The Sun God in Second Millennium Incantation Texts

[us4-he2-gal2]

Hey everyone -



I've been going through a small corpus of second millennium incantation texts pertaining to the sun god Utu/Šamaš. I thought I would share some of the insights one can gain about the deity from these texts which are fairly obscure. The texts are seldom discussed and the publications they appear in remain obscure. In an article published in ZA 91 (2001), "Ein ki-^dutu-Gebet aus der Hilprecht-Sammlung," Prof. Krebernik gives a list of 13 second millennium incantation which pertain to the sun god. To that must be added a fourteenth exemplar (the one published in Krebernik's article):






1. A1T¹ 453 (sum., mB). Unbearbeitet, s. vorläufig Cooper (1971, 5 Anm. 22). [***Note: no translation available for this text]

2. „Appeal to Utu" (sum., aB-jB). Edition: Hallo (1982), Borger (1991).

3. BM 78614 (zweispr., aB). Edition: Wasserman (1997).

4. CBS 1529 (sum., spät-aB). Edition: Geller (1995, 114-126). Vgl. Anm. 15.

5. CT 58, 23 (sum., aB). Edition: Alster/Jeyes (1990, 1-3; 12).

6. CT 58, 28 (zweispr., aB). Edition: Alster/Jeyes (1990, 7-11).

7. „Incantation to Utu A" (sum., aB-nB; in Folge: „Inc. Utu A"). Editionen: Castellino
(1969): Alster (1991, 1993). Eine teilweise abweichende Interpretation bietet
Geller (1995, 102-107), von dem die (auf Castellinos Publikation fußenden) Bezeichnungen
„Incantation to Utu A/B/C"2 stammen.

8. „Incantation to Utu B" (sum., aB). Edition: Cohen (1977). Eine teilweise abweichende
Interpretation bietet Geller (1995, 107-109).

9. KBo. 7, 1 + + Rs. und Dupl. (zweispr., mB-nA). Edition: Cooper (1972, 65-81).
Vgl. Anm. 12.

10. NBC 7950 (sum., aB). Edition: Kutscher (1976).

11. VAT 8515 (sum., aB). Edition: van Dijk (1965).

12. YOS 11, 22 (akk., aB). Edition: Goetze (1968).

13. YOS 11, 23 (akk., aB). Edition: Starr (1983, 30-106).

14. HS 1512 (Krebernik 2001)


Bibliography for these incantation is provided in Krebernik 2001 and is as follows:


Alster (1991, 1993)
Alster, B. (1991): Incantation to Utu, ASJ 13, 27-96.


Alster/Jeyes (1990)
Alster, B./Jeyes, U. (1990): Two hymns and a copy of a royal inscription, ASJ 12, 1-
14

Borger (1991).
Borger, R. (1991): Ein Brief Sm-iddinams von Larsa an den Sonnengott [...]. NAWG
1991/2. Göttingen.

Alster, B. (1991): Incantation to Utu, ASJ 13, 27-96.

Cohen (1977)
Cohen, M. E. (1977): Another Utu hymn, ZA 67, 1-19.

Cooper (1971)
Cooper, J. S. (1971): Bilinguals from Boghazköi I, ZA 61, 1-22.

Geller (1995)
Geller, M. (1995): Very different Utu incantations, ASJ 17, 101-126.

Goetze (1968).
Goetze, A. (1968): An Old Babylonian prayer of the divination priest, JCS 22, 25-29.

Hallo (1982)
Hallo, W. W. (1982): The royal correspondence of Larsa: II. The appeal to Utu, in: Fs.
F. R. Kraus. Leiden, 95-109.

Krebernik 2001)
Krebernik, M. 2001. "Ein ki-dutu-Gebet aus der Hilprecht-Sammlung." ZA 91, 238-251.

Kutscher (1976).
Kutscher, R. (1976): Utu prepares for judgment, in: Fs. S. N. Kramer, AOAT 25. Kevelaer
[u.a.], 305-309.

Starr (1983)
Starr, I. (1983): The Rituals of the Diviner. BiMes. 12. Malibu

van Dijk (1965)
von Soden, W. (1952): Unregelmäßige Verben im Akkadischen, ZA 50, 161-181.

