140 THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S., ON THE 



the artificers — all were sent up into the ship. Samas, the sun- 

 god, then appointed a time, and the " bringer of gloom " caused 

 a heavy downpour to rain down. Fearing to look at the storm 

 which had now burst upon mankind, Ut-napistim entered into 

 the midst of the ship and shut the door. The " great house," 

 as he calls the ark, was then given, with its " goods " — meaning, 

 apparently, all its contents, animate and inanimate — into the 

 charge of a pilot or sailor called Buzur-Kurgal. 



When the morning dawned, a dark cloud arose from the 

 horizon, in which Kimmon (Adad) thundered, and in front of 

 which the gods Nebo and Sarru w^ent. That the ark had moved 

 from its first position is indicated by the words which follow, 

 which state that " the throne-bearers " went over mountain and 

 plain — probably the alluvial plain of Babylonia which they 

 were quitting, and the mountains of the northern tract which 

 they were nearing. Here follow several fanciful statements 

 about the gods, which we shall probably understand better when 

 we know their attributes more fully — Ura-gala (N'ergal, god of 

 death) dragged at the cables, ISTinip or Nirig, god of war, cast down 

 destruction, the Annunnaki raised their torches, illuminating 

 the earth with their brightness, whilst Eimmon's destruction 

 reached even to heaven, and everything bright turned to 

 darkness, in the midst of which the storm sought the destruc- 

 tion of the people. Brother saw not brother, and the people 

 were not to be recognised in the cataclysm which had fallen 

 upon them. Even the gods feared and fled, mounting up to 

 the heaven of Anu, the god of the heavens. There the gods, 

 kennelled like dogs, crouched down in the enclosures. Then 

 spoke Istar, the counterpart and representative of Merodach's 

 spouse Zer-panitum, the "seed-creatress," making her voice 

 resound : " All that generation has turned to corruption. 

 Because I spoke evil in the assembly of the gods, when I 

 spoke evil in the assembly of the gods, I spoke of battle for 

 the destruction of my people. Verily I have begotten man, 

 but where is he ? Like the sons of the fishes, he fills the sea." 

 The explanation of this strange speech in which the goddess 

 expresses her discontent probably is, that as she was goddess 

 of war as well as of love, a glorious death for her people on the 

 battlefield would have satisfied her more. The Annunnaki, or 

 gods of the heavens, shared I star's grief, and crouched down in 

 lamentation, covering their lips. The next section is best 

 reproduced in the Patriarch's own words : — 



"For six days and nights the wind blew, and the storm and 

 flood overwhelmed the land. The seventh day, when it came, the 



