THE
MYTH OF ETANA
Source:
Foster, Benjamin (1995) From distant days... Myths, tales and poetry from
Ancient Mesopotamia. CDI Press, Bethesda.
Tablet
1
Tablet 2
Tablet 3
Tablet 4
Ancient seals showing
Inanna/Ishtar, Etanaīs personal goddes
TABLET
I
They planned a city
[ ]
The gods laid tis
foundations
They planned the
city [Kish?]
The Igigi-gos founded
its brickwork [ ]
" Let [ ] be their
(the peopleīs) shepherd,
" Let Etana be their
architect... "
The Great Anunnaki
gods ordainers of destinies,
Sat taking their
counsel concerning the land,
The cretors of the
four world regions, establishers of all physical form,
By command of all
of them the Igigi gods
Ordained a festival
for the people
No king did they
establish, over the teeming peoples,
At that time no headdress
had been assembled, nor crown,
Nor yet scepter had
been set with lapis.
No throne daises
whatsoever had been constructed,
Against the inhabited
world they barred the gates...
The Igigi gods surrounded
the city with ramparts
Ishtar came down
from heaven to seek a shepherd,
And sought for a
king everywhere.
Innina came down
from heaven to seek a shepherd,
And sought for a
king everywhere.
Enlil examined the
dais of Etana,
The man whom Ishtar
steadfastly....
"She has constantly
sought....
"Let kingship be
established in the land,
Let the heart of
Kish be joyful"
Kingship, the radiant
crown, throne [ ]
He (?) brought and
[ ]
The gods of the lands....
(large gap)
TABLET
II
[ ] which he called
[ ]....
the High Water
[ ] he had built
a tower (?) [ ]
[ ] shrine for Adad,
the god [ ],
In the shade of that
shrine a poplar was growing [ ],
In its crown an eagle
settled,
A serpent settled
at its root.
Daily they watched
the wind beasts.
The eagle made ready
to speak, saying to the serpent,
"Come, let us make
friendship,
Let us be comrades,
you and I".
The serpent made
ready to speak, saying to the eagle,
"If indeed.... of
friendship and [ ]
Then let us swear
a mighty oath of Shamash.
An abomination of
the gods [ ]
" Come then, let
us set forth and go up the high mountain to hunt.
"Let us swear an
oath by the netherworld".
Before Shamash the
warrior they swore the oath,
"Whoever transgresses
the limits of Shamash
" May Shamash deliver
him as an offender into the hands of the executioner,
" Whoever transgresses
the limits of Shamash,
" May the mountains
remove their praises far away from him,
" May the oncoming
weapon make straight for him,
" May the trap and
curse of Shamash overthrow him and hunt him down!"
After they had sworn
the oath by the netherworld,
They set forth, going
up the high mountains,
Each day by turns
watching for the wild beasts,
The eagle would hunt
down wild oxen and gazelle,
The serpent would
eat, turn away, then his children would eat.
The eagle would hunt
down wild sheep and aurochs,
The serpent would
eat, turn away, then his children would eat.
The serpent would
hunt down beasts of the field, the creatures of earth,
The eagle would eat,
turn away, then his children would eat the food,
The eagleīs children
grew big and flourished.
After the eagleīs
children were grown big and were flourishing,
The eagleīs heart
indeed plotted evil,
Evil his heart plotted
indeed!
He set his thoughts
upon eating his friendīs young!
The eagle made ready
to speak, saying to its children:
" I will eat the
serpentīs children, the serpent [ ],
" I will go up and
dwell in heaven,
" If I descend from
the crown of the tree, ... the king."
The littlest fledgling,
exceedingly wise, siad these words to the eagle, his father:
" Do not eat, my
father!
The net of Shamash
will hunt you down,
The mesh and oat
of Shamash will overthrow yu and hunt you down.
Whoever transgresses
the limits of Shamash,
Shamash will deliver
him as an offender into the hands of the executioner!"
He did not heed them,
nor listen to his sonsī words,
He descended and
ate up the serpentsī children,
In the evening of
the same day,
The serpent came,
bearing his burden,
At the entrance to
his nest he cast down the meat,
He looked around,
his nest was gone"
He looked down, his
children were not [ ]!
The eagle had gouged
the ground with his talon,
The cloud of dust
from the sky darkened the sky.
The serpent.... weeping
before Shamash,
Before Shamash the
warrior his tears ran down,
" I trusted in you,
O warrior Shamash,
" I was the one who
gave provisions to the eagle,
" Now my nest [ ]!