Wasserman (1997)
Wasserman, N. (1997): Another fragment of a bilingual hymn to Utu, ASJ 19, 261-
266.

Principle Themes about Utu/Šamaš in the 2nd Millennium
Incantation Corpus

Sun god as Judge:

Text 2, lines 1-5:
1. To Utu, my king, lord, senior judge of heaven and earth,
2. Protector of the nation who render verdicts,
3. Righteous god who loves to pardon men, who hears prayer,
4. Long on mercy, who knows clemency
5. Loving justice, choosing righteousness, [destroying ev]il (?), speak!

Text 4, lines 14-18:
15. You are the fair-minded god, walking about in heaven,
16. you are Justice, the focus of lands,
17. you know the honest one, [you know] the theif.
18. Justice turns its neck towards you.

Text 3 lines r 4 - r 7; r 12 - r 13:
r 4. [when you come out from the horizon to the place where heaven and earth are bound together,]
r 5. [the senior goda stand for you in judgement,]
r 6. [the Anunnaki stand for you in judgement,]
r 7. Mankind--[the people who have totally turned their attention to you],
...
r 12. Whatever there is from the heard, the gentle word is [spoken],
r 13. and Sisig, father of mankind [repeats it to you].

Text 6, lines r.2 to r.5:
r. 2 to the judge of Ekur, whose judg[ment and decisions...]
r. 3 the temple, which like pure heaven cannot be touched by a hand, its decisions...
r. 4 he tranpasses the pure heavens. (Akkadian: the pure heavens are opened for him).
r. 5 he loves justice and righteousness.

Text 7, line 11, 13-14, 21-22, 28-29, 39-40, 164-165,243-244:
11. In the assembly, you are the leading decision-maker (var. B: the leading judge).
13. Utu, you are the one who asssits the just man, you are his companion.
14. Utu, you are the helped of the just man.
21. Utu, judges of the gods,
22. Utu, the arbitrator of the Anunna-gods
28. Utu, leading judge of Sumer,
29. Utu, to render judgement is yours,
39. Utu, without you justice could not be passed, no decision be made,
40. Utu, without you the River Ordeal could not render judgement,
164. Utu, supreme judge of heaven and earth, homage should not be denied you!
165. To pass judgment on that man, let it be in your mind!
243. Utu, judge, speaking out of justice, and the word of Enki,
244. May the sick man praise your greatness because of(?) his life.


Text 8, lines 39-40:
39. He judges the case in [the Netherworld]
40. [Utu] intends to act as judge

Text 9, lines 8-9:
8. Judge of the land, who is fit for sovereignty,
9. Šamaš, great lord, king of all of heaven and earth

Text 10, 21-22:
21. In the mountain he lifted (his) head, he is certainly its king.
22. Utu, in the mountains, to decide their judgment


Text 12, line 11:
11. O Šamaš, lord of judgment! O Adad, lord of ritual acts and divination!

Text 13, lines 9-11:
9. O Šamaš, you have opened the locks of the gstes of heaven; you went up a staircase of pure lapis lazuli.
10. Lifiting (it), you carry a staff of lapis lazuli in your arms for the cases that you judge,
11. You judge the case of the great gods; you judge the case of the beasts of the field;
you judge the case of mankind.

Statements of Filiation (divine relatives of the Sun God)

Text 2, line 6:
6. To the bearded son of Ningal, (who) wears a greenish lapis lazuili beard

Text 7, line 7 (figurative):
whose head is raised, leader, father of the Anunna-gods,

Text 9, lines 5-6:
5. Pure offspring of lord Ašimbabbar,
6. Born son of mother Ningal,

Text 10, 23-27 (figurative and non-figuarative):
23. Lord, son of Ningal, to decide the fate of all the countries,
24. Lord who knows decisions, son of Enlil,
25. Utu, extremely clever, son of Ninlil,
26. Utu put the... on (his) head.
27. Lord, son of Ningal held the fifty laws in his hand.

