Maqlu

Tablet I

Incantation. I have called upon you, gods of night,
With you I have called upon night, the veiled bride,
I have called on twilight, midnight, and dawn,
Because a sorceress has bewitched me,
5. A cunning woman has accused me,
Caused my god and my goddess to be estranged from me;
aI am unable to rest day or night,
And a gag continually filling my mouth,
10. Has kept food far from my mouth,
Has lessened the water passing through my throat;
My praise has become lament, my rejoicing mourning:
Stand by me great gods, give heed to my suit,
Judge my case, grant me a decision.
15. I have formed a figure of my sorcerer and my sorceress,
Of my enchanter and my enchantress;
Have laid them in the fire for you to bring me a judgement;
Because she did evil against me, false charges she conjured up against me:
May she die, but I live!
20. Her bewitchments, her magic, her spells must be undone!
The tamarisk, tall at the crown, purifies me!
The date-palm, which catches all the wind, frees me!
The maštakal-plant, which fills the Earth, cleanses me!
The pine-cone, which is full of seeds, frees me!
25. In front of you I became light, as light as grass;
I am clean and pure, like nard.
The spell of the sorceress is hateful;
Let her word come back in her mouth, let her tongue be tied!
Let the gods of the night overcome her spell!
30. Let the three night-watches dissolve her evil spell!
Let her mouth be tallow, let her tongue be salt,
Which spoke the baneful magic formula, let it disintegrate like tallow!
The magic she has done, let it dissolve like salt!
Her knots are undone, her machinations are destroyed,
35. All her words fill the steppe,
Upon this command that the gods of the night have given! Incantation formula.
Incantation. O Netherworld, Netherworld, yes Netherworld!
Gilgameš is the master of your curses!
What sorcery you have performed, I know it;
40. What sorcery I have performed, you do not know it.
What sorcery my sorceresses practiced is confused, and nobody can undo it, it has no
unbinder! Incantation formula.
Incantation. My city Zabban! My city Zabban!
My city Zabban has two gates:
One to its east, the second to its west.
45. One to its sunrise, one to its sunset.
I am lifting toward you the bloom of maštakal-plant;
To the gods of the sky I bring water.
As I do cleanse you,
So cleanse me! Incantation formula.
50. Incantation. I have barred the river-crossing, I have barred the harbour,
I held back the magic spells of all countries;
Anu and Antu have sent me.
Whom should I send to Belit-seri?
In the mouth of my warlock and my witch stuff a gag!
55. Through the incantation of the sage of the gods, Marduk!
They should call you, but do not answer them;
They should address you, but do not listen to them.
Should I call you, answer me;
Should I address you, listen to me,
60. To the order that Anu, Antu and Belet-seri have given! Incantation formula.
Incantation. I am sent, I go; I am ordered, I speak;
Against my warlock and witch Asarluhi, the master of the art of incantations, has sent me.
Be aware of what is in the sky! Take notice what is on the Earth!
Be aware of what is in the river! Take notice of the word of what is on the land!
65. Wind that is the carrier of the stick and hammer, strike it!
The image of the stick is broken, strike it!
Let them stand on the way of the daughter of the great gods,
Until I speak the word of my warlock and my witch.
The lamb will free! The sheep will free!
70. Their word may be loosed, but my word will not be loosed.
The word that I speak, their word cannot impede it!
Upon the order of Asarluhi, the master of the art of incantations! Incantation formula.
Incantation. O Nusku, these images of my sorcerer,
These images of my sorceress;
