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Sorry we’re so late posting this translation.  It first appeared on the web on several different sites in mid July of this year.  This translation, according to three independant sources is authentic.  Sadly, until someone of note is willing to go on the record, these fragments and the story of how they were stolen, deciphered and subsequently covered up will continue to lurk beneath the surface of credibility, enabling the powers that be to continue on with their hidden agenda.

July 2008

FRAGMENT #5 OF THE LOST SUMERIAN TABLETS

The holy migration across the heavens
The assembled Anunnaki
the gods of the apsu were assembled in the sacred places of old and new.

Ea, Ninki, Inanna and Utu,
Enlil beside Ninlil, Adad beside Ninhursag.
Mother Goddess, (unreadable) the wise Mammi
administered divine rights in the light of consecrated fires
while the womb goddess, Belet-ali was present.
The ordained fires, made pure with reeds, cedar and myrtle were burning in the appointed places.
Under the watchfulness, the stewardship of the men of renown, the ancient progenitors,
Umal’s ancient progenitors administered the ordained fires.

At three and two points (unreadable) did the (unreadable) wise men make an offering of flour.
After the circle ritual, Umal, his nations and tribes took refuge.
At three and two points, places of (unreadable) on the way through the heavens,
Umal, his nations and tribes washed their hands,
learned the rites and rituals in these places (unreadable) throughout the holy migration.

There in those places, Umal, the nations of the earth and the tribes
were made clean again.
In those places, Umal was made clean in a purification bath,
fully immersed, he did emerge clean.

As the young men of Dilmun (unreadable)
readied the new ship, the new ships, the planned vessels,
Inscribed by Ut napishtim at the direction of Enlil on behalf of Ea,
were made ready in those designated places.
At two and three points (unreadable)
the brave young men of Dilmun readied the vessels
for the (unreadable) journey through the heavens, the holy migration.
The brave young men of Dilmun administered the (unreadable)

The second (unreadable) next (unreadable), the place of Umal’s toil was prepared.
Abundance was bestowed on the land and in the seas
seed, cereals and fruit bearing trees were bestowed upon the land and fishes of all kind in the seas.
Under the firmament Umal shall (unreadable…unreadable…unreadable) not go.
The gods of the apsu, the assembled annunaki did decree:
To the heavens shall Umal look for his bread
and to the divine ordinances shall Umal find his justice.
No more shall Umal (unreadable)  in the designated, the sacred places.

This incantation is one of most well-known and details the origins of the toothache, placing blame on a worm that obtained permission from the gods to dwell among the teeth and gums.

Toothache Incantation

The Incantation  dates back to  Neo-Babylonian times but a colophon indicates the text was copied from an earlier version.

“The Legend of Sargon” is an incomplete, Neo-Assyrian story depicting the early years of Sargon of Agade and dates back to first half of the second millennium. It’s a very short poem yet very quite fascinating.Sargon's journey on the river.

We see Sargon’s mother put him in a basket before she sends him sailing down the Euphrates where is picked up and adopted by Akki the drawer of water(irrigator). See how many elements of baby moses story you can identify in this much older tale.

This Sumerian poem is one of the shortest of all Sumerian epic tales at 115 lines of text. Despite it’s brevity, it is of significance from several points of view. First, its plot deal with humans and earthly struggles alone. No mythological motifs are included in the epic. Secondly, it is of considerable historical importance since it provides hitherto unknown facts concerning the struggles between Sumerian city states. Finally, for history of governments and politics, the poem is very special as it records the two oldest political assemblies known to man.Gilgamesh, thy praise is good.

The text of “Gilgamesh and Agga” is reconstructed from eleven tablets and fragments. Ten were excavated in Nippur while one of the reconstructed tablet’s orgins are unknown. All the tablets and fragments date from the first half of the second millennium BCE however, it is believed, the poem was originally composed much earlier.

Like the Epic of Gilgamesh, the story of Adapa deals with man’s squandered opportunity for gaining immortality. In Gilgamesh as you may recall, the hero sets out to find the secret of immortality after experiencing profound grief at loss of his friend, Enkidu. Specifically, he is looking for Utnapishtim, who had joined the assembly of the god after being made immortal. He is the hero of the flood and one-time King of Shurrupak, an antediluvian city. Gilgamesh travels to the far side of the earth and across the Sea of Death, to the mouth of the rivers, where Utnapishtim resides with his wife, who was also made immortal. Utnapishtim, among other things, explains to Gilgamesh why he cannot gain immortality but his wife asks her husband to give the traveler something for his troubles. Utnapishtim agrees and he shares knowledge of a thorny plant that grows at the bottom of the ocean. Any man who eats of it, shall become young again. When Gilgamesh finally manges to get his hands on this extraordinary plant, he leaves it unguarded on a riverbank as he bathed himself in the waters. Tragically, an opportunistic snake comes upon the plant and eats it. When the snake quickly sheds it’s skin, any questions Gilgamesh may have had regarding the plant’s magical properties are answered.