Steeds belonging to the Chariot of the Sun God /// Royal Court and Attendants of the Sun God

Text 3, lines 1-4:
1. [....] Uhegalanna ('the abundant light of heaven') is (at) your right reign,
2. [....] Uhušgalanna ('the terrifying great light of heaven') is (at) your left rein,
3. [....] Usumurgalanna ('the dreadful great light of heaven') is (at) your right yoke,
4. [....] Unirgalanna ('the noble light of heaven') is (at) your left yoke,


Text 7, lines 77-100:
77. Sanabšaga, the inspector,
78. Guhašla with the multicoloured eye,
79. Nigzida ("Divine Justice"), your right hand vizier,
80. Nigsisa ("Divine Righteousness"), your left hand vizier,
81. Nin-ug, his supreme vizier,
82. Papnunna, the vizier whom he consults,
83. Šerrum, the vizier facing him,
84. [they bring(?) the one who professes wickedness, violence and odorous behaviour, before you.
85. Šagadulla, your messanger,
86. the judges, in the middle of heave, the seven, pass before you.
...
91. your four-lion yoke riding in the middle of the sky,
92. Šul[zi]mahanna, your attendant,
93. Hamun, your groom,
94. [Ka]rdu and Sahardu, your swift couriers (var. A,C +E: I am your, etc..)
95. Adgiman ("supreme counselor"), your "favourable look",
96. the lion with the face of the zû-bird, the dreadful, terrible one,
97. the lion with the terrible serpent's eye, devouring everything,
98. the lion with the face of a dragon, the murderer,
99. your beast with the face of a lion, spreading awful radiance,
100. your four-lion yoke riding in the midst of the sea

Text 12, 23-24:
23. an wash you up, Bunene, messanger
24. of justice, before Šamaš, the judge!

Text 14, r.4-r.6
r.4 [Panunna], the vizier who advises you
r.5 [Šer'u]ru, the vizier facing you
r.6 May your viziers step forward
r.7 may they eat and drink

Appearance of the Sun God

Text 2, line 6, 9:
6. To the bearded son of Ningal, (who) wears a greenish lapis lazuili beard
9. Warrior, son born by Ningal, who guards and gathers together the divine attributes


Text 10, lines 2-3:
2. Utu, the great physician, father of the black-headed,
3. Wearing a lapis lazuli beard in the Ebabbar

Text 13, line 9-11:
9. O Šamaš, you have opened the locks of the gstes of heaven; you went up a staircase of pure lapis lazuli.
10. Lifiting (it), you carry a staff of lapis lazuli in your arms for the cases that you judge,
11. You judge the case of the great gods; you judge the case of the beasts of the field;
you judge the case of mankind.

Sun god as exorcist / as diviner

Text 4, lines 26-28:
26. A sick organ, mind, an evil Udug-demon and Lil-demon
27. and the evil ghost and evil Gall [are driven out] by you youself,
28. the one one doing evil [is driven out by[ you yourself.


Text 5, lines 6-8:
6. Great hero, Utu, in the holy song, [oh king,...]
7. Who [placed] the crown on your head? [It was Enlil in heaven].
8. Utu, who [placed] the crown? [It was Enlil in heaven].


Text 9, line 3:
3. diviner of the land, leader who knows everything

Sun-god as fate determiner

Text 2, line 10:
10. Righteous god, prince who determines all fates, father of the black-headed ones, my king, say furthermore!

Text 7, line 11
11. In the assembly, you are the leading decision-maker (var. B: the leading judge).

As bringer of light - who makes light in dark places

Text 2, line 7:
7. Opener of the courtyard (and) locks of heaven and earth, who makes the dark (places) bright,

Text 6, r.6:
r. 6 on the wide earth he spreads light

Text 7, line 24:
24. Utu, for father Enlil you make light in the darkness

[rynathee]

Thank you for this, Bill!

[us4-he2-gal2]

Rynathee: Sure. It was an interesting task to read through those 14 texts and isolate the major themes. There isn't really a single book which treats Šamaš where one can see everything with one reference. I hadn't finished the post at the time you replied above, it is finished now.