Enki and the World Order

Translation

Prologue

Magnanimous Lord of heaven and earth,
self-confident father Enki,
of the blood of a bull,
of the blood of a wild bull,
cherished by Enlil, the strong rock,
loved by the holy An,
you are the king who planted the mes-tree in the Abzu,
the mes-tree that rises above all lands,
which the great Usumgallu serpent of Eridu inhabits,
whose shadow stretches over heaven and earth,
which covers the land as if with a grove of vines.

Praise to Enki

Creator of the abundance that the Anunna gods administer, founder of mankind, mighty one of Ekur, strong one of heaven and earth, strong one of Anunna: your noble house has been established in the Abzu, the post between heaven and earth. Your great house is founded in the Abzu, the great anchor post of heaven on earth.

Enki, you, of whom a single glance is enough to shake the heart of the mountains: you, wherever bison are born, wherever deer are born, wherever ibex are born, wherever wild goats are born, in meadows, in caves in the heart of the hills, in green forests unvisited by man, you have fixed your gaze on the heart of the land and separated it from the reed swamp.

To number the days and put the months in their houses, to complete the years and present the completed years to the assembly for decision, to make decisions to regulate the days to come: [This you do], father Enki, you are the king of all the people.

You need only open your mouth for everything to multiply and abundance to arise. The branches of your fruit trees, green with their fruit, do honor to the gods. Life in your forests is like a fluffy robe. Good sheep and good lambs bring honor to the gods. When you let the prepared fields flourish, you let the crops pile up into hills and stacks. Then there is oil, there is milk, produced by sheepfold and cowshed. The shepherd sweetly sings his rustic song, the cowherd spends the day rocking his churns. Their products would even do credit to the late meals of the gods in the great dining hall.

Your word fills the hearts of young men with strength, so that they come to the farms like thick-horned bulls. Your word makes the heads of young women beautiful, so that the people in their cities admire them.

Enlil, the strong rock, has commissioned you to gladden the hearts of princes and rulers and bring them good.

Enki, lord of prosperity, lord of wisdom, beloved lord of An, adornment of Eridu, who sets orders and decisions, who knows how to dispose of destinies: You close the days and let the months enter their homes. You bring down the beings of heaven, you have reached the required number. You have given people a place to live. You have provided for them, you have made them follow their shepherd. You have turned your weapons away from their homes. You have kept the people safe in their homes.

If you, Father Enki, go out to the sowing people, good seed will sprout. If you go out to the mated sheep, good lambs will be born. If you go out to the mated cows, good calves will be born. If you go out to the mated goats, good kids will be born.

When you go out to the fields, to the cultivated fields, heaps of crops will be piled up on the plateau. When you go out to the parched areas of the land, [water will be given to them].

Enki praises himself

Enki, the king of Abzu, supreme in his majesty, speaks with authority:

"My father An, the king of heaven, has called me into being. My brother Enlil, the king of all lands, gathered all divine powers and placed them in my hands. From Ekur, the house of Enlil, I brought the arts and crafts to my Abzu of Eridu.

I am the firstborn son of An. I am the fruit-bearing seed with the blood of a wild bull. I am the great life-giving stream that flows from the great Abzu. I am the lord of the land, I am the chief of the rulers. I am the father of all lands, I am the great brother of the gods. I bring prosperity to perfection. I am the accountant of heaven and earth. I am the wisdom and understanding of all lands.

I am the one who watches over justice alongside An, the king, on the podium of An. I am the one who determines the fate of the land alongside Enlil after taking a look at it: He has entrusted me with the decision of destiny in the place where the sun rises (i.e., in the presence of Utu, the god of justice). I am the one Nintu, the goddess of fertility, really cares about. I am called by her with a good name. I am the leader of the Anunnaki gods. I am the first-born son of the holy An."

After the great Enki had proclaimed his greatness, after he had praised himself, the Anunnaki gods came before him with prayers and supplications:

"Praise be to you, Enki, much-praised lord. May you direct the crafts and make the decisions!"

Delighted, Enki, the king of the Abzu, takes the floor again:

"I am the Lord. I am the one whose word endures. I am eternal.

The stables were built on my orders, the sheep pens fenced in. When I approach the sky, life-giving rain comes down from the heavens. When I approach the earth, there is a great flood of carp. When I approach the green fields, piles [of crops] are heaped up at my word.