Adapa, is about a fisherman’s failure to eat the bread and water of life. After his boat his blown off course and sunk to bottom of the ocean, Adapa is pissed. He curses the South Wind, whose relentless gusts are cause of all the fisherman’s misery. Strangely, just as Adapa’s curse leaves his lips, the South Wind’s wing breaks. For a week the wind does not blow. When Anu, the learns of this, he orders Adapa brought to heaven to face him but before Adapa gets to heaven, he is warned by Ea, another god not to eat bread or drink water if offered, since they will surely be the bread and water of death. Adapa takes this advice to heart, and after he explains himself to satisfaction, Anu offers him bread and water, which Adapa refuses. Anu is stunned by Adapa’s refusal of the bread and water of life, ie immortality, and in disgust, orders him sent back to earth. Once again, another classic screw-up. Or maybe, like Gilgamesh, is this just another way to say or show how immortality for man is simply not to be? So close, yet so far? One is careless, the other, gullible and presumptuous. It is these qualities, unique to no human alone that end all possibility of transcending the boundaries of life. In other words, are our ancient forefathers trying to tell us we are what we are and there’s simply no getting around it? No matter what strategy is employed or what gods lend help, immortality remains elusive. No matter what plant Utnapishtim can hook us up with nor even an invitation from top god Anu, to eat and drink the bread and water of life can seal the deal. I think Sidruri, the tavern keeper at the edge of the world summed it up best as she tried to explain all this to Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh, wherefore do you wander?

The eternal life you are seeking, you shall not find.

When the gods created mankind,

They established death for mankind,

And witheld eternal life for themselves.

As for you Gilgamesh, let your stomach be full,

Always be happy, night and day.

Make every day a delight,

Night and day play and dance.

Your clothes should be clean,

Your head should be washed,

You should bathe in water,

Look proudly on the little one holding your hand,

Let your mate always be blissful in your loins,

This, then, is the work of mankind.

Before there was Noah, Atrahasis, which means, exceedingly wise, was warned by his God, Ea, of an impending flood designed to rid the world of all mankind. Like Noah, Atrahasis built an ark, filled it two examples of every living creature, abandoned his home and went into the ark with his family at the appointed time. Much longer and more detailed than the Genesis story of the Bible, the poems, the Atrahasis Epic, as it is generally known, as well as Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh deal with the flood story in depth. Interestingly, one need not read too far, to recognize many characteristics generally associated with the Bible’s Noah, from the ark, landing atop a mountain even the dove that returned to ark with an olive branch. What compels so many readers to explore these tablets is their age, which predates the Bible by nearly two thousand years. Warning through the reed fence.

Below, you will find four videos illustrating various poems that comprise what we know about the Mesopotamian hero, Atrahasis. The first is a fragment of the Old Babylonian version of the Atrahasis poem, generally called the Atrahasis Epic.

The second video illustrates a fragment in Old Babylonian that describes the ceremony or ritual in which the God Enlil granted both Ziusudra(Atrahasis-Utnapishtim) and his wife immortality. This tablet is generally known as, the “And he touched my brow,” tablet.

The third and fourth videos are from the most complete texts we have of the deluge survivor from the Epic of Gilgamesh. The text describes the details of the flood and its aftermath.

Dig it!

Sumerian myth concerning the flood, with its Sumerian counterpart of the antediluvian Noah, offers the most striking parallel to the Biblical Noah from Genesis. It is also important to note, the introductory passages are of considerable significance for Mesopotamian cosmogony. The ark upon the waterThere are a number of statements concerning the creation of man, the origins of kingship and the existance of five antediluvian cities that flourished before the flood. This, “Deluge,” tablet was excavated in Nippur and was translated in 1914 by Arno Poebel. Thank you Arno for this precious gift.

 

THIS OLD BABYLONIAN TEXT, THOUGH INCOMPLETE, IS STILL FASCINATING TODAY. THE STORY DESCRIBES HOW MOTHER GODDESS MADE MAN OUT OF CLAY AND THE BLOOD OF A SLAIN GOD.
Check it out!

Flickr Photos