Post by tzinszer on May 28, 2013 13:31:13 GMT -5
Enuma Elish - Babylonian Creation Story
Chapter 1
Listen and remember!
In the name of Anu, god of the heavens, remember!
In the name of Enlil, god of the air, remember!
In the name of Enki, god of the waters, remember!
When on high the heavens had not been named, the earth had not been named, and nothing existed but the Ancient Ones; the primordial sweet-water oceans of Abzu and his vizier Mummu, and the primordial salt-water oceans of Tiamat, who bore them all, while their waters were still as one.
At this time, before the elder gods had been brought forth, uncalled by name, their destinies unknown and undetermined, it was then that the gods were formed within the Ancient Ones.
The silt of the oceans, Lahmu and Lahamu, who are the son and daughter of Abzu and Tiamat, were brought forth and called by name, and for Ages they grew in age and bearing.
Then the horizon of the sky, Anshar, and the horizon of the earth, Kishar, were brought forth, and they brought forth Anu, who begat Nudimmud, our Master Enki.
Remember!
The elder gods came together and they disturbed Tiamat, the Ancient One, as they surged back and forth. Indeed, they troubled the belly of Tiamat because of their rebellion in the abode of heaven.
Abzu could not lessen their clamor, while Tiamat was speechless at their ways. Their doings were offensive unto the Ancient Ones. Abzu rose up to slay the elder gods by stealth.
With magic charms and spells, Abzu fought but was slain by the sorcery of the elder gods. And it was their first victory.
Abzu’s body was laid in an empty space in a crevice of the heavens. They hid him, but his blood cried out to the abode of heaven.
Tiamat was enraged and filled with an evil motion said, “Let us make monsters that they may go out and do battle against these Sons of Iniquity, the murderous offspring who have destroyed a god.”
Then the river of the Netherworld, Hubar, arose. She who fashions all things and who possesses magic like our master has added matchless weapons to the arsenals of the Ancient Ones. She bore monster-serpents with sharp teeth and long fangs and filled their bodies with venom for blood. Roaring dragons she had clothed with terror. She crowned them with halos, making them gods so that whoever beholds them shall perish. And with their bodies reared up, none might turn them back.
She summoned the viper, the dragon, the winged bull, the great lion, the mad-god, the scorpion-man, the horse-man, feathered-serpents, and mighty rabid demons all bearing weapons that spare no one.
Fearless in battle, charmed with the spells of ancient sorcery, in all, eleven of this kind she brought forth, with Kingu as the leader of the minions.
Remember!
Our Master Enki fearing defeat summoned his son Marduk, the bull calf of the sun. Enki summoned Marduk, “the son of magic” and told him the Secret Name, the Secret Number, and the Secret Shape whereby he might do battle with the ancient horde and be victorious.
Marduk Kurios!
Brightest star among the stars,
Strongest god among the gods,
Son of magic and the sword,
Child of wisdom and the Word,
Knower of the Secret Name,
Knower of the Secret Number,
Knower of the Secret Shape.
He armed himself with the Disc of Power, and in the Chariots of Fire he went forth. With a shouting voice, he called the spell; with a blazing flame, he filled his Body. The dragons and vipers all fell down. The lions and horse-men were all slain. The mighty creatures of Hubur were slain. The spells, the charms, and all the
sorcery were broken.
Nothing but Tiamat “the great serpent” remained—the enormous worm, the snake with iron teeth, the snake with sharpened claw, the snake with the Eyes of Death remained.
Tiamat lunged at Marduk with a roar and a curse. Marduk struck with the Disc of Power blinding Tiamat’s Eyes of Death. The monster heaved and raised its back and struck forth in all directions, spitting out Ancient Words of Power and screaming the ancient incantations. Marduk struck again and blew an Evil Wind into her body, which filled the raging, wicked serpent. Marduk shot between her jaws the Charmed Arrow of Enki’s magic. Marduk struck again and severed the head of Tiamat from its body. And all became silent.
Remember!
Marduk the victor took the Tablets of Destiny, unbidden, and hung them around his neck. He was acclaimed a first among the elder gods. He split the sundered Tiamat in twain and fashioned the heavens and the earth with a gate to keep the Ancient Ones without—a gate whose key is hid forever except to the sons of Marduk and the followers of our Master Enki, first in magic among the gods.
From the blood of Kingu, he created man.
He constructed watchtowers for the elder gods, fixing their astral bodies as constellations that they may watch the Gate of Abzu, the Gate of Tiamat, and the Gate of Kingu. The gate whose guardian is Iak Sakkak they bind.
All the elder powers resist the force of ancient artistry, the magic spell of the oldest ones, and the incantation of the primal power.
The Mountain Kur, the serpent god.
The Mountain Mashu, that of magic.
Cuthalu, dead but dreaming!
Tiamat, dead but dreaming!
Abzu, dead but dreaming!
Kingu, dead but dreaming!
And shall their generation come again?
We are the lost ones from a time before time, from a land beyond the stars, from the Age when Anu walked the earth in company of bright angels. We have survived the first war between the powers of the gods and have seen the wrath of the Ancient Ones. Dark angels vent upon the earth. We are from a race beyond the wanderers of night. We have survived the Age when Abzu ruled the earth and the Power destroyed many generations.