I have built my house, my shrine, in a pure place and given it a good name. I have built my Abzu, my shrine, in a pure place and given it a good destiny.

The shadow of my house stretches across the snake swamp. Next to my house, the Suhur carp flit around among the honey plants, the Ectub carp sway their tails among the small Gizi reeds. The little birds chirp in their nests.

The princes come to me, for I am Enki! They stand before me and praise me: the Abgal priests and Abrig officials who have helped me and stood by me since the distant days, the Enkum and Ninkum officials who cleanse the Abzu for me, who repair the interior of the sanctuary for me. Sacred songs and incantations fill my Abzu.

My boat, my crown jewel, the "Stag of the Abzu", takes me there in the most beautiful way. It glides swiftly for me through the great swamps. Wherever I have decided to go, it is obedient to me. The Karas pull the oars in perfect unison. They sing beautiful songs for me and create a cheerful atmosphere on the river. Nimgirsig, the captain of my barge, holds the golden sceptre for me, Enki's sceptre. He commands my barge 'Stag of the Abzu'."

Enki consolidates the country

Enki continued:

"I am the lord! I will travel! I am Enki! I will go out into my land! I, the lord who determines destinies. (About four lines are missing) First I will go to Dilmun to inspect the green cedars."

The countries of Dilmun, Magan and Meluha were well-disposed towards Enki. Enki loaded the boats in Dilmun with timber. He loaded the boats in Magan sky-high and took them to Meluha. From Meluha he fetched gold and silver and brought it to Nippur to Enlil, the one who watches over all countries. To the one who had no more city, to the one who had no more horse, he gave cattle from the Martu nomads [which he had bought from the gold and silver].

The Anunnaki gods pay due tribute to the great prince who returns to his land:

"Praise be to the Lord who rules the great powers, the pure powers, who has no equal in heaven or on earth, the well-traveled one who received the favor of the sun disk in Eridu, the pure place, the highly esteemed place. Praise be to Enki, Lord of Heaven and Earth!"

At the behest of the great prince, who returns to his lands, all the countries, all the rulers, all the incantation priests of Eridu and the linen-robed priests of Sumer perform the incantation rites of the Abzu. for father Enki they stand guard in the holy place, the highly esteemed place. They cleanse the great house of the prince, name his "stations" and repair the noble sanctuary, the Abzu. They bring the tall juniper, the pure plant, into its center. They repair the holy, the noble watercourses of father Enki, skillfully repair the stairs of Eridu at the good quay, moor the boat, the 'stag of the Abzu' at the good quay, the noble quay. They prepare the sacred Uzga shrine [where the foundation pegs were torn out during the Flood], where they say endless prayers.

The carp are [still] fighting in front of Enki. The Suhurmac carp flit around between the honey plants and fight. The ectub carp sway their tails between the small gizi reeds.

The prince, the great ruler of the Abzu, devises instructions on board his barge "Stag of the Abzu". He is standing with his barge in front of the great landmark erected for the Abzu. He is standing by the Mes Tree, which offers protection, whose shade extends over the whole land, the main foundation that refreshes the people. He stands beside the tree that stands in the swamp, towering high above all foreign lands. The noble captain of the lands, the commissioned one of Enlil, lays his hand on the sacred trunk of the Mes tree adorned in the Abzu, which received the highest powers in Eridu, the sacred place, the highly esteemed place. The hero proudly raises his head to the Abzu.

*6 lines are missing or unclear*

Enki decrees the fates of the lands

Enki sets sail. Sirsir, the boatman of the barge, prepares the boat for the Lord. Nimgirsig, the captain of Enki's boat, holds the sacred sceptre for the Lord. The fifty Lahama deities of the subterranean waters speak lovingly to him. The rowers, the Karas, like a bird of the sky, sing songs for him. The intrepid king, father Enki, looks out over the land.

Prosperity for heaven and earth has been decreed by the great prince traveling in the land. Enki decrees destiny:

"Sumer, exalted land, land [of the gods] of heaven and earth, radiating glory, giving strength to men from sunrise to sunset. Your aura is sublime, unattainable, your heart is complex and unfathomable. Your enduring creative power, your place where gods give birth, is as inviolable as the heavens.

