Mesopotamia - The Healer, the Slave and the Prince

by Yehuda Israely

  “They suck the blood of your insides, blind your eyes and block your ears,” said Eo silently, almost whispering.

  “The evildoers are like the nails of my fingers,” roared the demon derisively, bursting out in wild laughter.

  “They are working against you.” All at once, Eo raised his voice with all his might and suddenly yelled into his ear, “And they incite you against Nergal!”

  Rukha had difficulty recognizing Eo. He had never heard him acting so confident and assertive. He was amazed when he saw that the provocation had worked. The demon was indeed afraid that Nergal the king of the demons would hear them and suspect him of subversion. He began to defend himself.

  “I have never meant any harm to my master Nergal,” said Kumbaba, his voice now devoid of the aggression that he demonstrated but a moment earlier.

  “If you indeed submit yourself to the order of the netherworld, you should be certain that Nergal will support your actions.”

  “Nergal my king and Ereshkigal my queen are familiar with my devotion and will support my decisions. Your attempts will not succeed in tipping the balance, mortal. Layil was sentenced to slavery and it is not within your feeble power, being the putrid body that you are, to change the workings of the netherworld,” said the demon.

  Eo felt that the decisive moment had come. He had chained Kumbaba in a web of words. He had caused the demon to declare his obedience to Nergal. The demon could no longer get out of this mess; Eo now cast the final trap.

  Eo roared, “All the male and female demons from below, all of the Gods and Goddesses of the netherworld: You are my witnesses that Kumbaba agrees to either declare himself as a lawbreaker in the underworld or to obey the instructions of his king and queen. Let us meet for Nergal's ruling in the red temple, the temple of the Goddess Inanna.”

  In order to prevent the demon from having any response, Eo leapt out of the ring of lit wicks. This was the signal for the eagerly waiting Rukha to quickly pour water from the clay basin onto the burning coals. A suffocating white smoke struck the prince's face and he fell back unconscious. Eo signaled Rukha to release the bolts in the doors to allow the prince's servants to carry him out.

  CHAPTER 9

  Since the previous night, the high priest had been diligently laboring over the emanation of the idols. He organized them by order of importance in the great plaza of the red temple of the Goddess of love and war, Inanna. The most important statues were placed in the center and the lesser ones around them. From the moment Shamash went down to the netherworld, the high priest and the other priests started singing verses of praise, each to the God he was charged with. They directed their words to the star identified with each God. Exposing the statues to the starlight while singing and playing music infused them with the holiness of the Gods in the heavens. In the morning, those statues that had been sanctified and become Gods themselves were anointed with goat's milk that had been diluted with ale.

  In the afternoon hours, the preparations for the ceremony advanced with great momentum. Torches were kindled around the plaza and beside each God. The king, the queen, the prince, the priests, Eo and Rukha immersed themselves in a sanctified purifying pool and wore white garments. The priests shaved the hair from their heads. The animals set aside for sacrifice, those which had been fed on the purest of barley, had already been prepared: each of them was resting, bound, beside the God to whom it would be offered. Between them there was a black goat which had been chosen because it wandered away from its flock. The musicians tuned their instruments and rehearsed their accompaniment of the songs on the harp, flute, horn and drums of destiny.

  In the temple plaza, the ceremony was due to start. The prince was in the center, looking as though he was unaware of what was taking place. Surrounding him were the king, the queen, the high priest, Eo and Rukha. The three hundred and sixty statues of Gods and Goddesses surrounded them. The high priest waited for twelve stars to appear in An's night sky, and then he began by saying:

  “In the name of all the priests of the temple of Inanna, in the name of the great and powerful King Meskiagasher, scion of the dynasty of the righteous, may your sheep, goats and cattle feed on barley and your slaves fat forever and ever; in the name of the Queen Partakhti, whose face lights up the night; and in the name of their son destined for greatness, who has not sinned a day in his life, Enmerkar: I turn to you, the Gods. Open your ears and hearts to the distress of the mortals, your devoted servants.”