75. These images of my warlock and my witch,
These images of my enchanter and my enchantress,
These images of my stupefier and my stupefyress,
These images of my bewitcher and my bewitchress,
These images of my lord opponent and my lady opponent,
80. These images of my lord enemy and my lady enemy,
These images of my lord persecutor and my lady persecutor,
These images of my lord accuser and my lady accuser,
These images of my lord slanderer and my lady slanderer,
These images of my lord detractor and my lady detractor,
85. These images of my lord nemesis and my lady nemesis,
These images of my lord evil-doer and my lady evil-doer,
Judge Nusku, you know them, I do not know them,
Their trick, magic, spell, evil plotting,
Sorcery, pressure, evil word, love, hate,
90. Fact-twisting, murder, paralysis of the mouth,
Change of heart, glowing of face, folly,
Everything that exists, everything they have drawn to them,
These are they; these are their images,
Because they cannot stand for themselves, I lift them toward you.
95. You, Nusku, judge, who catches the bad and the enemies, catch them before I am destroyed!
Those that made my images, have imitated my shape,
They attack my face, they tied my neck,
They hit my breast, they bent my back,v They made my arms weak, they robbed my virility,
100. They made the heart of god angry with me, they weakened my strength,
They shook the strength away from my arms, they bound my knees with paralysis,
They filled me with fainting,
They let me eat cursed food,
They let me drink cursed water,
105. They washed me with dirty water,
They smeared me with the juice of bad weeds,
They mocked me like a dead person,
They put my life-essence in the grave,
They made god, king, master and prince angry with me;
110. You, O Girra who burns the warlock and witch,
Who kills the bad offspring of warlock and witch,
Who destroys the bad people; that is you!
I have called on you, like Šamaš the judge,
Right me, make my decision!
115. Burn the warlock and witch,
Eat my enemies, consume the ones who wish me evil!
May they catch your tempest!
May they find their end like sewer water!
May their fingers like those of stonemasons be cut off!
120. Upon your majestic command, which does not change,
And your promise, which does not waver! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Mighty Nusku, offspring of Anu,
True image of your father, first born of Enlil,
Offspring of the Apsu, product of the lord of Heaven and Earth,
125. I picked up the torch, I have illuminated you,
The warlock who has cursed me; now curse him with the spell that he used on me!
The witch who has cursed me; now curse her with the spell that she used on me!
The sorcerer who has used sorcery on me; now use sorcery on him with the spell that he used on me!
The sorceress who has used sorcery on me; now use sorcery on her with the spell that she used on me!
130. The enchantress who has enchanted me; now enchant her with the spell that she used on me!
Who made these images in my image; who reproduced my shape;
They took my saliva, they ripped my hair,
They cut off the hem of my robe, and took the earth from where my feet fell.
O Girra, the hero, undo their incantation! Incantation formula.
135. Incantation. I raise up the torch and burn the figures,
Of the Utukku, the Šedu, the Rabisu, the Etemmu,
The Lamaštu, the Labasu, the Ahhazu,
The Lilu, the Lilitu, the Ardat Lili,
And any evil that seizes humanity;
140. Dissolve, melt, drip ever away!
May your smoke rise ever skyward,
May the sun extinguish your embers!
May the son of Ea, the magus, extinguish your emanations! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Mighty Nusku, counsellor of the great gods!
145. Tablet I of Maqlu