You give birth to kings who wear the permanent diadem, you give birth to lords who wear the crown on their heads. Your lord Enki, the honored lord, sits with An, the king, on An's podium. Your king, the strong rock, father Enlil, the father of all lands, has sealed you off like an impenetrable cedar tree.

The Anunna, the great gods, have settled [in the temples] in your midst and consume their food in your Giguna groves with their unique and extraordinary trees. House of Sumer, may your sheepfolds be built and your livestock multiply, may your Giguna groves touch the heavens. May you reach out to the heavens with your temples. May the Anunnaki gods guide the destinies in your midst."

He went to the sanctuary of Ur, and Enki, the king of Abzu, decreed the fate of the city:

"City possessing all that is right, bathed in water! Standing bull, altar of abundance, watching over the mountains, rising confidently like the hills, casting a wide shadow like a forest of Hašur cypresses. He (Nanna or An), counting on his own strength, has unfolded your perfection. Enlil, the strong rock, has proclaimed your great name in heaven and on earth. City whose destiny Enki has determined - sanctuary of Ur, you shall rise to heaven!"

He went to the land of Meluha, and Enki, the king of the Abzu, proclaimed the fate of the land:

"Black land, may your trees become great trees, may your forests be called the forests of the Meš-trees of Meluha! May the thrones made from them adorn the royal palaces.

May your reed be a great reed, may it be called the reed of Meluha! Heroes shall carry it as arrows on the battlefield!

May your bulls be great bulls, may they be called the bulls of Meluha! May their roar be the roar of the wild bulls of the mountains!

May the great powers of the gods perfect you! May the francolins (pheasant-like birds) of Meluha wear carnelian beards! May your birds be peacocks! May their melodious cry fill the royal palaces!

May all your silver become gold! May all your copper become tin bronze!

Land, may all that you have multiply! May your people multiply! May your men lead the way like bulls before their herds!"

Enki cleansed and purified the land of Dilmun. He gave Ninsikila responsibility for the land. He gave him the fish fry, then ate his fish. He gave him palm trees like a cultivated field, then ate his dates.

Elam and Marhaši were destined to be devoured like fish. The king to whom Enlil had given power destroyed their houses and tore down their walls. He took their silver, their lapis lazuli and their storehouses to Enlil, the king of all the lands, in Nippur. Enki gave the cattle of the Martu nomads [which he had bought from them with the silver and lapis lazuli] to those who had no city, who had no houses.

Enki tames the Tigris

After averting his gaze from there, after father Enki had lifted his eyes across the Euphrates, he rose up with lust like a rampant bull, lifted his penis, ejaculated and brought life-giving water to the Tigris. The Tigris was still like a wild cow in scorpion-infested grass that had actually wanted to be a good mother. Still the Tigris flowed by his side with tremendous force like an attacking bull. By raising his penis, he brought a bridal gift. The Tigris rejoiced in his heart, the great wild river, as it was tamed and began to give life.

He brought water, running water indeed: its wine will be sweet. He brought barley, speckled barley indeed: the people will eat it. He filled Ekur, the house of Enlil, with possessions. Enlil rejoiced over Enki, Nippur rejoiced. The Lord (Enlil) put on the diadem as a sign of dominion, he put on the good crown as a sign of kingship and stepped on the earth with his left foot. Abundance came forth for him from the earth.

Enki, the lord of destinies, Enki, the king of the Abzu, has entrusted all this to the one who holds a sceptre in his right hand, who with a glorious mouth restrains the devouring power of the Tigris and Euphrates so that prosperity flows like oil from the palace. He has entrusted it to Enbilulu, the inspector of the waterways.

Enki decrees the fate of the marshland

Enki turned his attention to the marshes so that they would be stocked with carp and other fish. He turned his attention to the reed belts so that they would be stocked with reeds and green reeds. The one from whose net no fish escapes, from whose trap no animal escapes, from whose snare no bird escapes, he (Adapa?) who loves the fish was given the responsibility by Enki.

