parallel to lAS 549, edited in Part
193= rs-r6; Romer 1995= 420 and Cunningham
ILE.2.
1997= 97 emend to lu mus ZU ba-du, but ka ba, liter-
ally "to open the mouth," occurs in the context of (i) x s-I I, incipit AN AN AN gir an-na x an-
biting in another third-millennium snake incanta- KUD, no rubric: Sumerian incantation of
tion, No. 2 i 2, quoted below on p. 27 n. 4). uncertain function. Ningirimma (x 8) is
Descriptions of Tablets 27
' For the Fara colophons see Krebernik I998: 325-35; Gewahrsleute bzw. Autoren" (Krebemik I998: 3 I4),
for those from Salabikh see Biggs I974: 33-35. the most plausible explanation for such colophons is
The sign nar "singer, musician" in xi 6 was deciphered that they report a situation in which a tablet was
by Manfred Krebernik., who had a brief glimpse of the written by one man on the authority or with some
cuneiform in September 20I5. ir-da in xi 4 is a patro- other involvement of several others. Accordingly, it
nym or other personal name that distinguishes this is here proposed that SANGA/SID is not a displaced
Gunidu from another of the same name. professional title but should be understood as the
3
In other ED colophons the sign SANGA (or SID), UD.GAL.NUN spelling for ka "mouth" (Lambert I98I:
which at Fara occurs before most of the personal 86-87; Krebemik I984: 283; I998: 30I; on UD.GAL.
names in a colophon, and sometimes before all of NUN spelling in ED literary teA--ts, see further Krecher
them, is usually interpreted as a professional title I992). "(By) mouth of PN" aptly records that the
with the reading umbisag, meaning "scribe" or sim- text written on the tablet was faithful to the oral tra-
ilar (e.g. Biggs I967: 59;' I974: 33; Mander I984: dition passed do·wn by living authorities, one of
339; Krebemik I998: 314; Glassner 2000: I07-IO; whom wrote the tablet. An analogous phrase in the
Waetzoldt 2009: 252), or sanga "temple administra- colophons of much later tablets is sa/ana pt PN
tor" (Westenholz I98s: 296-97). "from the mouth of So-and-So."
The problems are (a) that job titles elsewhere fol- 4
No. 2 i 2-4: us-e-bi gar ka ba-ba, zu-bi GA SA! KID
low names, and do here in xi 2 and 6, (b) that the
DI KA, mus-gur8 usum-gal-gur8 "finding a place for
word for "scribe" in contemporaneous administra-
its spewed venom, opening the mouth (to bite), ...
tive documents is dub-sar, and (c) that in our two
its fangs, agursnake, agurviper," c£ VASX I93: 2-
new colophons (tablets Nos. I and 2) Ur-Gibil bears
exactly that title, hldub-sar, while also preceded by 3 I I 6-7 (ed. Veldhuis I993a: I6I; I994; Romer
SANGA. Moreover, the colophons from Fara often I995: 4I9; c£ Cunningham I997: 79): lu-ra mus mu-
list several individuals, each prefL"ed SANGA, much ra g1r mu-ra ur-mu-da mu-ra us-bi mu-na-ab-sum-
as in the colophon of our No. I, but record the name m[a] "a mu-ra snake, a mu-ra scorpion, a mu-ra rabid
of the actual scribe by appending to one (and only dog that gave its venom to a man." A juxtaposition
one) of those names the phrase dub mu-sar "he of ED gur8 and Ur III mu-ra makes improbable the
wrote the tablet." Noting suggestions that the colo- analysis of mu-ra as conjugation prefix and verb base
phons on ED manuscripts seem "in some way to (Romer: "vielleicht als 'zuschlagen"'; Veldhuis: *mu-
have authenticated the contents" (W estenholz I985: ra-a-e "that was biting"). The two spellings probably
295) or recorded "die fur den TeA.-t verantwortlichen convey the same lemma, perhaps mir "angry."
2\!Iesopotamian Incantations
There is no doubt that it is a spell giving protec- No. 4· Ur III Incantation Tablet
tion against snakes and snake-bite. The tablet Eighteen incantation tablets from the period of
concludes with a colophon (ii 4-6): SANGA ur- the third dynasty ofUr (Ur III) were catalogued
dNE:gi Iur dub-sar1 [in-sar?J "by mouth of Ur-
by Cunningham I997= 96-97. Some were exca-
Gibil, the scribe, [(who also) wrote it(?).]"
vated at Nippur and one hails from Drehem
Nos. I and 2 are the only two pre-Sargonic (Puzris-Dagan), but others derive from the anti-
incantation tablets so far published that bear col- quities' market and lack provenance. Between
ophons.
them they hold twenty-tvvo incantations, all in
No. 3 (Pls. IV-VII) is a large but badly damaged Sumerian except for a solitary spell in Akkadian.
portion of a tablet of considerable size. It was Two other pieces were overlooked by that cat-
perhaps originally divided into as many as ten alogue, both in Istanbul: Urn 712, a tablet from
columns per side; parts of seven remain on the Umma vvith a stomach-ache spell written over
obverse, and parts of seven on the reverse. an administrative text 011aetzoldt and Y J.l.chz
Because of damage to the inscribed surface it is I987), and L. I036, a cylinder from Tello hold-
not possible to be sure exactly how many incan- ing tvvo snake incantations (Lafont and Y J.l.chz
tations are represented on the surviving frag-
I989: I93-94 and 295-56). A tablet from Tell
ment. The division between successive incan-
Asmar, excavated in the I930s and now in Chi-
tations is marked as in the latter part ofN o. I, by
cago, added another Sumerian incantation to
a small case cross-hatched with KAS-signs. Such
the published number (Finkel I998: 8I-83,
cases occur on ten occasions (ii' 3', 9', iii' 4', iv'
IOI-2 no. 4). A further tvventy-tvvo tablets of
2, Io', v' 7, vi 5', rr', x' 3, xiii' s). All such cases
are followed by a new incantation, beginning Sumerian incantations and related texts, for-
en(SU.AN)-e-nu-ru as in No. I, a formula that merly in the possession of Hermann Hilprecht
also occurs at the top of col. ix'. No closing for- and probably all discovered at Nippur before
mulae are detectable. Accordingly, the extant I900, have since been published (van Dijk and
text yields the fragmentary remains of at least Geller 2003).
twelve incantations. The incantation tablets identified as Ur III
The contents ofNo. 3 are less easy to de- are not dated, so that their attribution to the Ur
scribe. Spelling is partly syllabic, e.g. vi' 2 ru1 - III period is by palaeography and conventional.
na-du instead ofu-na-dug4 "say to him." The The style ofUr III writing-tabletformat and
opening of the second incantation (ii' s'-6': sa- ductus-did not disappear inunediately at the
gig libis-gig, a-ga-la LU+sessigxBAD gig) con- fall ofUr (2004 BC in the middle chronology)
tains phrases already met inN o. Ih and lAS 549 but continued among scribes writing under the
(K.rebernik and Postgate 2009: II and 3I). It is early kings ofthe first Isin dynasty. Consequent-
not the same incantation but is certainly a spell ly an undated tablet identified by script as Ur III
against stomach upset. The fifth incantation may be slightly later than the end of the epon-
begins like No. Ii (incipitiv' 4: [A]N AN GfR [A]N ymous dynasty.
ANNA), but then differs; presumably it is also
against scorpions. Enlil is much in evidence, No.4 (Pl. VIII). The Sch0yen Collection has in
both in the repeated phrase ga-ga ama-tud den- its care a single example of an Ur III incantation
lil-(la)-ka (vi' 4, 7, Io), in a lu-gi4 formula (v' I4 tablet. This bears a Sumerian Kultmittelbeschwo-
a-ni den-lil-sex(GAN )), and elsewhere (iv' I2 zi rung for use with the thorny shrub giskisig. Its
den-lil-la; vi' IS den-lil uru 5; also iv' I4). Unlike incipit is gi'kisig(u.GfR-gunu) gis-zi "thorn-
in No. I, Enki and his sonAsallub.eare nowhere bush, upright bush," but there is no rubric. It is
to be seen. edited below, in Part II.A.r.
Descriptions of Tablets
Nos. s-6o. Incantations and Related Texts on 3071, 3094 and 3099. 6 Nevertheless, thirty-six
Old Babylonian Tablets fragments belonging to thirty-two incantation
Incantation tablets ofthe Old Babylonian period tablets are concentrated in this short range, and
survive in large numbers. Cunningham's cata- it must be asked whether these have any integ-
logues for the period have entries for 236 Sum- rity as a collection.
erian incantations, 92 Akkadian incantations, SL'< In the absence of knowledge of the tablets'
at least partly in both languages, and forty-two prior history and the lack of ancient indicators,
in languages other than Sumerian and Akkadian such as colophons, the only criteria available for
(1997= 13 1-59). More have been added to these determining whether or not the thirty-two tab-
numbers in the years since. The majority of tab- lets form a discrete group are physical: the script,
lets on which these 376 catalogued incantations the clay, and any other features in common.
are written lack archaeological provenances, There is little objective to report here, but one
including the large collections published in thing stands out. Most of the larger tablets and
cuneiform byvanDijkin VASXVII (1971) and some smaller ones have suffered damage by dis-
YOSXI (1985). 1 integration: they have lost edges not by clean
The fifty-seven Old Babylonian incantation breaks but because the clay has flaked badly -vvith
and related tablets in the Sch0yen Collection consequent loss of surface and destruction of
can be divided into two groups: (a) tablets in the core. This effect can be seen on Nos. 7-8, ro-
range MS 3056-3105 and (b) tablets distributed 17, 20-22, 30-31 and 35 ofthis book, and on
elsewhere in the collection. The fifty numbers No. r6 ofthe divinatoryvolume. It is interesting
of (a) were assigned to a group of tablets and to observe that the collection numbers of these
fragments that came into the collection under
seventeen tablets-MS 3083-3087, 3089-3093,
the title of the "Magician's Archive." Mter bak-
3095-3097, 3 roo-3 ros-all stem from the end
ing, cleaning and joining, the tablets in this
of the range, immediately following the larger
group numbered forty-eight. 2 Upon further
intrusive group of seven identified in the pre-
study it became apparent that not all tablets in
ceding paragraph. It is possible to consider that
the range MS 3056-3105 bore incantations and
at least the tablets in the sequence MS 3o82-
related texts: SL'\:teen tablets have texts that
3 r o 5 shared a common place ofmanufacture and
belong to other genres. SL'< of them, scattered
throughout the range, bear divinatory texts that
have already been published in a previous vol- 4
MS 3075: Sumerian hymn to Nanna (GungunumA);
ume in this series. 3 Two of these are part of a MS 3076: Sumerian hymn; MS 3077: Innin.Sagun·a
seven-strong group, MS 3075-3081, that inter- (Inanna C) 1-20; MS 3078: omens, ed. CUSAS 18
no. 9; MS 3079: OB letter fragment; MS 3080: mod-
rupts the sequence of incantations and may rep-
el colon, ed. CUSAS 18 no. 37; MS 3081: Akkadian
resent an intrusion. 4 One divinatory tablet and praise-song and refrain, teA1: No. 77 at the end of this
two other tablets make a smaller intrusive group, volume. Photographs: CDLI P252084---90.
MS 3064-3066. 5 Three tablets dispersed in the 5 MS 3064: unidentified text on two surfaces of a small
sequence are also not incantation tablets: MS four-sided prism; MS 3065: two praise clauses in
Sumerian; MS 3066: omens, ed. CUSAS 18 no. 8.
Photographs: CDLI P252073-75·
' On the provenance of OB incantations see further 6
MS 3071, CDLI P25208o: Sumerian litany, partly
Michalowski 1992: 312-14.
syllabic version of VAS II 25 i 1-20, c£ Krecher
Joined: MS 3089+3102, MS 3091+3092+3101; sepa- 1966: 53-54; MS 3094, CDLI P252103: OB admin-
rated: MS 3105 into 3105/r and 3105/2. istrative fragment; MS 3099, CDLI P252108: Sume-
3 rian, collection of popular compositions, including
MS 3057,3058,3066, 3078, 3080, 3104, ed. CUSAS
r8 = lviSCTVII nos. 3, 5, 8, 9, 16 and 37- Old Man and Young Girl (identified by]. Matuszak).
30 l'v1esopotamian Incantations
a common archaeological provenance where torch (n). This sequence probably follows the
many were exposed to the same adverse con- actions taken and instruments used in a ritual of
ditions. They, and maybe some other tablets in purification. A ritual-based organization can be
the range MS 3056-3105, but not all, might then suspected in at least three other Old Babylonian
be the remains of a library of an Old Babylonian compilations of Kultmittelbeschworungen: cer-
scholar, an exorcist who perhaps also had an tainly the collective tablet in Dublin edited by
interest in divination-but there can be no cer- M.]. Geller (2001), and probably another col-
tainty of this. lective tablet, formerly in the Amherst Collec-
For present purposes the collection's Old tion but now known only in the copy ofT. G.
Babylonian incantation tablets will be organized Pinches (jVIVl'l V 302, cf Romer 1981), and
by format: :first to be described are the multi- tablet No. 6 in this book. As Geller notes of the
column collective tablets that hold many incan- Dublin text, there is a clear :first-millennium
tations, beginning with the giant tablets; then analogue in Tablet IX of the incantation series
will follow the description of incantations and Surpu, which is like-vvise given over to incanta-
related texts on single-column tablets. tions for activating the powers latent in ritual
materials and objects. Another Old Babylonian
Old Babylonian Incantations on Collective
collective tablet that has an explicit ritual con-
Tablets
text is a tablet in Chicago containing six incan-
In his discussion of the creation of series of tations with individual rubrics, summed up as
Old Babylonian incantation texts van Dijk ka-inim-ma gudu4 ku-ge-da-kam "incantation
observed that collective incantation tablets fall formulae to consecrate a gudu-priest" (Farber
into two text types (1967= 23 8-39): (a) tablets and Farber 2003).
which collect incantations of the same genre
There are some syllabic spellings, e.g. v 24'
(e.g. scorpion spells), which are easy to identify
im-ta for im-tag, and plain errors, e.g. iii 50'
from content, and (b) tablets that collect se-
dumu dingir-re-e-ne "son of the gods" for the
quences of incantations organized according to
standard epithet dumu dingir-ra-na "son ofhis
their use in ritual, which, in the absence of
god." The fifteen incantations are as follows:
detailed knowledge of rituals in this period, are
less easily identified. Examples of the former in (a) i r'-ro', incipitlost, rubric ka-inim-maim-
this book are Nos. II (Udug-hu0, 12 and 13 bibbar!-ra! (sup. ras.) "incantation formula
(Namtar), 15 (zi-pad) and 19 (snake, scorpi- for gypsum": end of a Sumerian incanta-
on). Examples ofthe latter: Nos. 5 and 6. A third tion to consecrate a mineral used as soap in
type, in which miscellaneous incantations are cleansing rituals. Other incantations for
assembled, is represented by Nos. 7, 8, 9, ro, r6, gypsum are No. 6q and K 2466 (Geers
I 8, 21 etc. Folio E13, Lambert Folio 9814, incipitim-
babbar im dadd[ag-ga], rubric [ka-inim-
No. 5 (Pls. IX-XIV). This is the lower three-
ma im]-babbar-ra-ke 4), but their contents
fifths of a giant tablet of :five columns per side,
rebuilt from two pieces and consolidated with differ.
plaster ofParis. It holds at least fifteen Sumerian (b) i u'-39', incipit im abzu-ta "clay from the
incantations ofthe Kultmittelbeschworungtype, all Abzu," rubric ka-inim-ma dug!sahar-ra su
beginning en-e-nu-ru, as far as preserved. The te-ga-da-kam "incantation formula for
sequence of materials and objects treated in the handling a sabar-pot": Sumerian incanta-
incantations is: gypsum (a), clay pots (b-e), reed tion, consecration of sabar-pot, edited in
hut and water (d-g), tamarisk (h), soapwort (i), Part ILA.2. An incantation with a similar
reed post(?) G), tamarisk again (m), and reed rubric is No. 6v.
Descriptions of Tablets JI
(c) i 40'-42', incipit broken, probably contin- with aromatics and invested with magic
ues as ii I 1--'7 1, rubric ka-inim-ma du~ur! force by Asalluhe. The closing passage (iii
(GAR)-rzi1 -[tur-r]a su te-ga-da-kam "incan- 20'-30') is quoted in Part II.A.3.
tation formula for handling a small bowl": (g) iii p'-5I 1, incipit nun-e abzu-ta e-a-ni
Sumerian incantation, content largely lost, "when the prince came forth from Abzu,"
consecration of a small vessel that was used rubric lost, perhaps at iv I': opening por-
in rituals for offering syrup and oil (Urra X tion of Sumerian incantation for ablution
270: du~ur-zi-tur = sah-ha-ru, see further rites, edited in Part II.A.3.
Salonen I966: II2-I3).
(h) iv 2'-44', incipit gissinig gis sikil gi[s ...]
(d) ii 8'-40', incipit gis-gi gal-gal dingir-re-e- "tamarisk, pure tree, [... ],"very probably
ne-ke4 "the great reedbeds of the gods," continuing as v I'-6', rubric ka-inim-ma
rubric ka-inim-ma sutug! (tablet: sur) sub- gissinig x[ ...] "incantation formula for[ ...]
ba-kam "incantation fonnula for setting up tamarisk": long Sumerian incantation to
a reed hut": complete Sumerian incanta- consecrate tamarisk for a ritual. The arche-
tion, consecration of a temporary outdoor typal tamarisk, whose roots were grounded
booth for a ritual (on the functions of this in the Abzu and whose branches reached
structureseenowWee20I4: 35-4I). Oth- the sky, was discovered and put to good use
er incantations with this rubric are Nos. 6w by Ninildu, the carpenter god, and made
and 6x and probably 1\!IVNV 302 ii I'-I I': sacred by the magic expertise of Enki's
ka-inim-ma! gisutug sub!-kam. close family: Asalluhe, Damgalnunna and
(e) ii 4I'-48', incipit nun-e a-idim su im-ma- Namma. 2
ni-r dab 51 (!I 44') "the prince took in hand (i) v 7'-36', incipit u ki-sikil-e mu-[a] "plant
water from the Deep," rubriclost (unless at grown in a pure place," rubric ka-inim-ma
iii 3 I'): Sumerian incantation to consecrate u-in-us a-tu 5-kam "incantation formula for
water, opening lines only. The beginning washing with soapwort": complete Sume-
of the incantation describes how Enki rian incantation, edited in Part II.A.4.
filled the Tigris and Euphrates with water
G) vi, incipit (2-3) gis-gi x x [... ] gis-gi x x
from his cosmic abode (45'), duplicating a
[... ] "reedbed ... , reedbed ... , rubric lost:
passage that occurs at the outset of VAS
damaged Sumerian incantation, to conse-
XVII 32, an incantation to counter body
crate a ritual object (or objects) made of
lice (see Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi 2002:
reed, probably the posts (giuri-gal; see Sal-
I o); probably the context ofboth is cleans-
laberger 2005-6) that marked off the ritual
ing the body with holy water. Possibly
space around a gisutug. Nanse(?) nina-glib-
continues on col. iii as (f).
ba "lady of the holy-water vessel" is the
(f) iii I '-3 I', incipit lost (unless at ii 42'), rubric agent of purification (vi I5).
ka-inim-ma a sa IO-sa 10-kam sutug!-sub-ba
(k) vii, incipit and rubric lost: remains of a
gi-du-e "incantation fonnula for buying
Sumerian incantation of uncertain func-
(i.e. drawing) water, 1 (for use in) an erected
tion.
reed hut and reed fence": Sumerian incan-
tation to consecrate water for use in an out-
door ritual. The water is made fragrant Enki's son, wife and mother also act together in VAS
XVII 30, an incantation of uncertain function. There
they follow his father, An, and Enki himself, and one
' On the phrase a sa 10-Sa 10 see Part ILA.6, te:A"tual note observes a divine family operating almost as a busi-
on No. 6e-g iii 17, rS, 23. ness unit.
32 j'vfesopotamian Incantations
(l) viii, incipit and rubric lost: remains of a the cordon to shelter the patient ofthe ritual (see
Sumerian incantation of uncertain func- above on No. 5d).
tion. The incantations deal with the follovving
(m) ix 3-r r, incipit lost, rubric ka-inim-ma topics: royal signet ring(?) (a), street (b), river-
sikil-e-de sinig a-tu5 -a-kam "incantation bank and drawing water (c, e-g), cleansing a
formula to purify by washing with tama- divine statue (h), ablution (i-k), soap (1), pot of
risk": scant remains of the end of a Sum- milk (m), more ablution with soap (n-o), tam-
erian incantation for ablution. arisk (p), gypsum (q), treading in something
dirty (r), water-basin (s), cloak (t), clay and pot
(n) ix r2-20, incipit damaged, rubric lost: very
(u-v), ritual hut (w-x), and various agents of
poorly preserved opening lines of a Sum-
purity, vegetable and mineral (y).
erian incantation, apparently to consecrate
a reed torch (r4: gi-izi-la), but not recog- Other collective tablets are known to
nizably a version of any so far known. present incantations recited during the ritual
consecration of priests (Old Babylonian: Farber
(o) x, incipit and rubric lost: remains of~ Sum-
and Farber 2003; later: Borger I973, Lohnert
erian incantation of uncertain function,
2oro), but the contents of (a) suggest that here
mentioning Ninbursag and Tigris water. the king is involved. We might consider the text
No. 6 (Pls. XV-XX). Only seven columns of to be an Old Babylonian analogue oflater ritual
this neat ten-column tablet are inscribed, in texts such as bit rimki "Bath-house," in which
small but clear script. It contains an unfinished the king is isolated in a reed booth surrounded
compilation ofSumerian incantations, breaking by the usual circle ofreed posts and ritually puri-
offin the middle ofthe twenty-fifth incantation. fied by elaborate and repeated washing (most
The contents are ordered to follow an elaborate recently Ambos 20r2). However, in the present
ritual involving ceremonial washing and dress- text a divine statue is also washed (h), so this rit-
ing, as already suspected for No. 5. There is ual-if a ritual is at issue--was not focused only
more certainty here because the sequence of on the king. The inclusion ofan incantation that
incantations is interrupted by a statement depicts the en-priest of Inanna, i.e. Dumuzi,
reporting that the next incantations are for "put- riding on a barge (c) may suggest that the ritual
ting the 'outlines' in place" (d). The "outlines" was connected with the sacred marriage rites in
are the arrangements made to enclose a ritual which the king played the role of Inanna's
space, usually by making a magic circle with divine lover.
flour and setting up a cordon of reed posts (giuri- Understanding is hampered by unconven-
gal; Sallaberger 2005-6: 65, CAD G r02). The tional writing and corruption, e.g.: ii 25 a-gub-
use of this ritual apparatus already in the Old ba for a-g{tb-ba "holy-water vessel"; iv 28 etc.
Babylonian period is demonstrated by the a-SU.AK for a-tu 5(SU.NAGA) "washing"; iv 40
incantation II.B.7 No. 46 rev. rr'-r2'. The com- gada-gin7 .Q.e-eb-re apparently for gada-gin7 .Q.e-
pilation No. 6 thus divides into two unequal bur-re "may it unfold like a sheet," iv 4r-42
parts: the three incantations presented before drzu.GA sa 6-ga dUNUG? sa 6-ga en-mu-un-da-
this statement, which presumably belong to a su8-su8-ge-es for dudug sa6-ga dlarnma sa6-ga hu-
preliminary stage of the ritual, and the twenty- mu-un-da-su8-su8-ge-es "may a kind udug and
one that come afterward, which pertain to set- a kind lamma stand alongside him"; v 27 nag-si
ting up the magic circle and cordon of posts. As for naga-si "soapwort"; v 28 kas-ulu-si perhaps
might then be expected, toward the end of the for kas-ulusin "ernmer beer"; v 30 e-mas for
second group are incantations for building the amas "cowfold"; vii 43 u-mur-du-du for u-
gisutug, a temporary reed booth erected inside mur-du-du.
Descriptions of Tablets 33
A curious feature of the tablet is the unruled (h) iv 7-28, incipit a-e kur-ra nam-tar-ra-am
spaces left vacant in cols. ii, iv, v, vi and vii, and "water, given its function in the uplands,"
the partly vacant lines in cols. v and vi. These rubric ka-inim-ma a SU.AK dingir "incan-
blank spaces probably indicate breaks interven- tation formula (for) washing a god": Sum-
ing between legible passages of text on a dam- erian incantation closely related to YOSXI
aged or illegible master copy. 44- Edited in Part ILA.7.
The twenty-five incantations are as follows: (i) iv 29-42, incipit a id-da ku-ge-de "0 riv-
(a) i [I )-43, rubric [ka-in)im-ma su-<gur?> er-water for consecration," no rubric:
lugal-la-se "incantation formula for the Sumerian incantation for ablution with
king's signet ring(?)": Sumerian incanta- holy water. Edited in Part ILA.8.
tion, consecration of regalia (I4: rSU1 -gur G) iv 43-v 5, incipit a [x] a sa nun-e gar-ra-am
ku-sig 17 ku-babbar), includes blessings of "water ... put in place by the prince,"
plenty for the king's reign. rubric ka-inim-ma "incantation formula":
(b) ii [I]-8, rubric ka-inim-ma e-sir DU-u Sumerian incantation, probably for ablu-
"incantation formula for going down the tion with holy water, as in the preceding
street": Sumerian incantation, purification and follo-wing incantations. Between the
with water. Between ll. 4 and 5 an unruled end of the writing and the rubric is an
space for three lines is left vacant. unruled blank space adequate for four
(c) ii 9-iii 8, incipit kar dasar kar abzu-ke 4 lines.
"quay of Asarre, quay ofAbzu," rubric ka- (k) v 6-I8, incipit missing, rubric ka-inim-ma
inim-ma "incantation formula": Sumerian a-SU.AK "incantation formula for wash-
incantation, edited in Part ILA.s. ing": Sumerian incantation for ablution
(d) iii 9-IO, editorial statement in Sumerian: with holy water. The text is interspersed
egir-bi ka-inim-ma gis-b.ur-b.ur gar-ra with blank lines and parts of lines.
"after these (come) the incantation formu- (1) v I9-27, incipit damaged, rubric ka-inim-
lae for putting the 'outlines' in place." On ma nag-si gar-ra-am "incantation formula
this see above. for putting the soap in place": Sumerian
(e) iii rr-23, incipit dnamma ama den-ki-ga- incantation, no doubt in connection with
ke4 "0 Namma, mother ofEnki," rubric washing ritual, but marred by damage and
ka-inim-ma a sa 10-sa 10 "incantation formu- OITllSSIOnS.
la for buying (i.e. drawing) water": Sum- (m) v 28-3 8, incipit dugku-gakas-siliglulu-si-
erian incantation, edited in Part ILA.6. ta pad-da "holy pot, found in ... ,"rubric
(f) iii 24-43, incipit kar si-sa kar abzu "The ka-inim-ma ga-am "incantation formula
fair quay, quay of Abzu," rubric ka-inim- for milk": Sumerian incantation to conse-
ma kar si-a-kam "incantation formula for crate milk, noteworthy for a list of dairy
filling (a pail at) the river bank": Sumerian gods, elsewhere identified as sons of Gayu,
incantation, I I VAS X I 87 ii II' ff. Edited the moon-god's cowherd (cf An III 88-
in Part II.A.6. 96, Richter I999= 397).
(g) iii 44-iv 6, incipit kar si-sa kar abzu "The (n) v 39-43, incipit a sikil den-ki-ke 4su sikil ka
fair quay, quay of Abzu," rubric ka-inim- sikil "pure water ofEnki that makes hand
ma "incantation formula": Sumerian in- and mouth pure," rubric ka-inim-ma a-
cantation, variant of (f), edited in Part SU.AK "incantation formula for washing":
ILA.6. The rubric is followed by space for short Sumerian incantation for ablution
three lines, left unruled and vacant. with holy water.
34 1Vfesopotamian Incantations
(o) vi I-I4, incipit a ku-ge!(tablet: zi) naga ku of the original exemplar (two lines left
"holy water, holy soap," rubric ka-inim- blank).
ma "incantation formula": Sumerian in- (v) vii I2-22, incipit dugsab-ar-ra X X e-a "sahar-
cantation, no doubt for ablution with holy pot, coming out of. .. ,"rubric ka-inim-
water. The text presents the beginnings of ma dugsab-ar-ra-kam "incantation formula
lines only, the ends and space for a five-line
for a sahar-pot": Sumerian incantation to
passage being left blank.
consecrate a ritual vessel. An incantation
(p) vi I5-25, incipit gissinig "tamarisk," rubric with a similar rubric is No. sb.
ka-inim-ma gissinig "incantation formula
(w) vii 23-3 I, incipit [gi ku?J mu-un-de 6 gi-ta
for tamarisk": Sumerian incantation to con-
mu-de 6 "He brought [a holy reed(?)], he
secrate tamarisk, similar to PBS Ih I23.
brought it from thereed-(bed)," rubricka-
Edited in Part II.A.9.
inim-ma sutug sub-ba-a-ka "incantation
(q) vi 26-34, incipitim-babbar k[i din]gir-r re- formula for setting up a reed hut": Sum-
e1-ne gar-ra "gypsum, established where erian incantation to consecrate a ritual
the gods (dwell)," rubric ka-inim-ma im- booth. Other such incantations are Nos.
babbar "incantation formula for gypsum":
sd and 6x, but the contents are different.
Sumerian incantation to consecrate gyp-
sum. Other incantations with this rubric (x) vii 32-3 8, incipit damaged, rubric ka-
are noted under No. sa. inim-ma gisutug sub-ba "incantation for-
mula for setting up a reed hut": Sumerian
(r) vi 3 s-44, incipit rlig-e rlig-e rlig-nu-gar-ra
incantation to consecrate a ritual booth.
giri ba-us "a thing, a thing, I have trodden
on a nasty thing," rubric ka-inim-ma giri (y) vii 39-46, incipit gissinig gis sikil "tamarisk
us-sa "incantation formula for treading (in tree, pure tree," no rubric: Sumerian in-
something)": Sumerian incantation to cantation listing plants and minerals for use
counter treading in something dirty. Edit- in ritual, unfinished.
ed in Part II.A. ro. No.7 (Pls. XXI-XXVI) is another giant tablet.
(s) vi 45-49, incipit a ku-ga a sikil-la a dadag- The upper two-fifths and bottom left comer
ga "h o1y water, pure vvat er, c1ean wat er, " have been lost and the surface of the lower
rubric ka-inim-ma a-glib-ba-k[am] "incan- obverse destroyed by flaking. The remaining
tation formula for a holy-water basin": surface yields the text of nineteen incantations:
Sumerian incantation to consecrate aves- ten in Sumerian, eight in Akkadian and one in
sel containing holy water, variant of VAS an unidentified language. All those whose con-
XVII I5: 9-I5. Edited below in Part clusions are preserved end -vvith the formula tu 6
II.A.I I. en-e-nu-ru. The collection has no single theme:
(t) vii I-6, incipit gu duttu kin-na ba-ni-in- it begins with spells that protect from harm
sub "Uttu cast a thread in her work," while away from home (a-d), goes on to
rubric ka-inim-ma tug-ba, 3 "incantation demons (e), dogs (f) and the evil eye (g), and
formula for a cloak": Sumerian incantation continues with incantations for use against gall
to consecrate a ceremonial mantle, edited (h-i) and other causes of stomach-ache (1-p),
in Part II.A.I2. and wasting disease (q). This would seem a ran-
(u) vii 7-I I, incipit im-gin7 "like clay," rubric dom compilation, but the presence of many of
ka-inim-ma "incantation fonnula": Sum- its incantations on another tablet, No. 8, in a dif-
erian incantation largely destroyed by ferent order (see Table I), indicates that the
damage to the tablet and by the illegibility association ofthese particular spells was not con-
Descriptions of Tablets 35
fined to a single occasion. The contents are as parches the palate," survives in the first-
follows: millennium incantation compendium
(a) i I 1-'i, rubric ka-inim-ma bar-gub edin-na KAR 88 frag. 4 i(?) 4 ("Gattung IV," ed.
"incantation formula for one staying out in Ebeling I953: 417), and in the incantation-
the steppe":' conclusion of Sumerian incipit cited in a Lamastu ritual (Thureau-
incantation, exorcism/ apotropaion by Dangin I92I: I65 1. 26).
Asallu.Q_e. Given what follows in (b) and (f) iii Ir_20 1, rubric ka-inim-ma ur-g[i7]
probably (c), this may be an apotropaion "incantation formula against dogs": major
for safe passage while travelling. 2 part of a Sumerian incantation, I IN o. 8b.
(b) i 81-I8 1, incipit dudug-.Q_ul he-me-en "Be Edited in Part II.D.6.
you an evil udug-demon," rubric ka-inim- (g) iii 2I 1-241, incipit inuma "inum tbuzu ahizam
ma e-sir gin-na-kam "incantation formula "when the Eye seized the 'seizer"': open-
for going down the street": Sumerian ing of an Akkadian incantation against the
incantation for protection from demons, evil eye, I I No. 8c. Edited in Part II.C.r.
entirely preserved. Edited in Part II.B.2. (h) iv I 1-I9 1, rubric ka-inim-ma ze-[(kam)J
(c) i I9 1 ff., incipit sarum time'atim u{ima "the "incantation formula against gall": Sume-
wind went out (upon) the sea": beginning rian incantation to counter stomach-ache,
of an Akkadian incantation of uncertain I I VAS XVII 24. Edited in Part II.E.3.
function. Edited in Part II.].3. (i) iv 20 1-V I I, incipit ze-am u-sim-gin7 ki
(d) ii I 1-6 1 , rubric ka-inim-ma bar-gub mu-un-dar"gallitwas, it burst through the
"incantation formula for staying outside": ground like a plant," rubric [ka-inim-ma]
1
r ze "incantation formula against gall":
end of Sumerian incantation invoking
divine authority, perhaps for protection Sumerian incantation to counter stomach-
while away from home; see (a). ache, similar to Alster I972a. Edited in Part
II.E.4.
(e) ii 'i-23 1, incipit ag-ma sa-ap-ta-su ka-lu-um
pa-nu-su "its lips are angry, its face is a skull- G) v 12-25, incipit am-gin 7 si du 7-du7 g1r-gin7
gub-ba-mu "Goring like a wild bull, stuck
cup": beginning of an Akkadian incanta-
in me like a knife(!)," rubric ka-inim-ma
tion addressed to a demonic force injurious
[ze?-k]am: Sumerian incantation to counter
to health. The description of the demon in
stomach-ache, variant of VAS X 202 and
ii I4 1-I5 1, ma-hi-i~ r mu1 -uh-hi-i[m] mu-bi-il
203, I I No. 81. Edited in Part ILE.s.
li-[iq pi-z]m "who smites the crown, who
(k) v 26-33' incipit u-si-iaza-[x (x)]-an, rubric
1
ka-inim-ma [sa-gig?]: incantation in an
Taking bar-gub (also at ii 6') as shorthand for bar-ta
unidentified language.
gub-ba (on bar-ta gub "to stay away from home" see
PSD B 94). The rubric (ka-inim-ma) BAR.BAR (or (1) v 34-37, incipit lu sa ab-gig "a man had a
MAS.MAS) e·di·n•edin-na in the first-millennium Exor- stomach aihnent," rubric ka-inim-ma sa-
cist's Manual, KAR 44 obv. 22, is perhaps related. gig-ga sa-pa-ru-um "incantation formula to
New copy Geller 2000: 245, discussion on p. 254; relieve(!) stomach-ache": three-line Sum-
Cavigneaux and Al-Ravvi 2002: I2 translate this mas-
erian incantation, I I No. 8e. Edited in Part
maS edin-na as "l'exorciste dans la steppe"; similarly
Jean 2006: 67 "Exorciste de la steppe." II.E.6.
2
It would then be functionally comparable with in- (m) v 3 8-48, incipit lu sag-ga-ak-ra-as a-pu-ra
cantations with the incipit or rubric (en/ka-inim-ma) (unidentified language), two short spells,
edin dib-be-da "(incantation formula) for crossing the first en-e-nu-ru, the second [tu6 e]n-e-
the steppe" (Geller 2000: 23 I iv II; 248: 23). nu-ru, then rubric [ka-inim-ma sa-gig
1\!Iesopotamian Incantations
No.8 (Pls. XXVII-XXX) is a four-column tab- (e) ii 17 1-20 1, incipit lu sa ab-gig "a man had a
let that lacks only the top edge and uppermost stomach ailment," rubric ka-inim-ma sa-
It holds eleven incantations of mixed gig-ga "incantation formula for stomach-
ache": short Sumerian incantation, I I No.
noted, its content has much in common 7l. Edited in Part II.E.6.
th No.7= at least eight incantations, partly in (£) ii 21'-29', incipit lugal sag-ga-ak-ra-as sa-
the same order (Table r). Contents: pu-ra: Akkadian incantation against stom-
i r'-5', rubric [ka-inim-ma] ur-gi 7-ra ach-ache, two short spells, the first en-e-
"incantation formula against dogs": tail- nu-ru, the second tu 6 en-[e-nu-ru] I I No.
end of incantation to counter mad dogs, 7m. Edited in Part I I.E. 7.
uncertain language. (g) ii 30'-32', incipit damaged, rubric [ka-
i 6'-23', incipit [...]-taidim-ma-am "[The inim]-ma sa-[gig-ga] "incantation formula
dog] from [... ] is rabid," rubric ka-inim- against stomach-[ache]": two-line spell,
ma ur-gi 7-ra "incantation formula against language uncertain.
dogs": Sumerian incantation, I I No. 7f (ll.) ii 33'-39', incipit damaged, rubric ka-inim-
Edited in Part II.D.6. ma sa-[gig-ga] "incantation fonnula against
i 24'-44', incipit inurna inurn ihuzu iihizarn stomach-[ache]": short Akkadian incanta-
"when the Eye seized the 'seizer';" rubric tion.
ka-inim-ma inurn "incantation formula (i) ii 40'-iii 3 8' incipit [sarnrn] urn sa li[bbirn]
against the (evil) eye": Akkadian incanta- "the 'heart-grass'," rubric [ka-inim-m]a
tion, I I No. 7g. Edited in Part II.C.r. rsa1 -[gig-ga] "incantation formula for
i 45'-ii r6', rubric ka-inim-ma gud udu- stomach-[ache]: major portion ofAkkadi-
nita ernrurn "incantation formula for a dis- an incantation against stomach-ache, I I
tended ox or sheep": Akkadian incantation No. 7 o. Edited in Part II.E.8.
and therapeutic ritual. Edited in Part G) iii 39-47, traces of Akkadian incantation,
II.E.ro. probably I I No. 7P· Edited in Part II.E.9.
lv1esopotamian Incantations
(k) lV I-I9, rubric ka-inim-ma suf1huhum schworung on the same topic as (e). Other
"incantation formula against wasting-sick- incantations addressed to the quay as a
ness": latter part of Sumerian Asalluhe- source of water for ritual use are VAS X
Enki-type incantation, I I No. 7q. Edited I87 ii II' ff and Part ILA.6 No. 6fand g.
in Part ILJ. I. (g) iv I';', rubric damaged: badly spelled
0) iv 20-3 I, incipit [am-gin7 s]i du 7-du7 gir- Sumerian incantation featuring the divine
gin7 gub-ba-mu "Goring like a wild bull, night watchman, Bendursanga (iv 2', 5':
stuck in me like a knife(!)," rubric lost: dhendur-NE-ga nimgir), his torch (iv 3: gi-
Sumerian incantation, I I No. 7j. Edited in izi!(tablet: TUM)-la), and his nocturnal
Part ILE. 5. domain (iv 4': sila si-ga "the silent street").
No.9 (Pls. XXXI-XXXIII) is a substantial frag- Concludes -vvith a zi-pad formula.
ment of an eight-column tablet, lacking large (h) iv 8'-26', incipit [ma]s-mas-e edin gu in-
pieces from top and bottom, and is another col- {DIS}- r ak1 "The exorcist set snares in the
lective tablet. Fourteen incantations are repre- steppe": opening portion of Sumerian in-
sented on the eight snatches oftext, but only one cantation of the Asalluhe-Enki type, dup-
of them is complete (k). The topics are mi'<ed: licates No. I6 v I4'-23'. An incantation
the consecration of ritual items (razor, water with the same opening passage survives on
source), the countering of field pests and de- an Old Babylonian tablet from Nippur and
mons, vvinning a woman's love, and the evil two from Tell Haddad (all ed. Cavigneaux
eye. The spelling is far from standard and the andAl-Rawi 2002: I6-56, incipitmas-mas
phrasing is irregular, with the consequence that edin g{t i-ni-il-la I I [g]u i-ni-in-la). It is
many lines remain unintelligible. directed at field pests, and probably the
(a) i I'-6', rubric [ka-inim-m]a gir su-i "in- function of (h) is the same.
cantation formula for the barber's razor": (i) v I'-22', incipit and rubric lacking: major
scant remains of the end of a Sumerian portion of Sumerian incantation to
Kultmittelbeschworung. Other razor incan- counter demonic forces.
tations, from a first-millennium ritual in G) vi I'-4', rubric ka-inim-ma udug dub
which a priest is inducted, end similarly "incantation fonnula to smite the udug-
(Borger I973: I66-67). demon": tail end ofSumerian incantation.
(b) i 7'-ii I': traces of one or more incantations, (k) vi 5'-I4', incipit ki-sikil sa6-ga sila-a gub-
the first in Sumerian. ba "Pretty girl, standing in the street,"
(c) ii 2'-I4', incipit [... ]-ku4-ku4 , rubric ka- rubric ka-inim-ma ki-ag "incantation for-
inim-ma e-ru-bu?-um? (overwritten by iii mula for love": complete Sumerian incan-
I9'): Sumerian incantation of the Asal- tation, similar to RSM I909.405.2 etc.
luhe-Enki type, en-e-nu-ri, function (Geller 2002), en-e-nu-ri. Edited in Part
uncertain. ILL r.
(d) ii I5', incipit [...]-gar: opening of Sum- 0) vi I5'-I7', incipit ki-sikil ud-ku ud-
erian incantation, perhaps continuing as dad[ag]-a "Pretty girl in the pure daylight,
(e). the bright daylight": beginning of Sume-
(e) iii I'-I4', rubric ka-inim-ma kar "incan- rian incantation, no doubt on the same
tation formula for the quay": end of Sum- topic as (k).
erian Kultmittelbeschworung. (m) vii I'-I6', incipitandrubriclost: latter part
(£) iii I5'-25', incipit kar abzu "quay of of Sumerian incantation, Asalluhe-Enki
Abzu": opening of Sumerian Kultmittelbe- formula and ritual instruction to cleanse
Descriptions of Tablets 39
with river water, [en:-e-nu]-rri1. With vii ache: tail end of Sumerian incantation, re-
5'-7' compare VASXVII I i2I', CTI7 26: en1-e-nu-r[u]. Ll. I'-4' quoted in Part
64, J.V'Jis pfVI/VIII 44 (ed. Walker and Dick ILE.4, textual note on No. 7i v 7-9.
2ooi: 2I9), etc.; parallels to vii 8'-I3' are (e) vi 7'-I7', incipit ren-e1-nu-r[u], gU lu-Ulu
OB Udug-hul354-57, 506-9, YOSXI 90: an-e ba-te "the man's shout drew nigh to
25-29 (ed. CavigneauxandAl-Rawi I995b: heaven": opening portion of Sumerian
I8o), PBS Ih I22 rev. 34-40 (ed. Geller incantation describing the destructive
I989: I98 ll. 72';5'), Udug-hul IV I94'- power of a shout; the passage ll. 8'-Io' an-
97', Su1pu VII 82-87, etc.; vii I4'-I5' can be e ba-t[e] im nu seg-seg-[(e)] ki-a ba-te u-
restored from No. Iofvii Io'-rr'. sim nu-mu-[mu] "it drew nigh to heaven,
(n) viii I'-s', rubric [ka-ini]m-rma1 igi dingir and clouds did not drop rain, it drew nigh
rb.ul?1-kam "incantation formula against to earth, and plants did not grow," also
the eye of an evil god": end of Sumerian occurs in an evil-eye incantation (Geller
incantation. 2003: I29l. 3). Function unknown, unless
continuing as (f).
No. ro (Pls. XXXIV-XXXV) is two joining
fragments from the middle of a large tablet, top (f) vii I'-I2', rubric ka-inim-ma 1-gis lu-tur-
and bottom missing but with a portion ofthe left ra se$4-se$4 "incantation formula for apply-
edge remaining. The tablet's shape indicates that ing oil to a sick person" (i.e.lu-tu-ra): end
it originally held four columns of text on each of Sumerian incantation, perhaps the one
side, but the loss ofits right-hand portion means beginning as (e), calling on the gods to
that parts of only six columns remain. The con- restore the patient to health; Asallub.e
tent is Sumerian incantations against demons appears as dasar-nun-na (vii Io'), no doubt
and stomach-ache. None is complete, and un- in error for Asaralimnunna (c£ dasar-a-
derstanding is also impaired by non-standard nun-na in YOS XI 53: I5).
spelling. At least seven incantations are repre- (g) vii I 3'-I 8', incipit nin ki-en-gi4-ada-nun-
sented by nine passages of text, as follows: rna-ke41-ni "lady, envoy (i.e. kin-gi4-a) of
the Anunna-gods": opening passage of
(a) i, lacking incipit and rubric: the beginning
Sumerian incantation against Lamastu, a
of a Sumerian incantation about manifold
demon who attacked women in childbirth
evil forces, leading to an Asallub.e-Enki
and the newborn; it perhaps continues as
formula. Similar to No. I If and h, and OB
(h). The beginning runs parallel to text No.
and later parallels. Edited in Part II.A.I5.
22d and is edited in Part II.B.8.
(b) ii, lacking incipit and rubric: from near the (h) viii I'-2', rubric lost: end of incantation,
end of a Sumerian incantation against perhaps (g).
demons, includes Asallub.e-Enki formula
(i) viii 3'-I 8', incipit [imin-na-meS] imin-na-
and ritual instructions featuring libation
md "seven are they, seven are they": Sum-
from a sahar-pot (wr. dugUD.SAR-ra) pro-
erian incantation against demons, similar
vided by the divine potter Nunurra.
to the first of two incantations with the
(c) iii, lacking incipit and rubric: from the same incipit included in the Old Babylo-
middle ofa Sumerian incantation, likening nian compilation of Udug-hul incantations
demons' attack to a raid on a dairy, as far as (Geller I985: 42-44 ll. 400-I9; later ver-
the Asallub.e-Enki formula. The aban- sion in SB Udug-hul V I67-82, ed. Geller
doned dairy is a much used literary topos. 2007= 125-26). The incipit imin-na-me
(d) vi I'-6', rubric ka-inim-ma sa-gig-[ga] imin-na-me in the Ur III ritual PBS XIII
"incantation fonnula against stomach- 35 (ed. Dick2005: 273l. 23) could refer to
lvfesopo tam ian Incantations
any one ofthese incantations. Note viii 12': (f) iii 9'-20', incipit [i]m-ma kalam-ma ki-a
rsi1 -si b.ur-sag-ta e-mes "they are horses mu-un-r gaP "the stormwind of the land
cmning from the uplands." settled on the earth": Sumerian incanta-
tion, variant of (h), similar to No. Ioa,
No. I I (Pls. XXXVI-XXXIX) is the lower
probably continues as (g). Edited in Part
portion of a large SL'<-column tablet, rebuilt
ILA.I5.
from three pieces. It holds the text of perhaps as
many as eleven Sumerian incantations against (g) iv I'-9', rubric rka1 -inim-ma ninda-rkam1
evil udug-demons and other harmful powers, "incantation formula for bread": end of
but none of them is complete: Sumerian incantation, probably continues
from (f). Edited in Part I LA. I 5.
(a) i I'-6', rubric [ka-inim-ma] dudug-hul-a-
(h) iv Io'-23', incipit im-ma kalam-ma ki-a
kam "incantation formula against the evil
mu-un-g[al] "the stormwind of the land
udug-demon": tail end of a Sumerian
settled on the earth": Sumerian incanta-
incantation asking Enki's son, probably
tion, variant of (f), preserved up to Asal-
[Asaralimnunna], to restore a sufferer to
lub.e-Enki formula. Edited in Part ILA. I 5.
health (parallel passages are cited in ILA. I 5
note on No. rrg iv 7'-8'). (i) v I-I7, rubric [ka-inim-ma] nig-si[lag-
g]a-[kam] "incantation formula for dough":
(b) i 7'-26', incipit (restoredfromi 2I'-22') ku 6
end of Sumerian incantation that invokes
an-na mu-un-zi ki-a ni/im mu-un-ri
the healing gods oflsin: Ninisinna, Damu,
"Fish (i.e. the Fish star, Piscis austrinus?)
Gunura (kin-gal instead of usual dim-gal
arose in heaven, it caused terror on earth
I I dimgul kalam-ma, Bergmann I 964: 35)
(ora wind blew over the earth)": major part
and Nintinugga. The surviving portion is
of Sumerian incantation of the Asallub.e- a near duplicate of an evil-eye incantation
Enki type, probably continuing as (c). The known from OB tablets from Susa and
beginning of Enki's therapy (i 25'-26') Me-Turan (Cavigneau.,~ and Al-Rawi
matches, in abbreviated form, lines in a I993:I98-99 11. IO-I9) and from a later
childbirth incantation, VAS XVII 33: I 6- bilingual version (Schramm 2008 no. 8 ll.
I7 (ed. van Dijk I975: 63). 4I-6o).
(c) ii I'-8', rubric ka-inim-ma dudug-b.ul-a 0) v I8-p, incipit [x x x z]i-rga1 -am "[...]