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Maqlu

Tablet IV

 

 

Incantation. Cook, cook, burn, burn!
Meanness and evil, do not come in: go away!
Who are you, whose son? Who are you, whose daughter?
You who sit here and command your sorcery, your plots,
5. That you have done against me!
May Ea the magician undo,
And nullify your sorceries!
Asarluhi, the magician of the gods, son of Ea the wise!
I bind you, I tie you up, I give you over,
10. To Girra, who burns, incinerates, binds,
Overpowers and seizes the sorceress!
May incinerating Girra strengthen my arms!
The magic, revolt, malediction, love, hate,
Injustice, murder, paralysis of the mouth,
15. Tearing of the insides, glowing of the face and insanity,
You have done, you have made others do, may Girra undo!
You marked me for a corpse, may Girra undo!
You turned me over to the skulls, may Girra undo!
You turned me over to a ghost of my family, may Girra undo!
20. You turned me over to the ghost of a stranger, may Girra undo!
You turned me over to a wandering ghost who has no caretaker, may Girra undo!
You turned me over to a ghost inhabiting ruins, may Girra undo!
You turned me over to the steppes, the open country, the desert, may Girra undo!
You turned me over to the inner wall and the outer wall, may Girra undo!
25. You turned me over to the mistress of the steppe and high ground, may Girra undo!
You turned me over to the bread oven, the stove, the pail of coals and the bellows, may Girra undo!
You have given images of me to a corpse, may Girra undo!
You have given images of me for a corpse, may Girra undo!
You have laid down images of me next to a corpse, may Girra undo!
30. You have put down images of me in a corpse’s lap, may Girra undo!
You have buried images of me in the grave of a corpse, may Girra undo!
You have turned images of me over to skulls, may Girra undo!
You have locked images of me in the wall, may Girra undo!
You have put down images of me on the threshold, may Girra undo!
35. You have locked images of me in the entrance to the wall, may Girra undo!
You have buried images of me on the bridge so that people stepped over them, may Girra undo!
You have dug a hole in the basin of the wash-house and buried images of me there, may Girra undo!
You have dug a hole in a gardener’s ditch and buried images of me there, may Girra undo!
Images of me out of tamarisk, out of cedar, out of tallow,
40. Out of wax, out of sesame,
Out of asphalt, out of clay, out of dough;
Images, likenesses of my face and my figure you have modelled,
And given them to a dog, to a pig, to eat,
To the birds of the sky; have thrown them in the river;
45. Images of me to Lamaštu, Anu’s daughter,
You have given, you have done, you have made others do, may Girra undo!
Images of me you have given to Girra, may Girra undo!
You have put down my water next to a corpse, may Girra undo!
You have put my water in a corpse’s lap, may Girra undo!
50. You have buried my water in a corpse’s grave, may Girra undo!
You have buried my water in a corpse’s … may Girra undo!
You have buried my water in a corpse’s … may Girra undo!
You have scooped out my water in … may Girra undo!
You have given my water to Gilgameš, may Girra undo!
55. You have picked me for … of the ditch, may Girra undo!
You have cut the throat before Sin, may Girra undo!
You have cut the throat before Šulpaea, may Girra undo!
You have cut the throat before the constellations Cygnus and Lacerta, may Girra undo!
… …
60. … …
… …
… …
… …
In front of … … and the gate of the house,
65. In front of comrades, companions, and servants of the same,
In front of the father and mother, brother and sister, son and daughter of the same,
In front of the house and the gate, slave and maid, small and large, of the same,
You made me … to whomever looks at me.
I have bound you, I have tied you up, I have surrendered you,
70. To Girra who burns, incinerates, binds,
And seizes the sorceresses.
May the burning Girra untie your knots,
Undo your enchantments, remove your ropes,
Upon the order of Marduk, son of Ea the wise,
75. And of Girra the praising, the wise, the son of Anu, the hero! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Who are you, sorceress, who committed murder?
Whether comrade or companion,
Whether brother or friend,
Whether stranger or fellow-citizen,
80. Whether known or unknown,
Whether sorcerer or sorceress,
Whether man or woman, whether murderer or murderess,
Whether kurgarru-priest or sahhiru,
Whether one … or a naršindu or a snake-charmer,
85. Whether an agugilu or a foreigner who happens to be in the country,
… the weapon … to the land,
… … do not come close! Incantation formula.
Incantation. My murderess, my sorceress, my enchantress,
(10 lines missing)
… …
90. … …
… …
I grab you, … …
I put you in the fire which burns,
Burns, binds, seizes,
95. The sorceresses! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Who is the father of the sun, who his mother,
Who his sister and brother his judge,
Of Marduk, Sin … …
The perfect god … …
100. Šamaš … …
And she, the goddess his judge,
I destroy the sorcery,
Witchcraft, revolt, malediction,
Upon the order of … Incantation formula.
105. Incantation. It hexes, and it hexes all the time.
The Cuthites, the Elamites,
The daughters of the Hanigalbatians.
Six on the land tie knots.
Six are their knots; seven are my loosenings.
110. What they tie by night,
I untie by day.
What they tie by day,
I untie by night.
I put them in the fire which burns,
115. Incinerates, binds and seizes,
The sorceresses! Incantation formula.
Incantation. My danger is a witch, I am released.
The witch is a witch, I am released.
The witch is an Elamite, I am released.
120. The witch is a Cuthite, I am released.
The witch is a Sutian, I am released.
The witch is a Lullubian, I am released.
The witch is a Hanigalbatian, I am released.
The witch is an agugiltu, I am released.
125. The witch is a naršindatu, I am released.
The witch is snake-charmer, I am released.
The witch is a magic priestess, I am released.
The witch is a metal-worker, I am released.
The witch is a bump on my gate, I am released.
130. The witch is a fellow-citizen of mine, I am released!
I have gathered her images, and I have sent them to the west.
The figures of the seven and seven witches,
I have given over to Girra.
In a portable oven I have burned them.
135. Gibil, burn my warlock and my witch!
Gibil, incinerate my warlock and my witch!
Gibil, burn them utterly!
Gibil, incinerate them utterly!
Gibil, seize them!
140. Gibil, devour them!
Gibil, take them away!
May the raging Gibil calm down!
Gibil, … …
The sorcerer and the sorceress, the enchanter and the enchantress,
145. May they truly … …
But I, I let the water of the flood,
come upon them! Incantation formula.
Incantation. My enchanter and my enchantress.
Tablet IV of Maqlu.

