Reading akkadian PRayeRs & Hymns An Introduction

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READING AKKADIAN PRAYERS AND HYMNS: AN INTRODUCTION
strengthened by its likely similar context in an additional royal ritual, 18 illuminates
the way in which this prayer blended functionality typical of Akkadian
shuilla-prayers with that of Kultmittelbeschwörungen. Nisaba’s presumed influence
over other gods is manifested in both respects. Like the Kultmittelbeschwörungen,
which included descriptions of the special qualities of the objects addressed, 19
Nisaba 1 is directed to a material that is then manipulated in a ritual. However,
the words addressed to the maṣḫatu-flour do not describe its material qualities
but rather name anthropomorphic characteristics of the goddess, as do many
shuilla-prayers; she is “merciful,” she “creates god, king, and human,” she “reconciles
angry gods to humans.” 20
The image of Nisaba as a “net” (saparru, line 3) capable of making angry
deities relent captures well the influence of this deity. A saparru is attested as
being spread out or thrown in order to capture and pacify an opposing deity.
This image provides a link between the anthropomorphic images of Nisaba and
the material manifestation of the goddess as flour, which, like such a net, is cast
towards the deity. The recital of Nisaba 1 in conjunction with ritual scattering of
maṣḫatu-flour as an offering would have manifested influence to calm angry deities.
In Bīt salāʾ mê this ritual-prayer would have rendered Jupiter/Marduk,
widely attested as a furious warrior, calm and amenable to interceding for the
king in order to reconcile him with his personal gods. It begins there a lengthy
sequence of shuillas to the gods of Nippur and Babylon that continues through
the night intended to gain also their intercession on the king’s behalf. It is possible
that at least some of the offerings in the subsequent lengthy sequence of
shuilla-rituals in Bīt salāʾ mê might also have included maṣḫatu-flour and, if so,
would have further manifested Nisaba’s influence.
18 Noting that the colophon to MS C identifies it with the royal ritual complex Bīt rimki, Cecil
Mullo-Weir argued that Nisaba 1 may be restored as initiating the lengthy sequence of shuillas in
one version of that complex (BBR 26+), where, as in Bīt salāʾ mê, it is followed immediately by a
shuilla to Marduk (“The Prayer Cycle in the Assyrian Ritual bît rimki, Tablet IV,” AfO 18 [1957–
1958], 371–72).
19 Tzvi Abusch, “Blessing and Praise in Ancient Mesopotamian Incantations,” in Literatur, Politik
und Recht in Mesopotamien: Festschrift für Claus Wilcke (ed. W. Sallaberger, K.Volk, and A. Zgoll;
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2003), 1–14, here 3–4.
20 Moreover, in Bīt salāʾ mê, Nisaba 1 differs from the sequence of ten Kultmittelbeschwörungen
which immediately precede it in that none of them include instructions for the making of an
offering to the materials to which they are addressed. Yet, an offering is made to the maṣḫatuflour
in conjunction with the recitation of Nisaba 1.
ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY:
NISABA. Black and Green, 143. Eva Braun-Holzinger. “Nisaba. B. Archäologisch.”
RlA 9 (1998–2001), 579. Piotr Michalowski. “Nisaba. A. Philologisch.”
RlA 9 (1998–2001), 575–79.
TEXT. Edition and Study: Christopher Frechette. “The Ritual-prayer Nisaba 1
and its Function.” With an edition of Nisaba 1 by Ivan Hrůša. Journal of Ancient