"incantation formula against the evil udug- was rampant": scant remains ofa Sumerian
demon": end ofSumerianincantation giv- incantation.
ing ritual instructions, as from Enki to
(k) vi I-25: middle portion of Sumerian
Asallub.e, probably concluding from (b).
incantation of Asallub.e-Enki type, direct-
Very similar to OB Udug-hul 3 52-57 (ed.
ed against harmful forces. Enki advises
Geller I985: 40).
sounding the holy drum "Hero of Heav-
(d) ii 9'-25 1, incipit nam-tar e-tur-re rgi-a1 en" to repel them. Variant ofOB Udug-hul
druduo-
b
1
-hul-e ri-a "A namtar-demon
~ 646-90 (ed. Geller I985: 56-63) I I SB VII
returning to the sheepfold, an evil udug- I-26 (ed. Geller 200T I35-36).
demon settling (there)": beginning of Nos. I2 and I3 are both collective tablets
Sumerian incantation. devoted to incantations against the demon
(e) iii I'-8', rubric [k]a-inim-ma dudug-hul-a- Namtar "Fate," the Mesopotamian angel of
k[ am] "incantation formula against the evil death. This demon is uncommon as the main
udug-demon": end of Sumerian incanta- topic ofincantations. For other Old Babylonian
tion, perhaps concluding (d). examples see Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi I993:
Descriptions of Tablets 41
176-95; eid. 1995b: 195-208. The two tablets recurs in the first of the Namtar incanta-
published here do not share content. Perhaps tions from Me- Turan and an unpublished
they are two parts of a larger compendium. duplicate (see Part ILB.7), but the texts are
No. 12 (Pls. XL-XLIII) is the bottom three- otherwise different.
fifths of a six-column tablet. The surface is poor, (f) iv 28-29, perhaps continuing as v 1-18,
especially on the obverse. It contains eight or rubric ka-inim-ma rnam1-tar-ra-kam "in-
more Sumerian incantations against Namtar, as cantation formula against Namtar": traces
follows: only oniv, exorcism on v; v 1-18 are edited
with No. 46 in Part ILB.7.
(a) i 11-25 1, rubric [k]a-inim-ma nam-tar-ra-
(g) v 19-37, incipit (!I v 29) nam-kud-r da1-ni
kam "incantation formula against Namtar":
kin-gi 4-a [b ]i-in-gi4 "One he had cursed
preserved section is end of Asalluhe-Enki
sent a messenger," rubric lost: preserved
formula and Enki's instructions to Asallu]J.e.
are a description of the demon's attack and
Edited with No. 46 in Part ILB.7.
the Asalluhe-Enki formula. Duplicates YOS
(b) i 26 1-30 1, incipit [n]am-tar sag an-ta eu- XI 70 iv 1-22, where the rubric is ka-inim-
[d]e-de "Namtar, come down from heav- nia udug-hul-a-kam; edited in Part ILB.6.
en's heights," probably continuing as ii 11-
(h) vi 1-34, rubric [ka-inim-ma ... ]-kam: pre-
!2}, rubric ka-inim-ma nam-tar-ra-[kam]
served are the Asalluhe-Enki formula and
"incantation formula against Namtar": pre-
exorcism with holy water.
served sections are (i) opening five lines,
and (ii) Enki's instructions to Asallu]J.e, pre- No. I3 (Pls. XLIV-XLVI) is the lower part ofan
scribing fumigants and holy water to return eight-column tablet, surfaces badly damaged,
the demon whence it came (ii 101): dnam-tar containing a collection of at least nine Sumerian
rsag1 an-na ha-ba-eu-d[e] "may Namtar go incantations against Namtar. The incantations
up into heaven's heights." are separated by blank spaces of between two
and four lines depth. Only the obverse contains
(c) ii 13 1-33 1, incipit (!Iii 31 1) rnam1-tar ru 4-
hus?1 kalam-ma ri-a "Namtar, angry de- legible text. Deciphennent is hampered by syl-
mon spawned in the land," perhaps con- labic spelling, e.g. ii 20 1 u-me-ni-da-da-ga forti-
tinuing as iii 1L21 1, rubric ka-inim-ma me-ni-dadag.
nam-tar-ra-kam "incantation formula (a) i 1L4\ incipit lost, [en-e]-nu-ru, rubric
against N amtar": preserved are (ii) descrip- [ka-inim-ma drnam1-tar-ra-kam "incan-
tion of problem, including the pillaged- tation formula against Namtar": remnant
sheepfold motif, and beginning of Asal- of Sumerian incantation.
luhe-Enki formula, and (iii) exorcism, (b) i 5L241, incipit damaged, rubric lost: open-
beginning with a zi-pad section. ing lines of Sumerian incantation.
(d) iii 22L34 1, incipit dudug-hul su l[u]-kam (c) ii 11-30\ incipit lost, rubric ka-inim-ma
gal-rla1 "Evil udug-demon, residing in the dnam-tar-ra-kam "incantation formula
man's body," rubric ka-inim-ma nam-tar- against Namtar": latter part of Sumerian
ra-kam "incantation fonnula against Nam- incantation in which Asallul}e dumu dingir
tar": entire te:;,..1: preserved, edited in Part ILB. 5. a-a-na (ii 10 1) "son of the god his father"
(e) iv r-27, incipit (fromiv II) nam-tad-mah (corrupt!) exorcises a sick patient.
sag-e rba-te1 [... ] "Namtar had grown (d) iii 11-22 1, incipit lost, rubric ka-inim-ma
huge, it afllicted the head," rubric ka- nam-tar-ra-kam "incantation formula
inim-ma [.. .]:includes Asalluhe-Enki for- against Namtar": latter part of very dam-
mula and brief cleansing ritual. The incipit aged Sumerian incantation.
42 lVfesopotamian Incantations
(e) iii 23'-3I', incipit nam-tar gal ki-bi-a ba- The incantations lack rubrics but many conclude
si-kes-da "a big Namtar was tied in its zi an-na he-pad zi ki-a he-pad "be adjured by
place," rubric lost (unless at iv 3'): opening Sky, be adjured by Earth!" It seems to be unrelated
lines of Sumerian incantation. to another Old Babylonian compendium of zi-
(f) iv I '-3 ', incipitlost (unless at iii 23'), rubric pad incantations, CT 44 32 (+) 33 and duplicates
[ka-inim-m]a n[am-tar-ra-kam] "incanta- (Cunningham I997= I35 no. I25).
tion formula against Namtar": traces ofthe No. r6 (Pls. L-LI) is a large fragment from the
end of a Sumerian incantation. right-hand part of a SL'{-column tablet, vvith part
(g) iv 4'-I5', incipit lost, rubric ka-inim-ma of the right edge preserved. The surviving sur-
nam-tar-ra-k[am] "incantation formula face is poor and difficult to read. The content is
against Namtar": remnant of a very dam- Sumerian incantations. On the obverse only
aged Sumerian incantation. lines of coL iii survive, providing a very dam-
(h) iv I6'-26', incipit nam-tar rx x 1 -bi hul-a aged passage largely comprising zi-p ad formu-
"Namtar, its ... is evil," rubric [ka-inim- lae; noteworthy are the ancestors ofEnlil: Enki
ma] nam-tar-ra-k[ eJ "incantation formu- and Ninki, Endasurimma and Nindasurimma,
la against Namtar": short Sumerian incan- Endukuga and Nindukuga, summarized as (iii
tation invoking Ninisinna's aid in curing 8') rama1 a-[a de]n-l[il-L1-k]e 4-ne, followed by
the patient. Enlil himself and other lesser deities. The topic
is probably agricultural (note a-gar-a-gar-ra
(i) iv 27'-37', incipitlost, rubric ka-[inim-ma
"fields" in iii 3'). The next preserved passage, on
...] : very damaged Sumerian incantation
coL iv of the reverse, is directed against field
invoking Enki.
pests and contains lines parallel to a short passage
No. I4 (Pl. XLVII) is a fragment of a multi-col- in another Old Babylonian compendium that
umn tablet from near the right edge. When includes incantations for farmers (iv IO'-I2' I I
acquired by the collection it was glued to MS VAS XXIV 6 I: 4'-7', new copy by M. J. Geller
3 I o 5, in the angle where the two pieces of that in George and Taniguchi 20IO: I45). The con-
tablet join. After baking it became apparent that tinuation consists, at least in part, of an enumer-
the fragment does notjoinMS 3 I05 in that posi- ation of pests, headed by mul dnin-kilim "star(s)
tion, and may not even be part of the same tab- ofNinkilim," the god of vermin (iv I 3'); cf the
let. The content is Sumerian incantations. That similar list in a field-pest incantation from Tell
· on the obverse follows the pattern of common Haddad, headed nig-ga-ka ni-in-gi-li-an-na-
descriptions ofdemons; parallels can be found in ak-ka (Cavigneaux and Al-Ra-vvi 2002: 26 i 20);
OB Udug-hul473-78 (ed. Geller I985: 46), YOS also VAS XXIV 50 rev. (Geller in George and
XI 70 ii, VAS XXIV 48 i (+) 46 obv. (new copy Taniguchi 20IO: I48).
by M.J. Geller in George and Taniguchi 20IO:
I46, ed. Schramm 2008: 26I), CT 4 4 rev. and CoL v contains:
later versions (ed. Schramm 2008: I62). The (a) a Sumerian incantation with rubric ka-
topic of the reverse cannot be determined from inim-ma zu burutusen zi-zi-da-kam "in-
what little remains. cantation formula for making Locust Teeth
No. 15 (Pls. XLVIII-XLIX) is the larger part of depart," probably the end of the incanta-
a four-column tablet, rebuilt from four joining tion on col. iv.
fragments. The surface is very poor, and the (b) the opening lines of another Sumerian in-
lower obverse and entire reverse are illegible. It cantation against field pests, incipit mas-maS
holds at least seventeen short Sumerian exor- edin-[na] gu b1-in-la "the exorcistlaid snares
cistic incantations separated by blank spaces. in the steppe," duplicates No. 9h, q.v.
Descriptions of Tablets 43
For later incantations against field pests see ly to purify or consecrate a scapegoat for an
Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi 2002: I2-I4; George apotropaic or exorcistic ritual.
and Taniguchi 20IO. No. r8 (Pls. LVI-LVII) is a single-column tablet
No. 17 (Pls. LII-LV) is a modest-size single- with damage to the top right-hand comer and
column tablet, whose top-left comer and bot- some loss of surface on the obverse. The script
tom edge are missing; the reverse surface is in is poor and much is obscure in the text of six
bad condition. The tablet contains three or four incantations, probably all of Kultmittelbes-
incantations with the common theme of puri- chworung type:
fication. The last is identified by rubric as per-
taining to mas-b.ul-dub-ba "scapegoat," and it (a) I-5, incipittugnam-nun x [...],rubric ka-
may be that the others are on the same or related [inim-m]a rtug?1 -sub.-[kam]: Sumerian in-
topics. A bilingual incantation with the same cantation to consecrate item of regalia(?).
rubric occupies the latter part ofthe SB Asag-gig- (b) 6-I4, incipit damaged, rubric ka-inim-ma
ga XI (CT I7 9-rr); it is an Asallub.e-Enki spell ninda-a-kam "incantation formula for
including a gory ritual procedure but unrelated bread": very damaged Sumerian incanta-
to the present incantation. Three Sumerian mas- tion to consecrate bread or dough.
b.ul-dub-ba incantations were included among
(c) I5-28, incipit and rubric damaged: poorly
the many inscribed on the Old Babylonian col-
preserved Sumerian incantation for ablu-
lective tablet VAS XXIV 45+52+6I (new copy
tion, features the gods Enlil, dnin-garassar
by Geller in George and Taniguchi 20IO: I44-
dumu abzu(DE)-ka[m] "Ningaras, child of
45), but the meagre fragments of text that sur-
vive on that tablet do not match anything on the the Abzu" (as in VAS XVII I iv 9, zi-pad
present tablet. On mas-b.ul-dub-ba see further against snakes), the herdsman Saman, wr.
Cavigneaux I995a, where are also edited two dBU(= SU).NUN.[E$].TU,' and Utu.
further Sumerian spells related to scapegoat rit- (d) 29-34, incipit e-gu4-gin7 "like an ox stall,"
uals. rubric ka-inim-ma su kes-da-kam "incan-
The contents ofNo. I7 are: tation formula for fastening a bracelet(?):
(a) obv. I-22, [en]-e-nu-ru, incipit [munus?]- Sumerian incantation.
re1 tur-ra "[A woman(?)] in the cowpen": (e) 35-42, incipit rdli9-si-na sa1 e-babbar-ra
Sumerian incantation, purification. Edited [e]-da-ni-ta "when Lisin went out from
in Part II.A. I 3 .
· · · den- rkil -e-ne drun-
(b) 23-25, mCiplt · rki1 -e- .
' On Saman see further An I 238 (where he is also
ne "Enki-gods and Ninki-goddesses," dumu an-na "son of An," as here), III 95, VI 230, An
rubric probably at rev. I' ka-in[im-ma ...]: = Anu sa ameli 106, ed. Lambert 2013: 521; Diri V
scant remains of a Sumerian incantation, 152; and generally Krebernik 2008. The abbreviated
may be part of (a). Edited in Part II. A. I 3. spelling of saman "halter" with the sign-group
SU.NUN.ES.TU instead of :ES.SU.NUN.ES.TU also oc-
(c) rev. 21- I I 1, incipit ril ab ku-ga g[ara absilam- curs in No. 6 v 35 and in Angim 158, ed. Cooper
ma] "Butter of a pure cow, [cream of a 1978: 86. A reading Samannur is reported by Lambert
milch-cow]," rubric damaged: Sumerian 1998: 154-55 sub 82. The source is EM 36393 iii 13',
incantation, edited in Part II.A. I4. a LB manuscript of An I 238, where the name is
glossed rsa1 -man-nuJ6.r'; the fragment was copied
(d) 12'-24', incipit damaged, rubric [k]a-inim- and transliterated by him, and further compared ·with
ma mas-b.ul-dub-kam "incantation for- the pronunciation gloss on the river-name id.
mula of the Evil-Repelling Goat": very :ES.SUD.NUN.KU.TU in Diri III 201: [sa?-m]a?-nu-ur
damaged Sumerian incantation, apparent- (Lambert Folios 1688, 6415, 6496, 7167).
44 iv1esopotamian Incantations
inside E-babbarra," rubric ka-inim-ma su (*gu la-e-de) your tongue, [I set] a trap
kes-da-kam (as d): Sumerian incantation. that cannot be undone, I lay out a long net
[ •. •] " I
(f) 43-49: damaged Sumerian incantation.
(d) so-6I, incipit gud si-bi su-ri-na rmurgu1 -
No. I9 (Pls. LVIII-LIX) is a complete single-
bi kur "the bull's hom was a standard, its
column tablet rebuilt from two equal halves,
backbone a mountain": Sumerian incan-
inscribed on both surfaces and the bottom edge
tation to avert a scorpion's sting, known
with four incantations. The incantations lack
also at Nippur, Me-Turan and elsewhere.
ka-inim-ma rubrics, but all terminate with the
Edited in Part II.D.s.
line sARxAS SU.MUL eriduki (in 1. IO with appar-
entgunu wedges on sAR), which seems to be a No. 20 (Pls. LX-LXI) is another single-column
bizarre variant of the phrase tu 6 en(SU.AN)-e- tablet, top and left edge missing and reverse
nu-ru. Decipherment is handicapped by other completely destroyed. The bare remains of at
irregular spellings. One of them, a-na-ra-ab-ta- least seven incantations in Sumerian and Akka-
b.e-(e) (11. 2I, 23) for a-na a-ra-ab-dah-e-en dian, as follows:
"what can I add for you?" in the Asallub.e-Enki (a) I'-3, rubric [tu6 e]n-e-nu-ru k[a-inim-ma
formula, also occurs-with minor variants a- . . . ]: traces of the end of an Akkadian
na-ra-ta-he and a-na a-ra-ab-ta-b.e-in the incantation.
incantations excavated at Tell Haddad (Cav- (b) 4'-rr', incipit damaged, rubric [ka-inim]-
igneauxandAl-Rawi I995b: 2I8 s.v. ta-h). This ma mus-kam: "incantation fonnula to
suggests that the provenance of the present tab- counter a snake": Sumerian incantation on
let might have been one of the Old Babylonian the well-used theme ofthe seven-tongued
towns in the Diyala basin. The topic of three of snake. An unusual comment in Akkadian
the four spells is scorpion and snake: is appended (I I') sa ta-ad-du- rsum1 -ma fa
(a) I-IO, incipit gud az a b.us-rsu?1 "A bull, a [imilt?] "the one on whom you have cast
bear vvith angry paw": Sumerian incanta- (this spell) will not [die(?).]"
1
tion to avert a scorpion's sting, known also (c) I2 -I3',
rubric ka-inim-ma gir-tab ug7-a-
at Nippur and Me-Turan. Edited in Part kam "incantation fonnula to kill a scorpi-
II.D.4. on": Sumerian incantation.
(b) II-3I, incipit ran? ki?1 i-kes ti a-rab1 -ba: (d) I4'-I7', rubric ka-inim-ma it-tu-[um]
Sumerian incantation with corrupt Asal- "incantation formula for bitumen": Akka-
lub.e-Enki formula, function uncertain. dian incantation closely related to Sume-
rian incantation No. 43. Edited in Part
(c) 32-49, incipit mus gud-gin7 gU e-di "the
II.j.2.
snake bellowed like a bull": Sumerian
incantation vvith several phrases in com- (e) I 8'-24', probably continuing after a lacuna
mon with II.D.3 No. 4I and parallels. with I"-3": Akkadian.
Notel. 33 seg9-bar-gin7b.u-lub.-ha (/I No. (f) 4"-6": Akkadian.
4I: 2) and the motif ofNinazu's envoy in (g) 7''-8": Sumerian?
ll. 42-48: mus lugal-zu mu-si-in-g[iJ I No.2! (Pls. LXII-LXV) is a single-column tab-
dnin-a-zu luo-al-zu
t:> mu-si-rin1 -o-i I ka-za
0~4
let of which the top and bottom have disinte-
mu/KA.LI)-e-de I eme-zu ku-le-de I gis-
grated by flaking. It contains incantations on
kes-d[ax] rxx1 nam-da-dub.-3ml rsa1 -gi4 -
[daxxx] xxx I g6. im-rma1 -UaJ "0 snake,
1
your master sent me, your master Ninazu Lines 42-45 match the passage quoted by Finkel
sent me! To charm your mouth, to ensnare 1999: 241 n. 19.
I)escriptions of Tablets 45
various topics-witchcraft, snakes, childbirth- mula to tum a snake back": syllabic Sum-
in Sumerian, Akkadian, Elamite and an uniden- erian incantation to drive a snake off Note
tified language. The script is very small and the mus lucral-zu
D
mu-e-ki dnin-a-zu "0 snake '
surface poor, especially on the reverse, making your master, Ninazu, sent me (*mu-e-
decipherment particularly difficult. gi/'; cf ILD.3 No. 41: s-6 and parallels
(a) obv. 11-22 1, rubric ka-inim-ma us,,-zu noted there.
nig-ak USII-ri mg-hul-dlm-ma-kam[ "in- G) r8'-r9', rubric ka-inim-ma gir-tab dab[
cantation formula against malicious witch- (tablet: si4) "incantation formula to seize a
craft, magic and sorcery": latter part of a scorpion": syllabic Sumerian incantation
well-attested Sumerian incantation of the to prevent scorpion-sting.
Asallub-e-Enki type, to counter black mag- (k) 20'-23', rubric ka-inim-ma igi lu-kam
ic. The text was last edited, from three Old "incantation formula against a man's eye":
Babylonian tablets and a manuscript from Sumerian incantation to ward off the evil
Bogazkoy, by Geller 1989. A new edition eye.
incorporating this additional source is
expected from D. Schwemer. (1) 24'-35': very damaged Akkadian incanta-
tion, including an Akkadian version ofpart
(b) 23'-29 1, rubric ka-inim-ma munus u-tu
of the Asallub-e-Enki formula (l. 28'): sa a-
"incantation formula for a woman giving
na-ku i-du-u at-ta ti-de "what I know, you
birth": incantation in Elamite (/I YOS XI
also know" (I I CT 4 8: 30). The content,
s: 15-19), with Akkadian therapeutic rit- such as can be read, determines that it is a
ual, edited in Part II.G.3.
spell to counter the effects of scorpion-
(c) 30'-3 1', rubric damaged: incantation in an sting: see especially 1. 3 r', in which Sin is
unidentified language. stung in his brickyard, quoted in Part
(d) p'-34': damaged, uncertain function II.D.9, introduction to No. 49· Thereafter
(e) 35': trace only is a mannam luspur formula (32'-34'): rma-
(f) rev. 1'-r3', rubric ka-inim igi "incantation an-na-am1 lu-us-pu-ur a-na marat(dumu-
formula against the (evil) eye: Akkadian munus)mes anim(an)nim 7 u7 sa-r ap1 me-e li-
incantation, very damaged. The spell has il-qe-a-nim I [ka-an-ni-si-na] sa bu-ra-~i-im
phrases in common with other Akkadian ka-ar-pa-ti-si-na sa uq-ni-im el-li-im I [li-is-
evil-eye incantations, esp. 4' ke-e-nu-na-am ku-na-ma me]-e blpu-ra-tim el-lu-tim li-is-ti
'hl -~u-ra-am
pu- r u~ h ' r sa'1 -a [p -PH~
u- . 'h "'1t dis- "Whom should I send to the twice seven
persed the 'gathered hearth"' (see No.3 1c Daughters of Anu, so they bring their
iii 6-7, edited in Part ILC.2, and parallel water flasks, [so they set up J their potstands
cited there). of gold and pots of pure lapis lazuli, so (the
(g) 14', rubric ka-inim-ma mus ZU bur-da- victim) may drink pure water from the
kam "incantation formula to dispel (the wells (orthe Euphrates)." For the mannam
harm in) snake's tooth": syllabic Sumerian luspur formula in other Akkadian incanta-
incantation against snake-bite. tions, see the textual note on No. 48: I4-
I5 in Part ILD.7.
(h) 15 1, rubric ka-inim-ma mus zu rdab 1 -ba-
kam "incantation formula to seize (= ren- (m) 36'-38': uncertain content.
der inactive) snake's tooth": syllabic Sum- No. 22 (Pls. LVI-LVIII) is made up of two join-
erian incantation to prevent snake-bite. ing fragments from the middle of a SL"\:-column
(i) r6'-17', tu6 en-re1 -nu-ru, rubric ka-inim- tablet, inscribed with incantations in Akkadian
ma mus gur-ru-da-kam "incantation for- and Sumerian. On the obverse:
lv1esopotamian Incantations
(a) i I'-?, fragment of Akkadian incantation (b) 7-I 6, incipit assub bastam "I uprooted a
that contains lines parallel to an incantation thorn bush," no rubric: Akkadian love
against "all diseases," known in two Old charm, edited in Part ILI.2.
Babylonian versions, CT 42 32 (ed. von (c) I7-27, incipit en bar udug mu [x], no
Soden I96I), andLB rooo (ed. Bohl I934= rubric: Sumerian incantation against an
3-6; new editions of both by Geller and unidentified problem; ll. 26-27 are quoted
Wiggermann 2008), and in later versions in the textual note on ILE.2 No. Ih x 2.
embedded in the incantation series 1\!Iussu'u No. 24 (Pl. LXX) is a little tabletlacking its bot-
(Bock 2007= I50-58) and Saggig VII (so tom right-hand comer and some of its reverse
Geller and Wiggermann 2008: I53). It is surface. The obverse contains an incantation
uncertain whether the fragmentary lines of against scorpions. The material on the reverse
Akkadian at the bottom of col. i belong to and edges is disorganized but also to do -vvith
the same incantation or are part ofanother. scorpion-sting.
(b) ii I'-6', rubric ka-inim-ma munus x[...]: (a) obv. I-8, incipit nalban uqn£m "brick mould
fragmentary incantation of uncertain of lapis lazuli," rubric sip at zuqaqipim "in-
function. cantation for scorpion": Akkadian incanta-
(c) ii 7'-I3 1, incipit dkamad(DIM)-me r{me f tion, edited in Part ILD. I I.
mu d[umu an-na] "Kamadme is (her) (b) rev. I'-6', edges 7'--9': Sumero-Akkadian
name, [child of An]," no rubric: Sumerian mixed language text, edited in Part II.
incantation against Lamastu, similar to D.II.
TIMIX63: I7'-23' I I OECTV 55- Edited No. 25 (Pl. LXXI) is a complete single-column
with No. 28c in Part ILB.8. tablet that has suffered a little damage to the
(d) ii I4'-25', incipit nin kin-gi 4-a [da-nun-na- right-hand edge only. Its obverse contains a
ke4-ne] "lady, envoy [of the Anunna- mL'Ced-language incantation to counter stom-
gods]": damaged Sumerian incantation ach upset. The reverse has a foreign-language
against Lamastu, edited in Part ILB.8. incantation against snakes and a ritual in Akka-
(e) iii I'-rr': fragmentary remains of a Sum- dian.
erian incantation, includes Asallul:J.e-Enki (a) I-I4, incipit u-a ab-gig "Woe! He was
formula. sick," rubric rkaP-inim-ma! sa-gig-ga
The reverse surface ofNo. 22 is almost entirely "incantation formula for stomach-ache":
incantation partly in Sumerian and partly
destroyed; the remaining traces are undeci-
in Akkadian, edited in Part ILE.6.
phered and have not been copied.
(b) I5-22, incipit su-pa-ni-ir mu-du-b.i-a,
No. 23 (Pl. LIX) is a small, narrow single-col- rubric ka-inim-ma mus gar-[(x)] "incan-
umn tablet that lacks only its bottom right-hand tation for 'placing' a snake": incantation in
comer. Twenty-six lines of text in a careful an unidentified language and therapeutic
hand are separated by two rulings into three remedy in Akkadian, edited in Part ILD. I4.
short spells:
No. 26 (Pl. LXXII) has been cut down from a
(a) I-6, incipit a-ba dnanse-kam "the sea piece from the middle of a multi-column tablet
belongs to Nanse," rubric gir-pad-ra "(in- and backed with new clay in order to make a
cantation formula for) bones": Sumerian squarish, bun-like "tablet" attractive to the
incantation, similar to YOS XI 76: 5-'7- antiquities' market. Parts of two obverse col-
Edited in Part ILF. I. mnns rema1n:
Descriptions of Tablets 47
(a) i' I 1-I3 1, rubric [ka-inim-ma munus u-t]u- (b) 20-27, incipit la-la hu-ma, rubric dam-
ud-da-kam "incantation formula for a aged: incantation in an unidentified lan-
woman giving birth": Akkadian incanta- guage, function uncertain.
tion, variant ofNo. 28aand YOSXI 86: I- (c) 28-35, no rubric, incipit dka-ma!-rad1 -ge-
28. Edited in Part II.G.2. ren1 mu dumu a[n-na] "K. is (her) name,
(b) i I4', end ofincipit only preserved: ... ]x child [of An]": Sumerian incantation
am-tus: Sumerian incantation? against Lamastu, related to TDVJIX 6 3: I 7'-
23' I I OECTV 55· Edited with No. 22cin
(c) ii' I'-I5': Akkadian incantation against
Part II.B.8.
toothache, edited in Part II.E.I3.
No. 29 (Pis. LXXVIII-LXXIX) is a large nar-
No. 27 (Pis. LXXIII-LXXV) has its lower part
row tablet lacking the left edge and bottom left-
reconstructe~ with plaster ofParis. Most of the
hand comer. The reverse is not inscribed. The
obverse is well preserved, but the reverse has obverse holds four sections of text, \vDtten in a
sustained surface damage. The text is written in clear, neat hand and divided by rulings. The
a fine, neat hand, and is divided by rulings into rubrics of the first three sections are ·written in
three sections. smaller characters, on top of the rulings, and
(a) obv. I-rev. I0 1, incipit etiq titurram u# were probably added afterwards.
na~abam "It crossed a bridge, it came out of (a) I-Ioa, incipit [x x] Samas rabfm dannim
a drainpipe," [tu6] en-re-nu-ru, rubric ka- " [... ] of Samas, great and mighty," rubric
inim-ma [m]u[S]-kam "incantation for- ka-inim-ma ur-gi 7-ra "incantation formu-
mula against snakes": Akkadian incanta- la against dogs": incantation in Akkadian,
tion, edited in Part II.D.8. Sumerian 0. 7) and an unidentified lan-
(b) rev. rr'-I5', incipit [ab] d[na]nse-kam "the guage.
sea belongs to Nanse," rubric [ka-ini]m- (b) I I-I6a, rubric as (a): Akkadian recipe for a
ma uzugir-pad-ra. "incantation formula for poultice, therapeutic remedy to go with
bones": damaged Sumerian incantation, (a), quoted in Part II.F.3
edited in Part II.F.2. (c) I7-I9a, incipit [x]-bi i-gi-te-li-a, rubric as
(c) rev. I6'-25', incipit [ina lt]bbiya abnika "I (a): rhyming incantation in an unidentified
fanned you [inside] me," tu6 en-e-nu-ru, language, possibly referring to the mono-
rubric ka-inim-ma gir-tab "incantation culus igitelum (George 2012).
against scorpions": complete Akkadian in- (d) 20-30, incipit [karpu]sqim iktala eleppi "[A
cantation, edited in Part II.D.8. quay of] danger has detained my boat,"
rubric [ka-inim-ma munu]s-u-tu "incan-
No. 28 (Pis. LXXVI-LXXVII) is a complete tation formula for a woman in childbirth":
tablet with damage to the right edge. The text is damaged Akkadian incantation and one-
written in a fine, calligraphic hand of the kind word therapy, kld-kld-bi i-gis "its ritual:
typical ofLarsa scribes during the era ofRlm- oil." This incantation will be included in
S1n. It is divided by rulings into three sections: U1rike Steinert's forthcoming study of
(a) I-I9, incipit ina m~ na.kim ibbani "it was Mesopotamian gynaecology.
formed from the waters of intercourse," The blank space at the bottom ofthe obverse
rubric ka-inim-ma [alit] tum "incantation contains a line, presumably of colophon, but it
formula, woman in labor": Akkadian in- remains obscure.
cantation, similar to No. 26a and YOS XI
86: I-28. Edited in Part II.G.r.
lv.£esopotamian Incantations
No. 30 (Pls. LXXX-LXXXIII) is the top por- least four incantations in Akkadian, three to
tion ofa four-column tablet containing a major- counter evil eye and one to quiet a crying baby:
ity of Akkadian incantations written in a large, (a) i: traces only, possibly continuing as (b).
clear hand.
(b) ii I'-I9', rubric [ka-inim-m]a igi-hul-a-
(a) i I-IO, incipit lost, rubric ka-inim-ma [kamJ "incantation formula against the evil
libis" "incantation formula for the gut": eye": very damaged Akkadian incantation.
Akkadian incantation, edited in Part II. (c) ii 20'-iii 2I, incipit lost, rubric [ka-inim-
E. II. m]a igi-hul-a-[kam] "incantation fonnula
(b) i I I-I 6, incipit i~um sa ilim "wood belongs against the evil eye": Akkadian incanta-
to god," rtu6 en1 -e-nu-ru, rubric ka-inim- tion, edited in Part II.C.2.
ma libisx "incantation formula for the gut": (d) iii 22-26, continued as iv I-'7, incipitlnum
Akkadian incantation, edited in Part II. lemnet "the eye was evil," rubric ka-inim-
E. II. ma igi rhul1 -a-kam "incantation formula
(c) i I7-26, incipit damaged, [tu6] en re-nu1 - against the evil eye": beginning and end of
ru, rubric ka-inim-ma gir-tab "incantation an Akkadian incantation, edited in Part
formula against a scorpion": damaged ILC.2.
Akkadian incantation, followed by thera- (e) iv 8-24, incipit ibki ~ebrum iddalip abasu
py beginning: [du-d]u-bi a-na me-e [lt] -sa- "the baby cried, it kept its father awake":
am ta-ma-[ha-a]b-ma "its ritual: you moist- first part of an Akkadian incantation, edit-
en dough in water." ed in Part II.H.2.
(d) ii I-27, incipit nalban uqnfm "brick mould No. 32 (Pls. LXXXVIII-XCI) is an almost
of lapis lazuli," rubric ka-inim-ma gir- complete single-column tablet, perhaps the
[tab J "incantation formula against a scor- bottom one-fifth being lost. The surviving text
pion": Akkadian incantation, edited in is divided by two double rulings, so that three
Part II.D.Io. incantations are represented. None has a generic
(e) ii 2 8: trace, uncertain genre, probably con- rubric, but all end in tu en-ni-nu-ri. The content
tinues to damaged rubric at iii I'. reveals that the topic is namzitum "brevvingjar,"
(f) iii 2'-I9', incipit damaged, rubric ka-inim- a metaphor for the stomach and digestive tract:
ma uzugir-pad-ra "incantation formula for (a) obv. I-I9: complete Akkadian incantation,
bones": unintelligible incantation, tu6 en- incipit damaged, edited in Part ILE. 12.
e-[nu]-r[u], followed by Akkadian legiti- (b) obv. 20-rev. 5': beginning and end of
mation formula. Edited in Part II.F .3. Akkadian incantation, incipit damaged,
(g) iii 20'-25', instructions in Akkadian to edited in Part II.E. I 2.
make a poultice (cf. No. 29b), presumably (c) rev. 6'-I6', incipit etlum ayyanum tallakam
as therapy for (f). Edited in Part II.F.3. "Young fellow, whence do you come?'':
(h) iv I'-2': Sumerian? complete Akkadian incantation, edited in
(i) 3'-6': bilingual passage of uncertain func- Part II.E.I2.
tion Smaller Old Babylonian Incantation Tablets
No. 31 (Pls. LXXXIV-LXXXVII) is the lower Three single-column tablets bear Sumerian
portion of a four-column tablet. The obverse is incantations designed to activate and consecrate
in very poor shape, with little inscribed surface cultic objects for use in religious or medical rit-
remaining, but the reverse is well preserved and ual. No. 33 (Pls. XCII-XCIII) holds two short
displays a fine, regular script. The contents are at spells, separated by a blank line but neither
r
I
l Descriptions of Tablets 49
blessed with a rubric. It uses some irregular spell- 36 (Pls. XCVIII-XCIX) is the middle portion of
ing. The first incantation (a), incipit gir-dub an incantation against dkamad(DiM)-me (Lamas-
ge-en il-la-mu, is concerned with an item that tu; ll. 6', 9'), seemingly quite corrupt; 11. I8'-I9'
I cannot identify. The second (b), incipit gissinig are quoted in the textual note on No. 3T I I
gi 6 il b.ur-sa-ge 6 ga-mu-gu, deals with the tam- (ILB.9). No. 37 (Pl. C), also against Lamastu but
arisk plant. Other Sumerian incantations about complete, contains two spells -vvithout rubric,
the tamarisk are extant, from the Early Dynastic but both introduced by what is probably a vari-
and Ur III periods (Krebemik I984: 226-32), ant of the Enenuru formula. The spells' incipits
the Old Babylonian period (Nos. 5h, 5m, 6p and es
are (a) b.e-da-da den-ill dnin-ill and (b) bar-ra-
6y above), and in Su1pu IX (Reiner I958: 45) ta ninda nu-gu7 -a. The former is a version of a
and JVlis pf I/2 (Walker and Dick 200I: 97), but well-known spell, the latter not; both are edited
none is related to the present example. No. 34 in Part II.B.9. The incantation on No. 38 (Pl.
(Pls. XCIV-XCV) bears an incantation for the CI) is nearly complete, but written in syllabic
reed torch, incipit damaged, rubric gi-izi-la. It Sumerian: note the legitimation formula in ll. 4-
joins quite a well-populated Old Babylonian 5, di di-mi-ir-en-ne-kam a-ga-as-ki-pi me-en
corpus ofSumerian incantations that consecrate for *di dincir-e-ne-kam
b
a-ga-as-21.
04
-bi me-en
this cultic tool (OECTV 2I-22; VAS XVII I9, "it is the gods' judgement, I am (merely) their
ed. Cavigneaux I995a: 63; YOS XI 53 and inferior"; ll. 6-9, b.e-pa-am instead ofl;].e-pad; L
dupls., ed. Michalowski I993; YOSXI 59; CBS I2, tu-en-en-nu-[ri]. The incipit perhaps sug-
I384, CDLI P2587I7). None of these offers gests this is an incantation against Lamastu, who
much help in reading the very difficult text on "rose up against the earth" (ka-ma ki-se mi-zi
No. 34, butcomparel. 5: rdnin1 -es-galsimugan- for *dkamad(DiM) ki-se mi-ni-zi?). The text
na-ke4 with YOS X 53: 4 rd1 gibi16 es-gal es(or inscribed on No. 39 (Pls. CII-CIII), incipit bro-
simug?)-gal an-n[a-keJ; both lines seem to be ken, is a spell to exorcise demonic powers, edit-
corrupted by knowledge of "Ninagal, the ed in Part ILB.4. No. 40 (Pls. CIV-CV), incipit
(great) smith ofAn" (as inN o. 3 5: 5 rdnin-a-gal1 en-nu-ri, in-nin me-en "I am the queen," no
simug-gal an-rna1 -k[eJ). No. 35 (Pls. XCVI- rubric, also targets a range of demons; it is edited
XCVII) is a badly damaged tablet on which in Part ILB.3.
enough of the rubric survives to identify the text The collection houses four further Old
as an incantation from the "mouth-opening" Babylonian tablets of Sumerian incantations but
ritual in which divine statues were consecrated these have no common denominator. No. 4I
and animated (rev. I I): ka-inim-ma alam ku-ge (Pl. CVI) is a tablet formerly in the possession of
rx x1 I rsag1 -ta x[ x x] "incantation formula to a Mr J. Greathead and previously published
consecrate a statue ... " The statue's mouth is (Finkel I999= 24I and fig. 17). It bears a snake
opened (1. 2I gal-[tagJ) so that it may eat (30 incantation, incipit mus sag-min erne-min ZU
ninda gu 7 -de). The divine cast features the ran-na1 "0 snake with two heads, two tongues
smith Ninagal (5), and mother goddess Arum and fangs aloft," ti-e-ni-in-nu-ri, and, unusu-
(8), alongside Enki and Asallub.e. The text does ally, a short colophon, on neatly ruled lines. It is
not appear to be a precursor to any extant incan- edited anew in Part ILD.3. No. 42 (Pl. CVII) is
tation of the late lv11s p£ ritual (Walker and Dick a tablet complete in profile, but missing much
200I). surface from its obverse. What remains are traces
Five ofthe small tablets, Nos. 3 6-40, contain of a Sumerian incantation on the Asallub.e-Enki
Sumerian incantations that feature exorcism by model and an Akkadian therapeutic ritual,
divine oath, usually known as zi-pad incanta- incipit broken, rubric Sipat ~ebrim sa ibakkuma
tions (see briefly Cunningham I99T II7). No. inuhbu "incantation for a baby that is crying but
50 l'vfesopotamian Incantations
will quieten." It is edited in Part II.H.r. No. 43 sufferer's substitute and take on his malady (rev.
(Pl. CVIII) presents a third version of a well- 6-I I). A line, ruled off, invites the sufferer to
known but diffic"L1lt spell, incipit [unu]gki ba-ku4 acknowledge his divine rescuers (I3: UU.-b]i
urimk[i ba-kuJ "He entered Uruk, [entered] den-ki dnarnma me-tes b-e-MIN-i "let that [man]
Ur." It is edited in Part II.].2, alongside an then praise Enki and Narnma"). The content
Akkadian version, No. 20d. No. 44 (Pl. CIX) is thus far follows in essence a standard narrative
the bottom portion of a tablet whose reverse is pattern of incantations: a problem is described,
entirely destroyed. The rubric on its left edge noticed by Asallu:Q_e (obv. I6'), and a ritual of
identifies its text as an incantation, but its func- divine origin is recommended to counter the
tion is not identifiable. The spell features problem, leading to the patient's recovery and,
Dumuzi' s sister, the goddess Gestinanna (obv. 4'). in this case, grateful worship. A further scenario
Tablets Nos. 45-47 are Old Babylonian of demonic attack follows the ruled-off line,
Sumerian texts from the realm of aJiputum but which thus appears to be a second incantation
not identified as regular incantations by rubric (b). Its incipit is [ki-si]kil? lu-ra ka im-da-an-
or formal structure. The text of No. 45 (Pls. gub "a Maid-demon(?) stood waiting for the
CX-CXI), lacking beginning and end, is beset man (in) the gateway," but it is broken away
by abbreviated lines which render its content after eight lines (rev. I4-2I).
difficult and its function uncertain, but the pres- IfNo. 45 describes the undiagnosed prob-
ence of Asallu:Q_e (obv. I6', rev. 20' wr. dasal-lu) lems of a sufferer, the text on tablet No. 46 (Pls.
and demons (rev. 12: udug-b-ul gal 5-la :Q_ul) CXII-CXIII) belongs to a later stage in the
identify it as exorcism-related. The text features exorcist's encounter with his patient. The com-
a narrative of physical suffering that includes the position, which has no rubric, consists only of
motif of the malady that defies experts (obv. 9'- Enki's instructions to Asallu:Q_e, beginning with
I3'): ensi-se 1-du-un ensi nu-mu-na-bur I mas- the incipit ninda sag-ga-na u 4-me-ri-rsu1 -ub
su-gid-gid I sim-mu igi-ni in-bar tu-ra-ni nu- "rub bread dough on his head." The bottom
um-zu I id I ma-mu igi-dub--bi ma-mu-bi lul- three or four lines ofthe tablet are missing, leav-
la "He(J) went(J) to the dream-interpreter, the ing a short gap in a text of about forty lines that
dream-interpreter could not interpret (his is otherwise not much damaged. With the help
dream) for him, the diviner (could not discover of parallels, much of it can be understood. It is
the problem), the herbalist examined him but edited in Part II.B.7. No. 47 (Pl. CXIV) is an
did not recognize his illness, the river (god could oblong tablet inscribed on one side only in a
not determine the matter), those dreams that he large hand. The text is an excerpt of the Sum-
saw were misleading dreams." This motif recurs erian composition known as the Incantation to
in well-known Babylonian wisdom texts (Lud- Utu. It is edited in Part ILK. r.
lul II and the analogue from U garit, see Cohen The number of the collection's Old Baby-
20I3: I66-67), but also in a Sumero-Akkadian lonian single-text incantation tablets in Akka-
penitential psalm, IV R 2 22 no. 2: 4I-48 (ed. dian is four, fewer than its Sumerian
Langdon I 927: 44ll. 8-I 5). Mention ofAsallu:Q_e counterparts, as expected. All four are on the
at this point (I6') is followed by an instruction related topics of snake and scorpion (Nos. 48-
for the sufferer to leave town (I7': rlu-bi1 an- 5I). No. 48 (Pls. CXV-CXVI) is an almost
edin-na u-mu-e-ni-gen "after you have made complete single-column tablet, lacking only the
that man go into the country"); evidently this is bottom left-hand comer. The script is compact
in preparation for a ritual of exorcism. The and highly distinctive. The reverse is inscribed
reverse continues the ritual instructions, which with only two lines; below them traces of erased
include the fashioning of figurines to act as the signs indicate that the tablet has been reused.
Descriptions of Tablets 51
The incantation's rubric is rapsa budasu "wide of thirteen lines, ine1p1t rku1 -zi ha-pa-r an-ra1 •
are its shoulders"; there is no rubric, except for There is no formal indication that this is an
the formula [tu6]-en-[n]u-ri, but content and incantation, but exorcism is the most probable
similarities with existing incantations show that context for a text of this kind on an Old Baby-
the topic is snakes. The text is edited in Part lonian tablet.
ILD.7. No. 49 (Pis. CXVII-CXVIII) has sus-
tained damage to its right edge and to the surface Related Texts on Old Babylonian Tablets
of the reverse. The text is inscribed in a single No. 54 (Pl. CXXIII) is a small oblong school
column covering the whole of the two main tablet, unruled, with Sumerian on the obverse
surfaces. The incantation begins -vvith a rhyme, and Akkadian on the reverse. The tablet turns on
waruq sa ~etim ~alim sa bitim "yellow in the open, its vertical axis, not horizontal. Edited in Part
black at home." A rubric was written on the ILK.4.
upper edge, but its keyword is now lost. Con-
tent determines that this is a spell against scor- Nos. 55-58 (Pis. CXXIV-CXXIX) are four
pions. The text is edited in Part ILD.9. Old Babylonian tablets in the range MS 3323-
3 38 8 that seem to fall into a distinctive group.
No. 50 (Pl. CXXIX) is a small oblong tablet, One has been published before (No. 58 = Alster
lacking the left edge, with a short spell set out on 2007= 52-54). In format, three of the four are
neatly ruled lines on each side: rounded oblong tablets with long side on the
(a) r-s' incipit [lu ]lzmu sipassu "a stag is his left-right axis; the other (No. 56) is a more con-
spell," rubric ka-inim-ma g:lr-tab "incan- ventional, angular shape, but also in landscape
tation formula against scorpions": Akka- format. Two are inscribed on the obverse only
dian incantation, edited in Part ILD.r2. (Nos. 57 and 58). Onallfourthetextisruledoff
(b) 6-r2, incipit [lz]riria itila (language un- into short sections and the content is bilingual.
known), rubric ka-inim-ma ni-im-bu The first language is sometimes recognizably
"incantation formula against wasps(?)": Sumerian but more often gibberish. I have cho-
mainly Akkadian incantation, variant of sen to call it "pseudo-Sumerian." The Akkadian
No. sr. It is edited in Part II.D.r3. text is couched in the first-person and consists of
a boastful narrative. On one tablet the speaker
No. sr (Pl. CXX) is a single-column tablet
identifies himself as Ningirsu's weapon. The
inscribed only on the obverse with a mainly
Akkadian incantation, incipit liria itila (language text of the tablets is edited in Part ILK. 5.
unknown), variant of No. sob, edited in Part No. 59 (Pls. CXXX-CXXXI) is actually two
II.D.r3. A circle is impressed on the reverse sur- fragments, one large and one small, embedded
face. in plaster of Paris as if parts of the same tablet.
Nos. 52 and 53 are small tablets that contain The smaller piece, at the top-left comer, is from
single· incantations in a language or languages an Ur III ledger and does not belong to the larg-
other than Sumerian and Akkadian. No. 52 (Pl. er. The larger piece is from the middle of the
CXXI) is well preserved on the obverse, but obverse ofan Old Babylonian tablet ofat least six
much of the reverse surface has been destroyed. columns. Parts ofthree columns oftext in Akka-
The incantation on the obverse, incipit he-he-en dian survive: the middle and end oflines in the
pa-la-gi, is thus whole, but the Akkadian ritual left-hand column (i'), lines of full -vvidth in the
that followed is lost apart from line beginnings, middle column (ii'), and the beginnings of lines
and the keyword ofthe rubric, sipatx[ .. .] 'is also in the right-hand column (iii'). No incipit or
missing. No. 53 (Pl. CXXII) is a slim, non-rect- rubric survives, and damage hampers the text's
angular tablet, inscribed with a repetitious text identification. Transliterated in Part ILK.2.
52 lvfesopotamian Incantations
No. 6o (iWSCTIV pl. LXIII) is a rough oblong the first millennium (Wiggennann 2000: 224 n.
tablet ruled into eight lines and containing an 37, 242).
Akkadian text with incipit qaqqadam ula isu "it
No. 63 (Pl. CXXXVIII) is a tablet in a beautiful
has no head," previously published in George
red and white stone, with an oblong lug pierced
2009: I 56 no. I 9. The text shares phrases vvith a for suspension. A photograph was published in
spell against scorpions but is not certainly itself an auction catalogue for a sale conducted on 22
an incantation. It is re-edited in Part ILK.6.
April I999 (Bonhams I999: I49 no. 542). The
No. 61. Neo-Assyrian Apotropaic Tablet in tablet has the same relief and incantation as a
Amulet Form fragmentary exemplar now in the British Muse-
um (8o-7-I9, 3 I9, drawn to my attention by
No. 6r (Pls. CXXXII-CXXXVI) is a clay amu- Strahil Panayotov). This is part ofa consignment
let tablet, provided at the top with the custom- excavated in I 88o by Hormuzd Rassam's work-
ary rectangular projection pierced for suspen- men at Nineveh, probably in the South-West
sion, and inscribed with forty-nine lines of Palace (Reade 2000: 422). The relief on both
Neo-Assyrian cuneiform. The text is an incan- amulets is conventional: a Lamastu scene is
tation-prayer addressed to Ea, Samas and Asal- depicted on one face, showing in the upper reg-
lub.e for the protection of a man named Nabu- ister a healing scene around a patient in bed and
zeru-iddina. It joins a small corpus of tablets of in the lower the demon standing on her donkey,
this kind, excavated at Assur and provincial grasping a snake in each hand and suckling a pig-
Neo-Assyrian cities, described by Stefan Maul let and a puppy. On each side of her is a pair of
(I994: I75-90). It is edited in Part ILK.3. figures apparently locked in combat: each pair
consists ofa regular man and a lion-man (ugallu).
Nos. 62-71. Apotropaic Amulets in Stone and
Probably they have an apotropaic function,
Clay
guarding the bedroom. 1 On the other face a
Lamastu Plaques two-line ownership label is incised on the lug,
The Sch0yen Collection's four Lamastu below it is a scene around a divine standard, and
amulets add to a large corpus ofsuch objects (see below that an eleven-line inscription.'