He (the mortal Adapa) erected a shrine in the marshland (before Eridu), a holy shrine whose interior was artfully built. The shrine, whose interior is like an intricate labyrinth, is beyond comprehension. The base of the shrine faces the constellation of the field, the upper part faces the constellation of the chariot. It inspires fear-inspiring awe like a rising wave. Its splendor is overwhelming. The Anunna gods, the great gods, dare not go near it. [Approach] to refresh your hearts, rejoices the palace. The Anunna gods stood before it in prayer and recognition. They erected a great altar for Enki in the house of the marshland, for the Lord, the great prince. They erected it in the territory of the U-bird. He filled the Ekur, the house of Enlil, with goods of all kinds. Enlil was delighted with Enki, and Nippur rejoiced.

To set sail in the holy shrine, to give the Izi bird and the lily fish their home: Enki commissioned the goddess Nanshe to do this. She who springs from the sea foam, who is the great inundation of the deep, who is the mistress of Sirara and the sea, he entrusted with this task.

Enki distributes the tasks of the other gods

To summon the rain of the sky, to bring it as floating clouds, to drive the breath of life to the horizon, to transform the mounds of earth into fields on which emmer grows: Enki commissioned the god Iskur (Adad) with all this. He, who rides on the great storms, who attacks with lightning, who controls the sacred bar that blocks the entrance to the interior of heaven, he, the son of An, the watering agent of heaven and earth, Iskur (Adad), the bringer of abundance, he commissioned with it.

To steer the plows, yokes and teams, to equip them with steerable oxen, to open the sacred furrows of the soil, to let the grain grow on the cultivated field: Enki entrusted all this to Enkimdu. He entrusted him, who wears the diadem, the adornment of the plateau, the robust farmer of Enlil, the man of the ditch and the dyke, with this task.

To grow speckled barley, chickpeas and lentils in the cultivated fields, to heap the speckled barley into high piles, to multiply the supplies, to increase the prosperity of the land together with Enlil: Enki commissioned the goddess Ashnan to do all this. He commissioned her, whose head and body are speckled, whose face is covered with honey, the mistress, the producer, who regulates the power of the land, who determines the lives of the black-headed people, Ashnan, who gives good bread for the whole world.

To steer the pickaxe, to moisten the brick earth as if with precious oil, to organize the brick moulds: Enki entrusted all this to the brick god Kulla. He commissioned him, whose hoe with its sharp blades is like a corpse-eating snake, whose brick mold is worth a tidy pile of husked grain for the sheep in its place.

Fastening the cords correctly, aligning the foundations correctly, erecting the houses correctly and performing the purification rituals of house construction correctly: Enki entrusted all this to Mušdama, Enlil's master builder. He commissioned him, whose foundations, once laid, do not sink, whose good houses, once built, do not collapse, whose vaults reach to the sky like a rainbow.

Enki gave the plateau a sacred crown to wear. He tied a lapis lazuli beard to the plateau and made it wear a lapis diadem. To let grasses and herbs grow in abundance on this good earth, to let the animals of the plateau multiply to an appropriate extent, to let the ibexes and wild goats multiply: Enki entrusted Šakkan (or Sumugan) with all this. He, who is the sacred crown of the high steppe, who is the king of the steppe, who is the great lion of the high steppe, who is the exalted hand of Enlil, Sumugan, the king of the Hursag, he entrusted with it.

To build the sheepfolds, to build the cowsheds, to clean them, to provide the best fat and milk for the gods, to make the plain created for grasses and herbs prosper: Enki entrusted all this to Dumuzi. He entrusted him, the trustworthy provider of Eanna, the friend of An, the beloved son-in-law of the brave Nanna (Sin), the husband of the holy Inanna, with this task. Inanna, the mistress, the possessor of all great powers, who called men to copulate in the open squares of Uruk, is the wife of Dumuzi, the divine "Ushumgal of the sky", the friend of An. He filled the Ekur, the house of Enlil, with possessions. Enlil was delighted with Enki, Nippur rejoiced.

He (Enki) defined the borders and demarcated them with boundary stones. Enki built (temples as) dwellings for the Anunnaki in the cities and laid out fields for them on the land.

To judge the earth and the heavens: Enki entrusted Utu, the god of the sun and justice, with this task. He commissioned him, the hero, the bull who came from the cedar forest of Hashur, who roars like a lion, who stands bold and majestic. Enki entrusted the responsibility to him, the son of Ningal, the father of the great city, the place where the sun rises, the great diplomat of the holy An who looks down from the sacred sky, the judge of the gods who wears a lapis lazuli beard.

