Theos-Talk Archives (August 2004 Message tt00177)

Atrahasis and Human Creation

When the Gods did the work they grew weary and decided to create man. This concept appears in all legalism. 

This later Akkadian version of the flood story and the creation of humanity and fits between the Sumerian version and the Babylonian version in the Epic of Gilgamesh. This following outline is from "The Treasures of Darkness" by Thorkild Jacobsen, Yale University. Press, 1967). It begins: 

When ILU (that is ENLIL) was the boss they (the gods) were burdened with toil, lugged the work basket; the god's work basket . . . was big, so that the toil was heavy, great the straits.

ENLIL, having charge of the earth put the other gods to work digging the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Tired of their condition and at the instigation of one of the gods they burned their tools one night and surrounded ENLIL's house. ENLIL was alarmed and sent for AN and ENKI. After the striking gods told them that the work was killing them and that they would not continued ENLIL burst into tears and offered his resignation. ENKI then proposed a compromise. They would create man to bear the burden to that the gods would be free.

With the birth goddess, NINTUR, ENKI used the flesh and blood of the strike's ringleader (killed by the other gods) to fashion clay into 7 male and 7 female embryos in the "house of destiny". After 9 months humanity was born and put to work.

After 1,200 years the noise of the growing human population kept ENLIL awake nights. So ENLIL and the gods sent a plague which was ended when ENKI told the human Atrahasis to shift all offerings to the god of the plague, NAMTAR who became to abashed to harm the people further.

The story of Second Adam and Eve<http://www.piney.com/ApocAdEve2.html#Now> define how the second thousand years began. As with all traditions of instrumental music and choir to manipulate other people, Satan is always the source.

After another 1,200 years the noise was back so ENLIL and the gods sent a drought. ENKI advised Atrahasis to shift all offering to ADAD, the god causing the drought, and the drought stopped.

Soon the noise returned so the gods ceased to perform their duties so all of natures bounty disappeared. This was only ended when ENKI let large quantities of fish into the rivers (accidentally, he maintained).

ENLIL, by now enraged, bound his fellow gods by an oath to annihilate humanity by a flood. ENKI got around this oath and managed to warn Atrahasis by speaking not to him but to the reed hut in which he was lying. Atrahasis built a large boat explaining to the town elders that he was leaving because of the bad blood between his personal god, ENKI, and ENLIL in whose domain his town of Shuruppak lay. After having loaded the boat with all kinds of animals and his family the flood came.

The gods were horrified at the destruction of the flood which lasted 7 days and nights. In addition they became hungry as no offerings were made to sustain them. When Atrahasis left the ship he prepared a sacrifice around which the hungry gods gathered like flies.

Andrew Weishaupt Smith
Master Sergeant, USA/USAF (Ret.)
"Human kind
Cannot bear very much reality." --- T.S. Eliot
"In uisgebeatha est veritas."

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