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Maqlu

Tablet VII

 

 

Incantation. My hand is Manzad, my scorpion;
… she, the sorceress, piles up her spells.
I … you, like the rainbow in the sky,
I blow on you like the north wind, the west wind,
5. I destroy your clouds and dispel your bad weather!
I destroy your sorcery which you have piled up day and night,
And the messages of murder which you send me.
The ferryboat calls, the harbour calls,
The sailors are resting the whole time;
10. Wrappings are put at the door and the bolt,
The incantations of Siduri and Ningišzida are laid,
The sorcery, the incantations, the evil calls, the evil word of my sorcerer and my sorceress,
Should not come close, should not come in!
They should not enter the house through the door!
15. May Ningišzida throw them out!
May they keel over and catch their helpers!
May god, king, master and prince look at them in an evil way!
May my sorceress not escape from the power of god!
But I, upon the order of Marduk, master of the vigilant,
20. And of Asarluhi, master of incantation,
May everything I have done be propitious!
May the sorceries which you have created turn into wind!
Incantation. I fructify you, my self; I fructify you, my body;
Like Sumuqan fructifies his cattle,
25. The ewe with her lamb, the gazelle with her kid, the she-ass with her foal,
Like the plough fructifies the earth, and the earth receives from the plough its seeds,
I have put an incantation on myself.
May it fructify me and drive the evil out!
May they tear away the sorcery from my body,
30. The great gods!
Incantation. Pure oil, light oil, shining oil!
Oil which cleans the gods!
Oil which cures the tendon of man.
Oil of the incantation of Ea, oil of the incantation of Asarluhi!
35. I have let you drip with the oil of the cure,
That Ea has given to heal.
I have rubbed you with the oil of life,
Have laid next to you the incantation of Ea, lord of Eridu, of Ninigikug,
Have chased the Asakku, the Ahhazu,
40. The chill out of your body.
I have removed the scream, the fear, the trembling of your body,
Have healed the tendons of your ailing members.
Upon the order of Ea, king of the Apsu,
With the formula of Ea, with the incantation of Asarluhi,
45. With a big dressing of Gula,
With the healing hands of Nindinugga,
And of Ninahaquddu, master of incantation,
Let N., son of N., know, O Ea, your incantation of life!
May the seven Apkallu of Eridu heal his body! Incantation formula.
50. Incantation. Enlil is my head, the star Kaksiša my figure;
The forehead is the divine moon-crescent,
My arms are the curved sword of the gate of Marduk;
My ears are a tablet, my trampling feet a snake.
You, great gods who are lit in the Heavens,
55. Like … sorcery, spells, malediction,
Do not come close to you, do not push up against you,
So may sorcery, spells, malediction not come close to me, not push up against me! Incantation.
Incantation. Whoever you are, sorceress, who has made an image of me,
Who has observed my figure and made a statue of me,
60. Has seen my strength, has made my appearance powerful,
Has studied the shape of my body,
Has reproduced my features,
Has bound my members,
Has tied up my members,
65. Has bent my nerves;
Ea, the enchanter of the gods has sent me;
In front of Šamaš I have drawn your picture,
I have drawn your figure, I have observed your strength,
I have made your appearance powerful, espied the shape of your body,
70. I have reproduced your features with pure flour,
I have bound your members, I have tied up your members,
I have bent your nerves;
I have done to you the spell that you did to me,
I have let you have the evil encounter that you let me have,
75. I have let you suffer the revenge that you let me suffer!
Your sorcery, your tricks, your evil, your maleficence,
Your evil plottings,
Your evil messages,
Your love, your hate, your injustice, your murder,
80. Your paralysis of the mouth, your calumnies: may your head stop!
With the water of my body and the cleansing water of my hands, may it be taken away,
And go to your head and your figure; but may I have life!
May affection come to me, favour come to me!
Incantation. Catcher of catchers!
85. Sorceress of sorceresses!
Whose net has been spread in the streets,
Whose eyes gaze around on the city square;
She selects the men of the city,
Along with the men of the city she also selects me.
90. She hangs around the girls of the city,