We have survived on tops of mountains and beneath the feet of mountains and have spoken with the Scorpions in allegiance and were betrayed. And Tiamat has promised us never again to attack with water and wind.
But the gods are forgetful.
Beneath the Seas of Nar Mattaru,
Beneath the Seas of the earth, Nar Mattaru,
Beneath the world lies sleeping the god of anger, dead but dreaming!
The god of Cuthalu, dead but dreaming!
The lord of Kur, calm but thunderous!
The One-Eyed Sword, cold but burning!
He who awakens him calls the ancient vengeance of the elder gods, the seven glorious gods of the seven glorious cities. Upon himself and upon the world has he brought an old vengeance.
Know that our years are the years of war, and our days are measured as battles, and every hour is a life. Lost to the outside, those from without have built up charnel houses to nourish the fiends of Tiamat. And the blood of the weakest here is libation
unto Tiamat, “Queen of the ghouls,” wreaker of pain.
And to invoke her, the red water of life needs to be split on a stone, and the stone struck with a sword that has slain eleven men sacrificed to Hubur. The strike needs to ring out and call Tiamat from her slumber in the caverns of the earth. And none may dare entreat further, for to invoke death is to utter the final prayer.
Chapter 2
Of the Ancient Ones here rendered, the generations of the Ancient Ones here remembered, the cold and rain that erode all things are the evil spirits.
During the creation of Anu, there spawned plague gods; Pazuzu, and the beloved sons of Ennugi, the offspring of Nin-agal. Rending in pieces on high, bringing destruction below, they are the children of the Underworld. Loudly roaring on high, gibbering offensively below, they are the bitter venom of the gods. They are
the great storms directed from heaven. The owl, the messenger of Uggi, the “lord of death” they are. They are the children born of earth that spawned during the creation of Anu. They pass through the highest, thickest, and strongest walls like a flood. From house to house they ravage. No door can shut them out; no bolt can turn them back. Through the door like snakes they slide. Through the bolts like winds they blow. Pulling the wife from the embrace of her husband and snatching the child from his loins, banishing man from his home and his land.
They are the burning pain that presses itself on the back of man.
They are ghouls.
They are the spirit of the harlot that has died in the streets and the spirit of the woman that has died in childbirth. They are the spirit of the woman that has died weeping with a babe at the breast, and they are the spirit of an evil man that haunts the streets or the bed.
They are seven!
Seven are they!
Those seven were born in the mountains of Mashu, which is called Magic. They dwell within the caverns of the earth. Among the desolate places of the earth they live—among the places between the places that are unknown in heaven and in earth.
They are arrayed in terror.
Among the elder gods, there is no knowledge of them. They have no name in heaven or on earth. They ride over the mountain of sunset, and they cry on the mountain of dawn. Through the caverns of the earth, they creep; among the desolate places of the earth they lie. Nowhere are they known; not in heaven or in the earth are they discovered. For their place is outside our place and between the angles of the earth. They lie in wait crouching for the sacrifice. They are the children of the Underworld.
Falling like rain from the sky and issuing like a mist from the earth. Doors do not stop them. Bolts do not stop them. They glide through the doors like serpents and enter by the windows like the wind.
Idpa they are, entering by the head.
Namtar they are, entering by the heart.
Utuk they are, entering by the brow.
Alal they are, entering by the chest.
Gigim they are, seizing the bowels.
Telal they are, grasping the hand.
Uruku they are, giant larvae, feeding on the blood.
They are seven!
Seven are they!
They seize all the towers from Ur to Nippur.
Yet neither Ur nor Nippur knows them.
They have brought down the mighty of all the mighty cities of man.
Yet neither man nor the cities know them.
They have struck down the forests of the East and have flooded the lands of the West.
Yet neither East nor West knows them.
They are a hand grasping at the neck.
Yet neither the neck nor the man knows them.
Their words are unwritten.
Their numbers are unknown.
Their shapes are all shapes.
Their habitations are the desolate places where their rites are performed.
Their habitations are the haunts of man where a sacrifice has been offered.
Their habitations are the lands here and the cities here.
Their habitations are the lands between the lands and the cities between the cities.
In spaces no man has ever walked.
In Kurnude, the country from where no traveller returns
At Ekurbad, in the altar of the Temple of the Dead
At Gi Umuna, at their mother’s breast
At the foundations of chaos in the Araliya of Mummu-Tiamat
And at the gates of Iak Sakkak!
Spirit of the air, remember!
Spirit of the earth, remember!
And was not man created from the blood of Kingu, the commander of the hordes of the Ancient Ones? Does not man possess in his spirit the seeds of rebellion against the elder gods?
And the blood of man is the blood of vengeance.
And the blood of man is the spirit of vengeance.
And the power of man is the power of the Ancient Ones.
And this is the covenant; the elder gods possess the sign by which the powers of the Ancient Ones are turned back, but man possesses the sign, the number, and the shape to summon the blood of his parents.
And this is the covenant created by the elder gods from the blood of the Ancient Ones. Man is the key by which the Gate of Iak Sakkak may be flung wide open, by which the Ancient Ones seek their vengeance upon the face of the earth against the offspring of Marduk.
For what is new came from that which is old.
