The three next tablets in the Creation series are absent, there being only two doubtful fragments of this part of the story. Judging from the analogy of the Book of Genesis, we may conjecture that this part of the narrative contained the description of the creation of light, of the atmosphere or firmament, of the dry land, and of plants. One fragment which probably belonged to this space is a small portion of the top of a tablet referring to the fixing of the dry land; but it may belong to a later part of the story, since it is part of a speech to one of the gods. This fragment is—
- 1. At that time the foundations of the caverns of rock [thou didst make];
- 2. the foundations of the caverns thou didst call [them] (?)
- 3. the heaven was named ......
- 4. to the face of the heaven ......
- 5. thou didst give ......
- 6. a man ......
There is a second more doubtful fragment which also may come in here, and, like the last, relate to the creation of the dry land. It is, however, given under reserve—
- 1. The god Khir ... si ....
- 2. At that time to the god ....
- 3. So be it, I concealed thee ....
Fight between Merodach (Bel) and the Dragon.
- 4. from the day that thou ....
- 5. angry thou didst speak ....
- 6. The god Assur his mouth opened and spake, to the god ....
- 7. Above the deep, the seat of ....
- 8. in front of Bit-Sarra which I have made ...
- 9. below the place I strengthen ....
- 10. Let there be made also Bit-Lusu, the seat ..
- 11. Within it his stronghold may he build and ..
- 12. At that time from the deep he raised ....
- 13. the place .... lifted up I made ....
- 14. above .... heaven ....
- 15. the place .... lifted up thou didst make.
- 16. .... the city of Assur the temples of the great gods ....
- 17. .... his father Anu ....
- 18. the god .... thee and over all which thy hand has made
- 19. .... thee, having, over the earth which thy hand has made
- 20. .... having, Assur which thou hast called its name.
This fragment is both mutilated and obscure, and it is more than doubtful whether it has anything to do with the Creation tablets. It seems rather to be a local legend relating to Assur, the old capital of Assyria, and possibly recording the legend of its foundation. Bit-Sarra or E-Sarra, “the temple of the legions,” was dedicated to Ninip, and forms part of the name of Tiglath-Pileser (Tuculti-pal-esara “Servant of the son of Bit-Sarra,” i.e. Ninip). It seems to have denoted the firmament, the “legions” or “hosts” referring to the multitudinous spirits of heaven. The Biblical expression “the Lord of hosts” may be compared.
The next recognizable portion of the Creation legends is the upper part of the fifth tablet, which gives the creation of the heavenly bodies, and runs parallel to the account of the fourth day of creation in Genesis.
This tablet opens as follows:—