  To the beat of the drum of destiny he declared:

  I turn to you, Inanna, Ishtar, Goddess of Love and War,

  Evening star, ostrich egg beads at your neck, eyes of azure, fingers of gold,

  Holding the distaff and spindle, spinning clothes of crimson and purple,

  Beheading in battle,

  Strumming the women's harp and beating the drum of lamentation.

  This temple is yours.

  I beseech you, bless all the Gods and humans residing here with you and let no harm come to them.

  I appeal to you, Nammu, Great Mother, Goddess of Creation, Source of all Creation.

  I appeal to you, An, God of the Heavens, the origin of the authority of kings.

  I appeal to you, Sin, God of the Great and Awesome Moon, who protects us from demons and spirits and gives us the calendar to live by.

  I appeal to you, Gula, Goddess of Medicine, provide a cure to the Crown Prince Enmerkar.

  The priest was silent after appealing to the Gods of Heaven and Earth. He then turned to face the statues of the Gods of the netherworld.

  I appeal to you, Nergal, High and Mighty King of the netherworld; all the dwellers of the netherworld adhere to your word.

  I appeal to you, Ereshkigal, High and Noble Queen, Goddess of Death and Darkness, who holds souls in her hand.

  I appeal to you, Enlil, who holds the fate of men and Gods, and who chose Uruk for your dwelling.

  I appeal to you, Shamash, who hangs in the sky in the daytime, and at night does the bidding of Nergal. Please deliver our words to him.

  I appeal to you, Mot, God of Death, please do not hasten. We all come to you at the end of our time on this Earth.

  I appeal to you, Neti, Guardian of the Seven Gates of the netherworld. Protect the humans from the demons and allow the demon to return to his home.

  The priest prepared to continue with his plea.

  “I present my plea before you, Inanna, Ishtar, in your temple, the temple built by one who loves you, the king of the dynasty of the righteous. Give your ear to the king of this land, the righteous Meskiagasher. Gather the Gods in order that they should listen to his words. Please accept our humble gift.” He gestured with his hand toward the animals in the plaza. “May the fragrance be pleasant to you and to the other Gods.”

  The musicians and singers broke into songs of praise for the Goddess Inanna at the priest's signal, while the junior priests slaughtered the sacrifices. The blood drained through clay pipes down into the ground, as a gift to the Gods of the netherworld. The meat would be eaten by the Gods and the priests later.

  The crown prince still sat, unmoving, in the center of the plaza. The King's turn to appeal to the Gods had come.

  “Virtuous Inanna,” began the king. “You are the beloved of Enlil and devoted to An, as I myself love and am devoted to my son. I stand before you not as a king, but as a father lamenting the distress of his son. Please bless Gula, Goddess of Medicine, that she will listen closely and hear Eogulades and strengthen his hand to heal my dear son, Enmerkar. Ask the King of the netherworld Nergal to hear Layil's words for us. Ask your father An to mercifully use his influence for us.”

  The queen's eyes never veered from the king as she accompanied his prayer in her heart. The priests, mainly the younger ones, were gripped with fear in the presence of the royal family. Rukha's heart pounded with excitement; was he hearing the beats of the drums of destiny, or was that his own heart pounding? The proximity of the Gods of the netherworld made him tremble. Only Eo
was calm, focused entirely on the prince, aware of every small change in his expression.

  The priests cleared the center of the arena. The prince remained in the center, an indifferent expression on his face. Nergal's statue was placed behind him and Eo opposite him. Rukha knelt on his knees at Eo's feet, and next to him, wrapped in wet felt, were wet clay tablets and a stylus for writing. Eo began.

  “Please see, Masters of the Worlds, the great honor the king of the Middle Earth, Meskiagasher, has bestowed upon you. Please see the suffering of the Prince Enmerkar, who gives his body as a dwelling so that your words may be heard. Open your ears and your hearts to the words of the demon Layil.”

  Eo signaled to the high priest to conduct the musicians. A deafening burst erupted at once from all the horns and then there was silence. Eo continued in his appeal to the prince and this time the thundering drums of destiny accompanied him.