And what is old shall replace that which is new.
And once again the Ancient Ones shall rule upon the face of the earth!
And this too is the covenant!
Chapter 3
Inanna, the Queen of Heaven, and the bright light of nights, who is the mistress of the gods, set her mind in the direction of the Netherworld. From above she set her mind to below. From the heavens she set forth to the Abyss. Out of the gates of the living, she has entered the gates of death. Out of the lands we know into the lands we do not know. She went to the land of no return, to the land of Queen Ereshkigal, the great lady under earth.
Inanna, Queen of Heavens, she set her mind.
Inanna, daughter of the moon goddess Nanna, to the black earth, to the land of Cutha, she set forth. To the house of no return, she set her foot. Upon the road where none have returned, she set her foot—to the cave forever unlit, where bowls of clay are heaped upon the altar and where bowls of dust are the food of the
residents clothed only in wings.
To Abzu, Inanna set forth to where the dread Cuthalu sleeps.
The watcher Ningishzida stood fast.
And Inanna spoke to him, saying, “Ningishzida! Serpent of the deep!
Ningishzida! Horned serpent of the deep!
Ningishzida! Plumed serpent of the deep!
Open!
Open the door that I may enter!
Ningishzida! Spirit of the deep, watcher of the gate, remember!
In the name of our father Enki, lord and master of magicians, before the flight.
Open the door that I may enter!
Open the door, lest I attack it and break its bars apart!
Open the door, lest I attack the barrier and take its walls by force!
Open the door and open wide the gate, lest I cause the dead to rise!
I will raise up the dead!
I will cause the dead to rise and devour the living!
Open the door, lest I cause the dead to outnumber the living!
Ningishzida, spirit of the deep and watcher of the gate, open!”
Ningishzida the great serpent coiled back on itself and answered, “Lady Inanna, Queen among the gods, I will go before my mistress Ereshkigal, before the Queen of Death I will announce thee.”
And Ningishzida, the horned serpent, approached Lady Ereshkigal and said, “Behold, Inanna, your sister ‘Queen among the gods’ stands before the gate! Daughter of Nanna, mistress of Enki, she waits. And Ereshkigal was pale with fear as the dark waters began to stir. “Go, Ningishzida, watcher of the gate, and open the door to Inanna, and treat her as it is written in the Ancient Covenant.”
And Ningishzida loosened the bolt from the hatch and darkness fell upon Inanna. The dark waters rose and carried the “goddess of light” to the realms of the night.
And the serpent spoke, “Enter Queen of Heaven of the great above.
That Kur may rejoice!
That Cutha may give praise!
That Kutu may smile!
Enter that Kutulu may be pleased with thy presence.”
And Inanna entered.
And there are seven gates and seven decrees. At the first gate, Ningishzida removed the crown—the great crown of her head he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, serpent, have you removed my first jewel?”
And the serpent answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the first gate.”
At the second gate, Ningishzida removed the wand. The wand of lapis lazuli he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, Ningishzida, have you removed my second jewel?”
And Ningishzida answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the second gate.”
At the third gate, Ningishzida removed her jewels. The jewels around her neck he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, gatekeeper, have you removed my third jewel?”
And the gatekeeper answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the third gate.”
At the fourth gate Ningishzida removed the jewels. The jewels on her breast he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, guardian of the outer, have you removed my fourth jewel?”
And the guardian answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the fourth gate.”
At the fifth gate, Ningishzida removed the jewels. The belt of jewels around her hips he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, watcher of the Forbidden Entrance, have you removed my fifth jewel?”
And the watcher answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutuk. Enter the fifth gate.”
At the Sixth Gate, Ningishzida removed the jewels. The jewels around her wrists and the jewels around her ankles he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, Nin-agal, have you removed my sixth jewel?”
And Nin-agal answered, “Thus is the Ancient Covenant set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the sixth gate.”
At the seventh gate Ningishzida removed the jewels. The jeweled robes of Inanna he took away.
And Inanna, who was without protection, without safety, without talisman or amulet asked, “Why, messenger of the Ancient Ones, have you removed my seventh jewel?”
And the messenger of the Ancient Ones replied, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the seventh gate and behold the Netherworld.”
Inanna had descended to the Land of Kur; to the depths of Cutha she went down.
Having lost her seven talismans of the Upper Worlds and having lost her seven powers of the land of the living and without the Food of Life or the Water of Life, she appeared before Ereshkigal, the Mistress of Death.
Ereshkigal screamed at her presence, while Inanna raised her arm in defiance. Ereshkigal summoned Nammtar, the magician, and spoke these words to him, “Go! Imprison her! Bind her in darkness! Chain her in the sea below the seas! Release against her the seven Anunnaki! Release against her the sixty demons!
Against her eyes, the demons of the eyes!
Against her sides, the demons of the sides!
Against her heart, the demons of the heart!
Against her feet, the demons of the feet!
Against her head, the demons of the head!
Against her entire body, release the demons of Kur!”
And the demons tore at her from every side, while Anunnaki, “the dread judges,” the seven lords of the Underworld, surrounded her. The faceless gods of Abzu stared at her with the Eye of Death. With the glance of death, they killed her and hung her like a corpse from a stake. The sixty demons tore her limbs from her sides, her eyes from her head, and her ears from her skull.
