OF THE BABYLONIAN CREATION AND FLOOD STORIES. 305 



had attained life in the assembly of the gods. In reply, 

 Ut-napisti m relates to him v the story of the Flood. 



It was in the city of Surippak, an old foundation, that the 

 gods decided to bring about this catastrophe. The gods in 

 question were Ann, Ellila, Ninip, and En-nu-gi. Xin-igi-azaga, 

 " the l»right-eyed lord," came to know of it, and communicated 

 [he gods' decision to the earth and to the Babylonian Noah 

 himself. The "lord of the bright Eye," who is none other than 

 the god Ea, tells him to build a ship, and convey therein all the 

 seed of life. In a,nswer to enquiries, he was to say that he 

 quitted the country because the god Ellila hated him, and he 

 could not dwell in that land — he was going down to the Abyss 

 to take up his abode with Ea or Aa, his lord. 



The ship having been built and provisioned, Ut-napisti" 1 took 

 into it all he possessed, with the seed of life, his family, and his 

 relations. To these were added the beasts of the field, and 

 apparently the artificers who had helped him to build the ship. 

 After the sun-god had fixed the time, the navigation of the ship 

 was given into the hands of Buzur-Amurri, the pilot. 



Then came the storm, with thunder and lightning, and great 

 darkness, so that people could not see each other. Hadad's 

 destruction, which reached to heaven, terrified even the gods. 

 The goddesses, however, were filled, seemingly, with pity, for 

 Istar spake " like a mother," or, as the variant says, ' : with loud 

 voice " ; and the " lady of the gods," the mother-goddess Mali, 

 called out, making her voice resound, probably in lamentation. 

 When she consented to the destruction of her people — such,, 

 apparently, is what is meant by the goddess having " spoken 

 evil " in the Assembly of the gods — she spoke of their 

 destruction in battle, not in the raging waters, which destroyed 

 all alike, and where, comparable with fishes, they filled the sea. 

 For six days the storm raged, and on the seventh it ceased: 

 the raging flood quieted down, and the sea shrank back. 

 Opening his window, the light fell upon Ut-napisti m 's face, and 

 he sank back dazzled, as it were, and sitting down, he wept, 

 apparently at the destruction which had been wrought. The 

 ship had been stopped by the mountain of Nisir, and there it 

 remained for seven days. On that day he sent forth a dove, 

 which, rinding no resting-place, returned. A swallow was next 

 sent out, with the same result. The third and last attempt to 

 find out the state of the earth was made by sending forth a 

 raven, and this bird, seeing the rushing of the waters, which 

 left the land dry, ate, wading, and croaking joyfully at the 

 contemplation of such a feast and the many others which 



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