Wiggermann 2000: 2I9 n. II; Gotting 2009: The ownership label on No. 63 is damaged
43 8; Farber 20I4: 30). No. 62 (Pl. CXXXVII) is but enough remains for it to show that this amu-
a black stone plaque with an oblong lug pierced let was the property of a Sargonid king of Assy-
for suspension. A winged demon is depicted on ria, probably Esarhaddon or Ashurbanipal:
one face, very different from the demon as con- ekal(kur) m[RN] I sar(man) rkissati(sur [sar mat
ventionally depicted (e.g. on No. 63) and in AssUJ] "Palace-(property)] of[RN,] king of the
form similar to the image on VA Ass. 998 (.Kil.R world, [king of Assyria.]" The amulet is likely
87), 992 and 999 (Klengel I96o: 34I-42), all once to have hung around the royal neck or in
from Assur. According to Wiggermann (2ooo: a palace bed-chamber at Nineveh. It was said at
222), this figure is not a representation ofLamas- auction. to have been found in Iran, but this is
tu but an associate of Adad, N ergal and Ninurta not verified. Nevertheless, an Iranian prove-
with apotropaic function. A SL"C-line inscription
is incised in Assyrian cuneiform on the other
' Compare pairs of figurines described in the late ritual
face. The teA.i: is a well-known Lamastu incan- series bit meseri as mas-mas lu-erim-ma I I ma-a-si mu-
tation in Sumerian, incipit dkamad(DiM)-me un-da-ab-~i "fighting twins," for burial right and left
dumu an-na "Kamadme, daughter ofAn," edit- in doorways to repel evil (Meier 1941-44: 150 11.
edin Part ILB. IO. The presence ofthis particular 215-19). Each of the human twins fights one of the
incantation on the amulet suggests a date before lion-men twins.
Descriptions of Tablets 53
nance would raise the possibility that the amulet no. 17 in the compendium of amulet incanta-
was removed from Nineveh when the city was tions collected in the apotropaic series Jjulba-
sacked by the Me des in 6 I2 BC. The damage to zizi, incipit en Sin sarru bel age linrbka (.KAR 88
the lug completely removed the royal name and frag. 3 rev. ii' 6'-9' I I STT 215 i 6o-64 I I Uruk
may have been a defacement deliberately made III 82 i 36-38 I I K 255+ ii r-4, etc., ed. Finkel
in order to dishonor the king's name and mem- 1976: 92-93). Dravvings of the two faces ofMS
ory. Given the secure provenance of the frag- 2447, made by Tessa Rickards from the Sch0yen
mentary exemplar in Nineveh, it may have had Collection's website in 2001, were published by
the same ownership label, but the lug is broken Nils HeeBel in his study of Pazuzu (HeeBel
off. The incantation on both exemplars is a com- 2002: 243 no. 163), along with a description (p.
mon spell listing Lamastu's names in Akkadian, 169) and edition ofthe text (pp. rr2-13). Au-
incipit Lama!tu marat Anim sumsa iften "Lamastu: topsy of the piece itself confirms his readings,
Daughter of Anu is her first name." Edited in so a translation only is given here: "May king
Part II.B.ro. Sin, lord of the crown, calm you! May Ninurta,
Nos. 64-6 5 are further tablets in black stone. lord of the weapon, break your weapon! May
No. 64 (Pl. CX:X:XIX) has an oblong lug N ergal, supreme deity of the netherworld, de-
pierced for suspension. On one face is a bas- tain you in a grave! MayEa and Asallu:Q.e keep
relief rendering ofLamastu depicted in conven- your poison away! Depart! Incantation spell."
tional fashion, standing on her donkey, giving According to HeeBel, this is the only amulet
suck to piglet and 'puppy, a snake in each hand. known to bear this particular Jjulbazizi-incan-
A photograph of this face was previously pub- tation.
lished in an auction catalogue (Sotheby's sale
LN73 8I Antiquities including Western Asiatic Cyl- No. 67 (Pl. CXL) is a pearl-grey chalcedony
inder Seals and Antiquitiesji·om the Erlenmeyer Col- bead, profile shaped like a barrel cylinder,
lection (Part II), I2 June 1997). The other face is pierced lengthways, with an eight-line inscrip-
ruled in nine blank lines for an inscription that tion in Babylonian lapidary script. The text is a
was never accomplished. On this side of the lug Sumerian incantation from the apotropaic series
is another scene in relief, depicting three human Jjulbazizi, incipit en-e-nu-ru, sil7 lu-erim-ma
figures walking in file. No. 65 (Pl. CX:X:XIX) "Be gone, evil one!," followed by the name of
has an unusual triangular lug pierced for suspen- the bead's owner. Itis edited in Part II.B.r r. No.
sion. On one face is a badly fashioned linear 68 (Pl. CXLI) is a carnelian bead shaped like a
Lamastu-figure vvith a bird's head, accompanied tiny six-faced barrel cylinder, pierced length-
by her symbols, a comb and spindle. On the oth- ways with a fragment ofsilver wire still attached,
er is an imitation of a cuneiform inscription, a and bearing an inscription in Assyrian cunei-
feature of some Lamastu amulets that Wigger- form on four faces. The text is Akkadian: na4gug
mann calls a "pseudo-inscription." There is no I gazisar I na4su!-u I ana ameli(na) la tetehbe(te)
doubt that No. 65 is an attempt to replicate a "Carnelian! Dodder! S£1-stone! Do not ap-
Lamastu amulet, only as to whether it was made proach the man!" The message, to malevolent
in antiquity or more recently. beings, is that the individual wearing the bead is
protected by the substances named and they
Other Stone Amulets with Inscriptions should not interfere with him.
No. 66 (Pl. CXL) is a head ofthe demon Pazuzu
in white chalcedony, with pierced lug for sus- Clay Amulets
pension. A ten-line inscription in Assyrian Nos. 68-69 are minute clay cylinders, pierced
cuneiform is incised on the flat face, above a lengthways for suspension. No. 69 (Pl. CXLI) is
winged solar disk. The text, in Akkadian, is spell the larger of the two, and is inscribed with eight
54 lvlesopotamian Incantations
lines ofNeo-Assyrian cuneiform. The text is a Babylonian cuneiform. Stone scripts are diffi-
version of a mixed-language (Akkadian, then cult to date on the evidence of ductus alone, for
Sumerian) incantation for personal protection they are often archaizing. Probably the tablet is
from sickness, incipit en sukudu sumsu "Spell. no older than the late second millennium BC.
'Arrow-star' is its name." It is no. I8 in the com- Translated in Part II.M. I.
pendium Eulbazizi, addressed to the star Sirius,
No. 76 (Pls. CXLVIII-CXLIX) is a fragment
the astral manifestation of the warr_ior god
of a beautifully written Neo-Assyrian library
Ninurta. No. 70 (Pl. CXLI) is a miniscule exam-
tablet, inscribed \vith hemerological tables and
ple, pierced lengthways for suspension, in- a colophon. As can be seen from the composite
scribed with twelve lines of tiny N eo-Assyrian
photograph on Pl. CXLIX, it forms a good join
cuneiform. The text is barely legible, but ap-
with K 98 in the British Museum, excavated by
pears again to be ljulbazizino. I8. Both are edit- Layard at Nineveh in I 85o and published long
ed in Part II.B.I2.
ago by the Rev. A. H. Sayee (I88T 333-35).
No. 71 (Pl. CXLII) is a miniature clay tongue, The line at No. 76 obv. 9' continues without a
inscribed in Neo-Assyrian cuneiform with the lacuna on K 78 obv. 9'. The latter is numbered
following three signs: an za ra. As an object, it is 1. Io' on Sayee's copy because he (or his type-
likely to be magic-related, but its exact function setter) inserted a false 1. 8 and omitted tvvo lines
is uncertain. after his 1. I 3. The text ofN o. 76 + K 9 8 is edited
in Part II.M.2.
Nos. 72-74. i\!Iedical Tablets
No. 72 (Pl. CXLII) is a small square of clay that
No. 77 A Stray Babylonian Literary Text
shows signs of having been used before. It is No. 77 (Pls. CL-CLI) isthelowerpartofan Old
inscribed with an Old Babylonian magico- Babylonian tablet inscribed with Akkadian text
medical remedy for the treatment ofa scorpion's in a single column. The tablet entered the Sch0yen
sting, edited in Part II.L.r. No. 73 (Pls. CXLIII- Collection as part of the "Magician's Archive"
CXLV) is a complete tablet in landscape format, (MS 3056-3 Io5), described on pp. 29-30, and
inscribed in Old Babylonian and containing its text remained unidentified until work began
twenty-two paragraphs of text, mostly medical on these tablets in 2012. Accordingly it missed
prescriptions. A synopsis of its contents is given its proper place in Babylonian Literal]' Texts in the
in Part II.L.2. No. 74 (Pl. CXLVI) is a complete Schayen Collection (j\!ISCT IV, George 2009),
N eo- or Late Babylonian tablet of thirty-one and is published here instead, along with most of
lines divided by rulings into seven sections. Each the other tablets in the range MS 305 6-3 105. The
holds the text of a prescription, but the last is obverse is very poorly preserved. The text ofthe
unfinished. A synopsis is given in Part ILL. 3. reverse is legible but difficult. It is divided by
rulings into three sections. The first section is
Nos. 75-76. Hemerological Tablets given the Sumerian rubric gis-gi 4-gaJ.-bi "its
No. 75 (Pl. CXLVII) is a remarkable tablet of refrain," which marks the text out as hymnic in
black stone, restored from two joining frag- genre. The second section has an unusual Akka-
ments. The tablet is ornamented on the left edge dian subscript, wa-ar-di im-gu-ur "my servant
with the figure of a recumbent lion, pierced obeyed." The poetic style, vocabulary and con-
from mouth to anus. Presumably this acted as a tent of the fragment are reminiscent of the Old
lug through which, for example, a cord could be Babylonian Agusaya song about the goddess
passed in order to suspend the tablet from a peg !Star (see Groneberg I99T 55-93). She duly
or other protrusion. The two faces and right appears in 1. I2 of the reverse.
edge of the tablet bear a text of tvvelve lines in
Editions of Selected Texts
These are incantations of the type called Weih- The incantation addresses the archetypal
ungstyp by Falkenstein in his pioneering analysis giSkisig, contrasting the pureness of the its upland
of the literary form of incantations (1931: 76- origin (1. 3) with the dirt in which, implicitly,
82). They are more frequently known as Kult- other plants grow (1. 4); the reference is pre-
mittelbeschworungen. This kind ofincantation was sumably to barley and other cereals, which, in
believed to activate latent power in a material or addition, are noted to be subject to mundane
object and render it suitable, effective and free accounting (1. 5) and harvesting, even in that
from taint(" consecrate it") prior to its use in rit- mythical time when the gods themselves toiled
ual or therapy (see A busch 200 3: 2-4). This was in the fields (1. 6). The thorn had a close con-
achieved by asserting the object's mythical role nection with the netherworld (1. 7). Enki, god of
in establishing and maintaining what has been magic, ordained for its root and leaves a special
called the "pristine purity ofHeaven and Earth" role under his command (ll. 8-r4). The arche-
(van Binsbergen and Wiggermann 1999: 26). typal giskisig thereby gained the magic proper-
ties that the incantation now seeks to activate in
II.A.1. No. 4 (Pl. VIII) its mundane counterpart.
This is an Ur III (or early Isin) period incan- Administrative documents of the period
tation pertaining to gi'kisig(u.GfR-gunu, Akka- show that giSkisig was in fact a weed that had to
dian asagu), a thorny bush that is probably be cleared from arable land by male laborers
ProsopisJarcta, i.e. Syrian mesquite or false carob hired for that purpose (Civil r987b: 52; Molina
(Civil r987b: 52; Powell 1992: r02). It is com- and Such-Gutierrez 2004: ro). Clearly this was
monly found in Babylonian medicine as an no easy work. The agricultural context contrasts
ingredient in fumigation and healing therapies with its characterization in the incantation as an
(Thompson 1949: r82-84). The use of the root upland plant. The paradox can be resolved by
(arina) and leafy twigs (pa) ofgi5kisig in Ur III- supposing that the phrases refer to the plant's
period medicine is substantiated by their appear- mythical ideal or archetype, whose properties
ance as ingredients in external medications re- were held to survive in the lowly weed that
corded on the earliest surviving tablet of an- shared a muddy habitat with barley, awaiting
cient Mesopotamian medical therapy, which activation by this magic spell.
dates to the era (Civil 1960: 6r-62ll. 47, 129 pa The language used in 1. 7 goes beyond the
giSGfR-gunu, r 17 e-ri8-na gisGfR-gunu; see discus- common trope of a plant whose roots reached
sion on p. 67). The present incantation would down to the netherworld. That the giskisig was
thus have been employed in a medical-related ne irill ki-gal-la, however one translates it, and
ritual. a-gal gidim-ma, a more or less synonymous
55
56 JV! eso p o tam ian I ncan ta ti o ns
expression, indicates a special association of the nik I984: I98-99 and supplemented by van
plant 'With Irigal, the subterranean city of the Dijk I985: 4-5); closely comparable is en-
dead. These expressive phrases may reflect a nun-u.r-re on an Old Babylonian Lamastu-
folk-beliefthat the roots of the giskisigwere held incantation tablet now in Leiden, LB roos: I
down by the shades ofthe dead, or perhaps even (Bohl I934= 9, Tonietti I979= 309: en-nun-ur-
that plant was an extension of the arms of the re; van Dijk I982 [I987]: I02: en-nun-ur-ri).
dead, reaching up through the earth. Such 5. The first sign of the line compares well with
beliefs would suit the plant's gnarled and thorny the penultimate. Of the values ofSID given in
appearance and the evident fact that its roots Proto-Ea 552-62, only sudum matches the
were lodged so firmly in the ground that fully resumptive -rna. The sign SID probably occurs
grown men were required to uproot it. with this value instead of regular sutum or
obv. sutum "storehouse" in the Nippur Lament 5
I en-ni-nu-ruru !2 (UR) 1 (Tinney I996: 96 and discussion on pp. I3 I-.
2 gi'kisig(u.GfR-gunu) gis-zi 32), but here, coupled with the verb sid "to
3 u-sikil u-kur-ra count," it is more probably the homophone
4 im-ma nu-mu-gal-en meaning "reckoning" (e.g. OB Nippur Lu
5 rsudum1 -ma nu-mu-un-1-sid-en 52: dub-sar sudum-ma "tally clerk"; see fur-
6 dingir-re-ne nu-rmu-ku?1 -l -de-[ en] ther Ludwig I990: I79-8o). Two Old Baby-
7 [K]ISI[n]e(-)iri}i-gal-rla1 I a-gal lonian letters, AbE III 3 8: 32 and VIII I 52: 37,
rgidim1 -ma me-ren1 use the logogram sudum(SID)-ma instead of
more usual nig-ka9 (SID) to ·write nikkassum in
rev.
the expression nikkassi ep~sum "to reckon up
8 gi'kisig [g]is-zi
v·, - I - [.m-gr-en
. J the accounts" (see Cagni I98o: 98 n. g); oth-
9 en-e r mu-un-s1
ers have suggested that the logogram SID-ma
IO ur-za mi-n[i-kud-de-en]
stands for minutum "counting" (Borger 2004:
II nun-gal den-ki-k[eJ I mu-si-in-gi-[en]
340), but minutam epesum is not nearly so
I2 pa-za mi-ni-kud-de-en
common as nikkassi epesum.
I3 den-ki-ke 4 abzu eridugki-1-ta
In the present line an alternative translation
I4 a-zu mu-da-na-rag1
· r
"you were countless in number" (E. Bennett)
I5 en-n1- nu-uru, 2 1
is perhaps not ruled out; a line of Udug-bul
'-'7 Enninuru-spell. 0 thorn-bush, upright would then be lexically comparable (SB XIII-
bush, pure plant, plant ofthe uplands: you did XV 8, ed. Geller 2007= I66): sid-de an-ki-ala-
not grow in mud, you were not reckoned up ba-an-sid-a-mes I I ina minat sam~ u er~eti ul
in stocktaking, the gods did not reap(?) [you,] immannu "they (the Seven) cannot be counted
you were N ergal' s (ora power in Irigal), mighty in the reckoning ofheaven and earth."
among the ghosts. s-r 2 0 thorn-bush, upright
6. ku-de-en syllabic for ku/dlr)-en, in 1. I2
bush: the lord [sent you] here, he [took cut- written more conventionally kud-de-en (see
tings] from your roots; the great prince Enki note below).
sent [you] here, he took cuttings from your
7- Damage makes it uncertain whether the first
branches. ' 3-' 5 From the Abzu in Eridu, Enki
sign is KIS or ne(PIRIG). The lack of divine
has given you a task. Enninuru-spell.
determinative before it perhaps undermines
Notes the reading of the line as a reference to the
I, I 5. This spelling of the enigmatic Enenuru netherworld deity Nergal (at this period nor-
formula appears to be unique (see the many mally dKIS-irirr-gal), but the provision of the
variants of en-e-nu-ru collected by Kreber- topographic determinative after the second
Editions of Selected Texts 57
and (elsewhere in this book) "victim" arise forth from Abzu, when he made an i.~ib-priest
from the many contexts in which it refers to appear in Sumer, when he washed his seat
a sick person for whom an incantation is re- (and) standing place, when he washed the
cited (see already Geller 1985: 87-88). Along- holy dining hall, when he consecrated the
side the well-known equivalence in bilingual litre-jars oflapis lazuli, Enki, lord who deter-
incantations, pap-hal = muttalliku, lit. "rest- mines destinies, used (lit. took in hand) rain-
less, always in motion," note also the more water from the sky. 46'-51 ' That water, which is
neutral entry pap-hal = a-mi-lu in Lu I I 8, as for ISkur to purifY, that water, which is for
one of fourteen Sumerian words that could cleansing the holy places, that water, which is
be translated simply "man." for cleaning the houses ofthe gods-(with) that
II.A.J. No. sg (Pl. X) water he (Enki) is (now) to purifY a man, son of
his god (! tablet: the gods) ... Remainder lost.
The si..~th incantation preserved on the giant
tablet of Kultmittelbeschworungen tells how when The incantation may have continued as far
in mythical time he introduced the first purifi- as the trace ofrubric at iv I'. However, a parallel
cation priest (isib) in Sumer, prince Enki used may be observed between the end of this incan-
rainwater for cleansing the locations where the tation (iii 44'-5 I') and the penultimate sentence
new priest sat, stood and made offerings. The of the preceding incantation:
incantation calls for him to deploy the same
water in the present, in order to make clean a col. iii
human being. Though the rubric is missing, 20' a-bi a ku a dadag
along with the end of the incantation itself, the 2! 1 a sen-sen! a sikil-la
spell was clearly intended for use in the ablution 22 1 su-lub. dingir-re-e-ne
of participants in ritual ceremony. 23' pa-e
col. iii 241 e dingir-re-e-ne
32' en-e-nu-ru 25' dadag-ga-e-de
33' nun-e abzu-ta 26 1 e lugal-la-ke4
27' sikil-la-e-de
34' e-a-ni
28' lu-Ulu dumu dingir-ra-na
35' isib ke-en-gi-ra
29' mi-ni-ib-ku-ge-e-de
36' pal (tablet: bar) e-r da1 -a-ni
30' inim b.ul-gal bar-se b.e-em-ta-gub
37' dur-gar-ra ki-gub-[b ]a-ni
38' a-tu-tu -ni No. sf (Pl. X) iii 2o'-3o'
5 5
39' { te} unu 6 ku-ga iii That water-holy water, clean water,
20 29
,_ '
40' a-tu 5-a-ni sacred water, pure water, which made possi-
4I' sila-gar-ra za-cin-duru
b 5 ble the ablution rites of the gods, which is for
42' na-de 5-ga-ni cleansing the houses ofthe gods (and) for puri-
43' den-ki-ke 4 en nam-tar-tar-re-de fYing the palace ofthe king-(vvith that water)
44' a im-seg an-na he (Asalluge) is (now) to consecrate a man,
45' su im-ma-ni-in-dab 5 son ofhis god. 30' May evil speech stand aside!
Editions of Selected Texts 59
If No. sg follows the same pattern as No. sf, litre capacity in the third millennium (Salonen
then all that is missing of it is the standard injunc- I966: 82; Sallaberger I996: 98), and dug-sila-
tion inim bul-g31 bar-se be-em-ta-gub and a rubric. bur-zi "one-litre offeringjar," for smashing in
Note a Sumerian evil-eye incantation (TCLXVI 89:
iii 4I'. There is an allusion here to the mytho- I7, ed. Thomsen I992: 3 I).
logical narrative poem Enki and the World II.A-4- 1'\fo. si (Pl. XI)
Order 399, where Enki bestows the sila-gar-
The ninth incantation on the giant tablet of
ra na 4za-gin-duru5 on the birth-goddess Nintu
Kultmittelbeschworungen is a spell to imbue with
as one of the tools of her trade. A proposed
magic power water into which has been throvvn
etymology< sila = silltum "amniotic sac" was
soon rejected by Falkenstein (I964: 90). Wheth- tvvigs of innus (Akkadian mastakaD, a soapwort
er or not its role in EWO is as a bowl for the considered to have purifYing properties. A related
afterbirth (so still ePSD), such a function is but fragmentary incantation is j'v1VNV 302 v I 2'-
not expected here. The present context re- I 8'. 1 They are Old Babylonian counterparts ofthe
calls how in mythical time Enki set up the incantation en u-in-nu-us u-sikil abzu-ta mu-a
temple rites that ensured the care and feeding "Soapwort, pure plant grown up from Abzu" in
of the gods. As a result he earned the epithet SU1pu IX 9-I6 (ed. Reiner I958: 45). In all three
"one who fashioned the true sila-gar vessels," incantations the plant is addressed in terms that
applied to him in Old Babylonian incanta- locate it in cosmic geography, branch reaching to
tions to consecrate the ritual censer (YOS XI
the sky, root embedded in the subterranean
49: IO and I8: sila-gar zi clim-clim-ma, pace
waters or netherworld. This is very conventional
van Dijk). The use ofa sila-gar in an exorcistic
religious imagery, commonly applied to plants in
ritual is substantiated> in a damaged Ur III
incantation, where Enki instructs Asallube to incantations (for example to the tamarisk in the
do something with one (van Dijk and Geller preceding incantation, No. shiv 3'-8', and in
2003: 37 no. 8 ii 8'). These contexts require an ILA.9 No. 6p, and to the kist;g-thorniniLA.I No.
etymology unrelated to afterbirths. So too 4). It is already current in Old Sumerian ana-
does another passage in which sila-gar appears logues, where the tamarisk mediates between An
in a ceremonial context: a line of the compo- in the sky and the ancestral pair Enki and Ninki
sition Samsuiluna and Inanna, where during in the netherworld (Krebernik I984nos. I8-2o). 2
the goddess's blessing of the king participants
in the ceremony apparently "have fun (amid)
I en-[e-nu-ru], U-in-[(nu)-US U sikil?], ki sik[il-la mu-
golden sila-gar vessels" (read sila-gar ku-sig17
a?], Ur-zu [an-se?], pa-zu [ki-se?], an-na( ... ], X x(... ]
e-ne im-da-e-ne: copy by Farber-Flugge I976:
Note also Ur-Nan5e 49 i s-ii 4, addressed to the reed:
I 8 I 1. 2 3, correct ETCSL sila ga). ur-zul den-ki ki-buru gil pa-zul UD SUD mu-DU "Your
The obvious etymology of sila-gar-(ra) is roots are set deep in the Earth (with) Enki, your branch-
from the capacity unit sila "litre," and this is es grow far (into) the Sky." Cooper 1986: 32 translates
clearly the case in the lexical list OB Urra Nip- the latter clause as "made you bear foliage perpetually,"
pur II 3 I s-I 6, which lists among other pots similarly Cunningham 1997: 29. Like them I take SUD
as the adjective su(d/r), but I differ in interpreting UD as
(SLT32rev. iii I2'-I3'): dug-sila-gar, dug-sila-
UD.GAL.NUN orthography (exceptional in the corpus)
gaz. There the latter is literally "half-litre clay for an "sky," for reading so maintains both the e}..'}Jected
pot" (gaz = bepum "to divide by two"), so the cosmic contrast and the compositional balance between
former is by default a clay pot of fully one slla the four members, "your roots" and "your branches,"
volume. Other pots named after their capacity "deep Earth" and "distant Sky." A very different read-
of one slla are dug-sila-bur, a clay bowl of one- ing of the whole passage is given by Jacobsen 1985: 67.
6o lviesopotamian Incantations
themselves conducting rituals of ablution, and A river scene is then evoked, in which Inan-
with the quay of Abzu where those rituals took na's lover, the en Dumuzi, comes riding along
place. the river in a ceremonial barge. It is not clear
As understood here, the mythical narrative how this detail fits into the narrative; perhaps it
is unusual in that the chiefactor seems to be nei- serves to show that the newly made river is ful-
ther Enki nor Asallub-e but the goddess Dam- £lling its function. Next someone, presumably
galnunna-Enki's wife and Asallub-e's mother. Damgalnunna, washes gemstones with holy
It is she who summons the "Seven [Sons] of water and so consecrates the quay whence the
Abzu" to the quay. These are the apkallu, arche- water is drawn. The same stones occur in similar
typal beings, part man, part fish, ·with whom ritual context in II.A.6 No. 6e iii I6, where they
Babylonian exorcists identified themselves (see are the symbolic price paid to the river for its
the main introduction, on the Seven Sons of water. The holy water, thus purchased, is then
Abzu). Someone then gives a group of ancestral pressed into service with added cleansing agents
deities, the Enki-gods and Ninki-goddesses, to recreate in the present the same ritual purity
refuge in the Abzu. Because the verb is singular for ugu-zu "the crown of your head." This
in form, I assume that Damgalnunna is again the phrase, addressed to the quay invoked at the
subject, and that the presence ofthe Seven Sages outset of the incantation, is presumed to be the
is necessary to accomplish this action; but it is top of the river bank.
possible that the Seven Sages, acting as one, are col. ii
the agent. One of the sages then provides water 9 kar dasar kar abzu-ke 4
from an irrigation ditch for someone, presum- IO kar ma-gur8-ra kar den-ki-ke4
ably Damgalnunna. I I den-ki rs1-sar-es
· ,.., 'Yl nam d'ug nu-m- · · / - r·b1
1 -
There follows an obscure passage in which tar-re
it appears that Damgalnunna Oess likely the sage) I2 kar abz[u] kar rden-ki-ga-ke41
rearranges a mountain landscape so that its inte- I3 <ur-sag dumu> abzu-ke 4-rne1 imin-na-
rior is exposed and thereby makes a place for ne-ne
two deities, one of whom controls the source of I4 ama dasar dr dam-gal1-nun-na
holy water. From what happens later it seems I5 zi-de-d b-e-e[m-p ]ad-de
that the goddess thereby opens up mountain I6 eriduki b-ur-sag-gin7 ki sikil-e mu-a
springs that will provide the rivers with water, a I7 kar abzu kar eriduki-ga
mythologem also used in Lugale and text No. 56 IS um-ma-{ ras. ?}-kar-ra
in this volume (II.K.5). Then Enki strikes the I9 den-ki-ne dnin-ki-ne
river bank, for what purpose we are not told, but 20 abzu mu-ni-in-gar
perhaps to set the waters in motion. Another 2I abo-al-e
0
a pa4 0o-:11-taa
04
-a-ba
pair of deities appears, in much the same cir- 22 a mu-un-na-ni-in-de
cumstances as the first set: these are Enlil and sa kur-ra kur-sa nam-e
Ninlil. What the gods ofNippur would be do- dnin-DA dam?. ki-aa-aa-ke
0 0 4
I
\.
col. iii
I [su? dagal?J mu-run1 -tag-tag
2 [a? S]a-tu[r] kur-ra-ke 4
8
Notes
Incantation formula.
bought (i.e. drew) water. 1sr-22 May Sky make [naga i]m-m[a-ra-sikil]
it holy, may Earth make it pure[ In every VAS X 187 ii 11'-18'
respect may the ancestors of Enlil make it In the first millennium, an incantation
clean[ addressed to the quay was recited as part of the
23 Incantation formula for buying (i.e. draw-
m!s p! rituals, during the consecration of divine
ing) water. statues. Its incipit is reminiscent of Nos. 6f and
24- 30 The fair quay, quay of Abzu, holy(!) quay g: en kar abzu kar ku-ga-am "The quay ofAbzu
(tablet: quay of Abzu), quay ofEnki, quay of is a holy quay" r:v:Jalker and Dick 2001: 54l. 20,
lapis lazuli, quay of gold: from its midst they 74l. 14, rr8 l. 43'); but its contents differ.
brought water and cleansed with soap, with its Notes
water they cleansed even the holy skin of iii 12. The "bolt" is a mechanism to lock the
Enki. 31 - 38 The heroes, the Seven Sons ofAbzu, cosmic gates that control the flow of waters
as if it was (from) the fair quay, the quay of under the earth, as in Atram-:Q.asis (Lambert
Abzu, as if it was (from) the holy quay, the
and Millard 1969: 166; Horowitz 1998: 326-
quay of Enki, as if it was (from) the quay of 27; George 2009: 20 ii 10-rr).
lapis lazuli, the quay of gold, from whose
midst they brought water and cleansed with 13- e for e.
soap, with whose water they cleansed even the 14. For the (giluri-gal in the function ofgate post,
holy skin of Enki-3sr-42 (these same) seven see Wiggermann 1992: 70-72; Sallaberger
heroes, sons ofAbzu, \viii make the water holy, 2oos-6.
make the water pure, make the water clean. 16. The practice of recompensing the divine
43 Incantation formula for :6.lling (a pail at) the powers of a natural resource for removing
river bank. some of that resource is also found elsewhere
44- 50 The fair quay, quay of Abzu, the holy in the record. First-millennium rituals for
quay, quay ofEnki, quay oflapis lazuli, shin- consecrating a deposit of good-quality clay
ing quay, quay of gold, quay of silver, ... a stipulate the placing of gifts in the deposit
man, [from its midst] he brought water and before removing some to make a magic fig-
cleansed with soap. 51 -iv 1For his father An, for urine or a scribal apprentice's first votive tab-
Enlil, he cleansed there. 2-4The Seven Sons of let (George 201ob: 277). The practice could
Abzu: may they make it holy, make it pure, be described in terms of a purchase (e.g.
make it clean. 5 May evil speech stand aside! Abusch and Schwemer 2011: 771l. 41"-44").
6 Incantation formula. Here gemstones are offered in return for
water.
Other Old Babylonian incantations addressed
17, 18, 23: a sa 10-Sa 10 (with terminative case
to the quay as a source of holy water are No. 9f
infix) is literally "to buy water," for the usage
(iii 15'-25') and VASX 187 ii 11' ff. (Cunning-
is informed by the practice cited in the note
ham 1997= 141 no. 203). As far as it is preserved,
on the previous line, that water is obtained
the latter is a condensed version of our No. 6f
from its source by barter. The rubric of iii 23
kar si-sa kar abzu also occurs in Old Babylonian incantations at
kar ku kar den-ki-ga VAS X 187 ii 9': ka-inim-ma a kar sa 10-sa 10-
sa-bi-ta a im-ma-ra-[d]e6 da-kam; XVII 14: 21: ka-inim-ma a sa 10-sa 10-
naga im-ma-ra-[si]kil d[a-kam]; No. sf iii 3 1': ka-inim-ma a-sa 10-
kar si-sa kar abzu [1]-me-a-r gin71 sa10-kam; later in lvfts p!: KAR 229 obv. 2':
kar ku kar den-ki-ga i-me-a-g[in7] [k:a-inim-ma] a sa 10-s[a 10-d]a-kam (ed. Walk-
sa-rbi1 -ta a im-ma-ra-[de6] erandDick2001: 113), rev. 18: [ka-inim-ma]
66 .iV[esopotamian Incantations
a saiD-saiD-da-[kam] I I STT I99 rev. 42': [ka- cleansed whatever it touched: wood, reed and
in]im-ma me(a)me5 [sa-a-bi?] (cf Walker and the goddess of the mountain region (I8-2o).
Dick :zoo I: I I 8). On the meaning of the ver- This statement is repeated when some subordi-
bal phrase a sa10 -sa10 , which so puzzled van nation might have been expected: ''just as you
Dijk (I97I: I I on no. I4), see further PSD A/ did then, do again now!" (2I-23). The final
I IS: 3.3.3, Conti I997= 258 and Walker and statement is an instruction for the water to puri-
Dick 200I: Io8 n. 94 commenting on lv1is p£ fY, in like manner but in the present, what must,
I/2 67. That line can be reconstructed as (K given the rubric, be a divine statue (24-27).
276I+ rev. I I I STT:zo8 obv. 2'-3'): den-gU.- The text is very similar in structure and
1d-da a sikil-Ua mu-un-sa 10]-saiD I I dMIN vocabulary to the incantation YOSXI 44, incip-
me(a)mes elluti(k:li)mes i-sa-ab "Enguidda (Lord it a kur-ta nam-tar-ra (ed. van Dijk et al. I985:
of the River Bank) drew some pure water"; 34; see further Emilianov I998: 47 [unavailable
syllabic version (CT 58 76: 2): en-gu-i-da e to me]). That spell, to consecrate the holy-water
si-ki-il am-mu-rus-sa?1 . The bilingual pas- vessel (ka-inim-ma a-gU.b-ba-kam), is clearly a
sage of 1\!Iis p£ VI cited in PSD, in which the version adapted for the ablution of the king, for
instruction a u-me-ni-rsam1 is translated me- it ends vvith a different instruction to the river
e sa-am-ma (var. sa-a-b [a-m] a) "draw (me) water: kar ku-ga lugal-e dumu dingir-ra-na u-
some water," is now edited in Walker and me-sikil u-me-dadag "at the holy quay, purifY
Dick 200 I: 2 I 5 1. 32. As they and Conti note, and cleanse the king, son ofhis god!" Its incipit
the translation of SaiD-SaiD With sabU is SUp- appears as one offour Kultmittelbeschworungen for
ported by the lexical entries Nabnitu XIV holy water in the Ur III ritual PBS XIII 3 5 (ed.
2IS-I6: sam (saiD)= sa-a-bu, si =MIN, andAa Dick :zoos: 273 1. I6).
VII/r 20: ['a-amsa.m] = sa-a-bu sa [me] "to draw, col. iv
of [water]." a-r e1 kur-ra nam-tar-ra-am
7
20. Final-ge is dittography from the line above, 8 a-gi 6-a kur-rra nam1 -tar-ra-am
and an obvious error for -e. 9
v,
kur-ra kur sa-g~ nam- t ar-ra-am
'
39, iv 2. For the Seven Sons of Abzu, i.e. the IO b-ur-sag ki-sikil-ta rnam-tar-ra1 -am
sages, see the main introduction to this vol- II gis-b.ur babbar-ta rnam1 -tar-ra-am
mne. I2 cis-hur
b -
ci -ta rnam-tar1 -ra-am
0 6
26 ki-o-in 7 he-em-sikil-e
;:,~ - §XXV 254): b-ur-sag gi6-ga b-ur-sag babbar-ra
27 sa-an-gin7 .Q_e-em-dadag-ge II sa- du-u f ~a l-mul - [ tlJrJ f sa- du-u11 pe-~u-tt.'
VI I VI
8 40
May he drive forth that which is inside
3 - 42. The emendation seems straightfonvard, but
him! Like water splashed on him, may he note x-en-na :Q_e-em-da-rsu81 -su8-ge-e$ m
unfold over the man's body like a linen sheet, ILB.7 No. nfv I7.
may he drive it forth! 4 I-p May a kind udug(!)
II.A.g. No. 6p (Pl. XVIII)
and a kind lamma(!) stand alongside him!
This incantation is incompletely written, for
Notes the opening lines are left unfinished, no doubt
iv 3 r. For the river ]j:al:Q_alla see ILA.4 No. si v as a consequence of damage on the master copy.
2I 1 and note. Fortunately the beginning ofthe text finds a par-
allel in the opening lines of a short Ur III incan-
35-36. nm-sa: syllabic for mu-su-ublsub/ For
tation on the same topic (PBS Ih 123 I I ISET
naga su-ub "to apply soap" in the context of
I 2I7 Ni 4I76 obv. 7-12), and restorations are
washing see the references collected by
offered accordingly. The incantation praises the
Deller and Watanabe I98I: 224, and add van
tamarisk as a mediator between heaven and
Dijk and Geller 2003: IIO i 9: naga-sub 6-gin7
earth (as in No. shiv 3'-8' and like the soapwort
a-e :Q_e-ba-ab-[t]um "may (the demon) be
in ILA.4 No. si). Its roots and foliage have the
carried offby water like soap suds" (Ur III).
properties of eren and basur, the great evergreen
40. The image gada-gin7 bur "spread over like trees that grow where the sun rises. Accordingly
a sheet" is a stock e:A'Jlression, so :Q_e-eb-re is the tamarisk has cosmic functions, both below
for :Q_e-bur-re. The expression is usually, if the earth and in the sky where the sun makes its
not always, preceded by tug-gin7 dul "cover daily passage, and the gods use it to clean them-
like a blanket," to fonn a pair of images that selves. The incantation asks for the tamarisk to
is well known as typical ofliterary texts (e.g. put its purifying properties to use.
Alster I972b: no). In literary compositions
coL vi
the two images describe such things as the
I 5 giSsinig (blank, restore <gis zi>)
shade of a tree (Lugalbanda and Anzu 33), the
I6 gis an gis an (blank, see note)
radiant aura ofUruk (Enmerkar and Ensu:Q_-
I7 ur-zu giseren (blank, restore <duru5>)
giranna I 3), the noise of a stonn (Eridu
Lament s-6, Lamentation over Ur 203), the I 8 rpa-zu1 :Q_a-su-ur-ra (restore <am>)
screams of unhappy goddesses (Gilgames and I9 rur-zu-ta! 1 den-ki-ke4 a im-ta-de!-de!
the Bull of Heaven Nk 4, Dumuzi's Dream 20 rpa-zu-ta d1 utu [nam]-tar in-kud!-de
24I, sumunda-plant 6I = Kramer I980: 93), 2I pa-rzu1 -ta da-nun-na dingir gal-gal-e-ne
and the human voice (Gilgame$ and ]j:uwawa 22 an-ta sikil-e-de-es
A 85 KiA); the topic in another text (CT 42 23
36 [+58 45] obv. 7) is uncertain. In incanta- 24
tions the images occur first in another uncer- 25
tain context (van Dijk and Geller 2003: 2I vi IS-IS Q tamarisk, [upright tree,] tree of Sky,
obv. 7, Ur III), but then describe the screams tree of[Enki(?),] your roots [are sappy] cedar,
of a woman in labor (VAS XVII 3 3, ed. van your branches [are] (a canopy) of basur-tree!
Dijk I975: 62ll. Io-rr). The absence oftug- I9-
33
At your roots Enki pours out water, in
gin7 dul from the present passage is further your branches Utu determines destinies. With
reason for thinking that the text is in disorder, your branches the great Anunna-gods
but note gada-gin7 bur also ·without tug-gin7 become pure in the sky. 33- 34 May tamarisk,
dul in ILE.3 No. 7h iv 6', describing the the pure tree, make holy, make pure, make
debilitating effect of an attack by "gall." clean!
35
4I. We expect dudug sa6-ga dlamma sa6-ga. Incantation formula for tamarisk.
Editions of Selected Texts
r v' giSh 1 v ,
pa-zu-se ha-su-ur pa-zu-se -a -su-ur
a-glib-ba/ dnin-girirnJA.BU .BA! ./NLDU)-ke4 a-glib-ba dnin-giriffix(A.BU.BA.DU)-gin7
abgal-e su sik:il-la-ni r-de6 abgal-e su sik:il-la-ni i-d[ e6]
PBS I/2 123 !SET I 217 Ni 4176 obv. 7-12
0 tamarisk, upright tree, tree grown up pure in Sky and Earth, as to your roots (you are)
a sappy cedar, as to your branches a (canopy of) basur-tree. To (var.like) the holy-water
vessel ofNingirimma, the sage brought (you here with) his pure hands.
Note also the probable appearance of the walking in the street and observed an exorcist
incantation's incipit in the Ur III ritual PBS XIII accidentally polluted by treading in dirty water
35 (ed. Dick 2005: 272 L 10). or encountering people unclean of hands or
impure of body. Enki prescribes purification
II.A.1o. No. 6r (Pl. XIX)
with holy water.
The incantations in this section seek to
The present example, embedded in the Old
impartpurityto persons, objects and materials so
Babylonian collective tablet No. 6 amid a suc-
that they can play a part in ritual. Inherent in this
procedure was the elimination ofimpurity before cession of Kultmittelbeschworungen, is for use in a
the ritual act commenced. There also had to be similar case, when a participant in a ritual inad-
a method for its elimination when encountered vertently steps on something that compromises
during the ritual act. A small number of incan- his purity. The impurity cited is spit, which was
tations serve this purpose. A bilingual example probably not an uncommon sight on the Baby-
of the Asalluhe-Enk:i type concluded the late lonian street. The opening lines of the incanta-
text that prescribed the ritual to consecrate tion consist of words spoken when a person
divine statues (lVIis pf VI/VIII, ed. Walker and discovers he has trodden on spittle (vi 3 s-3 8).
Dick 2001: 210-25). In it the god Asallu:Q_e was The accident was observed by the sun-god (3 9),
70 JV!esopotamian Incantations
who perhaps himself calls on Asalluhe to restore 38. The compound sign is either KAXKAR or
purity to the situation by eliminating the spittle KAXSA. The former is usually deployed in the
(40-42). The incantation is concluded by a stan- value bu as a spelling ofbu(r) "to eradicate,"
dard formula for expelling impurity and the but in the present instance the following -rna
rubric (43-44). appears to rule that out. The only value of
col. vi KAXKAR that can be resumed with -rna is bl
3 5 nig-e nig-e nig-nu-gar-ra giri ba-us pum, which is empty ofsemantic content and
36 uz-ga-me-en dib-dib-be-da-mu-de in any case doubtful (see Krebemik I99I: I36
37 n1g-nu-gar-ra giri ba-us sub BU). The sign KAXSA is the logogram for
sum4 "beard" (Proto-Ea 3 I9: su-umKAXSA). It
38 aka kiri sum/KAXSA)-ma hub i-ni-in-si
39 dutu mus-ku-ke4 igi mu-un-pad is assumed here to be an error for SUM, a for-
40 dasal-lu-he dumu eriduki-ga-ka givable mistake in succession to the words ka
"mouth" and kiri "nose." For the verb
4I us mu-un-ku-ge us mu-un-sikil-e
sum(SUM) "to give" in the context of spitting
42 us mu-dadag-ge
noxious fluid, see Kagal D 9: 12': us,, sum-mu
43 inim hul-gaJ. bar-se lJ_e-em-ta-gub
44 ka-inim-ma giri us-sa
= i[m-tam nada?] "to spit venom," and a line
of an Uriii snake incantation (VASX I93: 3,
35- 38 A thing, a thing, I have trodden on a nasty
coil. V eldhuis I 994): us-bi mu-na-ab-sum-
thing. I am unclean! As I walk along, I have m[a] "it spat its venom at him." For hub
trodden on a nasty thing. I put the sole of my "sole" see most recently an entry in an ex-
foot in fluid spat (from) mouth or nose. 39- 43 cerpt :from bilingual OB Ugumu (Civil 20IO:
Utu, he of the shining face, caught sight of it. I5I 1. 44): hub-hub-giri-mu = su-bur-ra-at Se-
Asalluhe, son of Eridu, will make the spittle pi-ia "the soles of my feet"; also Ea VII 5 I
holy, make the spittle pure, make the spittle (Civil20IO: 9): lJu-u[b]hub = se-e-pu. hub--si is
clean! May evil speech stand aside! perhaps a compound verb like hub-sar "to
44 Incantation formula for treading (in some-
run," and si syllabic for si "put down."
thing).
39. pad instead ofbad "open." The line thus
Notes alludes to the almost unavoidable reflex of
vi 3 5. nig-nu-gar-ra is usually rendered vvith someone who has stepped in something dis-
Akk. nullatu "improper talk," but note also, gusting: he raises his foot behind him to get a
heading a list of problems in a late zi-pad glimpse ofhis sole over his shoulder and, as he
incantation (Borger I969: 4 §IV I8): nig-nu- does so, exposes the soiled skin (or sandal) to
gar-ra I I la na-ta-a-tu "unseemly things." For full view of the sun.
other examples of the compound verb giri- 4I-42. us syllabic for us7 "spittle," as often (e.g.
us "to step on something," see Karahashi van Dijk and Geller 2003: I04 index).
2000: 93.
36. uz-ga is syllabic for the word uzug "unclean II.A.11. No. 6s (Pl. XIX)
person," usually written u-zug(KA) or u-zug Another ablution incantation from the Old
(SAG) (Diri IV 44-45, = usukku; see further Babylonian collective tablet No. 6, this short
Lieberman I977= 400-I no. 490). The typical spell is a variant of VAS XVII I5: 9-I5, which
uzug is a menstruating woman or a sexually has the same rubric (ed. Conti I988: II7). It
unclean man (seejacobsen I970: 356), but the addresses the holy water provided by the "prince,"
present instance shows that impure status Enki in Abzu (vi 45-47), and instructs it to pass
could arise :from contact with body fluids on its purity to whatever it comes into contact
otherwise encountered. vvith during the ritual (48). Other Old Babylo-
Editions of Selected Texts 71
nian incantations with this exact rubric, but with Ionia (see below). Both passages narrate an epi-
different content, are YOS XI 44 (see above sode in mythical time, populated by the spider
under ILA.7) and 48 (ed. Conti 1988: 124), and goddess Uttu and the unmarried Inanna. In it an
YBC 989r (on which see Halla 1999: 276 n. old expert weaver-woman (Uttu), helped by a
I2).' young girl (Inanna), fashions textile by spinning
col. vi thread. The present text takes the origin of this
a ku-ga a sikil-la a dadag-ga mytheme back to the early second millennium.
45
It is clear from what remains that the episode was
46 a nun ri-na-ke 4-ne
couched in different terms at that time, but dam-
47 inim ku-o-a-ni-ta
b
na-r de 5-ga1
age hampers the reconstruction ofl. 2 1•
48 be-em-ku-ge be-em-sikil-e [be-em-
dadag-ge] col. vii
49 ka-inim-ma a-g{tb-ba-k[am] r gu duttu kin-na ba-ni-in-sub
45 48 2 [x] rx x x1 duttu KU ba-x-sa
- Holy water, pure water, clean water,
waterthat the prince clarified(?), consecrated 3 [munus dim]-ma tug dim- rrna1 ba-ni-in-
by his holy command, may it make holy, pure gar
[and clean!] 4 [dasal-lu-beJ rdumu eriduki1-ga-ke4
49
Incantation formula for the holy-water 5 [be-em-ku-g]e be-em-sikil-r e be-em-
vessel. dadag1-g[e]
6 [k]a-in[im-m]a tug-ba, 3-kam
Note
vii r-5
Uttu cast a thread in her work, [...] Uttu
vi 46. According to van Dijk's copy, VAS XVII
. . . [The clever woman] put in place the
15: II has similarly: a nun ri-na-ke 4• Conti
worked cloth. May [Asallube,J son ofEridu,
1988: II7 read a-agrun-na-ke4 ("come
make it holy, make it pure, make it clean!
l'acqua dell'Abisso"). The present line urges 6
Incantation formula for a cloak.
another decipherment; ri-na is perhaps
abbreviated for girin+a. The adjective /girin/ The relevant part of the first-millennium
is used of a liquid in Sulgi E 6r (quoted by text was incomplete when edited by Rykle
Ludwig I990: 44): es-es kas gi-rin a-gin7 su,3- Borger (1973), but the discovery of a duplicate
su,3-da-bi "at its regular festivals, when clear fromNimrud (CTNIV 93; Lohnert2oro: r86-
beer was splashed about like water." The final 87) and comparison with present incantation
I ak-ene/, however, suggests contamination enable the passage to be reconstructed entire:
of the line as a whole with a-nun-na-ke 4-ne
[e]n gu duttu su-na ba-si-[in-sub/si/gar]
"Anunna-gods."
dMIN qu(gu)" ana qa-ti-su u-mcll-[lzj
II.A.12. No. 6t (Pl. XVIII) dinanna gu duttu-da si ba-an-[sa]
This badly damaged incantation is intended dis-tar qe-e dMIN us-te-te-[sir]
to consecrate a ceremonial garment at 'the time munus dim-rna tun(var. ur)-bi ba-ni-in-[gar]
of someone's investiture. It is similar in content sm-nts-tt te-mt su-un-sa
• •V • • VI
u-~a
I b-b[ lJ:-"J
and structure to an incantation for the same pur- urn-rna dim-rna si ba-an-[sa]
pose that survives in the ritual for the consecra- pur-sum-ti te-mi us-te-t[ e-sit]
tion of priests ofEnlil, as handed down among dasal-lu-be nam-sub ba-[an-si]
first-millennium scholars in Assyria and Baby-
dmaruduk(amar-utu) sip-tu [id-dt]
be-en-ku-ga be-en-sikil-la be-[en-dadag-ga]
' I am indebted to Steve Tinney for knowledge of this erne bul-gil bar-se b[e-em-ta-gub]
text.
72 1\1esopotamian Incantations
6-7 When the mistress came by, when she put II.A.4 No. si v 24,_28 1 (sky and earth) and
the sheepfold in good order, s-u [the water(?)] ILA.7 No. 6h iv I8-I9 (wood and reed, as
touched(!) wood and purified wood. Just as it here). A very elaborate but completely regu-
touched [reed] and purified reed, [...] of the lar example occurs in a compendium of Kult-
foremost it purified. Just as it touched it, 12.-Is mittelbeschworungen now in Dublin (after
it purified [... ] Just as it made it pure as oil, it Geller 2ooi: 227ll. 2o-2I): gis im-tag gis im-
touched [reed]. Just as it made reed pure, ... sikil gi im-tag gi im-sikil gis im-tag gis im-
ofthe foremost it purified. Just as it touched it, sikil-la-cin
b 7 vo-i· im-taa · im-sikil-la-o-in
v vo-i v·7
!6-IS with the consecrated water ofEnki, with luo-al-e nig-ldd-ldd-da-ni he-em-dadag:-o-e
b ~ ~ b
the holy-water vessel of Ningirimma, [may] "It (i.e. dairy fat) touched wood, made the
the suffering man, son of his god, [become wood pure; it touched reed, made the reed
holy, pure and clean!] 1sr-22 May evil udug- pure. Just as it touched wood, made the wood
demon and evil galla-demon stand aside! May pure, and just as it touched reed, made the
a good udug and a good lamma be present! reed pure, (so) may the king make clean his
No. I7b ritual (materials)." Geller read im-tag as im-
23 den-rki1 -e-ne dnin-rki1 -e-ne sub6 "he polished," but im-ta and mu-ni-ib-
24 a-ta-ra1 -ba eriduki-k[eJ-e-ne ta-gin7 in the present text provide contrary
25 rx1 [x x x ]x-r ga?1 an lu[gal]-rx x x 1 -ka evidence.