  “I hear you.

  I hear you.

  I hear you…”

  The queen gripped the king's hand. The king's heart threatened to burst from his chest. The priests moved their lips feverishly, whispering the sacred verses. Rukha's gaze was riveted to his teacher. Eo's entire being was focused on the prince. After several long minutes, Enmerkar awoke with a spasm of pain and began talking in his indecipherable tongue. From time to time, he stopped due to a spasm that gripped one of his limbs, and then he continued. Rukha reached for a clean tablet from the pile and pressed the stylus into it, writing the sounds that came out of Enmerkar's lips. Every time he stopped, Rukha marked it with a dot.

  When the demon fell silent, Eo turned to Rukha to read what had been said. The dots helped Rukha turn meaningless sounds into words and sentences. He read each word in the opposite direction:

  “I, Layil the demon, thank the humans of the Middle Earth for enabling me to speak before the Gods. I turn to you, Nergal, King of the netherworld. Please forgive your servant. In my eagerness to serve the demon Kumbaba, I sinned and cut down the trees in his garden.”

  “Great and terrible Nergal,” Eo appealed to the God through the crown prince. “Please speak your words to Layil, to the humans, to the King Meskiagasher, and to the Gods.

  I hear you.

  I hear you.

  I hear you…”

  It was obviously apparent the moment that Nergal took over the prince's body. The prince straightened himself nobly, his shoulders became erect and all his muscles tensed. His face became harsh and wrathful. The look in his eyes was powerful, foreboding, as the king Gilgamesh-Nimrod would look in many years' time, for he is Enmerkar.

  This time he spoke in clear Sumerian, in an assertive voice. “Heed me, for I am Nergal!” Panicked cries were heard in the crowd. Those in attendance recoiled and averted their eyes in awe. The queen, who dared to look, did not recognize her son's face. “No one will disobey me. No man, no demon and no God. Layil was punished so that all dwellers of the netherworld, the Middle Earth and the Gods in heaven would know my great power. With the lifting of my finger, I can crush mountains; with a breath I can burn forests; and with the spittle from my mouth the waters of the deep will rise up and flood the Earth. Only to the authority of An, Lord of the heavens, will I step aside.”

  Everyone present froze, except for Eo. Eo gestured to the king to make his appeal to Nergal.

  King Meskiagasher entered the arena. His innards churned when he didn't recognize his son in the body before him. He, the awesome King Meskiagasher, the cruel conqueror, a fearless fighter, supreme sovereign between the rivers, was afraid of the foreignness peering at him from the eyes of his son. He appealed to the King of the netherworld, Nergal, dwelling in the body of his son.

  “Nergal, King of the Netherworld, great and powerful God. Hear the words of your servant Meskiagasher, King of Uruk in the Middle Earth. Without the power of your blazing anger, the world could not exist. Without the struggles caused by you, the world would not go on. Just as the clouds of An pour down a flood, but without them the earth could not sprout; just as Layil's power to fell trees with one swing would not exist without his blind enthusiasm; just as the leadership of the crown prince cannot exist without the freedom to choose his duty; thus too the power of the Gods of the netherworld, the force of the Gods of the heavens, the vigor of the demons of the netherworld and the courage of the kings of the Middle Earth could not exist without the destruction that is caused by their great power. Forgive your servant Layil and permit him to work, praise you and glorify your name throughout the world. Forgive my son Enmerkar for his soft and gentle thoughts, for he was born to serve you and all the Gods of the world.”

  At a signal from Eo, the king turned to the statue of An, King of the Heavens.

  “King, Lord of the Worlds, An, the exalted and supreme. Hear the plea of your devoted servant Meskiagasher. In the name of the Patron Goddess of Uruk, your beloved daughter Inanna, open in your great wisdom the ears of the Gods, your servants, so that they shall hear my words.