Along with the girls of the city she also hangs around me.
I seek out against you Kurgarras and ecstatics;
I will break your bond.
May warlocks bewitch you, I will break your bond.
95. May witches bewitch you, I will break your bond.
May Kurgarras bewitch you, I will break your bond.
May ecstatics bewitch you, I will break your bond.
May Narsindus bewitch you, I will break your bond.
May snakers bewitch you, I will break your bond.
100. May Agulgillu bewitch you, I will break your bond.
I eat your cheek, I tear your tongue,
I fill your eyes with saliva,
I let your arms fall in weakness.
You, yes you I let eat rotten garbage,
105. And everything that you have cursed, I turn on your head!
Incantation. Your enchantment, your sorcery, the sorcery of your sorceress,
The sorcery of your sorcerer,
Ea, the magician of the gods has undone and turned to water!
May your evil mouth be filled with earth,
110. May your evil tongue be tied with a string!
Upon the order of Enbilulu, master of life! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Your tied knots,
Your evil spells, your mean machinations,
Your evil messages,
115. Asarluhi, the magician of the gods, has undone and removed!
May your evil mouth be filled with earth,
May your evil tongue be tied with a string!
Upon the order of Enbilulu, master of life! Incantation formula.
Incantation. I have washed my hands, I have cleaned my body,
120. In pure spring water which comes from Eridu;
May all the mean, all the evil, all the bad luck,
Which in my body, my flesh, my muscles exists,
Anxiety through evil and unfavourable dreams, harbingers,
Anxiety through untrue dreams, evil and unlucky,
125. Through laying on of hands, strangling of life, of divination,
Through that which I see every day,
On which I step in the street, which I see on the sides,
The evil Šedu, the evil Utukku,
Illness, headache, distress,
130. Shrieking, fear, trembling, worries, fear, apathy,
Pain, aches, crumpling, cutting up of the body,
Fear, obsession, terror,
Sin, unfavourable events done by the gods, wrath,
Curse through the oath by a god, through the oath of the swearing hand,
135. Sorcery, spells, mean machinations of men,
May they all, with the water of my body and cleaning water of my hands,
Go over to the deceiving figure!
May my sin carry my image instead of me!
May street and path dissolve my sin!
140. May affection come to me, may favour come to me!
I have lived through the experience; may it be favourable to me!
May the day bring healing, the month joy, the year its bounty.
Ea, Šamaš, and Marduk, help me!
May the sorcery, the spells, be dissolved!
145. May the mean machinations of men,
And the oath leave my body!
Incantation. Dawn is breaking, my hands are washed;
… my sin is gone.
Because the sorceress enchanted me,
150. The witch made me sick,
May Šamaš bring salvation!
May the earth take me in!
Incantation. Dawn has broken; the doors are opened;
The traveller has passed through the gate;
155. The messenger has taken to the road.
Hey, witch: did you try to bewitch me?
Hey, enchantress: did you try to enchant me?
Now I am freed by the light of the rising sun;
Whatever witchcraft you did or had done,
160. May they turn back on you, yes you!
Incantation. Morning, ah morning!
Truly my sorcerer and my sorceress,
Have plucked their strings like minstrels.
At my gate stands Palil,
165. At the head of my bed stands Lugaledinna.
I send you, Palil, from my gate;
From the head of my bed, Lugaledinna.
Your discourse will turn around like a flood of a league, the flood of the street,
Your sorceries, your charms, your spells will seize you, yes you!
170. At dawn my hands are washed.
May a propitious beginning arise for me;
May happiness and good health ever accompany me,
Whatever I wish, may I attain my wish,
May the dream I dreamt be made favourable for me,
175. May anything evil, anything ominous,
The enchantments of sorcerer or sorceress,
By the command of Ea, Šamaš, Marduk, and the princess Belit-ili! Incantation formula.
Incantation. I have washed my hands, I have cleansed my hands for me;
The water of the high flood, the fertility of the river,
180. … … your strength,
… … your fertility,
Like to the waters sorcery, spells and evil words,
Do not approach, do not come close,
So may sorcery, spells and evil words not approach,
185. Not come close to me! Enenuru incantation formula.
Incantation. Until you shine, I wait for you, my master, Šamaš!
Tablet VII of Maqlu.