Ereshkigal rejoiced!
Blind Azag-Thoth rejoiced!
Iak Sakkak rejoiced!
Ishniggarrab rejoiced!
Kutulu rejoiced!
The Maskim gave praise to the Queen of Death.
The Gigim gave praise to Ereshkigal, the Queen of Death.
And the elder ones were rent with fear.
Our father Enki, the Lord of Magic, received word through Ninshubur, Inanna’s servant, that Inanna slept in the House of Death. He heard how the Gate of Ganzir had been opened and how the face of the Abyss opened wide its mouth and swallowed the Queen of Heaven, the Queen of the Rising of the Sun. And Enki
summoned forth clay, and he summoned forth wind, and from the clay and from the wind, Enki fashioned two elementals. He fashioned the Kurgarru, the Spirit of the Earth, and he fashioned the Kalaturru, the Spirit of the Seas. To the Kurgarru he gave the Food of Life, and to the Kalaturru he gave the Water of Life.
And he commanded these images to arise. Kalaturru, Spirit of the Seas, arise and set your feet to that gate Ganzir. To the Gate of the Underworld, the land of no return, set your eyes. The seven gates shall open for you, and no spell shall keep you out, for my number is upon you. Take the bag of the Food of Life and the bag of the Water of Life, and Ereshkigal shall not raise her arm against you. Ereshkigal shall have no power over you. Find the corpse of Inanna our queen, and sprinkle the Food of Life sixty times and the Water of Life sixty times. Sixty times the Food of Life and the Water of Life shall you sprinkle upon her body, and truly Inanna will rise.
With giant wings and scales like serpents, the two elementals flew to that gate invisible, and Ningishzida did not see them. Invisible, they passed the seven watchers with haste. They entered the Palace of Death, and they beheld several terrible sights. The demons of the entire Abyss lay there dead, but dreaming, as they clung to the walls of the House of Death, faceless and terrible.
The Anunnaki stared out blind and mad.
Azag-Thoth reared up.
The Eye on the Throne opened.
The dark waters stirred.
The gates of lapis lazuli glistened.
In the darkness, there were unseen monsters that spawned at the Dawn of Ages, which spawned in the battle of Marduk and Tiamat, which spawned from within Hubur, having the sign of Hubur, being led by Kingu.
With haste, they fled through the Palace of Death, stopping only at the corpse of Inanna. The beautiful queen, the Mistress of the gods, lady of all the harlots of Ur, bright shining one of the heavens, beloved of Enki, was hung bleeding from a thousand fatal wounds.
Ereshkigal, sensing their presence, cried out.
Kugaaru, armed with fire, looked upon the Queen of Corpses with the Ray of Fire. Kalaturru, armed with flame, looked upon the Queen of the Graves with the Rays of Flame. And Ereshkigal, mighty in Cutha, turned her face upon the corpse of Inanna.
Sixty times they sprinkled the Water of Life of Enki upon the corpse of Inanna.
Sixty times they sprinkled the Food of Life of Enki upon the corpse hung from a
stake.
They directed the Spirit of Life and Inanna arose.
The dark waters trembled and roiled.
Azag-Thoth screamed upon his throne.
Cuthalu lurched forth from his sleep.
Ishnigarrab fled the Palace of Death.
Iak Sakkak trembled in fear and hate.
The Anunnaki fled their thrones.
The Eye upon the Throne took flight.
Ereshkigal roared and summoned the magician Nammtar. She summoned Nammtar not for pursuit, but for protection.
Inanna ascended from the Underworld.
With the winged elementals, Inanna fled the gates of Ganzir and Ningishzida.
And truthfully, the dead fled ahead of her.
When through the first gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled robes.
When through the second gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled bracelets.
When through the third gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled belt.
When through the fourth gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled necklace.
When through the fifth gate they fled, Inanna took back her belt of jewels.
When through the sixth gate they fled, Inanna took back her wand of lapis.
When through the seventh gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled crown.
And the demons rose with the spirits of the dead and went with her out of the gates. Looking neither right nor left, walking in front and behind, they went with Inanna from the Gate of Ganzir. Out of the Netherworld, they accompanied her.
And Ereshkigal, scorned Queen of the Abyss, where all are drowned, pronounced a curse, solemn and powerful, against the Queen of the Rising of the Sun. And Nammtar gave it form. When the lover of Inanna, beloved Queen of Heaven, goes down before me through the Gate of Ganzir to the House of Death, when with him the wailing people come, the weeping woman and the wailing man, when Dumuzi is slain and buried, may the dead rise and smell the incense!
Stoop not down, therefore, unto the darkly shining world, where the Abzu lies in dark waters and Cuthalu sleeps and dreams. Stoop not down, therefore, for an Abyss lies beneath the world, reached only by a descending ladder that has seven steps and by a descending pathway that hath seven gates.
And there is established the throne of an evil and fatal force. For, from the cavities of the world leaps forth the evil demon.
The evil god
The evil genius
The evil ensnarer
The evil phantom
The evil devil
The evil larvae
Showing no true signs unto mortal man.
And the dead will rise and smell the incense!
- Anagoge of a Scribe
www.thewordofgnosis.com
Chapter 1
Listen and remember!