Setting up the loom, selecting the tow from the fibers, processing it into clothing for the people, perfecting the work of the women: Enki entrusted all this to Uttu, the goddess of weaving. He entrusted her, the conscientious woman, the tirelessly silent woman who stands for the dignity of the palace and the decency of the king, with this task.

Inanna complains to Enki

Then the great woman of heaven, Inanna, alone and without any function, came to her father Enki in his house, weeping and complaining to him:

"Enlil has placed it in your hands to confirm the functions of Anunna, the great gods. Why have you treated me, the woman, differently? I am the holy Inanna - where are my functions?

Ninhursag (Aruru, Nintu), Enlil's sister, the lady of giving birth, has been given the sacred birth bricks as her prerogative. She has carried away the lancet for umbilical cords, the special sand and the leeks. She has been given the sila-jara bowl of translucent lapis lazuli (in which the afterbirth is placed). She has carried away the sacred blessed Ala vessel. She has become the midwife of the land! The births of kings and princes are in her hands.

My famous sister, holy Ninisina, received the jewelry made of šuba stones. She has become An's mistress. She can stand next to An and talk to him whenever she wishes.

My noble sister, the holy Ninmug, has taken the golden chisel, the silver hammer, the great flint knife, her antasurra blade, and is now responsible for the metalworking of the land. To fix the permanent diadem when a king is born, to place the crown on the head when a lord is born was placed in her hands.

My noble sister, the holy Nisaba, was given the measuring rod and tied the lapis measuring cord around her arm, she publicly proclaims all the great powers, sets the boundaries, marks out the borders, has now become the scribe of the land. The planning of the meals of the gods has been placed in her hands.

Nanshe, the exalted lady whose feet rest on the sacred pelican (U-bird), has become the fishing supervisor of the sea. She is responsible for ensuring that delicious fish and tasty birds are brought from there to her father Enlil in Nippur.

But why did you treat me, the woman, differently?

I am the holy Inanna - where are my functions?"

Enki replied to his daughter, the holy Inanna:

"How have I denigrated you? Young goddess Inanna, how have I belittled you? How can I exalt you?

I have endowed you as a woman with a pleasant voice. I clothed you with the garments of women's power. I put the language of women in your mouth. I put the spindle and the hairpin in your hand. I gave you the jewelry of women. I gave you the staff and the crook, and the staff of shepherding beside it.

Young Inanna, how have I belittled you? How can I upgrade you?

You will interpret the oracular omens of battles and struggles. In the midst of ominous events in the turmoil of battles, I will let you speak invigorating words, and although you are not an arabu bird (a bird of bad omen), I will also let you speak words of bad omen in the midst of battles.

Inanna, you tangle the straight thread, you straighten the tangled thread. You have made garments, you wear garments. You have put on a robe, you have clothed yourself in linen. You wove the handkerchief, you threaded the spindle. You wove the fabrics with colored yarn.

[But behold], Inanna, you heap up human heads like piles of dust, you sow new heads like seeds. Inanna, you have destroyed what cannot be destroyed. You have conceived the incomprehensible. You take the lid off the cem-drum of lamentations, while you seal the tigi- and adab-instruments in their houses. You never tire of the admirers who stare at you. Young Inanna, you don't know how to tie ropes to deep wells.

But now the flood has come, the land is restored. The flood of Enlil has come, the land is restored."

(In the remaining, unclear lines, Inanna's prerogatives are probably confirmed, such as her lapis lazuli headdress)

Praise be to Father Enki.

Interpretation

The myth Enki and the World Order describes how Enki consolidates Sumer after a great flood. The myth is primarily aimed at the farmers and craftsmen who repopulated the lands of Sumer after the flood. The myth tells them which god should be invoked for which matters.

It is not explicitly stated that a great flood took place immediately beforehand, but it can be inferred from the statements that Eridu, the great mes-tree, and Ur were bathed in water.

Although the Sumerian myths say otherwise, there was not just one great flood, but several. This myth is about the flood that struck Ur. Archaeological evidence shows that this flood took place around 3500 BCE, which was earlier than the great flood that struck Shuruppak. The facts that Inanna was still married to Dumuzi, and that the Mes-tree (Huluppu tree) still stands in Eridu, also speak in favor of an early dating of the plot.