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1328_BIOR_2008/3-4_02_Tekst 30-09-2008 14:42 Pagina 309 319 ENKI AND NINHURSAGA, PART TWO: THE STORY OF ENKI AND NINHURSAGA 320 ENKI AND NINÎURSAGA, PART TWO: THE STORY OF ENKI AND NINÎURSAGA1) Dina KATZ 3.0 The first part of this study, “The story of Dilmun” (BiOr 49, 5-6 (2007):539-589) drew the attention to texts that incorporate two self-sufficient stories. There I proposed that the meaning and objective of the seemingly one narra- tive is hidden in the relation of these stories to one another. The first of the two stories that make ENH was treated in Part I. Its aim to credit Enki for the creation of sweet water sources in Dilmun, gains a deeper meaning against the back- ground of the second story. It seems that Enki’s major divine manifestation as sweet water is also the ultimate objective of the second story and it complements the message of the first story. 3.1 The second story: Enki and NinÌursaga The second story is more complicated than the first; it holds more participants and more dramatic episodes. Each of these episodes is worthy of an individual tale.2) In addition, Enki is not the sole great god, next to him acts a goddess of equal rank: NinÌursaga. A detailed analysis shows that the intricate plot develops along their personal relationship, but thereby it also reflects social values relating to the family and marriage institute. The story takes place in the marshes of southern Sumer and can be summarised as follows: Enki, still unmarried, tries to seduce Nintud (NinÌursaga), and after she refuses him he marries her. She becomes pregnant and within nine days gives a smooth birth to Ninnisig. Then, in a chain of inces- tuous relations with his daughters the following goddesses are born: Ninnisig > Ninkura > Uttu (var: Ninkura > Ninima > Uttu). When Uttu’s turn comes NinÌursaga advises her first. The following events imply that Uttu tried to deceive Enki. She made a promise, surely false, to marry him under given conditions. Enki is not deceived, he complied but returned disguised as a gardener. Not knowing who he really 1) Citations follow the standard list of abbreviations (on-line): http://cdli.ucla.edu/Tools/abbrev.html, and the Bibliographical Abbrevi- ations in Part One: BiOr 49(2007):589. For the editions of literary text the reader is referred to the on-line Oxford Electronic Corpus of Sumer- ian Literature, ETCSL: http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk. Only passages of par- ticular importance or different reading were quoted here. For the full text see ETCSL 1.1.1. Grant Frame collated some difficult passages of the Nippur copy in Philadelphia and Jeremie Peterson made some photos, I am grateful to both. 2) It is not impossible that a couple of these episodes originated elsewhere. E.g. the episode of the fox was probably based on a fable. TCL 16, 62, an excerpt with a slightly different version of the incest scene could represent an independent tale about Uttu and Enki that did not survive. 1328_BIOR_2008/3-4_02_Tekst 30-09-2008 14:42 Pagina 310 321 BIBLIOTHECA ORIENTALIS LXV N° 3-4, mei-augustus 2008 322 was Uttu marries Enki.3) When Uttu becomes pregnant Nin- “By the life of heaven I adjure you. Ìursaga reacts swiftly, she aborts Enki’s semen, throws it to Lying8) down in the marsh, lying down in the marsh, that is joyous.” the ground and grows eight sorts of new plants from it. Enki 9 spots the unknown plants, eats them and decides their fate. Enki, his mouth uttered “Oh Damgalnuna” ) Consequently, NinÌursaga curses him with a life threatening A thematic unity defines ll. 63-71 as a literary unit. Line curse and Enki dies. Enlil, in panic, asks the services of the 72 links this episode with the next and can belong with each cunning fox to convince NinÌursaga to undo her curse and of the two.10) The formal parallel to the first scene in the first save Enki’s life. NinÌursaga returns, undo the curse, places story (ll. 5-6), setting off with dili-ni and ending with the verb Enki in her womb and gives birth to eight deities, one for nú, suggests that ll. 63-71 make a complete episode. This each plant. Their fate is decides and harmony is restored. time, however, the account is more detailed and functional The plot develops in a linear sequence but three of its and the scene is not an isolated instance; the relations of Enki episodes are particularly distinct literary units: the incestu- and “his wife” are the axis of the plot. dili-ni (l. 63) defines ous relations of Enki and his daughters (ll. 88-187),4) the list Enki’s status as a single and initiates a gradually developing of plants that grow from Enki’s semen (ll. 190-197), and the scene, in which he fails to seduce Nintud and ends up mar- birth of the deities in the order of Enki’s body parts (ll. 254- rying her. (l. 71). Later, in a series of episodes, Enki would 271). The rest of the literary units are dependent on those. follow his sexual appetite and come into escalating conflicts The list of plants and body parts are close to lexical lists, and with NinÌursaga. Thus this episode lays the foundations of the source for the minor deities was probably god list.5) the plot and sets the tone of the second story. The linkage of Enki and NinÌursaga seems like an ideo- 3.1.1 Lines 63-71-72: Overture logical background to a bond of the marshes area with the 6 d mountain ranges or, perhaps, the underground water sources 63. dili-niTAR gestúg-ge ) tuku-a nin-tud ama kalam-ma-sè d d 64. En-ki-ke4 gestúg-ge tuku-a nin-tud <ama kalam-ma-sè> with the rivers that stream down the hills. Be that as it may, 65. gìs-a-ni ég-a ba-an-si-in-dun-e in the mythological reality Enki and NinÌursaga were not gi 66. gìs-a-ni a-gir5-gir5-e ba-an-si-gir5-gir5-e married to one another. Each was the chief deity of a city, 67. gìs-a-ni bar-sè maÌ-Ìe sa-ba-ra-an-zi-zi Enki of Eridu was married to Damgalnuna and the husband 68. gù bí-in-dé ambar-ra lú nu-mu-un-dab-bé of NinÌursaga of Kes was Sulpae. Therefore, this supposed d 69. en-ki-ke4 gù bí-in-dé marriage indicates that the objective of the narrative demands 70. zi an-na ì-pàd that against Enki would act a goddess of NinÌursaga’s mag- 71. nú-a ambar-ra nú-a ambar-ra giri17-zal d d nitude. Only NinÌursaga matches Enki in rank, power and 72. en-ki-ke4 a dam-gal-nun-na ka-ni mi-ni-in-dug4 Alone, the wise one, for Nintud - the mother of the land, authority. Their coming conflicts are best explained as mar- Enki, the wise one, for Nintud < the mother of the land>, ital problems and, therefore, she should appear as his wife. was digging his phallus in the dyke, The deviation from the mythological tradition was masked sliding his phallus into the reed. by the single reference to ddam-gal-nun-na, Enki’s real The great one (Nintud) pulled his phallus aside,7) wife.11) The meaning of her name “the great wife of the saying: “No one will take me in the marsh.” prince” makes believe that the vow indeed signifies marriage. (So) Enki called: Therefore, her mention must have been a conscious decision. In a wider perspective, a history of conflicts between them, in which NinÌursaga gives in to Enki, marks an intention to 3) Vanstiphout 1987 investigates a literary model that describes a promote his status in the Babylonian pantheon and his cult. process of courting towards marriage. I think that this model applies here, with adaptations, but I differ on the interpretation of the episode. 3.1.2 Lines 73-87: Consummation of the marriage 4) The excerpt TCL 16, 62 includes only the episode with Ninima (born to Ninkura) and Uttu and is the only source for the intercourse of Uttu and Whether Enki sighed of heart full love or frustration, the Enki. The Nippur version is slightly different in order and refrain which suggests that the source of the excerpt was not the Nippur version. A new single reference to Damgalnuna signifies a marriage bond. copy of TCL 16, 62: J.-M. Durand, RA 71, p. 171. This was actualized by a sexual intercourse. 5) The cult of most of these deities ceased after the Ur III period. As for the plants, some of them are attested only here or only from the OB period. 6 8 ) The suffix -e (also in en-ki-ke4) marks the ergative, connected with ) Attinger and Jacobsen translated imperative. I prefer the participle for the verb dun “to dig” in line 65. That is to say: “The wise one was dig- two reasons: first, the imperative implies a rape which is not the case, ging etc.” because the reference to Enki’s true wife, Damgalnuna in l. 72 is a delib- 7) Who is maÌ-e, “the great one”, Enki or Nintud? According to erate indication of marriage, although the female protagonist is NinÌursaga. Attinger, who reconstructed l. 69 as a repetition of l. 68, it is Enki, who Secondly, since the participle is neutral with regard to number, it also is, therefore, the only one who talks in l.