In the name of Anu, god of the heavens, remember!
In the name of Enlil, god of the air, remember!
In the name of Enki, god of the waters, remember!
When on high the heavens had not been named, the earth had not been named, and nothing existed but the Ancient Ones; the primordial sweet-water oceans of Abzu and his vizier Mummu, and the primordial salt-water oceans of Tiamat, who bore them all, while their waters were still as one.
At this time, before the elder gods had been brought forth, uncalled by name, their destinies unknown and undetermined, it was then that the gods were formed within the Ancient Ones.
The silt of the oceans, Lahmu and Lahamu, who are the son and daughter of Abzu and Tiamat, were brought forth and called by name, and for Ages they grew in age and bearing.
Then the horizon of the sky, Anshar, and the horizon of the earth, Kishar, were brought forth, and they brought forth Anu, who begat Nudimmud, our Master Enki.
Remember!
The elder gods came together and they disturbed Tiamat, the Ancient One, as they surged back and forth. Indeed, they troubled the belly of Tiamat because of their rebellion in the abode of heaven.
Abzu could not lessen their clamor, while Tiamat was speechless at their ways. Their doings were offensive unto the Ancient Ones. Abzu rose up to slay the elder gods by stealth.
With magic charms and spells, Abzu fought but was slain by the sorcery of the elder gods. And it was their first victory.
Abzu’s body was laid in an empty space in a crevice of the heavens. They hid him, but his blood cried out to the abode of heaven.
Tiamat was enraged and filled with an evil motion said, “Let us make monsters that they may go out and do battle against these Sons of Iniquity, the murderous offspring who have destroyed a god.”
Then the river of the Netherworld, Hubar, arose. She who fashions all things and who possesses magic like our master has added matchless weapons to the arsenals of the Ancient Ones. She bore monster-serpents with sharp teeth and long fangs and filled their bodies with venom for blood. Roaring dragons she had clothed with terror. She crowned them with halos, making them gods so that whoever beholds them shall perish. And with their bodies reared up, none might turn them back.
She summoned the viper, the dragon, the winged bull, the great lion, the mad-god, the scorpion-man, the horse-man, feathered-serpents, and mighty rabid demons all bearing weapons that spare no one.
Fearless in battle, charmed with the spells of ancient sorcery, in all, eleven of this kind she brought forth, with Kingu as the leader of the minions.
Remember!
Our Master Enki fearing defeat summoned his son Marduk, the bull calf of the sun. Enki summoned Marduk, “the son of magic” and told him the Secret Name, the Secret Number, and the Secret Shape whereby he might do battle with the ancient horde and be victorious.
Marduk Kurios!
Brightest star among the stars,
Strongest god among the gods,
Son of magic and the sword,
Child of wisdom and the Word,
Knower of the Secret Name,
Knower of the Secret Number,
Knower of the Secret Shape.
He armed himself with the Disc of Power, and in the Chariots of Fire he went forth. With a shouting voice, he called the spell; with a blazing flame, he filled his Body. The dragons and vipers all fell down. The lions and horse-men were all slain. The mighty creatures of Hubur were slain. The spells, the charms, and all the
sorcery were broken.
Nothing but Tiamat “the great serpent” remained—the enormous worm, the snake with iron teeth, the snake with sharpened claw, the snake with the Eyes of Death remained.
Tiamat lunged at Marduk with a roar and a curse. Marduk struck with the Disc of Power blinding Tiamat’s Eyes of Death. The monster heaved and raised its back and struck forth in all directions, spitting out Ancient Words of Power and screaming the ancient incantations. Marduk struck again and blew an Evil Wind into her body, which filled the raging, wicked serpent. Marduk shot between her jaws the Charmed Arrow of Enki’s magic. Marduk struck again and severed the head of Tiamat from its body. And all became silent.
Remember!
Marduk the victor took the Tablets of Destiny, unbidden, and hung them around his neck. He was acclaimed a first among the elder gods. He split the sundered Tiamat in twain and fashioned the heavens and the earth with a gate to keep the Ancient Ones without—a gate whose key is hid forever except to the sons of Marduk and the followers of our Master Enki, first in magic among the gods.
From the blood of Kingu, he created man.
He constructed watchtowers for the elder gods, fixing their astral bodies as constellations that they may watch the Gate of Abzu, the Gate of Tiamat, and the Gate of Kingu. The gate whose guardian is Iak Sakkak they bind.
All the elder powers resist the force of ancient artistry, the magic spell of the oldest ones, and the incantation of the primal power.
The Mountain Kur, the serpent god.
The Mountain Mashu, that of magic.
Cuthalu, dead but dreaming!
Tiamat, dead but dreaming!
Abzu, dead but dreaming!
Kingu, dead but dreaming!
And shall their generation come again?
We are the lost ones from a time before time, from a land beyond the stars, from the Age when Anu walked the earth in company of bright angels. We have survived the first war between the powers of the gods and have seen the wrath of the Ancient Ones. Dark angels vent upon the earth. We are from a race beyond the wanderers of night. We have survived the Age when Abzu ruled the earth and the Power destroyed many generations.
We have survived on tops of mountains and beneath the feet of mountains and have spoken with the Scorpions in allegiance and were betrayed. And Tiamat has promised us never again to attack with water and wind.
