By Maximilian Lormier
Atrahasis, the favorite of Enki.
Atrahasis The myth tells the story of the creation of man and how many times the gods wanted to make it disappear. The genesis of man against the backdrop of revolution begins. In the beginning, the gods were multiple and consisted of two social groups: the powerful who ruled, remaining idle and consumers, and workers who produce food for the powerful. However, after some time, perhaps several thousand years, this order was no longer suitable and the minor gods revolted, destroyed their tools of labor, and besieged powerful in their fortress. The powerful gods, trapped, were forced to meet, hold a council of crisis and take the necessary decisions. The ideals of the revolution triumphed, and it was now accepted that the gods were now all free and equal. Unfortunately now arose the problem of food production need to produce to feed the people of gods, more numerous, gluttonous, voracious. The god Enki, the smartest and wisest, had the brilliant idea of creating a race of inferior beings made of clay and blood of gods and would have the same appearance their creators. These beings would not have the luxury to revolt, because Enki had the idea to introduce them in mortality: the man (awilum) was born.
man, mortal, had no time to revolt forever as did the ancient gods. Also satisfied, the gods went to work on the land, and harvest after harvest, they fueled their creators. Unfortunately, like all creation, man included defects that became quickly unbearable for the gods and their supreme leader, Enlil. Indeed, the Sumerian royal lists found in soil hot archaeological excavations in Iraq revealed that the first kings of those lists had long lives of hundreds of thousands of years. The men were multiplying rapidly and despite the mortality, they created a huge deafening uproar that the gods decided to stop.
Twice Enlil sent the great evils of the human race in order to destroy it: a terrible epidemic first and then later in a second attempt, a devastating drought. Men would be lost if Enki had not intervened. To save his creation, without hurting the other gods, Atrahasis he went, literally "the great sage" he made his devout and through his word. To stop the epidemic, Enki said to offer the Namtar Enlil, a hypostasis of fate. Enlil was flattered and then once satisfied, he hung his wrath. The men were rescued from the drought by Enki who intervened directly, since he was the god of water.
Nobody knows how much time passed before Enlil resumed his murderous desires. This time, he would once and for all end the uproar on earth by drowning in a giant flood. He did endorse the decision by the council of the gods Enki which belonged, not to suffer any challenge. Helpless and bound by his oath, not yet Enki gave up and went to find again Atrahasis who ordered through a hidden message, build the biggest secret in a sealed vessel and s 'lock up during the flood. Atrahasis complied and took with him his wealth, wild and domestic animals and many birds. Finally, Enlil's flood and rained all mankind was covered by water. The disaster was such that the gods themselves were horrified at the disaster. The cost to pay for this massacre was extremely heavy because the gods Enlil, in his great foresight, had not anticipated that the gods were nourished by men, not counting the remorse and hunger gnawed them soon enough. Atrahasis landed, went out and offered with a fumigation gods who ran around "like flies". The gods decided in meeting some measures to avoid future overcrowding of men. They introduced infertility, infant mortality and priestesses who are prohibited from giving birth.
man, mortal, had no time to revolt forever as did the ancient gods. Also satisfied, the gods went to work on the land, and harvest after harvest, they fueled their creators. Unfortunately, like all creation, man included defects that became quickly unbearable for the gods and their supreme leader, Enlil. Indeed, the Sumerian royal lists found in soil hot archaeological excavations in Iraq revealed that the first kings of those lists had long lives of hundreds of thousands of years. The men were multiplying rapidly and despite the mortality, they created a huge deafening uproar that the gods decided to stop.
Twice Enlil sent the great evils of the human race in order to destroy it: a terrible epidemic first and then later in a second attempt, a devastating drought. Men would be lost if Enki had not intervened. To save his creation, without hurting the other gods, Atrahasis he went, literally "the great sage" he made his devout and through his word. To stop the epidemic, Enki said to offer the Namtar Enlil, a hypostasis of fate. Enlil was flattered and then once satisfied, he hung his wrath. The men were rescued from the drought by Enki who intervened directly, since he was the god of water.
Nobody knows how much time passed before Enlil resumed his murderous desires. This time, he would once and for all end the uproar on earth by drowning in a giant flood. He did endorse the decision by the council of the gods Enki which belonged, not to suffer any challenge. Helpless and bound by his oath, not yet Enki gave up and went to find again Atrahasis who ordered through a hidden message, build the biggest secret in a sealed vessel and s 'lock up during the flood. Atrahasis complied and took with him his wealth, wild and domestic animals and many birds. Finally, Enlil's flood and rained all mankind was covered by water. The disaster was such that the gods themselves were horrified at the disaster. The cost to pay for this massacre was extremely heavy because the gods Enlil, in his great foresight, had not anticipated that the gods were nourished by men, not counting the remorse and hunger gnawed them soon enough. Atrahasis landed, went out and offered with a fumigation gods who ran around "like flies". The gods decided in meeting some measures to avoid future overcrowding of men. They introduced infertility, infant mortality and priestesses who are prohibited from giving birth.
