A depiction (Ѻ) of the destruction of mankind, namely of Sekhmet, per orders of Ra, killing the wicked humans, with the flames from her mouth, the flames being the metaphor of the destructive heat of the sun, in the sense of the "dry desert", in a period of too much sunlight and too little rain or water. |
“[Ra is] the god who created himself after he had risen in sovereignty over men, and gods, as well as over things, the One. And mankind was uttering words of complaint, saying:‘Behold now, his Majesty, life, strength, and health [to him]! hath become old, his bones are like silver, his limbs are like gold, and his hair is like unto real lapis-lazuli.’
Now his majesty heard the words which mankind spake [concerning him], and he said unto those who were following him:‘Cry out, and bring ye unto me mine Eye, and Shu, and Tefnut, and Seb (Geb), and Nut, and the fathers and the mothers who were with me when I was in Nu (Nun), together with my god Nu. Let him bring his ministers with him, and let them be brought silently, so that mankind may not perceive it and take to flight with their hearts. Come thou with them to the Great House, and let them declare their plans, for I will go forth from Nu unto the place wherein I performed creations, and let those [gods] be brought unto me there.’
Now the gods were on both sides of Ra, and they bowed down even to the ground in presence of his Majesty, and he spake his words in the presence of the father of the firstborn gods, the maker of men, and the king of those who have knowledge. And they spake before his Majesty, [saying]:‘Speak unto us, for we are listening’;
and Ra spake unto Nu (Nun), saying:‘O thou firstborn god, from whom I came into being, O ye gods [my] ancestors, behold ye what mankind is doing, they who were created by mine Eye are uttering murmurs against me. Give me your attention, and seek ye out a plan for me, and I will not slay them until ye shall say [what I am to do] concerning: it.’
Then the Majesty of the god Nu (Nun), the son of Ra, spake [saying], Thou art the god who art greater than he that made thee, and who art the sovereign of those who were created by him, thy throne is set, and the fear of thee is great; let then thine Eye be upon those who have uttered blasphemies against thee.’ And the Majesty of Rā spake [saying]:‘Behold ye how they have taken flight into the mountain [Mount Ararat]!Their hearts are afraid because of what they have said.’ Then the gods spake before his Majesty, saying:
The Egyptian version of the destruction of mankind states that the "eye of Ra" descended in the "form of Hathor", a cow, and slaughtered all the wicked humans, and that, after which, to stop her killing, he made 7,000 vessels of red beer to "flood the regions", which Hathor or Sekhet drank, became happy, and stopped the killing, or something to this effect. ‘Make thine Eye to go forth, and let it destroy for thee those who utter evil words of blasphemy against thee. There is not an eye upon all this earth which can resist thine when it descendeth in the form of Hathor.’
And the goddess [Hathor] went forth and slew the people on the mountain, and the Majesty of this god spake, [saying]:‘Come, come in peace, Hathor, the work is accomplished.’
And the goddess said:‘Thou livest for me. When I had gained the mastery over men it was well pleasing to my heart.’
And the Majesty of Ra spake, [saying]:‘I will gain the mastery over them as king, and [I] will destroy them’;
and it came to pass that Sekhmet waded about in the night season in their blood, beginning at Suten-ḥenen (Herakleopolis Magna). Then the Majesty of Ra spake, [saying]:‘Cry out and fetch me swift and speedy messengers who can run like the wind’;
and straightway one brought these messengers. And the Majesty of this god spake, [saying]:‘Let them go to Abu (Elephantine), and bring me mandrakes in great number’ ;
and one brought to him these mandrakes, and the Majesty of this god gave them to Sekhet who [dwelleth] in Annu (Heliopolis) to crush. And behold, when the women were crushing the barley to [make] beer, he placed these mandrakes in the vessels which were to hold the beer, and some of the blood of the men [who had been slain]. Now they made seven thousand vessels of beer. Now when the king of the South and North, Ra, had come with the gods to look at the beer, and the daylight appeared after the goddess had slaughtered mankind in their season as she sailed up the river, the Majesty of Ra said:‘It is doubly good, but I must protect mankind against her.’
And Ra spake, [saying]:‘Let them take up the vases and carry them to the place where men and women are being slaughtered.’
Then the Majesty of the king of the South and North, Ra, commanded them to pour out from the vessels during the [time of the] beauty of the night the beer which made [men] wish to lie down, and the regions of the four heavens were filled therewith even according to the Will of the Majesty of this god. Now when the goddess Sekhmet came in the morning and found the regions flooded, her face beamed with joy, and she drank of the beer and blood, and her heart was glad, and she became drunk, and she took no further heed of mankind. And the Majesty of Ra spake unto this goddess, [saying]:‘Come, come in peace, O fair and gracious goddess;’
[and henceforth] there were young and beautiful women in the city of Amen. Then the Majesty of Ra said unto this goddess:‘There shall be prepared for thee vases of drink which shall make thee wish to sleep at every festival of the New Year, and the number thereof shall be in proportion to the number of my handmaidens;’
and from that day until this present men have been wont to make on the occasions of the festival of Hathor vases of beer which will make them sleep, in number according to the number of the handmaidens of Ra. And the Majesty of Ra spake unto this goddess, [saying]:‘Behold, the pain of the burning heat of sickness hath come upon me; whence cometh [this] pain?’
Then the Majesty of Ra said:‘I am alone, but my heart hath become exceedingly weary of being with them (i.e., with men); I have slain [some of] them, but there is a remnant of worthless ones, and the destruction which I wrought among them was not commensurate with my power.’
And the gods who were in his train said [unto him], Tarry not in thy weariness, for thy might is in proportion to thine own will.’ Then the Majesty of this god said unto the Majesty of Nu (Nun):‘For the first time my limbs have lost their power, and I will never permit this thing to happen a second time.’”