But the gods are forgetful.
Beneath the Seas of Nar Mattaru,
Beneath the Seas of the earth, Nar Mattaru,
Beneath the world lies sleeping the god of anger, dead but dreaming!
The god of Cuthalu, dead but dreaming!
The lord of Kur, calm but thunderous!
The One-Eyed Sword, cold but burning!
He who awakens him calls the ancient vengeance of the elder gods, the seven glorious gods of the seven glorious cities. Upon himself and upon the world has he brought an old vengeance.
Know that our years are the years of war, and our days are measured as battles, and every hour is a life. Lost to the outside, those from without have built up charnel houses to nourish the fiends of Tiamat. And the blood of the weakest here is libation
unto Tiamat, “Queen of the ghouls,” wreaker of pain.
And to invoke her, the red water of life needs to be split on a stone, and the stone struck with a sword that has slain eleven men sacrificed to Hubur. The strike needs to ring out and call Tiamat from her slumber in the caverns of the earth. And none may dare entreat further, for to invoke death is to utter the final prayer.
Chapter 2
Of the Ancient Ones here rendered, the generations of the Ancient Ones here remembered, the cold and rain that erode all things are the evil spirits.
During the creation of Anu, there spawned plague gods; Pazuzu, and the beloved sons of Ennugi, the offspring of Nin-agal. Rending in pieces on high, bringing destruction below, they are the children of the Underworld. Loudly roaring on high, gibbering offensively below, they are the bitter venom of the gods. They are
the great storms directed from heaven. The owl, the messenger of Uggi, the “lord of death” they are. They are the children born of earth that spawned during the creation of Anu. They pass through the highest, thickest, and strongest walls like a flood. From house to house they ravage. No door can shut them out; no bolt can turn them back. Through the door like snakes they slide. Through the bolts like winds they blow. Pulling the wife from the embrace of her husband and snatching the child from his loins, banishing man from his home and his land.
They are the burning pain that presses itself on the back of man.
They are ghouls.
They are the spirit of the harlot that has died in the streets and the spirit of the woman that has died in childbirth. They are the spirit of the woman that has died weeping with a babe at the breast, and they are the spirit of an evil man that haunts the streets or the bed.
They are seven!
Seven are they!
Those seven were born in the mountains of Mashu, which is called Magic. They dwell within the caverns of the earth. Among the desolate places of the earth they live—among the places between the places that are unknown in heaven and in earth.
They are arrayed in terror.
Among the elder gods, there is no knowledge of them. They have no name in heaven or on earth. They ride over the mountain of sunset, and they cry on the mountain of dawn. Through the caverns of the earth, they creep; among the desolate places of the earth they lie. Nowhere are they known; not in heaven or in the earth are they discovered. For their place is outside our place and between the angles of the earth. They lie in wait crouching for the sacrifice. They are the children of the Underworld.
Falling like rain from the sky and issuing like a mist from the earth. Doors do not stop them. Bolts do not stop them. They glide through the doors like serpents and enter by the windows like the wind.
Idpa they are, entering by the head.
Namtar they are, entering by the heart.
Utuk they are, entering by the brow.
Alal they are, entering by the chest.
Gigim they are, seizing the bowels.
Telal they are, grasping the hand.
Uruku they are, giant larvae, feeding on the blood.
They are seven!
Seven are they!
They seize all the towers from Ur to Nippur.
Yet neither Ur nor Nippur knows them.
They have brought down the mighty of all the mighty cities of man.
Yet neither man nor the cities know them.
They have struck down the forests of the East and have flooded the lands of the West.
Yet neither East nor West knows them.
They are a hand grasping at the neck.
Yet neither the neck nor the man knows them.
Their words are unwritten.
Their numbers are unknown.
Their shapes are all shapes.
Their habitations are the desolate places where their rites are performed.
Their habitations are the haunts of man where a sacrifice has been offered.
Their habitations are the lands here and the cities here.
Their habitations are the lands between the lands and the cities between the cities.
In spaces no man has ever walked.
In Kurnude, the country from where no traveller returns
At Ekurbad, in the altar of the Temple of the Dead
At Gi Umuna, at their mother’s breast
At the foundations of chaos in the Araliya of Mummu-Tiamat
And at the gates of Iak Sakkak!
Spirit of the air, remember!
Spirit of the earth, remember!
And was not man created from the blood of Kingu, the commander of the hordes of the Ancient Ones? Does not man possess in his spirit the seeds of rebellion against the elder gods?
And the blood of man is the blood of vengeance.
And the blood of man is the spirit of vengeance.
And the power of man is the power of the Ancient Ones.
And this is the covenant; the elder gods possess the sign by which the powers of the Ancient Ones are turned back, but man possesses the sign, the number, and the shape to summon the blood of his parents.
And this is the covenant created by the elder gods from the blood of the Ancient Ones. Man is the key by which the Gate of Iak Sakkak may be flung wide open, by which the Ancient Ones seek their vengeance upon the face of the earth against the offspring of Marduk.
For what is new came from that which is old.
And what is old shall replace that which is new.
And once again the Ancient Ones shall rule upon the face of the earth!
And this too is the covenant!