  “If you use your authority to influence Nergal and to appease him, that he should influence the gatekeeper of the netherworld to open his gates to Layil; and influence the ferry God to return him safely to the netherworld; and influence the judge of demons to forgive him; and influence the king of the forest to accept him for work as a free demon; if you influence all of these, for the sake of freeing Layil from his retribution, for the sake of freeing Enmerkar from Layil, then I will fulfill this vow:

  “I will do everything in my power to expand my kingdom, to conquer this land, from the land of the black heads in the south to the hunters of the white bear in the north, from the slant eyes in the east to the metalworkers in the islands of the sea in the west. I will spread your holy name everywhere. I will teach all the scribes of the nations to read and write in your tongue so that they might read of your deeds and strength. I will teach all the common people of the world to read and write with the help of your holy phonetic script. I vow that I will do all I can to ensure that Enmerkar my son will follow in my footsteps, spreading your name until there is no man or demon who does not accept your authority.”

  There was silence when the king finished his plea. No one drew a breath in anticipation of An's response. All at once, the skies darkened and the terrible light of Shamash, which had beaten down on the heads of those gathered as it had beaten down for the last year, faded. Clouds filled up in the sky, the udders of the God. Rain began to fall, quenching the parched ground.

  Eo held the black goat, the one chosen because it wandered from its flock and then wanted to return. The demon who wishes to return to the netherworld would cling to the soul of the goat trying to return home, and would in turn return to his home.

  Eo brought the mouth of the black goat close to the mouth of the prince, while his father the king embraced him tightly from behind. The prince thrashed about wildly in an attempt to free himself. He shouted in a deep and guttural voice that echoed from the walls of the temple. Meskiagasher ignored the blows he was receiving and held his son with all of his might. The prince began to convulse, his eyes rolled up, and his mouth foamed. The king pressed on the prince's lungs forcefully and sent his breath into the mouth of the goat. The goat began to bleat and kick Eo, who was holding it. Quick as lightening, the healer drew the slaughtering knife and slashed the throat of the goat. The unconscious prince fell, limp, into his father's arms. Lightening split the skies and thunder shook the entire temple. The skies opened and torrential rain poured down. He poured the blood into the ground as a tribute. The demon, riding on the soul of the goat, returned to the netherworld.

  The eunuch would have preferred to send one of his clerks to perform the task, but the vizier, with the authority that the king had publicly bestowed upon him, had ordered him to perform the task personally. He made his way to the malodorous slave pit. The slaves doubled over under the weight of the litter chair. Their backs broke as they carried him down the underground ramp to the oak door. All the torches on the way down to the pit and the
platform around it had been ignited. To the surprise of the head taskmaster, the eunuch did not want to hear about the wounded. That morning, the final ball game had been played before the slave pit was to be shut down.

  When the doors opened and the eunuch's massive figure was seen in the entrance, the slaves expected another game. As was their habit, the determined ones gathered in the center while the others pressed themselves against the mud walls, distancing themselves as far as possible from the dangerous hubbub. The eunuch ignored the taskmaster that brought him the ball. With great embarrassment, the taskmaster held the superfluous ball.

  “I wish to speak. Prepare them for my speech,” the eunuch whispered to the head taskmaster.

  The taskmaster whipped his long whip down into the pit several times to no avail. “Silence, slaves!” he thundered. The shouts were replaced by whispers.

  “Silence!” the taskmaster commanded again, whipping here and there.

  This time his order was obeyed fearfully.

  “His Excellency the Eunuch, Minister of Slaves, our exalted and revered Lord, will speak before you.”

  Understanding that something unexpected was about to occur, the slaves pressed back against the wall opposite the eunuch and waited in silence. The eunuch coughed, trying unsuccessfully to get away from the stifling stench. Finally he began in his nasal voice.

  “His Majesty, the almighty King Meskiagasher, and I, Seruf the Slave Minister, have decided in our great generosity to relieve the slave population.”

  The exultation was unstoppable. The taskmaster whipped his whip indiscriminately until the noise subsided. Even the slaves who were injured and bleeding anticipated his words with radiant faces.