26-2 7 traces 24. The intimate relationship between the
gap Enki-gods and Ninki-goddesses and the sages
rev. ofEridu (explored in the introduction to this
book) suggests that a-ta-a-ba is here a syllabic
spelling of the name of the :first sage, Adapa
I1 ka-in[im-ma ... ]
(usually written a-da-pa), deployed as a
23 24
- The Enki-gods, the Ninki-goddesses, the generic name for the seven sages of myth.
Adapas (i.e. sages) ofEridu, ... , An, king of Alternatively the line is a garbled account of
... [... ] the exorcist's self-legitimation, a-da-pa abgal
rev. I' Incantation-[fommla ... ] eriduki-game-en "I am Adapa, sage ofEridu"
Notes (e.g. OB Udug-hul 59 I I SB III 8I).
2. The incipit munus-e tur-ra is suggested by II.A.14. No. 17c (Pl. LV)
the OB childbirth incantation VAS XVII 33:
This short Sumerian incantation is the third
I (ed. vanDijk I975: 62): munus-e e-turamas
inscribed on the Old Babylonian collective tab-
ku-ga, though the contexts are very different.
let No. I7. The opening two lines are restored
3, 5. Assuming sa-a is for si-sa-a; cf.L 7. after lines of a love incantation, but the purpose
6. The sign sequence DU LI NA is presumed to of the present spell is to aid ritual purity. It
represent gen-ani-(talse), a phrase occasion- describes how once butter and cream made sky
ally deployed in historiolae to mark the arrival and earth clean, a topos that is found with other
of a deity on the scene. ritual agents in Kultmittel incantations (e.g. vvith
8. Water is restored because it functions as the oil in Geller 2001: 23 Ill. 48-so). Next the spell
purifier in ll. I6-I7. incites the divine exorcist Asallub.e to reproduce
8-Is. These lines hold a corrupt version of a that purity in the here and now. No doubt the
standard motif, in which the pattern tag ... incantation was used to activate the latent puri-
sikil is deployed to describe purification by fying power in dairy fats, prior to their applica-
contact. Other examples in this book are tion in therapeutic rituals.
74 1\IIesopotamian Incantations
Al-Rawi I995b: I84-95). Another version I 6' rd1 [asa1- 1,u J- h_e lgi
· · 1m-ma-an-s1g
· . !
7
1
occurs on an unpublished tablet in Baghdad, IM I7' [a-a-ni den-ki-ra] re-se [ba-si-in-k]u
4
I6o65L 1 Later the incantation became embed- I 81 [
gu' mu-un-na-de-e]
ded in a compendium (Schramm 2008 no. 12), No. rrf
and copies ofit are extant from first-millennium coL iii
Assyria (Nineveh, Nimrud and Sultantepe). The 9' [i]m-ma kalam-ma ki-a mu-un-r bcraP
versions of the incantation from Me-Turan and
IO' s[a]g gig i-im-d[e6]
Assyria run parallel to those edited here only in
II' igi gig i-im-d[e6]
regard to the first part of the text, in which are
I2' s[a] gig i-im-d[ e6]
described the evils brought by the stormwind
13' lib[iSJ gig i-im-de6
and Asallub.e' s observation of them. The advice
I4 1 zu[ [g]ig i-im-de6
offered by Enki in those sources matches neither
I5' tu rnu-du IO1 -du IO-era i-im-de 6
(g) nor (i). Instead it provides a prescription for b
1
I6' rgiri irnin bulug-ga i-im-de6
rubbing the sufferer with a lump of day from the
I7' rizi1 [gub-bu-da im S]a-ga i-rim1 -de 6
river banlz. A rubric is given by the Assyrian tab-
lets only: ka-[inim]-ma (sa) nig-kur4 im-ke I8' [nu-un-zu nu-un-bar] ri1 -[im-d]e 6
"spell for (applying) lumps of clay" (S chra~ I9 1 [lu-ulu pap-b.al-la di-me er gig-ga ba-an-
2008: I6o L 2I). This therapy, in which the evil k]u4
present in the sick man is transferred by conta- 20' [. . . . .. gil mu-un-na-de]-r e1
gion to a malleable material and destroyed, is gap
functionally identical to the rubbing with bread No. rrg
dough that is suggested by the rubrics of Nos. rev. coL iv
rrg and i. I' traces
No. IOa [gis-ge-en-ge-na]-bi rki1 -bi-s[e u-me-
coLi giJ
I' [sag-gig i-im-de6 igi-gig i-im]-r de 61 3' [den-ki en] dumu an-rna1 -k[e4 ge-ti]
[sa-gi]g i-im-r de6 libiS'-g[ig] ri-im-de61 4' [dutu sag-kal] dingir-re-e-[ne-keJ
5' [su sa6-ga zab]ar ku-[ga]
3' [sa-g]ig i-im-de6 zu-[gig i]-i[m-de6]
6' [su dingir-ra-n]i-se b.e-em-si-gi4-[gi4]
1
4' rtur-ra nu-du IO-du IO -era
b
ri1 -[im-de6J
[dasar-ali]m-nun-na dumu-sag den-rki1 -
5' giri-ta irnin bUlug-g[a i]-im-r de 61
ri1 -im-de 6 [keJ
6' sag gub-bu-da im sa-cra
~ b
8' [sa6-g]a zil-zil-bi za-a-k[am]
7' ur-cri i-im-de6
0~7
9' rka1 -inim-ma ninda-rkam1
8' dkamad(DIM)-me i-im-de6
(blank space)
9' dkamad(DIM)-duru
d 5
i-im-de
6
Io' kamad(DIM)-BAL i-im-de 6 No. rrh
I I' nun-zu-nun nun-bar i-im-de6 IO' im-ma kalam-ma ki-a mu-un-g[al]
I2 1 lu-Ulu pap-b.al-la di-me er[ gig-ga I ba-
II' sag gig im-de 6! igi gi[g] im-d[eJ
1
I2 sa g[i]g im-de6 kus gig im-de6
an-ku4
I3' tu-ra [n]u-du 10-ga i-im-de6
I3' lu-Ulu-bi su si-ga ba-ni-in-dab
I4' b.a-as-rx1 irnin rbUlug-ga1 i-im-de6
I4' rx1 ku siki!(NUN+x)-aka-a-ni im-rni-ti 1
I5' izi gub-bu-r da izi sa-cra
b i-im-de6
I5' [a-S]u-gi[ri-n]i sa-bi rba1 -an-dab
I6' nu-un-zu nu-un-bar i-im-de6
I7' lu-ulu pap-[b.al-l]a rdi-me er1 gi[g]-rga
' Photograph, copy and edition in Ali Murad 2015 I ba1 -an-r dab 1
298-302, II I7I-72- I8' as gig nig-g[i]g dingir-ra kus-a-ni rba1 -
J\1esopotamian Incantations
9
an-bar Incantation formula for (applying) bread
'
I9 1
dasal-l[u-b-e] igi im-rma1 -an-s[i?J (dough).
20 1 a-a-ni d[ en-ki-r]a re1 -e ba-si-in-rku41 No. rrh
2I 1 rgU mu1 -[un-na]-de-re1
The stormwind of the land settled on
iv w'-r:;'
22 1 [a-a-:mu im-ma kalam-ma] rki1 -a mu-
the earth. It brought head ailments, it brought
un-[gal]
eye ailments, it brought stomach ailments, it
23 1 • • • Jx u-[ub-dug/]
brought skin ailments, ' 3'-r 6 ' it brought un-
No. Ioa pleasant diseases, it brought "seven-grovvn"
i r'-3'
[The stormvvind of the land settled on the thigh, it brought "standing fire," fever of the
earth. It brought head ailments, it] brought insides, it brought nunzu and nunbar. ' 7'-rs' A
[eye ailments,] it brought [stomachJ ailments, grievous wailing seized the victim. A grievous
it brought gut ailments, it brought [muscleJ curse, abomination of the gods, peeled his
ailments, it [brought] tooth [ailments,] 4'-u' it skin. ' 9 '-22, Asallub-e saw and went home to his
[brought] unpleasant diseases, [it] brought father [Enki,] saying to him: "[0 my father,
"seven-grown" feet, it brought "standing head," the stormwind of the land settled] on the
wind ofthe insides, it brought dogs, it brought earth."] 23 ' Mter [he had said a second time, "I
the demon Kamadme, it brought the demon do not know what I should do! How does
Kamadru, it brought the demonKamad-BAL, it one react?", Enki answered his son Asalluhe ~ '
brought nunzunun and nunbar. 12'-rs' A griev- "0 my son, what don't you know, what can
ous wailing entered the victim, that man was I add? Asallub-e, what don't you know, what
seized in silence. The shining ... (of) the locks can I add? What I know, you know too. Go,
ofhair on his head came to an end. The in- my son, ... (ritual prescription followed)"
sides of his limbs were seized. ' 6'-r7' Asallub-e Notes
saw and went home [to his father Enki, say-
Nos. Ioa i 5' I I I If iii I6' I I I Ih iv I4'· The syl-
ing to him ... ]
labic spelling b-a-as-x inN o. I Ih suggests that
No. rrf-g where other sources have giri-(ta) "foot"
iii 9'-r 4' The stormwind ofthe land settled on the
another version had the similar sign b-:ls
earth. It brought head ailments, it brought eye "thigh." The phrase imin bUlug-ga (or imin
ailments, it brought stomach ailments, it dim4-ma) in all three lines is no doubt cor-
brought gut ailments, it brought tooth ail- rupt; other versions have very different text.
· b rough t unpleasant diseases, it
ments, rs'- rS' 1t No. Ioa i 8'-Io'. For the reading kamad(DIM)
brought "seven-grown" feet, it brought see George forthcoming b. The third name
" [standing] fire," [vvind of] the insides, it compounded with this sign is probably the
brought [nunzu and nun bar. ' 9'-2 o' A grievous fourth of the five demons listed in An = Anu
wailing] entered [the victim. Asallub-e saw and sa ameli (CT 24 44: I46): [dMIN-t]ab dka-
went home to his father Enki, saying to him mad(DIM)-tab = bi-bi-tu, var. be-be-nu (Litke
I998: pl. 47 L 78). The sign tab is easily cor-
iv r'-3' •••Restore] his(!) [limbs] to their former rupted into b-al.
health, [so thelordEnki], son ofAn, [may revive No. Ioa i II' I I rrf iii I8' I I rrh iv I6 1• The
him.] 4'-s' May [Utu, vanguard of] the gods, [kind Me-Turan tablets have nu-zu-nu nu-bar
'
hand (and)] pure [bronze,] return him (the vic- which Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi translate "la
tim) to the [care of] his [god. OJ Asaralimnunna, hierodule, l'oblate" (I995b: I87, vvith discus-
foremost son ofEnki, [treating him with kind- sion on pp. I 93-94). Given the presence ofizi
ness] and favor is in your power. "fire, fever" in the preceding line of our text,
Editions of Selected Texts 77
a connection might rather be sought with dupls., ed. Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi I995a:
nun-bar in epithets of the fire-god Girra (see 28, where the source from Ur has zabar-gin
Michalowski I993: I54)- "like (a utensil of) bronze," clearly the origi~
No. Ioa i I41- For siki-aka(sm) see the entry of zabar ku-ga in our passage and No. Iof
siki-ak(a)-mu = i-ti-iq pi-ir-ti-ia "a lock of the Later bilinguals: Sutpu VII 86, I I Samas asm·ed
hair on my head" in a bilingual OB version of ili salmussu ana qati damqati sa ili[suJ lipqissu
Ugumu (Civil20I2: I54 2:I). Otherwise, SID "May Samas, vanguard of the gods, safely
alone can be read dilib "hair." entrust him to the kindly care of [his] god";
and, less well translated, SB Udug-hul IV I97\
No. Ioa i I6 1. sig7 for SUM= sisr or si ' as also in
L-~!0 I I ana Samas a5ared ill salmussu ana qatt damqati
II.D.6 No. 8b i I6 1, II.E.3 No. 7h iv 91, II.E.4 sa illSu lippaqid "May he be entrusted to
No. 7i iv 321, ILj.I No. 7q vii I5, 25, II.j.I Samas, vanguard of the gods, safely into the
No. 8k iv 8. Another syllabic spelling for this kindly care ofhis god."
verbal base is si (Nos. 9C ii 81, 9h iv 20!).
No. IIgivi-8 1. Restored :from No. Iofvii I0 1-
No. rrfiii I91-201. Several lines corresponding I I 1: dasar-<alim>-nun-na dumu-sag den-ki-
to No. IOa i I3r_Ii and No. rrh iv I8 1-2d ke4 sa6 -ga zil-zil-bi za-kam. The clause recurs
appear to have dropped out. with Enki's son at the close ofNo. rra i 4r_5r
No. rrg iv 21. Restored after ILB.7 No. 12fv (Udug-huD: [dasar-alim-nun-na dumu]-sag
Io; also at Me-Turan, gis-gin7 -gi-na-an-ne den-ki-ke 4 [sa6-ga zil-zi]l-bi za-a-kam, and
ki-bi um-me-gi (Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi with Enki himself at the end of the OB incan-
I993: I8I MA 62). tation MAH I6003: 23, ed. Cavigneaux and
Al-Rawi I995b: I82: [s]a6-sa 6-ge zil-zil-bi za-
No. rrg iv 41-6 1. Restored :from No. I of viii-
a-kam. For instances of this closing prayer in
91: dutu sag-kal dingir-re-e-ne-ke4 su sa6-o-a 1::>
later bilingual incantations (!I bunna dummu-
zabar ku-ga su dingir-ra-ni .Q.e-em-si-gi4.
qu kamma "to make fine and lovely are
This is a version of a standard clause that
yours"), where the addressee is very often
occurs earlier in this tablet, No. I Ic iii: dutu
dasar-alim-nun-na dumu-sao- o abzu-ke 4 "Asa-
sag-kal dingir-re-e-ne-ke 4 su sa 6-o-a
1::>
din[cir-
1::>
ralimnunna, firstborn son of the Abzu " see
ra-na-se] .Q.e-em-si-in-gi4-[giJ "May Utu, '
the references collected in CAD D 6 I and SB
vanguard of the gods, return him into the '
Udug-hul II 30, IV 65, XII I 52, XV 120, XVI
kindly care ofhis god." Other OB variants of
2I21, ed. Geller 2007; Borger I969: I5
the clause occur in another dough incanta-
§XXVIII 275--'76; Geller I98o: 28 1. 49 1; etc.
tion, YOS XI 90: 28-29, ed. Cavigneaux and
No. rrh iv I6 1. See above, on No. IOa i I I 1.
Al-Rawi I995b: I8o; in Udug-hul incanta-
tions, Geller I985 ll. 357, 689; in witchcraft No. I Ih iv 23 1. A variant of the standard line a-
incantations, PBS Ih I22 rev. 39-40, ed. ra min-kam-ma-as u-ub-dug4 must be
Geller I989: I98 1. 75 1; and in CT 58 79 and e:Arpected.
lvfesopotamian Incantations
In the Babylonians' understanding of the world, ined that Nergal's planet, Mars, dominates a sky
sickness and other disorders and troubles in an newly vacated by the sun.
individual were very often attributed to afflic- Because of the many difficulties presented
tion and possession by supernatural agents. by Early Dynastic vvriting, the transliteration
These beings are collectively referred to in the and translation given here and in the editions of
secondary literature as demons. The human re- other incantations on tablet No. I are necessar-
sponse to such demons was manipulation by ily provisional.
magic means, both to expel them from the suf- coL iii
ferer's body (exorcism) and to thwart their 8 en-e-nu-ru
attempts to possess it in the first place (apotro- 9 es gar dingir su
paism). Incantations to serve both purposes are IO SUG SAG AN DIS = sa dingir sag-dili?
very well represented in Babylonia. Falkenstein II dKIS-UNU aga-silig-ga
(I93 I) identified three different literary fonns, I2 zag-ga la-mu
which he characterized respectively by formu- I3 dKIS-UNU gen-an-ni
laic expressions oflegitimation, prophylaxis and I4 ur! 7 aga-silig
divinely authorized remedy. His source material coL iv
was chiefly the bilingual incantation series ofthe I rigi b.uP
first millennium. The emergence since he wrote 2 lu b.ul
of pre-Sargonic incantations from Fara and 3 udug! b.ul
Ebla, and of vastly more Old Babylonian mate- 4 dingir b.ul
rial, has revealed a greater variety of forms, and 5 zao--tab
ci -ma-ta
04
led to different perspectives of study (e.g. Cun- 6 KAxUD dnin-giri~(A.BU.:t[A.DU)
ningham I997)- The strategies inherent in Falk- iii s-iv 5 Enenuru-spell.
The house is in place, the
enstein's formal classification infonn many of (sun)-god is set. 0 one unique among the
the incantations presented in this and the fol- gods, Nergal, hang an agasilig-axe at my side!
lowing sections, but I have organized the mate- 0 N ergal, come! 0 champion with seven
rial by theme rather than form. agasilig-a,~es: the evil eye, the evil man, the evil
udug-demon, the evil god- repulse (them)
II.B.1. No. 1c (Pl. II)
for me from my side. ·
The third incantation on the better-pre- 6
Incantation formula ofNingirimma.
served Early Dynastic collective tablet has no
generic rubric but its contents identifY it as a Notes
prophylactic spell that enlists divine aid in iii 9-Io. The translation is highly provisional.
avoiding the attentions of various agents of evil. SUG is an UD.GAL.NUN vvriting for sag4 ; sag-
It gives for the first time in an incantation of this DIS suggests sag-dili "lone."
period an extended list, four in number, of evil IL For dKIS.UNU as the writing of the divine
demonic forces (iv I-4; cf only the last two of name N ergal at Fara and Abu Salabikh, see
the four in Krebernik I984 no. 24). The latter Steinkeller I987= I64.
part of the incantation calls on the warrior-god iv 3-4. Note this pair in a Sumerian incantation
N ergal, with his seven mighty battle a,~es (iii I I - known from two tablets from Ebla
12), to repulse them (iv 5). The opening lines (Krebernik I984 no. 24): e iii 3-4 udug b.ul
seem to evoke nightfall, when it can be imag- din-gi-li b.ul I I 1viii 2-3 udug b.ul dingir b.uL
Editions of Selected Texts 79
udug!-b-ul occurs again in tablet No. 3 xiii' 2, dunummabi unumabi. rs'-r7' It is the toll (of) the
where the form of udug matches the form Abzu, the lamentation-house of the Moun-
here. tain. Tu-Enenuru-spell.
rS' Incantation-formula for going down the
II.B.2. No. 7b (Pl. XXII)
street.
This incantation, the first to survive com-
plete on the Old Babylonian collective tablet II.B.J. No. 40 (Pl. CV)
No.7, is a short prophylactic spell addressed to This Old Babylonian incantation in Sume-
any hannful influences that might beset a man rian is a prophylactic spell to counter demonic
intending to go outside. The malign beings that powers, in which the first-person voice of the
might cause harm are addressed in list fashion spell legitimates his authority as exorcist by
(8'-12'). What is then said to them consists of a identifying himself first ·with the goddesses
vocative and what must be a command (13'- Nanse and Inanna, and then with the divine
14'). The words of command exhibit the asso- night watchman, Bendursanga (ll. r-4). The
nance and rhyme typical of"foreign-language" next part of the incantation seems to relate how
spells; they are either taken from a real but uni- once Bendursanga was aided by the moon-god
dentified foreign language or, more likely, from in lighting the path of the speaker as he walked
an abracadabra vocabulary invented especially the streets at night (5-9). Since the speaker
for communication with demonic forces. Two assumes the role ofAsallub-e, the divine exorcist,
further lines refer respectively to Enki's subter- this episode can be reckoned to have taken place
ranean abode and the "lamentation-house ofthe when the gods walked the earth, i.e. in mythical
Mountain," by which must be meant kur time. The likely function of the incantation is to
"mountain" as the realm ofthe dead (rs'-r6'). protect from harm a person going out after dark.
There is no explicit connection with what pre- Other such spells are extant from the Old Baby-
cedes, and the text may be abbreviated or cor- lonian period. One that also features moonlight,
rupt. The Abzu and the nethervvorld are perhaps t[endursanga and his torch is Tilvi IX 74 obv.
cited as haunts to which the lurking demons (ed. George 2orsa: 6). Damage in the present
must return. text intervenes to deny us knowledge of all the
col. i measures taken by the gods to secure the walk-
8' rd1 udug-b-ul b-[e]-me-en er's safety (ro-19).
9' [drgidim-b-ul b-e-me1 -en The latter part of the incantation comprises
ro' [ga]l 5-la [b-u]l b-e-me-en three sections, as detennined by their contents.
rr' lu nig-b-ul b-e-me-ren1 The first is a set of three commands addressed in
12' lu nig-b-ul clim-ma b-e-me-r en1 tum to Nergal, an evil-doer and a raven, who
13' lu nig-b-u!-lub-! clim-ma-mu appear to constitute threats to well-being from
sky, road and marshes respectively (20-24).
141 du-nu-um-ma-bi U-nu-ma-bi
Then the incantation invokes t[endursanga and
15 1 nig-kud abzu-am
N ergal together, apparently as allies in defence
r6' re a-nir kur-ra
against demonic forces, conventionally listed
r7' tu6 en-e-nu-ru
collectively: the tvvo gods are asked to keep close
to the walker (25-29). Finally there is an exor-
r 8' ka-inim-ma e-sir gen-na-kam cism by zi-pad formula, which places any
Be you an evil udug-demon, be you an
i S'-rz' malign forces under oath in the name ofthe gods
evil ghost, be you an evil galla-demon, be you (3o--37). There is much new in this incantation,
an evil man, be you a person who does evil: 13 '- and much that may be open to other interpre-
'4' 0 one who would do things to frighten me, tations.
So 1\!Iesopotamian Incantations
29 lugal-mu gis zi-da I te-ba igi-mu-ta te- 5- The second lu is assumed to be redundant
ba egir-mu-ta and nu-de to be a syllabic spelling of nu-
3o zi an-a-al-e
o a-a dincir-re-e-ne-ke
l::> 4 I he-
~
de/RI).
pad 7- The brewing jar was a vessel with a lid that
3 I zi duras-e ama dingir-re-e-(ne-ke 4) be-x was usually kept firmly closed, so that kakkul-
32 zi den-ill {le (ras.)} lugal dingir-re-e-(ne- lum katimtum "closed brewingjar" became a
ke4) rbe-(pad) common metaphor for enclosure and con-
33 zi dnin-lil nin dingir-re-e-(ne-ke 4) be- finement (see examples quoted in CAD K
(pad) 59). An Old Babylonian bilingual incantation
34 zi den-ki en dumu-sag an-na applies it to the blocked stomach of a person
35 zi dutu lugal kalag-ga di-kud-da suffering from a digestive condition (CT 4 Sa
36 zi da-nun-na be-pad! I-Io I I I5-24, quoted in the introduction to
upper edge ILE.I2 No. pa-c). In a late bilingual incan-
37 zi dingir-gal-gal-e-ne I sid-rbi1 be-pad tation it is a means of capturing and incapac-
Editions of Selected Texts 8I
itating a demonic power (CT I7 35: 78-79, IO [zi d] rnin-liP-la b.e-in-pad zi dam-an-k[i
ed. Schramm 200I: 24-25 ll. 85-86): gakkul b.e-in-pad]
nu-bad-da-ta b.e-ni-ib-su-su-ne I I kak-kul-ti II [zi dasal-lu-b.e :Q.e-in]-pad zi ddam-gal-
la pa-te-e li-ik-tum-su "may they put a lid on it n[un-na b.e-in-pad]
like a brewing jar that is never opened!" I I I2 [zi db.endur-sag-ga nim]gir-gal :Q.e-in-
"may a brewingjar that is never opened cover p[ad]
it up!" Here, however, the image refers to the (I3) (maybe one line missing to edge)
beneficial aura of moonlight, which protects rev.
the walker from above.
I [zi] rdx1 rilmus [ ... b.J e-in-p [ad]
9. Alternatively ku 5 for kuro-(ku, 0 ) "to be dark"? 2 [zi] drx x1 [x] rx x :Q.e-in-p[ad]
2I, 23, 24. Imperative e-ba-ra-ab syllabic from 3 [zi] dnin-gis-rzi-da-ke 41 gu-za-la kur-ra-
e "to go out"; ba-ra-ab < ba-ta-b. ke4 b.e-[in-pad]
22-23. See Urra II 275: ka-giri = pa-da-nu 4 [zi dnin-urta ur-sa]g kalag-ga den-lil-la
"path." <b.b-i[n-pad]
29. gis zi-da "steadfast tree" is perhaps a literary 5 [zi. . . . .. ]x b.e-in-pad
image for the night watchman's torch, the 6 [zi . . . . .. ] :Q.e-in-p[ad]
"staffthat goes in front" from which Bendur- 7 [zi. . . . .. b.]e-in-pad
sanga's name derives (George 20I5a: 6).
8 [zi. . . . .. b.e]-in-pad
II.B-4- No. 39 (Pl. CIII) remainder blank
This Sumerian text is a simple exorcism, abv. '-'~ [ • • . ] iglili ulili! Be you an evil Maiden,
written partly in syllabic spelling. Mter an unin-
or be [you] an evil [... ,] or be you an evil
telligible rhyming incipit, presumably abraca-
Lurker, or be you an [evil] ... , or be you an
dabra, the healer summons a whole host of
evil ala-demon, [or be you] an evil udug-
demonic powers (11. I-'7), and then in, an equally
demon from the steppe, or be you an evil
extensive succession of zi-p ad formulae, binds udug-demon from my city, [or be you an evil]
them by oath sworn on the great powers of the
malevolent asag-demon, or be you an evil
universe; unfortunately, many of the deities'
god, [or be you] evil kamad-demons, or be you
names have been destroyed. evil ghosts(?), or the divine Seven, or evil eyes,
obv. or be you evil[ ...] ofheaven, earth and neth-
I [x X i]g-li-li u-li-li ki-sikil :Q.ul :Q.e-me-[en] erworld, [or evil] gods [of ... ] -
2 [x] b.ul b.e-me-en mas-kim4 b.ul b.e-me-en 8
-rev.
8
Be adjured by Sky! Be adjured by
sub-be-rxl [b.ul b.e]-me-en Earth(!)! Be adjured by [Uras!J Be [adjured] by
3 [a]-la b.ul b.e-me-en udug b.ul edin-na b.ul Enlil! Be adjured by Ninlil! Be adjured by
b.e-m[e-en] Amanki! [Be] adjured [by Asallub.e! Be
4 [ud]ug uruki-mu b.ul b.e-me-en a-sa-ag adjured] by Damgalnunna! Be adjured by
gig-ga! [b.ul b.e-me-en] [Bendursanga,] the chiefherald! [Be adjured
5 [din]gir b.ul b.e-me-en ka-ma-ad b.ul-b.ul by ... !] Be adjured [by] ... ! Be adjured [by]
b.e-m[ e-en] ... ! Be [adjured by] Ningiszida, the cham-
6 [gid]im? b.ul-b.ul b.e-me-en dingir-irnin- berlain of the netherworld! [Be adjured by
nam igi b.ul-b.[ul (b.e-me-en)] Ninurta, the] mighty warrior of Enlil! Be
7 [x] an-ki a-ra-la-rna1 [b.]ul-b.ul b.e-me-en adjured [by (jour more similar lines)!]
dingir-dingir x[ x (b.ul b.e-me-en)]
8 [zi] an-nab.e-in-rpad1 zian-tab.e-in-p[ad]
9 [zi ura]s M-in-pad zi den-ill-la b.e-i[n-padJ
82 jVJesopotamian Incantations
22 26
Notes iii Evil udug-demon, residing in the man's
,_ '
obv. 5- The kamad-demons are those whose body, Fate-demon, residing in the man's
names are compounded -vvith the sign kamad body, Kamadme-demon (Lamastu), residing
(DiM): Lamastu, Laba~u, Ahb.azu, Bibitu and in the man's body, headache-(demon) com-
Lilitu (George forthcoming b). ing out of the netherworld in the confu-
I I. The deity listed between Enk:i (Amank:i) sion(?), Kamadme-demon, you shall arise
and his spouse Damgalnunna can hardly be from the man's body! 27'-3 '' The greatlordEnk:i
other than their son Asallu]J.e. drew nigh to the sickness, drew nigh . . .
Father Enki [cast(!)] against them the spell of
I2. Bendursanga is "chief herald" in the late
Eridu (that was) in his possession. They were
zi-padincantations (Borger I969: I4 §XXVII,
expelled from the man's body. 32'-33 'Lethim be
see more generally George 20I5a).
made holy as Sky, pure as Earth, clean as Sky's
rev. 4- Restored from the zi-pad passage of an midst.
Old Babylonian incantation against Lamastu, 34
' Spell against Namtar.
TD\!IIX 63: 43' (ed. Tonietti I979: 305).
II.B.6. No. 12g (Pl. XLIII)
II.B.5. No. 12d (Pl. XLI)
The seventh passage oftext preserved on the
This spell is the fourth on an Old Babylonian
more legible Old Babylonian Namtar compen-
collective tablet that is devoted to Namtar, the
dium is the major part of an exorcistic Sumerian
fate-demon. Its rubric identifies it is an incan-
incantation of Asallub.e-Enk:i type. The same
tation against him and its content is exorcistic. In
incantation is preserved in full as the last text
fact Namtar is only one of several demons men-
inscribed on an Old Babylonian collective tablet
tioned in a generic list ofharmful forces already
now in the Yale Babylonian Collection (YOS
resident in the sufferer's body (iii 22'-26'). The
XI 70 iv), where its rubric reads ka-inim-ma
magic ofthe incantation rests in the recollection
udug-b.ul-a-kam. It does not occur on the Nip-
that Enk:i once himself acted against the demons
pur sources of OB Udug-hul edited by M. ].
and drove them out of their victim (27'-3 I').
Geller (I985) and has so far escaped edition.
The retelling of the victory that Enk:i won in
Accordingly its text is given here alongside No.
mythical time will itself have the power to
I2g.
repeat his success in the present, so replacing
The incantation begins with a demonic
demonic possession with purity (32 '-3 3').
attack on a sufferer, set in mythical time (v I9-
col. iii 20). Not all ofit is understood, but the gruesome
22' dudug-b.ul su l[u]-kam gal-rla1 physical effects of the attack attract a swarm of
23' nam-tar su lu-kam gal-rla1 namtar-demons, who gather like flies around the
24' dkamad(DiM)-me su lu-kam gal-rla1 victim's chamber, ready to bear him off to the
25' sag-gig kur-ta sub.?-ta e netherworld (2I-26). As usual, Asallub.e notices
26 1 dkamad(DiM)-me su lu-kam ba-ra-e,,-de and reports the problem to his father, Enki. Enki
27' en-o-al
0
den-k:i-ke 4 nam-tu-ra mu-na-te makes a diagnosis and provides the solution in
28 1 mu-na-te b.a-rla?1 ti-a-rra1 the form of a magic therapy (27-37). No. I2
29' a-a den-k:i nam-sub eriduki-ga breaks away at this point but Enk:i's therapy sur-
30' su-ni-a ba-an-[sum]-mu-us vives on the Yale tablet. The ritual involves
3 I' su lu-kam ba-ra-e common magic ingredients, such .dust, soap-
32' an-a-in
a- 7 he-em-ku-ge
- k:i-o-in
o- 7 he-em-
- . wort and tamarisk, but the verbs are not as
rsik:iP expected and other lines defy interpretation, so
1
33' sa-an-na-cin 0
he-em-r dadag-o-e
7- 0 that the passage is poor in detail (I2-I8). The
34' ka-inim-ma nam-tar-ra-kam incantation continues with a command that the
Editions of Selected Texts
demon leave its victim's body like a cloud pass- I2 sa-sa-ga-na su-bal ki-si gal
ing across the sky (though the key verb is omit- I3 su-bal ki-bi-se rgal1
ted), and ends with a standard injunction for evil I4 sab.ar kaskal-la rkus? 1 -a di-di-de
to depart (I9-2I). IS gissinio-
0
uin-nu-us
col. v I6 im-ma-da-ri
I9
1
nam-kud-rda -ni kin-gi 4-a [b]1-in-gi4 I7 il-Ia ku-ga na bi-de 5
20 lu nam-tar-ra ga-a-ni kin-gi4-a b1-in-gi4 I8 lu-Ulu pap-bal-la u-me-du10-um
2I uQU-ni
0
nam-lu-Ulu zu bi-in-QU 0 7
I9 lu-Ulu-bi a-sag-ga-ni
22 rkur nam-lu-Ulu peS11 -rel de-de 20 muru 9 diri-ga-o-in 7 <he-eb-ta-e-de>?
0~ ~
with No. 46 (YOSXI 72: I-4/ /No. 46 obv. 4- 4 occurs on an unpublished Old Babylonian frag-
9; 5-7 I I rev. 5'-'i). VAS XVII 2 comprises rit- ment from Nippur, UM 29-15-236 i, CDLI
P256o64.
ual instructions to heal a bite in Sumerian, and
the assurance of a favorable outcome. UM 29-15-236 i 2-3: nam-tar i-mab. sag-e ba-tus.
Editions of Selected Texts ss
Nunki-goddesses, the ancestral deities ofEridu. bing seven lumps ofbread dough on the patient,
They in tum replied not to Asarre but to his and disposing of the contaminated dough by
mother, Damgalnunna. Being ancient and placing them in baskets and selling them to
knowing all the primeval terrors ofthe universe, "Headache" (i.e. Namtar himself), who vvill
they warned of the danger that Namtar posed. then take each basket off to a sacred brothel, a
Thus do the old: the passage has a literary ana- chain of events that must end in the evil being
logue in Gilgame5, when the elders ofUruk try eliminated. The second weapon in Enki's
to dissuade the hero from taking on the mon- armoury was direct address, in which the exor-
strous Bumbaba. Meanwhile, Asarre had watched cist, standing in for Asallube, called on the pro b-
developments and reported what he saw a sec- lem to depart. The third technique was to place
ond time, on this occasion to Enki. The usual a magic cordon around the sufferer, to form a
Asallu:Q.e-Enki dialogue ensues, and that is temporary isolation chamber, and then call on
I
where the composite text presented here begins. the gods to protect him, to bestow on him their
The ritual devised by Enki for Asallu:Q.e's use favor, to show mercy and :finally to restore to
against Namtar is a composite of several tech- him those guardian spirits who can best aid and
niques: contagious magic, command, isolation look after him.
ritual and prayer. First he recommended rub-
No. na parallelll.
col. i on H 97 I
r' [den-ki-ke4 dumu-ni dasa]l-lu-b[e]
2' [mu-na-ni-ib]-rgi 4-gi41
3' [dumu-mu] ra-na nu1 -[e-zu] a-na a-ra-ab-dab-e
4' rd1 asal-lu-be [a-na nu-e-zu] ra1 -na a-ra-ab-dab-e
s' [ni]g rga1 -e zu-r a-mu1 za-e in-rgi1 -zu
6' ru_ za-e1 z[u-a] ga-e 1-zu
7' g[ en]-na dumu-mu
8' [ninda sag-g]a-ni u-me-ri-su-ub 39
9' · daJ r su1 - [ a-n ]"1 u-me-n-
[run ' · r su1 -ub
40
ro' sa [ g-grg ur-m ~ -grn7 - b'1-en-t [e]- r z1"1
. ] r ah1 • li
r r' [nam-tar] rt:ug-gin71 u-mu-r na-ab-dul-e1
I2
1 . da sag]- rga'1 -a-ru. b a- rra-abl -su
[run v b b
- a-ta 4I
1
I3 I ninda rsu-a -ni ba-ra-ab-sub-ba-ta
I4' rgi-sag?1 ganba(rKI1 .LAM)-se? su [b ]i-ta 42
rs' [~irku 1 -ru-ub rimin1 -na rsu1 ba-ab-te 43
r6' Uu giYku-ru1 -ba ninda sa 10-Sa 10-da-ni 44
1 1
I7' rsao-
o -[o-ig
o· nu-dug-o-a] ~o he-em-rma-si-in-sa 10 -sa 10 45
r8' [x x x x-n]i im-rma1 -[x x x]
I9' [x x x x x] su ba-[(x)]-rus 1
!2a r'-'7' [Enki] answered [his son] Asallu:Qe: he smite down the sleep and torpor afflicting
"[My son,] what do you not [know,] what can (his) body[ May the man strip off the sickness
I add? Asallu:Qe, [what do you not know,] ofhis body like a garment[
what can I add? What I know, you know too[ 4 6 rev. ro'-r9' "What WaS established Of old One
And what you know, I know (too)[ Come, should do[ Setup the [reed] posts ofSin's puri-
myson- fication priest to form a chamber[ May they be
46 obv. "Rub bread dough on his head, rub
set up together like large wooden posts[ May
bread dough on his body. Though the head- Nanna be his protection, like a great wall[
ache (still) attacks like a lion, and N amtar (still) Make that which brings him good fortune
covers him like a cloth, after you have set aside
enter the netherworld, come forth from heav-
(var. rubbed) the bread dough ofhis head, after
enlikeAsnan andKusu, be present like the ris-
you have set aside (var. rubbed) the bread
ing sun, so the sickness that resides in his body
dough ofhis body, lay hold ofa dubsang for the
may depart from his body! 12fv s-r 7 Shatter like
market (var. that man), take seven baskets, and
while the man is placing the bread dough for a pot its supernatural aura that is in his body!
sale in the baskets, make the unpleasant head- Restore his limbs to their former health[ His
ache-demon buy them from him. Knock at fine reason must speak nonsense(?) no more[
(the doors of) seven brothels, make the May his supplications defeat the stomach ail-
N amtar who does him evil enter the brothels, ment! By the good grace ofEnki the Namtar
holy places, with a prostitute .... who does him evil shall stand aside! May a kind
6
4 rev.r '-s>' "May the ... of a human's foot split udug-spirit and a kind lamma-spirit stand at his
yourfootl May he expel the headache into the ... ["
12
distance[ May he burp it out as a belch! May fv rs Incantation formula against Namtar.
88 lvfesopotamian Incantations
12a i Io'. The verbal prefL'< chain is highly STVC I o iv 4', as restored by Cavigneaux and
strange. Negative li- is precluded; I assume Al-Rawi I993: I93).
contamination by Akkadian concessive li-. 12fv I7. With the strange en-na cf ILA.8 No.
I2a i I4' I I 46 obv. 7· The difficult opening 6i 42: EN-mu-un-da-su8-su8-ge-eS.
words are elsewhere pu-sag kalam-ma-ke 4
II.B.8. No. 22c-d (Pl. LXVII)) No. 28c (Pl.
(YOS XI 72: 2) and tu.r-sag kalam-ma (H 97 LXXVII) and No. 1og (Pl. XXXV)
I 42); see further Cavigneaux and Al-Ra-vvi
Te:A'i: No. 22 holds two Old Babylonian Sum-
I993: I9L The indicative forms, here and in
erian incantations against the demon LamaStu in
some of the following lines, are awkward and
her name Kamadme. This unsavoury being was
seem to be an error, though H 97 has them too.
believed to prey on pregnant women and new-
12a i I5' I I 46 obv. 8. Other versions have gli- born babies, and was held responsible for the
ru-ub (H 97 I 43) and gurun (YOS XI 72: 3); deaths of both (Farber I983, Wiggermann
see further Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi I993:
2000). The first spell, which also occurs on No.
I9I-92.
28, is partly parallel to an incantation known
46 obv. I2. For su-us "to knock" on a door, from tablets now in Baghdad and Oxford (TINI
see the classic instance, Inanna's Descent 74: IX 63: I7'-23' I I OECT V 55, ed. Tonietti
gisig kur-ra-ka su bul ba-ab-us "she knocked I979: 304-5; Farber 20I4: I96-97). It is an
aggressively on the door ofthe netherworld." ancestor of an Akkadian spell frequently in-
46 rev. 3'. KU.su-ub-ba is perhaps a corruption scribed on apotropaic amulets (e.g. ILB.ro No.
'h b "b oo.
o f kussu~u t" 63) and handed down in the late Lamastu com-
46 rev. 9'· si = sahiitum. pendium as its first incantation (I I-8, ed. Farber
46 rev. I o'. This line introduces a traditional rit- 20I4: 68-70). It identifies the demon by her
ual, so the context is against translating the names and commands her by all the powers of
preformative lnal with the man1 as negative, the cosmos to fly away. On both tablets the text
na-(i)m-da-ak-e "one should not do it." Instead is very corrupt and it is possible to give a coher-
it seems to be an exceptional use of non-nega- ent translation of only parts of the incantation.
tive lnal -vvith the manA. See Civil 2000: 38: The second Lamastu incantation on No. 22
"occasionally, one can find instances of affirma- is also partly preserved on the collective tablet
tive na-prefix whose exact function is not com- No. IO. It is also related to a Lamastu spell com-
pletely clear. Possibly they are desemanticized mon on amulets (e.g. ILB.Io No. 62) and
uses inserted for rhetorical effect." included as the tenth incantation in the late
46 rev. 12'. H 97 I 55 has sutug-se u-bi-ni-ru Lamastu series (II I29-34, ed. Farber 20I4: I I4-
"plant them to form a reed hut." I5), and in bilingual form in a zi-pad com-
pendium (Borger I969: I2 §XXII). It begins by
46 rev. I5'-I6' I I 12fv 3-4. Here H 97 I 58-59
identifying Lamastu as the late versions do, asso-
has forms of the verbs -vvith preformative lui,
ciating her vvith other malevolent forces (No.
the polite imperative, preferable to the indic-
22d ii I4'-I 8'), but then introduces a benign fig-
atives of our versions.
ure, the Lady who Hears Prayers (I9'-24'). The
12fv 8. H 97 I 6 I can now be read as me-lem-bl. continuation is lost, but it can be assumed that
12fv Io. gis-gi-a-ni for gis-ge-en-na; -gin7 for the latter is instrumental in banishing Lamastu,
-gJ-4. for her epithet "lady who gives birth" identifies
I2fv II. H 97 I 63 differs: su-ne urn-me-sum her as a mother goddess and places her in exact
"give into his keeping." opposition to the demon.
Editions of Selected Texts
The two short spells on this Old Babylonian 4 dkamad(DIM)-me-{ en} he-me-en
tablet lack rubrics. Each is preceded by a strange 5 dkamad(DIM)-duru 5 he-me-en
sequence of signs, rAN1 GIDIM BUR E in 1. I and 6 zi-la-ab zi-il-zi-la-ab
U-gunu AN GIDIM BUR E in 1. Io. Often incan- 7 zi-la-ab nu-me-ra-ab
tations are preceded by the formula (tu6) en-e- 8 dasal-lu-he dumu eriduki-ga-l -ke4
nu-ru, and it maybe suspected that the sequence 9 nu-mu-un-da-bur-e
somehow represents that formula: u-gunu AN IO U-gunu AN GIDIM BUR E
certainly represents en(U+AN), e is displaced to II es bar-ra-ta ninda nu-QU -a I a nu-un-
the end, and BUR(= ur5) suggests the syllable or nag-a
"' 7
II.B.1o. Nos. 62-63 (Pls. CXXXVIJ-CXXX- Spell. Lamastu: Daughter of Anu is her first
VIII) name. Second is Sister of the Gods of the
The texts incised on two of the collection's Streets. Third is Knife that Cleaves the Head.
Lamastu amulets are both well-known incanta- Fourth is One who Kindles Fire. Fifth is God-
tions. No. 62 has the beginning of a Sumerian dess whose Face is Furious. SL'\:th is Entrusted
spell addressed to her as Kamadme. It is carried to the Hand. Adopted by Imina is the seventh.
on such other Assyrian and Babylonian amulets Be adjured by the [great] gods, [:fly away with
as AO 8184 (Thureau-Dangin 1921: 195) and the birds of the sky!]
KAR 86, and incorporated in the Standard
Note
Babylonian Lamastu compendium as the tenth
incantation of the series (II 129-3 o, ed. Farber The matching of ordinal numbers and epi-
2014: II4-15). No. 63 carries an Akkadian spell thets in the incantation on No. 63 is open tooth-
found on several other Assyrian and Babylonian er interpretations; see differently HeeBel 2002:
amulets, including examples published by roo; Farber 2014: 198.
Thureau-Dangin (1921: 198) andHeeBel (2002: II.B.11. 1Vo. 67 (Pl. CXL)
99-roo); the spell occurs at the beginning of the
The main part of the eight-line text
Lamastu compendium (I r-8, ed. Farber 2014:
inscribed on this pierced chalcedony bead is a
68-69). For the label inscribed on the lug see the
Sumerian prophylactic incantation, an abbrevi-
description of the amulet in Part I.
ation of spell no. 2 in the compendium Jjulba-
No. 62 zizi (ll. r-6 I I STT214 i 5-7 I I Uruk III 82 i 3-
r dkamad(DiM)-me 4 I I K 255+ i 5-8, etc., ed. Finkel 1976: 82-83).
2 dumu an-na A similarly abbreviated text occurs on at least
3 mu pad-da two other amulets, both of the Lamastu type
4 dincir-e-ne-ke (BIN II 14 and a plaque in private ownership,
t:> 4
Finkel 1976 pl. 45).
5 nin nir-gal
6 nin-e-n[e] The last two lines, in Akkadian, do not
belong to the incantation but are added to iden-
Kamadme, daughter ofAn, chosen one of the tifY the bead as a charm worn to keep the bearer
gods, queen, most majestic of queens. in the good regard ofhis superiors, immortal and
No. 63 mortal. The piece thus belongs to a category of
I en d[amastu(kamad-me) marat(dumu) da- amulet traditionally made of a material listed in
nim Neo-Babylonian scholia above the rubric
2 sum(mu)-sa l-en (BA}vf 419 i 4'-5'): abnat(na4 )mes uz-zu ill(dingir)
3 2-u a-bat ill( dingirre' sa suqati(sila)me< mes sarri(lugal) kabti(idim) rube(nun) ana ameli(lu)
la teb~(te) "stones that prevent anger of gods,
4 3-su patru(gir) sa qaqqada(sag-du) u-lat-tu-
king, noble and prince from affecting a man."
u
Unfortunately, only two of the SL'\: stones that
5 4-U sa isata(izi) i-nap-pa-bu
precede this rubric survive in the text (na4-PA =
6 5-SU ll-tum sa <panu(igi)>mes_[scl]
ayartu and na4zi-e = zibitu), and neither o£them
7 rsak1 --?U 6-SU pa-qid [qatt] is certainly any kind of chalcedony.
8 li-qat ir-ni-[na] The last line (1. 8) is a standard injunction in
9 7-u nis(mu) ill(dingir)mes (traces, rabati Akkadian that malign forces do not act. What is
expected) missing is the customary object for la teb~, e.g.
ro lu r ta1 - (traces, tamdti expected) ana ameli "on the man." This object I propose to
I I (traces, itti i-?-?Ur sam~ lU tapparraSi eh.rpected) find in the problematic 1. 7, where two different
lvlesopotamian Incantations
spellings repeat a trisyllabic sequence lsam.Silul. Thompson and Max Mallowan in I93 I-32
The trisyllable is here interpreted as the name (Thompson I940: I09-IO, LambertandMillard
Samsi:-ilu, given first as the charm's owner and I96S: So BM I34604, Finkel I976 pl. 44); and
again as the object of Iii tebe. Neither spelling in BM I3 I9SI, excavated by Mallowan in the
L 7 matches those attested for the best-known Governor's Palace at Nimrud in I949 (= ND
person of this name, the Samsi:-ilu who was 2So; Wiseman I950: I97, Postgate I973: 25S).
tartiinu ofAssyria for much of the first half of the Two exemplars, now lost to sight, were pub-
eighth century BC (Baker 2ooS), but the iden- lished in I S9S as the smallest cuneiform inscrip-
tification is plausible nevertheless. As a courtier tions then known (Scheil IS9S: 200-2). Other
of the highest rank, a tartiinu certainly had need Assyrian clay-cylinder amulets inscribed with
of protection from royal displeasure. incantations to Sirius and now in the British
I en-e-nu-ru! Museum are S5-4-S, I (King IS96a: xxiv n. I,
2 s~(EZEN.LAL) hJ.-erim-ma Budge I922: 209 no. 3, Reiner I96o: I 55 n. II,
Finkel I976 pl. 42), BM I0305S (Finkel I976 pl.
3 tu-lu lu-hul-g:il
43), and BM I3 I9So, found at Nimrud by Mal-
4 igi mas-sag dnin-urta-ke4
lowanin I95I (= ND II03; Wiseman I952: 63,
5 lu dnin-urta me-en
6S, Postgate I973= 263, Finkel I976 pl. 44). All
6 nam-ba-te-ga tu 6 !(SAG) en-e-nu-ru
bearversions ofEulbazizino. IS, except the last,
7 sa sam-si-lu <ana> dsamsi(utu)-lu
which is inscribed with Eulbazizi no. I9 (ed.
s sa(n5.g) ili(dingir) u sarri(lugal) uzzu(rnir) Finkel I976: 94-95)-
lii(nu) tebe(te) Some clay-cylinder amulets are personal-
4
r- Enenuru-spell. Be gone, evil one, go hence, ized with the wearer's name. Others have a
wicked one! Before the lead-goat Ninurta! 5- blank space for a name which was never filled in.
