Enki and Nammu

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Enki and Nammu (also Enki and Ninmach ) is one of the Sumerian epics and was written around 2000 BC. It includes, among other things, the creation of mankind. In terms of time, Enki and Nammu can be assigned to the story Inanna and the Ḫuluppu tree .

The discontent of the gods

At the time when the gods of heaven were born and the mother goddesses were divided between heaven and earth, there was no one to do the gods' work. The gods were mainly concerned with producing offspring with the mother goddesses. However, the work increased more and more. So it came about that all gods were divided into different areas. The classes of gods were formed: goddesses giving birth, gods serving and gods supervising.

The Anunnaki drove the Igigi , who had to transport the heavy carrying basket, on and on. Nobody had time to prepare the food for all gods. It was the time when the canals of the earth were dug.

But Enki , the creator of all gods, lay asleep in the Abzu ; a place from which the water of life flows and which no other god knows. Enki did not hear the moaning of all the gods, but went on sleeping unimpressed. So the gods commissioned his mother, Nammu , to bring the report of discontent to him. Angry, Nammu, mother of all gods, went to Enki. She woke him up and said:

"My son, you lie down and sleep. Don't you hear the cries of misery from the gods? Gods that I created with my own hands can no longer find food. Find substitutes for the gods who eke out their existence with carrying baskets. You have the abundance of Wisdom and you know all art. "

The origin of mankind

Enki immediately obeyed his mother's orders. He walked restlessly in his sacred rooms, nothing could occur to him. Then he hit his thighs out of anger, from which a piece of clay loosened as a result of the violent blow. He immediately reacted cautiously and formed an incomplete figure from it. It was followed by arms, legs and the head. In the end, Enki lets his wisdom penetrate the clay figure. Enki joyfully delivered the news to his mother:

"Mother, I have formed the creatures for work, now you will do their labor after you have mixed the inside of the clay over the Apzu . May Ninmaḫ be your helper and may (the Šassuratu ) Ninimma , Šuzianna , Ninmada , Ninšara , Ninbara , Ninmug , Dududuḫ and Erešguna ... Connect support you by giving birth to their service with them the image of the gods but you versieh the terms with life Oh, my mother, determine their destiny; after you have determined their fate, may Ninmaḫ lead them to labor. "

The competition with Ninmaḫ

After man was created to serve the gods, the gods held a lavish festival to honor Enki. Ninmaḫ , the midwife who helped give birth to humans through Nammu , boasted that she could make people as well as Enki.

Enki asks them to give it a try, stating that he can correct any of their mistakes. Ninmaḫ then gives birth to a person with trembling hands, a blind person, a person with club feet, a feeble-minded person, an incontinent person, a woman who could not give birth and a person who was neither a real man nor a real woman.

However, Enki did not undo her ailments, but gave everyone something to eat and drink and a special place in society.

As a result, Enki created a being by impregnating another goddess. It was the being Ummu'ul . It was misshapen and hairy, it couldn't think, see, or hear. The ribs were twisted, the organs sick, the heart sick, his hands and legs lame, and his spine crooked. Ninmaḫ didn't know what to do with this being. She tried to give him food, but it could not eat, she tried to give him drink, but it could not drink, she made a bed for the creature, but the creature could neither stand, sit nor lie down. Ninmaḫ had to admit that she did not know what to do with Ummu'ul and gave up in the competition.

See also

Sumerian religion

literature

  • Walter Beyerlein: Textbook of the history of religion on the Old Testament - in collaboration with Hellmut Brunner - , Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht 2nd edition, Göttingen 1985, ISBN 3-525-51659-2
  • Manuel Ceccarelli: Enki and Ninmaḫ. A mythical tale in Sumerian . (Oriental religions in antiquity 16). Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2016.
  • Otto Kaiser (Hrsg.): Texts from the environment of the Old Testament. 18 deliveries in three volumes. Gütersloh publishing house Gerd Mohn, Gütersloh 1982–1997. ISBN 3-579-00060-8 to ISBN 3-579-00075-6 .
    Available as PDF files on CD-ROM since 2006: ISBN 3-579-00085-3 .
  • Dr Gwendolyn Leick: A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology , London and New York 1991, ISBN 978-0415007627

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