Chapter 3
Inanna, the Queen of Heaven, and the bright light of nights, who is the mistress of the gods, set her mind in the direction of the Netherworld. From above she set her mind to below. From the heavens she set forth to the Abyss. Out of the gates of the living, she has entered the gates of death. Out of the lands we know into the lands we do not know. She went to the land of no return, to the land of Queen Ereshkigal, the great lady under earth.
Inanna, Queen of Heavens, she set her mind.
Inanna, daughter of the moon goddess Nanna, to the black earth, to the land of Cutha, she set forth. To the house of no return, she set her foot. Upon the road where none have returned, she set her foot—to the cave forever unlit, where bowls of clay are heaped upon the altar and where bowls of dust are the food of the
residents clothed only in wings.
To Abzu, Inanna set forth to where the dread Cuthalu sleeps.
The watcher Ningishzida stood fast.
And Inanna spoke to him, saying, “Ningishzida! Serpent of the deep!
Ningishzida! Horned serpent of the deep!
Ningishzida! Plumed serpent of the deep!
Open!
Open the door that I may enter!
Ningishzida! Spirit of the deep, watcher of the gate, remember!
In the name of our father Enki, lord and master of magicians, before the flight.
Open the door that I may enter!
Open the door, lest I attack it and break its bars apart!
Open the door, lest I attack the barrier and take its walls by force!
Open the door and open wide the gate, lest I cause the dead to rise!
I will raise up the dead!
I will cause the dead to rise and devour the living!
Open the door, lest I cause the dead to outnumber the living!
Ningishzida, spirit of the deep and watcher of the gate, open!”
Ningishzida the great serpent coiled back on itself and answered, “Lady Inanna, Queen among the gods, I will go before my mistress Ereshkigal, before the Queen of Death I will announce thee.”
And Ningishzida, the horned serpent, approached Lady Ereshkigal and said, “Behold, Inanna, your sister ‘Queen among the gods’ stands before the gate! Daughter of Nanna, mistress of Enki, she waits. And Ereshkigal was pale with fear as the dark waters began to stir. “Go, Ningishzida, watcher of the gate, and open the door to Inanna, and treat her as it is written in the Ancient Covenant.”
And Ningishzida loosened the bolt from the hatch and darkness fell upon Inanna. The dark waters rose and carried the “goddess of light” to the realms of the night.
And the serpent spoke, “Enter Queen of Heaven of the great above.
That Kur may rejoice!
That Cutha may give praise!
That Kutu may smile!
Enter that Kutulu may be pleased with thy presence.”
And Inanna entered.
And there are seven gates and seven decrees. At the first gate, Ningishzida removed the crown—the great crown of her head he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, serpent, have you removed my first jewel?”
And the serpent answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the first gate.”
At the second gate, Ningishzida removed the wand. The wand of lapis lazuli he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, Ningishzida, have you removed my second jewel?”
And Ningishzida answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the second gate.”
At the third gate, Ningishzida removed her jewels. The jewels around her neck he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, gatekeeper, have you removed my third jewel?”
And the gatekeeper answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the third gate.”
At the fourth gate Ningishzida removed the jewels. The jewels on her breast he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, guardian of the outer, have you removed my fourth jewel?”
And the guardian answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the fourth gate.”
At the fifth gate, Ningishzida removed the jewels. The belt of jewels around her hips he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, watcher of the Forbidden Entrance, have you removed my fifth jewel?”
And the watcher answered, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutuk. Enter the fifth gate.”
At the Sixth Gate, Ningishzida removed the jewels. The jewels around her wrists and the jewels around her ankles he took away.
And Inanna asked, “Why, Nin-agal, have you removed my sixth jewel?”
And Nin-agal answered, “Thus is the Ancient Covenant set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the sixth gate.”
At the seventh gate Ningishzida removed the jewels. The jeweled robes of Inanna he took away.
And Inanna, who was without protection, without safety, without talisman or amulet asked, “Why, messenger of the Ancient Ones, have you removed my seventh jewel?”
And the messenger of the Ancient Ones replied, “Thus is the Covenant of Old set down before time through the decrees of the Lady of Kutu. Enter the seventh gate and behold the Netherworld.”
Inanna had descended to the Land of Kur; to the depths of Cutha she went down.
Having lost her seven talismans of the Upper Worlds and having lost her seven powers of the land of the living and without the Food of Life or the Water of Life, she appeared before Ereshkigal, the Mistress of Death.
Ereshkigal screamed at her presence, while Inanna raised her arm in defiance. Ereshkigal summoned Nammtar, the magician, and spoke these words to him, “Go! Imprison her! Bind her in darkness! Chain her in the sea below the seas! Release against her the seven Anunnaki! Release against her the sixty demons!
Against her eyes, the demons of the eyes!
Against her sides, the demons of the sides!
Against her heart, the demons of the heart!
Against her feet, the demons of the feet!
Against her head, the demons of the head!
Against her entire body, release the demons of Kur!”
And the demons tore at her from every side, while Anunnaki, “the dread judges,” the seven lords of the Underworld, surrounded her. The faceless gods of Abzu stared at her with the Eye of Death. With the glance of death, they killed her and hung her like a corpse from a stake. The sixty demons tore her limbs from her sides, her eyes from her head, and her ears from her skull.