6 I am the man ofNinurta! Do not come near! Still others, like the present examples, deploy
Tu-Enenuru. the all-purpose phrase annanna mar annanna
7 8 "So-and-so, son of So-and-so," the generic
- Belonging to Sams1-ilu. So that the wrath
of god and king does not affect Samsi:-ilu. style used in textbooks. No doubt this was the
cheapest modeL
II.B.12. Nos. 6g-7o (Pl. CXLI)
Two miniature clay cylinders are inscribed No. 69
in Neo-Assyrian script with an incantation to I en mulsukudu(kak-si-sa) sumsu(mu-e-[ne])
Ninurta as the star Sirius that is an abbreviation 2 [m]u-sa-lil ~eri(edin) mus-te-'u!
of spell no. IS in the compendium Eulbazizi 3 ur-he-e-ti
(STT2I5 i 65-69 I I Uruk III S2 i 39-4I I I KAR 4 mu-sak-lil mim-ma sum-su
SS frag. 3 iv Io'-I4' I I K 255+ ii 5-9, etc., ed. 5 gismittu(tukul-dingir) sa ina piin(igi) giSkak-
Finkel I976: 92-95; see also Mayer I976: 43 I ki(tukul)
Kaksisa 6). The spell also occurs in the related 6 [n] a-an-du-ru te-bu-{ x} -u
compendium KAR 76 obv. I4-I9 (ed. Ebeling 7 a-na ananna(nenni) miir(a) annanna(nen-
I953: 403-4, coil. Finkel I976 pl. 62). ni) l[u-zi]-rzi1
Several other Assyrian clay-cylinder amulets S nam-ba-te-ga-e-d[e]
bear much the same text (Reiner I96o: I 54-55 HS Spell. ".Arrow-star" is its name, which
n. II; Finkel I976: 295-304). Some of them whoops the war-cry, frequents the roads and
have archaeological provenances, e.g. TM finishes every task, mace that is raised aloft in
unnumbered and TM I93 I-I932, 27, found in fury when confronted with an armed attack.
7 8
Area SH at Nineveh during the British Muse- - Against So-and-so, son ofSo-and-so, let no
Note 5 ur-rhe-tu1
2. edin "countryside" is an inferior variant for 6 mu-x x x x
sum-su
V\ Vtgi5 t sa
me-.uVI
other exemplars' murub 4 I I qab-li "combat." 7
8 ana kakki(tukull) na-an-du-ru
No. 70 (partly illegible)
9 tebu(zit a-na ananna(nenni)
I en mul X IO la tetehhd(te)"1 lu?.zi?.a
2 XXX II a-ax x-a?
3 mu-sa-lil X I2 en? nu e
4 k:inxx
Like many traditional cultures, the Babylonians Old Akkadian exorcistic ritual from Susa for the
believed in the malign force of the glance, the expulsion of e-nam la-mun-tam "evil eye" (j\IIDP
"evil eye." It was held responsible for all manner XIV 90, cf Farber I98I: 52; Cavigneaux I995a:
ofbad happenings, particularly minor accidents 58).
and when things did not work as they should
II. C.1. No. 7g (Pl. XXIII) I I 8c (Pl. XXVIII)
(see Thomsen I992). Consequently incanta-
This incantation survives on two Old Baby-
tions were deployed to protect against the evil lonian collective tablets and follows the same
eye and to counter its harm. dog incantation on both. It has nothing in com-
Five Akkadian evil-eye incantations of the mon vvith the other known Akkadian incanta-
Old Babylonian period are published in this tions against the evil eye, aside from the general
volume: the three edited in this section ofPart theme ofits disruptive effect (see on this Thom-
II and the fragmentary Nos. 2Ifand 3 Ib (see the sen I992: 22, Geller 2003: rr8-2o). The eye,
descriptions in Part I). They add considerably to acting in concert with the god Enki, takes
the extant corpus, for evil-eye incantations are advantage of a misty day, when the sun is
rare in all periods, especially in Akkadian (see obscured, to occupy a man's house (No. 8c i
Geller 200 3: I I 6; add an 0 ld Assyrian exemplar 241-27'). It makes a nuisance of itself, causing
from Ki.iltepe, kt 94lk 520, ed. Baljamovic and accidents and making animals and people
Larsen 2008). Two Old Babylonian evil-eye unable to carry out their normal functions (28 1-
incantations in Akkadian have already been 371). The end of the incantation is too damaged
published, one lacking provenance and acquired to yield connected sense (3 81-42 1).
by the British Museum in I93 I (Farber I98I: The spell is composed in pairs of poetic
60/I), the other excavated at Sippar in I979 lines, making pronounced use of alliteration in
(Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi I994= 85-87; Al- the opening lines, and of syntactic and thematic
Rawi and Dalley 2000: Io8 no. I02). A later parallelism throughout.
Akkadian incantation is known from two N eo- No. 7g
Assyrian tablets found in separate locations at col. iii
Assur before the first world war (Geller 2004). 2I
1
i-nu-ma i-nu-um i-bu-zu [a-h] i- r za-am1
At the other end ofhistory, note rigi-hul1 "evil 22 1
u en-ki a- rh~~~ -za-am 1-· h
r ,, d
~u-uz
Dynastic incantation II.B.I No. Ic iv I, and an 241 [i-in dutuJrsi il?1 -mi
94 lviesopotamian Incantations
No. 8c Notes
col. i iii 2It_22 1 I I i 24L25 1 • iihizum signifies an
241 i-nu-ma i-nu-um i-hu-r zu1 a-hi-za-am "informant" in the Mari letters (Birot I 99 3:
25 1 u
den-ki a-hi-za-am i-hu-uz 63-64), but that does not seem appropriate
26 1 i-hu-uz ib-ba-ru-um i-in rd1 samsi(utu) 5i here. The cognate verb describes affliction by
2i ui-nu-um bi-it a-wi-lim Phu -uz1
the evil-eye in an Old Assyrian incantation,
28 1 riz1 -zi-iz-ma i-na ba-ab a-wi-lim kt 94lk 520: I I-I 6 (ed. Barjamovic and Lars-
29 1 [ e] -ri-ba-am ik-bu-us wa-~i-a-am ik-bu- I- en 2008: I45).
[u]s i 30 1-3 I 1• The reconstruction is uncertain, and
30 1 [sa?]-ar-ru-ti!-i[s? x x x x] x [x] presumes an unusual disjunction ben;veen
3I 1 [za-a]b-bi-lam! [i-na] rsu1 -pu-ri-[im] synta..'< and line-division.
32 1 [al-pa]-am sa-di-da-am ik-l[a] i 331-3 41• "Pig" is restored (rather than [s£-sa] -a-
33 1 [sa-ha]-a-am da-an-n[am] am "horse") because ox and pig feature
34 1 [u-na-a ]s-s£-ha-am si-e-pi-i- r sul together in the Old Babylonian Akkadian
3 51 [ik-s£?-m] a mu-us-ta-ap-~a-am evil-eye incantation from Sippar, where both
3 61 [i-na] i-di-su are incapacitated by the eye (Cavigneaux and
3i [ik-s£? la]-s£-ma-am i-na bi-rir1 -ki-su Al-Rawi I994: 85ll. 5-6): im-ha-a~ gu4 ... im-
38 1 [x x x] i-nam le-mu-ut-ta-am ha-~ sa]J_. The later incantation from Assur
inherent in the writing of the syllables lbul and them abroad into antisocial exile. The conse-
lpul. First the eye saw a vessel for liquids, quence of the hearth's scattering is that a house-
bukznum (later buginnu), and as a consequence hold full of chatter becomes deserted, as re-
turned a friend into the opposite: an embittered ported in the incantations' next statement (kt
or deceitful person (iii 4-5). At first sight this is 94lk 520: 7-8): be-tam fa-gi4 -ma-am tf-li-fu ta-af-
non sequitur, for the effect of the eye should not ku-un I I (BM 122691 obv. I I 1) bi-ta-am fa-gi-
be random, but subvert function. A logical con- m[ a] -am ti-li-fa-am if-ku-un "it made the noisy
nection only emerges when bukznum is reinter- house (silent) like a ruin-mound." Ambiguity
preted as pu(m) kinum "loyal talk," for it is arises in the reading of the adjective attached to
entirelyinkeeping-vvith the evil eye's subversive kenunum: in all the instances quoted pubburum
effect that where J.t found loyalty it would leave "gathered" can also be read bubburum "hot,"
disloyalty. which is a more natural attribute of a fireplace.
Were it not for the precedent set by bukznum "Scattering" a "hot hearth" suggests spreading
: pu(m) kinum, I would be unsure that there was the burning embers so that the fire goes out. In
an intentional ambiguity in the second instance, Old Babylonian letters possessing an "extin-
when the evil eye scattered the "gathered" guished hearth" signifies lack of progeny (refs.
hearth (iii 6-7). The phrase kenunam pubburam CADK394-95). The incantation's coolingfire-
usappib, already noted in broken context in the place accordingly provides another image sym-
description of No. 21f rev. 41 (see Part I), also bolic of the death of the household.
occurs in the unprovenanced evil-eye incanta- Apart from the motif of the "scattered
tion BM I2269I obv. I0 1, which can now be hearth," the incantation No. 3 I c has several
read ke-nu-na-am puJbu-ra-am1 u-sa-pi-ih (c£ other points of contact with other second-mil-
Farber I 9 8 I: 62; Geller 200 3: I I 9 n. 26), and in lennium evil-eye incantations in Akkadian. The
the Old Assyrian evil-eye incantation from passage about the unmanageable ox and donkey
Kand, kt 94lk 520: 4-5 (ed. Baljamovic and (ii 26 1-iii 3) is a close match for a very similar
Larsen 2008: I45): ka-nu-nam pa-bu-ra-am tu-sa- couplet in the exemplar from Sippar (ed. Cav-
pf-ib. "Scatter" and "gather" are a common pair igneaux and Al-Rawi I 994= 85 ll. s-6): im-ha-a~
ofantonyms. The fact that the evil eye "scatters" alpam(gu4) if-te-b[i-ir ni-ir-fu] I im-ba-~
a hearth implies that the hearth's normal state is fabam(sab) ib-te-p£ bu-[ti-ma-fu?] "It struck the
the opposite: pubburum "gathered." The e>.rpres- ox and broke [its yoke,] it struck the pig and
sion "gathered hearth" is figurative for the fam- smashed [its snout(?)]." The fragmentary exem-
ily members gathered in hannony around the plar No. 21f mentions (rev. 51) al-pa-am a-li-ka-
hearth. This image is given context in the evil- am, no doubt as an animal made unmanageable
eye incantation from Sippar (Cavigneau..'C and by the evil eye. More animals are attacked in the
Al-Rawi I994: Ssll. IO-I3): i-na pu-ut ke-nu-ni- Old Assyrian evil-eye incantation, but without
im i-na i-fe-er-tim I fi-na at-ba-a wa-af-ba-a-ma I mention of the individual consequences. The
r u-uf' im-ta-ag-ga-ra (\Vasserman I995) I ku-si-a- destruction of the household shrine (iii I4-I5)
tiJsu1 -nu u-sa-ap-pf-ib I ~£-li-fu-nu u-ma-al-li also occurs in BM 12269I obv. I2 1: im-ba-~ i-fe-
~eram(edin-na) "two colleagues were sitting by er-ta-am i-ta-# z'-lf bi-tim "it struck the shrine, out
the hearth, at the household shrine, but they went the house-god."
were not agreeing with each other; it (the evil Some ofthese ideas survive into the first mil-
eye) scattered their chairs and filled the steppe lennium, when the Akkadian tradition of evil-
with their shadows." The evil eye sows a discord eye incantations is represented only by tvvo tab-
among the residents of the house which undoes lets from Assur (Geller 2004). There the ox and
the bonds that keep them together and drives donkey (ii 26 1-iii 3) occur in similar lines (11. 9-
lviesopotamian Incantations
II.E.Io No. 8d and II.F.3 No. 30f (see further ox and broke [itsJ yoke, it saw a donkey, made
Cunningham I99T rr9-20, Lenzi 20io). There it throw off its halter, it saw a bucket, turned
follow two expressions of wish addressed to the an acquaintance bitter. 6-II The eye scattered
same audience. The first charges the incantation the gathered hearth. On the road it holds up
to produce well-being wherever the exorcist the courier. It gives the child polluted water to
uses it (2-3). The second seeks to despatch the drink. 12- 16 After it scattered the hearth, it went
evil eye to its own home, where it vvill be con- and smashed up the household shrine. ' 7- 20
fined like a naughty child, under the watchful May the house's slave-girl while sweeping
eyes of its parents (4-6). expel the eye into the street! May the house
god expel the eye outside!
No. 3 Ic 21
Incantation formula against the evil eye.
col. ii
20'-22' lost No. 3Id
-?.3' ...J-pu- u m col. iii
-?.4' ...J-tm
. 22 i-nu-um le-em-ne-et
r i-nu-um al-lu-ba-ap-pa-at
1
25 1 rr'-ha_r a?1 i-nu-[um] 23
II.D. INCANTATIONS FOR ENCOUNTERS WITH CREATURES THAT STING AND BITE
The natural world harbors many dangers which, awares (ii 5-6). He called out for help in getting
unlike demons and the evil eye, are readily vis- rid of it, for he was unable to do that himself (ii
ible, even if they may lurk unseen before any 6-8). Three deities intervened, each in their
encounter. In Mesopotamia, then as now, own shrine, and directed him to the cultic
snakes, scorpions and dogs were the principal water-source known as girim (ii 9-iii 4). With its
creatures that could inflict painful and some- contents, holy water from the Abzu (called
times fatal injuries upon human beings. Spells in "Prince's water" in allusion to prince Enki, god
Sumerian and Akkadian attest to a desire to keep of Abzu), they call on the man (or his agent) to
these old foes of mankind away from the person drive the snake back to its hole, identified cos-
and, in the event of sting or bite, to relieve the mically ·with the subterranean Abzu (iii 4-5).
effects and avert other ill consequences; a less The incantation thus falls into a standard type: it
common variety of spell was deployed to allow seeks to enlist divine aid by invoking a previous
the capture and safe handling of snakes. Incan- instance of the problem in mythical time in the
tations from all periods address these dangers, hope of triggering a repetition of the gods'
but they are especially popular on Old Babylo- response in present time. It also suggests that one
nian tablets (see Finkel I999= 2I3). In this sec- strategy deployed against venomous pests was
tion Sumerian spells are presented first (II.D.I- holy water; see further II.D.2 No. Ifbelow.
6), followed by analogues in Akkadian (II.D. 7- col. ii
I3) and in an unidentified language (II.D.I4). 3 en-e-nu-ru
II.D.1. No. 1b (Pl. II) 4 UNU KI AN TAB AMARAB SI GAR AN GAR
The second Old Sumerian incantation on 5 lu-lu <geS> nu-tuku
the Early Dynastic collective tablet No. I is 6 GiR.MU.GiR (= mu-g1r-g1r) a-ba mu-ta-
directed against scorpions, according to its sar
rubric. A snake also features, and it may be that 7 lu-ulu ill
the incantation had both creatures in mind; in 8 nu-mu-ta-sar
Old Babylonian incantations these two enemies 9 dnin-girill"\:(A.BU.B.A.DU)
of the human footfall sometimes occur together. IO e-gid-da-na
Two pre-Sargonic incantations against scorpi- II dBIL.DAG
ons are known, in copies from Fara and Ebla I2 e-glin-na
(Krebernik I984: nos. I and 3), but neither I3 dnin-e-SUM
shares matter with the present incantation, col. iii
besides the word gir "scorpion" and attribution I tun-ninnu-rna1
to the exorcist goddess Ningirimma. The three 2 girill"\:(A.BU .B.A.DU)
eA.'tant Early Dynastic incantations against snakes 3 ub-da-ba:limmux(DIS.DIS.DIS.DIS)
v • /
are like-vvise without connection (Krebernik 4 su s1-sa a nun
I984: nos. 30, 35, 36). However, there is con- 5 mus(LAK235) zu:ab b.a SAR MU (= b.a-
tent in common -vvith other incantations in the mu-sar)
corpus, especially Krebernik I984 no. 2. 6 KAxUD dnin-girill"\:(A.BU.BA.DU)
The incantation begins -vvith an undeci- 7 gir-gunu? gir
phered line that should describe how a problem ii H Enenuru-spell. A ... -vvithout the man
injurious to human welfare arose or whence it [hearing] slithered in. Who could drive it
came. As understood here, the problem then away? The man (on) his own could not drive
threatened a man by creeping up on him un- it away. sr-iiis Ningirimma in her Long House,
Editions of Selected Texts 99
Dipar(?) in his Colored House, Nin-E-SUM in II-12. The passage recurs in an incantation of
his (House of) the Fifty-(Bladed) Axe (or: Fifty uncertain function, with TAG instead of sar
Spouted Jars): (to) the girim-(waters) of the (Krebernik I984: I4 no. 2: 6-7): dNE.DAG e-
four world-regions they directed (his) hand, DAR na :Q.a-mu-ta-TAG. Krebernik guessed
(saying) "(With) the prince's water may he that TAG should represent a verb of motion
drive the snake away (to) the Abzu!" but proposed that na was either resumptive
6
-'7 Spell ofNingirimma. (Incantation formula
on DAR, read glin "colored," or a word for
against) scorpions. "spell." Since it follows more than one tem-
ple name in the present text, I take it to be an
Notes early example of the combination of posses-
ii 5-6. lu-lu instead oflu-ulu. A parallel is a frag- sive pronoun and locative postposition. The
ment of incantation with the lines (Krebernik god dNE.DAG is discussed by Krebernik I984:
I984: 90 no. I5: 4-5): lu gdtug.tug nu- 263-64; id. I986: I96 perhaps dde-par "Torch
tukuJtr(m) mu-gir-gir, and I have emended God"; see further Andersson 20I3. On the
accordingly. Krebernik translated that passage present tablet, where the signs NE and BIL are
"Der Gehorlose/Unverstandige schhipft hin- distinct, the god's name is dBIL.DAG: cf BIL in
dbil:gi (xi I) and NE ina-ne (vi I2, viii 5).
ein." This is plausible in the fragment, but in
an incantation against a snake or scorpion it I3-iii r. The pattern DN e-TN in the preced-
would be more compelling for the pest to ing lines might suggest that tUn in iii I is an
have slipped into the man's presence silently, error for e, but e-ninnu is othervvise only
without him hearing. The verb mu-gir-gir known as the great temple ofNingirsu at Gir-
(= mu-gir5-gir5, Krebernik I984: I5-I6 "hin- su. In the Fara god list (Krebernik I986: I69 ii
einschlupfen") occurs with a snake as subject I7), dnin-e-SUM is entered far away from
later in this collective tablet (II.D.2 No. If vi Ningirsu (v I9')-but immediately before
Ninurta. The solution proposed here is that e
8; and also in Krebernik I984: nos. 2 ii 3, I3
is omitted and tun is the first element of a
vi' I, subjects uncertain). An alternative pro-
temple name (e)-tun-ninnu-(ak) "(House of)
posal is that GiR.GfR signifies a more aggres-
Fifty A'\:es/V essels." A "fifty- (bladed) axe" is
sive action than gir5-gir5 "to slink by." In late
a suitable weapon for a warrior god, compa-
medical texts the logogram GfR.GfR (perhaps
rable vvith d.gistukul-sag-ninnu "Fifty-Headed
tab-ta.b) probably stands for the verb zuqqutu
Club" and other divine weapons of Ninurta
"to sting," used of sharp pain felt in various
known from much later texts (Cooper I978:
parts of the body (courtesy E. Schmidtchen). I6o-6I; Livingstone I986: 54-57; George
There is no lexical evidence to substantiate I992: I50-5I 1. 26'). An alternative rendering
the equation, the usage is confined to a very refers to tun-(la), a spouted cultic vessel of a
specialized genre, and scorpions and snakes kind dedicated by Gudea to Ninizimua (Selz
do not number among the logogram's sub- I997, ref courtesy N. Linder; Edzard I997=
jects; consequently it cannot be recommend- I6o no. 69). Comparable later temple names
ed with full confidence in the present con- that celebrate a temple's cultic vessels are
text. those many that include bur "jar" as the prin-
6. For sar "to (make) run away" (also ii 8, iii 5), cipal element (George I993: 73 nos. I24-30).
see Sefati I998: 200-20I; Behrens I978: I69 iii 2. On the spelling and meaning of the word
= kussudu "drive off." It recurs elsewhere in girim(a)x as a cultic installation for water, see
the collective tablet (No. If vii 3, edited Krebernik I984: 242-52. If it is right to take
below, II.D.2). ub-da-4-ba (see next note) as qualifying
roo lvfesopotamian Incantations
closing consonant of a syllable on the pattern 2-3. This clause probably predicts the disap-
CVC; Krebemik I998: 27I), and NUN I I gal pearance of the harm of snake-bite "of its
"big." The latter is a well-established UD. own accord." For the verb sar see above, on
GAL.NUN equivalence (Krebemik I998: 30I). II.D.I No. Ib ii 6, where it is factitive, and
The Early Dynastic incantations from Fara below II.E.I No. Ig ix I, where it is active.
and Ebla lack UD.GAL.NUN writing, in con- Here the prefix DU is for /hal, as determined
trast to the literary texts, but UD for an "heav- by the spelling ha-mu-ta-sar in ix I. Use of
en" is possible elsewhere in this tablet (II. E. I the sign DU instead of ha also occurs in an
No. Ig vii 7-8) and highly likely in Ur- incantation from Fara (Krebemik I984: 37
Nanse's incantation from Girsu (see p. 59 n. No. 6d ga-gim BA.BA I I ga-gim DU.DU (dis-
2). Note further the use ofta-gunu for verbal cussed on p. 46; reference courtesy W. Som-
infix -ta- in an Old Sumerian incantation of merfeld). The clause as a whole corresponds
uncertain provenance (Veldhuis 2006 obv. iv in concept and function to a prediction in Ur
I, rev. ii 5, "usually restricted to UD.GAL.NUN III snake incantations, A 30606: 3': us ni-ba
texts"). ha-ba-an-ta-re1 -[de] I I VASX I93= I4: us-bi
IO-I2. This is an Early Dynastic version ofwhat ni-ba ha-mu-ta-e-de "that venom will come
later became the Asalluhe-Enki (Marduk-Ea) out of its own accord" (see Finkel I999= 23 I);
formula, discussed in the introduction to this cf. TJVIH VI I6: I2: us-bi ni-ba im-ma-an-ti
volume. i-in-ku4 "that venom came near and went in
of its own accord."
I2. ga a-na pad also occurs at Fara (Krebemik
I984 no. 8 xi 6) and Krebemik notes (p. 224) II.D.J. No. 41 (Pl. CVI)
the later version of this expression in CT 4 4: This Old Babylonian incantation in Sume-
22: a-na ib-pad-di-in-na-bi nu-ub-zu "I do rian was previously published by I. L. Finkel
not know what I can teach (lit. show) you in (I999: 24I and fig. I7), but is now more legible
that respect." These parallels suggest that in after baking and cleaning. The text shares con-
TNIHVI I: I4 (van Dijk and Geller 2003: II: tent with YOS XI 32 and other incantation tab-
a-na i-ma-si-tag4) one should read 1-ma-pad! lets edited by J. van Dijk in his study "Vert
vii 2.lu-kur is an abbreviation of*lu zu-ku5(d/ comme Tispak" (I969: 542-43). The exorcist
r), which occurs written lu zu-kur4 in the OB adopts the identity of the god Ninazu as one
incantation VAS XVII 2: 2, 6 (ed. Finkel who has power over snakes, and describes how
I999= 232), but as lu-kur-(r)a in three Ur III he eliminates the snake's threat by catching it,
contexts, all variants of the present clause: A opening its mouth and destroying its tongue.
30606: 2' (Finkel I999= 247) [a]-bi lu-kur a- The e::\.rpression of this power in words renders
ba-ni-na[g]; VAS X I93: I3 (ed. Veldhuis the incantation effective as magic.
I993a: I62, Finkel I999= 23 I) a-bi lu-kur-ra The tablet bears a colophon stating that it
u-mu-ni-nag; TiVIHVI I 6: I I: a-bi lu-kur-ra belonged to (and was presumably written by) a
mu-ni-nag "give that potion to the bitten man or boy called S1n-gamil, son of Asum.
man to drink"; in the last case Geller has a dif- obv.
ferent interpretation (van Dijk and Geller I mus sag-min erne-min zu ran-na1
51
200 3: 58). For nig "thing" as a designation of 2 'se2: -<bar>-o-in hu-lu-ha
~9 b~7- -
the ailment in an Old Sumerian incantation, 3 a-ia an-na 6 rki1 6-am
see also a phrase in a variant of the messenger 4 mus! lugal-zu me-su-um-gen
formula (Krebemik I984: 77 i' I): a-ne niglu- 5 dnin-a-zu lugal-zu
bi nu-zu "Does he (or she) not know what is 6 me-su-um-gen
the matter with that man?" 7 ka-zu gu-le-de
102 lV.[esopotamian Incantations
XXVIII) 12
1
dasal-l[u-b-e igi b-e?]-im-[ma-an-sig7]
Two Old Babylonian collective manu- I3 1 [x]-ni [(x x)] rgiri1 -[gub]-bi
scripts hold the text of a Sumerian incantation I4 1 giri-m[u-se b-e]-bi-ib-r gub-be1
"against a dog," i.e. to counter the harm inher- I5 1 dnin-1-rsi-in1 -naki rama su-b-al1 -bi
ent in a dog's bite. Incantations against dog-bite I6 1 rama1 [uru-sa]g-rga1
are commonly composed in Akkadian (for a I7 1 rsu sed!I e1 -da-ni
1
selection see Finkel I999: 2I4-23; Wu 200I: I 8 b-a-ba-bur-e
34). The only other Sumerian incantation I9 1 tu 6 en-e-nu-ru
known to me that is specifically targeted at dog- 20 1 ka-inim-ma ur-g[q
bite is TCL XVI 63 rev. (Cunningham I99T No. 8b
I39 no. I83), with which the present incanta- col. i
tion shares only the generic rubric ka-inim-ma 61 ... ]-ta idim-ma-am
ur-gi 7-(ra-kam). The present incantation is v b
7' ... J- rv'
ser..,1 su- ar-ra
noteworthy for the fact that Gula participates in 81 0 0 zu-bi b-ul-a
.]
the exorcism of the harm in the bite. As Finkel 91 [dasal-lu-b-eJ dumu eriduki-ga
noted, in writing about Akkadian incantations I0 1 [ka-inim-ma-ni gi] bar-bar su sa6-ga
against dog-bite, Gula is the goddess ofdogs, and I I
1
[dasal-lu-b-eJ dumu eriduki-ga-ke4
"since the bite is ultimately attributable to her, I2 1 [nam-sub] eridurki1 -ga
a cure might be expected from the same quar- I31 [tu6-dug4 nam-t]i-la-a-ni u-me-e-s1!
ter" (Finkel I999: 22I). I41 [an-na-an-na] dumu an-na-an-na
Another point of interest is the insertion of I 51 [sa dingir-su an-na-a]n-na is-ta-ar-su an-
the Akkadian formula of self-identification into na-ni-tum
the Sumerian spell. It divides the text into two I6 1 [dasal-lu-b-e] igi <M>-im-ma-an-sig7
parts: (a) a description ofa rabid dog, identifYing I7' [x-ni (x)J giri-gub-bi
it with evil forces, and a plea for Asallub-e to I8 1 [gJ1ri-m[u-seJ b-e-bi-ib-gub-be
respond by casting the appropriate spell, and (b) I91 rdlnin-[1-si-in-n]a ama su-b-al-bi
a prayer in the first person asking for help from 20 1 [a]ma u[ru]-sag-ga!(ma)-kam
Asallub-e and Gula. Logically, the first part was 2I 1 su sedII re1 -da-ni ha-ma-bur-e
~
19
stroke me with her hands that radiate cold. ' Lady who Revives the Dead, Amasuhalbi
Tu-Enenuru-spell. (Akk. Gula) soothe him vvith the stroke ofher
20
, Incantation formula against a dog. holy hands." In another incantation, where
the name Amasub.albi is lacking, underlying
Notes
knowledge of the name nevertheless gener-
iii 3'. This line is not present on No.8. ates an appropriate epithet (K 6057+7928+ iii
iii 5' II i ro'. For gi-bar-bar, projectile weapons 8', ed. Bock 2014: II3): r U1 -sap-sa-ab dgu-la ina
-vvith shafts of reed, see PSD B I r6. It will be qatt(su)min -sa sa te-ni-ib-ti* (coli.; see already
recalled that Mesopotamian incantations were CAD T 342, citing K 7928: 8) "Gula calms
"thrown" (sub= nadum), as ifweapons aimed (the patient) with her hands ofsoothing." The
at a target. Akkadian makes use of the equivalences su =
iii 7' II [i 12']. gis-pa = (nam)-sub: see the main qatu "hand" and hal-bi = supsubu "calm,"
introduction. nuhbu "soothe." Elsewhere, in a syncretistic
hymn to Gula, Amasuhalbi is glossed other-
iii I5'-I6' I I i 19 1-20 1 • Ninisinna's two epithets
wise (Craig 1897= r6 obv. r8): dama-su-hal-bi
are standard items from the repertoire in
um!-mu re-mi-ni-tum! mu-sap-si-hat zu-um-ri
praise of Gula. For ama uru-sag-ga see gen-
"A., merciful mother who soothes (feverish)
erally George 1993: 158 sub no. 1208. Some
bodies"; in this epithet only musapsibat derives
instances ofama su-hal-bi are cited by Romer
from the name Amasuhalbi.
I965: 245· The translation of su-hal-bi as
"cool hands" goes back to Tallqvist 1938:261 iii r8' I I i 21'. ha-balma-bur-e is for ha-ma-ab-
"Mutter Kiihlhand"; so also Reiner in trans- ur-e: su-ur is "to stroke," as in the passage of
lating Surpu VII 73 (1958: 38) "Mother Surpu quoted in the immediately preceding
whose hands are cool." Bock translates note.
"Mothenvith the soothing hand" (2014: 15).
The lexical evidence for the Sumerian word
II.D.J. No. 48 (Pl. CXVI)
halbil a and Akk. balpu demonstrates their This complete Old Babylonian incantation
associations vvith cold and soothing: see Diri shares some vocabulary and themes with other
III 113-IS: se-eA.MUS.DI = pa-sa-b[u], na-a- Akkadian snake incantations on Old Babylo-
b[u], pa-[la-bu], pu-ul-[bu], bal-p[u-u], hal-ba/ nian tablets, especially two duplicating tablets
biA.MUS.DI = bal-pu-(u), tak-r.Ja1 -[tu] "the now in the Iraq Museum (TI1\!IIX 65-66) and
compound A.MUS.DI pronounced se(d) a tablet found at Nippur (CBS 7005, all ed.
means 'to rest, to be at ease, to fear, terror, Finkel 1999: 223-29). The text is in regular
chill'; the compound A.MUS.DI pronounced Babylonian poetry, organized by line and cou-
balbali means 'chill, cold weather'." Cool plet. It begins -vvith a couplet remarking on the
hands soothe a fever, and are fitting attributes snake's key characteristics: its shoulders, eyes
of Gula as healer. and skin (ll. r-2); the phrase rapsa budasu "broad
The present passage confirms the modem are its shoulders" can only refer to a snake with
understanding of the name Amasub.albi by a hood, like those ofthe cobra family. 1 The ne:A't
making immediate allusion to Gula' s hands in two couplets record the snake's origin in the
iii r7'-r8' I I i 21' su sedrr e-da-ni. So too does
the Surpu passage cited in the previous para- ' A type of cobra, known as the Hoodless Cobra, was
graph (VII 73-75): dnin-tin-ug5-ga dama-su- reported by N. L. Corkhill as one of the four "really
hal-bi su-ur-ra sikil-bi he-em-ma-an-sed7-de
~ ~
dangerous poisonous species" of snake in 1920s Iraq.
I I he-el-tum mu-bal-lit-ta-at mi-i-ti dgu-la ina He notes (1939: 46): "though called 'hoodless', it
probably does inflate its neck to some extent."
me-sid qa-ti-sa el-le-te li-sap-sib-su "May the
Editions of Selected Texts 107
ocean and relate how, long ago in mythical time, tation is a combination oftwo originally separate
it was hungry, came ashore and took up resi- spells.
dence in a clump of rushes, which other incan- The penultimate line is a version of the Te-
tations cite as its typical habitat (3-6). The Enenuru-formula (21), but the rubric, marked off
narrative is concluded by a couplet declaring the by a ruling, is damaged and obscure; it is not a
speaker's intention to catch the snake (7-8). ka-inim-ma label, but possibly abracadabra.
Then the poem returns to where it began, but
The most obvious purpose of a snake incan-
this time noting the snake's mythical qualities
tation was to move a dangerous snake out of
(9-10). Two further couplets recount another
one's path or to counter the malign forces in its
episode in the snake's history, how it attacked a
bite. The end ofthe present exemplar envisaged
rock mountain, made a cleft in the rock, and
a different outcome, in which the speaker could
caused trees to die (1 1-13). These lines give aeti-
ologies for other habitats of the snake: holes in manipulate the snake as if it was a skipping rope.
the ground and hollows in dead trees. The snake It may be that this incantation was used by peo-
in the tree is a very well-known motifin ancient ple who worked regularly with snakes, such as
Near Eastern folklore, which informs iconog- the snakecharmer (mus-lah4 I I mus'1ahhum, see
raphy (e.g. Williams-Forte 1983) as well as writ- Gelb 1975: 60-61; Pientka-Hinz2009: 214; and,
ing. Aside from the Garden of Eden, of course, for modern counterparts, Corkhill 1939). Some
there is the snake that lives in the roots ofinan- other snake incantations bear rubrics that may be
na's 'willow in the Sumerian poem ofGilgames interpreted to envisage the handling of snakes:
and the Netherworld (1. 42: ur-bi-a mus tu 6 nu- ka-inim-ma mus ti-l[a-kam] (VAS XVII 4, ed.
zu-e gild im-ma-ni-ib-us "at its base a Snake- van Dijk 1969: 540), perhaps neither "pour
that-Knows-No-Chann had made its nest"). revivifierunserpent" (vanDijk 1969: 540), "urn
The snake that resists control by magic, ~erri la eine Schlange zu beleben" (id. 1971: 10 sub no.
siptim, was an acknowledged source of anxiety 4) nor "for recovering from a snake" (Cunning-
in Babylonia, and occurs in the snake incanta- ham 1997= 153 no. 363), but "incantation for-
tion ILD.8 No. 27a obv. 4, 14.
mula for a live snake," i.e. to handle it without
The poem ends with a mannam luspur-for- being bitten. The rubrics ka-inim-ma mus dab 5-
mula in three couplets, one for the question itself
be-da-kam (Jestin 1947: 55-56; OECT V 24;
(14-15) and two eArpressing the desired out-
VAS XVII 3) I I dab 5-ba-(kam) (YOS XI 19;
come: the snake's immobilization by the warrior
3 3?) "incantation formula to seize a snake"
godNingirsu-who can bind gods and will have
could refer to immobilization (dab I I ~abatum
no difficulty putting a snake out of action-and
"to seize; paralyse"), but might also be taken lit-
the subordination of its rope-like properties to
the speaker's -vvill so that he will be able to charm erally, "to catch hold of a snake" (cf Pientka-
it without danger (16-20). Hintz 2009: 212, "(gegen) eine zu ergreifende
Structurally the incantation thus falls into S [chlange] "). The use of incantations in snake-
two halves, ll. 1-8 and9-20, each ofwhich iden- channing may well have been analogous to that
tifies the snake and tells its mythical history. The noted in Baghdad in the 1920s by N. L. Corkhill,
strategies for enchanting the snake differ, how- one of whose visitors (1939: 47) "claimed to be
ever: in the first part the exorcist declares his able to handle any snake with impunity by virtue
intention of catching the snake himself (7-8), of reciting certain passages from the Koran
while in the second he enlists divine aid (14-20). which had been taught him by a sheikh in Persia
On structural grounds it seems that the incan- under an oath of non-revelation."
ro8 J\1esopotamian Incantations
journey :from ocean to reed-bed: marratum, BM II3625: s'-II 1, ed. Kouwenberg and
nagbum, kibrum, suppum. Fincke 2012-I3: I42-43; and No. 2Il rev.
7-8. The rushes are a traditional habitat of the 32'-34' (quoted in Part I). Ningirsu here
mythical basmum. Other Old Babylonian snake appears in the formula for the first time.
incantations deploy the line ina suppatim irab- I 6. I owe butumtum to Mark Weeden.
bi~ basmum "the b. lurks in the rushes" (CBS I7. The dative su:fiL'< -sum is dittography from
7005: 5, TDVIIX 65: 8 I I 66: 8, all ed. Finkel the line above: read lisar'ibassu.
I999: 223-26); see also, :from Susa, Sb 12630: I8. litba5su < litbalsu (GAO §34c).
3 (ed. Cavigneaux I998: 6I): sa-pa-al su-up-
pa-a-tim na-a-di ki-i ba-as-mi "it lies under the
rushes like a b." II.D.B. No. 27a, c (Pls. LXXIV-LXXV)
IO. Parallels: u-lu-mi-ma sa li-bi-su (TDVI IX 6s: The two Akkadian incantations on the Old
IO I I 64: Io); 7 pa-ar-ul-lu sa ki-sa-di-su (CBS Babylonian tablet No. 27 are directed against
7005: 8-9). In the present instance the word snake and scorpion. The snake incantation (obv.
mu-bi-lu is either a previously unattested II/ I I-rev. Io') shares several phrases -vvith other Old
participle < wabalum or a mistake for mubab- Babylonian snake incantations, particularly
bilu, and the phrase speaks for a very plausible II.D.7 No. 48 and TDVIIX 65 I I 66 (ed. Finkel
beliefthat hidden parts ofthe snake's anatomy I999: 226-229). Like others of the genre, it
give it motion. includes a list of snakes that does not seem to be
derived :from academic sources, e.g. lexical lists,
I 3. Cf. the snake incantations TIM IX 6 5 I I 66:
and therefore probably has an origin in folklore.
a/al-la-na-am ha-ma-di-ra-am
~
us-te-el-q£'
Unfortunately, the latter half of the text is too
OECTXV 260: I2-I 3: al-la-lam ha-ma-di-ru-
damaged to reconstruct.
um us-ta-li-ik. If ustalik is likewise active in the
After a Sumerian spell to heal bones (II.F.2
present instance, isdu must be accusative sin-
No. 27b) comes another Akkadian incantation
gular, construct state in final -u. The image of
(rev. I6'-25'). It is a very simple charm against
the oak withered up by a demonic force also
scorpions. It quotes the words ofEnki, express-
occurs in later Lamastu incantations, (a) :from
ing indignation that a creature he made should
Ugarit (Nougayrol I969: 396 ii I2'-I3'): [ebir
have become an agent of death, and command-
a~ -la-an giSbututta(lam-gal) ba-ma-di-ru-ta ul-
ing its demise.
ta-lak "[she passed] oak and terebinth, making
them wither up"; and (b) in the canonical No. 27a
series (Farber 20I4: 90 I I86): i-mid g;sal-la-nu obv.
u gisbu-ut-nu sa sadf(kur)i ba-ma-di-ru-tu ul-ta- I e-ti-iq ti-tu-ra-am
lik "she leaned against oak and mountain tere- 2 u-~i na-~a-ba-am
binth and made them wither up." Note that 3 a~-ba-at ku-ur-si-da-am
allanum and butnu (butumtu) are also neighbors 4 ~erri(mus) la si-ip-tim
in another incantation :from Ugarit (Arnaud 5 si-in-na-su mi-ir-me-er-ru-um
2007 pl. 6: 6: al-la-an u bu-tu-um-r ta1 ) and in 6 li-sa-[a]n-su be-e-ri-nu-um
our ll. I6-I7. 7 pa-ap-pa-al-li-ib-bi-su
I4-I5. Examples of the mannam luspur-formula 8 a-ga-ar-ga-ru-um
are collected by Goetze I955: I4-I6, Farber 9 u li-ib-ba-su
I990b, Cunningham I99T I2I-22, to which ro pu-lu-ub-ta-am ma-lu-u
add, in addition to the present instance, Cav- I I a~-ba-at ~erram(mus) na-pi-sa-ni-a-am
igneaux I994= I56ll. I5'-I6'; Farber I998: 66 I2 u-bu-ur-ri-is i-la-ak
r U na-wi-ra-am
1
iii s-6; Michel2oo4: 396ll. 8-Io; CCTV so I 3
IIO JVIesopotamian Incantations
20
I4 [?e]rri([m]us) la si-ip-tim a little snake of the wood-pile,
1
I 5 [a ],1--ba-at ku-up-pi-r a-am [I seized] a black snake of the vineyard:
I6 [s]aF a1 -bi-a-am a-la-al-ti-a-am [I seized] the mouths of all snakes.
I7 [d] a? -qa-am ~erri(mus) me-e [I seized] their tails, I led (them)
I 8 [mu] -us-ta-hi-ta-am ~erri(mus) [between] two rushes, 25 [ ••• ] rushes I
gusurim(gis-r ur1 ) tied [... ]
I9 [mu-uJt-ta-ah-li-il-lam ~erri(muS) a-pa-tim Continuation too damaged for translation, then:
20 [qa-a] l-la-am ~erri(mus) bu-li-a-r tim1 [Tu]-Enenuru-spell. Incantation formula
rev. 9'-IO'
2I [ ayba-aJt ~a-al-ma-am ~erri(mus) against [snakes.]
kariinim(gestin)
No. 27c
22 [a~-ba-aJt pi-i ~eni(mus)hi-a ka-la-ma
rev.
23 [~-ba-a] t zi-ib-ba-ti-su-nu
24 [bi-ri-it] si-ta ur-ba-tim u-ru-ma I 6' [i-na li-t] b-bi-ia ab-ni-i-ka
25 [x (x) x] ur-ba-tim I7' [i-na tl] dim([i]m) sa qa-ti-ia
26 [x (x) x Jx-um ar-ku-us I8' r e1 -pu-us-ka
27 [x x x x x] rx da1 ba-as-ma-am I9 1 [m]a-an-nu-um a-na sa-am-mi-im
28 [x X X X X X X x] a-la-al-tim 20 1 [sja mu-tim u-te-er-ka
gap 2I 1 zuqaqipum(gl.r-tab) li-da-r ai-pa-a~
rev. 22' a-wi-lum li-ib-lu-ut
I' . . .]rxl 23' den-ki be-l£ ki-a-am iq-bi
1 t ,.. ,.. r 1
2 • • • ]x du s[a?J 24 tu 6 en-e-nu- ru
3' [x x x x x Jx li-bi-it-[t]um? 25' ka-inim-ma gl.r-tab
41 [x X X X x] Sa-ha-ar-ru-um 16'-24' "I formed you [insideJ me, I made you
5' [x x x x Jx mu-rut1 -tum [from the J dirt on my hands. Who turned you
6' .. .Jx-ti into a 'plant of death'? May the scorpion be
7' .. .J-im squashed(?), may the man recover!" My lord
8' .. .J-ia Enki spoke thus. Tu-Enenuru-spell.
9' [tu6] en-re1 -nu-ru 25
' Incantation formula against scorpions.
Io' [ k]a-inim-m[a m]u[s?]-kam
Notes
It crossed a bridge, it came out of a drain-
obv. 2. This clause occurs in TI1VIIX 65 I I 66:
pipe:
I seized the viper, a snake impervious 5, ed. Finkel I999: 226.
to spells, 4· The spell-resistant snake recurs in TI1VIIX 65
5 whose tvvin fangs were a (lightning) flash, I I 66: I-2.
whose tongue was sword-grass, 5· Another Old Babylonian incantation against
whose scutes were fish-spawn and snake-bite has a related line (VAS XVII 4: 4-
whose inside 10 was full ofhorror. 5, ed. van Dijk I969: 540): li-sa-na-su bi-ir-bi-
I seized a sniffer snake (as) it was moving ir-ru-um "its forked tongue is a (lightning)
through the fields, flash." The word mermerru(m) othervvise
and a shiny snake impervious to spells, occurs at Ugarit as a property of demons in a
15
[I] seized an eel-(snake), a sabi'um-snake, fragmentary Akkadian incantation (N ougay-
an alalti'um-snake, rol I968: 3 I 1. 2I; Arnaud 2007: 77), where it
a little water-snake, a snake climbing was identified by N ougayrol as a variant of
into the rafters, birbirrum (p. 36). The present usage of merm-
a snake slithering through the vvindows, errum suggests he was right.
Editions of Selected Texts III
6. My rendering of this metaphor arises from Summa alu XXIV (ed. Freedman 2oo6: 6I-
two properties of berinnum: (a) it is a plant of 7I).
some kind (c£ 11 bi-ri-in = lardu) and (b) it can 20. I take bu-li-a-tim as plural of bulum "kin-
pierce the body, as indicated by a simile in the dling." A pile of dry wood makes an excellent
OB letter from Ur-Nanse to the goddess habitat for a snake; c£ Sum. mus ki-bil-la,
Ninsianna (TCL I 9 obv. Io'-12', ed. Kraus with note on ILE.4 No. 7i iv 25'.
I97I: 30): du-lu-um ki-ma he-ri-ni-im i-te-ru-ub
21. In CBS 7005: I4-I5 (ed. Finkel I999= 224)
a-na li-bi-ia "misery has entered my heart like
the "snake of the vineyard" is described as
b."; see further Kraus I97I: p. A translation
fighting the snake-charmer: mus gisgdtin-na
"sword-grass" gives the intended effect in
sa it-ti wa-Si-p{-su im-ta-ah-~u.
English, whether or not it is botanically cor-
rect. rev. I7'-I8'. Enki's creation of the scorpion
"from the dirt on his hands" is reminiscent of
7- The pappan-libbim is the belly; on a snake, the
his creation of the cult-performers kUJ;garra
belly has scales or scutes that help it move, and
andgalaturra from umbin-si-ni mu-dur7 "the
it is these, rather than the belly as a whole, that
dirt under his fingemails," in Inanna's Descent
look like spawn. In another OB snake incan-
222-23, and of $altum, the divine personifi-
tations the snake's scales are likened to the
cation of fighting, in the Agusaya poem
pattern made on the trunk of a date-palm by
(Groneberg I99T 79 v 27-28). Such an act
the successive lopping of its fronds (CBS
can be appraised as a literary-mythological
7005: 3): su-um-ki-nu-su su-um-ki-in gisimma-
topos. The scorpion, the cult performers and
rim(gis-nimbar) "its 'wood-chips' are a date-
$altum were, each in their own way, unde-
palm's wood-chips" (pace Finkel I999: 224-
sirable vermin, which explains their common
25).
aetiology.
9-Io. libbasu ... malu is a subordinate clause,
2I 1-22 1• A parallel plea ends an Old Babylonian
presumably attached to the stat. constr. ~erri in
incantation agianst dog-bite (Sigrist I987= 87
L 4-
ll. I o- I I): ka-al-bu-um li-mu-ut-ma a-wi-lumli-
I I. The word that qualifies the snake is evident- ib-lu-ut {ras.?} "May the dog die and the man
ly napls "breath, scent" +an + 1' and can be live!" Here the place of limut is taken by
added to the other adjectives ending -anl'um lid(d)appa~, which I can only e:Arplain as an
in GAO §56r: remenum "compassionate" and irregular form of napa~um, either II/ 2 instead
baranum "rebellious." The translation "sniff- of expected littappi~ or IV I 3 instead of
er" is a guess. expected littanpa~.
I2. uburris is understood as a variant of aburris.
II.D.g. No. 49 (Pl. CXVIII)
I 5. The eel-snake also occurs in TI1VI IX 6 5 I I
The first part of this Old Babylonian incan-
66: 4-
tation in Akkadian is fully recoverable but
I6. Perhaps c£ Uruanna III 262: u-lil-la-en-na = understanding of the latter part is hampered by
a-p!bu-u (among crawling things), and .1\!Ialku damage. The rubric's keyword is also lost, but
V I8: ab-bu-u = na-mas-su-u "a creature." the content ofthe foregoing leaves no doubt that
I8-I9- The syntax is unusual: literally "an ever the topic is the scorpion. The incantation is
jumping snake of the rafter, an ever slithering remarkable for its intertextual allusions. It has
snake of the windows." The snake that comes language in common vvith other Akkadian scor-
in through the window is also known to TIM pion spells, it adapts a couplet that occurs in the
IX 65 I I 66: 4: ~e-ri a-ap-tim. Snakes in house Gilga.J.neS epic, and it provides an early instance
rafters are a topos in omen literature, e.g. of a mythological episode found elsewhere,
II2 J.Vfesopotamian Incantations
when a scorpion stings a god's finger in a brick- and turning over the bricks oflapis lazuli, Enlil's
yard. little finger, may it/he send here." lisebila is a
The incantation is composed in regular very inept replacement for zuqaqlpu izqut.
