The Chaldean Account of Genesis: Chapter IV. Other Babylonian Accounts of the Creation
This is a very obscure inscription, the first column, however, forms part of a relation similar to that of Berosus in his history of the Creation; the beings who were killed by the light, and those with men's heads and bird's bodies, and bird's heads and men's bodies,
agree with the composite monsters of Berosus, while the goddess of chaos, Tiamat, who is over them, is the same again as the Tiamat of the Creation legends and the Thalatth of Berosus.
The relation in the second and third columns of the inscription is difficult, and does not correspond with any known incident. The fourth column contains an address to any future king who should read the inscription which was deposited in the temple of Nergal at Cutha.
It is probable that this legend was supposed to be the work of one of the mythical kings of Chaldea, who describes the condition and history of the world before his time.
There is another legend which appears to be connected with these, the legend of the seven evil spirits, which I have given in my former work, "Assyrian Discoveries," p. 398.
Tablet with the story of the Seven Wicked Gods or Spirits.
Column I.
1. In the first days the evil gods
2. the angels who were in rebellion, who in the lower part of heaven
3. had been created,
4. they caused their evil work
5. devising with wicked heads . . .
6. ruling to the river . . . .
7. There were seven of them. The first was . . .
8. the second was a great animal . . . .
9. . . . . which any one . . . .
10. the third was a leopard . . . .
11. the fourth was a serpent . . . .
12. the fifth was a terrible . . . . which to . . . .
13. the sixth was a striker which to god and king did not submit,
14. the seventh was the messenger of the evil wind which . . . . made.
15. The seven of them messengers of the god Anu their king
16. from city to city went round
17. the tempest of heaven was strongly bound to them,
18. the flying clouds of heaven surrounded them,
19. the downpour of the skies which in the bright day
20. makes darkness, was attached to them
21. with a violent wind, an evil wind, they began,
22. the tempest of Vul was their might,
23. at the right hand of Vul they came,
24. from the surface of heaven like lightning they darted,
25. descending to the abyss of waters, at first they came.
26. In the wide heavens of the god Anu the king
27. evil they set up, and an opponent they had not.
28. At this time Bel of this matter heard and
29. the account sank into his heart.
30. With Hea the noble sage of the gods he took counsel, and
31. Sin (the moon), Shamas (the sun), and Ishtar (Venus) in the lower part of heaven to control it he appointed.
32. With Anu to the government of the whole of heaven he set them up.
33. To the three of them the gods his children,
34. day and night to be united and not to break apart,
35. he urged them.
36. In those days those seven evil spirits
37. in the lower part of heaven commencing,
38. before the light of Sin fiercely they came,
39. the noble Shamas and Vul (the god of the atmosphere) the warrior to their side they turned and
40. Ishtar with Anu the king into a noble seat
41. they raised and in the government of heaven they fixed.
Column II.
1. The god . . . . .
2. . . . . .
3. The god . . . . .
4. which . . . . .
5. In those days the seven of them . . . .
6. at the head in the control to . . . . .
7. evil . . . . .
8. for the drinking of his noble mouth . . . .
9. The god Sin the ruler . . . . mankind
10. . . . . . of the earth
11. . . . . . troubled and on high he sat,
12. night and day fearing, in the seat of his dominion he did not sit.
13. Those evil gods the messengers of Anu their king
14. devised with wicked heads to assist one another, and
15. evil they spake together, and
16. from the midst of heaven like a wind to the earth they carne down.
17. The god Bel of the noble Sin, his trouble
18. in heaven, he saw and
19. Bel to his attendant the god Nusku said:
20. "Attendant Nusku this account to the ocean carry, and
21. the news of my child Sin who in heaven is greatly troubled;
22. to the god Hea in the ocean repeat."
23. Nusku the will of his lord obeyed, and
24. to Hea in the ocean descended and went.
25. To the prince, the noble sage, the lord, the god unfailing,
26. Nusku the message of his lord at once repeated.
27. Hea in the ocean that message heard, and
28. his lips spake, and with wisdom his mouth was filled.
29. Hea his son the god Merodach called, and this word he spake
30. "Go my son Merodach
31. enter into the shining Sin who in heaven is greatly troubled;
32. his trouble from heaven expel.
33. Seven of them the evil gods, spirits of death, having no fear,
34. seven of them the evil gods, who like a flood
35. descend and sweep over the earth.
36. To the earth like a storm they come down.
37. Before the light of Sin fiercely they came
38. the noble Shamas and Vul the warrior, to their side they turned and . . . .
The end of this legend is lost; it probably recorded the interference of Merodach in favour of Sin, the moon god.
In this story, which differs again from all the others, Bel is supposed to place in the heaven the Moon, Sun, and Venus, the representative of the stars. The details have no analogy with the other stories, and this can only be considered a poetical myth of the Creation.
This legend is part of the sixteenth tablet of the series on evil spirits; but the tablet contains other matters as well, the legend apparently being only quoted in it. There is another remarkable legend of the same sort on another tablet of this series
published in "Cuneiform Inscriptions," vol. iv. p. 15. The whole of this series concerns the wanderings of the god Merodach, who goes about the world seeking to remove curses and spells, and in every difficulty applying to his father Hea to learn how to combat the influence of the evil spirits, to whom all misfortunes were attributed.
