Reading akkadian PRayeRs & Hymns An Introduction

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READING AKKADIAN PRAYERS AND HYMNS: AN INTRODUCTION
burned. The order of the invocation is as logical as it is chilling: Nergal goes
before Shalmaneser and kills all the people while Girra sweeps in and burns up
the carnage.
Finally, the so-called Verse Account of Nabonidus contains a stylistically
beautiful line composed of two synonymously parallel stichoi that reflect an
identification of Girra with fire:
Whatever he (Nabonidus) made, he (Cyrus) had Girra burn it up,
Whatever he made, he had fire (išātu) consume it (vi 23ʹ–24ʹ). 2
Since Girra was the god of fire he was regarded as the patron deity of metalworkers.
Also, he was acknowledged for his role in the construction of buildings
by providing the means to bake bricks. Appropriately, his symbol was the
torch.
THE PRAYER:
This incantation-prayer is a part of Maqlû, “burning,” an Akkadian magical
series, consisting of eight incantation tablets (I–VIII) and one ritual tablet (IX),
that was performed at the end of the month Abu to combat illegitimate witches
and witchcraft. The first eight tablets contain almost one hundred incantations.
Tablet IX lists the incantations according to their opening words (incipit) and
describes the proper rituals to employ with each. An exorcist led the incantations
and associated rituals which emphasize the innocence of the supplicant as
well as their inability to counteract their enemy. The ceremony was performed
at the supplicant’s home and began at night and was continued the following
morning. Although the ceremony was complex we may break it down into three
main parts: summoning the gods, cleansing the patient’s bedroom, and performing
ceremonial washings the following morning. 3
The incantation-prayer to Girra occurs in the first part of the ritual in Tablet
II, lines 76–103. Our text begins with a brief hymnic introduction that praises
Girra’s ability to guide the divine council toward right verdicts (lines 1–9). After
the hymn is the petition section of the prayer (lines 10–24). It begins with a
standard self-presentation formula (line 10) and then follows a typical sequence.
In the first section the supplicant’s situation is described in the form of a lament
(lines 11–13). The second part contains ritual actions involving figurines (lines
15–17) followed by the recitation of several petitions (lines 18–21, 23), which
marks the end of the petition section. Finally, the prayer is concluded with
praise (lines 24–27).
2 My translation. See Hanspeter Schaudig, Die Inschriften Nabonids von Babylon und Kyros’ des
Grossen (AOAT 256; Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2001), 572 for an edition.
3 This section is adapted from Tzvi Abusch, Mesopotamian Witchcraft (Ancient Magic and Divina-
tion 5; Leiden: Brill, 2002), 288–89.