Babylonian poetry, except for the mythological In the present text the subject of izqut is
episode shared with other incantations, which present only in its last syllable, /tu/, which
does not exhibit the same pattern and whose excludes zuqaqtpum "scorpion." I have restored
word-order is indistinguishable from prose. The libittu(m) "brick" because it fits the context in
first twelve lines are SL'C lines ofpoetry which fall two ways. First, Sl:n was engaged in restacking a
into three couplets. The first couplet identifies brick pile when he was stung. The scorpion was
the scorpion by color and behavior, partly from hiding in a void between bricks, and stung his
the imagination (11. I-4); it is reminiscent of the little finger as he lifted a brick out. In a way,
opening of another Old Babylonian scorpion then, the brick pile stung him. Second, the
spell, which also begins waruq (N ougayrol I 972: incantation has previously identified the scor-
I4I-42ll. 7-8, quoted in the textual note on 1. pion's upper body with a brick (1. 7 budasu libit-
4). The second couplet juxtaposes the dusty tum) for the purposes of sympathetic magic, and
creature with a brick and a bottle (s-8). The probably repeats that identification in the fol-
third calls for brick and bottle to be destroyed, lowing lines (2o-2I: rukus lib[ittam] ina qannlsa).
so that the "firebrands" carried by the scorpion The brick is thus established as a metaphor for
-vvill be extinguished, meaning its capacity to the scorpion.
hurt -vvill be disabled (9-12). This is clearly an Mterthe brickyard episode the composition
allusion to an accompanying ritual, in which a reverts to poetry. The first line of the next cou-
brick and a bottle, made consubstantial with the plet is too damaged to reconstruct (I8-I9) but
scorpion by magic means, were respectively the second is a good poetic line (2o-2I). The
broken up and ripped open in an act of sympa- second line, and probably also the first, give the
thetic magic. command to immobilize the scorpion by bind-
Having made the identification of scorpion ing its "horns," i.e. pincers, but the object of
and brick, the incantation incorporates a prose rukus "tie up" is not zuqaqtpam but li-[x x]. For
account ofan episode in mythical time in which reasons given in the preceding paragraph, this is
a scorpion stung the moon-god Sl:n in a brick- again restored li[bittamJ "brick," signifying the
yard (I3-I7)- The episode is also related in the scorpion as in the magic ritual alluded to in ll. 7-
damaged scorpion incantation No. 2Il (rev. 9- One might suppose accordingly that the dam-
3 I'): i-na e-pe-es bi-tim su-ba-al-ku-ut a-ma-ri-im aged ll. I 8-I9 referred to the disabling of the tail
u-[ba]-an dsfn(suen) ~ehertam(tur-ra) zuqaqlpum of the "bottle," elaborating the previous equa-
(gir-tab) iz-qu-ut "when he was building a tion, but I have not been able to find a reading
house, turning over a brick pile, a scorpion of the traces compatible with that expectation.
stung Sl:n's little finger." A much later parallel The outcome of the binding of the scorpi-
exists in a namburbi for scorpion-sting appended on's pincers (and presumably tail) is that it is ren-
to Summa alu XXXI, where Enlil take's Sl:n's dered incapable of threat. The language used
place and the final words are corrupted or lost, may be proverbial, but it is unlikely to be a coin-
destroying the sense (CT 3 8 3 8: 62-64, ed. Maul cidence, nonetheless, that this incantation so
I994= 345ll. rr'-I3 1, Freedman 2006: I58 r. 8'- nearly reflects SB Gilgamd V I65 (= I42 in
Io'): den-l£l btta(e) ippus(du)"5 a-ma-ra ina ka-se-e- George 2003: 6o8), which describes Bumbaba
su libitti(sig4) na4 uqnf(za-gin) ina su-bal-ku-ti-su u- when thirteen winds sent by the sun-god Samas
ba-an den-l£l ~e-her-tu li-se-bi-la "Enlil was build- immobilized him for Gilgarnd: ul inakkip ana
ing a house. When he was stacking a brick pile panlsu ul irahhi~ ana arklsu "he could not charge
Editions of Selected Texts II3
9 li-ih-<he>-pi li-bi-it-tum 2
o-
21
Bind the [brick] by [its] horns!
Io li-is-sa-ri-it na-du-um 22
May it not charge forward,
I I li-ib-li di-pa-ar 23
may it not kick backward!
n zi-ib-ba-ti-su uqa-an-ni-[su] 24 25
- Let it drink ... poison ... !
I3 dstn(suen) bi-it-su i-rpu1 -us 2 29
6-- (damaged, no connected sense
I4 [i-na] e-pe-es bi-ti-su
obtainable)
I5 [i-na sju-ba-al-rku1 -ut a-ma-[ri-im] 30
I will take up a weapon against it.
I 6 [u-bJa-an dsfn(suen) ,)e-he-[er-tam] 31 34
- (damaged, no connected sense
rev.
obtainable)
I7 [li-br]-tu iz-qu-ut 35
Incantation formula [against scorpions.]
I8 [x (x)] rx1 ti [x]
I9 [x x]-idd rx x1 [x x] Notes
20 ru-ku-us li-[bi-it-tam] 3. A flying scorpion may not be a zoological
2I i-na qa-an-[n]i-[sa] reality, but one is recorded nonetheless in
22 a-a ik-ki-r ip a1 -[na p] a-r a1 -[ni-su] Una XIV 370: g:lr-tab-RI.RI-ga = (zuqaqzpu)
23 a-a ir-hi-i,l' a-na wa-a[r-ki-su] mu-ut-tap-ri-su "flying scorpion." The
24 im-ta-am is-x um [x x] winged scorpionfly (Panorpa nuptialis), whose
25 li-is-ti x x ak [x x] abdomen mimics the scorpion's tail, is not
26 lPit1 -ta-pa-a,) pa-rsr'1-[ru-um?] known to have lived in ancient Mesopota-
27 pa-Si-ir-tum [~Px x1 mia, but winged monsters with scorpion tails
28 pa-si-ir rx x x1 -tim occur in Mesopotamian iconography (Green
29 i-na zi- [ba?] -t[r]-su I994: 25 5) and speak for the existence of a fly-
30 lu-U,)-ba-as-sum ka-r ak1 -k[a-am] ing scorpion in Babylonian mythology and
3I sa ma-a-[x (x)J the BabylOnian imagination.
32 wa-si-ib!p x x x [x x x] 4. The word bastum is a rare variant of the
33 a-xxx [xxx] thorny plant hal tum that, according to the dic-
34 ka-si-ip [x x x x] tionaries, only occurs much later, in a medical
II4 JVlesopotamian Incantations
text from Nineveh (A1V1T 8 8 no. 2: I I gisba-as- roj ected into mythical time in an episode related
te). Another instance of bastum < baltum that in several incantations, in which a scorpion
describes the habitat of scorpions occurs in an stings S1n' s little :finger while he is turning bricks
Old Babylonian spell already published (see II.D.9 No. 49 introduction and ll. I3-I7).
(Nougayrol I972: I4I-42ll. 7-9): wa-ru-uq i- In the present text the brick-making tools are
na ba-as-tim I sa-bur i-na ba-~{ I im-ta i-su i-na made of precious materials. They are thus to be
na-al-ba-ni "yellow amid the thistles, motion- identified as tools of the gods and probably
less in the sand, it has poison in the brick allude to the same mythological episode.
mould." N ougayrol translated the :first clause The action here is also placed in the past, in
"vert dans (sa) beaute," but the thorny shrub mythical time, and thus provides a blueprint for
baltum makes a better parallel for sand, as
future treatment, as in many more complex
already seen by Benjamin Foster, who trans-
incantations. The treatment given the divine
lates "green in the thornbush" (I996: 86I;
envoy is expressed in direct speech, as a com-
similarly Pientka 2004: 389). Other Old
mand to give him water so that he could con-
Babylonian examples of bastum < baltum
tinue on his errand (s-8). From the prayer in 1.
occur in the present volume, in II.I.2 No.
I 5 we learn that these were Enki's words. There
23b: 7, where ba-as-ta-am is uprooted; and in
the medical therapeutic text No. 73 (1. I6): follows a legitimation formula and a prayer for
ha-at•-ti su-[ne] -em u ba-as-tim tu-ub-ba-a-al the victim's recovery (9-I5). One might expect
"you dry leaves of s. and b." The probable that to be the end of the incantation and the
botanical identification of baltum (Sumerian rubric to follow. However, inserted before the
gisdib.) is the camel thorn Alhagi maurorum rubric (27) are two sets of instructions for treat-
(Civil I987a: 41-42, I987b: 52). "Thistle" is ment. These are hardly comparable with the rit-
used here to convey in English the properties ual instructions that occur in Asallub.e-Enki
of baltum that are important for the word as a type incantations, for they are introduced by
creator of meaning: its ubiquity in arable land conditional clauses, in the manner of therapeu-
and unpleasantness to handle. tic texts. A similar Old Babylonian therapeutic
s. The phrase eper sadisu, a calque of Sum. sab.ar ritual, also for scorpion-sting, occurs on its own
kur-ra-(k) "mountain dirt," means crude ore in II.L.r No. 72.
mined for precious metals (George I985: Incantations are occasionally followed by
rro). Its application to the scorpion perhaps therapies, and it would seem that in this text the
refers to glints in its coloring, as if inside its rubric has been displaced from its correct posi-
dirty outer skin lie hidden silver, gold and tion at the end of the incantation to the end of
lapis lazuli. the text as a whole. The :first instruction is ather-
II.D.1o. No. 3od (Pl. LXXXI) apy in which dough is placed at the junctions of
The :first four lines of this Old Babylonian the trunk and limbs (I6-I9), a treatment prob-
incantation in Akkadian also occur on II.D.rr ably elaborated in the preceding lacuna (No.
No. 24, but separated. The passage falls into two 3oc, instruction to moisten dough as remedy for
parts, (a) invoking brick-making tools and (b) scorpion-sting, quoted in Part I) and certainly in
reporting that a scorpion stung a divine envoy the text ILL.I No. 72, q.v. The second treat-
(3-4). The brickyard was a notorious habitat for ment is the ingestion ofwater, as in the primeval
scorpions and brick-making was an activity in precedent but vvith added detail: the water's
which scorpion-stings were an occupational latent healing power has to be activated by the
hazard (e.g. imta isu ina nalbani, see the textual -incantation, and accompanied by an assertion of
note on II.D.9 No. 49: 4). This hazard was ret- the victim's good health (20-26).
Editions of Selected Texts II5
col. ii Notes
1
[na-a~-rba -[an] r uq -[ni-i-im]
1
I ii 3-8. A similar passage is ILD.rr No. 24: 5--'7
2 r ki-isVJ -ki-ir e-eb-b[i-im] with 9'-Io'.
3 sa-r ai-ra ma-ar ili(dingir)-[su] I3. The god Ensigal-Abzu "Chief Bailiff of
4 zuqaqipum(gl.r-tab) iz-qu-[su] Abzu" is listed as a minor member ofEnki's
r ma -ar si-ip-ri-[im]
1
5
household in An II 292, where he has no
6 me-e si-q{-i-[ma] specified function but is explained as Amurru.
7 a-rlC-ik ur-hi-im la ka-l[z] In SB Udug-huliV Io7' (ed. Geller 2007= II4)
8 a-la-ka-am li-pu-u[sj he is invoked in the zi-pad formulae as nu-
9 si-ip-tum r U1 -ul ia-tum ban-da kur-ra a-ab-ba-ke 4 I I la-pu-ut-te-e
IO sz-pa-at
v· den-ki dr as all - 1'u-h~ e
sadt(kur) u tam-tim "constable of mountain
II uden -si-cral-abzu
5 0 and sea."
I2 . qz-'b'z-zt· den- rki1
r-na
I3 dasal-lu-he ~
uden -si-gal-abzu
5
II.D.11. No. 24 (Pl. LXX)
I4 ma-ah-~u-um li-ib-lu-ut-ma The obverse of this Old Babylonian tablet
I5 q£-bi-it den-ki l[i-si-z] r holds a self-contained incantation against scor-
I6 sum-ma ma-ah-~u-um r it1 -ta-r al-kam1 pion-sting, ending vvith the appropriate rubric.
I7 li-sa-am a-na sa-ha-tP su1 The gods' brick-making tools are invoked, as at
I8 a-na ri-bi-ti-i-rSU1 the beginning ofiLD.Io No. 30d, and appar-
I9 ta-sa-ak-ka-an ently requested to speak to Asallube (I-4). In the
20 sum-ma rma1 -ar si-ip-ri-im light oftheprecedingspell (ILD.Io No. 30dii 3-
2I i-la-ka-ak-kum 8), it seems that the vital clause zuqaqipum izqus-
22 Si-ip-ta-am a-na me-e ta-na-adJ dz'~-ma su is lacking between lis. 5 and 6, but is supplied,
i-sa-at-ti after a repetition ofl. 5, on the left edge (8'-9').
ki-a-am ta-qa-ab-bi-sum The message to Asallube is that a messenger on
25 um-ma an-na-an-na-ma dispatch has been stung by a scorpion and some
26 ba-al-ta-r tz'~ magic is needed to help him continue on his way
27 rka1-inim-ma gl.r-[tab] (5-7).
4
The te:A't is interrupted by damage at the top
r- Brick mould oflapis lazuli, brick board of
of the reverse, but the surviving surface is
pure (silver): a scorpion stung an envoy, son of
inscribed with signs that were written obliquely
[his] god. 5_ 8 "Give the messenger water to
and may not be part of an incantation. When
drink, so that the traveller is not held up! Let
text in horizontal lines resumes, it seems to pro-
him continue travelling!" 9-u The incantation
vide a combination of syllabic Sumerian and
is not mine, it is an incantation ofEnki, Asal-
Akkadian content, but no rubric occurs. The
lube and Ensigal-Abzu. r2-r 5 By command of
Sumerian part mentions the moon-god Nanna
Enki, Asallube and Ensigal-Abzu may the
and the divine purifier, Kusu, with her spouse,
stung person get better, and Enki's command
Indagar (I'-4'). I tis uncertain how they relate to
come true!
9 If a stung person comes (to you), you
each other in this context: the translation given
r6-r
here is provisional. The ensuing Akkadian text
place dough in his armpits and his groin(?). 2 o-
(5'--'7') is also obscure.
23 If a messenger comes to you, you cast the
spell over water and he drinks it. 24- 26 You say obv.
to him as follows, "So-and-so, you are alive I [n]a-al-ba-r an1 na.tuqn£m(za-rgin1 -a)
and well!" 2 ke-es-ki-ir-ri! eb-bi-i
27
Incantation formula for a scorpion. 3 a-na a-sa-lu-uh mari(dumu) e-a
II6 Niesopotamian Incantations
dasal-lu-b.e mari(dumu) den-ki i-ir-ru-ba-am. In addressee ofthe tvvo incantations. She is asked to
his remarks on the text van Dijk supposed that lock up her children and go out. Thereby the
the ending of askuppatum was "locative or a mis- house is made clear of this nuisance.
take" (van Dijk et al. I985: 20), clearly thinking A comparable short Old Babylonian spell,
that the word signified an adverbial phrase, e.g. against flies, is YOS XI 6 (ed. Veldhuis I993b:
"over the threshold." The tvvo further versions 42; ka-inim-ma nim-ma-kam ka-kes-re-da-
of the spell published here have instead askup- kam "incantation formula for flies, to 'bind' =
pum, the unmarked-feminine counterpart of immobilize them").
askuppatum, also apparently locative. No. sob
The topic of the incantation is indicated by rev.
the rubric of No. sob: ka-inim-ma ni-im-bu, 6 [li]-ri-ri-a i-ti-la
but the keyword is obscure. An aid in deter- 7 []x -u l-ma-am tr-'b'rt am1 -n-tm
••
Digestive problems are summed up in the to Ninisinna (SR T 6 = Ninisinna A 32-3 5, ed.
rubrics of ancient Mesopotamian incantations Romer I969: 284; also Bock 20I4: 25). Conse-
either in symptomatic terms, e.g. sa-gig "sick quently I render these two afflictions as "stom-
insides" and lib is-gig "sick guts," or in aetio- ach-ache" and "gut-ache."
logical terms, e.g. ze "gall" and sammi libbim Treatment of internal pain involved a com-
"heart-grass." The latter attributed the problem bination ofmagic and medicine from the earliest
to the ingestion of malign forces, which "seized" period, as is now clear from the Old Sumerian
the insides. Another aetiology is a demonic incantation ILE. I. In that text, as also in ILE.2,
"stormwind," which carried with it "sick in- 5, 6, 8 and 9, part of the treatment is to address
sides" and many other health problems. This the malign power behind the pain, to force it out
aetiology has already been met in the incanta- of the patient by strength of magic and divine
tions edited in ILA. I 5 and similar texts, which authority, much like the exorcism of a named
activate bread dough and clay for rubbing on demon.
the afflicted person. A classic statement partic- In addition, the incantation ILE. I com-
ular to sa-gig occurs in an incantation against mends as of divine origin the therapeutic rem-
"wind" (ka-inim-ma im-a-kam): edy of special water administered internally.
im ab-ba rim1 -ma-rta-ri1 The water, described as "water of Tigris and
a-ab-ba sig-ga-ta im-ma-rta-ri1 Euphrates," was river or well water consecrated
a-ab-rba nim1 -ta im-ma-ta-ri by incantation and thus in some senses holy, like
the water in the Kultmittelbeschworungen edited
ran1 -ur-ta du-a-ni
above (ILA.5-8). Administering specially pre-
sa-gig im-de6 libis-gig im-de6
pared liquid by mouth continues to be a remedy
lu-u rS -lu pap-hal-la
~
ba-ni-in-dab 5
in the second millennium, when it becomes
OECT V 23: I-6, see Cavigneaux and clear that the liquid is a solution of salt in water
Al-Ravvi I995b: I9I or beer (texts II.E.3, 4 and IO), and that the
The stormwind blew over the sea, it blew Babylonians already practised what is today
from the lower sea, it blew from the upper sea. called "salnvater purging" (on salt in Babylonian
As it came from the horizon it brought stom- medicine see further the main introduction). In
ach-ache, it brought gut-ache. It seized the ILE. 3 and 4 the therapy is prescribed as god-giv-
suffering man. en in the incantation itself, but in ILE.Io we
have an early example of an incantation accom-
The "wind" of this incantation's rubric is panied by a medical therapy ("ritual"). The rit-
probably not simple flatulence- though this ual prescribes purging the patient (in this case
may have been a symptom- but the "storm- cattle or sheep suffering from bloat) by the intro-
wind" that it describes: a demon-like power duction of a strong saline solution. In all cases
which was considered to have entered the suf- the therapeutic measure of purging was surely
ferer's body and been trapped there, giving rise reinforced by casting a spell on the purging solu-
to digestive ailments. Descriptions in incanta- tion, in the belief that doing so would enhance
tions refer variously to symptoms of digestive the remedy's effectiveness.
ailments like dyspepsia, constipation and diar-
rhoea, but the common denominator is internal II.E.1. No. 1g (Pl. II)
pain, often described as intense and violent (e.g. This Old Sumerian incantation against
ILE.5). The effect ofSa-giglibis-gigin particular stomach-ache has matter in common with an
is intense abdominal pain, as described in a hymn incantation from Fara (Krebernik I984 no. II).
120 }vfesopotamian Incantations
s1ons of the formula have, instead of the II.E.2. J\To. 1h (Pl. II)
senior god's disbelieving question, an admis- The Early Dynastic tablet No. I continues
sion by the junior deity that he does not know with a second Old Sumerian incantation against
what to do (e.g. T1VIHVI 4: 12; I5: I7): a-ra stomach-ache. The spell relates a very simple
1b-ak.-na-bi nu-(mu)-zu "I do not know how story, again from mythical time: stomach-ache
I should proceed with it." and gut-ache attacked a person (ix 4), a benign
7· See above, II.D.2 No. Ifvii I. god called Bab.ar-Enunzaku captured them and
9-ix I. The version from Fara reads (Krebernik tied them to the sun (5-8), which took them to
I984: 77 iv' 2-4): dnin-l:;lA.MUS.A.DU umbin- the netherworld where they belonged. Once
se na b.a-mu-ta-ni-DU.DU; in the light of the there, Ningirimmaletthemgo (9-IO). The sto-
present text this can now be rendered, "Nin- ry bears the message for later sufferers that, just
girimma will make the spell come forth to the as that same sun goes down every evening, and
fingernails." The idea appears to be that sub- its flames subside, so too the pain will in due
sequent trimming of the nails would sever the course go away of itself (x I-3).
link between sufferer and problem. The word Another version of this incantation is pre-
na, seemingly a term for "spell," is discussed served on a tablet found in a lavatory drain at
by Krebemik I984: 67. Abu Salabikh (Krebernik and Postgate 2009: I I
IAS 549). 1 Its text is given here in parallel, and
the comparison will illustrate the inconsistent
transmission of incantations in the Early Dynas-
tic period.
1
The place of discovery ofiAS 549 may imply a be-
lief that stomach disorders could be brought on by
the lavatory demon (on whom see George 2orsb:
86-90), but there is no certainty that a lavatory was
its original conteA.'i:.
I22 iVIesopotamian Incantations
L·q-w Enenuru-spell. Stomach-ache came forth ill-bi-a) b.a-ba-an-te-te-en "may it die down
against him, his insides. Bab.ar-Enunzaku like(!) a fire in the rushes."
seized(?) the gut-[ache] like a dog. He bound 3. te-PI is taken to signifY ten-(ten) "to die
stomach-ache and gut-ache to the sun like a down, go out" (of fire).
sack ofherbs. Ningirimma released (them) in
the netherworld. x 1- 3 Stomach-ache and gut-
II.E.3. No. 7h (Pl. XXIII)
The Old Babylonian collective tablet No. 7
ache will die do·wn of their own accord, like
holds versions of two already known incanta-
a fire in the rushes.
tions against ze, a bitter, poisonous bile com-
Notes monly translated "gall." Gall was once thought
ix 4· an-na-e-e for a-n.a-e. to denote jaundice, because of its association
with the color yellow-green (van Djjk I 97I: I I
5. The god B. occurs in Ur III incantations,
sub 24-25; Alster I972a: 352). In his study ofthe
where he is dbab.ar-e-nun-za-ku lugal nam-
literary properties ofa version ofthe second gall-
isib-ba-ke4 "master of the art of purification"
incantation, Michalowski observed that it was
and acts with other benign deities (see the ref-
"conceived of as a burning acidic substance in
erences in van Dijk and Geller 2003: 67).
liquid form" and held responsible for a "form of
6. mu-da.BAD.BAD perhaps for mu-dab: BAD is intestinal disorder" (I 9 8 I: 9). His analysis is sup-
dab "to seize" reversed. This type of spelling ported by the sequence ofincantations on tablet
was called graphic metathesis by Reiner No.7, where the two Gall texts are followed by
(I982), in demonstrating the value !il of the incantations to counter stomach-ache and other
sign LIS. Graphic metathesis was already a fea- internal discomfort. Their contents confirm the
ture of third-millennium writing: the pair connection between Gall and pain in the diges-
unug and gunu4, both values of AB-gunu, is an tive tract.
instructive example. For the imagery see an The first ofthe two Gall incantations on No.
Akkadian incantation of the Ur III period 7 also occurs in abbreviated form on the Old
(NATN 9I7, ed. Gelb I95T 242): a$-ba-su . . Babylonian tablet VAS XVII 24, from which
. ki kal-bi-im r-na ki-!a-dr-!u "I seized him by some of its lines can be restored. VAS XVII 24
the neck like a dog." has been translated into Dutch (Stol I983: 304)
7· Note similar vocabulary in an Ur III incan- but never fully transliterated, so its text is given
tation against sa-gi4 "stomach-ache" (Sigrist here, immediately after No. 7h.
The incantation begins in mythical time,
I980: I 59 i 7-8): sa-gi4 pirig-gin7 zi I libis-gi4
when gall broke through the earth's surface and
ug-gU. a-ga-la.
grew like a plant in the desert (2'-3'). This aeti-
x 2. The sign sequence ZI.ZI.A is an abbreviated ology is also the incipit ofthe second gall-incan-
spelling of 6 numun. Fire in the rushes is an tation (II.E-4 No. 7i and parallels, q.v.). A man
image deployed to convey the diminution of stumbled on it and, without realizing, broke a
pain in Old Babylonian and later incantations spell that had apparently confined its ill-effects
against "gall": II.E.4 No. 7i iv 28': izi until that moment (4'-5'). The gall enveloped
urnumun-gin71 [n]i-zu. [te]-ni-ib I I Micha- him, :6.lled him up and destroyed his ability to eat
lowski I98I: I5l. 8: izi unumun-gin7m-zu/za and drink (6'-8'). Asallub.e noticed and went to
te-nilbi-ib "die down of your ovvn accord, his father for advice, according to the standard
like a fire in the rushes." Elsewhere the image pattern of Asallub.e-Enki incantations (9'-I5').
describes a fever abating (Lambert I970: 44 Most of this passage is omitted in VAS XVII 24.
IV I4-I5); of uncertain function, No. 23c Enki then supplied the appropriate prescription,
26-27= izi 6 numu~(A.ZI+ZI)-ka ri-bi-a1 (for which here takes the form of short spell com-
Editions of Selected Texts 123
man ding salt to get rid of the gall (I 6'-I 7'). The in the wild. 4'-8' The sufferer, a man all umvit-
Babylonians' use of salt and saline solution in ting, broke the spell. It spread over that man
treating digestive disorders is discussed in the like a sheet, it filled him as with brick, so he
introduction to this volume. could not eat food and could not drink water.
9
' Asallube saw him, (he went home to his
No. 7h
col. iv father Enki, etc.) lo'-ls' Enki answered his son
I' traces, probably of a rubric Asallube: "My son, what do you not(!) know,
21 [ze-am a)-gar u-sim-gin7 k[i in-dar] what can I add? Asallube, what do you not(l)
3' redin1 -[n]a ba-[mu] know, what can I add? [What I] know, you
4' rlu-Ulu pa-ba1 -al-[la] know too! [And what] I [also know] is what(l)
you know too! 16'- 18 ' Salt, mouth-opener ofthe
5' l[u n]u-zu-am rtu61 im-rx1
gods, release (the gall)! Tu-Enenuru-spell.
6' lu-rUlu1 -bi roo-ada1 -cin
0 7
mu-run-da1 -an-
19 ' Incantation formula for gall.
rbur1
7' s1g4-gm7 mu-un- rd a.-an.-s1
. . ? ? "1
Notes
8' ninda nu-gu7-gu 7 a nu-[na 8]-na8
iv 6'. Here occurs the only substantive variant in
9' dasal-lu-be igi i[m-ma-an]-sig7 VAS XVII 24, which has instead a different
Io' den-ki-ke 4 rdumu-ni1 dasal-rlu.1 -he-ra ~
image: "it made that man live like vegeta-
I I' mu-un-rna1 -ni-ib-ci -ci
0 4 0 4 tion," i.e. lie flat out on the ground.
I2 1 rd umu -1nu a-na-grn7- rzu1 a-na-na-ab -
1 •
dab-e
7'. van Dijk took si in this line (VAS XVII 24: 5)
as syllabic for sig7 "yellow" and translated "es
I3' [dasa]l-lu-he a-na-cin~ 0 7-zu a-na-na-ab-
wi.irde gelb wie ein Ziegelstein" (I97I: I I sub
dab-e
24-25). It could be pointed out that Babylo-
I4' [rlig-ga-e z]u-rmu1 za-re1 [g]in7-zu
nian bricks (sig) were mud-colored and only
I5' [u za-e gin7]-mu a-na-a[m] gin7-rzu1
became yellow when baked (sig4-al-ur-ra),
I6' rmun1 ka-dub-a dingir-rre-e-ne1
which was rarely. That aside, the logographic
I7' rU1 -mu-r e1 -[d]ub spelling si "to fill" is preferred here (so too
I8' tu6 en-e-nu-r[u]
Stol I983: 304), because it leads logically to
the next statement: the sufferer was unable to
I9' ka-inim-ma ze-[(kam)]
eat and drink because his stomach felt as if full
VAS XVII 24 of mud brick.
I ze-a u-sim-cin
0 7 ki in-dar
2 edin-na ba-am-mu II.E-4- No. 7i (Pl. XXIII)
3 lu-Ulu pap-bal-la lu-ulu nu-zu-a
This second incantation against gall on Old
Babylonian collective tablet No. 7 is made dif-
4 tu 6 im-o-az
0
lu-ulu sim-cin 0 7 mu-un-da-
an-ti ficult by partial use of syllabic orthography and
by damage to the tablet. It conforms to the same
5 sig4-cin
° 7 mu-un-da-si
6 ninda nu-QU -e a nu-na 8-na8 commonpattemasiLE.3 No. 7hll VASXVII
0 7
24: a description ofthe problem, a version ofthe
7 dasal-lu-he ici0 im-ma-an-s1
~
No. 7h and identical to that of VAS XVII 24. It mus-cinb - , BAD-ke4 ze na-an-ni-dub-be
features in the Manchester incantation cata- ze ni-za-a mu-un-si-du-un-r e1
logue (Wilcke I973: I4 no. 5: 4 [z]e-a u-sim- d[u]-uo--crin7 ka-az-ba izi-cin
bb~ b 7
rte1 -ni-ib
[gin7 ... ]), and is shared by a third, related Old 1
izi urnumun-gin7 [n]l-zu [te]-ni-ib
Babylonian spell, VAS XVII 25 (ed. Alster tu 6-dug4-ga dnin-girirnji::IA.KUD .DU)
I972a: 352). No. 7i is an incantation vvith a long mu-e
history, from the Old Babylonian period (now nam-gis-pa [erid]uki-ga
four manuscripts, including two from Nippur), den-ki-k[ e4 dag a]grun-na-ke 4 rim-ma1 -
to the first millennium (manuscripts from Nin- ab-du8-du8-e
eveh and a Babylonian site). A further exemplar, 321 [dasal]-rlu1 -Qe igi im-rma-an1 -sig7
inscribed on a black stone tablet measuring 33
1
ra-a1 -ni den-ki-ra e-se ba-rsi1 -in-ku4
125x77 mm, was recorded in transliteration by 34
1
g[u] rmu1 -un-n[a-de-e]
the late W. G. Lambert but remains unpub- 1
[a-a-mu ze-am' ' J r u-s1m
' v· 1 - [ gJ.n ki
7 mu-un-
·
35
lished.1 dar]
The spell tells the origin of gall and its career gap
(iv 20'-25 1) until confronted by a worker of 39
1
[mus agrun]-rna-ke41 ze s[ag nam-il]
magic, who commands it to go away and gap
r . . b,
declares the divine authors of his magic (26 1- 421 ... te-
] m-1
3 Il At this point the text ofNo. 7i breaks with 43
1
... te-n]i-ib
all other manuscripts ofthe incantation by inter- gap
polating an Asallub-e-Enki formula that, when 011 [den-ki-ke4 dumu-ni dasal-lu-he-(ra)]
complete, included a full repetition of the gall's In [mu-un-na-m- 1 - [gJ.. -gJ..J
.] r·b1
4
origin and threat (3 2 1-43 1). The formula is not a [dumu-mu a-na-a]m nu-z[u a-na-na-
successful addition, for it provokes a narrative ab-dab--e]
conflict with the immediately preceding lines, 311 rd as a1- 1u-
' 1 [h_e a-na-am
J ' nu- rzu1 a-n [ a-
where the exorcist himself deals with the gall. It na-ab ]-/-da[h-e]
does, however, make a suitable introduction to col. v
, ,
the end ofthe incantation, in which instructions I mg-ga-e zu-mu u' za- r e1 gJ.n
·
7-zu
are given for treatment, exactly in the style ofthe 2 u za-e bcin7-zu a-na-am bcin7-zu
AsallulJ_e-Enki type, and a successful resolution 3 lag mun su im-ma-an-ti
predicted. Very little of this part of the incan- 4 kas-sag I sila-ta-am u-mu-e-sub
tation survives on the present manuscript (iv I 11- 5
r ·v 1 '
[ nam] - gJ.s-pa u-me-m-su
· v b
v 7), but enough to be sure that it has the same 6 Uu-bi igiJ dutu-se u-mu-ni-nag
conclusion as the other known manuscripts. 7 [se 10-gin7 b-e]-r du-re1
col. iv 8 [b u-luh-cin
- b
he-si-il-le]
7 -
gall raised (its) head(!), like a snake in the kin- 26'. ni-za-a syllabic for ni-za.
dling(!) pouring forth bile. 26,_28 ' "0 gall, you 27'. du-ug-gin 7 ka-az-ba for dug-gin7 gaz-ba.
(who) come here of your own will: be 3o'. nam-gis-pa (also v 5) is for nam-sub: see the
smashed like a pot, die down like a flame, die introduction to this volume.
down of your own accord like a fire in the
3 r'. The line should be a wish, as in ll. I3-I4 of
rushes! 2 9'-Jr' I say an incantation ofNingirim-
the nineteen-line gall incantation (Alster
ma: 'In the chamber of the Princely House
1972a: 350), and other incantations (PBS I/2
Enki will release the spell ofEridu!'" 107 rev. rr'-12'; Urn 712 obv. 3-5, ed. Waet-
32 '-34' Asallub.e saw and went home to his father
zoldt and Ylimz 1986: 293). On the dag
Enki, saying: 35 '-43 ' "[0 my father, gall it was, agrun-na (or e-nun-na), part ofEnki's Abzu,
it burst through the ground like] a plant. [It see Caplice 1973: 302, and refs. collected in
raised (its) head as if it were a nanny-goat, like PSD A/3 65-66 (add No. rrb i 26').
a nanny-goat's kid it bore white (flecks). o"-3". Restored after iv ro-r3 (II.E.3) and vii
Flicking out its tongue like a water snake,] 26-29 (II.J.r).
like(!) [a snake] in a [bedchamber,] gall [raised
v 7-9. This three-line spell had wide currency
(its) head, like a snake in the kindling pouring
in incantations against wind and other diges-
forth bile. '0 gall, you (who) come here of
tive disorders (Cohen 1976: 97-103 and the
your own will: be smashed like a pot, die]
Sumerian passages collected in PSD B I67-
down [like a flame, die] down [of your own
68; bilingual CT 4 8a: 37-39; in Akkadian see
accord like a fire in the rushes! .. .]'"
Bock 2007= 219). The Sumerian version also
iv r"-v [Enki answered his son Asallub.e: "My
2
occurs in No. rod, at the end of an incanta-
son,] what do you not [know, what can I add?] tion against stomach pain (vi r'-4'):
Asallub.e, what do you not know, what can I r · 1 [
se
v
- g1n ...
add? What I know, you know too, and what 10 7
bu-lub.-rgin71 [ • . •
you know is what(!) I(!) know too! H Take a
im-gin7 gu-du-[ta ...
lump of salt, drop it into a litre ofbest ale, cast
b.e-r em1 -ma-ra-re1
the spell over it and give it [to that man] to
drink [while] the sun is (still up). 7-ro He will In the present instance [b.e]-du-re (7) is for
void [(the gall) like a fart, he will burp it up it b.e-dur-re; si-il (8), literally "to split," is the
like a belch, he will expel it from his anus like standard idiom with bu-lu-ub. "belch": see
wind." Tu-Enenuru-spell.] Cohen 1976: ro2-3.
u [Incantation-formula against] gall. II.E.s. No.7) (Pl. XXV) I I No. 8l (Pl. XXIX)
One of the several incantations that are pre-
Notes
served on the two Old Babylonian collective
iv 2I 1-22/. u-d is syllabic for ud5 • tablets Nos. 7 and 8 is a Sumerian spell in partly
25'. mus-gin7 BAD-ke4 is corrupt for mus ki-bil/ corrupt form. It is already known in an abbre-
bil/bi-il-la/la-gin7 in BM 64526: 9 and viated version on two Old Babylonian tablets
dupls., translated by Alster (r972a: 351) as now in Berlin, and an Akkadian version also
"like a snake cif the dirty places," and by Mich- exists on a Old Babylonian tablet from Sippar.
alowski (r98r: 4) as "like a snake of scorched- These are transliterated after Nos. 7j and 81. Giv-
out places." I suggest instead that this ki-bil en that the incantation follows two against gall
(etc.) is an unorthographic spelling ofgigi-bil on both manuscripts, and precedes a sequence of
"kindling wood," for a pile of dry wood is an stomach-ache spells on No. 7, and that the
attractive lair for a snake; c£ Akk. ~eni buli 'atim Akkadian version bears the rubric sipat sa-mu
in ILD.8 No. 27a: 20. (for sa-gig "stomach-ache"), it is very likely that
lWesopotamian Incantations
12 13
this text's function was also to counter digestive v -Goring like a -vvild bull, stuck in me like
disorders. The text identifies a hostile force in a knife(!), like a flood-wave eroding a river-
conventional terms, as something that inflicts bank! w 15 May Enki(!) make you lie calm(!)
pain and attacks with overwhelming force. It [like] a river(!), extinguish you like a fire. 1 6-18
then calls on Enki and Asallub.e, the gods of 0 Enki, lord of Abzu, 0 Asallub.e, son of
magic, to cast for the speaker a spell that will Eridu, cast the spell for me! 1 sr22 Enki(!?) has
release the patient from affiiction. Probably the sent out ... against you, he has sent[ ... ] out
divinely legitimated spell is then quoted, but against you like fire. Inside [...] river [...] 23 -
damage and further corruption prevent full 24 [Incantation]-spell ofEridu. [Tu]-EnenUJu-
ki-ma a-ge-em u-ba-s{-ir ki-ib-ra-tim voice of the incantation No. 25a invokes the
0 si-pa-at sa-mu
0 0 same strategy to heal the patient, who is to be
CavigneauxandAl-Rawi I994= 82- identified by name (4-8). These five lines are
84 rev. 32-4I; Foster 2005: I85 related to the next incantation on the collective
tablets, Nos. 7m I I 8f, edited in II.E.7. The spell
My flesh has been [stabbed] as with a dagger,
ofN o. 25a then diverges from the collective tab-
gored as by an ox.
let, going on to demand the gods ofhealing and
Its face is smoked black, like a widow's.
the mother goddess come to the sufferer's aid
Like a flood-wave it eroded the river banks.
(8-14). The incantation on the reverse, against
Incantation-fonnula for stomach-
a snake, has been edited above, II.D.I4. The
ache(!).
handwriting is poor, with many signs uniden-
Notes tifiable, and consequent gaps in decipherment.
v I2 I I iv 20. gir "foot" instead of gir "knife," obv.
as in VAS X 202 I I 203. The final-mu "my" I u-a ab-gig lu-b[u]
might alternatively indicate a vocative 2 u-<a> ab-gig gig an-ta su[r-ra]
address, for the parallel text has instead za, 3 ki-te-x+KAK in-nu-z[i?-(x)]
abbreviated from za-e me-en "you are."
4 ki-ma an-nu sar sa-me-e iJ·-rbu1 -[u]
v I3 I I iv 2r. The motif occurs in the hymn 5 bu-ul dsakkan resam(sag) [~ u-su-ri-ma
S1n-iq1sam A I8: a-e-e mab peS', 0 ur4-ur4-re 6 ne-nam dumu ne-n[am] dingir-bi ne-
"high overflowing water, eroding the river nam
bank" (cf Sjoberg I973: Io8 1. I5). 7 u ama-dinnin-[bi] ne-nam
v I4 I I iv 22. gisig-gin7 is disastrously conupt for 8 lu-ra-bi-mi i-di si-ip-tam
den-ki-ke 4 1d-gin7 (see VAS X 202 I I 203); 9 dda-mu he-el ta-ka-la-tim
-nu-e-(a) for -nu-e. The scribe seems to have Io belet-ili( dingir-mab) be-le-et re-mi-im
in mind a door that allows no exit, gisig nu-e- I I dgu-la a-su-ut a-we-le-e
a.
I2 rkal-pa-su lu-pu-ut
v I 5 I I iv 23 si-du syllabic for sedro·
0
I3 zu-qa-as-su i-si ti-be-e!-mi I q£-bi-sum
v r 8 I I iv 26. nam-gis-pa = nam-sub, see the I4 k[a!-i]nim-ma! sa-gig-ga
introduction to this volume.
r-3 "Woe!" was that man sick! "Woe!" was he
v I9 I I iv 27. gisig probably hides den-ki again. sick, a sickness spe·wing upward, earth ... 4- 8
v 23 I I iv 30. Restored after II.D.6 No. 7fiii 7'. Just as Anu, king ofheaven, inseminated the
animals ofSakkan, I will impregnate the slave
II.E.6. No. 25a (Pl. LXXI) and No. 7l
(Pl. XXV) I I No. 8e (Pl. XXVIII) (lit. "head") and inseminate So-and-so, son of
So-and-so, whose god is So-and-so, and
Each side of the Old Babylonian tablet No.
whose goddess is So-and-so! Cast the spell! 9-
25 holds a self-contained text. The obverse is an
rr 0 Damu, lord of the pouch, 0 Belet-ili,
incantation against stomach upset, which alter-
queen of the -vvomb, 0 Gula, doctor of men!
nates between Sumerian, or an imitation of 3
r2-r Touch his arm, lift his chin! Say to him,
Sumerian, and Akkadian. Someone has fallen
"Arise!"
sick, but relief perhaps comes from heaven (I- 4
' Incantation formula for stomach-ache.
3). These three lines are related to a short spell
written on the two Old Babylonian collective No. 7l
tablets, Nos. 7l I I 8e, and the text ofthese is giv- col. v
en afterwards. Just as once heaven healed the 34 lu sa ab-gig an-ta [sur-r]a
animals by fertilization and impregnation, so the 3 5 lu gi6-gi6 an-ta r gi61
us JV!esopotamian Incantations
tional formula, annanna man annanna sa ilSu I 9 li-ib-bi nu-nim r fl-na ap-s£-im
annanna istarsu annannitum i$$abat (YOS XI I2, 20 li-ib-bi i$-$U-rrfl-im i-na ap-pa-ri-im
BA1VI 574 iii 30 and here, vi 23-25 I I iii I6-I7, 2I l[i-t] b-bi ra-[a] q-q£-im i-na ru-su-um-tim
3 3-34), and the verbs reporting first the seizing 22 li-ib-bi si-le-ep-pi-im i-na sa-ah- I -sa-ah-tim
ofhis "heart" and then its release. 23 li-ib-bi an-na-an-na mari(dumu) an-na-an-na
The incantation's specific function has not 24 sa il(dingir)-[sju an-na-an-na
previously been evident, beyond a literal inter- 25 risVJ-ta-ar-su an-na-ni-tum
pretation of its key phrase as "seizure of the 26 i$-$a-ba-at
heart" (e.g. van Dijk et al. I985: 22, Veldhuis 27 a-[n]u-um ra1 -na rd1 [a]sal-lu-b-e
I993: 56). In tablet No. 8 it is identified by its mari(dumu) den-ki
rubric as a spell deployed against internal pain 28 q£-bi-a-ma
(sa-[gig]), so that the "heart" that is gripped by 29 li-ib-bi dsfn(suen) i-na sa-me-e
the "heart-grass" is not the organ that pumps 30 li-ib-bi dsamas(utu) na-sf-hi-su
blood, but the insides in general and the stom- 3I li-ib-bi er-$e-tim qe-bi-ir- I -ti-su
ach and digestive system in particular. Confir- 32 [li-ib-bi al-pi-im i-n]a rsu-pu-rfl-1-im
mation comes from the incantation's use in the 33 li-ib-bi im-me-ri-im i-na ta-m·-ba- I -$i-im
first millennium. One of its occurrences is in 34 li-ib-bi ka-al-bi-im i-na ru-ub-$i-su
Tablet I of a series of medical spells and thera- 35 li-ib-bi sa-hi-im [i-n] a ir-ri-ti-su
peutic rituals entitled after its incipit "If a man 36 li-ib-bi et-lim i-na su-le-em
suffers from a painful cough" (BA1VIVI 574 i I, 37 [~ i-r ib-bi wa-m;~-da-tim i-na me-lu-lim
iv 52). It holds both versions of the "heart-grass" 38 [lr]-rib1 -[bi n]u-nim i-rna1 a[p-s]£-im
spell (iii 23-3 I, ed. Veldhuis I990: 38; iii 34-39, 39 [li-ib-bi t]$- r $U1 -r[i-im i-na a]p-pa-ri-im
ed. Reiner I985: 94). The tablet deals not only 40 [li-ib-bi ra-aq-q£-im i-na] ru-su-um-tim
with cough, however, but also with what Koch- 4I [li-ib-bi si-le-ep-pi-im i-na sa-ah-sa-ah] -tim
er described as "innere Krankheiten wie Leib- gap
schmerzen, Magen- und Darrnkoliken und
No. 8i
Verdauungsbeschwerden" (I98o: XA"Vii). Thus a
col. ii
firm functional context of the "heart-grass"
40 1 [sa-am-m]u-um sa li-i[b-bi-im]
spells is among remedies for pain in the digestive
4I' [su-su]-rum 1 da-ma-aq-[su]
tract.
42' traces
No.7 o col. iii
col. vi I rdsamas(utur i-mU-U1'-rSU {x} 1 i[s-su-uh-
4-8 missing, see No. 8i below SU-ma]
9 a-na sa-m[e-e u-si-li-a-as-su] 2 [a] -na sa-me-e u-si-[li-a-as-su?]
I o li-ib- rbt'l [dsfn(suen)] ri$1 -$a-ba-a[t] 3 li-ib-bi dsfn(suen) i$-[$a-ba-at]
I I li-ib-bi rdsamas(utu) na-s{'-hP su1 i$-$a-ba- 4 li-ib-bi dsamas(utu) na-sf-hi-su i[$-$a-ba-at]
a[t] 5 li-ib-bi er-$e-tim qe_r bt'1-i[r-ti-su]
I2 li-ib-bi er-$e-tim qe-rbr'1-ir-ti-su I i$-$a- 6 li-ib-bi al-pi-im i-na s[u-pu-ri-im]
<ba>-at 7 li-ib-bi im-me-ri-im i-na [ta-ar-ba-$i-im]
I 3 rlt'l-ib-bi al-pi-im i-na su-pu-Ji-im 8 li-ib-bi ka-al-bi-im i-na [ru-ub-$i-su]
I4 li-ib-bi im-me-ri-im i-na ta-ar-ba- I _r $fl-im 9 li-ib-bi sa-hi-im i-na [ir-ri-ti-su]
I 5 li-ibJ bfl ka-al-bi-im i-na ru-ub-$i-su I o li-ib-bi et-lim i-na [su-le-em]
I6 li-ib-bi sa-hi-im i-na ir-ri-ti-su II li-ib-bi wa-r ar-da1 -tim i-na [me-lu-lim]
I7 li-ib-bi et-lim i-na su-[e-em I2 li-ib-bi nu-nim i-na a[p-s£-im]
I8 li-ib-bi wa-r ar-da1 -tim i-r na1 me-rlu-lim1 I 3 li-ib-bi i$-$U-ri-im i-na a[p-pa-ri-im]
Editions of Selected Texts I3I
I4 li-ib-bi ra-aq-qf-im i-na r[ u-su-um-tim] the insides of the young woman in the dance,
I5 li-ib-bi si-e-le-ep-pi-im i- [na sa-ab-sa-ab- the insides of the fish in the Deep,
tim] the insides of the bird in the marsh,
I6 li-ib-bi an-na-an-na mari(dumu) an-n[a- the insides of the terrapin in the mud,
an-na] the insides of the turtle under the river-bank,
I7 sa il(d.ingir)-su an-rna-anP-na is-ta-[ar-su the insides of So-and-so, son of So-and-so,
an-na-ni-tum] whose god is So-and-so, whose goddess is
I8 i,l'-,l'a-[ba-at] So-and-so.
I9 a-nu-um-ma ra1 -na das[al-lu-b-e 27
vi - 35 Speak (pl.) now to Asallu]J_e, son ofEnki,
mari(dumu) den-ki q£-bi-a-ma] so that he [frees]
20 li-ib-bi dsi'n(suen) [i-na sa-me-e] the insides of Moon in the sky,
2I li-rib1 -bi rdsama5(utu) 1 [na-s£-hi-su] the insides of Sun, who had pulled it up,
22 rzi-ib1 -bi r er-,)e1 -[tim qe-bi-ir-ti-su] the insides ofEarth, who had buried it,
23 li_r ib-bi ar -pi-im [i-na su-pu-ri-im] the insides of the ox in the stall,
24 li-ibJbi im-me1 -ri-im i-n[ a ta-ar-ba-,l'i-im] the insides of the sheep in the fold,
25 li-ib-bi [ka] -al-bi-im i-r na1 r[ u-ub-,l'i-su] the insides of the dog in its bed,
26 li-ib-bi [sa] _rhr'1-im i-na r er-,l'e-tr'l-s1u] the insides of the pig in its sty,
27 li-ib-b[i e]t-lim i-r na su1 -[le-em] the insides of the young man in the street,
28 rzC-ib-rbi wa-ar-da1 -tim i-[na me]-l[u-lim] the insides of the young woman in the dance,
29 rzi-ib1 -[br] nu-nim i-r na1 ap-s[£-im] the insides of the fish in the Deep,
3o rli-ib1 -bi i,l'-[,l'u-ri-i] m P na1 ap-pa-r[i-im] the insides of the bird in the marsh,
3I rli-ib1 -bi ra-r aq-qf-im i-na ru-r su1 - [ um-tim] the insides of the terrapin in the mud,
32 [lz] -ib-bi si-e-le-ep-pi-im i-na i-na s[a-ah-sa- the insides of the turtle under the river-bank,
ah-t]im
the insides of So-and-so, son of So-and-so,
[~i-ib-bi ran-na-an-na mari(dumu) an -na-
1
33
whose god is So-and-so, [whose goddess
[an-na]
is So-and-so.]
34 [sja il(d.ingir)-su ran-na-an1 -n[a is-ta-a]r- 36 [Tu]-Ene[nuru-spell].
[su an-na-ni-t] um 37 [Incantation] formula for stomach-[ache.]
35 l[i-wa-as-sj i-[iJ]
36 [tu6 e]n-re1 -[nu-ru] Notes
37 [ ka-inim-m]a rsa1 -[gig-ga] No. 7 o [vi] I I No. 8i ii 4I'. The restoration is
8
[The] "heart-grass," [fair] was [its]
ii 4o'-4 r' encouraged by SB Gilgamd I 230: su-su-ma
beauty. [...] iii r-2 Sun saw it, he [pulled it bi-nu-tu "comely of figure" and, especially,
up and took it] up to the sky. Bullussa-rabi's hymn to Gula, 1. I2I (Lambert
7vi ro--26 It seized the insides of Moon, I967= I22): su-su-ma-ku ina dam-qa-a-ti "I am
it seized the insides of Sun, who had pulled it the fairest among beauties."
up, vi I6, 35 I I iii 9, 26. No.8's er,)et"isu "its ground"
it seized the insides ofEarth, who had buried (iii 26 only) is an obviously inferior corrup-
it. tion of irritiSu.
·It seized: vi I7-I8, 36-37 I I iii IO-II, 27-28. This pair is
the insides of the ox in the stall, a stock motif, occuni.ng also among the vic-
the insides of the sheep in the fold, tims ofLamastu (YOS XI I9: 9-Io): i-,l'a-ab-
the insides of the dog in its bed, ba-at et-lam i-na r su-le1 -em I wardatam(ki-sikil)
the insides of the pig in its sty, i-na me-lu-li-im "she seizes the young man in
the insides of the young man in the street, the street, the young woman in the dance."