" My nest is gone,
while his nest is safe,
" My young are destroyed,
while his young are safe,
" He descended and
ate up my children!
" You know, O Shamash,
the evil he has done to me,
" Truly, O Shamash
your net is the wide earth,
" Your trap is the
distant heaven,
" The eagle must
not escape from your net,
" That malignant
Anzu who harbored evil against his friends!"
When he had heard
the serpentīs lament,
Shamash made ready
to speak, and said to him:
" Go your way and
cross the mountain,
" I have captured
for you a wild ox.
" Open its insides,
rend its belly,
" Set an ambush in
its belly,
" Every kind of bird
of heaven will come down to eat the meat.
" The eagle will
come down with them to eat the meat,
" As he will not
know the evil in store for him,
" He will search
for the juiciest meat [ ], he will walk about outside,
" He will work his
way into the covering of the instestines,
" When he comes inside,
seize him by his wings,
" Cut off his wings,
his pinions and tailfeathers,
" Pluck him and cast
him into a bottomless pit,
" Let him die there
of hunger and thirst".
As Shamash the warrior
commanded,
The serpent went
and crossed the mountain.
Then did the serpent
reach the wild ox,
He opened its insides,
he rent its belly.
He set an ambush
in its belly.
Every kind of bird
of heaven came down to eat the meat.
Did the eagle know
of the evil in store for him?
He would not eat
the meat with the other birds!
The eagle made ready
to speak, saying to his children:
" Come, let us go
down and we too eat the meat of the wild ox".
The little fledgling,
exceedingly wise, said these words to the eagle, his father:
" Do not go down,
father, no doubt the serpent is lurking inside the wild ox".
The eagle said to
himself,
"Are the birds afraid?
How is it they eat the meat in peace?"
He did not listen
to them, he did not listen to his sonsī words,
He descended and
perched on the wild ox.
The eagle looked
at the meat, searching in front and behind it.
A second tme he looked
at the meat, searching in front and behind it,
He walked around
outside, he worked his way into the covering of the intestines,
When he came inside,
the serpent seized him by his wings,
" You intruded...
you intruded...!
The eagle made ready
to speak, saying to the serpent:
" Have mercy on me!
I will make you such a gift as a kingīs ransom!"
The serpent made
ready to speak, saying to the eagle:
" If I release you,
how shall I answer to Shamash o high?
" Your punishment
would turn upon me,
" Me, the one to
lay punishment upon you!"
He cut off his wings,
pinions and tail feathers,
He plucked him and
cast him into a pit.
That he should die
there of hunger and thirst.
As for him, the eagle,.....[
]
He kept on beseeching
Shamash day after day:
" Am I to die in
a pit?
" Who would know
how your punishment was imposed upon me?
" Save my life, the
eagle!
Let me cause your
name to be heard for all time".
Shamash made ready
to speak and said to the eagle:
" You are wicked
and have done a revolting deed,
" You committed an
abomination of the gods, a forbidden act.
"Were you not under
oath? I will not come near you,
"There, there! A
man I will send you will help you"
Etana kept on bseeching
Shamash day after day.
"O Shamash, you have
dined from my fattest sheep!
"O Netherworld, you
have drunk of the blood of my sacrificed lambs!
" I have honored
the gods and revered the spirits,
" Dream intepreters
have used up my incense,
" Gods have used
up my lambs in slaughter.
" O Lord, give the
command!
" Grant me the plant
of birth!
" Reveal to me the
plant of birth!
" Relieve me of my
burden, grant me an heir!"
Shamash made ready
to speak and said to Etana:
" Find a pit, look
inside,
" An eagle is cast
within it.
" He will reveal
to you the plant of birth".
Etana went his way.
He found the pit,
he looked inside
The eagle was cast
within it
There he was for
him to bring up!
TABLET
III
The eagle looked
at him....
He said [ ] to Etana,
"You are Etana, king
of the wild beasts,
You are Etana, [
] among (?) birds.
Bring me up from
this pit
Give me [ ] your
hand,
"..... [ ],
I will sing your
praises for all time".
Etana said to the
eagle these words:
"If I save your life,
[ ]
If I bring you up
from the pit,
From that moment
we must be .........."
"[ ] to me [ ]
"From sunrise till
[ ]
"..... [ ]
"I will grant you
the plant of life".
When Etana heard
this,
He filled the front
of the pit with [ ]
Next he threw in....
[ ]
He kept throwing
in [ ] in front of him,
The eagle.... from
the pit
As for him, he flapped
his wings,
A first time and
a second time... the eagle in the pit,
As for him, he flapped
his wings .....
