Utu / Shamash Quotes From Texts

Utu / Shamash = Nannar & Ningal‘s Son

Inanna‘s twin, Ereshkigal‘s brother, spouse to Aya

 

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in bluemixed-breed demigods in teal)

(Huwawa = Enlil‘s creation)

As Utu:

       “He filled the E-kur, the house of Enlil, with possessions.

       Enlil was delighted with Enki and Nibru (Nippur) was glad.

       He demarcated borders and fixed boundaries.

       For the Anuna gods, Enki situated dwellings in cities and disposed agricultural land into fields.

       Enki placed in charge of the whole of heaven and earth the hero,

       the bull who comes out of the hacur forest bellowing truculently,

       the youth Utu, the bull standing triumphantly, audaciously, majestically,

       the father of the Great City, the great herald in the east of holy An,

       the judge who searches out verdicts for the gods, with a lapis-lazuli beard, rising from the horizon into the holy heavens –

       Utu, the son born by Ningal…”

 

       “give our daughter-to-be (Inanna) a brother, let him be a child of equal outer brightness.

       I’ll call him Utu,…”

 

       “Utu, I greet you! Let me be ill no longer!

       Hero, Ningal‘s son, I greet you!…”

 

       “Proud Utu is already on his way to the bosom of his mother Ningal (Nannar’s spouse)…”

 

       “Facing the sunrise, where the fates are decided, he erected the standard of Utu, the Bison head,…”

 

       “’Come, let us go to Utu (Shamash) of heaven, who as he lies there, as he lies there, sleeps a sound sleep,

       to the hero, the son of Ningal (Nannar / Sin’s spouse), who as he lies there sleeps a sound sleep.

       ‘He raised his hands towards Utu of the seventy doors (?).

       Utu …… table (?) …….’ …”

 

       “Inanna spoke to her brother the hero, youthful Utu:

       “My brother, I want to tell you something — pay attention to my speech.

       ……Utu, my twin, I want to tell you something — pay attention to my speech.”

 

       “’Utu should know about it from you.

       If you want to set off into the Mountains of Cedar-felling (Enlil‘s domain, Lebanon), Utu should know about it from you.

       A decision that concerns the mountains is Utu’s business (Commander of their launch pads).

       A decision that concerns the Mountains of Cedar-felling is the business of youthful Utu‘…”

 

       “At that time, the lord chosen by Inanna in her heart, chosen by Inanna in her holy heart from the bright mountain,

       Enmerkar, the (giant semi-divine “mighty-man” – grandson) son of Utu,

       made a plea to his sister, the lady who grants desires, holy Inanna:…”

 

       “Inanna, the lady of all the lands, called to Enmerkar the (semi-divine grandson) son of Utu:…”

 

       “Then the king, Enmerkar, the (grandson) son of Utu,..”

       “Before Utu/Shamash the Sun (Sun God) they dug a well…”

 

       “Huwawa wept, …….)

       He tugged at Gilgamec‘s hand.(4 mss. have instead: “Gilgamec, let me go!”)

       “I want to talk to Utu! “

     

       “Utu, I never knew a mother who bore me, nor a father who brought me up!

       I was born in the mountains — you brought me up!

       Yet Gilgamec swore to me by heaven, by earth, and by the mountains.” …”

 

As Shamash:

       “Great Samas (Shamash) once the way of me did ask,

       And I forbade him, but the mighty task

       He undertook, and crossed the mighty deep,

       Where Death’s dark waters lie in wait asleep:

       His mighty car of gold swept through the skies,

       With fiery chargers now he daily flies…”

 

       “She raised her hands to Shamash:…

       May Aya your bride fear you not and keep you mindful

       And may she also commend him

       To those who watch over the hours of the night!…”

 

       “‘Let us swear an oath by the netherworld‘.

       Before Shamash (Utu) 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!’…”

 

       Etana kept on beseeching 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 interpreters 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‘….”

 

Alla Quotes From Text

Alla = Utu, son to Nannar & Ningal

twin to Inanna, younger brother to Ereshkigal

 

       “stretching out a hand to Alla, master of the battle-net, being taken away on the barge,…”

 

       “Alla, master of the battle-net, let me sail away with you, {brother} {(1 ms. has instead:) my brother}, let me sail away with you…”

 

Ningublaga Quotes From Texts

Ningublaga = Utu, son of Nannar & Ningal

twin to Inanna, younger brother to Ereshkigal

 

Utu’s (House) – Temple Hymn

       “…Ningublaga, the son of Nanna (Nannar), has erected a house in your precinct,

       O Ki-abrig, and taken his seat upon your dais. the house of Ningublaga in Ki-abrig.”

 

       “Ningubalag took an unfamiliar path away from the Ja-bur.

       Niniagar (Utu’s daughter) wept bitter tears all alone.

       ‘Alas, the destroyed city, my destroyed house,’ she cried bitterly…”

 

       “Lord Ningublaga consecrates the hands on his lapis-lazuli quay,..”

 

Numucda / Numusda Quotes From Texts

Numucda / Numusda = Numushda / Utu, Nannar‘s son

Inanna‘s twin, God of Justice

 

As Numucda:

       “The god Numucda participated in the festival; his beloved daughter Adjar-kidug participated in the festival,

       his wife Namrat (Aya), the lovely woman participated in the festival…”

 

       “Warrior Numucda, powerful in strength, who perfectly controls the complex divine powers!

       God with the limbs of a bison, decorous to behold, like your father Suen (Nannar / Sin)…”

 

       “Kazallu, the city of teeming multitudes, was cast into confusion.

       Numucda took an unfamiliar path away from the city, his beloved dwelling.

       His wife Namrat (Aya), the beautiful lady, was lamenting bitterly.

       ‘Alas, the destroyed city, my destroyed house,’ she cried bitterly…”

 

As Numusda:

       “great lord Numušda, has erected a house in your precinct,

       O Kun-satu (Threshold of the mountain),

       O Kazallu, and taken his seat upon your dais.

       the house of Numušda in Kazallu…”