132 JVf.esopotamian Incantations
An Old Assyrian evil-eye incantation from ed. Owen I98I: 42). When not s-vvimming,
Kanes knows a variant version (kt 94lk 520: aquatic turtles rest at the water's edge, and it
I I-I4): et-lam i-na su-pu-im ta-hu-uz wa-ar-da- is plausible to identify sahsahtum as an alluvial
tam i-su-wa-ri-im ta-hu-uz "it seized the young shelf in the shelter of a river bank.
man at prayer, it seized the young woman in [vi 44] II ii 3 5. The restoration of part of wussu-
the jig." rum is encouraged by the plea in one of the
The ju,'<taposition of OB su-li-im and OA other Old Babylonian versions (YOS XI 12:
su-pu-im led the editors of the Old Assyrian 9ff): lu-u tu-wa-sa-ar "(I adjure you, 0 'heart-
tablet to parse the OB word as a variant of sul- grass',) that you shall release (the seized
ltm "prayer" (Baljamovic and Larsen 2008: insides)!" Here the agent is Asallub.e (vi 27
149) . H owever, " street " an d "dance " go to- II ii I9), so the verb is third person.
gether as the places of encounter for unmar-
II.E.g. No. 7P (Pl. XXIV) II No. 8}
riedBabylonian youth (e.g. Sefati I998: r87).
(Pl. XXIX)
It is a nearly universal scenario: when girls
The "heart-grass" incantation edited in
dance together in public, boys loiter in the
ILE.8 is followed on both collective tablets by
street hoping to meet one of them afterwards.
traces of another Akkadian incantation. That on
Sometimes the encounters went beyond
No. 8 is identified by rubric as again a spell
admiration: in !Star's Descent, because !Star is
against stomach-ache. Probably these are the
dead (1. 8 8): ar-da-tum ina suqi(sila) ul u-sa-ra et-
fragmentary remains of the same incantation. It
lu "in the street, no young man gets a girl
shares some vocabulary with the "heart-grass"
pregnant" (but that typically happened pre-
spell ofii.E.8 and, as there, asks that the sufferer
viously). It can be supposed on these grounds
be delivered by two or more beings acting in
that OA su-pu-im derives from a misunder-
concert. It is given here for comparison, despite
standing of OB sulem as sull£m.
its poor state of preservation:
Note, finally, a change in the stock loca-
tions in a late version of the Heart Grass spell, No. 8j
where the boys dance and the girls are hidden col. iii
from public view (BAJ\!1574 iii 29): i~-bat lib- 3 8 traces
bi(sa) etli(gurus) ina me-lul-ti i~-bat libbi(sa) 39-40 lost
ardati(ki-sikil) i-na ur-si-sa "it seized the insides 4I ... n] a-ap-su-ru
of the young man in the dance, it seized the 42 ... ]x
insides of the young woman in her bedcham- 43 ...Jx
ber." 44 ...Jx
45 .. .]-ka-ma
vi 22, 4I I I iii [I 5], p. These two lines give the
46 ...]
first instance of the word sahsahtum (CAD
47 ... ] rx xl
sahsahhu, AHw sahsahbutum) in context. In
gap
lexical texts it explains peS 10 (KLA) "river
bank": Proto-Diri (Oxford) po-23: [KI].A = No. 7P
[kt]-ib-rrum 1 "bank," ka-[r]um "quay," na-hal- col. vii
lum "ravine," sa-ah-sa-ha-tum; other lexical I qa-at-ku-nu la t[ u-pa-as-sa-ra]
entries do not add to the picture. The present 2 a-di li-ib-bi an-n[ a-an-na mari( dumu) an-
line shows that sahsahtum is the typical habitat na-an-na]
of a seleppCtm-turtle, a reptile that other texts 3 sa il(dingir)-su an-[na-an-na]
represent as dwelling in watercourses and 4 ris-ta-ar-su an-na1 -[ni-tum]
lakes (e.g. in the incantation VAS XVII 12: 3, 5 [tu-wa-as-sa-ra]
Editions of Selected Texts 133
6 [tu6 en-e-nu-ru?] expels it from its anus (Io'-I6'). The use of salt
and saline solutions in Babylonian medicine is
7 rka-inim-ma sa -[gig-ga]
1
discussed in the introduction to this book. It can
be assumed that the present procedure was
(Beginning lost) vii I-6 [0 DN 1 and DN2 ,] do
believed to drive out ofthe animal's body, by the
not [release] your (pl.) grip until [you free] the
sa1ne route and at the same time, the "storm-
insides of So-and-[so, son of So-and-so,]
·wind" or other force blamed for its plight. 2
whose god is So-[and-so,] whose goddess is
So-and-[so! Tu-Enenuru-spell.] col. ii
7
Incantation formula against stomach-[ache.] I' traces
1
2 sa-ra-am le-<em>-na-am
II.E.1o. No. 8d (Pl. XXVIII) 1
3 im-ta-am le-mu-ut-ta-a/11 sa li-rib1 -bi-im!
Only the tail end of this Akkadian incanta-
tion survives on the collective tablet No.8. The 41 si-ip-tum u-ul ia-tum
rubric indicates that it is for use in cases where 5' si-pa-at dnin-girill\:(TAR.B.A.DU) be-le-et
livestock suffer from bloat, making it a rare si-pa-tim
example of ancient Mesopotamian veterinary 6' dnin-girill\: iq-bi-i-r ma1
treatment. 1 Bloat in sheep is a dangerous con- 7' a-na-ku ad-di
dition brought on by grazing pasture with a high 8' tu6 en-e-nu-ru
legume content, such as clover, which leaves the
animal unable to release digestive gases in the 9' ka-inim-ma alpum(gud)
normal way. The fragment of text above the immerum(udu-nita) em-ru-um!
rubric is clearly a spell to counter a harmful wind IO' ki-ik-ki-it-tum a-na r qa me-e
trapped in the body (ii 2'-3'), and demonstrates I I' ~ qa tiibtam(mun) ta-na-ad-di-ma
that the Babylonians understood the cause of
12' ta-sa-aq-q£-su-ma
bloat perfectly. Their explanation of the condi-
I3' mu-da-ab-bi-ba-am i-na pi-su ta-sa-ak-ka-
tion, however, was not lush pasture but a
an
demonic storm'vvind, an aetiology for digestive
I4 1 . u-ba-an-ka a-na q£-in-na-ti-rSU tu1 -ub-ba-
disorders which has already been encountered
al-ma
in the texts cited in the introduction to this sec-
tion. The present incantation concludes with a
I 51 si-ni-su si-ip-ta-am ta-na-ad-di- r sum1 -ma
well-used legitimation fonnula attributing it to I 6' i-na su-bu-ur-ri-su U-Wa-as-sa-ra-am
the goddess Ningirimma (4'-7'). It is followed
by a therapy ("ritual") in the form of a salt-water [release] the evil wind, the evil poison
iii'-s' . . .
flush: a strong solution of salt is forced into the of the gut. The spell is not mine, it is a spell of
animal and in due course, stimulated (perhaps Ningirimma, mistress of spells. Ningirimma
unnecessarily) by the healer's carefully placed spoke it, I cast it. Tu-Enenuru-spell.
finger and by the magic effect of the spell, it
9'Incantation formula for a distended ox or a metaphor for a dysfunctional stomach that has
sheep. to be encouraged to release its contents (cf the
ro'-rG' Ritual procedure:
you put one-third litre brewingjar in II.E.r2 No. pa-c). This would
suo-o-est
oo a dio-estive
o disorder as context, as would
of salt into one litre of water, give it to (the
the reference to Asallub.e healing the "heart" in
animal) to drink and place a "speaker" in its
the first incantation. Accordingly the tvvo spells
mouth. You insert your finger in its bottom,
take their place in this section.
cast the spell over it twice and it will void
(solution and wind) from its anus. col. i
I traces
Notes [xx] bi rxx, du rx,
2
I3 1• The mudabbibum "speaker" is otherwise [pu-b] u-ur i-la-ku
3
unattested. Its etymology (II/ I participle, . e- b/e-rr-su-nu
[na-ra] -am r-na .v
4
ydbb) suggests that it is an implement to aid 5 [u] -wa-hi-du-su-u-ma
the human voice. I propose that it is a simple 6 [li-r] b-ba-am i-te-ez-bu
voice projector, or loud-hailer, in the shape [i-n] u-un-su-nu-ti-i-ma
7
of a cone, and that it is used here as a funnel 8 dasal-lu-he
throuo-h
0 which to introduce saline solution li-ib-ba-mn ub-ta-al-li-it
9
slowly into the sick animal after voluntary IO ka-inim-ma libisJAB.sA)
consumption is refused.
I4'· The expression ubanam ana X wabalum, lit- II i-~u-um sa ilim(dingir)
erally "to bring the finger to X," also occurs I2 na-du-um sa a-we-lu-tim
in Old Babylonian extispicy, where it I3 li-iz-zi-iz i-~u-um
denotes the insertion of the diviner's finger I4 li-ih-he-pi na-du-um
into an aperture during the physical explora- IS r " 1 .,..
tu 6 en -e-nu-ru
tion of the lamb's liver (YOSX 25: 13'): si- u I6 ka-inim-ma libisx(AB.sA)
it-ta ru-ba,-na-ti-ia a-na libbi(sa) ub-ba-al "and I
can put tvvo of my fingers inside." Other such
they were travelling together. 4-6 When
r-3 . . .
passages use parts of the more explicit verb
they crossed a river they singled the "heart"
erebum "to enter" (YOS X 24: 30): a-na li-bi-
out and left it behind. ?-9 Asallub.e punished
su si-ta u-ba-na-tu-ka i-ru-ba "two of your fin-
them and revived the "heart." ro Incantation
ao-ers can oo-o inside it"; (42 iii 3 I -3 2): a-na pi- formula for the gut.
il-si-su u-ba-ni u-si-re-eb "I can insert my finger
n-r4 Wood belongs to god, bottle belongs to
into its cavity." Medical examination by
man! Let the wood stand, let the bottle be
touch is expressed in hemerologies and diag-
smashed! ' 5-' 6 Tu-Enenuru-spell. Incantation
nostic omens by the similar phrase qatam
formula for the gut.
wah alum "to bring the hand" (CAD AI I: I 9;
see further Livingstone 20I3: 274). Note
i 5. This verb, evidently .Ywhd or Yw'd, is pre-
II.E.11. No. 3oa-b (Pl. LXXXI)
sumed to be cognate with the adjective
These are two short Akkadian spells written
wedum "solitary, alone," yielding a factitive
consecutively on the same Old Babylonian col-
II!r stem, wu"udum "to make single, soli-
lective tablet. Both are identified as ka-inim-ma
tary."
libisx, which could mean to treat internal pain or
to counter anger. The spells use simple language
but how they deploy magic is not clear. In the
second the bottle that is to be broken is perhaps
Editions of Selected Texts 135
II.E.12. No. 32a-c (Pls. LXXXIX) XCI) posed of the water (apparently for use vvith a
The three incantations on Old Babylonian spell). Then disaster occurs: the four winds
tablet No. 32 are in Akkadian. All are closed by occupied the empty brewing jar and "seized its
the Sumerian formula tu6 en-e-nu-ru, written tu mouth," i.e. rendered it unable to accept further
en-ni-nu-ri, and all share the same topic: the liquids and solids. At this point in any Sumerian
namzitum. This was an essential piece ofbrevving incantation that began with a story of mythical
equipment with, it seems, a dual function: in it time, a dialogue between Asallub.e and Enki
barley malt could be steeped in hot water would follow, and then the latter's recipe for a
("mashed") and also the resulting liquid resolution of the problem. No such passage
("wort") fermented. Consequently it is some- occurs here and we are left with the image of a
times translated "mash-tub," sometimes "fer- brewing jar filled with wind.
menting vat." Here I use the neutral term The second incantation (obv. 20-rev. 5') is
"brewing jar." It might be imagined that the mostly lost, but concludes with an appeal for the
context for the use of these incantations was a namz!tum to "run free to its jugs," just as young
ritual or rituals in which temple breweries were animals run to their mothers; evidently the
purified and consecrated in order to ensure that problem countered here was a blockage in the
the beer served to the gods was unpolluted. Such vessel that prevented it from emptying. This is
may have been the context ofa Sumerian incan- effectively a prayer, seeking the intervention of
tation with the rubric ka-inim-ma dug-<nig>- a deity or benign spirit who will :6...'\: the problem
dur-bur "incantation formula for a brewingjar" and get things flowing again.
(YOSXI 57: r-ro, ed. Sallaberger 1996: 86-87). The third incantation (rev. 6'-r4') is an eAi:ra-
However, the presence of Akkadian instead of ordinary dialogue. Someone asks a man where
Sumerian surely indicates a less sacred context, he is going and on whose business, and he replies
and the content has nothing to do with purity. that he is going to a tavern on Ea's business. He
Instead the three incantations all describe a shows how his time in the country has left his
namzitum that has become faulty in one way or hands dirty and pierced by thorns. Perhaps he
another. has been clearing scrub from the fields, like the
The first incantation (obv. r-r9) presents, girl in II.I.2 No. 23 b. However that may be, his
after three damaged lines, a mythological sce- interlocutor destroys his hopes of recreation,
nario of the kind typical of incantations: the telling him that he (or she) has smashed the
archetypal brewing jar was created by Ea in brewing jar and wrecked the tavern. As in the
mythical time and given a function by Nuska. first incantation, the text ends with a bare state-
The tale is not told as narrative, as it would be in ment of the problem, with neither prayer for
a regular Sumerian incantation, but emerges divine intervention (as in the second) nor any
from an exchange of words between the a:fllict- practical advice for its resolution.
ed vessel, whose identity only becomes clear in The purpose of these three unusual incan-
l. I 8, and another party. The vessel speaks first, tations was not cultic but medical. The brewing
complaining of its lack of outlet, and the second jar namz!tum was a tall pot with a pointed bottom
party responds by recounting the vessel's origin, that rested on a stand. Liquids and solids were
and how Ea made a journey, with the result that put in at the top, and the end product collected
the brewing jar was set up in the tavern and the from a hole in the bottom. The hole could be
party began. He (or she) goes on to report hav- closed vvith a stopper or plug (purussu). One of
ing drawn beer from the brevvingjar, removed the Sumerian terms for it is dugnig-dur-buru
the spent grain (for animal fodder), rinsed the (Urra X 213), explicitly "the pot with a hole in
vessel out in preparation for a new brew and dis- its bottom." It is easy to see that such a vessel
J\1esopotamian Incantations
ti ma-r qit pu-ru1 -us-su "the brewingjar's plug has 9 sa-ak-nu ki-it-tu!? a-pa-ri-ku urpu1-ru-us-su
fallen out"; in a bilingual Old Babylonian incan- Io i-na li-ib-bi- [k] i
tation against a digestive disorder (CT 4 Sa I-Io I I v tb'k''tt•r•v?tl?1
u-se-e-
I
z- "l z - l zs 8 .- ar. a- rpa1 -n-'k'z
I I I5-24; c£ Bock 20I4: uo): sa gig-ga ... 1
r us'1 -te-,)i-a-am I r qf -ri-i-tam
gakkul-gin7 rba?-ab?1 -dul-la (I I [x x]-tab-ba- I2 pu-ru-us-sa-am \ as-v lu-um-ma sa-ra-am
v as-v
ma?) a nu-mu-un-da-ku4-ku4 ninda nu-mu- ku-un
un-da-ku4-ku4 I I li-ib-bu ma-ar-su •
... ki-ma ka- I 3 ut-te-e-er tu-uh-hi-ki a-na mi-nu-tim
ak-ku-li ka-ti-im a-ka-lu u mu-u u-ul i-ir-ru-bu- I4 me-e sa ra-as-na-at a-r na1 si-ip-tim-ma as-
sum "the sick insides are closed over like a brew- ku-un
ingjar, food and drink cannot enter them"; in a I5 z-na qz- b'z-tzm
' I ' sa e-a u das all'
V I \
- u- h~ e
short spell in Assyrian that also counters consti- I6 i-na pi-i ez-zi-im i-na ru-uh-tim le-mu-ut-
pation (BAl\11 574 iii 54; c£ Bock 20I4: I2I n. tim I sa a-wi-lu-tim
85): en libbu(sa) nam-zi-tum sikaru(kas) la-as-su- I7 SU-u-tum il-ta-nu sa-ad-du-u-um a-mu-ur-ru
uh tu6-en "Spell. The (patient's) insides are a I8 it-bu-u i,)-ba-tu pi-i na-am-zi-tim
brevving jar; I will extract the beer. Incanta- I9 tu en-ni-nu-ri
tion." Finally, the Old Babylonian incantation
fragment PBS VII 87 r:v:J". Farber I98I: 53 CI,
"My [mouth] is stuck [in dirt- 0 clod]
obv.
1
-
3
id. I984: 70) describes a faulty brevvingjar that
makes gas instead ofbeer (rev. I-2: nam-zi-is-su of the field, pig's bristle- I have no outlet!"
4
ha-ar-rra?-at?1 bi-il-la-as-su sa-rum "his brewing -u "[The prince] created you, Enki raised
jar is churning(?), his brew is wind"), and pro b- you, Nuska found you profitable work. Ea
ably had a similar medical application. rode along on Ea's palanquin. 7-n The ale-
vvife took you, your grain-hoppers were cal-
Against this background it becomes clear
ibrated, you were set on a stand, kittu, aparikku
that the present text is a compilation of three
and a plug were placed inside you. She stood
Old Babylonian incantations for digestive dis-
you upright with IStar(?), made(!) a party flow
orders, which have in common the use of the
forth from the aparikku. 12- 14 I pulled out the
brevving jar as a metaphor for the stomach and
plug and let the air in. I have returned your
digestive tract.
spent grain to the reckoning. The water you
were soaked with I have reserved for a spell."
15 18
- By cornmand ofEa and Asallub-e, by the
angry speech and malign spit of men, South
Wind, North Wind, East Wind, West Wind
rose up (and) seized the brewingjar's mouth.
19
Tu-Enninuri-spell.
Editions of Selected Texts I37
pliance with a recipe and a consistent end it would appear that the grass attacks those parts
product, and that a plentiful supply of them ofthe anatomy. The pattern determines that the
signified a rate ofbeer production that would plant affects those who eat it: :first the god who
meet the high demand of a large clientele. discovers it and introduces it to the world (ii' 4'-
9. This line evidently lists three parts of the 6'), then an ox (7'-9'), :finally a named individual,
namzltum that were :fitted to it before use. i.e. the patient (Io'-I4'). As the text breaks off,
Only the purussu "stopper" is well known: the ox is mentioned again, which suggests that
one attestation has been quoted in the intro- the plea for healing has begun. The incantation
ductory paragraphs. InN eo-Babylonian doc- was undoubtedly intended to relieve pain in the
uments a kittu occurs as part of a metal bowl, head and jaw, i.e. generalized toothache.
nasappu (CADs.v. kittuB). The word written col. ii'
a-pa-ri-ku recurs in 1. I I; derivations from I
1
rsa-am-ma-am sa1 x[ X X x]
Yprk and Sumerian (ba-ri-ga?) have been 2
1
i-is-l[ a-up?]
considered but without a successful outcome. 3' mi-nu-um sa-am-mu-u[ m an-nu-u-um]
I I. Usetbiki is the only certainty in this damaged 4' i-lum r mu1 -si-ri-is-su [i-ku-ul-su-ma]
line. !Star's presence in the tavern, alongside 5' qa-aq-qa-as-su [i~-ba-at]
the brewing jars, was probably substantiated 6' si-in-na-su [i~-ba-at]
in the form of a pictorial representation. The 7' al-pu-um r iJ1-k[u-ul-su]
last word of the line is probably qelitam 8' qa-aq-qa-as-su [i~-ba-at]
"feast," because of the association of this 9' si-in-na-su [i~-ba-at]
word with beer (Sum. kas-de-a "beer serv- Io' an-na-an-na mari(dumu) [an-na-an-na]
ing"= q.) and taverns (e.g. q[e-J]i-it as-tam-me II
1
sa il(dingir)-su an-na-an-na [is-ta-ar-su] I
"a party at the inn" in a proverb, Lambert an-na-n[i-tum]
I96o: 256 1. 9). If so, some clause describing 12' i-ku-ul-su-[ma]
how the bre\vingjar came to ful:fil its destiny I3' qa-aq-qa-as-su [i~-ba-at]
is required, and the reading offered is one I4 1 si-in-na-su [i~-ba-at]
response to that need. I5' al-pu_rum1 [xxxx]
I 2. as'1umma < as'1up-ma; saram as"kun is literally "I rest lost
set -vvindl air in place." ii' r'-3' • • • ]
The grass of[...] he pulled out:
rev. Io'. A *parras-stem from Y~rm is proposed: "What plant [is this?]" 4'-G' The god who
~arramum "one who habitually applies him- brought it down [ate it and it seized] his head,
self" The :first incantation has already made a [it seized] his tooth. 7'-9' An ox [ate it and it
connection between EaiEnki and !Star's tav- seized] its head, [it seized] its tooth. ro'-r 4' So-
ern. Alternatively, emend to <u>-~a-ar-ra-am and-so, son of [So-and-so,] whose god is So-
distar "I am striving after !Star." and-so, [whose goddess is] So-and-[so,] ate it
[and it seized] his head, [it seized] his tooth. rs'
II.E.13. No. 26c (Pl. LXXII) The ox[ ...
The right-hand column of the cut-down
Note
Old Babylonian collective tablet No. 26 con-
ii' 2'. No suitable verbs from Ys1X have a pret-
tains the key-words sammum and museridu,
which identify it as related to the "heart-grass" erite on the pattern im/ja~, so I suppose a bro-
spell. It is, however, very different from the ken writing of is'1up, like ir-ga-um for iJ;gum
other Old Babylonian exemplars (II.E.8 Nos. (Groneberg I98o: I59).
70 I I 8i, YOS XI II-I2 etc.). In this instance,
no heart is mentioned, only head and teeth, so
Editions of Selected Texts 139
A small number of Old Babylonian incantations In the steppe a man (was) shouting, raising his
bear rubrics on the topic of bone. Three short head to the sky. 6 Bone.
spells in Sumerian are already published, VAS
II.F.2. No. 27b (Pl. LXXV)
XVII 27, rubric ka-inim-ma gir-pad-ra-kam
This very damaged Sumerian spell on the
"incantation formula for bones," and YOS XI
Old Babylonian collective tablet No. 27 shares
76: 2 x rubric ka-inim-ma gir-pad-(ra) {b-ul }-
incipit and topic with YOS XI 76: 5/ and No.
frio--ga-kam "incantation formula for sick bones."
bb
23a but otherwise differs. It begins with Nanse,
The last of these three shares its incipit with
but adds her spouse Nindara. The restorations of
spells preserved on two tablets now in the
ab and ki in ll. II'-!2' are motivated by prior
Sch0yen Collection, No. 23aandNo. 27b below,
knowledge of the incipit (see above) and by a
so is given here for comparison:
suspicion that the spell alludes to their cult cen:--
5 [ab J rd1 nanse-kam se-nim an-na-kam tre, K.iessa, which is normally spelledki-es(AB)ki.
6 rd1 asnan-e ku b-a-na-as pi-ra-ak-ka
rev.
7 [k]a-inim-ma gl.r-pad-ra {hul}-gig-ga-kam
II' [ab] d[na]nse-kam
YOSXI 76:5/ 12' [ki?J [d]nin1 -dar-a
The incipit also occurs in the Old Babylo- I3' [inim?J gi-na-mu-us
nian incantation catalogue now in Manchester I4' Uu-bi?] b-e-en-sa6
(Wilcke I973: I4l. I6: ab dnanse-kam). I5 1 [ ka-ini]m-ma uzugir-pad-ra
The most likely application of incantations
for "(sick) bones" is to assist in the mending of u'-l4'[The sea] belongs to Nanse, [the
fractures. The ending ofNo. 27b corroborates ground(?)] (belongs) to Nindara. By my true
the hypothesis of a healing context. [command(?), may this person(?)] be fi ne.1 15'
II.F.1. No. 23a (Pl. LXIX) [IncantationJ formula for bones.
Two of the three short texts on Old Baby- II.F.J. No. 3oj-g. (Pl. LXXXIII)
lonian tablet No. 23 are readily translatable. The One other Old Babylonian tablet in the col-
first, in Sumerian, is identified by rubric as sim- lection bears a bone incantation. It begins as an
ply for "bones," and is presumably a charm unintelligible Tu-Enenuru incantation, perhaps
employed to help heal a broken bone. The con- syllabic Sumerian, in which the cereal deity
tent is not narrative, but comprises a three-line Asnan figures (iii I o'). The text is notable for the
pattern that leads to the steppe, where the image appended legitimation formula in Akkadian. An
is conjured up of a man crying out (in pain?) and instruction for preparing a poultice follows,
turning to heaven (for help?) (I-s). unusually formulated in the passive, presumably
obv. as a treatment for fracture.
I a-ba dnanse-kam col. iii
2 ku dinanna-kam 2'-I I' fragmentary
3 se-zu edin-na-kam !2
1
tu6 en-e-[nu]-r[u]
4 edin-na lu gli-di de-a I 3
I
sHp-tum u-u l f'ta- tum1
V• • I
6 [o] gir-pad-ra u
IS' r 1 dnin-giril:J\:(GIR.TAR.A.DU)
I 6' be-fe-r d si-pa-ti111
l-
5 The
sea belongs to Nanse, silver belongs to 17' Su-nu im-nu-U-ma
Inanna, your excrement belongs to the steppe. I 8' a-na-ku e-is-me
JV!esopotamian Incantations
iii
2
'-I2' • • • Tu-Enenuru-spell. ' 3'-rs' The spell is
I 6 [te-ek?] -ki-im da-mi-iq
not mine: it is a spell ofEnki and Ningirimma,
4
mistress of spells. They recited it, and I lis- "-' [You] crush and sift dung cake, beer
tened. sludge, wormwood resin, sesame bran, pressed
9
' ' Incantation formula for bones.
[oil] and balubhu aromatic, and steep it [for x
,_ ' Dung cake, beer sludge, wormwood res-
20 25 days(?)] in a kettle. ' 5-' 6 Then you bind it on
him once or twice and [take it] away(?). He
in, sesaJ:ne bran, kukru and baluhbu-aromatics
will be fine.
are crushed and sifted. [You steep them in
beer (or some other liquirf), and bind it on him
...]
Childbirth was a dangerous experience in an- II. G.1. No. 28a (Pl. LXXVII)
cient Mesopotamia, both for mother and for This is an Old Babylonian Akkadian incan-
child. The responses to these dangers in Sum- tation for easing difficult labor, similar to YOS
erian and Akkadian incantations are well de- XI 86: I-28 (ed. van Dijk I973a: 502-7) and
scribed in comparative perspective by Marten II.G.2 No. 26a below. It projects the problem
Stol (2ooo). A study of the childbirth incanta- into the mythical past, when Asallub.e had to
tions in the Sch0yen Collection will be made by deal ·with a baby that was stuck and reassured it
Ulrike Steinert as part ofher forthcoming book that the way was clear and the midwife waiting.
on gynaecology and women's medicine in The reiteration of that episode, culminating in
ancient Mesopotamia. Childbirth incantations Asallub.e's provision of the necessary form of
are often accompanied by the therapeutic mea- words, would be held effective in treating any
sures ("rituals") taken when difficulties arose. recurrence of the problem. The text is com-
The therapy is conventionally written out in the posed in regular Babylonian poetry, organized
first millennium, but less commonly appended in six couplets that can be further identified as
in the second. Here in II.G.3 we have another three four-line stanzas. The divisions into for-
Old Babylonian example of that practice, mal poetic units do not always coincide with
appended to an Elarnite incantation. The other line-breaks on the tablet, but the translation
two spells are in Akkadian. below is set out in a way that gives the poem's
Difficult labor was complicated by a belief formal structure priority over the tablet's phys-
that demons preyed especially on women giving ical lineation. The first four-line stanza locates
birth and on their newborn; incantations to the baby (I-5). The second stanza reports, in
ward off Lamastu, the principal threat, have one couplet each either side of the poem's half-
already been presented above, under II.B.8-Io. way point, the problem and Asallub.e's reaction
Editions of Selected Texts
II.G.2. No. 26a (Pl. LXXII) highlights rhyming patterns in the spell that may
The cut-down remnant of the obverse of a or may not coincide -vvith words. As van Dijk
large multi-column tablet has versions of two observed (I982: IOI), the language is sufficiently
Old Babylonian incantations in Akkadian. The like Elamite to be identified as such, but still the
left-hand column has line-ends of a childbirth spell cannot be understood. In the present tablet
incantation very similar to No. 28a (II.G.I) a rubric identifies it as an incantation to aid
from which the lines are freely restored. childbirth (27' end). The rubric is followed by a
therapy in Akkadian: the woman's belly and
col. i 1
I
1
[~e-eb-ru-um ku-us-sa-a i]-r da1 -[(a)]-r su1 upper back are massaged with oil "straight
down" (28 1-29 1), the oil having acquired special
2
1
[ka-at-ma i-na-su mu]-~a-a i-si-i
properties by the healerrecitingthe spell over it.
31 [i-mu-ur-su-ma dasa]1-lu-b-e
41 [pa-da-na]-am ip-te-su Rubbing the trunk with oil and other fats is
51 [is-ku-un-su tu]-da-am found elsewhere in Mesopotamian treatment of
61 [pe-ti-ku pa-d]a-nu-um women in labor: see the therapies added to other
7' [sa-ki-in-ku t]u-u-du-um Old Babylonian birth incantations, No. 29d: 30
81 [ wa-as-ba-at-ku] rd nin-b-ur-sag-ga
1 (Part I) and especially VAS XVII 33:28-30 (ed.
91 [ um-mu-um b] a-ni-a-at
van Dijk I975: 63): ka-inim-ma a-ru-ub-tum ki-
Io' [a-wi-lu-t] i-im u
ki-ta-sa samnam(l.-giS) bimetam(l-nun) ta-ba-al-
II
1
[mi-it-ha-~? it-ti si-1]i-im ue-,)e-1-[e]m-ti-im
la-al-ma i-na Slr(su) bu-di-im ba-am-ti-sa ki-la-ti-in
121 [ki-ma da-di-im su-lu-u]p ra-ma-an-ka ta-pa-as-sa-as-ma it-ta-a,)-~a-a "Incantation for a
I 31 [ka-inim-ma munus u-t]u-ud-da-kam woman caught short (by labor). Its therapy: you
mix oil and ghee and apply it to the flesh of the
i' [The baby's] arms were tied, shoulders and both her flanks, and (the baby)
[its eyes were closed,] it sought a way -vvill come out" (further Scurlock I99I: I44-45;
[out.] Stol2ooo: 63, 124). By "straight down" in the
Asallub-e [saw it,] present instance is meant in a downward direc-
he opened a [path] for it, 5' [made it a] way. tion, as becomes clear from a later birth com-
"The path [is open, a] way [is made for you.] pendium which instructs (BAM248 iii 8-9, 53):
Ninb-ursag [is waiting for you, the moth- ultu(ta) e-la-nis!nu ana sap-la-nis!nu tu-maf-sa-'
er who J created ro' [mankind]. "you massage (her -vvith the magic oil) from
[Struggle(?) with flesh] and bone, above to below." Stroking in this way was no
[like a darling unsheathe] yourselfl" doubt thought to encourage the baby to ~ove
[Incantation formula for a woman] giving birth. by sympathy in the same direction, but the pur-
Note pose was not only magical, for massage in labor
i 1 12 1• Alternatively, su-,)]f ramiinka. has genuine therapeutic value as a strategy for
coping -vvith pain.
II.G.J. No. 21b (Pl. LXIII)
This is a completely preserved example of a obv.
spell in neither Sumerian nor Akkadian. It is a 23 1 b-u-ub-tu-uk-ti-in ti-ik-ka-ak mu-ru-
variant version of an incantation included, tu-uk-ti-in si-im-gi-ik
without rubric, on another Old Babylonian col- li-gi-tu-uk-ti-in ru-ur-sa-ak b-u-um-ti-
lective tablet, now at Yale (YOS XI 5: I5-I9, tu-uk-ti-in ~e-ra-ak
ed. van Dijk et al. I985: 20). The word division b-u-ub-tu-uk-ti-in su-si-ik-ti mu-ru-tu-
implied by the hyphenation in the translitera- uk-ti-in pa-ar-ti-ik-ti
tion below (23 '-27'), and e:Arplicit in the tran- li-gi-tu-uk-ti-in b-u-du-uk-ti b-u-um-ti-
scription, does not presume a decipherment but tu-uk-ti-in b-u-ub--pa-ak-ti
Editions of Selected Texts 143
27' bi-il-la-ri uk-ku-u-a bi-il-le-e[n h]u-Ub.- tin susikti, muru-tuktin pmtikti. Ligi-tuktin hudukti,
pa-ak-ti ka-inim-ma munus u-tu humti-tuktin huhpakti. Billari ukkua, billen huh-
28' a-na samnim('i.pjs) ta-na-ad-di-ma 7-su mi- pakti. Incantation formula for a woman pjving
s1 a-r] a-am pa-ap-pa-al-li-ib-bi-su ta- birth.
pa-as-sa-a! 28 29
'- ' You cast (the spell) on oil and apply the
29' 7-su mi-sa-ra-am bu-di-su ta-pa-as-sa-as oil to her(! tablet: his) belly seven times straight
2
23
Hub-tuktin tikkak, muru-tuktin simgik.
'- 7' down, and apply the oil to her(!) shoulders
Ligi-tuktin rursak, humti-tuktin $erak. Hub-tuk- seven times straight down.
Mter childbirth, babies brought new anxieties, ual prescription that follows repeats Enki's
among them the problems of colic and persis- advice in an Akkadian paraphrase (24-26).
tent crying, and here too incantations were de- Mild intoxication ofbabies to counter colic
ployed (Farber 1989, 1990a, van derToorn 1999, and make them sleep is an old practice. Alcohol
Heffron 2014). Old Babylonian incantations to was one of the ingredients of gripe water until
soothe crying babies are rare, and usually in quite recently; in the United States alcoholic
Akkadian. This section presents one in Sume- gripe water was banned in 1982, but a leading
rian and another in Akkadian. The former is British brand contained alcohol until 1992 (Blu-
accompanied by a ritual in Akkadian, another menthal 2000). Marten Stol noted the use of
early example of a practice that later became imagery of drunkenness in Old Babylonian baby
standard. incantations and posed the question, "Does this
mean alcohol was administered to him?" (Stol
II.H.1. No. 42 (Pl. CVII) 2000: 212). Beer froth probably did not deliver a
Sumerian and bilingual Sumero-Akkadian large dose of alcohol, but the answer to his ques-
incantations to soothe crying babies are known tion is positive, and the history ofbeer and babies
from the first millennium, but this is only the is extended back many centuries.
second Sumerian incantation to occur on an The text is concluded by a rubric in Akka-
Old Babylonian tablet. The other is YOSXI 84, dian.
rubric ka-inim-ma di4-di4-la hun-o-a-kam
- 0
"in- obv.
. .b
cantation formula for calming infants" (see Far- r . . .] r x x x 1 mu-m-1 -zal-e
ber 1989: 9). Both incantations are of the Asal- 2 . . . J-r e,
luhe-Enki type, in which Asalluhe observed a 3 ... sa] g.? u-su
' v
Love incantations are a minor branch of ancient tion to cure the problem. By contrast No. 9k is
Mesopotamian magic. Such spells seek to influ- severely abridged and, in places, badly corrupt.
ence the behavior not of any demon or malev- col. vi
olent force, but the emotions of a fellow human 5' ki-sikil sa6-ga sila-a gub-ba
being. One Old Babylonian Akkadian love 6' ki-sikil kar-kid-mu dinanna
incantation in the Sch0yen Collection (MS
7' e-es-dam-ta gub-ba
2920) has already been published for its literary
8' sar-sar-ra
qualities (George 2009: 66-70 no. II). Two
9' sar-sar-ra
more, one each in Sumerian and Akkadian, fol-
I0 1 abgal-se
low here.
II' ga-a nundum-mab. inim den-ki-ga-ke4
II.I.1. No. gk (Pl. XXXIII) 12
1
ki-sikil ama-a-ni kiri b.asb.ur ur-mu a
1
This is the only complete incantation sur- I 3 en-e-nu-ri
viving on Old Babylonian collective tablet No.
9. It is a short poem in appreciation of a girl I4' ka-inim-ma ki-ag
standing in the street, which has been pressed Pretty girl, standing in the street, my har-
vis'-7'
into service as an incantation to vvin a woman's lot-girl Inanna, standing in the tavern! s'--<i
love. The opening phrase matches an incipit Abundant, abundant! w'-IJ' To the sage, mine,
entered in the Old Babylonian incantation cat- sublime lips, at the word of Enki, girl, her
alogue now in Manchester (Wilcke I973= I4no. mother, nose, apple, my lap, 0! Enenuri-spell.
5: 12: ki-sikil sa6-ga). Wilcke noted that the cat- 4
' ' Incantation formula (for) love.
alogue entry matched an incantation surviving
on two Old Babylonian tablets, now in Edin- The translation shows any reader that the
burgh, Scotland, and Williams College, Mass., text begins intelligibly but after 1. 8' becomes
and edited by Falkenstein (I964: I I3-29). Their steadily more incomprehensible. The nature
text has now been re-edited, with some new and extent of the problem can readily be seen
readings, by Geller (2002). As it turns out, No. when the text is compared with the corre-
9k is a close relative of that text, which begins sponding portion of the less corrupt version:
with a longer version of the same poem, but ki-sikil sa6-ga sila-a gub-ba
then continues further with an addition mod- ki-sikil kar-kid dumu (A om.) dinanna
elled on the Asallub.e-Enki pattern: a statement re-es-dam-ma1 gub-ba (A) I I ki-sikil dumu
of the problem that has to be resolved,' the for- dinanna e-es-dam-ma rba-gub1 (B)
mulaic narrative of Asallub.e's interview with ab (A) I I i (B) sar-ra-am
Enki, and a divinely sanctioned ritual prescrip- ab (A) I I gara (B) sar-ra-am
ab gal4-la sar (A) I I gal4-mab. (B) dinanna-
' Line I7: [g]aba gurus-a gi-gin7 b-e-ra-ra "it (love- kam
sickness) did strike the young man in the chest like g a-nun-mah- den-ki-aa-kam
b
an arrow." The image is more compelling -vyhen so ki-sikil tus-a-ni gi5kiri6 b.asb.ur-a (A) I I tir
rendered, pace Falkenstein I 964: I I 7 '\vie mit einem
<b.a>-su-ur-ra (B) ul glir-ru-am
Rohr," Romer I987: 209 '\vie (mit) einem Rohr,"
Leick I994: I97 "like with a reed," Geller 2002: I30 nu-a-m· ... pa "cis eren-na an- d·"-,
, w ak-am
,
"as -vvith a reed." It is legitimate to assume that gi ll. I-8 after Falkenstein 1964:
"reed" stands for "arrow" by synecdoche (it is the ar- II4-I5, Geller 2002: I35-36,
row shaft), as does its equivalent qanCim in Akkadian. only major variants noted
Editions of Selected Texts 147
Pretty girl, standing in the street, I0 1• abgal "sage" is corrupt for ab gal4-(la) "vul-
))
all her needs, and enable her to live a good, care- Notes
free life" (Sefati I998: I09). This girl, animated 7. On bastum as a variant. of baltum, a thorny
by youthful yearning, is everywhere in litera- weed, see II.D.9 No. 49: 4 and textual note.
ture, :from Tolstoy's Natasha Rostova to the girl Probably the spelling in the present instance is
in our poem, and in more modem times is a sta- deliberate, in order to add meaning through
ple of popular songs. A literary-critical response paranomasia: by throwing herself at a man,
to the present example will appear in a book on the woman will lose her bastum "dignity,
Middle Eastern love poetry (George forthcom- pride." An Old Babylonian incantation against
ing a). anger uses the expression bastam nasabum to
obv. describe one of its consequences (UET VI
7 a-su-uh ba-as-ta-am 399: 8-II, ed. Whiting I985: I8I): is-rsu1 -uh
8 a-za-ru-u ka-ra-na-am ba-as-ta-am sa pa-ni-i-su-u ih-pe qu-li-a-am sa
9 a-na i-sa-tim li-bi-su-u "(anger) removed the dignified
IO e-ze-tim me-e bearing ofhis face, shattered the still calm of
II as-pu-[ u]k his mind" (qu-li-a-am is a "broken" spelling of
I2 ki-ma pu-<ba>-di-ka qulam, of the kind noted for fei:ninine nouns
I3 ra-ma-an-r nt'l by Lambert 20I3: 469; George 2003: 2IO-II;
I4 ki-ma ~e-eJ nim1 on OB YOS XI s: IO tu-li-a-tum for tulatum
IS na-as-hi-ra-am-ma "maggots" see Wasserman 2008: 82 on 1. ro).
I6 am-ra-an-ni I2. The dictionaries book pudum or budum as a
?-III uprooted a thistle, I shall sow a vine. I type of sheep, but the word seems rather to
poured water on a raging fire. !2-I 6 Love me as denote a festival (George 2003: 833 sub 45). I
(you love) your lamb! Seek me out as (you have emended the text to give the normal
seek out) a flock and find me! Old Babylonian word for "lamb."
I6. The word amranni also occurs as an invita-
tion to love in an Old Babylonian love incan-
tation :from Isin (Wilcke I985: I98 1. 24).
.baztzons o; :setectea 1 exts 149
senger, let him set up brick and tamarisk, let IIJ.J. No. 7c (Pl. XXII)
him drink water through a marsh reed." He This fragment of an Akkadian incantation is
slapped him on the cheek. on the topic of wind, so could be a measure
9- I I Namma, queen ofEridu, Asalluhe, son of
against digestive disorders, in which a storm-
Enki: (the spell they have cast) no man shall wind often features as the aetiology. However,
undo[ on the Old Babylonian collective tablet No.7 it
An Akkadian version ofthis spell is included falls among spells for staying out of town
on the collective tablet No. 20. Unfortunately it (Nos. 7a, d) and for safety in the street (II.B .2 No.
is badly damaged: 7b). Since it is concerned with the sea, it is per-
haps an apotropaion against sickness or accidents
No. 20d while aboard a boat. It is only a fragment but is
obv. edited here because of its novelty.
14' [...]X a-na urimki i-te-rlt'l [x X X x] rX X1 The opening passage relates an episode in
r 5' [... ] x a-ba-ra-ka-tim it-tu-um is-nu kar- mythical time when the wind struck the surface
~[um] of the sea, anthropomorphized as a cuff to the
r6' [.. .]x-am a-na pi-su su-uk-na-ma le-su ma- head. The results of this mischief are not pre-
ah-~a-m[a] served, but surely included the ill effect ofsetting
17' [... ]x li-it-ta-ra-ad ka-inim-ma it-tu-[ umJ the sea in motion. It would then provide an early
example of a mythological idea that otherwise
. . .J went up to Ur, [. . .J o f th e h ouse-
14'-r6' [
informs a passage at the beginning of the Baby-
keepers bitumen obstructed. Slander [. . .]
lonian Epic of Creation (Enuma elis I ro5-ro).
"Put ... into his mouth and slap (pl.) his cheek,
Anu gives Marduk, his grandson, the winds to
n' so that [... ] goes down[" Incantation for-
play with, and they create a wave in the ancestral
mula for bitumen.
Sea (Ti'amat). For the purposes of narrative and
Notes plot the episode leads to the gods' discomfort,
No. 43: 1-2. The parallel versions have ba-du- but it can also be read aetiologically to explain,
ud, ba-tu-ud "born" (!I 1. 1) and ba-an-tuk like the present passage, the origin of the sea's
"acquired" (!I 1. 2), but ba-ku4 seems prefer- eternal motion. The motif of more generalized
able in the light of No. 2o's ana Urim "iteli. conflict betvveen stormwind and sea is of course
Where No. 4 has Larsa ([U]D.UNUGki), the prominent in much other ancient Near Eastern
others have ku-la-a-baki and kul-aba(UNUG)ki. mythology (e.g. Jacobsen 1968, Day 1985,
Durand 1993, Bordreuil and Pardee 1993).
3. The sources disagree as to what was done to
the ox. The other versions have gud ki-si-ga col. i
lul (read with copy) sa6 "he ... an OX (as?) a 19' sa-rum ti-me-a-tim U-~i-i-ma
funerary offering" and gud ba-an-si:g "he 20 1 r U ti-a-me-tum ip-pa-al-la-<sa>-sum
1
read TDVI IX 64: 8-9: a gi gu id he-nag [t]e- the sea was staring at it. It cuffed the sea across
rna1 he-si:g I I YOS XI 7T 21-22: [a] gi-sug- the top of the head (lit. struck the sea's hair-
ka he-nag-a [te]-na[ i:-sa6-[ga]. line). [... ] marshes. Remainder lost.
I 52 .iVIesopotamian Incantations
Note
1 I9', 20', 22'. The spell appears to play with
variants of the Sea's name, ti'iimtum. For oth-
er similar spellings see II. G. I No. 28a obv. 3
and textual note.
most recently studied by Lambert (2013: 405- that employ the expression dlnl din "judge my
26). The present list contains in col. ii 2'-n' a case" are listed in Werner Mayer's study of the
unique combination of these two sets of ances- genre (1976: 221-22). In the present text, then,
tors, somewhat disguised by corruption. The the phrase dlnsu dina is no hindrance to identi-
entries in ll. 2' and 6'-ro' derive from the theog- fying it generically as part of the exorcists' rep-
ony of Anu; those in ll. 3'-5' and II' from ertoire.
Enlil's. 1 Turning to the remainder of the text, it is
A key phrase in determining the genre ofthe unnecessary to cite the many examples ofincan-
text is the command dlnsu dina. This suggests at tation prayers that begin with a hymnic-style
first a divinatory context, for dinum "judgement, address, often short but sometimes quite
verdict" is a technical term in divination for the extended. Examples of lists of deities in incan-
divine decision manifested in an oracle, and tations are also not hard to find. In exorcism,
prayers that call on Samas, Adad and other gods especially, it is common to invoke the aid of
to render a petitioner's dlnum, by providing an large numbers of gods. The usual formula con-
oracle for the diviner to decode, are well sists of a list of deities, each name preceded by zi
known. However, no divination prayer invites 1I nls and followed by he-pad I I lU tamata "(0
the whole pantheon to the task. demon,) be adjured by the god DN!" Other
As a technical term in theurgy generally, the forms comprise lists that are only intermittently
word dlnum also has a place in apotropaic and interrupted with injunctions, e.g. Su1pu VIII
exorcistic ritual. Rituals ofpurification are often 14-43 (ed. Reiner 1958: 39-41; Borger 2000:
structured as court cases, in which the aggrieved 7 5-84) and the similar litany K 2096 (ABR T 56-
party (the exorcist's client) brings his complaint 59, partly ed. Reiner1956: 144-47). Usually the
before the divine judge Samas, -vvith the plea dinr deities are listed in a hierarchical order, some-
din "judge my case" and the request that Samas times beginning with the primeval, ancestral
purge him of the evil aillicting him (Maul 1994: deities, e.g. in the bilingual Gattung II and Gat-
60-71). The third-person formulation dinsu din tung III (ed. Ebeling I 9 53: 38 I -40 3; see further
"judge his case!" can also occur, as in the exor- Lambert 2013: 410-17). Groups ofancestral dei-
cist's incantation dutu ud-ri-a-ta from the "third ties already occur in this context in the Ur III and
house" of the ritual series Bit rimki (Uruk III 67 Old Babylonian periods (Peterson 2009; Cav-
iv 9-ro, ed. von Weiher 1988: 55): di-da-a-ni igneau,'C and Al-Rawi 1994: 74 11. 9-ro; eid.
ku 5-da-ab ka-as-bar-a-ni bar-ra-ab I I di-in-su 1995b: 197; here No. r6 iii 5'-9', see Part I).
di-in pu-ru-sa-su pu-ru-us "judge his case, render Occasionally the deities are ordered in pairs,
judgement on him!" Powers other than Samas male and female, e.g. in a late namerimburruda
can be asked to pass judgement using the same incantation (Geller 1998: 130-3 r).
phrase din! din, e.g. the fire gods Nuska and Girra
A hierarchy of gods in male-female pairs,
in the anti-witchcraft series 1\1aqlu (I r 14, II 107,
beginning with the ancestral deities (ii' 2'-9') and
ed. Maier 1937), and a group of gods, probably
moving on to the rest of the pantheon, ordered
the Igigi, in an Akkadian field-pest incantation
conventionally from An and Antum in the
(82-5-22, 532 ii 3'-4', ed. George and Taniguchi
heavens (ii' r o') to the netherworld gods (iii' I I'-
2010: roo): [dJ i-ni di-na a-lak-tilim-da ''judge my
I5'), is the main feature of the present text. The
case, learn my predicament!" Many other pas-
phrasing that defined the role ofthese gods in the
sages ofincantation prayers, suillas and namburbis
text, and of the IStar-figures in col. i', is missing,
but the provisional assumption is that IStar and
' The theogony is studied further in George forthcom- the goddesses of col. i' are asked to intervene to
ing c. determine the supplicant's fault or impurity-
I 54 1\1esopotamian Incantations
dki-li-li mu-Si-ir-tum sa a-pa-tr), and the incan- served as this one. The others were written for
tation incipit, at-ti ki-li-li sa a-pa-ta u-sar-ru the benefit ofBabu-ahu-iddina (.Kfi.R 35) and
"You, K., who leans through the window" three individuals whose names are lost (.Kfi.R
(Farber 1977= 57 1. 22). 36+261, L.Kfl. 129, KA.L II 40). An abbreviated
9'. Perhaps muriqqat assat muti "who keeps wife version was included in the inscription incised
and husband apart." on an Assyrian demon's head amulet now in the
Louvre (HeeBel2002: III ll. 6-17). A synoptic
ii 3'. This is the oldest ancestral pair in Enlil' s
theogony, usually rendered as Enki and Ninki edition and German translation of the four vvit-
nesses then known was presented by Maul
or Nunki (Alster 1970; Selz 1995: 270;
Sjoberg 2002: 237 n. 14; Peterson 2009; Lam- (1994: r8r-84); the fifth is copied and edited by
bert 2013: 414, Rubio 2013: 6), but once, in Daniel Schwemer in KAL II (2007= 99).
an Old Babylonian zi-pad incantation from The version of the text on No. 6r matches
Sippar, as en-ki-in u nu-mu-e-ki-in (Cav- the previously known text in ll. r-rs (!I Maul
igneaux and Al-Ravvi 1994: 75 1. 9). To 1994: r8r-83 ll. r-22) with only slight differ-
explain this nu-mu-e-ki-in Sjoberg posited a ences. The following passage (ll. r6-25), com-
development from "old numun,_ > nun (c£ prising the middle of the incantation prayer, is
*enmenx >en)" and wondered whether nu- new, for the duplicates are all broken or silent;
mu-e was a scribal error for nu-mu-un. The some phrases recur on an amulet tablet found in
current spelling gives a positive answer to his Tarsus (ed. Maul 1994: r86-87 D). The ending
question. (ll. 26-34) deviates from what little is preserved
s'. Since Enlil and Ninlil appear later in the list, on .Kfi.R 35 I I 36+261. It has several clauses in
at ii II 1, this line is certainly an abbreviated common with another amulet tablet prepared
version of the summary that often rounds off for a certain Bulalu (.Kfi.R 37, ed. Maul 1994:
lists ofEnlil's ancestors. A conventional ren- 187), without being an exact match, and is thus
dering is: en ama a-a den-lil-la nin ama a-a also without a true duplicate. It becomes clear
dnin-lil-la "lord mothers and fathers ofEnlil, that the opening passages of apotropaic texts
lady mothers and fathers ofNinlil." Howev- written on amulet tablets at Assur were stan-
er, the formula exists in considerable variety, dardized, but their continuations exhibit con-
as listed by Lambert 2013: 4IG-II, to which siderable variation. Unfortunately, the new
add, in a zi-p ad incantation from Me-Turan closing passage on the present exemplar is not
(Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi 1995b: 197 MB fully preserved.