Ereshkigal rejoiced!
Blind Azag-Thoth rejoiced!
Iak Sakkak rejoiced!
Ishniggarrab rejoiced!
Kutulu rejoiced!
The Maskim gave praise to the Queen of Death.
The Gigim gave praise to Ereshkigal, the Queen of Death.
And the elder ones were rent with fear.
Our father Enki, the Lord of Magic, received word through Ninshubur, Inanna’s servant, that Inanna slept in the House of Death. He heard how the Gate of Ganzir had been opened and how the face of the Abyss opened wide its mouth and swallowed the Queen of Heaven, the Queen of the Rising of the Sun. And Enki
summoned forth clay, and he summoned forth wind, and from the clay and from the wind, Enki fashioned two elementals. He fashioned the Kurgarru, the Spirit of the Earth, and he fashioned the Kalaturru, the Spirit of the Seas. To the Kurgarru he gave the Food of Life, and to the Kalaturru he gave the Water of Life.
And he commanded these images to arise. Kalaturru, Spirit of the Seas, arise and set your feet to that gate Ganzir. To the Gate of the Underworld, the land of no return, set your eyes. The seven gates shall open for you, and no spell shall keep you out, for my number is upon you. Take the bag of the Food of Life and the bag of the Water of Life, and Ereshkigal shall not raise her arm against you. Ereshkigal shall have no power over you. Find the corpse of Inanna our queen, and sprinkle the Food of Life sixty times and the Water of Life sixty times. Sixty times the Food of Life and the Water of Life shall you sprinkle upon her body, and truly Inanna will rise.
With giant wings and scales like serpents, the two elementals flew to that gate invisible, and Ningishzida did not see them. Invisible, they passed the seven watchers with haste. They entered the Palace of Death, and they beheld several terrible sights. The demons of the entire Abyss lay there dead, but dreaming, as they clung to the walls of the House of Death, faceless and terrible.
The Anunnaki stared out blind and mad.
Azag-Thoth reared up.
The Eye on the Throne opened.
The dark waters stirred.
The gates of lapis lazuli glistened.
In the darkness, there were unseen monsters that spawned at the Dawn of Ages, which spawned in the battle of Marduk and Tiamat, which spawned from within Hubur, having the sign of Hubur, being led by Kingu.
With haste, they fled through the Palace of Death, stopping only at the corpse of Inanna. The beautiful queen, the Mistress of the gods, lady of all the harlots of Ur, bright shining one of the heavens, beloved of Enki, was hung bleeding from a thousand fatal wounds.
Ereshkigal, sensing their presence, cried out.
Kugaaru, armed with fire, looked upon the Queen of Corpses with the Ray of Fire. Kalaturru, armed with flame, looked upon the Queen of the Graves with the Rays of Flame. And Ereshkigal, mighty in Cutha, turned her face upon the corpse of Inanna.
Sixty times they sprinkled the Water of Life of Enki upon the corpse of Inanna.
Sixty times they sprinkled the Food of Life of Enki upon the corpse hung from a
stake.
They directed the Spirit of Life and Inanna arose.
The dark waters trembled and roiled.
Azag-Thoth screamed upon his throne.
Cuthalu lurched forth from his sleep.
Ishnigarrab fled the Palace of Death.
Iak Sakkak trembled in fear and hate.
The Anunnaki fled their thrones.
The Eye upon the Throne took flight.
Ereshkigal roared and summoned the magician Nammtar. She summoned Nammtar not for pursuit, but for protection.
Inanna ascended from the Underworld.
With the winged elementals, Inanna fled the gates of Ganzir and Ningishzida.
And truthfully, the dead fled ahead of her.
When through the first gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled robes.
When through the second gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled bracelets.
When through the third gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled belt.
When through the fourth gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled necklace.
When through the fifth gate they fled, Inanna took back her belt of jewels.
When through the sixth gate they fled, Inanna took back her wand of lapis.
When through the seventh gate they fled, Inanna took back her jeweled crown.
And the demons rose with the spirits of the dead and went with her out of the gates. Looking neither right nor left, walking in front and behind, they went with Inanna from the Gate of Ganzir. Out of the Netherworld, they accompanied her.
And Ereshkigal, scorned Queen of the Abyss, where all are drowned, pronounced a curse, solemn and powerful, against the Queen of the Rising of the Sun. And Nammtar gave it form. When the lover of Inanna, beloved Queen of Heaven, goes down before me through the Gate of Ganzir to the House of Death, when with him the wailing people come, the weeping woman and the wailing man, when Dumuzi is slain and buried, may the dead rise and smell the incense!
Stoop not down, therefore, unto the darkly shining world, where the Abzu lies in dark waters and Cuthalu sleeps and dreams. Stoop not down, therefore, for an Abyss lies beneath the world, reached only by a descending ladder that has seven steps and by a descending pathway that hath seven gates.
And there is established the throne of an evil and fatal force. For, from the cavities of the world leaps forth the evil demon.
The evil god
The evil genius
The evil ensnarer
The evil phantom
The evil devil
The evil larvae
Showing no true signs unto mortal man.
And the dead will rise and smell the incense!
- Anagoge of a Scribe
www.thewordofgnosis.com
