HYMN AND PRAYER TO THE MOTHER GODDESS

FOR SUCCOR FROM DEMONS.

(W-B. 169.)

No. 169 is a medium-sized rectangular prism pierced at the center from top to bottom by a round, smooth hole a half-inch in diameter. The literary form of the composition is extraordinary. The text contains 97 lines divided into two sections. Lines 1–54 contain six descriptions of various demons and of the hag demon Labartu, defining her nefarious practices. Not only is the text imperfectly preserved in these six paragraphs, but the language offers insurmountable difficulties. Paragraph I mentions the ka-gul, "evil mouth" (l. 1), and the eme-gul, "evil tongue" (l. 5), of the wicked working goddess. original: "dingir-gul-dug-ga" = "ilat musalpitat" (goddess who destroys); cf. PSBA. 1895, K. 41 I 1. The evil deity is then described as sagdurri padda gir-nu-un-su-[su], "She that is named 'the womb,' whose foot falters not," and unto him a wife is not given; nunuz galu na-a-da-a-ni nu-dul-[dul] 1. "dul" = "ridu" (domain), Br. 9586, and "dul-la" = "ridutu", 9610. Cf. "e-dul-la" = "edulu" (harem), CT. 18, 48, 13, and "e-du-la", PBS. X 135, 33, where it should be rendered "harem." The word is probably derived from "dul," to cover. dam-a-ni nu-sum-ma-da-[ni] (l. 8). Each of these six paragraphs closes with the line: dingir ur-bi sa-a dingir lul-la-a-na ur-bi nu-me-en, "A god who can stand as rival in opposition to her, a god whose wickedness is like hers, there is not."

Paragraph II begins in a liturgical strain; ni-bal-e nig ab-bal-e ud galu balag-a gigri 2. "gigri" usually means "halalu" (to creep into), not "halalu" (to sing, dance). The two words probably represent linguistic variants of one root "to dance, writhe." zi-mu nu-gud-da, "She curses, a curse she utters. When man sways to the drum, my breath of life is not cut off." Line 13 mentions the dul-lal, "honey well"; a sacred place at Nippur has the name dul-lal, RA. 19, 69, 7. See also line 14. In this paragraph occur the words agrig, "prophet" (galu-bal, cf. SAI. 167 and PBS. V 147), and galu-gu-de-a, "wailer." Line 17 again describes the Labartu demoness: sal-la tur-tur-ra galu na-da-a-ni la-ba-an-gul-li, "The female who enfeebles man—with whom he that sleeps will not be glad." In the present condition of the text I can extract little meaning from paragraphs III, IV, V, and VI, which ends with Col. III 4.

The remaining 43 lines contain a remarkable address to the grain goddess Nidaba as the virgin goddess Innini. Seventeen of her temples are mentioned in which she is petitioned to extend succor to man against the demons. Nidaba was only a specialized type of the unmarried mother-goddess Innini, and as patroness of grain she possessed special power over demons. 3. See Tammuz and Ishtar, 154. This section has some similarity to the "Hymn to Innini as Queen of Heaven," in which several of her temples are mentioned. 4. Published in Zimmern's Kultlieder; v. PSBA. 1918, 79–82.