17'): en ama den-lil-la-ke4-ne nun ama den-lil- The prayer written on the lug is spoiled by
ne. nu-mu-un for nun(< nin) also occurs in some major corruptions, but can be read in con-
ii 3', q.v. junction with those on the other exemplars.
r7'. Zababa is expected. From a combined reading the whole sense
emerges-the prayer asks !Sum, the divine night
27'. Apparently neither Medimsa nor Sala.
watchman, to protect the house of the amulet's
II.K.J. No. 61 (Pls. CXXXII-CXXXVI) beneficiary as he goes about his rounds. In com-
The main text on this N eo-Assyrian tablet is posite it reads !Sum niigir ill bel suqi suqa ina ba 'lka
a version of a well-known incantation prayer to eli blti sa PN sukun andulla "0 !Sum, herald ofthe
the gods Ea, Samas and Marduk (in his identity gods, lord of the street, as you pass along the
as the exorcist god Asalluhe), no. 13 in Werner street place protection on PN's house!" In No.
Mayer's inventory of incantation prayers (1976: 6 I, however, such is the level of corruption that
383-84). The text appears on four amulet-type !Sum has become his master, Erra, his title niigir
tablets from Assur, none of which is as well pre- iti has turned by metathesis into N ergal, his epi-
i\!Iesopotamian Incantations
thet bel suqi has become a-gis, and eli biti has been (Maul and StrauB 20II: 4 n. 25). Maul proposes,
perverted into luba' "let me pass" and istim on grounds ofhandwriting and physical appear-
(meaningless). In addition, sukun andulla has ance, that the present addition to the corpus
been replaced by ina sakan tap de "when granting originally came from Nabu-zeru-iddina's
mercy," and an extra clause is added, gimil house, alongside WVDOG 98 no. 6I, the one
napsassu "spare his life." Only suqa ina ba'ika "as amulet tablet certainly found there, and two
you pass along the street" is faithful to the orig- others, LKA 128 and 129.
inal prayer. Text of main inscription:
The beneficiary of the text on No. 6I is obv.
namedinll. 12 and 3 I as Nabu-zeru-iddina. The I en de-a dsamas(utu) dasal(KAxX)-lu-he
prayer written on the lug also names him, or, ilu( dingir)me5 rabutu(gal)me5
more exactly, his house. Nabu-zeru-iddina was 2 suputu(e)meS -?irutu(mah)mes asaredutu(sag-
a common name in Assyria (Baker 200I), but it kal)meS da-i-nu di-nu
is interesting to note the existence of another 3 paris(kud)is purusse( d-bar)mes mu-sim
clay amulet tablet inscribed with an incantation Simati(nam)me5 mu--?i-ru U-?urati(gis-
prayer for the benefit of a Nabu-zeru-iddina: hur)mes
KAR 120 (VAT II24I in Berlin). A third amu- 4 mu-si-qu is-qe-te sa same(an)" u er-?eti(ki)tim
let tablet, LKA 128 (Ass. I0457 in Istanbul), at-ta-[n] u-ma
edited by Maul with KAR 120 and duplicates 5 sipta(en)-ku-nu balatu(ti-la) mu(a)mes_ku-
preparedforotherindividuals (Maul I994: I85- nu sulmu(silim)"m epis(duyt rp£(kaf-
89), was formerly considered to be written for <ku-nu> balatum(ti)-ma
Nabu-zeru-iddina, but recent collation has yield- 6 amir(igi-la)-ku-nu iballut(ti-la) ha-sis-[ku]-
ed the name Nabu-zeru-iqi:sa instead (Panayo- nu isallim(silim)im mupallis(igi-bal)-
tov 20I3b). <ku-nu> idammiq(sig5)
A private archive belonging to a man called 7 lnUmunakkiru(kur)ru lum-nu sakinu(gar)llU
Nabu-zeru-iddina was excavated at Assur in dumqi(sig) 111"mupassiru(bur)
I906. It is described by OlofPedersenin his cat- kispi(usll) ruhe(usll) ruse(usll)
alogue oflibraries and archives excavated in the 8 upsase(nig-ak-a)meS lemnuti(b.ul)meS sa a-
Assyrian religious capital (I986: I3 I-35 N33) me-lu-te
and has since been edited by Karen Radner 9 ki-ag-ga <hul>-gig di-bal-a zi-kud-da
(I 999). Most of the tablets in the archive relate IO ka-dab-be-da sur!-l}un-ga sag-ki-dab-ba
to the commercial activities of the goldsmith I I dima! (KA. <BI> )-kur-ra -?U-ud pa-ni sa-
Nabu-zeru-iddina and his colleagues in the last nim te-me la se-mu-u
four decades of the Assyrian empire, but an 12 rsa1 ina bit(e) mdnabu(muati)-
amulet tablet ofbaked clay was also found in the zeru(numun)-iddina(as) mar(dumu)
house (N33 no. 6I Ass. I3867, ed. Radner I999: ili( dingir) -su itta(giskim) lemna(b.ul)
I 95-96). This very damaged exemplar has since ipusu(du)"5
been published in cuneiform copy (WVDOG I3 de-a dsamas(utu) dasal(KAxiGI)-lu-he
98 =Jakob-Rost et al. 2000 no. 6I), where obv. ilu(dingir)me5 rabutu(gal)mes
and rev. should be exchanged. I4 [sja at-tu-nu tida(zu)" ana-kula idu(zu)"
An overview of the extant Neo-Assyrian I 5 [ll] b-bal-kit-su-nu-ti-ma eli(ugu)-su-nu lik-
amulet-type namburbi tablets is given by Stefan tu-nu
Maul (I994: I78-8I). The findspots at Assur of I 6 [a-d] i sur-ris a-na dgirra(gis-bar) a-ri-ri pi-
tablets of this type, published and unpublished, iq-da-su-n[u-te]
have been reconstructed by the same scholar I7 [dgt] rra([giS]-bar) liq-mu-su-nu-te dgirra
Editions of Selected Texts !57
(gis-bar) lik-su-r su-nu-te1 about good fortune, who undo spells, witch-
r8 [dgir]ra([gis-b]ar) li-nar-su-nu-ti dgirra(gis- craft, black magic and the wicked machina-
bar) li-s[ uh? -su-nu-t] e tions of human beings. (Spells for) loving,
19 [dgirr] a([gis-ba]r) lit-ru-su-nu-ti dgirra(gis- hating, justice-perverting, throat-cutting,
bar) l[ih?-mu?-s] u-nu-t[ e] mouth-seizing, anger-calming, forehead-
20 der-ra ina giskakki(tukul) dan-ni baba(k:l) l[i- seizing, mind-losing, head-dizzying, loss of
se-,'t] -su-nu-t[eJ senses, hearing-loss, that cause evil conse-
21 lit-ru-su-nu-te li-suh-[su-nu-te] quences in the house of Nabu-zeru-iddina,
22 nara(id) li-se-bir-su-nu-te s1a-da-a lis-hal- son ofhis god, that you great gods, Ea, Samas,
kit]-! -su-nu-[te] Asalluhe, know but I do not know, may he
rev. surmount them and remain finn against them!
1 22
23 gisblnu(sinig) e,)emti(gir-pa[d-ra]) [ill( din- 6- Consign them quickly to the blazing (fire-
ti-la dab! bar me$. Schwemer, who brought ILK+ No. 54 (Pl. CXXIII)
this parallel to my attention, suggests reading This is a collection ofSumerian phrases with
dnam-ti-(la) $iihit? ahuti? "N. is the one who Akkadian interpretation inscribed on a small
seizes enemies." Old Babylonian tablet. The Sumerian phrases
3-5. On other exemplars this passage reads di- are all drawn from the practice of exorcistic
[sum] Gfs+u dingir (.K!1R 35: 7-8) and rdi- magic, but do not cohere as a spell as they are. In
SU1111 nagir( Gfs+u) ill( dingir) bel( en) suqi(sila) addition, the Akkadian phrases are not literal
(.K!1R 37= I7): "0 !Sum, herald of the bo-ods '
translations of the Sumerian, but use etymolog-
lord of the street." On our tablet a-gis is an
ical manipulation to yield different meaning.
uneA.'"Pected writing of aggis and is more pro b-
Probably this is a school tablet from a class which
ably corrupt for "lord of the street," which
rings truer. discussed basic elements of the Sumerian rep-
ertoire of the exorcist. The topic was evidently
6-J . .K!1R 37= IS has a garbled version of this
clause: [suqa ina ba'z]-ka sa ku-ba-'. holy water and ablution rites. The Akkadian
would be the teacher's oral explanations, noted
8. is tim corrupt for eli biti; c£ .K!1R 3 5: IO (Maul
down by an apprentice. The text thus offers a
I994= I77): ugu e; .K!1LIV 23: 4': ugu [e]; and
A I I4: top (lacking in L.K!1 128, see Panayo- glimpse of a hidden subtext that could accom-
tov 20I3b): ugu e. pany conventionally ·written texts and extract
rev. 3- This phrase takes the place of sukun additional meaning from them. Such subtext
andulla "place protection" in other amulet was usually handed down orally, but it finds
tablets: .K!1R 35: I3; 120: 3-4; L.K!1 128: 3-4. vrritten form in late commentaries and exposi-
The word tapdu is a hapax legomenon, cognate tory texts.
with padu "to show mercy."
obv. rev.
I a~mu sub-u r111U1-U-a ra-bu-tu111
2 zi pad-de [p]a!-at-tu-u na-pi-is-ti
3 nam-gis-{ ras. }-pad sikil-la bu-ur-ti el-le-tum
4 tu-ra ib-zi-zi-de
Sumerian
2
r- Cast down my water, make an adjuration!
3 4
- The pure spell will get rid of diseases.
Akkadian
2
r- My great waters, bucket(?) oflife!
3- 4 My sacred well that gets rid of diseases!
Notes
I. a-mu (a-gu!O) = mu'a, but then mu is reused
to give rabutum: see the common lexical entry
mu = rabu "big" (A III/ 4 I I, Antagal G 274,
Izi G 7).
2. zi-p ad "to swear an oath on the life," in
Akkadian normally nisX tamum, here yields
zi = napistum "life" and pad= pattum "exor-
r6o 1\1esopotamian Incantations
cist's pail." The healer's water vessel is nor- are a prima facie reason for identifYing these tab-
mally gis/giba-an-du8-(du 8) in Sumerian, from lets as related to the practice of magic.
which Akk. pattam is borrowed, but note Fortunately, the Akkadian text makes sense.
gipad-(da) = pattam in lexical texts (Urra IX In No. 55 the speaker identifies himself as the
I94, 380, Nabnttu IV 15)- weapon of the warrior god Ningirsu. He boasts
3- nam-gis-pad is for nam-sub: see the main of his prowess in word and deed, promises to
introduction. sikil-la = ellum, of course, but it subdue enemies for his interlocutor, and recalls
is not clear whence burtum derives. two mythological episodes: one when he slew
4- The Akkadian derives from conventional igitallam "Monoculus" and the other when he
equivalences. saved the gods from manual labor. The slaying
of the monoculus is attributed in omen texts to
II.K.s. Nos. 55-58 (Pls. CXXIV-CXXJX) N ergal (George 20 I 2), but victories over chaos-
These four Old Babylonian texts, ostensibly monsters were routinely claimed by any num-
bilinguals, are like nothing else known to me. In ber of warrior gods, and it is unproblematic that
all four, the sections that are Akkadian are dec- Ningirsu (and the divine weapon that is his
larations in the first-person singular. In most, the pro:Ay) should also be held up as victor. The sec-
sections that precede the Akkadian are gibber- ond mythological episode is an allusion to the
ish, but in places they contain a Sumerian word mutiny of the gods when the manual work later
or phrase that seems to match something in the performed by men became too much for them.
Akkadian (No. 56: II ud I I I2 inuma "when"; In the extant Babylonian literature the story
58: I e-a lab.4 I I 2 ina bitiya allik, 4 b.e-gaJ. I I 6 he- forms the first part of the poem ofAtrab.asis, and
gal-la), a Sumerian word in isolation (No. 55: IO the composer of the present text apparently
lu-Ulu; No. 56: 2lu-Ulu, I I lu, I3 u-si-in-dab5; directs our attention to that composition by
No. 58: 4 me-lub.-b.a u-lub.-b.a), or a succession paraphrasing its incipit, inuma ilu awilum "when
of Sumerian words, syllabically spelled, that the gods (were) man" in 1. I5: inuma ilu kima
appear to make sense (No. 56: I5-I6). The awlli "when the gods (were) like man. 002 In the
smattering of Sumerian speaks for an intention version of the myth elaborated in Atrab.asis, the
to pass the gibberish off as Sumerian, and I shall mutinous gods had been digging out the rivers
refer to it as "pseudo-Sumerian." Presuming Tigris and Euphrates 3 and were saved by Enki's
that the Akkadian text is primary, there seem to ingenuity. The present text situates the gods'
be two different strategies for generating the
pseudo-Sumerian part: (a) outright gibberish
' On abracadabra and pseudo-Sumerian in ancient
made by rhythmic patterns ofrepetitive syllables
Mesopotamian incantations see Veldhuis 1999: 46-
(No. 55: sasali sal u sasal etc., uddul ulla uddulla 48; Farber 1989: 144-45; Schwemer 2014: 266. The
ulla, husi husisi husi u husi etc.; No. 56: enne! interfaces betvv-een abracadabra spells and incanta-
erime! erme! u [ermesj, appa ina lalla u Zappala, halla tions in little-known languages like Elamite and
hal hila u palla palili pali palla; No. 57: zalla zal Hurrian have been explored by van Dijk 1982; id. et
zalla u zalla, zilalam zilalam zalam u zalam); and al. 1985: 3-4; Prechel and Richter 2001.
(b) learned gibberish made by interspersing such A later version of Atrab.asis current in Assyria had an
incipit that is even more like l. 15 (Lambert 1969:
text, to a greater or lesser degree, with Sumerian
534): e-nu-[ma] i/ii(dingir)mei ki-i a-mi-li. It cannot be
words and phrases. The first type resembles excluded that this incipit goes back to an Old Baby-
closely the abracadabra-type formulae present lonian version of the poem that is lost (unlike the
in some incantations. The second type is also version that begins inuma ilu awilum), and that the
encountered in incantations, where it has been present text is not paraphrasing but quoting verba-
called "mock Sumerian."' These resemblances tim.
Editions of Selected Texts r6r
toil in another episode of mythical time, when counselling his master against going into battle
the gods were building the mountains. with the Azag. There is no evident connection
The Akkadian texts on Nos. 56 and 57 do between the two episodes of mediation, and the
not reveal the speaker's identity (or identities), myth or other narrative to which No. 58 alludes
but what survives ofhis boasts is very compatible remains unidentified.
with Ningirsu and his weapon. In No. 57 the Having described the form and content of
speaker invokes three deities, all of which are Nos. 55-58, it remains to consider their pur-
forms of Ningirsu-Ninurta. More revealingly, pose. Formally the texts are presented as bilin-
the speaker ofNo. 56 boasts in 1. 6 of defeating guals, in which a passage of abracadabra or
the mountains and letting out the water. These pseudo-Sumerian is provided with a translation
are well-known accomplishments of Ningirsu in Akkadian. These short texts demonstrate that
in his persona as Ninurta. His triumph over the ancient healers attributed meaning to the abra-
mountain is most prominently reported in cadabra formulations and other unintelligible
Angim 134-35, where two ofhis weapons are passages that occur in incantations. The key fact
mg kur gul-gul I I mu'abbit sadf "mountain- to my mind is that in NOS. 55-57 passages of
destroyer" and mg kur glir-glir I I mukannis sadf pseudo-Sumerian gibberish are understood to
"mountain-subduer (other refs. George I 992: be Ningirsu's weapon speaking in person and
276). The release of the waters trapped behind boasting of its power and past exploits. Armed
the mountain is described in the other bilingual with the knowledge that he is bringing into play
poem in Ninurta's honor, Lugale. Mter his vic- the weapons of the champion of the gods, the
tory over the Azag-monster in the mountains, healer turns the unintelligible into the most
Ninurta remodelled the terrain so that the powerful force for order in the cosmos. In his
waters retained behind the mountains were struggle against evil and malignant powers, he
channelled into a new river-the Tigris-and could have no better ally.
brought fertility to the land, as well as relief to When this principal is applied wholesale,
the gods (347-59). What is especially interesting any incantation that consists of incomprehensi-
for the present discussion is that the passage of
ble words-whether abracadabra or Hurrian,
Lugale preceding the creation of the Tigris Elamite or any other alien language-can be
describes the "gods of the land" laboring appar-
accounted the voice of the very weapon ofNin-
ently to direct water from the mountains
girsu. If these alien utterances, whether based on
towards the plain (Lugale 334-41). Their work
real languages or wholly invented, were inter-
was in vain, for the land was parched (342-46).
preted as messages announcing to the forces of
This episode, in which the gods struggled to
evil that Ningirsu's weapon opposed them, then
construct mountains, not to dig rivers, is evi-
it stands to reason that they were intended to be
dently the one to which the text on No. 55 refers
understood by those forces. Accordingly, the
as taking place "when the gods were like man."
presence ofHurrian and Elamite incantations in
The speaker ofNo. 58 also refers to events Babylonia may not be simply a matter of cul-
in the mountains, in which he played a role as a tural-historical influence, arising, as van Dijk
result of which a third party brought salt to the
supposed (1982), from the import of foreign
land. In Lugale Ninurta's weapon, there called
spells. It also speaks for an intellectual conceit,
Sarur, plays the part of the cautious servant,
that alien beings naturally spoke alien languages
and could be addressed effectively in alien lan-
3 This detail, lost in a lacuna of the Old Babylonian guages. This would seem an explanation that fits
text, is provided by the SB recension at Tablet I 2I- well the use by the Babylonian healer, alongside
26 (George and Al-Rawi I996: rsS-59). the sacred Sumerian and native Akkadian, of
I62 JVIesopotamian Incantations
languages alien, like Hurrian and Elamite, lan- 9-lo [udd] ul ulla uddulla ulla [... ] la sap ala sa[pa] lsa
guages debased, like pseudo-Sumerian, and lan- u human being.
11 12
guages wholly invented, like abracadabra. The - Valiant one, runner, fine one and guardian:
demons understood. in my might I slew the monoculus, I
No. 55 established the gods' freedom.
[ • • • ] husi husisi husi u husi husnussi husi u ussi.
13 14
obv. -
1 2
- [ ••• sa]sali sasali sal u sasal [... ] u salisal salisal I 5 ti-il-la U nam-ti-il e na-mi-nu-ka za-za-
u sasal. ag-me-e[n]
3 4
- [ ••• ] I have strength, I am high of arm and I6 nam-ti-il dnanna-ma-an-sum unam-ti-il
superb. My [word] is strong, great and u as-s1 a-ti-su?]
judicious. I7 ge-er-re-et ma-ti-im a-na as-ri-im aS-ku-un
5-<l [ ••• ] lal kalla mitina [...] ... isal u asal. ra-bu-u[m] I su-mi
7 8
- [ ••• ] fierce is my visage, I am the weapon of I 8 ma-li-ku-um ba-nu-um na-~£-ru-um a-na-
Ningirsu. I shall subdue those who do ku-ma
[not] fear you, I shall bind them for
you and lead them to you.
Editions of Selected Texts
I-
2
Ermes erimes ermes u [ermes'] erimeshuman No. 58
being ermes u [ermes'] Previous edition: 1\1SCT II = Alster 2007= 52-
3 4
- In the heart ofthe earth and [heaven, great is] 54-
my name. Watcher, guardian,[... am obv.
I.] I e-a lab-4 lu a-sur la-ba-an-lab-4
5
Appa ina lalla u Zappala [... ] 2 i-na bi-ti-ia al-li-ik-sum-ma
v a·H . ut (sup. u') -te-ra-as-su
6
When I slew the mountains, the mountains [.
3 1-na
• sa- v v
..] I carry ... [... ]
7 8 4 me-luh-ha u-luh-ha kurma-ma? he-2il.ha-ab
~~ ~~ 1::> ~
- Sermis serimis [... ] human being lal akka ...
ab
[... ]
5 ki-ma u-te-ra-as-su hi-is-ba-am na-si-i
9-Io In my fury they quaked[ ... ] was construct-
relieving the pain by applying dough, not just to armpits and groin (No. 30d, edited above,
the sting but also to the armpit and neck (4-8). II.D.Io). The present text also reveals that
Pain in nearby lymph nodes is a well-known dough was applied not only to the sting but also
consequence of a scorpion's sting. The treat- to other parts of the body. The application of
ment concludes with the healer's recitation ofan dough was a common medical practice briefly
unspecified incantation (9). Probably the text as documented by Pablo Herrero in his study of
a whole is a traditional piece of exorcists' lore Babylonian medical therapy (Herrero I984: 26-
handed down orally and written out in haste on 27, also CAD L 2I6). Its use in treating scorpion
a spare lump of clay, either by a healer to ensure sting combines two approaches, seeking (a) to
correct procedure or by an apprentice to dem- relieve pain at the site of the sting and at the
onstrate his knowledge. lymph nodes, and also (b) to restore purity by
Treatment for scorpion's sting is only a rare transferring the scorpion's harm to another
concern of medical texts. A first-millennium material (dough). The magic is reinforced by (c)
tablet from ASsur collects therapies for the even- the recitation of an incantation to rid the body
tuality, [DIS ame] la(na) zuqaqipu(f!}r-tab) ilput(tag) ofharm. Incantations that seek magically to ban-
-su "[lj[ (If)] a scorpion attacks a man" (Schei:l ish the hann done by a scorpion have been dis-
I9I8: 76 obv. I4). These include rubbing the cussed by I. L. Finkel, alongside those which
sting with the blood of a lizard (1. I4) or a gecko seek to protect against a sting in the first place
0. I 8), coating it with the slaver of an ox 0. I7 (Finkel I999).
ru-pu-us-ti alpi(gud) !) , and administering potions obv.
by mouth, either alone (ll. I6, 2I) or in com- I sum-ma a-na mu-bi
bination with salving the sting (11. 22-24). The 2 sa zu-q£-q£-pu-um
application of ox saliva is the sole remedy for a 3 iz-qu-tu-su ta-am-ta-qu-ut
scorpion's sting given in a second-millennium 4 li-sa-am a-na sa-la-si-su
medical tabletfromNippur (BAl\1393 obv. I9- 5 i-na mu-bi me-bi-i$-tim
20). An Old Babylonian scorpion incantation is 6 i-na sa-ha-ti-su
followed by a ritual that prescribes the applica- 7 u i-na ki-sa-di-su
tion of donkey's earwa.""l\: (sa libbi uzun imeri) to 8 li-sa-am ta-sa-ak-ka-an
the sting (YOS XI 4: 20-22, ed. van Dijk et al. rev.
I985: I8). Another Old Babylonian tablet holds
9 u si-ip-tam ta-ma-an-nu
two short incantations on its obverse and a rem-
r-J If you happen on someone whom a scor-
edy for a sting, probably by scorpion, on its
reverse; the remedy is the same (N ougayrol pion has stung, 4- 8 you apply dough three
I 972: I4I-43; 1. IO sa li-ib-bi uzu-ri corrupt for sa times, dough on top ofhe sting, in his armpit
libbi uzun imeri!). As documented in these texts, and on his neck, 9 and you also recite an incan-
the medical treatment for such a sting was by tation.
means ofmedication applied to the sting, or tak- II.L.2. No. 73 (Pls. CXLIII-GXLV)
en by mouth, or both. The script of this oblong tablet is Old Baby-
Other Old Babylonian remedies involved lonian in date and the spelling suggests that it was
the application of dough. Two incantations -vvritten somewhere in southern Babylonia. The
against a scorpion on tablet No. 30 (i I7-ii 27) tablet is inscribed vvith twenty-two medical
report treatment with dough. One is followed remedies, set out in twenty-three lines of text.
by a therapy involving dough softened in water Many lines are too long for the tablet's width,
(No. 3oc, see the description in Part I). The sec- and their continuations are indented. Unfortu-
ond specifies the application of dough to the nately, the tablet's surface is poor and in places
I66 j\lfesopotamian Incantations
missing entirely, and not all its text can be suc- curiosity of the medical profession rather than
cessfully recovered. The ailments presented in any altruistic motivation.
the text range from problems such as dog-bite, A full edition ofthe te:A'i: will be published by
sores, skin conditions of the scalp and body, and I. L. Finkel in a forthcoming study ofBabylo-
toothache, to psychological afflictions attribut- nian medical texts. In the meantime, I give the
ed to sorcery. No hierarchical order can be de- following brief synopsis.
tected; for example, scalp conditions occur in §r (ll. r-2). A man is diagnosed as bewitched by
three separate places in the text: §§8-Io, 19 and sorcery (kasip). The doctor makes a potion by
22. The material is much less homogeneous heating a variety ofherbal remedies in a liq-
than that found in later medical texts. Not only uid. In the morning the patient clarifies the
is the organization of the problems seemingly potion, adds colocynth and drinks it.
arbitrary, but also the successful outcome is §2 (1. 3). Treatment for the same condition. The
expressed sometimes as iballut "he will get bet- ingredients of the potion are more common-
ter," sometimes as its synonym inl J as"he will get place and prepared by the patient himself, but
well." the therapy is otherwise much the same.
In addition, the different sections use a vari- §3 (1. 4). Treatment for a man who, if I under-
ety of syntactical constructions. Many sections stand correctly, finds it difficult to talk. The
presuppose omission of summa awllum (perhaps therapy involves shovving him something
all of§§r-14, r6, r8-22), one presupposes omis- three times in order to restore him to good
sion of initial ana (§rs), and at least one section spirits.
lacks a verb of predication, perhaps ~abit (§§ro?, §4 0. 5). An ailment of uncertain nature. The
r6) or maru~ (§§8-9?). One section is set out not treatment seems to consist in part of exposing
as the conventional protasis and apodosis but as the patient to the squeals of a slaughtered pig.
a statement offactinasingle clause (§r7); anoth- §5. 0. 6). The patient keeps calling out at night.
er is not a medical recipe at all, but a prognostic The remedy is for him to rub himself with a
omen (§7). Those that are recipes give instruc- salve based on oil.
tions for therapy in second-person and third- §6 0. 7). Dog bite. The patient rubs the wound
person future forms, or a combination of these; with gecko fat.
three sections use the imperative mood (§§3, 4, §7 0. 8). The patient is generally infirm and
9). It seems probable that, as elsewhere, the sec- complains of headache. If there was a treat-
ond-person forms address the healer, whether in ment, it is lost in an illegible passage. The sec-
the future or the imperative; the third person is tion ends with a statement that the patient is
the patient. The significance ofrecipes that com- incurable and, if a child, likely to die young.
bine second and third-person instructions is §8 (1. 9). Treatment of a condition of the scalp
often that the trained doctor prepares a remedy (gurastum). A herbal remedy is applied to the
and leaves the patient to apply it himsel£ Rem- newly shaven head, in powdered form, not as
edies that address a trained party such as a doctor an oil-based salve.
naturally came to be written down as part of the §9 0. ro). The same ailment as §8. The remedy,
trend .in Babylonian professional life toward expressed in imperatives, involves charring
committing technical knowledge to writing. some substance, applying it in oil to the shav-
The remedies expressed entirely in the third en head, and bandaging.
person are evidently examples of self-treatment §ro (1. rr). A similar scalp condition (kuriirum).
(§§2, 5, 6, 8, 13 ?, 20?, 21). That they were col- The doctor applies various dried herbs in
lected in writing demonstrates the intellectual powdered form, no doubt to the shaven
Editions of Selected Texts
head. For another Old Babylonian remedy §22 (1. 23). Treatment for a scalp condition by
see Wasserman I996, id. 2007= 56. shaving and the application of a poultice con-
§II (1. 12). Damage to the tablet renders the taining a mi\.i:ure ofherbs for a two-day period.
nature of the patient's complaint difficult to II.L.3. No. 74 (Pl. CXLVI)
determine. Treatment is by the application of
This square tablet bears a medical therapeu-
powdered medication.
tic text ·written in a N eo- or Late Babylonian
§12 (1. I3). This entry is too damaged to reveal hand. No colophon is subscribed, for the tablet
anything much about the medical problem was left unfinished. Scribal annotations indicate
and its remedy. that the tablet was copied from a broken original
§I3 (1. I4)- Treatment for fever (isatum) by the (11. I4, 26), and that one line contains at least one
application of powdered medication. mistake 0- Io). The tablet's format and ductus
are similar to Late Babylonian medical tablets
§I4 (1. IS). Treatment for a wound (simmum)
from Uruk in southern Babylonia, and it can be
that will not heal, by the application of pow-
assumed that the tablet derives from one of the
dered medication prepared from dried leaves
scholarly libraries that have been found at that
of the grapevine(?).
site. The ailments are specified as suffered by
§IS (1. I6). A wound on the ankle is treated with boys, all in the area ofthe lower abdomen. A full
a powder made from two kinds of dried leaf edition of this text is planned by I. L. Finkel. In
§I6 (1. I7). A skin condition (kurarum) on the the meantime it may be useful to give the fol-
finger is treated by the application of crushed lovving brief synopsis:'
weevil. Treatment of kurarum by this means is §I (11. I-s). Treatment for scrotal hernia (miqit
also known from a first-millennium source irrl.) by potion and oil-based salve, both made
(BA1VI 494 iii 66 1-68 1). with a field insect. If the treatment fails, heat
§ I7 (1. I 8). This section sets out the remedy for is applied to the shoulder-blade on the oppo-
alleviating pain in the jaw prior to and after site side to the affected testicle. This section
the extraction of a tooth: camomile (kirban duplicates and restores two fragmentary tab-
eqlim) and probably raw pork are applied lets from Kuyunjik (AlVIT 62 no. I i 7'- I I 1 I I 6 I
repeatedly in a potsherd bound to the jaw. no. 5 obv. 12 1-I4 1). The application ofheat to
Crushed potsherd also serves to apply materia the shoulder-blades finds a parallel in BAM 3
medica in an Old Babylonian remedy for ii 8, where heat is applied to da-da-ni-Itt ti-ik-
kurarum (Wasserman I996: 3 l. Io). ki-su "his neck and shoulders" as a treatment
§I8 (1. I9). Treatment for an eruption ofboils for a condition of the head.
(um~atum) on the trunk with an oil-based salve. §2 0- 6). Treatment for the same condition:
§I9 (1. 20). Treatment for the scalp condition cooked lizard. A similar cure for miqit irrl. is
known as "sweet louse" (kalmatum matuqtum) also attested in the tablets from Kuyunjik,
by means of an oil-based salve containing among other ailments of the adult testes
myrrh. The same remedy is known from first- (A1VIT62 no. I i 2 1-6 1 I I 6I no. 5 obv. 7'-II 1).
millennium medical texts (Labat I959: 8 11.
35-36; cf BA1VI 494 i 30'-31 1, CT 23 so: 5). 1
The text was read in July 2015 by the Keilschriftse-
rninar of the BabMed project at the Freie Universitat
§20 0- 2I). Complaint uncertain, remedy taken
Berlin. Several important improvements in under-
by mouth in a mash. standing that came from this exercise were kindly
§2I (1. 22). Treatment of a lesion by means of communicated to me by M. ]. Geller and H. Stad-
bandaging. houders.
r68 Niesopotamian Incantations
§3 0- 7). Treatment for the same condition: the §6 (ll. r6-26). Treatment for prolapse of the
boy sits up to his waist in sesame. rectum (suburra!u ibbalakkat): the remedy suf-
§4 (ll. 9-12). Treatment for swollen scrotum fers from damage but it seems that various
ingredients are used to warm the boy's rec-
(is'kasu napha): application of a concoction of
tum and a hot poultice is applied above his
powdered barley and other ingredients in
anus.
fresh cress. If it is summer the remedy is
§7 (ll. 27-3 1). Treatment for persistent abdom-
applied with cold water (a gazisar = me ka~uti!
inal pain (qablasu itakkala!u), symptomatic of
courtesy Stadhouders); if winter, with warm various ailments, including sore kidneys,
water. swollen testes, inability to sit normally, flatu-
§5 (ll. 13-15). Treatment for the same condi- lence, muscle pain in the abdomen, kidney or
tion: the boy sits all day in a warm bath and an groin. The text is unfinished, for no treat-
oil-based salve is applied. The treatment lasts ment is prescribed.
for ten days, unless his abdomen is also swol-
len, in which case he must undergo it for a
minimum of twenty days.
Hemerologies are lists of favorable days. Their II.M.1. No. 75 (Pl. CXLVII)
connection with incantations, magic and med- The Babylonian text on this stone tablet is a
icine is slight generically, but knowledge of version of a well-known list of favorable days as
favorable and unfavorable days was a necessary they occur in each of the twelve months of the
requirement for healers, for it informed their ideal Babylonian lunar year, set out as a table.
choice of day for the performance of exorcisms The numbers of the days are well carved, but
and apotropaic rituals. The correspondence of some of the month names are ineptly rendered.
the Assyrian kings and their scholars demon- The text's data are entered under MS pin Alas-
strates how the intellectuals at theN eo-Assyrian clair Livingstone's tabular presentation of the
court, among them exorcists and physicians, extant sources ofthe list in his study ofthe Baby-
relied on the traditional calendar texts, includ- lonian almanacs and hemerologies (2013: 84).
ing hemerologies, to determine wl?-at days were Functionally the text is a precis of the Babylo-
suitable for a range ofactivities, from healing the nian Almanac, which gives favorable and un-
sick to setting out on campaign (Livingstone favorable comments on every day of the year
2007, 2013). The Sch0yen Collection houses (see Livingstone 2007, id. 2013: 5-82). Another
two hemerological texts. copy of the list on stone was found at Nimrud
and published as CTN IV 55 (Wiseman and
Black 1996: 14 and pl. 29; Livingstone's MS N).
As Livingstone's tabular presentation dem-
onstrates, several different versions ofthe list cir-
culated. The favorable days of the months
according to the text on tablet No. 75 are:
Editions of Selected Texts
obv.
I Nisannu itibara I, 4 half, 6 half, I I, I6 half, 23 half
II Ayyaru itigud 2, 6, 8, [Io,] I2, IS, I6, 20, 2S, 28, 29
III Simanu itisio- r 4, S, 9, [rr, I2, I]3, IS, I6, 2I, 2S, 27, 28, 30
04"
itiv
IV Du'uzu su I, 3, 7, [rr, I3, I]7, I9, 2I, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29
v Abu itine I, 2, [6 half, ro,] 12, I4, I6
VI Ulwu itikin! I, 3, [S, 7, 9, II, I4, IS,] I7, I9, 22, 27, 29
rev.
VII Tasritu itidu6! I, 4, [6, 7, 8 half, 9, II, I3 half, I4,] I6, 2I, 22, 26, 29
VIII Arab.samna itiapin 2, 6, [7, 9, II, I3, I6, I]8, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29
IX Kislimu itigan! I, 4, 9, [II, I3, I6, I]8, 2I, 23, 26, 29, 30
X Tebetu itiab 3, 7, 8, [...], I6, 2I, 22, 23, 2S half, 26, 28, 29
XI Sabatu itiziz I, 7, IO, II, I[4, I7,] I9, 20, 2I, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29 half
XII Addaru itise I, 2, 3, 4, S, r6, 9\ IO, II, I2, I3, IS, I6, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30
The notation "half' that follows the num- ishes, (if) he builds." The information is set out
bers ofsome days has been understood to signify in tabular form, as on many other tablets of this
that only halfthe day in question was considered composition (see Weidner I9ST I87-88; Labat
favorable. A more plausible idea is that it cor- I96s: rr-I3). On the obverse is (a) a table listing
responds to the Babylonian Almanac's phrase various activities known from omen protases of
misil umi magir "favorable at midday" (Living- Iqqur ipus and the months in which it was favor-
stone 20I3: 7) and limits the period of favor to able to do them. The reverse begins with (b) a
the time around noon. complete list of favorable days drawn from the
Babylonian Almanac (Absegeda), also set out in
II.M.2. No. 76+K g8 (Pl. CXLIX) tabular form. The rest ofthe reverse holds (c) the
This tablet _s:>fhemerological and menolog- beginning of an eA.rplanatory commentary on
icallore is the lower half of aN eo-Assyrian tab- topics from Iqqur ipus, and (d) a colophon. The
let. The tablet was broken into pieces in colophon records that section (c) was twenty-
antiquity, and two fragments are extant. One is five lines long, of which parts of seven remain
now in London (K 98), the other in Norway below the twelve of (b). Eighteen lines of text
(MS 2226). The text presents material from the are thus whollynlissingfromrev. i, which trans-
calendrical omen series Iqqur ipuS" (If) he demol- lates into about half the tablet as a whole.
(a) favorable months for activities drawn from protases of Iqqur ipus, tabulated by month:
obv.
I1 assat(dam)-su ana biti(e)-rsu userib(ku/b1 rbara1 rapin gan se ZlZ se se1
[ . . •]
I' (If) he takes a wife into his house: Io' (If) he renews his god or a desecrated god:
Nisannu, [... ], Arahsamna, Kislimu, Nisannu, Ayyaru, Simanu, Ulillu,
Sabatu, Addaru are favorable. Tasritu, Arab-samna, Sabatu, Addaru are
2' (If) he has a baby: A yyaru, Simanu, Abu, favorable.
Arab-samna, Sabatu, Addaru are favorable. I I' (If) he builds a tomb: Du'uzu, Tebetu,
3' (If) he recites a srg£1-prayer: Nisannu, Sabatu, Addaru are favorable.
Ayyaru, Simanu, Abu, Tasritu, I2' (If) he opens a well: Simanu, Abu, Tasritu,
Arab-samna, Sabatu, Addaru are favorable. Arab-samna, Sabatu, Addaru are favorable.
4' (If) he cleans his gannent: Nisannu, I3' (If) he lays a hearth: Nisannu, Ayyaru,
Ayyaru, Simanu, Abu, Tasritu, Ulillu, Tasritu, Arab-samna, Sabatu,
Arahsamna, Sabatu, Addaru are favorable.
Addaru are favorable.
5' (If) he donates his food to his god:
I4' (If) he sets up a vinegar jar: Abu, Sabatu,
Nisannu, Ayyaru, Simanu, Du'uzu, Abu,
Addaru are favorable.
Ulillu, Tasritu, Arab-samna, Kislimu,
I5' (If) he plants a plantation: Nisannu,
Sabatu, Addaru are favorable.
Ayyaru, Simanu, Abu, Ulwu, Tasritu,
6' (If) he takes on a prebendary office:
Arab-samna, Kislimu, Tebetu, Sabatu,
Nisannu, Ayyaru, Simanu, Tasritu,
Addaru are favorable.
Sabatu, Addaru are favorable.
(If) he donates bread: Nisannu, Ayyaru, I6' (If) he plants a date plantation: Nisannu,
7'
Simanu, Tasritu, Sabatu, Addaru are Ayyaru, Simanu, Du'uzu, Ulillu, Tasritu,
favorable. Sabatu, Addaru are favorable.
8' (If) he renews a cult-dais: Nisannu, I7' (If) he replants a plantation: Nisannu,
Ayyaru, Simanu, Ulillu, Sabatu, Addaru Ayyaru, Simanu, Du'uzu, Ulillu,
are favorable. Arab-samna, Kislimu, Sabatu, Addaru are
9' (If) he builds either an outdoor altar, an favorable.
outdoor shrine, a cult-dais, a cult- I8' (If) he replants a (date) plantation: A yyaru,
platform or an earthen platform: Sabatu, Simanu, Ulillu, Arab-samna, Sabatu,
Addaru are favorable. Addaru are favorable.
Editions of Selected Texts
(b) favorable days :from Absegeda, tabulated by month (MS 0 in Livingstone 20I3: 84)
rev. col. i
I itinisannu(bara) I 4Yz 6Yz 8 IO II I4 I6 23Yz se "favorable"!
2 itiayyaru(gud) 2 6 8 IO I2 I5 I6 I8 20 22 24 26 28 29 30
3 itisimanu(sig4 ) 3 5 9 II I2 I3 I5 I6 22 24 27 30
4 'tldu'uzu(su) 3 7 II I3 I7 I9 2I 22 26 27 28 29
5 itiabu(ne) I 2 6Yz IO I2 I5 I6
6 itiululu(k:in) I 2 3 5 7 9 II I4 I5 I7 I9 22 27 29
7 itita.Sl·ttu( du 6) I 4 6 7 8Yz 9 II I3Yz I4 I7 I9 2I 22 23 26 28 29
8 itiarahsamna(apin) 2 6 7 9 II I3 I [5] I7 I9 20 22 24 26 28 30
9 itikislimu(gan) I 5 9 II I3 I6 r I 81 2I 23 25 29 30
IO ititebetu(ab) 7 IIYz I3 I4 I7Yz [2]I 22 23 24Yz 25 26 27Yz 28 29
II itisabatu(zl.z) I 7 IoYz II I4 I7 I9 r 2I 1 22 23 25 26 28 29Yz
I2 itiaddaru(se) I 2 4 5 6 8 9 I2 I3 I [41 5] I6 20 22 24 25 27 30
(c) Commentary on key phrases :from protases of Iqqur ipuS, I I KAR 398 obv. I-6, cf BRlVI IV 24.
rev. col. i
I3 Dis bita(e) ipus(du)"5 sa [gi] 5dalta(ig) i-zaq-qa-pu
I4 DIS bita(e) iq-qur sa labira(sumun) unakkaru([k]ur)-ma essa(gibil) ip-pu-su
I5 DIS bita(e) i-5--5i sa si-rl'l-ri i-hal-la-su
I6 DIS bita(e) is-sub sa llb-bi biti(e) u-sap-pa-lu
I7 [DIS bit(e)-su] r unakkir(kur)ir sa la-pa-an itti(gisk:im) U.).)U(er-ma ana biti(e)-su
samm rnan --ma tr-ru- bu
V A ( )' •
I8 [DIS ana biti(e) sanfmma ikkirma ihlt sa ana b!tl]Jsu sa-nim1 -ma it-ti-qu
I9 [DIS . . . . .. l]-rleq-qu1 -u
I3 ~"(If) he builds a house" (refers to) one who sets the door in place.
I4 ~"(If) he demolishes a house" (refers to) one who removes the old and builds new.
I5 ~ "(If) he pulls down a house" (refers to) one who scrapes off the mud plaster.
I6 ~ "(If) he digs out a house" (refers to) one who lowers the inside of a house.
I7 [~"(If) he] changes [his house"] (refers to) one who leaves when given notice and enters
another house ofhis.
I 8 [~ "(If) he moves into another house and watches over it" (refers to) one who] passes
across [into] another [house] of his.
I9 [~"(If) ... " (refers to) one who] takes[ ... ]
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Mesopotamian incantations. Pp. I-I4 in "torch"? Nouvelles assyriologiques breves et
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Abusch, T. and D. Schwemer 20II. Corpus of tions: A comparative study. Pp. I-43 in T.
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versite Paris I Attinger, P. I984. Enki et Ninb-ursaga. Zeit-
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79-83 908-Io in H. D. Baker (ed.), The Prosopog-
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Helsinki
Babylonian Texts from Private Houses at Abu
Habbah, Ancfent Sippir: Baghdad University Baker, H. D. 2008. Sams1-ilu. Reallexikon der
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Kamadru (dDIM.A) IO i 9'; 37= 5 Ninazu 19: 43; 2I rev. r6'; 4I: 5
Kengir 5 iii 35 1 dnin-BARA 6 ii 25
Ki 5 v 3', I4', 26', 28'; 6 ii I6, iii 20, Nindara 6 ii 24?; 27 rev. 12'
iv 26, v I6, vi I2, 33, vii 37; 36: Nindasurimma I6 iii 6'
12'; 37= I3; 59 ii 21
Nindukuga I6 iii 7'
Kilili 59 i 5'
dnin-e-SUM I 11 13
Kiss a 59 ii 241
Ningal 59 ii I4'
Kisa see Kissa
Ningaras I8: I8
Kulla (dSIG4) 59ii I5'
Ningirimma Iii I, 9, iii 6, iv 6, V 3, I4, ix 9,
Kullab 35= 6 1
X 8; 7 iv 29'; 8 ii 5 , 6'; I7 obv.
Kusu 5 i I 8', ii 3 I'; 24 rev. 3'; 46 rev. 17; 22 i I'; 30 iii I5'
I6' Ningirsu I6 iii II'; 48: I5; 55: 7
dkus-a-abzu 6 v 34 Ningiszida 39 rev. 3'; 59 ii 2I'
Labama monsters 5 v 20' Ninbursag 5 x 6; 26 i' 8'; 59 ii 12'; see also
Labmu-Labamu see Lubmu-Lubumu Belet-ili
Lamastu 63: I; see also Kamadme Ninildu 5 iv 9'
Larsa 43: 2 Ninimma 6 ii 24?
S1n, Suen 6 v 29; 7 vi 29; 8 iii 3, 20; 2I Tigris (Idigna) I vii I, viii 7; 5 ii 45', x Io; see
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I3, I6; 59 ii I4'; 66: I; see also
Napna U1mas1tum 59 i 2 1
sm-gamil 4I: I7 Ur (Urim) 20: I4'; 43: I, 3
Sm-idclinam 56: I6 Uras 40: 3I
Sky 7 v 39; I5; I7 rev. 4'-6'; I9: 4; Ur-Gibil I xi I; 2ii4
see also An(um) Ur-Inanna Ixi7
dSU.NUN.ES.TU see Saman Uruk (Unug) Iii4?;43:I
dsun-zi-da 6 v 36 Urukltum 59 i 3
1
Uttu 6vii I, 2
Sakkan 7 V 40; 8 ii 23'; II ii 17'; 25: 5
Utu (sun) I ix 7; 5 iv 7'; 6 vi 20, 39; 7 v 6,
Samas 7 vi II, 30; 8 i 26', iii I, 4, 2I;
viii 32; 9 iii 9'; IO vii 7'; II ii 6',
29: I, 26; 6I: I, I3, 24; see also
7'; I2 vi I5, I7; I3 ii 23'; I8: 23,
Utu
38, 46; I9: 7; 37= I4; 40: 35; 45
Sams1-ilu 67= 7 rev. 7, I I; 59 ii 25'; see also
Serzi-mah-anna 47= I Samas
Subula 59 iii I4'
1
Sukiidu (mu kak-si-s2} 69: I; 70: I!
Sulpae 59 ii rz'
Sunidug 6 v 34
Index of Incipits(I)) Rubrics (R))
and Other Key Words
194
Cuneiform Texts
Photographic :images by agents of the Sch0yen Collection and
the Norwegian Institute for Palaeography and Historical Philology,
except where otherwise credited. Drawings by the author.
PLATE I
No.1.
MS 4549/1
PLATE II
. No.1. 1 11 iii lV v Vl
MS 4549/I
xi X lX viii Vll
PLATE III
No.2.
MS 4549/ 2
ii
PLATE IV
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No.3. ll iii' IV v' VI Vll
MS 4550 obv.
PLATE VI
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No.3· xiv' xiii' Xll Xl x' lX Vlll
MS 4550 rev.
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No. s. Ms 2789
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PLATE XII
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No. 6. MS 3098
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No. 8. MS 3o8s 1
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10
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PLATE XXX
No. 8
MS 3085
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PLATE XXXI
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PLATE XCIX
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PLATE CVIII
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PLATE CX
No. 45·
MS 3068
PLATE CXI
PLATE CXII
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PLATE CXXIII
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PLATE CXLI
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of left
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PLATE CXLVIII
5
PLATE CL
The followill.g eight plates contaill. photographs and coJies of texts Nos. 3 8-43 of
CUSAS r8, Babylonian DivinatoJ}' Texts Chiifly in the Schoyen Collection (George 20r3)
'
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CUSAS I 8 PLATE C l
FaceB
CUSAS I 8 PLA T E CVII