When Ra had described his weariness to Nu, this god commanded Shu to perform the work of Rā and to take the place of his Eye, and directed the sky goddess Nut to help Rā. Nut asked Nu how this was to be done, and he told her to take Rā upon her back ; thereupon Nut took the form of a cow, and Rā seated himself upon her back. In due course mankind saw Rā on the back of Nut, and they were filled with remorse at their former behaviour towards him, and they wished to see slain his enemies who had blasphemed him, but his Majesty did not tarry, and he went on into the temple.
On the following day as soon as the morning had come, men went forth armed with bows and spears in order to do battle with the enemies of Rā, and as soon as the god saw this he said to them:“Your sins are forgiven you, for the sacrificial slaughters which ye have made have done away with the murders [which mine enemies have committed].”
Then Ra raised himself from the back of the goddess Nut into the sky, where he made for himself a kingdom in which all people were to be assembled.
Column 1
1. [……………..] [……………]
My human-kind on its destruction I will (let us)
My, Nintu's, creations I will (let us)
5. The people in their settlements I will (let us)
Cities …… he may build, their shade (protection) I will (let us) ……..
The brick of our houses may he cast in a clean spot,
Our …….. places may he establish in a clean spot.
10. …………….. of the temennu she made straight for it,
The sublime commandments and precepts she made perfect for it,
After An [Nun], Enlil, Enki and Nin-harsagga
Had created the blackheaded,
The ………. of the ground the ground
15. The animals, the four legged [Hathor], of the field artfully they called into existence.
COLUMN 2
5. [………..] […………..] I will (let us) …. upon him
[……..] I will (let us) look upon him.
After the maker of the …. of the land, the establisher of the foundations of the ….
Had created the …. of royalty,
10. Created the sublime …. the …. of royalty,
The sublime commandments and precepts he made perfect for it.
In clean places, five cities he founded,
(And) after their names he had called, (and) they had been allotted to kabdu(ga)s
The …. of these cities, Eridu, the leader of Nudimmut he gave,
15. Secondly, to …. Bad-Nagar+dis he gave
Thirdly, Larak to Pabilbarsag he gave,
Fourthly, Sippar to the hero Samas he gave,
Fifthly, Suruppak to … he gave—;
20. After the names of these cities he had called, (and) to kabdu(ga)s they had been allotted.
The … he …, … he … , …. small rivers and suluhs … he established ...
COLUMN 3
[….]
The ... place …
The people …
A rainstorm [flood] …
Their … they made,
15. At that time Nintu (Ninti) [Hathor] (Ѻ) screamed like a woman in travail
The holy Ishtar [Isis] wailed on account of her people.
Enki in his own heart held counsel.
Anu, Enlil, Enki and Nin-harsagga …
The gods of Heaven [Nut] and Earth [Geb] invoked the name of Anu [Nun] (and) Enlil.
20. At that time Ziugiddu was king, the pasisu of …
A huge … he made, …
In humility prostrating himself, in reverence …
Daily and perseveringly standing in attendance …
…ing by dreams which had not been (before), …
25. Conjuring by the name of Heaven [Nut] and Earth [Geb]
COLUMN 4
For …, …. the gods a wall …
Ziugiddu standing at its (?) side heard …
At the wall at my left side stand and ....
At the wall I will speak a word to thee
5. Oh my holy one, thy ear open to me
By our hand (?) a rainstorm … will be sent;
To destroy the seed of mankind, to …
Is the decision, the saying of the assembly of the gods, to …
10. The commands of Anu [Nun] (and) Enlil …
It’s (their) kingdom, its (their) rule …
To him …
COLUMN 5
All the windstorms which possess immense power, they all (and) together came,
The rainstorm … raged with them.
When for seven days, for seven nights
The rainstorm in the land had raged,
5. The huge boat on the great waters by the windstorms had been carried away,
Samas came forth (again), shedding light over Heaven [Nut] and Earth [Geb].
Ziugiddu opened a … of the huge boat,
The light of the hero Samas he lets (thou lettest) enter into the interior (?) of the huge boat.
Ziugiddu, the king,
10. Before Samas he prostrates himself,
The king, an ox he sacrifices, a sheep he slaughters.
While … great born?
he … for him …
15. … he filled … two …
After …
COLUMN 6
By the soul of Heaven, by the soul of the earth, ye shall conjure him,
that he may ... .... with you.
Anu [Nun] (and) Enlil by the soul of Heaven and by the soul of the earth ye shall conjure, and he will … with you.
5. The … of the ground (with the earth), rising it rises.
Ziugiddu, the king,
Before Anu (and) Enlil he prostrates himself.
Life like (that of) a god he gives (I give ?) to him,
An eternal soul like (that of) a god he creates for him.
10. At that time Ziugiddu, the king,
The name of the … "Preserver of the seed of mankind".... On a … mountain, the mountain of Dilmun … they caused him to dwell
After … they had caused him to dwell.
“Noah [Nun] was a righteous man and walked with god. Seeing that the earth was corrupt and filled with violence, god instructed Noah to build an ark in which he, his sons, and their wives, together with male and female of all living creatures, would be saved from the waters. Noah entered the ark in his six hundredth year, and on the 17th day of the 2nd month of that year "the fountains of the Great Deep burst apart and the floodgates of heaven broke open" and rain fell for forty days and forty nights until the highest mountains were covered 15 cubits, and all life perished except Noah and those with him in the ark. After 150 days "god remembered Noah ... and the waters subsided" until the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. On the 27th day of the 2nd month of Noah's six hundred and first year the earth was dry. Then Noah built an altar and made a sacrifice, and god made a covenant with Noah that man would be allowed to eat every living thing but not its blood, and that god would never again destroy all life by a flood.”