HOW ERRA WRECKED THE WORLD
E = Erra M =
Marduk
Tablet I (Foster pp. 133-142:
10 pages)
Erra, Ishun & the Seven (pp. 133-8)
4-20 Erra's desire to lay waste the land.
29-45 Anu begets the Seven, tells E they should be his weaponry when
human clamor makes him massacre mankind.
48-92 The Seven give various reasons for going on warpath:
80 The land outgrows us: man's clamor makes
gods sleepless.
84 Beasts overrun the meadows.
89 Our eapons are rusting from disuse.
101-4 Ishun to E: You have plotted against the gods,
to lay waste the lands and
decimate the people.
121 E: Humans are contemptuous of Marduk! I will make M angry and lay waste the peoples!
Erra
and Marduk (pp. 138-142)
133-149 M to E: Long ago I grew angry, left my dwelling, and caused the
deluge: cosmic consequences.
171-89 M to E: Who will keep demons at bay if I rise from my
dwelling? Waters, darkness, whirlwind,
gods of hell.
180-192 E promises to keep order.
Tablet II (pp. 142-148: 7
pages)
Marduk leaves dwelling, Ea speaks (pp. 142-4)
1
M leaves dwelling, enters house of Anunna gods:
sun & moon go dark, wings,
darkness, human clamor stilled.
24 Ea to gods: Erra angry;
why deluge?; plot to lay waste land
and destroy the peoples.
Marduk
and Erra (pp. 145-8)
60 M returns, tells gods to go back to their dwelling; accuses E.
87 M: star of E is shining bright... warfare... the people will
perish.
115 E furious: his self-praise.
Tablet III (pp. 148-152: 5
pages)
Ishun (pp. 149-51)
62 Why have you plotted evil against god & man?
Erra (pp. 151-2)
76 The bond of god & man is undone: fire & glare.
Ishun
(p. 152)
93 E, when you strike, mountains, sea, flash
98 You hold the leadrope of heaven
110 But you say "They hold me in contempt!"
Tablet IV (pp. 153-160: 8
pages)
Ishun's protest (pp. 153-9)
2-44 You have undone the bond of the world, made yourself into a
mortal and entered Babylon. Lament for
chaos in Babylon.
48-64 You destroyed Sippar.
Suteans descended upon Uruk.
Parsa.
65-105 Lament for Der.
106-129 You have killed indiscriminately! Shaken heaven and hell!
Erra: I destroys Suteans' homeland (pp. 159-60)
130-8 Let all kill each other, then Akkadians rule!
141 Ishun & the Seven destroy mountain homeland of Suteans.
Tablet V (pp. 160-163: 4 pages)
Erra and Ishun (pp. 160-1)
5-15 E to gods: I slew good and evil in a frenzy.
17-19 Ishun to E: now calm down and let us serve you.
Erra returns to Babylon (pp. 161-2)
25- E to Ishun: Let weak Akkadian fell mighty Sutean. Let land
be fertile again and provide for
Babylon.
Narrator's summation (pp. 162-3)
40-1 Summary: Erra laid waste,
Ishun calmed him.
45-61 Erra approves the poem he dictated.