A third time and
a fourth time... [the eagle ... in? The pit
As for him, he flapped
his wings
A fifth and a sixth
time....
(fragmentary
lines, then gap)
(from another
version)
He took him by the hand in his seventh month in the pit,
In the eighth
month he brought him over the edge of his pit,
The eagle took food like a ravening lion,
He gained strength.
The eagle made ready to speak and said to Etana,
"My friend! Let us be friends, you and I!
Ask of me whatever you desire and I shall give it to you ".
Etana made ready to speak and said to the eagle:
"My eyes..... open up what is hidden.
(gap)
Etana and the eagle become
friends. Etana has dreams, which he relates to the eage.
[ ] above
[ ] at my feet
The eagle made Etana
understand the dream,
[ ] seated before
him,
" [ ] your dream
is propitious,
" [ ] burden is brought,
" They will give
[ ]
" You have done [
] of the people
" You will seize...
in your hand,
" The sacred bond
[ ] above
" [ ] at your feet."
Etana said to him,
to the eagle.
" My friend, I saw
a second dream,
" [ ] reeds [ ] in
the house,
In all [ ], the whole
land,
" They heaped up
loads of them in piles,
" [ ] enemies, they
were wicked serpents,
" [ ] were coming
before me,
" [ ] they were kneeling
before me".
The eagle made Etana
understand the dream
[ ] seated bore him
"[ ] your dream is
propitious"
(gap)
TABLET
IV
The eagle made ready
to speak, saying to Etana:
"My friend... that
god....
"We passed through
the gates of Anu, Enlil and Ea,
We passed through
the geates of Sin, Shamash, Adad and Ishtar,
We did obeisance
together, you and I,
I saw a house with
windows, it had no seal
I.... and went inside.
A remarkable young
woman was seated therein,
She was imposing...
beautiful of feature.
A throne was set
out, the ground was trodden down,
Under the throne
[ ] lions were crouching,
As I went in, the
lions sprang at me.
I awoke with and
start and shuddered [ ]".
The eagle siad to
him, to Etana:
" My friend, the
[ ] are obvious,
Come, let me take
you up to heaven,
Put your chest against
my chest,
Put your hands against
my wing feathers,
Put your arms against
my sides".
He put his chest
against his chest,
He put his hands
against his wing feathers,
He put his arms against
his sides,
Great indeed was
the burden upon him.
When he bore him
aloft one league,
The eagle said to
him, to Etana:
"Look, my friend,
how the land is now
Examine the sea,
look for its boundaries
The land is hills...
The sea has become
a stream".
When he had borne
him aloft a second league,
The eagle said to
him, said to Etana,
"Look, my friend,
how the land is now!
The land is a hill".
When he had borne
him aloft a third league,
The eagle said to
him, said to Etana,
"Look, my friend,
how the land is now!"
"The sea has become
a garedenerīs ditch".
After they had ascended
to the heaven of Anu,
They passed through
the gates of Anu, Enlil and Ea,
The eagle and Etana
did obeisance together,
At the gate of Sin
The eagle and Etana
did obeisance together
(gap, fragmentary
lines)
(another version
of this episode)
"Through the power
of Ishtar [ ]
"Put your arms against
my sides,
Put your hands against
my wing feathers".
He put his arms against
his sides,
He put his hands
against his wing feathers.
When he had borne
him aloft one league,
"Look, my friend,
how the land is now!"
"The landīs circumference
is become one fifth of its size.
"The vast sea is
become like a paddock".
When he had borne
him aloft a second league,
"Look, my friend,
how the land is now!"
"The land has become
a garden plot [ ],
"And the vast sea
has become a trough".
When he had borne
him aloft a third league,
"Look, my friend,
how the land is now!"
"I looked but could
not see the land!
"Nor were my eyes
enough to find the vast sea!
"My friend, I wonīt
go up to heaven
"Set me down, let
me go off to my city".
One league he dropped
him down (?)
Then the eagle plunged
and caught him in his wings.
A second league he
dropped him down (?)
Then the eagle plunged
and caught him in his wings,
A third league he
dropped him down (?)
Then the eagle plunged
and caught him in his wings,
Within three cubits
of earth [ he dropped him down],
The eagle plunged,
and caught him in his wings,
The eagle [ ] and....
while he, Etana [ ]
(Two fragmentary lines,
then breaks off. In historical terms, we know that Etana was succeeded by his
son, so in the end, he, Etana, obtained the gift he came to ask for Inanna/Ishtar)
Back
To The Top
Back
To Classic Ancient Texts
Back
To Myths